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Kotaku EastA Final Fantasy X-2 Comparison: HD vs. SD
Last week we did a side-by-side comparison between Final Fantasy X on the PS2 and its upcoming HD remaster release on the PS3. Now it’s Final Fantasy X-2’s turn to see how it measures up. [*Note: the PS2 version I used in this video was the US release of Final Fantasy X-2.] Final Fantasy X/X-2…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 21, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The New Epilogue to Final Fantasy X Makes Me Hopeful For a New Game
In addition to its massive graphical upgrade, Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster is filled with bosses, dungeons, and side quests never before seen outside of Japan. But there is one thing included that is completely new: a thirty-minute audio drama that has me hoping for Final Fantasy X-3 Taking place a year after the end…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 21, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Arpeggio of Blue Steel is an Imaginative Sci-Fi High Seas Adventure
This past fall, before writing my guide on the five fall 2013 anime you should be watching, I marathoned 6 episodes of 16 different anime. Going in, Arpeggio of Blue Steel wasn’t even on that list; but as I watched a 14th series and then a 15th, I decided to give one last anime a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 21, 2014 -
Kotaku EastA Final Fantasy X Comparison: HD vs. SD
While the Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster won’t be out in the West until March, it hit Japanese shelves last month. So join me as I dust off my old PS2 and compare just how much better Final Fantasy X looks on the PS3 with its new HD coat of paint. [*Note: The PS2 version…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 17, 2014 -
Kotaku East
I Can’t Decide if Samurai Flamenco is Brilliant or Terrible
Usually when an anime hits its halfway point, I like to give a point-by-point review of its first half. However, in the case of Samurai Flamenco, this has proven impossible for me. Because depending on how the series so far is interpreted, it’s either brilliant or terrible—and I can’t seem to decide which. [Note: This…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 17, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The Vita TV is the Most Convenient System I Own
Back when the Vita was revealed, I remember dreaming about playing a game on my HDTV, then picking up my Vita and continuing to play the same game on the go. Of course, that’s never really panned out on the PS3—though it has with the Asian-only Vita TV. A bit of backstory: since I wrote…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 17, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Golden Time’s First Half Has Me by the Heart Strings
Back in November, I listed Golden Time as one of the ten anime of the fall you should be watching. Now, as the series passes its halfway point, I can truly say that Golden Time has a death grip on my heartstrings and refuses to let go. Good – An Empathetic, Yet Human Cast It’s…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 14, 2014 -
Kotaku East
If You Skip the Madoka Magica Vita Game, You Won’t Be Missing Much
Madoka Magica is one of the best anime of the past decade. It deconstructs the magical girl genre and builds an emotional narrative filled with memorable characters. Unfortunately, the new Vita game, Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram, does little more than ride on the anime’s coattails. Good – A Consistent Voice Where The Battle Pentagram…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 14, 2014 -
Kotaku EastSuper Sonico‘s Theme Song Sounds a Bit Familiar
This morning as I sat on my exercise bike—peddling madly while watching the new anime Super Sonico—I was struck by the sudden realization that I had heard part of the anime’s theme song somewhere before: in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The opening song from the first episode of the anime (the second episode uses…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 14, 2014 -
Kotaku EastYour Complete Winter 2014 Anime Guide
With the end of the year, we have come to the end of the fall season and are beginning the winter one But with 47 new anime in the pipeline, how do you know which ones to watch? Check out the trailers and brief blurbs about each to see which of them catches your interest.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 10, 2014 -
Kotaku EastYou Got Your Magical Girls in my Earth Defense Force!
Recently, Japan saw the release of a new Madoka Magica video game on the Vita. As I was playing, I decided to look around for other Madoka games—and the fan-game Homura Combat really caught my eye. When it comes down to it, Homura Combat is similar in concept to the Earth Defense Force series: You…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 10, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Log Horizon’s First Half Goes from Cliché to Captivating
From the creator of last year’s Maoyu—an anime among the best last year had to offer—Log Horizon is an anime that takes the idea of being trapped in an MMO and uses it to explore the implications of such a setting on the people involved and the world they are forced to inhabit. It’s unfortunate…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 10, 2014 -
Kotaku EastWatch Us Play Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram
Late last month, Japan got a new Madoka Magica game: Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram for the Vita. Half visual novel and half 3D brawler, The Battle Pentagram gives fans of the anime a new original story with the popular cast of magical girls. But how does it look in action? Watch us play in…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 7, 2014 -
Kotaku East
Beyond the Boundary Creates a World of Beauty, Humor, and Young Love
Back in November, I called Beyond the Boundary a must-watch of the fall season. Two weeks back I called it one of the top five anime of 2013. So now, let’s break down in detail what makes Beyond the Boundary so great. Good – Thrown into a Mysterious World The world itself is perhaps the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 7, 2014 -
Kotaku East
The Five Best Anime of 2013
Over this past year, I’ve shown you my picks for the anime you should be watching for the spring, summer, and fall seasons. You’ve even had the chance to weigh in on your favorites. So without further ado, here are Kotaku‘s picks for the best anime of 2013. But first, the ground rules (which I…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 27, 2013 -
Kotaku EastRichard’s Top 10 Games of 2013
When it comes to a list like this, it’s important to know why I enjoy gaming. Frankly, it’s the same reason I enjoy books, movies, TV, and anime: I love a well-told story. And though some of the games here may not be the pinnacle of gameplay, you’re bound to get an awesome story, if…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 20, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Kill la Kill‘s First Half is Just Pure, Unfiltered Fun
There is no question that this season’s break-out anime is Kill la Kill, the newest anime by the creators of Gurren Lagann. As it reaches its halfway point, it’s not hard to see why. It’s a series that seems only concerned with one thing: having fun in the most awesome ways possible while taking you…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 20, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Kara no Shojo: The Kotaku Review
Kara no Shojo (The Girl in the Shell) is simply one of the most graphic and disturbing visual novels I have ever played. It is also one of the most captivating. Set in post-war Japan (1956 to be exact), Kara no Shojo follows Reiji Tokisaka, a private detective specializing in catching serial killers. When girls…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 20, 2013 -
Kotaku EastAttack on Titan on the 3DS Is Equal Parts Awesome and Glitchy
The first time I saw the opening to Attack on Titan—with the cast swinging through the city and killing a titan—my first thought was, “this would make for one hell of a video game.” And while Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind does indeed make me feel awesome, it is a game that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Bonus Anime Episodes You Might’ve Missed This Year
There are a lot of good anime out there this year, but sadly, when they’re over, they’re over—or are they? These days, more and more series are getting extra, not-aired-on-TV OVA episodes that often don’t show up on legal anime streaming sites. So, let’s take a quick look at some of these “missing episodes” that…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 17, 2013
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