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Kotaku East
Japan’s Biggest Gaming Phenomenon of 2013
Without a doubt, the biggest gaming phenomenon of Japan this year involved the game which had anime girls as battleships. It’s too bad that most people outside of Japan can’t play it. When I firstwrote about Kantai Collection (艦隊これくしょん) – aka Kan Colle (艦これ) – it was back in July and the game was proudly…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 31, 2013 -
Kotaku East
China’s Video Game Industry Pulled In Over $13 Billion. Yes, Billion.
As the year comes to an end, year-end statistics are trickling out from every which way. Over the weekend, the China Game Industry Annual Conference’s China Games Party has released info on how much revenue the Chinese game industry has brought in over the course of 2013. Chinese video game companies pulled in over $13…
By Eric Jou Published December 30, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Why China Banned Battlefield 4, Modern Warfare 2, and 40 Other Games
Censorship is a pervasive issue all across the world, but nowhere is it more evident than it is in China. Here, media content falls under extreme scrutiny before it can be released to the public, and video games are no different. China’s Ministry of Culture has, over the years, released public notices denouncing certain games…
By Eric Jou Published December 30, 2013 -
Kotaku EastHong Kong’s Government Explains Money Troubles… With Cartoons
In Hong Kong, government-provided public services are considered pretty good. Supposedly, the social welfare net is also pretty good. Technically being part of China but with a passport that is accepted by many western countries, Hong Kong is overall a pretty good place to live. However, in recent years, the local government’s pockets have been…
By Eric Jou Published December 30, 2013 -
Kotaku East
More 2014 Resolutions From Japanese Game Developers
2013 was a great year for gaming. After what was accomplished this year, let’s see what Japanese game developers hope to do in 2014. We’ve seen a sample of what some Japanese game developers have in mind when looking towards the year to come. Japanese gaming magazine Weekly Famitsu, however, asked 100 developers in their…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 30, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Battlefield 4 ‘Illegal’ in China, But It Wasn’t For Sale There Anyway
To the surprise of no one, China’s Ministry of Culture has formally banned Battlefield 4—though “condemned” may be a more accurate term considering the game never was formally for sale there. Anyway, the game is henceforth “illegal,” according to reports from the country. China.com, one of the country’s oldest and largest online news sites, reported…
By Owen Good Published December 28, 2013 -
Kotaku EastDeep Down’s Next-Gen Living Treasure Chests Look Terrifying
Deep Down will be a free-to-play online RPG for the PS4. It will have knights and disturbing HD mimics. I think I liked them more when they were just sprites or silly 3D models, ugh The lovely creatures debuted in the latest trailer for Capcom’s RPG, dubbed the “Prologue trailer.” Take a look: Fight scenes…
By András Neltz Published December 27, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Five Best Anime of 2013
Over this past year, I’ve shown you my picks for the anime you should be watching for the spring, summer, and fall seasons. You’ve even had the chance to weigh in on your favorites. So without further ado, here are Kotaku‘s picks for the best anime of 2013. But first, the ground rules (which I…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published December 27, 2013 -
Kotaku EastJapan’s Newest Island Looks Like Snoopy
South of Japan, a new island is currently in the process of forming a very familiar character. Roughly 177 miles from the Japanese mainland lie the Bonin Islands. There, at this very moment, an active volcano is in the process of rather violently creating a new island. Originating very close to Nishi-no-shima (西之島, Western Island),…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 27, 2013 -
Kotaku East
The Year in Kotaku East
Here at Kotaku East, we’re all about stories. Whether it’s amazing, cool, weird, or hilarously stupid, if our Eastern friends have a story to share, we make sure to tell you all about it. And this year certainly had more than enough tales of all four types. What follows is just a small sample of…
By András Neltz Published December 27, 2013 -
Kotaku East
See What These Japanese Game Developers Resolve for 2014
As 2013 draws to an end, we look forward to 2014. And with a new year, comes new resolutions – even for game developers. Japanese gaming magazine, Weekly Famitsu, asked 100 game developers what their key phrases resolutions for 2014 were. Take a look at what some of them had to say. Daisuke Ishiwatari –…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
That Lightning Returns Aerith Costume Wasn’t Meant for Everyone
One of the highlights of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is all the costumes you can play around with. Aside from the costumes included in the game and the DLC costumes, Square Enix also has a limited Aerith from Final Fantasy VII costume and weapons. Well, it was supposed to be limited. The Aerith costume…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Kingdom Hearts Director Addresses the Remaining HD Remake Left to Do
With Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD Remix out and II.5 HD Remix on the way next year, there’s nothing left to re-tell as we prepare for the eventual release of Kingdom Hearts III. Oh wait, yes there is. The HD collections of the Kingdom Hearts saga currently cover every previously released console game in the series…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 26, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Check Out the Most Amazing Warship Models You’ll Ever See
Holy cow… Models are awesome. The more detailed the better. Still, there is a limit to how detailed you can make things depending on the scale. When it comes to battleships, usually the largest scale models you’ll find on sale are 1/350 scale. If you want bigger, well you’re kind of out of luck –…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 25, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Our 25 Most Popular Stories of the Year, According to You
Bit of a busy year for Kotaku. The next generation arrived! There are new games! New studios! And the community didn’t sit by idly, either, producing many examples of amazing fanart, fascinating articles, and more than enough silly videos. Picking favorites is nigh-impossible—luckily, I have numbers What follows are, in descending order, the twenty-five articles…
By András Neltz Published December 24, 2013 -
Kotaku East
Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix is Just Like I.5 HD Remix, In a Good Way
Much like the previous HD upgrade collection, Kingdom Hearts I.5 HD Remix, Kingdom Hearts II.5 HD Remix takes 3 previous Kingdom Hearts games and gives them an HD bump-up. Square Enix had a playable demo available at this year’s Jump Festa 2014, and Kotaku East was there to experience some HD goodness. There were two…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 24, 2013 -
Kotaku EastThe Best Japan-Only Games of 2013
Japanese games can be quite at odds with their Western counterparts. They can be strange. They can be sexy. They can be horrific and brutal. They can also be pretty much similar to what we’re used to, crafted, of course, with love and great care. This year, it was no different. Here are, in no…
By András Neltz Published December 23, 2013 -
Kotaku East
WoW Hacker Group Mastermind Sentenced To Two Years In Chinese Prison
Late last week, in Zhejiang province’s Songyang county court, ten men were sentenced to prison terms of up to two years. These men didn’t commit super heinous crimes, but they did commit a terrible one: they were found guilty of hacking and defrauding over 10,000 World of WarCraft accounts. The sentence hearing and the results…
By Eric Jou Published December 23, 2013 -
Kotaku EastEric’s Top 5 (Chinese) Games of 2013
The year is coming to an end, and lists seem to be the thing to do right now—so I’m jumping on the bandwagon. Unlike the rest of the Kotaku crew, I’m relegated to a part of the world where mainstream games and the like aren’t released. Traditional gaming platforms such as consoles are a gray…
By Eric Jou Published December 23, 2013 -
Kotaku EastFreedom Wars Makes You Work Off a Million-Year Sentence
I’ve been quite curious about Freedom Wars ever since I completely misjudged what sort of game it would be. So when I discovered that Sony had a playable demo booth set up at this year’s Jump Festa, I had to try it out. For the demo, I was treated to a tutorial video explaining the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published December 22, 2013