Brian Ashcraft

Why There Are Coins In Super Mario Bros.

One of gaming’s most iconic in-game items are Super Mario Bros’ coins. But why coins? Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto admits that fruits were also a good choice, but tells Nintendo president Satoru Iwata that other items might confuse players, causing them to run away. “Thus, when we were thinking about something that anybody would look…

A Week (Or So) In Comments

Tokyo Says “Sayonara” To Freedom Of Speech? Comment by: GunFlame: Digivolve into Wargunflamemon Nominated by: Helba: Hubris is Humorous. It’s just another one of those reflex actions that seem to be the norm in politics. They want to get support of the majority, the majority wants protections, and usually if they want protection it’s because…

Minecraft’s Music Video Debut Scores Over 9000!

Hipster darling and Kotaku reader Armand Mirpour’s latest music video features a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it one of PC’s most popular games, Minecraft. Mirpour’s a big gamer, saying, “I really enjoy video games! Super Smash Bros.in particular.” And he loves Dragonball, adding, “I’ve seen all the episodes, read the manga twice and watched all of the stand alone…

How The Wife Of Japan’s Beloved RPG Maker Challenged Nudity Censorship

In the West, Shigesato Itoi is best known for the Earthbound series of role-playing games. He might challenge game conventions, but his wife Kanako Higuchi challenged Japanese censorship more, changing it forever. Itoi is no stranger to the limelight. During the 1980s, Itoi hosted an educational program called “You”, but he really made his name…

Ten Albums I Cannot Live Without

To: Totilo From: Bashcraft Hi Totilo! What you missed last night Uncharted Movie Director Suffers Awkward Actor Plea A Giant Denial For Gundam Rip-Off Claim Black Ops’ First Downloadable Content Is Oscar Mike Review: X-Men Reopens A Classic Six-Pack What Was Your Favorite Trailer From 2010? [Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic, Pic,…

GT5 Toy Car Logo Replaced With Cute Note

Not only a cute note, but a cute note and a smiley face. The undercarriage of a Gran Turismo 5 car was caught sporting the logo “It (the logo) is way too interesting,” Yamauchi tweeted earlier this month. “It will be erased in the next update.” The reason for this? “Because it’s embarrassing.” According to…

Next Valentine’s Day, Dragon Quest VI Beats Chocolate

Get ready to fall in love with Dragon Quest VI. In 2011, the DS version of the game is finally headed to North America. On February 14, Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Reverie will be getting its official English-localized release. Until now, the Japanese game was only available in English via fan translations. Dragon Quest…

This Final Fantasy IV Trailer Is Complete

For the umpteenth time Final Fantasy IV is getting remade. This time, it’s being called Final Fantasy IV: Complete. Hopefully that’ll mean developer Square Enix is finished remaking FFIV. The game features Final Fantasy IV as well as Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. Final Fantasy IV Complete will be out next spring in Japan.

There Are Too Many Damn Mobile Phone Game Commercials

If you flip on your television, chances are pretty high you’ll see a McDonalds ad. For those living in Japan, chances are higher you’ll see a mobile phone game commercial. Way higher. For the month of December, the most common commercial on greater Tokyo television was for mobile game site Gree with 2,800 commercials. Number…

A Giant Denial For Gundam Rip-Off Claim

A theme park in China’s Szechwan province constructed a large orange statue that looks similar to the RX-78 Gundam erected in Tokyo last year. While the Gundam lawyers are going into mobile lawsuit mode, the park’s operators say theirs is original. The Japanese media is quick to point out obvious similarities, but China’s Floraland Park…

A Visual Guide To Japanese Mobile Phone Game Commercials

Capcom’s Quickest Hit…Ever?

Earlier this month, Monster Hunter Portable 3rd went on sale in Japan, and oodles and oodles of people bought it. The game is a smash, and Capcom says it’s the company’s fastest selling title ever. Shipping 3 million units, Capcom says that Monster Hunter Portable 3rd brings the series’ sold tally to 16 million. That’s…a…

Uncharted Movie Director Suffers Awkward Actor Plea

At a recent screening for The Fighter, an Uncharted fan approaches David O. Russell to tell the filmmaker just why actor Nathan Fillion is perfect for the flick. This gamer’s played all the Uncharted games — all two of them! Awkwardness ensues. Russell replies, “Alright, alright, alright, alright, okay…”, adding “You know, if they want…

Huge Robot Marks Enormous Events In Japanese City’s History

Back in 2009, Namco Bandai constructed a life-sized Gundam statue to commemorate the anime’s anniversary, later moving it to (literally) look over its figure factory. There was another giant robot statue built in 2009, and it commemorates more than a cartoon. Okay, so that’s not really fair. As any fan will tell you, Gundam isn’t…

Nintendo 3DS Cartridges Are So Beefy, They Might Surprise You

Nintendo has contracted the production of its Nintendo 3DS cartridges to Taiwan-based solid-state maker Macronix. And apparently, those cartridges offer enormous memory space. According to Taiwanese-site Gamrade, the 3DS cartridge is able to hold up to 8GB, but it’s rumored Nintendo will be enforcing some kind of 2GB limit on 3DS games (details are few…

Kinect’s Not So Popular In Japan, But This $1,000 Shirt Is

When Kinect went on sale in Japan, there was a big promotional event at a retailer in Akihabara. Over a hundred people lined up, and roughly half of them are now in possession of a very valuable collectible. The first 51 people in line received “Kinect Love” t-shirts signed by idols Jurina Matsui and Rena…

New 3rd Birthday Trailer Is Heavy On Blood, Short On Clothes

The latest entry in Square Enix’s Parasite Eve franchise shows off more gunplay and more of heroine Aya Brea wearing only her, dare I say, birthday suit. For The 3rd Birthday, the game’s developer Square Enix raised the bar on sexualizing the franchise’s female protagonist with destructible clothing and silly costumes — to the delight…

This Game Is Totally Not Copying Professor Layton At All

Riddle me this: what do game companies do when competitors release extremely popular titles? Let’s ask Professor Layton, star of huge-in-Japan puzzle games. He’s busy. Will Doctor Lautrec do? Doctor Lautrec is the star of Konami’s upcoming cartoon-style Nintendo 3DS game, Doctor Lautrec and the Knights of Oblivion. While he goes around and solves mysteries…

Packing To Survive America

RE: Edible Wreaths Those wreaths look tasty! What you missed last night See Uncharted 3 Played Without The Help Of Jimmy Fallon How Uncharted 3 Will Improve Upon A ‘Game Of The Year’ This Game Is Not For Humans, It Is For Cats Blizzard Fans, Get Used To Hearing The Word “Titan” A LOT The…

This Cat Is Going Stealth, Metal Gear Stealth

Monster Hunter and Metal Gear collaborations didn’t end with Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker. They’re just getting started. On December 24, Capcom is releasing a special free downloadable quest for Monster Hunter Portable 3rd called “MGS Solid & Liquid”. Upon completing it, players will get a “Solid Neko (Cat) Knife”, a “Neko Bandanya” (“nya” means…