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Kotaku East
If My Heart Had Wings: The Kotaku Review
Winner of several visual novel game awards, If My Heart Had Wings is a romance title centering around a high school glider club known as the “Soaring Club.” It is a touching story about loss, love, and passion that grips you right by the soul from beginning to end. Like many visual novels, a large…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 23, 2013 -
Kotaku EastLet’s Play Around With Pikmin 3‘s Multiplayer Modes
Like Pikmin 2 before it, Pikmin 3 comes with several multiplayer modes. The first three, Gather the Fruit, Enemy Battle, and Boss Rush are all available for two-player coop (as well as single player). The fourth is a bingo-themed versus game where two players compete to gather the items they need as quickly as possible.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Pikmin 3 Is a True Pikmin Game (For Better or Worse)
Pikmin and its sequel were two of the GameCube’s most beloved titles. But over the lifespan of the Wii, no new games were released in the series. Now, after nine years of anxious waiting, the cute plant-creatures are back and on the Wii U. And while it’s a little rough around the edges, it is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 19, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Severing Crime Edge Is an Anime With Identity Issues
Back when it was halfway through its run, I listed The Severing Crime Edge as one of the anime you could skip last season. But that wasn’t because it was bad per se. Rather it was because while it was based on an interesting concept, the anime was doing little with it—a problem compounded by…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 19, 2013 -
Kotaku EastPikmin 3‘s Credits are the Cutest Thing You’ll Hear All Day
Sure, the ending themes of the last two Pikmin games are fun little orchestral themes that you can hum along to; but the credits for Pikmin 3 take it one step further… [Credit Spoilers Incoming!] …By having a full choir of Pikmin singing along. It’s probably the cutest thing you’ll see all day. Check out…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 19, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Flowers of Evil is a Boring, Unengaging Anime
Heading into Flowers of Evil, I was excited. I had heard good things about it through the grapevine, and the fact that it was using rotoscope animation was already getting the series a lot of buzz. But by the time the season hit its halfway point, I had no problem putting it on the list…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 16, 2013 -
Kotaku EastLet’s Spend Some Hands-On Time With Pikmin 3
It’s been nine years since the release of the last Pikmin game. And while it’s still weeks away from a Western release, Pikmin 3 was released in Japan this past Saturday. But what exactly is Pikmin 3 like hands-on? You can count on Kotaku East to give you a sneak peek. Check out the video…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 16, 2013 -
Kotaku EastIn This Game, You Date 8-Bit RPG Stereotypes
Last week, we took a look at a boy-love game that had you date slabs of meat. But this new game has you date something else amazing: 8-bit RPG characters. The game is a visual novel called Dot Boyfriend: We’re 8bit Lovers! (ドットカレシWe’re 8bit Lovers!). In it, you play as a girl surrounded by a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Evangelion Manga Is Finally Over, and What a Ride It Was
After nineteen years and fourteen volumes, the Neon Genesis Evangelion manga finally came to an end this past week. During that time there have been an Evangelion anime series, five films, tons of games, and even numerous other manga. Yet, after all that, it remains entertaining enough to stand on its own. Good – Changes…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 12, 2013 -
Kotaku EastJapan’s Prime Minister is Its Newest Platforming Hero
Back in early June, the Japanese LDP political party released a small, free iPhone game called Abe-Pyon (あべぴょん). In this game you play as Shinzo Abe, the current Prime Minister of Japan, and your job is to jump from platform to platform and climb as high as you can. It’s as fun as it is…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 12, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Non-Anime Fan Reviews Madoka Magica in “Just” Two Hours
As a critic, I always believe that a work should be able to stand on its own, that you don’t need to be a fan of something in order to comment on an artistic work—be it a painting, play, game, or anime. But as someone who is very much immersed in the culture of anime,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 12, 2013 -
Kotaku EastAll of Summer 2013’s New Anime (And Where to Watch Them)
As we head into July, we finish up the spring anime season and head into the summer one. But with over 30 new anime in the pipeline, how do you know which ones to watch? Check out the trailers and brief blurbs about each to see what catches your interest. [*Note: Series are grouped loosely…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 9, 2013 -
Kotaku EastPopular Webcomic Megatokyo Is Getting Its Own Game
Megatokyo, the story of two Americans trapped in a hilariously over-the-top portrayal of Japan, is one of the world’s most popular webcomics. Now, through the power of Kickstarter, it is making the leap into the land of video games in the form of a visual novel Last weekend I sat down via Skype with Fred…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 9, 2013 -
Kotaku EastKilling Titans is Way Harder Than I Thought It’d Be
Ever wanted to kill a giant Attack On Titan-style? Well now’s your chance. This browser-based fan game, Titan Hunter (巨人の猎手 ), allows you to do just that. Armed with two swords and a gas-powered grapple-belt you fly through the city, trying to slash at the titans’ weak spot: the back of their necks. However, if…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Gargantia is Far Deeper than It Appears on the Surface
Around the middle of this past anime season, I called Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet one of the five anime you should be watching—and with good reason. While it’s not as action-filled or plot-heavy as some anime this season, it is filled with interesting themes and enlightening allegories for those willing to dive in. Good…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 5, 2013 -
Kotaku East
In This Game, You Date Slabs of Meat. Seriously.
The Bacon Lettuce Biographies (ベーコンレタス列伝) is, according to its tagline, a “school-based boys’ love, fairytale adventure.” However, this is a little misleading because it is actually a visual novel where you date meat. Big, giant slabs of meat. The Bacon Lettuce Biographies is a free visual novel about a boy—who believes he hears the voices…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 5, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Neptunia PP is an Amusing Parody of iDOLM@STER
It’s looking to be a big summer for game industry parody series Neptunia—despite the worrisome event from a few weeks back. Not only is it getting its own anime and a remake of the original game on the Vita, but it also recently got a new spin-off game: God Dimension Idol Neptunia PP Good –…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 5, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Attack on Titan is Good So Far, But Doesn’t Live Up to Its Potential
Thanks to an amazing title sequence and an imagination-capturing low fantasy world, Attack on Titan has been one of this season’s most popular anime. Five weeks ago, I even proclaimed it one of the five anime you should be watching Unfortunately, despite all it has going for it—and it certainly has some amazing aspects, no…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 2, 2013 -
Kotaku EastWhen a Game’s Credits Are a Love Letter to Retro Music Games
The newest game in the Neptunia series, God Dimension Idol Neptunia PP, came out on the Vita a little over a week ago. Today I finished it, only to discover the ending credits were better than the entire game preceding it. Unlike the other games in the Neptunia series, Neptunia PP isn’t an RPG. Rather,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Want to Play Princess Crown in English? Here’s How
Last week I looked at classic import title Princess Crown—the spiritual predecessor to the upcoming PS3 and Vita title Dragon’s Crown. However, I kept getting one question again and again. “How do I play it in English?” While there isn’t an English version of the game (or even a homebrew patch for that matter), there…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 2, 2013
Richard Eisenbeis
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