Kotaku East

If You Love Final Fantasy X-2, You’ll Love Lightning Returns

When people ask me what Lightning Returns is like, I always respond that it’s a lot like Final Fantasy X-2. A lot of people seem to take this as an insult to Lightning Returns. It’s not. While I feel like I am in the minority, I loved FFX-2 and much of what made it so…

Daisenryaku Perfect: Ruler of the Battlefield, delayed like eight times, has another release date: February 6, 2014. The previously announced Xbox 360 version of the game, however, appears to have vanished from the game’s official site. I eagerly await the next delay!

The Bayonetta Movie is Even More Over-the-Top than the Game

As I watched Bayonetta: Bloody Fate, the new anime film based on PS3 and 360 title Bayonetta, two thoughts kept running through my head: “This is the most 90s anime I have seen in a decade,” and “this is even more over-the-top than the game was!” Good – An Amazing Game-to-Film Adaptation Too often, when…

I Hope There’s Internet in Heaven

Back in 2010, an unusual gravestone was discovered in Chongqing, China. It featured a PC tower (with a Zip drive!), a keyboard and mouse, as well as an open book. The gravestone was for a young man who passed away in 2003. Chinese site TTmop notes that computer tombstone was apparently the mother’s idea because…

New Domo-kun Figure Looks Like a Turd

Domo-kun is originally a mascot for Japanese public broadcast company NHK. In the stop-motion anime he appears in, Domo-kun doesn’t quite look like a turd. This upcoming figurine? Total turd. Maybe it’s all the points of articulation that give this shiny brown Domo-kun a very poo-like appearance? Or the lack of soft fur? Here’s what…

Lightning Returns Isn’t Revolutionary, But It Is a Lot of Fun

Few sequels are as different as Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII is from the other titles in the FFXIII series. It has a new world and a battle system so highly modified as to be nearly unrecognizable. But when it comes down to it, these changes are all for the good as they make for…

The World’s Thinnest Condoms Are The Pinnacle Of Japanese Engineering

I would say these condoms are razor thin, but it seems they are thinner than that. As CondomSizes.org explains, the average thickness of human hair is 0.06 millimeters. At 0.01 millimeters, these Japanese condoms are the thinnest in the world According to website ZakZak, it took Sagami Rubber Industries over ten years to realize these…

South Park‘s Japanese is Truly Horrible, Yet Hilarious

This week’s episode of South Park contained scenes of un-subtitled Japanese. I can’t tell if it’s intentional or not, but the Japanese was hilariously bad. Take a look and see for yourself. Note: If you haven’t seen the latest three episodes of South Park, turn back now because minor spoilers ahead. –Spoiler territory– In last…

The Strangest Wii U Peripheral of 2013 Looks Like a Toilet Plunger

It’s called Mike Cover for Wii U. And yes, it really looks like a toilet plunger. See? The Wii U-branded, officially licensed peripheral is designed to be used with Wii Karaoke U, the Wii U karaoke game. It’s basically a hunk of plastic you put over a microphone, but it apparently reduces noise, so people…

Woman Calls the Cops 15,000 Times, Gets Arrested

From this May to last month, 44 year-old Tomomi Monmae has been busy. Almost everyday, she’s called the police. She even called them over nine hundred times in the span of 24 hours. Website 47 News reports that repeatedly Monmae dialed 110, the Japanese police equivalent of 911, from her cell phone. She would often…

Why Bayonetta‘s Creator Isn’t Doing the Sequel

He brought us many memorable games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta, but Hideki Kamiya doesn’t usually do sequels (though he did work on sequels before, including Viewtiful Joe 2). That’s not to say he doesn’t want to; he just has a greater calling. From early on in his life, Kamiya wanted to be a…

Stop-Motion Animator Spent Four Years Making His Dream Come True

White collar worker from by day, stop motion animator by night. Takahide Hori – also known as YAMIKEN – successfully created his first part of his underground opus, Junk Head 1. It only took him four years. And he never gave up. I discovered Junk Head 1 a month ago and had a chance to…

Akihiko Yoshida, a brilliant artist and character designer, is leaving Square Enix. Yoshida, however, said he will continued to work on Bravely series.

You’ll Never Guess Where Puzzle & Dragons Is Hitting Next

Role-playing game Puzzle & Dragons, which features puzzles and, um, dragons, has been a smash hit mobile title. The game is getting a 3DS version this month in Japan. And next spring, it’s coming to Japanese arcades. Yes, arcades! Remember those? Developed by Square Enix, the arcade version is called Puzzle & Dragons Battle Tournament…

Ketchup? Ha! Dip Your Fries in Chocolate

Lotteria, the most bonkersfast food chain in Japan, is rolling out its latest unusual meal: French fries with chocolate dipping sauce. Hell, why not? I’m game. In Japan, chocolate-covered potato chips have started appearing in supermarkets and convenience stores in the past few years. They’re still somewhat of an odd product, but there are those…

How Pokémon Battles Are More “Realistic” in the New Anime

It’s a subtle change. If you’re watching the new Pokémon anime, Pokemon XY, you might not have even noticed. But the battles are a little more “realistic.” The word is in quotes, because let’s face it, Pokémon battles by their very nature are not realistic (they are, of course, in relation to the actual game).…

Prankster Attempts to Prove All White Guys Look the Same

Is that tennis legend Roger Federer? No, it’s not. It’s YouTube user Donnie Doespranking the people of Shanghai. Yes, Donnie is a jerk! And yes, feel bad for the folks who had him sign their stuff. But don’t feel for the person who got the Stevie Mittens drawing. DONNIE DOES | Fake Federer [Donnie Does@YouTube]…

Giant Phone or Small PlayStation Controller?

Quick! Answer! Which is it: a jumbo phone or a teeny PlayStation controller? Here, I’ll give you a hint: It’s not a huge phone. Big hint, I know! These “ear phone jack mascots” go on sale next April in Japan. No word yet on pricing. 2014年”プレイステーション”旋風到来！！ [あみあみ] To contact the author of this post, write…

Check Out Japan’s Pointlessly Adorable Radish Art

From the country that mastered latte art, comes grated radish art. It’s cute and pointless. And that’s what makes it so damn wonderful. Japanese radish, or “daikon” (大根), is a common vegetable in the country’s cuisine. Grated Japanese radish is called “daikon oroshi” (大根おろし), and it is served with fish and stew (nabe)—among many other…

Got $40,000? Buy Bruce Lee’s Shrunken Yellow Jump Suit

Bruce Lee is gone, but his movies live on. That, and memorabilia, including his most iconic outfits, which are up for auction in Hong Kong,. The marquee item is the trademark yellow jumpsuit, one of two Lee wore in Game of Death, his last film. Reuters reports that four jumpsuits were created, but the other…