Kotaku East

Everyone Gets Pokemon X and Y At The Same Time. Here’s Why.

As the release date of Pokemon X and Y approaches, this will be the first game in the official series with a (for the most part) simultaneous international release, and those involved hope that by doing so, they’ll be able to level the playing field. “Until now, the pattern has been to release games overseas…

Colorful Penguins Have Something To Do with the PS Vita Slim

I’m not sure what, but who cares? Colorful penguins might not be slim and light, but they sure are cute! PS Vita２０００　TVCM 「登場」篇 [PlayStationJp@YouTube] To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points…

The Numbers Don’t Lie: Gamers Want Dead or Alive Bikinis

Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate: Core Fighters is a free-to-play version of DoA 5 Ultimate. The game has perks and items available for purchase, including the story mode of the full game and all the other characters. But it looks like what players really want are the sexy threads. One of the Dead or Alive…

South Korea Is Finally Getting a Robot Theme Park

Disneyland? Meh. Universal Studios? Been there, done that. Robot Land? Now, we’re talking. For years now, there has been talk in South Korea about a robot theme park. Construction was supposed to start in 2009, but it never happened. (Heck, several years ago, I spent some time in South Korea talking to researchers about it…

Breathe or Play the Nintendo DS? A Mother’s Chilling, Final Question

According to Japan’s largest media outlets, a question about video games has ended in an unsettling murder. Note: This post contains content that some readers might find objectionable. In Tokyo, 42 year-old mother Shizu Shigeta is on trial for killing her 5 year-old son in September of last year. Asahi.com reports that her five-year old…

Why Is Ash from Pokémon Such a Loser?

The Pokémon Origins anime special offered a reminder of one thing: Ash is a pretty lousy Pokémon trainer. If only he could reach his true potential! Eh, he can’t. Note: This post contains spoilers. If you’ve followed the Pokémon anime, you’ll know that Ash (or “Satoshi” as he’s called in Japan) isn’t exactly the best…

“Godzilla Rat” Found in China

According to reports out of China, there have been rumors of abnormally large rats in Shaoyang county. And then, a villager caught one. Note: This story contains content some readers might find objectionable. Sanxiang Metropolis Daily (via WantChinaTimes) reports that the freakishly big rodents were apparently preying on fish in a local pond. Farmers finally…

These Korean Rooms Are Compared to Prison Cells For Good Reason

In big cities in Asia, space can come at a premium. Not every residence is a shoebox, but they do exist. And some of them are truly awful. Tokyo, for example, has coffin apartments. China has “ant colonies.” And South Korea? In the past, there have been teeny-tiny sleep and study spaces in South Korea…

Japan’s Newest McDonald’s Commercial Is Bonkers

This isn’t the most annoying Happy Meal commercial Japan has seen, but geez, it sure is up there. Below you can see a new McDonald’s TV spot for the new Despicable Me 2 Happy Meal. The movie was recently released in Japan. What. The. Hell. Despicable, indeed! This certainly isn’t an isolated incident, as you…

Odd Japanese Gadget Lets You Smell Meat On Your iPhone

You know what’s better than meat? The smell of meat. That is, should you be a carnivore. And if you are and can’t afford proper meat, there’s a Japanese gadget for you. This is “Hana Yakiniku” (鼻焼肉), which literally means “nose grilled meat.” As IT Media points out, it’s a small 17-gram peripheral you stick…

And the Internet’s Grand Prize Winner… The Hypnocat!

D’wah, look at those eyes. So cute! No, really, look at those eyes. What a darling little—All glory to the Hypnocat. This feline is actually named Snoopybabe and is possibly the most famous internet cat in China. When not destroying Chinese micro-blogging service Weibo, Snoopybabe likes racking up “likes” on Instagram. Recently, Snoopybabe has also…

Nintendo Says Wii Production Will “End Soon” [Update]

The Wii was a juggernaut during Nintendo’s last console generation. Since going on sale in late 2006, it sold 100 million. Now, it seems those days are over. For good. On Nintendo.co.jp, the Wii page reads, “Manufacturing is scheduled to end soon” (“kinjitsu seisan shuuryou yotei” or 近日生産終了予定). In Japan, Nintendo has been known to…

How to Know if Something is Moé

The past decade or so has seen a major change in anime (and in turn manga and Japanese games as well). At the center of this change is one word: “moé.” If you are into anime at all, you have likely heard the term (and if you’re on the internet, probably as a pejorative). But…

Attack on Titan is Good. Damn Good. But Not Perfect.

Almost five months ago I called Attack on Titan one of the must see anime of the spring season. Three months ago, I said it was good, but didn’t live up to its own potential. And as for my final verdict? It’s definitely worth watching, though still not quite perfect. [Note: This review contains moderate…

I’m in Love with This 8-Bit Akihabara

Kunio-kun is a game series that has been around since the NES era. While only a few of the Kunio games have been released in America, like River City Ransom and Super Dodge Ball on the NES, the series has resulted in over 20 titles in Japan in the past two decades. But although the…

KFC Is Turning Really, Really Japanese

Japan is no stranger to unique Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants. There was that fancy KFC bar that opened in Tokyo last year. And today, a very Japanese style KFC is also rolling out in the metropolis. Located in Tokyo’s Meguro, the Japanese style KFC served chicken “karaage” (から揚げ), which is a way of deep-fried cooking.…

In Japan, if you buy two 3DS games between today and January 13, you can get a third for free. However, you must select the downloadable freebie from a list of fourteen titles, which you can view here. No word yet if this campaign will be extended outside Japan.

Korea’s PhotoShop Trolls Turn to Beauty

This summer, a Korean language Facebook page called We Do Phoshop appeared on Kotaku and took over the internet with its humorous Photoshops (see above). Now, those internet wizards want to make you beautiful. If you are not familiar with We Do Phoshop’s handiwork, people submit their photos for the group to digital alter, putting…

The Short Life Of The PS2 In China

China’s game console ban might finally be lifted, so it’s a good time to look back at the case study that was the PlayStation 2. During the course of the 13 year-old console ban, the one home console that was allowed to be sold, albeit for just a short time, was the PlayStation 2. The…

Haunting PS3 Exclusive Has Unlikely Inspirations

More often than not, your typical video game is inspired by movies, manga, or other video games. PS3 exclusive Rain is different. Typical, it’s not. “Initially, we were thinking about what would surprise everyone,” Rain game designer Yuki Ikeda recently told me at Sony Computer Entertainment’s Tokyo headquarters. “And we thought we hit on something…