Kotaku East

American Developers Comment on Japanese Video Games’ Weaknesses

Back in the 1980s and 90s, if you played arcade games or console games, you played Japanese games. Lots of them. But maybe things have changed. Why? At a recently held game developers’ convention in Japan, Kento Kojima, a lead animator at 2K Games, gave a presentation on things he has learned working for an…

This Japanese Horror Film Star Is Really Good at Baseball

Ever see the original version of The Ring? You know, the Japanese horror movie in which a character named Sadako climbs out of a television to KILL PEOPLE. Turns out, Sadako is good at baseball. Like holy crap good. Recently, Sadako threw out the first pitch at the Seibu Dome in a game between the…

Puzzle & Dragons Z is coming to the 3DS in Japan on December 12. No word on a Western release.

Make Any Bad-Ass Figure Instantly Cute

Predator doesn’t look so scary when decked out in a frilly skirt, huh? In the last twenty-four hours, it’s become somewhat of a thing online in Japan to put hair scrunchies on figures. You see, the scrunchies look like dresses! The trend apparently began yesterday, after a 2ch user used a scrunchie to give a…

There’s a New Layton Game. It’s…Different.

Tonight in Japan, Level-5 just revealed the latest entry in its Layton puzzle series. It’s titled Layton 7. It looks, well, different. According to Famitsu, this is the “latest entry in the Professor Layton series.” The game is headed to iOS, Android, and Nintendo 3DS. Details are scant, but the design looks to be a…

New Inazuma Eleven is coming to Japan this fall…as an online game. And it’s name? Inazuma Eleven: Online. Now, that’s clever. Starting this winter on PC, it’s free-to-play with microtransactions. No word on Western releases.

Even the Deer Are Polite in Japan. (You’re Kidding, Right?)

Just look how this cute critter bows. This Japanese deer must be so polite. All Japanese deer must be so polite. Ha. Ha, ha! Um, no. In Nara, Japan’s ancient capital, there is a public park filled with deer that roam freely. In the past, the deer were considered sacred—messengers of the Gods! And look,…

So many platforms! Next year in Japan, Level-5 is bringing its mobile RPG Wonder Flick to the PS3, the PS4, the PS Vita, the Wii U, and the Xbox One. No word on a Western release.

Watch the Birth of the Yu-Gi-Oh Championships’ New ‘King of Games’

With all the world championship tournaments going on over the last few months, one tournament was sort of left in the wind. While this might have happened earlier this month, it’s still interesting. During this year’s Yu-Gi-Oh World Championships, a new King of Games was crowned. After a two-day tournament between 26 expert “duelists”, Taiwanese…

Anger Over Korean Poo Wine Video

Earlier this month, Vice released a video purporting to introduce a “traditional” Korean drink made from human feces. Online in South Korea, people are reportedly not pleased. On Korea’s Chosun TV, the clip was dubbed “derogatory.” Korean site Dailian said the clip lacked proper fact checking. Other Korean sites also criticized the “poo wine” video.…

China’s Military Says Pacific Rim Is American Propaganda

Pacific Rim is doing very well in China, despite some tiny subtitle problems, proving again that the Chinese love giant robots. However, even with all the popularity, the Chinese military isn’t very happy, claiming that the movie is nothing more than propaganda to spread “American values and ideas”. Last Friday, an article appeared in the…

Japan’s Real Life Kick-Ass Is Very Helpful

In the movie, a regular teenager is determined to become a superhero. For 27 year-old Tadahiro Kanemasu, he just wanted to be a Good Samaritan. For the last several months, Kanemasu has set up shop outside Tokyo Metro’s Honancho Station. The station doesn’t have an elevator or escalator, which can make it incredibly difficult for…

This Isn’t The King of Fighters Game You Are Expecting

So, there’s a King of Fighters game coming out! Hooray! It might be different from what you are expecting. KOF diehards will be quick to point out that SNK Playmore has strayed from formula for King of Fighters games in the past. Heck, there’s been a King of Fighters shooting game for goodness sake! As…

A Thousand Escaped Crocodiles Aren’t Terrorizing China. Apparently!

You might have heard how a million cockroaches escaped from a roach nursery in China? Did you hear the one about the crocodiles? Flooding in South China’s Guangdong province damaged the enclosure at a crocodile farm in the city of Shantou, Chinese state media China Daily reports. The 11-hectare nursery held approximately 11,000 crocodiles to…

Chewbacca’s Name in Japanese Sure Is Stupid

Accomplished pilot. Loyal friend. Iconic hairy dude. Chewbacca is all of these things, but in Japanese, he’s more. He’s an “average moron.” I say “Chewbacca,” and you think, well, probably “Chewbacca.” But in Japanese, the name might involve different connotations. Now, there are several theories about the origin of the Chewbacca moniker that range from…

Mysteries, Murders, and Diaries That Tell the Future

2011’s The Future Diary is one of my favorite anime from the past few years. And with the release in Japan of the epilogue OVA The Future Diary: Redial, now is the perfect time to take a look back at what makes The Future Diary such an amazing ride. Good – A Gripping Premise The…

This Game Is Half Zero Escape, Half Ace Attorney

As I was watching Danganronpa: The Animation for my look at the five anime you should be watching this summer, I realized two things: 1) that I really wanted to play the game and 2) the anime was going to take all the fun out of it by spoiling every single mystery. So I immediately…

Side-Scrolling Platformers Are Also Awesome on the Oculus Rift

When you think about the Oculus Rift—with its lenses that extend into your peripheral vision and motion sensors that mimic your head movements—you probably think it’s an accessory made for first-person games and nothing else. The makers of Super Mega Mega have done their best to prove this idea wrong. Super Mega Mega is a…

Joker Plastic Surgery? Permanent Duck Faces? I’m Not Sure Which!

In Asia, making “duck faces” is considered cute. And in South Korea, it’s cute enough for plastic surgery. This is “lipline surgery” or, as tipster Sang points out, literally “liptail surgery” (입꼬리 수술 or “ipkkori”). Recently, Reddit posted an image of someone who seems to have undergone the procedure, adding that this is a “new…

Controversy Over the Chinese Pacific Rim Translation

Pacific Rim is a smash hit in China. People love it, even if the subtitles are iffy. There is one subtitle translation in particular that has made the evening news in China. The on-screen subtitle for Elbow Rocket, Gypsy Danger‘s rocket-powered punch, reads “Pegasus Meteor Fist” in Chinese. No biggie, right? It was changed, so…