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Kotaku East
The Up All Night Stream Plays Xenoblade Chronicles X [Stream Finished]
Xenoblade Chronicles was one of the best RPGs the Wii had to offer; and while we didn’t exactly love last month’s 3DS port of the game, we’re still excited to play the Wii U sequel. So join us as the Up All Night Stream plays Xenoblade Chronicles X Update: The stream is over but you…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 5, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Love, Loss, and Music Collide in this Heartbreaking Tale
Warning: This anime might just make you cry. Your Lie in April is the story of Kousei, a young piano prodigy who, after the death of his mother, had a mental breakdown and ultimately lost the ability to hear the music he played. Three years later, he meets his playboy best friend’s new girlfriend, Kaori—a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 5, 2015 -
Kotaku EastSega’s Newest Free-to-Play is a Plot-Heavy RPG
Late last month Sega released their newest mobile game: Hortensia Saga. But unlike many free-to-play mobile games, this one has an expansive fantasy plot to back up its addictive gameplay. Hortensia Saga is a medieval fantasy tale of war and chaos. Three years ago the king was betrayed and murdered by one of his dukes…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 5, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Yurikuma Arashi Tackles the Subject of Homosexuality in Japan
Yurikuma Arashi does something I would have thought impossible: It uses an outlandish premise to explore the prejudice facing gay people in Japan—and does so effectively. But we’re getting ahead of ourselves. On its most superficial level, Yurikuma Arashi is the story of a world where a meteor crashed to Earth, giving the bears of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 1, 2015 -
Kotaku East
New Wii U Game Is Better as a Wii Game
Rodea the Sky Soldier is a Wii game that, despite being made a beloved game creators, looked like it would never see the light of day. But now, after being remade for Wii U, the game has finally been released in Japan with the original Wii version as a bonus. But one version is clearly…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 1, 2015 -
Kotaku EastThe Tokyo Ghoul Mobile Game is Billiards Meet People-Eating
Like the Dangonaronpa mobile game, Tokyo Ghoul Carnaval is billiards—billiards with superpowered, man-eating Ghouls instead of balls. In Tokyo Ghoul Carnaval, you have several characters and one by one you launch them toward enemy characters. Of course, many times your own characters or other objects are obstructing your shot, so you have to bounce your…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 28, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Parasyte is a Classic Reborn for the Modern Era
It’s been nearly 20 years now since the Parasyte manga ended and despite its lasting popularity, it never received an anime adaptation—until now that is. The plot of Parasyte is as follows: One night, spores fall across Japan. Inside the spores are small parasitic creatures that dig into the first human they find, make their…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 28, 2015 -
Kotaku EastRodea‘s Multiplayer Is Kinda Like Sonic Adventure 2‘s Battle Races
While many consider the 3D Sonic games uniformly inferior to the 2D ones, many of my best Sonic memories come from Sonic Adventure 2—and not just the game’s single player. I can’t count the hours I spent doing racing battles with my friends—which is probably why I find the multiplayer of Rodea the Sky Soldier…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 28, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo Ghoul’s :re Cafe is a Real Place and You Can Visit It
*Man-eating Ghouls not included. The characters of Tokyo Ghoul spend a lot of their time in cafes. The first of these is Anteku. The second is called “:re.” While only briefly seen at the end of the Tokyo Ghoul √A anime, the :re cafe is a key location in the manga Tokyo Ghoul The “real” :re…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 24, 2015 -
Kotaku East
This Wii U Game Comes With the Oddest Bonus—The Same Game on Wii
Rodea the Sky Soldier is a game with a bit of a troubled development history. Rodea the Sky Soldier is a third person platformer where you fly through each level, collecting stars and fighting robotic enemies. Brainchild of Yuji Naka, this game shares more than a little in common with the creator’s other works, Sonic…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 24, 2015 -
Kotaku EastHands-on with the Dissidia: Final Fantasy Arcade Game
This past weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix did their first location test of the upcoming Dissidia: Final Fantasy arcade—and Kotaku was on hand to try it out. To begin with, let’s look at the arcade cabinet itself. The game has what appears to be two joysticks. However, they aren’t joysticks as they are stationary and…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 21, 2015 -
Kotaku East
One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 Is Dynasty Warriors and Little More
Dynasty Warriors games are well known for following a strict gameplay formula. However, in recent tie-in titles like Hyrule Warriors and Dragon Quest Heroes, more and more innovation has been brought in to augment the core gameplay in interesting ways. This is not so for One Piece Pirate Warriors 3, however. Pirate Warriors 3 is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 21, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ Is Enjoyable Yet Flawed
When you think of Dragon Ball Z villains, one in particular probably comes to mind: Frieza. So bringing him back in the latest big screen feature, Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, seems like a natural idea. Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ picks up the story sometime in the three years after Dragon Ball Z: Battle…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 20, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo Ghoul √A Has Strong Characters But a Weak Story
Super-powered “ghouls” stalk through the night hunting humans for food; the police are largely powerless to protect the people; and a young man finds himself standing between the worlds of predator and prey. It’s a great setup. Too bad the follow-through was lackluster. Last year’s Tokyo Ghoul was an anime that did an excellent job…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 17, 2015 -
Kotaku EastCheck Out the Spiritual Sequel to Nights into Dreams on Wii and Wii U
Rodea the Sky Soldier, the newest game by Sonic the Hedgehog and Nights into Dreams creator Yuji Naka was released on Wii U earlier this month. Even more interesting, the game was packaged with its never-before-released Wii version. Yet, it is more than just the graphics that have gotten an overhaul. The Wii version of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 17, 2015 -
Kotaku East
Aldnoah.Zero Is About Personal Failings as Much as Giant Robots
The first season of Aldnoah.Zero took the mecha anime formula of Gundam and turned it on its head—giving the super powerful mecha to the villains and leaving the heroes with vastly inferior mecha. The second season continues using this inverted formula but also focuses on one man’s tragic fall from grace. [This review contains massive…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 14, 2015 -
Kotaku EastHere’s Your Complete Theatrhythm: Dragon Quest Song List
We’ve already been able to rock out to two Theatrhythm games full of Final Fantasy tunes , so now it’s time to have one focusing on Square Enix’s other JRPG giant, Dragon Quest—complete with 65 tunes to show off. [*Note: Whenever possible I have linked to the original version of a given song. If that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 14, 2015 -
Kotaku East
The Up All Night Stream Plays One Piece Pirate Warriors 3 [Stream Over]
Well, would you look at that! It’s once again time for Luffy and the crew to lay waste to thousands of pirates and marines as they sail the seven seas looking for adventure and treasure—only this time on the PlayStation 4. Update: The stream is now complete, but you can check it out in its…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 14, 2015 -
Kotaku East
When Your Teacher is a Tentacle Monster, You’ve Got to Kill Him
Of course, that’s easier said than done when he has superpowers and can move at mach 20. Recently, a lot of popular anime and manga have been getting live-action adaptations. Many of these have turned out to be lackluster. However, Assassination Classroom bucks that trend by creating a film that is true to the spirit…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 10, 2015 -
Kotaku EastNew Steins;Gate Game and Anime to Tell an Intriguing Story
Last week, 5pb. announced a new Steins;Gate game and anime are in the works. And while there have been spin-offs and fandiscs to Steins;Gate previously, Steins;Gate 0 is the first to be touted as a vital part of the main story. [This article contains massive spoilers for Steins;Gate.] The original Steins;Gate is a phenomenal visual…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 10, 2015
Richard Eisenbeis
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