Kotaku East

Ghibli’s New Movie Is Beautiful (But It Has Its Problems)

This past weekend, The Wind Rises (風立ちぬ), the newest film from acclaimed director Hayao Miyazaki was released in theaters across Japan. But how does Studio Ghibli’s latest film stack up against classics like Spirited Away, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and Princess Mononoke? Read on to find out! [This review contains spoilers about…

On August 1, Capcom is announcing 13 new games that range from smartphone titles to next-gen games as part of its streaming “Network Game Conference”. There’s also expected to be news regarding Monster Hunter Frontier G and Onimusha Soul.

This Ridiculous Pokémon Load Time Is Fake

There’s a new Pokémon game. It’s called Pokémon X/Y and recently gameplay was showed off on Japanese television. Don’t worry; the game doesn’t appear to have ridiculously long load times. The above GIF is a fake! This is gameplay footage that has been given a long “Now Loading…” screen. As several Kotaku commenters have pointed…

If My Heart Had Wings: The Kotaku Review

Winner of several visual novel game awards, If My Heart Had Wings is a romance title centering around a high school glider club known as the “Soaring Club.” It is a touching story about loss, love, and passion that grips you right by the soul from beginning to end. Like many visual novels, a large…

Let’s Play Around With Pikmin 3‘s Multiplayer Modes

Like Pikmin 2 before it, Pikmin 3 comes with several multiplayer modes. The first three, Gather the Fruit, Enemy Battle, and Boss Rush are all available for two-player coop (as well as single player). The fourth is a bingo-themed versus game where two players compete to gather the items they need as quickly as possible.…

Japanese Plastic Model Trolls the Chinese Military

A new plastic model for a Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force escort vessel is raising eyebrows in China. The model’s box art seems to feature the Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning engulfed in flames and sinking. Japanese fighter jets fly overhead. Originally a Soviet carrier, the Liaoning is known for its curved incline to, as South China…

Apparently, Nintendo Is Refusing Japanese Indie Developers

Japan has a small, yet thriving indie game community. But does Nintendo want any part of it? Nintendo is trying to be more welcoming towards indie games than it has been in the past. At this year’s Game Developers Conference, Nintendo revealed Unity for Wii U and Nintendo Web Framework. These tools should make the…

Everyone Wants to Ride Motorcycles Like in Akira

You know the coolest scene in the classic 1988 anime Akira? It’s when Kaneda slides his motorcycle to a halt. Haven’t you wanted to do that? Well, you’re not the only one! Recently, a slew of homages have popped online in Japan; however, the GIFs are courtesy of Tumblr from a while back. The dog,…

Hayao Miyazaki Called “Anti-Japanese,” a “Traitor,” and “Dim-Witted”

Kaze Tachinu, the latest Studio Ghibli film, opened this weekend in Japan. Its director, Hayao Miyazaki, is stirring up plenty of controversy online. The reasons why might surprise you. They might not. As previously mentioned, the film is fictionalized biography of Jiro Horikoshi, who created the iconic World War II fighter plane, the Mitsubishi A6M…

This is 300 Heroes, The Most Incredible League Of Legends Clone

Last month, Luke brought us this little nugget of gold from the interwebs called 300 Heroes—a shameless League of Legends clone that offers users a chance to play as “over 300” different heroes from various intellectual properties. Despite the fact that it’s such a terrible case of copyright infringement and possible theft, the game is…

Chinese Protest Houses Defy Progress

In Chinese, they’re called “nail houses” (钉子楼 or “ding zi lou”). These protest abodes stick up for as long as the owner—and ultimately, the Chinese government—allows them to. Then, they’re smashed down. Recently, Chinese site XinhuaNet ran photos of a nail house in Rui’An, Zhejiang Province. The entire building, save for one corner, has been…

In a Kickstarter update, American McGee announced that famed Hong Kong writer/director Tsui Hark is now part of his Alice: Otherlands animated film project. “I’d join the team to make this project a wonderful success,” said Hark, whom McGee called “one of the masters of kick-ass.”

Game Programmer Quits Job To Sell Street Food, Doubles Salary

On the streets of China, street vendors sell a delicious flatbread called “shaobing”. This wonder of creation is incredibly cheap and incredibly filling—they come in all sizes and shapes as well as a with a variety of fillings. These little flatbreads have also helped change the life of one Chinese game programer. First reported by…

These Fans Want to See The Latest 3DS Digimon Game Localized

It seems the people want a new Digimon. On Change.org, an Italian fan of the monster-collecting-and-fighting game series started a petition, asking Namco-Bandai to localize the latest entry, Digimon World Re:Digitize Decode, overseas. Calling itself Operation Decode, the petition has already amassed almost 4,500 signatures at the time of writing. There’s a Facebook page, and…

Nintendo Ads Show the Differences Between the U.S. and Japan

Pikmin 3 is already out in Japan. It’s headed to the U.S. on August 4. The game is the same, but the Pikmin 3 commercials couldn’t be more different. Let’s have a look. Here is the Japanese commercial for Pikmin 3. In the ad, actress Juri Ueno watches a Red Pikmin carry a cherry. She…

Catch This Trailer for the Newest Pokémon Anime

Debuting on Japanese TV in 1996, the Pokémon anime keeps going and going! Here’s the trailer for the upcoming Pokémon X/Y animated series. Once again the series features Ash Ketchum, but of course, the Pokémon X/Y Pocket Monsters are new. Of course! The Pokémon X/Y anime debuts this October in Japan. Pokemon X & Y…

“Forever Alone Fail” Wins Over Japan

Earlier this spring, a “Forever Alone fail” pic showed a gentleman in a suit, sleeping. The text read that his girlfriend took the snap. However, you could see his feet in the mirror holding a smartphone. Over the weekend in Japan, that photo has created a viral sensation. As Know Your Meme points out, this…

Here’s The Beautiful First Trailer To Miyazaki’s Next Animated Film

Kaze Tachinu is the latest film from acclaimed Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, his first at the helm since 2008’s Ponyo. Set prior to World War Two (or, at least, the West’s involvement in Japan’s side of it), it focuses on the man who would go on to design the Zero, one of the best fighters…

Pikmin 3 Is a True Pikmin Game (For Better or Worse)

Pikmin and its sequel were two of the GameCube’s most beloved titles. But over the lifespan of the Wii, no new games were released in the series. Now, after nine years of anxious waiting, the cute plant-creatures are back and on the Wii U. And while it’s a little rough around the edges, it is…

There’s a New Star Ocean Game. But Don’t Get Excited Yet.

Hey, guess what! There’s a new Star Ocean coming out in Japan. But it’s probably not what you expect. That is, unless you really like card-based social games for Android and iOS. Do you? It’s okay if you do! If so, Square Enix is releasing Star Ocean: Material Trader This is the art style. It’s…yeah…