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Kotaku East1 Person + 4 Years = One Amazing Stop-Motion Animation.
It never ceases to amaze me what people can do on their own, with the right determination and a little bit of time. This is Junk Head 1. A 30-minute stop-motion animated movie made by one man. Junk Head 1 takes place after a conflict between humans and clones. The clones have been driven far…
By Toshi Nakamura Published November 7, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Working in the Game Industry Sure Worked Out for this Dude
Hisashi Koinuma became the Vice CEO of Tecmo Koei, one of the biggest game companies in Japan. Going into the game industry worked out for him. But it was a move that his parents may have had some reservations about. In an interview with Weekly Famitsu, Koinuma recalls spending his high school days hooked on…
By Toshi Nakamura Published November 7, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Smash Bros.‘ Director Doesn’t Have To Work Hard. But He Does Anyway
I don’t care what Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai does so long as he makes the next Smash Bros. Apparently, Nintendo seems to share that sentiment. But Sakurai is a man of values and does not abuse the trust that has been placed on his shoulders. Sakurai’s arm still has not healed, but that isn’t…
By Toshi Nakamura Published November 7, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Proof that Nintendo Still Rules Japan
If there’s ever been any doubt, this should settle it. Over the past decade, Nintendo hasn’t been doing well in Japan – It’s been dominating. The Wii U is not exactly selling like gangbusters right now, but Nintendo’s probably playing a long game. In this week’s Weekly Famitsu, the magazine took a look at the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Manga-Hating Domestic Terrorist is Still at Large
And now, with threats of poisoning and random violence, things are actually worse. Last year, threatening letters directed at the author of basketball manga Kuroko’s Basketball began surfacing. While the occasional hater and nut job can be expected for any popular work, this individual seems to claim that their hate for the author, Tadatoshi Fujimaki,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 31, 2013 -
Kotaku EastSiren Series Director Wants to Scare You Once Again
After working on the Siren series for years, Director Keiichiro Toyama and his team made Gravity Daze (AKA Gravity Rush) for the PS Vita. A bit of a jump in genres, you might think – though not from his perspective. Now it sounds like Toyama wants to go back to his horror roots. The Gravity…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 31, 2013 -
Kotaku EastWhat Yakuza‘s Producer Hates about GTA
Hold on. Don’t start sending hate mail to Sega just yet. Let’s hear the man out. Yakuza series top man Toshihiro Nagoshi was at the Otemae University in Japan for a special lecture back in 2011. During that Q&A session a student asked him what he thought about the Call of Duty series. Nagoshi replied,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
You’re Not Ready for MGSV. You Need Ground Zeroes to Prepare
Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain will be divided into 2 parts: The prologue, Ground Zeroes, which takes place in 1975, and the main game, which takes place in 1984. Sound confusing? It’s actually done that way to make it less so. In a one-on-one interview with Weekly Famitsu, Kojima talked about the reasons…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 24, 2013 -
Kotaku EastIn Kingdom Hearts III, Keyblades Can Transform Into So Many Things
Check out them guns on Sora. The D23 Expo Japan 2013 was an event last week at the Tokyo Disney Resort that celebrated both the 90th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company and the 30th anniversary of the Tokyo Disney Resort itself. Nomura was there with Japanese cast members to show the latest Kingdom Hearts…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Tetsuya Nomura Explains the Look of Kingdom Hearts III
It’s going to be a while before Kingdom Hearts III is completed, and a new video gave us a sneak peek. KHIII designer Tetsuya Nomura also recently provided more details about the game’s visual flair, expressing his desire for the game to look oh so Disney. As previously stated, Kingdom Hearts 3 will have a…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
How To Access Your Vita’s Battery
Thanks to hackers, the words “portable console” and “removable battery” used to spell “nightmare” for Sony. The battery of the PSP famously offered hackers an easy back door into the console that until then required hard-to-find exploits in games. It’s no wonder the PSP Go was a closed system. So what about its younger brother,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
How Japanese Gamers Felt After Touching the PS4 and Xbox One
The PS4 and Xbox One won’t be out in Japan until next year, but many attendees to last month’s Tokyo Game Show got to try out the upcoming consoles and voice their opinions. Here’s what they thought. This week, Weekly Famitsu published the results from its TGS 2013 poll. One of the questions were on…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 17, 2013 -
Kotaku EastNo PS4 Until 2014, Japan. But Here’s An MMO For Your Trouble.
The PS4 launch looks to have a wider variety of play options than previous generations. Now it looks like Japan will be getting an extra option. Video game and entertainment developer, CyberStep has announced a new MMORPG for the PC and PS4. Oni-Giri (鬼切 “Demon Slash”) will be a free-to-play online action MMO featuring characters,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 10, 2013 -
Kotaku EastTwo Words No Gamer Wants To See During An Intro Sequence
Before or after? Sure, what the hey. During? Nooooo. The intro sequence to a video game sets both the stage and the tone of what’s to come, and Sen no Kiseki does it in a bad way. Walking around at TGS this year, I’d noticed a lot of people carrying bags bearing the logo of…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 10, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Even Tony Stark Toys Have Cool, Uh, Toys
In the Iron Man movies and comics, Tony Stark has his super cool toys and gadgets. Well, his toy figurines have some pretty cool toys, too. Okay, I’ve purchased my fair share of Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece figures, but this one takes the cake. The Tony Stark (Workshop Version) 1/6 scale figure is part of…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 10, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Here’s What Mighty No. 9‘s Creator Thinks of Rain
Keiji Inafune of Mega Man Mighty No. 9 and Soul Sacrifice fame is a man full of opinions. And today, you’re going to hear his opinion on Rain. Rain? Yes, Rain Rain and Soul Sacrifice are entirely different games. But they share something in common you might not know about: Both were produced by Sony…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 3, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Everyone Gets Pokemon X and Y At The Same Time. Here’s Why.
As the release date of Pokemon X and Y approaches, this will be the first game in the official series with a (for the most part) simultaneous international release, and those involved hope that by doing so, they’ll be able to level the playing field. “Until now, the pattern has been to release games overseas…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 3, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Numbers Don’t Lie: Gamers Want Dead or Alive Bikinis
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters is a free-to-play version of DoA 5 Ultimate. The game has perks and items available for purchase, including the story mode of the full game and all the other characters. But it looks like what players really want are the sexy threads. One of the Dead or Alive…
By Toshi Nakamura Published October 3, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Great Developers Discuss the PS4
I got a chance to handle the PS4 at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. The graphics definitely look prettier than I’ve seen on the PS3, but otherwise, it handles pretty much like it should. But I’m looking at it from the player’s side. That’s the output. What about the input? That’s where you have to…
By Toshi Nakamura Published September 26, 2013 -
Kotaku EastAce Combat Infinity‘s Story Mode is Free. As for Multiplayer…
Ace Combat Infinity is Namco Bandai’s upcoming free to play aerial combat game for the PlayStation 3. Project leader Kazutoki Kono says that for this game, they’re going back to the roots and standards of the Ace Combat series. The content of the game is looking fairly robust. There will be a campaign mode and…
By Toshi Nakamura Published September 26, 2013
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