Kotaku East

Buy This Final Fantasy XI Account for Just $4,500

A Japanese gamer poured 2,280 days worth of playtime into this Final Fantasy XI account. That’s over six years! But now, it’s time to part ways. The gamer is putting his or her Japanese account on the internet auction block, giving anyone with around the equivalent of US$4,500 the chance to own it—and all the…

This Game Brings New Meaning to the Word “Fan Service”

In the past, the Senran Kagura series of games have been brawlers exclusive to the 3DS. But the newest iteration on the PlayStation Vita makes the game play more like Dissidia: Final Fantasy than an old school brawler or its 3DS cousins. But brawler gameplay is hardly the aspect Senran Kagura is famous for. No,…

Why This Japanese Woman Turned into a “Plastic Surgery Cyborg”

Meet Vanilla Chamu. She greets fellow Japanese people with a “bonjour” and claims to be from the Palace of Versailles. She’s not, of course. Recently, she was introduced on Japanese TV as “Osaka’s Plastic Surgery Cyborg”. This past April, Chamu appeared on Japanese variety show Watashi no Nani ga Ikenai no? (私の何がイケないの? or “Is There…

Another Horrifying Thing to Do to Celebrities’ Faces

You’ve probably seenActresses without Teeth. Or Celebrities Without Eyebrows. Or Small Face Celebrities. Now, There’s Pin the Face on the Celeb. Lovely. On 2ch, Japan’s largest internet forum, a net user uploaded a series of “Pin the Face” style images of celebrities. Like the game Pin the Tail on the Donkey, physical features are being…

I Want China’s World of WarCraft Mahjong Set

NetEase, World of WarCraft’s China operator, has just started pre-order sales for a limited edition WoW: Mists of Pandaria Mahjong set. The set looks like two of China’s biggest names in gaming have combined and spit out a baby. According to NetEase’s homepage, there will only be 1000 of these special Mahjong sets available world-wide.…

“Attack on Coke” Will Melt Your Mind

Japanese anime Attack on Titan has a powerful anime opening—it’s something Kotaku has covered before. But imagine something else for a minute. Something like…Attack on Coke. This video, courtesy of tipster Sang, is called “Attack on Coke”. Edited by a Korean fan of Attack on Titan, the parody sure is interesting! It features re-cut footage…

Check Out China’s ‘New’ “Genuine American-Style Zombie Shooting Game”

Earlier this month, Chinese gaming giant Tencent announced a “brand new” game that will be released later this year. The game, War of Zombies, isn’t exactly a new game per se — it’s actually been talked about since 2010. Developed by Korean publisher Vertigo Games, WoZ has actually been around since 2010 but never released.…

Rumor: Nintendo Wants To Modify the Wii U to Run Smartphone Apps

Has it really come to this? According to Kyodo News, sources say that the Kyoto-based game maker is trying to modify its game hardware so it can run smartphone apps. “The game console and software maker has offered professional-use conversion software to application developers so they can produce smartphone games that can be played on…

To Fund Gaming Habit, Two Teens Steal Electrical Cables

There’s no doubt that China is currently going through an industrial revolution of sorts. Pretty much every city in the country is undergoing a construction boom. Taking advantage of this “boom”, two teenagers in east China’s Jiangsu province stole over 300 meters of construction grade electrical cable to fund their gaming habit. JsChina.com first reported…

Gorgeous CG Trailer Showcases The Majesty of Monster Hunter Online

China’s online-ified, CryEngine 3-powered version of Monster Hunter, fittingly dubbed Monster Hunter Online, got a fancy CG trailer last month. Recently, it has made its way to the Internet for our viewing pleasure. No gameplay, but plenty of epic moments. [Thanks, tipster Matthew Weathers!]

Japanese Person Picked Zelda‘s Triforce for Tombstone, Apparently

In Japan, there are family crests called “kamon” (家紋). They’re similar to a coat of arms in the West. One Japanese Twitter user claims to have changed his family’s crest to a familiar mark: The Legend of Zelda Triforce. Apparently, the iconic symbol even ended up on the family’s gravestone. According to Twitter user @mahosyouzyo,…

Geeky Caffè Latte Art Goes 3D, Continues To Blow Minds

Last year, Kotaku featured a Japanese “latte artist” named Kazuki Yamamoto. Taking inspiration from games and anime, he became famous for drawing characters in steamed milk. And now, he’s doing that in 3D. Forget drawing flowers and leaves! What makes Yamamoto’s milky coffee creations so much fun is how aware of geek culture they are.…

Under 18 Years Old? You Cannot Use the PSN in South Korea

Last year, the “Shutdown Law” was created in South Korea to prevent gamers under sixteen from gaming during a six-hour block at night. A year later, it’s going to impact more than gamers under the age of sixteen. PlayStation gamers under 18 are getting screwed, too. The law went into effect July 1, 2012, and…

Japan’s Version of “Expectations vs. Reality”

If you’ve been on the internet, I dunno, ever, you’ve probably seen those Expectations vs. Reality pictures. Well, Japan has them, too. In Japan, the meme is “Risou to Genjitsu” (理想と現実). “Risou” (理想) means “ideal”, “to” (と) is “and”, and “genjitsu” (現実) is “reality”. The meme works in the same way as its Western counterpart,…

Cosplayers Have Business Cards, Too, You Know

In Japan (and most of Asia), business cards are a big deal. You need business cards! There’s even a correct way to exchange them. So no wonder many Japanese cosplayers have business cards, too. Cosplayers having business cards is not new—and it’s not limited to Japan by any stretch. I’ve met plenty of Western cosplayers…

That New Zone of Enders Was Canned…for Now

Back in 2012, game creator Hideo Kojima unveiled a new Zone of the Enders project titled “Enders Project”. And now in 2013, the project is currently suspended. On a recent episode of Hideo Kojima’s online radio show, the game creator talked about Z.O.E. and the Enders Project. While discussing the difficulty of bringing Zone of…

Why the Xbox 360 Won’t Get the Metal Gear Solid: Legacy Collection

Remember when Metal Gear Solid 4 was launched? And how it was such a big deal that the game wasn’t coming to the Xbox 360? Remember that? On his online radio show, Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima talked about why there wasn’t an Xbox 360 version of Metal Gear Solid: The Legacy Collection. “I’m sorry…

These Korean Reaction Shots Are Friggin’ Incredible

There’s acting, overacting, and this. Whatever the hell this is, it’s amazing. Here are reaction shots from a South Korean TV drama called Maybe Love (사랑했나봐). The show follows the exploits of a woman whose life is destroyed after her best friend steals her husband. Here’s the show’s official English description via the program’s Korean…

There Are Fewer Console Gamers In Japan, But It’s Not The End of Gaming

People in Japan have argued that the console gaming market is dying. Whether that argument is valid or not, they now have another piece of ammunition to point to as proof. The Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association – or CESA as it will henceforth be referred to as since abbreviations are much easier on the tongue…

Bloomberg (via Eurogamer) reports that an “unprecedented” number of Sony execs, including Kaz Hirai, won’t get annual bonuses. This comes as Sony’s electronics arm failed to turn a profit for the second straight year. To contact the author of this post, write to bashcraftATkotaku.com or find him on Twitter @Brian_Ashcraft Kotaku East is your slice…