As more and more publications are dialing down their Japan coverage, Kotaku had this crazy idea: Why not increase ours? And better yet, why stop at Japan? Welcome to Kotaku East Since 2005, Kotaku has unabashedly covered Japan from Japan, breaking news and providing a boots-on-the-ground look at the country’s gaming and geek culture. The…
VITA | TOKYO, JAPAN: Video game The Legend of Heroes: Evolution gets a press conference with funny outfits. Ha. Ha. (Photo: Game Impress Watch) Blizzard and Valve go to War Over DOTA Name Blizzard once made a game called WarCraft III. Then someone made an awesome mod for it called DOTA. Then Valve decided to…
Graphic design company MokuMoku Factory also makes live-action shorts. They’re fantastic. Why, you ask? Well, I’ll give you thirty-one seconds to watch this clip—and that should do all the explaining you’ll ever need. Hatsune Miku, for those not familiar, is the virtual idol cosplayed by the dancing dude. This clip is from a longer MokuMoku…
Patlabor, the iconic Japanese anime, will be reborn this year—as a WiFi tower. Osaka’s MSystem is rolling out a new series of “intelligent” WiFi towers named after the Patlabor mecha, complete with licensing approval for using the moniker. The tower’s design was based on the AV-98 Ingram, the Tokyo Police Patrol Labor (“Patlabor”) featured in…
It was only last fall that Macau-born Sunny Lin’s cosplay made waves throughout Asia. Japan declared that Lin was the closest to a living incarnation of Boa Hancock from One Piece Based in Taiwan, Lin is the February cover girl for FHM Taiwan, underscoring just how rapid her assent has been and that it is…
Today, Bandai Namco, known as Namco Bandai in the West, revealed it’s created a new studio called Bandai Namco Studio. It will be responsible for Tekken, SoulCalibur, Taiko no Tatsujin, the Tales games, and the Gundam games. [BNG]
After a snow sculpture of virtual idol Hatsune Miku crumbled and injured an elderly woman at the Sapporo Snow Festival, officials destroyed the statue. The original statue, while cute, suffered by poor balance. Seven craftsmen are working around the clock to complete the safer sculpture. The new statue features “Snow Miku” carved in relief, and…
When Sony was hacked in 2011, it was major news. People’s personal information was put at risk. This latest PlayStation password story is not major news. It shouldn’t even be on television. TV Asahi, a major Japanese television network, is reporting that Ramos Angelo Miguel, 22, was arrested in Tokyo’s Fussa City for using somebody…
To mark Rhythm Heaven Fever‘s launch, Nintendo is holding a launch event this Friday Feb. 10 at the iam8bit Gallery on Sunset Blvd from 6 to 10pm. There will be drinks, food, and music, too. First come, first served.
Gabe | THE INTERNETS, AUSTRALIA: It even looks like Gabe addressed the envelope. If so, that’s nuts! (Photo: Twitter) Gamers Donate $400,000 IN ONE DAY To See Their Heroes Make a New Game Wow. Good job, internet! Despite the fact the project was announced less than 24 hours ago, Double Fine’s Kickstarter campaign for a…
Later this morning, Apple users will deliver over 250,000 signatures to the Apple Store in NYC’s Grand Central Station, demanding that Apple end Chinese worker abuse. [Change.org and SumOfUs]
If you’ve been playing online game Final Fantasy XIV, you know there are eighteen in-game worlds. That is going to change. Soon there will be ten. “In order to improve the player experience, we will be merging Worlds on Tuesday, March 27, 2012,” stated Square Enix. “After the merge is completed, there will be a…
Uber popular anime Tiger and Bunny stars two male protagonists—Kotetsu T. Kaburagi and Barnaby Brooks Jr.—who battle as superheroes on the show’s Hero TV. The show is quite popular. In the past few years, popular anime are spawning porn parody after porn parody. Tiger & Bunny is no exception, and since it exists, there is…
A hacker collective named SwaggSec claims to have hacked Foxconn, the world’s largest electronic components maker. Foxconn assembles hardware for Apple as well as game consoles, such as the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the Wii. According to SwaggSec’s open letter, the hack appears to be retaliation for Foxconn’s notorious working conditions. The hack looks…
You thought the Kitty-chan dentist office was cute? It is. The Hello Kitty plane, though, isn’t just cute. It’s cute that flies According to CNNGo, Taiwanese airline EVA Air is launching three Hello Kitty-themed Airbus A330-300 planes, serving Japan, South Korea, and Guam. Passengers get special baggage tags, Hello Kitty headrests and pillows, Kitty-chan soap,…
Kotaku has posted tons of cosplay over the years. Yet, I cannot remember any pieces the site did on cosplayers who cook, let alone camp. Tifa—that’s her name—does both. And with a name like Tifa, you betcha she’s dressed as the Final Fantasy VII character Tifa Lockhart So what the hell is going on here?…
Spotted at an Indonesia game shop by Japanese site Game Watch Impress. All these Wii games are priced at Rp.20,000 or around US$2.30. The game shop, like so many in the region, also had binders and binders of pirated Xbox 360 games—here, XGame 360. “規制”から”支援”へ変わりつつある中国市場と [Game Impress Watch] (Top photo: Game Impress Watch)
Early last year, pro gamer Linda Liao made waves when she joined Team Razer’s competitive gaming team. Lao isn’t only a pro gamer. Oh no, she’s much more. In her native Taiwan, she’s an actress and pop star, who stars in dramas like Chase or They Are Flying and movies like horror flick Twisted. She’s…
Tonight, readers are telling Kotaku that the Vita Store is live in North America, selling games and renting movies. The page itself isn’t live, but the games are supposedly available. Check it out, if you already have a Vita.
The cake might be a lie, but this 1/1 scale Portal gun looks as real as one can get without being able to shoot holes in walls. This Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is priced at ¥16,000 (US$208). It’s from Neca, the famed replica and prop maker. Back in July 2011, Kotaku reported that Neca…
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