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Kotaku East
How to Identify Popular Japanese Character Types
In Japanese games and anime, there are often character archetypes you will see again and again the more you watch. And when it comes to characters, there are no more commonly used archetypes than those known as the “deres”: tsundere, kuudere, dandere, and yandere. To start with, the term “dere” itself comes from the Japanese…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 20, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Five Anime of Summer 2013 You Should Be Watching
When the summer 2013 anime season started early last month, I told you a little bit about each anime and where to watch them. However, with 36 new anime available to watch this summer, that raises the question: Which of them should you be watching? Now, as we hit the half-way point of the season,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Gundam Breaker Lets You Build and Pilot the Gundam of Your Dreams
Over the years there have been some great (and terrible) Gundam games. But while many games let you pilot a Gundam, Gundam Breaker takes it one step further and lets you build your own dream Gundam as well. Good – Build Your Dream Gundam Gundam Breaker is centered around building “Gunpla” Gundam models and then…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 16, 2013 -
Kotaku EastI Created the Most Hideous Gundam Ever
Gundam Breaker, the newest Gundam video game, is all about building your own custom Gundam. More often than not, though, they turn out to be completely hideous. In the game itself, your character builds Gundam models. You can then take these models you make to the Gundam arcade and pilot them in a VR game.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
This Series is The “Daria” of Anime
Halfway through the spring anime season, I wrote two articles covering nine anime—the five anime you should be watching and the four anime you could skip. Yet, readers berated me for skipping one anime in particular. And it’s a good thing they did as My Teen Romantic Comedy SNAFU is an extraordinarily witty anime. Good…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 13, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThis Roulette Table is My Favorite Gundam Battlefield Ever
About a month back, the PlayStation 3 got its newest Gundam video game. But unlike past Gundam video games, this one takes place not in a fictional future full of giant robots but rather in a modern day setting where Gundams are small-scale plastic models. In the game itself, you go to an arcade, put…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 13, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThe Cameo Characters Are the Only Special Thing about Onimusha Soul
Late last week we took a look at the scores of famous Capcom characters that have gotten samurai redesigns in the online social game Onimusha Soul. But sadly, while the cameo characters really are cool to look at, everything else in the game just feels run-of-the-mill for a collectible online card game. When you first…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 13, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Playing Oculus Rift with Only One Eye
A few weeks back, I received an email from a reader who was blind in one eye and wanted to know how the Oculus Rift would work for him. I thought it was an interesting question but honestly didn’t know the answer, so I put it to the back of my mind. Then this last…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 9, 2013 -
Culture
Capcom’s Heroes Look Awesome as Samurai
Ever wonder how Capcom’s greatest heroes and heroines would look as samurai? Or ninja? Or geisha? Well now is your chance! Onimusha Soul is a Japan-only browser (and smartphone)-based customizable card game. Much like in the Valkyria Chronicles browser game, you build your own squad and battle against the squads of other players. But the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I Should Have Hated This Pervy Anime, But I Loved It
Midway through the spring anime season, I called Henneko: The “Hentai” Prince and the Stony Cat one of the anime you could skip…something which I will now take back. Because while there is much I would normally hate in a show like Henneko, all that is overshadowed by just how damn funny it is. Bad…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I Played the Oculus Rift for Five Hours Straight
As a gamer, I rarely play in short chunks. I’d rather play hours at a time. So ever since I learned of Oculus Rift, I’ve been consumed by one burning question: will playing the Oculus Rift for long stretches make you sick? Well this week I got the chance to test this out on the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
If You Like the Ace Attorney Series, You’ll Like Dual Destinies
Just over a week ago, Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, the first main series Ace Attorney game in over five years, was released in Japan. And while real time has passed, not much has changed in the world of Ace Attorney. It is still filled with excellent mysteries, crazy characters, and over-the-top courtroom drama. [This import…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Red Data Girl Is a Different Kind of Fantasy Anime
As the spring anime season hit its mid-way point, I called Red Data Girl one of the five anime you should be watching. And while it is definitely one of the more low-key anime in that bunch, it is also the most real on an emotional level. Good – A Modern Japanese Fantasy Tale When…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Devil Survivor 2 Is Much Better Than I Expected
Devil Survivor 2:The Animation is an anime based on the 2011 DS game Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor 2. A few months back, I called it one of the anime you’d be okay skipping last season because of its first half being rather cliché and boring. And while its second half wasn’t amazing enough to…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 30, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Let’s Look at the Big Name Titles Playable on Oculus Rift
A month or so back, I got to spend an hour with the Oculus Rift VR headset—most of which I spent swooning over Portal 2. Ever since that time I’ve been dying to get the Rift wrapped around my head for a larger chunk of time. And when that dream turns to reality, the question…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 30, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThere’s a Macross Game on the Oculus Rift
When I was a kid, I had a poster of an F-14 Tomcat hanging on my wall. It was my favorite airplane. Then I watched Robotech and saw my favorite plane transform into a giant robot as well. I dreamed about flying one. Now, two decades later, Oculus Rift has helped me get as close…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 30, 2013 -
Kotaku EastLet’s Spend Some Hands-On Time with Dragon’s Crown
While the release of Dragon’s Crown in North America is still a few weeks away, Vanillaware’s newest title hit Japanese shelves yesterday—a copy of which has already found a new home in my PlayStation 3. So click the video above and let’s sit down together and look at Dragon’s Crown‘s single player and online multiplayer…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Valvrave Mixes an Over-the-Top Premise with Real World Consequences
Back in the middle of the spring anime season, I called Valvrave: The Liberator one of the five anime you should be watching. Now that all the episodes have aired, I can understand that it may not be for everyone; but for me, it was one of the most crazy and utterly enjoyable anime of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why I am Reluctantly Okay With Cutting the Sex Out Of Visual Novels
Late last month, If My Heart Had Wings, a winner of several visual novel related awards, was released in the United States. This English version of the game has all the sex scenes removed and numerous scenes and lines of dialogue edited to fit a “T for Teen” rating. And while I stand by what…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Ghibli’s New Movie Is Beautiful (But It Has Its Problems)
This past weekend, The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ), the newest film from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki was released in theaters across Japan. But how does Studio Ghibli’s latest film stack up against classics like Spirited Away, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Princess Mononoke? Read on to find out! [This review contains spoilers about…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 23, 2013
Richard Eisenbeis
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