Kotaku East

Controllers Thrown and Busted by Angry People

You mad? Don’t be! Be happy. And for goodness’ sake, do not throw your controller, no matter how much a game pisses you off. “I threw my controller” is a meme of sorts among Japanese gamers. For example, a player might say a certain game makes them throw their controller to express how frustrating it…

In Case You’re Wondering What Hayao Miyazaki Is Up To…

The famed anime creator has been busying himself with other projects. Book covers, for example. Hayao Miyazaki, best known for anime like My Neighbor Totoro, has retired from feature film animation. However, that’s never meant he was going to stop working—something we’ve known for a while now. This year, Miyazaki has done two covers for…

Attack on Titan‘s First Animated Movie Fixes a Big Problem

This past weekend saw the release of the first Attack on Titan compilation movie—Attack on Titan: The Crimson Bow and Arrow. And while viewers of the anime will have seen everything in this film before, the movie does manage to address the series’ largest flaw: the pacing. Good – Ups the Quality To start, there…

The Japanese Nintendo site has a notice up that color variations (including white) are going out of production soon. Next to 3DS XL units, it reads 近日生産終了予定 or “Production is slated to end shortly.” No word how this will impact units outside Japan.

“Creepy” Pokémon Sure Makes for Wonderful Photoshops

This is Marshtomp. It’s an evolved Mudkip, and the Pokémon didn’t used to look this glazed over. Online in Japan, people are saying Marshtomp is “too creepy” (キモ過ぎる). That, and they’re making Marshtomp photoshops. Of course they are! Here’s how Mudkip evolves into Marshtomp. [Photo: DgmdngoF_KM01] In the past, Marshtomp looked different. Cuter, if you…

Watch Live as Anime Characters Beat the Crap Out of Each Other [Done!]

Ever wondered who would win in a fight between Sword Art Online’s Kirito and Valkyria Chronicles’ Selvaria Bles? Well wonder no longer as we answer this question and many others as the Up All Night Stream plays mega-crossover fighting game Dengeki Bunko Fighting Climax Update: Stream Finished. Thanks for watching. You can see the whole…

In a Perfect World, Everyone Would Get Smash Bros. at the Same Time

The latest Smash Bros. came out on the 3DS in Japan on September 13th, 3 weeks before its release in the West. The Wii U version came out in the US last week. It won’t be out in Japan for another week. What gives? In his semi-weekly column in Weekly Famitsu, series creator Masahiro Sakurai…

First Look Inside the Attack on Titan Exhibit

Tomorrow, an Attack on Titan exhibit will open in Tokyo. Here is your first peek at what’s in store. As previously mentioned, the exhibit has art, illustration and fashion inspired by Attack on Titan as well as art from the manga, replica artifacts, a “sound and light” theater presentation, a special Oculus Rift 3D movie,…

Thank the Dreamcast’s Death for the Yakuza Games

The death of the Dreamcast was a sad event and the end of an era. But every cloud has a silver lining. The console’s demise led to the eventual birth of a game series that would probably never have been released on it: the Yakuza games. “I, along with many others assumed, ‘[Sony]’s new to…

Behold, Video Gaming’s Jar-Jar Glitch

Some of the bugs in the newly released Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires sure look familiar. Too bad they muck up the gameplay experience. How rude! Released in Japan on November 20 for actual money, expansion Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires allows players to customize their characters as well as marry and have offspring. But the game…

Some of Japan’s Most Memorable Twitter Pics of 2014

This year is not over. We have one more month! But, let’s look back at some, certainly not all, of the most memorable Twitter pics Japan has seen so far this year. Via Matome Naver, some of the photos went viral. Some are beautiful. Some are odd. And some are cool. What they all have…

Famitsu reports that according to the Pokémon Company’s data, Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire sold a total of 3.04 million copies worldwide in three days. This is notable for two reasons: first, the figures exclude digital copies sold, and second, the game’s not out in Europe ’til Friday. Impressive.

Concern That Japanese Video Game Stores Will Die Out

People come from around the world to shop at Japanese game stores. Yet, in the country, some worry that those specialty shops will vanish. One insider even thinks video game shops will vanish in the next five years. On website Gekicore Gamelife, game retail employee Osho writes about how tough business has been for brick-and-mortar…

PS4 title Earth Defense Force 4.1 The Shadow of New Despair was supposed to be released next February in Japan. It has been delayed to April 2 “due to various circumstances,” according to Famitsu

You Are Not Looking at an Anime Image

It’s actually a photograph of a plastic Gundam figurine. No, really. It is. Back in 2012, Kotaku profiled a Gundam statue with an anime-inspired custom paint job. That one was made by modeller mumumuno53, and so was this latest effort. But honestly, this time mumumuno53 has really topped that earlier effort. Check it out for…

Green Tea Latte Makes for Wonderful 3D Art

We’ve seen 3D art for coffee. We’ve see it in color, too, and from vending machines. And now, we get to see green tea latte art. Green tea latte, or matcha latte, is delicious. In Kyoto, which is famous for its tea, Cafe Suisen serves up matcha latte art and matcha shake art for those…

You Won’t Believe How Different This TV Anime Looks

Tomorrow, the latest disc version of anime Mekakucity Actors goes on sale in Japan. Above, you can see a scene from the broadcast version. And holy crap, the Blu-ray/DVD release seems different. The anime, of course, is based on the light novel Kagerou Project. Since the latest Blu-ray/DVD isn’t out yet, we don’t know yet…

Report: Square Enix Is Making a New, Unannounced RPG for Consoles

The game’s not a remake, it seems. And since Final Fantasy XV has already been announced, it’s not that. So what could it be? If this Japanese game magazine leak is true, we’ll know soon enough. According to a supposed early Famitsu leak (via CS Blog), Square Enix president Yosuke Matsuda apparently mentioned that the…

Five Excellent Anime That Have Returned For Fall 2014

The fall 2014 season is full of excellent anime—both new and returning ones. So while a few weeks back I recommended five new anime to watch, now it’s time to look at the sequels, spin-offs, and remakes you should be watching right now. As with the previous article, guided by the readers of Ani-TAY, I…

If You Like Mario Cuteness and 3D Puzzles, Play Captain Toad

There’s a new treasure hunter in town and his name is Captain Toad. Good – Three Levels in One For each level of Captain Toad, your main goal is simple: Get Captain Toad or Toadette to the star at the end of the level. You’ll have to bypass a few enemies or obstacles, but for…