Kotaku East

A Look at Adding Mario to Non-Mario Games

This week sees the US release of Puzzle & Dragons Z + Super Mario Bros. Edition, which (as the name implies) includes a version of the addictive mobile game completely redone with Mario characters, enemies, and levels. But this is far from the first time Mario has taken over a pre-existing game. There are numerous…

Here’s a Good Time at a Japanese Arcade

Not that having a good time in a Japanese arcade is by any means difficult! Still, a group of gamers show what they can do on a Sega Maimai music game cabinet. A good time is had by all. This originally appeared on on NicoNico Douga (via My Game News Flash) and was uploaded by…

The Witcher 3 Getting Slammed Over Korean Language Screw Up [UPDATE]

The Witcher 3 supports numerous languages at launch, such as Korean, for instance. At least, it is supposed to. Hence the problem and all the angry people in South Korea. UPDATE (12:35 p.m.): CD Projekt RED has apologized to its Korean players, and is offering all of them free copies of the first two Witcher…

Death Parade Is About Life, Death, and the Darkness of the Human Heart

Somewhere there exists a mysterious bar. When you arrive at it, you are forced to play a game—cards, bowling, darts, etc.—against another person. If you win, you get to leave. If you lose, however, you die. Or at least that’s what the situation appears to be. In truth, it is far different: Players are already…

Final Fantasy Is One Way To Sell… Toyotas

These are not Final Fantasy Chocobos. They’re Toyotas. But if they were, I guess they’d look like this? Or maybe they’d be fluffier? Not sure, but what is sure is that Toyota hasonce againteamed up with Square Enix to sell Japanese people cars. Chocobos, of course, are those big, flightless bird creatures Final Fantasy characters…

Sometimes I Leave Xenoblade X Running Just to Listen to the Music

As I write this post, Xenoblade Chronicles X is up on my TV, its music blasting from my surround sound system—just as it has been for hours. I haven’t really played the game at all today. In fact, the most I have done in the game is move my character (Kotaku-tan, naturally) to a different…

Square Enix announced it’s releasing Version 2.0 of the Final Fantasy XV demo in early June. It’s expected to address many of the previous version’sissues, but Square Enix says it will provide details about this update, so sit tight.

In Japan, 7-Eleven Is Selling Attack on Titan Statues for $14,000

If you’re into Attack on Titan and spending lots of money, these statues might be for you. But you’ll need more than deep pockets to buy one. [Photo: Natalie] In Japan, 7-Eleven is offering limited edition statues of Attack on Titan’s Levi Ackerman and Eren Yeager. They’re large! The Eren statue measures 172 cm (5.64…

According to Japanese newspaper Asahi, Sony says Project Morpheus is slated to go on sale before June 2016. It’s unclear if that release window is for Japan or if it’s global.

Anime Character’s Head Falls Off During Live Show, Trauma Ensues

You’re a kid. You’ve seen Doraemon on television. It’s one of Japan’s most famous anime. And then, you get to see the live-action stage show, which is more horrifying than you can ever imagine. A little before four minutes in, the titular Doraemon exits the stage. The other characters get upset at Gian, who apologies…

Track: Kore ga Watashi no Ikiru Michi | Artist: Puffy | Album: Jet-CD Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment

Japan’s Macho Cafe Is Like Hooters in Reverse

You know how people go to Hooters to ogle women in tight t-shirts and hot pants? This is kind of like that, but with muscle-bound men instead. Welcome to Japan’s Macho Cafe. [Photo: News Walker] [Photo: hidaka3] Located in Tokyo, the cafe has been featured on television and online. Recently, website Sirabee visited the cafe,…

Nintendo Won’t Make the 3DS Region-Free, But the NX Might Be

People hate Nintendo’s region-locked consoles. While the Kyoto-based game maker says it can’t unlocked current 3DS unit, the upcomingNXconsole could be region free. Nintendo is looking at that right now. No promises, though! During a recent investors meeting, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata wasasked the following question: When you were asked if you would lift the…

Maria The Virgin Witch: The Anime Review

Some of the most critically acclaimed anime share the same basic setup: A young girl on the edge of womanhood struggles as her ideals and the harsh realities of the real world collide. Take that, mix in medieval warfare, and you have Maria the Virgin Witch Set near the end of the Hundred Years War…

Xenoblade X Lets You Launch Your Camera into the Stratosphere

I had no idea how much I wanted an RPG to let me do this until now. Xenoblade Chronicles X is not an easy game to navigate. It is simply massive and can take hours to run across. More than that, even with waypoints, it’s common to find an unclimbable mountain or area full of…

Modern Samurai Slices an 80mph… Fried Shrimp

That’s Isao Machii, a master Japanese swordsman. Here, he is battling deadly foes like fresh produce and fried seafood. Machii has appeared on Japanese several times, showing off his amazing skills. This slick ad is for mobile phone carrier Softbank, and a good reminder that when fried shrimp are used as deadly weapons, then Machii…

How The “Godfather of Anime” Screwed Up Modern Anime

We’ve heard the horror stories ofjust how bad being an animator in Japan can be. But whose fault is it? Greedy investors? Slave-driving studios? The networks? Turns out, it’s because of the guy who started it all. It’s been long known that working as an animator in Japan is a pretty grueling job. Long hours…

Well, These Tetsuya Nomura Designs Look Different

Square Enix’s new smartphone game, Rampage Land Rankers, is labeled as an “imaginary science adventure drama” and is a “PvD” (Player versus Dungeon) game where players create custom characters, called “Rankers” to explore board-game-like dungeons to fight monsters and find treasures. Actions in dungeons, like moving to attacking, are executed by using cards that can…

The Trailer for The Latest Ace Attorney Game with English Subtitles

Capcom recently released a new trailer fortheir latest Ace Attorney game. Now watch it with handy translations. The ancestor of Phoenix Wright, Sherlock Holmes, Watson as a young girl… the newest Ace Attorney game, The Great Ace Attorney: The Adventures of Ryunosuke Naruhodou has is all. The new trailer also focuses on a couple of…

How To Ruin Video Game Titles with Crappy Font

The Japanese equivalent of Comic Sans is called “Soueikaku Poptai” (創英角ポップ体). And like Comic Sans, it sure can make cool things uncool. Especially video game titles. Recently, Twitter users in Japan have been uploading photos under the tag #絶対に創英角ポップ体しか使ってはいけないゲーム業界, showing how titles would look if the game industry were compelled to use the awful font.…