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Kotaku East
The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight [Finished]
In the vein of Yomawari: Night Alone—aka the cutest little horror game ever—and htoL#NiQ: The Firefly Diary, comes NIS’ newest title: Rose and the Old Castle of Twilight. So come join me as I take a young girl and her golem companion to explore a mysterious castle. Part 1 Part 2 Rose and the Old…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 27, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Original Yu-Gi-Oh! Crew Returns for One Last Ride
Yugi and his friends’ story may have ended a decade ago, but there is still one last chapter to be told in the new animated film Yu-Gi-Oh! The Dark Side of Dimensions. Back in my early college days, it’s safe to say I was into Yu-Gi-Oh! I had the cards, played in tournaments, and even…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 26, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Digimon Breeding Is So Complicated, I Had to Make Spreadsheets
While a bit time consuming, it was relatively easy for me to get the digimon I wanted in Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth. In the new game, Digimon World: Next 0rder, it’s a whole lot more complicated. Like, “get your spreadsheets ready” complicated. Back in the early 2000s, I was enough into Digimon that I watched…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 22, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Psycho-Pass Visual Novel is Messed Up
Psycho-Pass: Mandatory Happiness is set somewhere within the first eight episodes of the first season of cyberpunk dystopian animePsycho-Pass. And it’s made me do things so messed up that it’s hard to keep playing. [This post contains spoilers for the first two cases of Psycho Pass: Mandatory Happiness.] In the world of Psycho-Pass, Tokyo is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 20, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Erased Is the Perfect Melding of Time Travel and Murder Mystery
What would you do if you were nine again and were the only one who had a chance to prevent a murder? Erased is the story of Satoru, a 29-year-old aspiring manga artist who spends most of his time working pizza delivery. However, his life is not without a touch of the supernatural. Occasionally, Satoru…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 19, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness [Stream Over]
Confession time: I have never played a Star Ocean game. Luckily, with the fifth game in the series now out in Japan, now is the perfect time to correct that. And you’re all welcome to join me as I do. Update: The stream is now finished. You can watch all five plus hours at the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 15, 2016 -
Kotaku EastDurarara!! is Anime’s Own Soap Opera
…A soap opera filled with headless horsemen, impossibly strong bartenders, street gangs, magical swords, and even Russian sushi. [This review contains major spoilers for the original Durarara!!] Back when Durarara!!x2 started its run in January of 2015, I decided to watch the original Durarara!! series from 2010 in preparation for a possible review. But as…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 13, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Heavy Object is Not Your Usual Mecha Anime
Imagine, if you will, a world where nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons were all rendered obsolete by nearly invincible mobile fortresses called “Objects.” Then imagine that one day, two grunt soldiers destroyed one. That’s the world of Heavy Object Heavy Object is set in a future version of our world where, like with the invention…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 6, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Digimon World: Next 0rder [Stream Over]
Well, I enjoyed the last game and the new anime. So let’s see how enjoyable the newest romp in the digital world will be with Digimon World: Next Order. [Update: The stream is over, but you can watch it in its entirety at the links below.] Part 1 Part 2 Digimon World: Next Order was…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 5, 2016 -
Kotaku EastAce Attorney’s First Episode is a Cheap-Looking But Loyal Adaptation
With five main games and four meaty spin-offs, the only thing surprising about Ace Attorney getting an anime is that it took this long to happen. Too bad it’s not exactly the prettiest one out there. Episode one follows the first case of our hero Phoenix Wright as he defends his best friend, Larry, from…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 4, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Chrono Trigger’s Techs Get a 3D Update
I’ve already talked about how I Am Setsuna’s battle system shares more than a little in common with classic JRPG Chrono Trigger. But it’s not just the battle system. Quite a number of Chrono Trigger’s techs show up remastered in I Am Setsuna as well. Let’s compare, shall we? X-Strike Double Cure Fire Sword Ice…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 31, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Married Life Suits Master Thief Lupin III
What happens when the world’s greatest thief gets married? A whole lot more than he bargained for. Lupin the 3rd Part 4 is the story of Lupin and the gang’s adventures in Italy. It begins with his marriage and soon devolves into a battle against MI6 for a treasure of unspeakable value—with Lupin’s new bride…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 30, 2016 -
Kotaku EastAttack on Titan’s Multiplayer Is the Game’s Best Part
What could be better than mass murdering titans with swords as you fly around like Spider-Man? Doing it with three other people, of course. A few weeks back I put up my impressions of the new Attack on Titan game. While the game absolutely made me feel like a titan-killing badass and the main plot…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 29, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Square-Enix’s New RPG Harkens Back To Their Big 90s Classics
Do you miss playing Squaresoft RPGs on your SNES? Then have I got the game for you: I Am Setsuna. Like many in their late 20s and early 30s, I was introduced to JRPGs back in the days of the good old SNES. While my first was Final Fantasy VI, these days I feel that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 24, 2016 -
Kotaku EastTen Catchy Anime Theme Songs from Winter 2016
As the winter 2016 season comes to a close, let’s look at some of the best anime theme songs it had to offer. Anime: Showa Genroku Rakugo Shinjuu Song: “Usurashi Shinjuu” Artist: Megumi Hayashibara Why I Love It: This lounge singer-style Jazz song is so unlike the vast majority of anime themes out there, I…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 23, 2016 -
Kotaku East
The Erased Live-Action Movie is Plagued by a Nonsensical Ending
Time travel murder mystery Erased is not only a hit manga in Japan but one of this season’s best anime. The new live-action movie is likewise fantastic, if you ignore its nonsensical final act. Erased (like the anime and manga that spawned it) follows Satoru. An aspiring manga artist in his late 20s, he spends…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 22, 2016 -
Kotaku East
In Digimon Tri, Growing Up Is Just as Hard as Battling Giant Monsters
It’s a scary moment when you realize just how dangerous the world really is, especially if your day-to-day life involves battling against giant monsters, like the teens in Digimon Tri’s second film. [Note: As one who grew up watching the 90s Digimon dub, I will be using the English localized names.] The last film (or…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 17, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Chrono Trigger’s Excellent Battle System Returns
Recently, Square-Enix released its new RPG I Am Setsuna in Japan. Its most interesting feature? The return of Chrono Trigger’s excellent battle system—only with a few nifty upgrades. The active-time battle system has long been a staple of Square RPGs—Chrono Trigger and I Am Setsuna included. The system works like this: The characters have individual…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 16, 2016 -
Kotaku East
Attack on Titan’s Iconic Equipment Redesigned
One of the coolest things about Attack on Titan is the 3D maneuver gear and swords. The new game features some pretty cool redesigns of the iconic gear. Of course, the game starts you out with the original gear and swords. There are sets with bigger gas tanks and more extra blades. And those that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 15, 2016 -
Kotaku East
If Attack on Titan Took Place in a Middle School
Like many of you, I’m a big fan of Attack on Titan, be that the anime, the games, or the original manga. But even I got little in the way of enjoyment from last season’s Attack on Titan parody, Attack on Titan: Junior High Attack on Titan: Junior High is exactly what the title implies:…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 9, 2016
Richard Eisenbeis
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