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Kotaku East
I Won A Japanese Crane Game For the First Time
A few weeks back when I was checking out Evangelion 3.0 for the second time in the theaters, I walked into the neighboring Sega arcade. Right inside the door they had a raffle set up and anyone with a movie ticket got a free draw. Even though I didn’t win anything special, the consolation prize…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 11, 2012 -
Reviews
The Professor Layton Movie is a Fun-Filled Adventure from Beginning to End
The puzzle-filled Professor Layton games comprise one of the Nintendo DS’s most popular franchises. Mixing brain teaser and occult mystical plot, the adventures of the gentleman archaeologist and his young apprentice are always enjoyable to play. There are currently five games in the main series, with another on the way in the coming year. There’s…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 11, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Gameplay in Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is an Interesting Mix of Old and New
As the title suggests, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney crosses the mystical puzzle-solving mysteries of the Professor Layton series with the courtroom logic puzzles of Ace Attorney—but not exactly in the ways you’d expect. As you play the game, you constantly switch between Layton and Ace Attorney style gameplay. The Layton side of the game…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 11, 2012 -
Kotaku EastCheck Out Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney’s Heart-Pounding Intro Movie
Following in the vein of the games of the Layton series, Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney has more than its fair share of fully animated cutscenes. But while seeing Professor Layton in anime form is hardly anything new, this game marks the first time the characters from Ace Attorney have gotten in on the anime…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 7, 2012 -
Kotaku East
E.X. Troopers Isn’t Exactly the Lost Planet I Remember (And That’s a Good Thing!)
E.X. Troopers is a spin-off title to Capcom’s Lost Planet series. Like the main series, it takes place on the thawing ice planet of E.D.N. III. Yet, even one single glance at the game is enough to tell you that this is not Lost Planet as you’ve seen it before. Instead it’s a manga-style, flashy,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 7, 2012 -
Kotaku EastYou Got Your Manga in my Game!
One of the most interesting things about Capcom’s Lost Planet spin-off E.X. Troopers is its art style. Like more than a few games, it has cel-shaded graphics and bright colors which give off a distinct and beautiful look. But what makes E.X. Troopers stand out is how committed it is to being a manga-in-motion. Every…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 7, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWatch E.X. Troopers in All its Alien Bug-Stomping Glory
E.X. Troopers is a spin-off title to Capcom’s Lost Planet series—though it may not seem like it at first glance. Unlike the realistic graphical style of the main series of games, E.X. Troopers is presented entirely in a manga-esque style. The game’s cutscenes even come complete with panel frames and written onomatopoeic sound effects. The…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 4, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Macross 30 Looks to Be The Macross Game We’ve Been Waiting For
This year has been a great year to be a Macross fan. To celebrate the franchise’s 30th Anniversary, there has been a new movie, concerts, a TV documentary, and the release of the anime classic Macross: Do You Remember Love? on Blu-ray. Yet, the best may be yet to come in the form of the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 4, 2012 -
Kotaku East
I Watched the Persona 4 Anime Without Ever Playing The Game
There’s a point in every gamer’s life as they get older when they realize that with work and everything else going on in their lives, they just don’t really have time to play every game they want to anymore—no matter how good it is reported to be. And after spending over four years constantly “planning…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 4, 2012 -
Kotaku EastGetting Up Close and Personal with Square Enix’s New Engine Blew My Mind
This last Friday and Saturday in Tokyo, Square Enix held their 2012 Open Conference. While there was some talk about the relaunch of Final Fantasy XIV, the majority of the two-day event focused on Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. Agni’s Philosophy is the real-time tech demo of Square’s new Luminous Engine that was first presented at…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 26, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Here’s What Makes a Final Fantasy, According to Square Enix
This last weekend in Tokyo, Square Enix held an open conference centered around its real-time tech demo, Agni’s Philosophy: Final Fantasy. While presenting the technical aspects was paramount in the design of Agni’s Philosophy (as it was meant to showcase the detail and flexibility of Square’s new Luminous Engine), its creators were adamant it feel…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 26, 2012 -
Kotaku East
New Final Fantasy XIV Director Talks About What Went Wrong With The Original
Naoki Yoshida is about as far away from the stereotypical image of a Japanese businessman as you are likely to get. Clad in designer jeans with expertly styled hair and numerous finger rings, he looks more like a rock star than anything else. His business card even features a caricature of himself smoking while relaxing…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 26, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Evangelion 3nd Impact is (Not) Quite the Music Game You’ve Been Hoping For
Even over a decade and a half after the release of the anime that started it all, the Evangelion franchise is one of Japan’s most lucrative properties. Each year, it floods the market with accessories, spin-off manga, and action figures—and I mean tons and tons of action figures. On top of this, a year can…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastSee the Evangelion Music Game in Action
When you think of Evangelion, what comes to mind? Giant robots? Angsty teens? Massive amounts of religious imagery? A complete mind-fuck ending? But what about the soundtrack, does that leap to the forefront of your mind? Well apparently it did for Grasshopper Manufacture—the creators of No More Heroes, Shadows of the Damned and Lollipop Chainsaw—when…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Evangelion 3.0 is (Not) the Film You Were Expecting
Over the past few weeks, we here at Kotaku East have been taking a look at the previous Rebuild of Evangelion films as we eagerly awaited the release of the third in the series: Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo Well, this past weekend, the long anticipated film was released in theaters across Japan. But…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 19, 2012 -
Kotaku EastWatch the Opening Minutes of Evangelion 3.0 Right Here
Anime fans rejoice! Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo will be released in theaters across Japan at midnight tonight. To kick off the big-screen return of one of Japan’s most famous anime, the Nippon Television Network showed both of the previous Rebuild of Evangelion movies—with Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone airing last Friday and…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 16, 2012 -
Kotaku EastEvangelion 64: An Ancient Tale of Importing During the Dawn of the Internet
Neon Genesis Evangelion is one of my favorite anime and the first that ever really forced me to work for understanding. Back in high school, it was the anime I always recommended to others, and I have watched it countless times in the years since. Needless to say, I was (and perhaps am still) a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 16, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Kiki Trick is a Listening Game That’s More Work Than Fun
From Mario to Rhythm Heaven when it comes to first-party games, Nintendo is no slouch. But what’s surprising is how many of these titles never leave Japan even today. We took a look at the B-List Nintendo crossover Captain Rainbow earlier this year, but it is far from the only forgotten Wii title. In fact,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 16, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Evangelion 2.22 is a Film That Plays On Your Expectations
We are now less than a week out from the Japanese release of Evangelion 3.0: You Can (Not) Redo. Over the past few weeks we have looked at my personal history with the Evangelion franchise in general and the first film in the Rebuild of Evangelion series, Evangelion 1.11: You Are (Not) Alone, in specific.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 13, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Bravely Default Browser Game is Deeper Than I Expected
Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is not the only game to bare the Bravely Default moniker. There is also a tie-in browser game called Bravely Default: Praying Brage. We’ve already had a look at some of the game’s… less than stellar artwork but luckily these character portraits do not reflect the overall art style of the…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published November 13, 2012
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