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Kotaku East
Kirby‘s Creator Isn’t Thrilled with Video Game Storytelling
“As a long time gamer, I often find the stories told by games to be bothersome.” Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai writes in his Weekly Famitsu column. Indeed, many games seem to take their time laying out the beginning of their stories, showing long (and sometimes unskippable) cutscenes, or limiting what actions the protagonist can take…
By Toshi Nakamura Published February 14, 2013 -
Kotaku EastIt Felt Cheap at First, But Demon Gaze Is a Solid Vita RPG
“What the hell is Demon Gaze?” was my first response when I heard about this new game for the PS Vita from Kadokawa Games. The game was released on January 24th in Japan under the genre of “dungeon RPG,” and almost immediately sold like crazy. Well… relatively crazy. It is a Vita game after all,…
By Toshi Nakamura Published February 14, 2013 -
Here Are The Top 30 Games Japanese Gamers Are Looking Forward To In 2013
2013 is only 1/12th over. With 11 months left and new console news on the horizon, Weekly Famitsu asked its readers what games they were looking forward to for this year. Here’s a list of the top 30 anticipated upcoming games for 2013 (note: All publishers and release dates are for Japanese release versions): 30…
By Toshi Nakamura Published February 7, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I Hope This New PS Vita Game Has Enough Originality To Stand On Its Own
Toukiden is the new PS Vita game from Tecmo Koei. Originally announced as an entirely new title from the Omega-Force development team (of Dynasty Warriors fame), the game trailer showed a female warrior hacking up and killing a giant creature in a very medieval Japan sort of setting. Well, according to information released to Weekly…
By Toshi Nakamura Published February 7, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Soul Sacrifice Can Turn You Into One Ugly Mofo
As previously reported, in Soul Sacrifice, players will find themselves making a lot of different choices as they progress through the story of a sacrificial lamb fighting through an evil sorcerer’s past in the form of a living book to gain the power to fight for his/her freedom. Japan’s gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu has revealed…
By Toshi Nakamura Published February 7, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThe Full Metal Gear Rising Will Probably Feel Quite Different From The Demos
Metal Gear Rising Revengeance will be hitting stores in less than 3 weeks and anticipations are high. In this week’s Weekly Famitsu, Platinum Games producer Atsushi Inaba and director Kenji Saitou, along with Konami’s Kojima Production producer Yuuji Korekado and scenario writer Etsu Tamari sat down to talk about their upcoming Metal Gear. Metal Gear…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why Monster Hunter Is So Popular In Japan (And Struggles Everywhere Else)
The Monster Hunter series wasn’t always the “monster” (heh heh) hit it is currently. Originally released for the PS2, the first game, Monster Hunter, and its sequel, Monster Hunter G, sold less than a million copies each. It wasn’t until the game went hand-held to the PSP with Monster Hunter Portable (Monster Hunter Freedom in…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Nintendo’s President Expresses His Commitment To Bringing A Profit
Nintendo’s current president and regular spokesperson for Nintendo’s online press conference, “Nintendo Direct,” Satoru Iwata spoke today at an analyst presentation meeting on Nintendo’s plans for the upcoming business year. During the presentation, Iwata spoke of his “commitment” to a business profit goal of ¥100 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) by the end of the next…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Step Aside, Christian Bale, There’s A New Killer In Town
Killer is Dead is the latest game from Grasshopper Manufacture and the mind of Suda 51. The game features the protagonist, Mondo Zappa, a professional “executioner” in a near-future world. The game is being created as a new chapter in the Suda 51 “assassin series”, following in the footsteps of killer7 and the No More…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
This Short Manga Shows How Tough Making Anime Can Be
A good anime, like any good artistic material, can move you, drive you, and stick with you for your entire life. Most of us only get to see the finished product (and maybe some behind the scenes footage from bonus features). While it is somewhat well-known that the working conditions for manga artists and animators…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
No, The DS Is Still Alive In Japan
Nintendo’s DS. With over 152 million units sold worldwide, the dual-screen portable console is without a doubt Nintendo’s biggest seller ever. But now, 8 years after its initial release, currently being outsold by its successor, the 3DS, it seems the DS is almost completely ready to quietly disappear into the night from the Japanese market.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Anime Director Satoshi Kon’s Posthumous Work Machine That Dreams May End As Dream
Anime director Satoshi Kon passed away on August 24th, 2010 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer earlier the same year. Kon was famous for his anime movies: PERFECT BLUE, Millennium Actress, Tokyo Godfathers, and Paprica. His death was felt by the entire anime community. Many, including myself, wept upon reading his last words, written on…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
I’m Really Looking Forward To Becoming A God In This Japanese Dungeon Crawler
Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Nippon Ichi Software, makers of the the Disgaea series, will be releasing Kamisama to Unmei Kakumei no Paradokusu (The Paradox of God and the Fate Revolution) on the PS3 next week. The game was announced last year, and was originally slated to hit stores in Japan on December 20th, but was…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Number Of Pirates Arrested In Japan Since October Might Surprise You
Well, it’s been 3 months since Japan’s own version of SOPA was passed. For those unfamiliar or cannot be bothered to research: in October, the copying of copy-protected and encoded materials, the sale of software and hardware that circumvents copy or access protection, and the intentional download of illegally uploaded materials were deemed illegal and…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 17, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Here’s What (Some) Japanese Developers Are Looking Forward To In 2013
And so this is 2013, and what have we done? Another year over, and a new one’s just begun… Holiday songs aside, 2013 is upon us, and that means reflecting on the past year and looking forward to things to come. This week, Weekly Famitsu asked several Japanese game developers about their plans for 2013.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 10, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Let’s Identify The Games In Capcom’s Upcoming Anniversary Collection
Video game maker Capcom is 30 years old. To celebrate their 30th anniversary, the company is looking back to its roots. As a 30th anniversary celebration, Capcom is releasing the Capcom Arcade Cabinet Retro Game Collection: A collection of Capcom games from the 8-bit era. Capcom producer Kenji Kataoka spoke with Japanese game magazine Weekly…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 10, 2013 -
Reviews
I Can’t Stop Gushing Over The Newest Captain America Figure
If you couldn’t tell from my last couple of articles about the Hot Toys Movie Masterpiece figures, I’m a bit of a fan of the collectible figurine. I am also a big fan of the Avengers movie, so I guess it’s understandable that I’ve been giddy about the Movie Masterpiece versions of the characters that…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 10, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Foreign Cosplayers Are Welcome In Japan
Cosplay: the amalgamation of the words “costume” and “play”, and the act of dressing up as a character from comics, manga, movies, anime… Pretty much anything from popular culture or a subculture that people like. For Japanese cosplayers, the culture of cosplay can be a world of fun, photos, and sometimes bitter and petty rivalry.…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 3, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Threats Against Manga Artist Lead To Empty Tables At Comiket 83
Kuroko’s Basketball has been having it rough. The popular basket manga, or rather its creator, has been continuously threatened since last October, which has led to the cancellation of all Kuroko’s Basketball-related events, including a stage event at Jump Festa. More recently, Japan’s biggest independent doujinshi event, Comic Market (better known as Comiket), announced that…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 3, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Inside Comiket: I Didn’t Have To Line Up To Get Into Comic Market 83
Comic Market, better known among the subculture in Japan as “Comiket,” is currently a bi-annual 3-day event that takes place in Japan. This past December 29th to 31st was the 83rd Comiket, and Kotaku East had a chance to delve into the underbelly of what is currently the largest comic pop culture convention for the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published January 3, 2013
Toshi Nakamura
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