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Assassin’s Creed Makes SoulCalibur V‘s Box Art Better
If Yoda and Darth Vader were happy enough to appear on SoulCalibur IV‘s box art , you can bet SoulCalibur V would not shy away from its Assassin’s Creed guest star. As previously posted, SCV will feature the lethal stylings of Assassin’s Creed character Ezio. The game will be out in Feb. 2, 2012 in…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
Is Resident Evil 6 Going to China?
Survival horror game Resident Evil 4 was set in Europe—okay, Spain. RE5 was set in Africa. And the inevitable RE6? The game has not yet been officially announced, but Capcom mentioned it to Kotaku in the past. And Capcom producer Masachika Kawata is even hinting that the game might not be survival horror. So what…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
Japan’s Most Talented Pro-Gamer on Television. Set to Music.
As far as Street Fighter gamers get, they don’t come much bigger than Daigo Umehara. He endorses fight sticks and has his own t-shirts. And here, he’s profiled on Japanese TV. This is a best-of collection, with Daigo footage you’ve probably seen before. There’s also a page from a Famitsu article from 1998 with a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
The New Gran Turismo 5 Is Called Spec II
Polyphony Digital’s Gran Turismo 5 is getting an update. It’s called Gran Turismo 5: Spec II Spec II is Gran Turismo 5 with the Online Update Ver.2.00, a free update which was released in October, included on the Blu-ray disc. Spec II also comes with a product code so that players can download the “Complete…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
Army of Two’s Sequel Is Not Army of Three
Army of Two is a 2008 co-op third-person shooter that allowed one player to control one of the mercenaries, while the other player controlled the second. A sequel followed—Army of Two: The 40th Day—in 2010, and it was more of the same. The next game could be different. The unannounced third entry in the series,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
Making Japanese Swords Is Beautiful
The West might have been won with the Winchester. But Japan was ruled with the katana. It’s not simply what the gun is to Americans, the sword is to the Japanese. It’s much more, and then some. As master swordmaker Korehira Watanabe said in the above Esty documentary, the katana can express the soul and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
New Vita Commercial. Not Bananas!
Did you see the first Japanese Vita commercial? It was nuts. There’s a new PS Vita commercial for the U.S., and, surprise, it’s totally not crazy. The “coming soon” trailer is actually straightforward and easy to follow. There’s this thing called the Vita. It has buttons and thumbsticks and a camera and video games. Got…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
Holy Crap, What Happened to These Anime Schoolgirls?
Yu Kobayashi, that’s what. The Japanese voice actress, known for her twisted drawings, sets her sights on schoolgirl rocker anime K-On!. This is the result. Goodness, this is scary. It’s like her pen channels the soul of Satan himself. For those not familiar with K-On!, this is not what the characters are supposed to look…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 1, 2011 -
The Freaky Nintendo Staircase
WHO, MII? | TOKYO, JAPAN: Staircase at a Japanese retail shop. (Photo: Koji Sasahara | AP) Surprise, Dragon Age Getting Multiplayer! That’s right, Dragon Age is going multiplayer. The role-playing franchise is, according to an insider, going beyond singleplayer for the first time, and warriors won’t simply face off against each other in combat. More »…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Did the Skyrim Patch Make Things Better? Or Worse?
After game developer Bethesda released a patch—Version 1.02—for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, gamers took to the forums. Many rejoiced, noting that the PS3 freeze issue appeared fixed. Now, some folks are saying the patch hasn’t made things better. It’s made them worse. “I have experienced dragons not wanting to fight and flying backwards staying…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Legendary Final Fantasy Translator Brings You Math Girls
If you’ve played Final Fantasy in English, you know translator Alexander Smith‘s work. His latest? Smith started a digital book publisher, Bento Books, which is releasing its first title: Math Girls, the English translation of Japan’s popular best-seller. [Bento Books]
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
This Game Demo Will Self-Destruct
Japanese gamers can soon download the Monster Hunter 3G demo to their Nintendo 3DS handhelds. Demos aren’t a new thing, and they give players a taste of the final product. Monster Hunter 3G does that, too. The taste, however, doesn’t last forever. The demo quest takes around twenty minutes to complete. According to the Capcom’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Call the Cops, Nintendo’s Reggie Drives Like a Maniac
Reggie Fils-Aime, everybody’s favorite pizza man turned game exec, is a terror on the road. The Nintendo of America president thinks it’s okay to drive like Mario Kart in real life. You know, burning rubber and throwing heat-seeking turtle shells. “I played the little game on the Mario Kart fan page and it said that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Picking Boobs Is Harder Than You Think
Sister site Kotaku Japan directed our (my?) attention to a new Android app. It’s a puzzle game, and a hard one at that, judging by the reviewer’s repeated matching missteps. Oppai Choice, or “Boob Choice”, offers over fifty different oppai for players to select from. Or maybe, that should read a hundred? 女の子と胸をマッチングさせる『おっぱいCHOICE ちょっと』 [Tabroid…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Surprise, Dragon Age Getting Multiplayer!
That’s right, Dragon Age is going multiplayer. The role-playing franchise is, according to an insider, going beyond singleplayer for the first time, and warriors won’t simply face off against each other in combat. Apparently, dragons will also be playable in Dragon Age multiplayer, giving players the chance to go head-to-head with foes in fire-breathing, swooping-through-the-air…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Japan’s Popular Monster Game Momentarily Forgets the 3DS
Monster Hunter conquered Japan on the PSP. Monster Hunter 3G is coming to the 3DS. For a brief second, the game totally forgot that. In one portion of the game’s online instruction manual for the Nintendo demo, instead of referring to the 3DS’s buttons, it refers to the triangle button, the circle button, and the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
EA Wants To Make a Dead Space First-Person-Shooter (And More!)
With 2008 survival horror third-person shooter Dead Space, EA created a hit title. Dead Space went on to spawn a sequel, a rail-shooter spin-off and a puzzle game, animated films, comic books, and a novel. But according to one insider, EA is just getting started. EA is looking at new ways to expand Dead Space,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Let’s Not Gossip about this Pricey Cosplay Studio. Let’s Tour It!
Cosplayer Necoco, who Kotaku has featured before, checks out Studio Gossip with cosplay blog Asagawo. Located in Tokyo’s Shinjuku, the studio features several different themed rooms, providing backdrops for cosplay snaps. In the last year or two, cosplay studios have become increasingly popular, giving photographers and models a more controlled—as well as a more photogenic—photography…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Does Skyrim Sound Better IN JAPANESE?
Some things sound better in Japanese. Take the Disney ride Star Tours. It sounds better in Japanese. The Pirates of the Caribbean ride, however, does not. What about Skyrim? The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is getting released in Japan, where the game is receiving rave reviews. This is the game’s Japanese language trailer. スカイリムの世界 日本語吹き替え…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 30, 2011 -
Retired iPad Dabbler
This armchair gamer doesn’t only have an iPad, he or she has all the time in the world. They are retired—in their golden years. Instead of just taking up golf, they’ve also taken up the iPad. In between visits with their grandkids, evening strolls, and cable news, these folks pick up their iPad and dabble…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 29, 2011
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