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Let’s Ride The Star Horse Together!
Jockey | Tokyo, Japan: Sega shows off arcade games at its private summer show. (Photo: Keystone Features | Hulton Archive) The Brutal, Beautiful Video Game Art of Bjorn HurriBjorn Hurri is an artist who has been working on video games for years now, having lent his skills in some way or another to projects like…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
Proving Ground Co-Host’s Blood-Alcohol Over Legal Limit
As previously posted, Ryan Dunn, the 34-year-old co-host, died in a car crash this week when he lost control of his Porsche 911, killing him and his passenger. According to Reuters, Dunn’s blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit. [Reuters]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
Here Are Some Final Fantasy XIII-2 Screens
This December, Final Fantasy XIII sequel Final Fantasy XIII-2 goes on sale in Japan. That’s a few months away, so to hold gamers over, Square Enix released these new screenshots. The multiplatform Final Fantasy XIII-2 will be released in the West early next year.
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
Reviews
The Avenger Looks Nuts, But Puts Console Gaming at Your Fingertips
I’ll admit it. I’m a sucker for crazy-looking peripherals. The crazier, the better. The Avenger checks off all the peripheral lunacy boxes. Just look at it! It’s bananas. There are straps, nubs, and pokey appendages that look like spider legs. Straight out of science fiction, this is some rubberized steampunk fantasy. This isn’t just bondage…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
The Art of Tearing Off Vampire Clothes
In PSP game Akiba’s Trip, you must strip vampires in broad daylight to expose them to the sun and kill them. PSP graphics are showing their age, which is why the illustrations in the game’s complete guide provide a better glimpse at all the game has to offer—namely different kinds of underpants. Akiba’s Trip was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
Did this Beautiful Drawing Foretell the Wii U?
A Square Enix Final Fantasy music website went live this past January to promote the More SQ album, remixes and reworkings of iconic Final Fantasy themes. But what’s got Japanese netizens talking is the website’s splash art. Drawn by Akihiko Yoshida, Square Enix artist and character designer, the image features what looks to be the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
The Bomb Threat Sent from a PlayStation 3
On July 22nd, at around 3am in the morning, a mysterious message appeared on Japanese bulletin board 2channel. It read: “Tomorrow, I will blow up Hiroshima Station.” Japanese cyber police set to work, trying to stop the would-be bomber. Good thing he made their job easier—way easier. The police traced the message to the would-be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
BioWare Sending Out Hack Emails (Maybe You Got One!)
Last week Kotaku reported that BioWare was hacked. The company has been active on company forums and is sending out emails today to BioWare account holders. More info here. [Thanks to all who sent this in!]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 24, 2011 -
What Is America’s Fetish This Week? Penises
Dicks. Cocks. Penes. Half the population has them, and they’ve been the object of fascination for centuries—whether that be the physical organ itself or the phallus. You know what the Washington Monument is, right? If May was National Water Safety Month (it was!), then June’s been National Trouser Snake Month. Former Congressman Anthony Weiner was…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 23, 2011 -
Dead or Alive: Dimensions Gets Mature in Australia
After being pulled to get reclassified, Dead or Alive: Dimensions isn’t rated MA+15 (a rating that caused outrage in Australia), but is now rated Mature (a rating that hopefully…won’t?). Yep, the game was bumped up one rating. [Kotaku Australia]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
This Year’s Tokyo Game Show Will Be Good for the Environment. And So Effing Sweaty.
With the earthquake, there was concern whether the Tokyo Game Show would happen. It will, and TGS will reduce energy consumption by 25 percent by doing things like switching to LED lights and limiting electricity use at the booths. [TGS]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
The Rarest (and Most Touching) NES Game in the World
Twenty years ago on Christmas Day, Andrzej Zamoyski and his brother Adam spent the day playing with their new toy: a Nintendo Entertainment System. Andrzej was Mario, and he let his little brother play as Luigi. “More than a decade later, we again found ourselves sat side by side, this time testing Fable at Lionhead…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
Beatles or Stones? Pick!
Sympathy | JULY 1968: The Stones on the set of Jean-Luc Godard’s documentary. (Photo: Keystone Features | Hulton Archive) PS3 Hacker Resigned to Prison Sentence after Money Dries Up American hacker George Hotz got all the headlines for his exploits trying to bring Linux back to the PS3, but he was only one of many…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
Report: Dragon Quest X to Surface on Wii U?
Nintendo is working on a new console. Square Enix is working on a new Dragon Quest. See where this is going? This past May, Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama seemed to indicate that DQX will be out in 2012, saying, “I’m aiming for next year and am in the middle of composing music for Dragon…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
When Did Sony Start Giving Birth to the PS Vita?
Kotaku already broke that Sony had a ¥25,000 pricetag in mind when it began work on the PS Vita and that the company almost dropped the rear-touch feature. Sony’s Shuhei Yoshida filled in more details with Famitsu, like that work began on the Vita in spring 2009 and that the current button layout was created…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
How Big Are Life-Size Monster Hunter Monsters?
They’re big! Yes, yes —we know Universal Studios and Capcom are teaming up to recreate Monster Hunter this August in the Osaka theme park. Here are some more details. According to Capcom, the collaboration will produce 1:1 scale versions of monsters like the Rathalos Rare Species, the Silver Rathalos. It will be over 20 meters…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
Is Lady Gaga Taking Cues from a Virtual Idol?
This week, pop superstar Lady Gaga arrived in Japan, sporting the aqua colored hair she’s had for weeks now. She’s in the country for a Japanese earthquake charity event. She wore wrist bands that read “Pray for Japan” in English and Japanese. But as soon as she stepped off the plane, her Japanese fans wondered…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 22, 2011 -
Why Is Tales of Vesperia an Xbox 360 Exclusive?
In the West, Tales of Vesperia was released on the Xbox 360. Only. In Japan, it was released on the Xbox 360, forcing Japanese people to buy Microsoft’s console. Then, a year later, it was released on the PS3. But why? “Microsoft paid for the exclusivity the same way Sony paid for having Heavy Rain…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 21, 2011
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