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Kotaku East
Legs Spread, Are You Ready for this Sengoku Basara Mousepad? Are You?
Since around 2005 or 2006, “boob” mousepads have enjoyed a degree of popularity with male gamers. But not all gamers are dudes, and not all dudes like boobs. Hence, this. This Masamune Date mouse pad is a fan-made creation, produced by doujin circle Waradoko and released last month. Date, real-life historical figure, appears in Capcom’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Nerd Paradise Is Turning to Nerd Hell. Beware Evil Maids!
In Japanese geek meccas like Tokyo’s Akihabara and Osaka’s Nipponbashi, otaku (nerds) flock to maid cafes. The establishments are staffed with young women, eager to talk, serve rice omelets, and play paper-rock-scissors with customers. For a price. And depending on the maid cafe, a hefty one. Maid cafes started taking off in Japan between 2003…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 22, 2012 -
When Sega Released the Hounds. The iHounds.
Woof | TOKYO, JAPAN: Back in 2005, Sega Toys released iDogs. (Photo: Shizuo Kambayashi | AP) Crusader Kings II: The Kotaku Review I was playing as the King of England. I ruled for over thirty years, sometimes a tyrant, other times a hero. When I died, I could keep playing, because I was now controlling…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Plastic Wonderland of Japanese Arcades
The recent Amusement Operator Union arcade expo wasn’t only about dancing girls and giant robots, it was also about figurines and prizes. Kotaku‘s Toshi Nakamura and Richard Eisenbeis were on hand to slap buttons and to snap photos of prizes that punters can win from redemption games. Some of the figures were prototypes, while others…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Nintendo Holding Online Press Conference Tomorrow. You’re Invited.
Nintendo announced today via sloppy handwriting that there will be a “Nintendo Direct” online presentation on Feb. 22 from 9am EST. In Nintendo Direct, the Kyoto-based game maker speaks directly via an online video presentation.
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Wasabi Kit-Kat? Um, Okay!
Man, I love Kit-Kat. They are truly fantastic. Japan often gets interesting Kit-Kat flavors, such as “pudding” or even tea-flavored ones. The most interesting flavor I’ve seen is “wasabi”, which I spotted when traveling home for the holidays. Wasabi flavored Kit-Kat! I actually didn’t get them. I kind of chickened out at the last minute.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Do Nintendo’s Presidents Have Crappy Handwriting? Or Should We Blame the 3DS?
Satoru Iwata, Nintendo’s president, wears spiffy banker suits. He has floppy hair. His glasses are nice. But how’s his handwriting? On a 3DS? Above is the Swapnote message Nintendo is sending out for its monthly “Nintendo Direct” online presentation in which Iwata and Nintendo directly speak to the internet. The message is fairly simple: “Hello.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Songstress Unloads Racist Rant on Twitter
America-based singer song-writer Jenny Hyun made a name for herself penning tunes for Girls’ Generation, one of Korea’s biggest pop groups and Nintendo DSi product pitch girls. But this week, Hyun made a bigger name for herself with a racist twitter rant. On Feb. 16, Hyun loaded on Twitter, apparently spewing a diatribe of hate…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku EastPlaying the 3DS with…a PlayStation Controller?
For Monster Hunter, the Nintendo 3DS has a mostly great extra slide pad. Screw that! One Japanese gamer figured out how to use a PlayStation Controller instead. The mod shows just how easy playing Monster Hunter with a dual thumbstick controller is. A snap! 3DS モンスターハンター専用 改造スライドパッド [YouTube via HighGamers]
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Cyclops Girl Is the Stuff of Nightmares
Spotted by Danny Choo of DannyChoo.com, this cosplayer popped up at the recent Wonder Festival, etched herself in our brains, and haunted our nightmares. For more photos, check out Danny’s site below and here for more Wonder Festival cosplay. Wonder Festival Cosplay [DannyChoo via I Heart Chaos via FashionablyGeek]
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
George Lucas’ Daughter Could Kick Your Ass
She really could. She could kick a lot of people’s asses—not just yours. That’s because Amanda Lucas is a mixed martial arts superstar. Lucas began MMA in 2008 after taking Brazilian jiu-jitsu classes. The former dance instructor’s first fight was in May of that year. “I got beat up pretty bad,” Lucas told Sports Illustrated.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Fighting with Swords and Shields Isn’t Berserk, It’s Awesome
Exercise is important. Some jog. Others play tennis. In Tokyo, a group of folks don medieval armour, wield swords, and beat the tar out of each other. Welcome to Castle Tintagel, a Middle Ages oasis in a hyper modern metropolis. And when Jay Noyes, Castle Tintagel’s founder, isn’t teaching students the finer points of medieval…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 21, 2012 -
This Dude’s Fun
Nice Sweater | CHIBA, JAPAN: Japanese celebrity Tanoshingo showed off Sega’s new arcade game MaiMai in style. (Photo: GameImpressWatch) Mass Effect 3‘s Spectacular “Take Back the Earth” Trailer Gives Us All a Reason to Fight If last week’s teaser trailer for Mass Effect 3 got your juices flowing, you might want to grab a towel…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
iPhone Belts? iPhone Flashlights? iPad Concrete? Oh China.
China’s Proview is taking Apple to court over the iPad moniker. While that looks to be one of Apple’s biggest legal headaches in China, it’s not its only one: Chinese companies are using patent law right and left to create a whole host of iPhone and iPad products. These products could ultimately dilute the iPad…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
So, I Want To Build a LEGO Table
Yep. My two sons really, really love LEGO. And I figured that if I’m going to build them something, it should be a LEGO table. Building stuff is kind of hard in Japan, because most people that live in cities live in apartment buildings. That means, they don’t have a garage per se, and need…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Teen Bought Video Game. Mother Got Angry. Teen Stabbed Mother.
On Feb. 19 in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture, police arrested a fourteen year-old boy. Earlier that evening, he apparently stabbed his mother with a sashimi knife. The cause? A dispute over a video game purchase. At 5:35pm, the teen stabbed his mother in the back one time, reported Yomiuri News. The mother, age 50, suffered serious…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Weirdo Pikachus in Tokyo, Taking Trains and Eating Burgers
Tokyo is pretty normal. Though, sometimes, there’s the occasional oddness. In year’s past, people would simply mutter to themselves, “Boy that was strange.” Now they take photos and paste them on the internet. Progress! This weekend, a group of individual dressed as Pikachu, along with a sole Ash cosplayer, took to the Tokyo streets, popping…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 20, 2012
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