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Kotaku East
What Japanese Devs and Players Think of DLC
Downloadable Content can be a controversial topic. On the one hand it can feel like a developer/publisher nickel and diming the player, and on the other, it can also help to enhance a game experience and lengthen a game’s play-life. In this week’s issue of Japanese gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu, developers and users were presented…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Behold, From the Depths of Your Fears: Land Sharks!
Presenting the latest addition to the Monster Hunter gallery o’ monsters: Sharks that can crawl on land With the upcoming release of Monster Hunter 4 this summer, Capcom has steadily been releasing information on new locations and monsters. Among the latest newcomers to the hunting scene are creatures called “Skuagils,” m-f-ing sharks with m-f-ing feet.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Here, Try Out the Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies Demo For Yourself
But you may want to brush up on your Japanese before you do. Capcom has released a playable online demo of Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies to whet the appetites of Japanese fans looking forward to the July 25th release. The demo is fairly straight-forward, but the text is Japanese-only, so while it does give you…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 16, 2013 -
Kotaku East
What Japanese Gamers Have to Say About The Cheaper PS Vita
The PS Vita is doing much better these days. The game library is still not as robust as I’d like, but I don’t get depressed so much when I check the Vita section of my regular game store. Sadly, the hand-held powerhouse is still not performing as well as Sony would probably want it to.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I’m Still Not Clear On How This “Niche” Game Will Not Be For Everyone
Game developer Compile Heart unveiled the first game for their Galapagos RPG brand Titled, fairy fencer f, the game is labeled as a fantasy RPG for the PlayStation 3 and will utilize the talents of concept artist Yoshitaka Amano, composer Nobuo Uematsu and the Earthbound Papas, and the Hyperdimension Neptunia team. In the game, players…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japanese Kids Can Soon Enjoy Their Arcade Pokémon At Home
Okay, a little clarification is probably needed here. The new peripheral, the Pokémon TRETTA Lab for Nintendo 3DS, is a 3DS attachment and software bundle developed by Japanese toy company Takara Tomy A.R.T.S and game developer Marvelous AQL that allows players to load data of captured Pokémon from the arcade game, Pokémon TRETTA, to analyze,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
There Are Fewer Console Gamers In Japan, But It’s Not The End of Gaming
People in Japan have argued that the console gaming market is dying. Whether that argument is valid or not, they now have another piece of ammunition to point to as proof. The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association – or CESA as it will henceforth be referred to as since abbreviations are much easier on the tongue…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 2, 2013 -
Reviews
This Avengers Black Widow Figure Has Fabulous Hair
So, it’s time to take a look at the newest addition to my Hot Toys Movie Masterpieces collection, Black Widow. So, first off, because the question will inevitably be asked in the comments section: Yes, I ordered and paid for this figure myself. Yes, the clothes are removable. No, the figure is not anatomically correct.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Planned “Cyberspace Defense Force” Is Not As Cool As It Sounds
According to Hiroshi Ito, the top man at the Lac Cyber Security Research Institute in Japan, the JSDF’s scheduled “Cyberspace Defense Force” (tentative name) will consist of 100 people and the expected increase in Japan’s IT defense network is… Unfortunately, not that much. Sadly, the world of Ghost in the Shell is still largely science…
By Toshi Nakamura Published May 2, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Evil Within Will Be More About Using Your Brain Than Your Gun
Shinji Mikami, creator of the Resident Evil series is making a new survival horror game, The Evil Within. You’ve seen thetrailer, now let’s see what the man behind the madness has to say about it. The Evil Within – titled Psycho Break in Japan – will supposedly be a return to the more “horror” side…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 25, 2013 -
Kotaku EastSee What a Difference 0.33 Makes With the New Evangelion Movie
The third Evangelion movie, Evangelion: 3.33 YOU CAN (NOT) REDO, was released on Blu-ray and DVD in Japan yesterday (along with promotional cheeseburgers). It’s been 5 months since the movie hit theaters, so what’s been changed between the original 3.0 and the current 3.33? According toJapanese websites comparing the Blu-ray version to the original theatrical…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japan’s Female Mecha Pilot President Is Getting a New Game
Guild 01 for the 3DS was released last year as an anthology of games by 4 notable game creators. One of those games in particular is getting its own spin-off. Liberation Maiden was a shooting game from the mind of Gouichi Suda (Suda 51), creator of games like Killer 7, No More Heroes, and the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
See What Censorship Has Done To These Manga
The late great George Carlin once famously spoke of words that cannot be said on television (Well, basic cable at least). Japan, too, has its own list of words and phrases that are taboo. As of last count, there are over 350 words and phrases deemed “problematic” if used on air. While none are legally…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Your Rival in Ace Attorney 5 is a Criminal
Ace Attorney 5‘s Japanese release date has been confirmed for July 25th. Defense lawyer Phoenix Wright is back, but his old rival, Miles Edgeworth is not. Taking the side of the prosecution this time around will be a criminal prosecutor. Not a prosecutor of criminals, but a criminal who is a prosecutor. Capcom has released…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 18, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Soul Sacrifice Looks A Lot Different In Book Form
Soul Sacrifice, the game where you battle deformed creatures, and make the choice to either save or sacrifice them is getting a Japanese book adaptation. Scheduled for release on the 25th of this month, according to Play Community on the official Japanese PlayStation website, apparently the book will be an original story set in the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 11, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Japanese Gamers’ Worst Game of 2012 Is…
I think it’s safe to assume that popular opinion rankings are viewed by most people as just that: Popular opinions, not holy writ carved into stone. That’s partly why I enjoy when people reflect on the year past and rank their favorite and least favorite entertainment. While the West has Metacritic for its game rankings,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 11, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Bravely Default‘s Surprising Japanese Idol Influences
For several weeks after its release, every game store I went to was sold out of Square Enix’s 3DS game, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. The game has proved to be a hit in Japan, thanks in part, indirectly, according to producer Tomoya Asano, to Japan’s biggest pop idol group, AKB48. According to Asano, in an…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 11, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Here Are Some Adult Games Made By Famous Japanese Developers
For better or worse, sex sells. And for some of Japan’s most famous game companies, it was what they sold when they first started making games. That’s right, many of Japan’s biggest game makers have turned to or even had their origins in pixelated pornography. Here are some of the more notable examples and some…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 9, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Drakengard 3 Isn’t Just About Making A Sequel… Not Entirely
It’s been 10 years since Drakengard (Called Drag On Dragoon in Japan) was released for the PlayStation 2 and 8 years since the release of its sequel, Drakengard 2. Now, Drakengard 3 is on the way, and according to producer Takamasa Shiba, it’s the perfect time for it. “Everyone says the Japanese game market, particularly…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 4, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Popular Manga Continues Its Fight Against Terror and Threats
The Kuroko’s Basketball terrorist has not yet been apprehended, but it looks like the threat rate has been reduced from a code red to a code orange at the Tokyo Big Sight event center. Last year, following anonymous threats against the popular manga Kuroko’s Basketball author, Tadatoshi Fujimaki, several events across Japan were changed to…
By Toshi Nakamura Published April 4, 2013
Toshi Nakamura
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