Richard Eisenbeis

This is What a Video Game Museum Should Look Like

Game On, the video game history exhibition that explores why we love games, has finally made its way to Japan. It’s an impressive collection of games and systems—from arcades to home consoles and everything in between. But the best part? Over 120 of them are playable. But if you can’t come see it yourself in…

Beautiful Bones Explores the Meaning of Life Through Death

Bones are funny things. They are a vital part of life, literally supporting us from our first breath onward. But, at the same time, they are a symbol of death and are seen as dirty, unclean, and morbid. Beautiful Bones: Sakurako’s Investigations explores this dichotomy through a series of episodic mysteries. In the forest on…

What Grand Theft Auto III Looked Like on the Drawing Board

Today Tokyo saw the opening of Game On, an exhibition showcasing the history of video games and exploring the question “Why are video games so interesting?” One exhibit is a recreation of the planning board used to visually plot out the missions of PS2 classic Grand Theft Auto 3 Each of the three whiteboards represents…

Welcome to Titan-Killing Simulator 2016

If there’s one thing you do a lot of in the new Attack on Titan game, it’s slaughter titans. From Omega Force, the studio behind the Dynasty Warrior games, Attack on Titan looks a lot like them with its tons of enemies to cut through and its expansive maps. But while the game uses the…

RWBY’s Third Season Brings Grimm Fairytale Darkness

Eager to check out crazy, over-the-top fight scenes with imaginative weapons? Well, RWBY Volume 3 certainly has that, as well as a healthy helping of sadness and despair. [Note: This review contains spoilers for this and the previous two seasons of RWBY. For a more non-spoiler look at the series, check out our review of…

Five Must-Watch Anime for Winter 2016

Alright. You know the drill. A new anime season means new anime—42 for this winter season to be precise. With so many, it can be hard to know what to watch, and that’s why we’ve put together this guide. I have spent the past few weeks getting fully caught up on all of the winter…

When Minecraft Meets Dragon Quest

You know what’s popular in Japan? Minecraft. You know what else is popular? Dragon Quest. Dragon Quest Builders is what happens when you mix the two. Broken down to its essence, Dragon Quest Builders is Minecraft, but with direction. In Minecraft you are basically dropped into a world and sent off to do whatever you…

The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Attack on Titan [Stream Finished]

The new game based on hit anime Attack on Titan hit Japanese shelves today. So join me and let’s see how it plays. Update: The stream is now over, you can see the full five hours here: Part 1 (3 minutes) Part 2 (4 hours 40 min) Attack on Titan was released in Japan for…

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem: The Kotaku Import Preview

True to its title Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is a mix of the two games, but if you expected a dark and depressing tactics title, you’re more than a bit off the mark. Like many Shin Megami Tensei games, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is set in modern day Tokyo. The story…

Akito the Exiled Shows Code Geass in a New Light

Code Geass is one of the most popular and highly acclaimed anime of the last decade. Its recently completed interquel, Akito the Exiled, is a different type of war story, but one that expands the anime’s complex look at morality in its mecha-filled world Akito the Exiled is a theatrically released set of five hour-long…

Persona 3‘s Final Film Takes the Series Out on a High Note

It’s taken over three years, but Persona 3‘s excellent big screen adaptation has finally reached its end. [Note: As this is the fourth movie in a series, pretty much everything in this article is a spoiler for not only this film, but the film series as a whole. For a non-spoiler look at the Persona…

The Cosplay of Game Party Japan 2016

Game Party Japan 2016 had concerts, video game tournaments, and board games galore. It also had cosplay. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am. To contact the author of this post, write to…

Detective Pikachu Is a Simple Point-and-Click Adventure for Pokémon Fans

Three things you need to know going in about Detective Pikachu: 1) It’s not hard. 2) It’s not long. 3) Detective Pikachu himself makes the whole thing worth playing. Detective Pikachu is the story of Tim Goodman, a young man who heads to Rhyme City in search of his missing father. Shortly after his arrival,…

The Up-All-Night Stream Plays Detective Pikachu [Stream Finished]

There are crimes afoot in the world of Pokémon, and only Detective Pikachu and his plucky human sidekick have any chance to solve the case! Update: The stream is over but you can watch all four hours of it at the links below! Part 1 Part 2 Detective Pikachu was released on the Nintendo 3DS…

Fans Bring Splatoon Weapons to the Real World

Game Party Japan 2016 played host to the Japanese National Splatoon Championship. But while that was going on at the front of the booth, it’s back side sported an awesome gallery of fan-made versions of Splatoon’s ink-based weaponry. A “.52 Gal” by Spicies A “Custom E-Liter 3K” by 19_ev An “Inkstrike” by Spicies An “Inkzooka”…

The finals bracket of the Japan National Splatoon Championships is starting over on NicoNico as part of Game Party Japan 2016. The audio is in Japanese and you need a NicoNico account, but if you’re a fan of world-class ink-based combat, check it out! Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you…

Chaos;Child is a Murder Mystery with Delusions and Superpowers

If I were to sum up in two sentences my experience with delusion-filled murder mystery visual novel Chaos;Child, it’d be these: 1) If I’d known how incredibly long Chaos;Child was, I’d never have played it and 2) I’m so happy that I played Chaos;Child Chaos;Child is one of the games in the Science Adventure Series…

Noragami Aragoto Is An Action Anime in a World of Gods and Spirits

When I reviewed the first season of Noragami a few years back, I had mixed feelings about it. However, that was only because I felt it could be great once it got past its opening missteps. Noragami Aragoto was all I hoped for and more. Much of Aragoto is spent focusing on the god Bishamon.…

The Music Videos Are My Favorite Part of Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem

When I started playing Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, I expected a lot of things: summonable demons,Fire Emblem characters, turn-based RPG gameplay, etc. What I didn’t expect? A ton of animated music videos for the game’s rocking soundtrack. The plot of Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem revolves around a group of people dealing…

One-Punch Man is Superheroes, Comedy, and Over-the-Top Action

What if you were the strongest superhero in the world? One-Punch Man comically shows just how boring such a life would be. One-Punch Man is the story of Saitama—a normal guy who one day decides to be a superhero. However, after training, he finds himself with two problems: hair loss and the fact that he…