Kotaku East

Sony is hiring developers for “人喰いの大鷲トリコ”—which is the Japanese title for The Last Guardian Interestingly, the job listing says it’s forPlayStation 3 game development …

Look at Awesome Japanese Toys from Jump Festa. Look at Them!

Every year, Japanese publisher, Shueisha, hosts Jump Festa – a convention celebrating its most popular publication, Shonen Jump as a thank you to fans and to give people a little taste of things to come in terms of games, anime, and other assorted media. Also on display (and for sale) are some pretty awesome toys…

Mario Kart 8 Drove Me Up The Walls… In a Good Way

The original Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo was a game that quite literally ended friendships back in the day. Now, over two decades later, the latest addition to the series, Mario Kart 8 is headed for the Wii U next spring, and I got a chance for a little hands-on time at this year’s…

Richard’s Top 10 Games of 2013

When it comes to a list like this, it’s important to know why I enjoy gaming. Frankly, it’s the same reason I enjoy books, movies, TV, and anime: I love a well-told story. And though some of the games here may not be the pinnacle of gameplay, you’re bound to get an awesome story, if…

3DS Persona Trailers Feature the Heroes of Persona 3 and 4

Oh, and gameplay. Don’t forget the gameplay. The trailers, each clocking in at a bit over a minute, show the chibi-fied characters of Persona Q engaging in banter, running around, and beating up a few select baddies. Here’s hoping the game comes to the West—at the moment, Q is only announced for Japan, where it…

Kill la Kill‘s First Half is Just Pure, Unfiltered Fun

There is no question that this season’s break-out anime is Kill la Kill, the newest anime by the creators of Gurren Lagann. As it reaches its halfway point, it’s not hard to see why. It’s a series that seems only concerned with one thing: having fun in the most awesome ways possible while taking you…

Kara no Shojo: The Kotaku Review

Kara no Shojo (The Girl in the Shell) is simply one of the most graphic and disturbing visual novels I have ever played. It is also one of the most captivating. Set in post-war Japan (1956 to be exact), Kara no Shojo follows Reiji Tokisaka, a private detective specializing in catching serial killers. When girls…

Here’s a fresh new teaser for the live-action Patlabor movie, in which we get to meet some of the cast, including the AV-98 Ingram. Looking good so far!

The Year in NSFW

Sexy. Screwed up. Strange. Outrageous. We here at Kotaku deal with topics befitting all those words. We dealt with them this year, too. So grab your laptops and find a dark corner, folks, ’cause we’re dealing with some of the naughtiest and nastiest stuff 2013 had to offer. Enjoy our selection of this year’s NSFW…

God Eater 2 is a Fun Hunting Game, if That’s What You’re Looking For

“Monster Hunter with plot” is how God Eater was once described to me. Well, after the runaway hit that the Monster Hunter series has turned out to be, it’s no surprise that everyone and their grandmother is out to catch lightning in a bottle twice with the same formula. So how does the third God…

Ace Combat Infinity and Soulcalibur Lost Swords have been delayed to next year, according to a recent announcement by publisher Namco Bandai. Originally, both free-to-play PS3 titles were slated to arrive in late 2013.

PlayStation Exec Owns Two Wii Us, Loves the New Mario

We already knew he had one, but Shuhei Yoshida, president of Sony Computer Entertainment’s Worldwide Studios, actually owns two Wii Us. Last month, Yoshida appeared as a guest on the Japanese multi-media internet talk show, Kurokawa Juku. After general talks, the host opened the floor to questions from the audience, and that’s where a reporter…

At Least Someone Wants a PlayStation Vita for Christmas

Japan got the short straw this holiday season with the PS4 coming out in February and no specific release date for the Xbox One. So what gaming console IS on people’s Christmas wish lists in the Japan? Japanese gaming mag Weekly Famitsu conducted a poll asking gamers what they plan on getting for the holiday…

From Cute to Awkwardly Hilarious, These are China’s Matching Couples

In China, dressing similarly is a bit of a thing between couples, and sometimes even friends. So having a competition between matching couples makes a lot of sense. The competition was organized by Chinese social networking site Douban (via Shanghaiist) as a way to celebrate Winter’s arrival. The site regularly hosts contests like these where…

How a Nice Gesture Ruined the Latest Banderas Meme

“Ruined” is a strong word, actually. Especially when you consider how adorable the end result is. D’aww! You may recognize the two guys above: one of them is Shiro Kawauchi, the rather emotional head of Sony Computer Entertainment Korea, and the other is Hong Suk Min, one half of the husband-and-wife pair famous for camping…

Attack on Titan on the 3DS Is Equal Parts Awesome and Glitchy

The first time I saw the opening to Attack on Titan—with the cast swinging through the city and killing a titan—my first thought was, “this would make for one hell of a video game.” And while Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind does indeed make me feel awesome, it is a game that…

Motion-Controlled Anime Boobs Exist (*Sigh*)

I’m not sure why they exist. But, as Japanese site IT Media points out, they do. And what’s this tech demo called? “Oppai Motion,” or “Boob Motion” in English. Warning: This article contains content some readers might find objectionable. As you can see in the below video, the demo uses the Leap Motion gesture input…

Have Horrible Handwriting? Maybe This Machine Can Help.

My handwriting is messy. I wish it was better! Doesn’t matter if I am writing in English or Japanese, it’s chicken scrawl. Thankfully, there’s a new machine to write clearly for me. This is the Word Writer from Tokyo’s Max Ltd. It’s a printer that can use a ballpoint pen, a felt tip marker, or…

Bonus Anime Episodes You Might’ve Missed This Year

There are a lot of good anime out there this year, but sadly, when they’re over, they’re over—or are they? These days, more and more series are getting extra, not-aired-on-TV OVA episodes that often don’t show up on legal anime streaming sites. So, let’s take a quick look at some of these “missing episodes” that…

Tonight, a PlayStation Exec Was Moved to Tears

Console launches are emotional events—for gamers and game makers. And tonight in Seoul, one PlayStation exec broke down and wept. This is Shiro Kawauchi, the head of Sony Computer Entertainment Korea. Speaking in his native Japanese and getting choked up in the process, Kawauchi talks about how PlayStation fans have been waiting days for the…