After the success of Tales of Innocence R in Japan, Bandai-Namco is moving another of last generation’s portable titles over to the PlayStation Vita—this time in the form of Tales of Hearts R. Today at Jump Festa 2013, Kotaku East was able to spend some time with the first playable demo of this Tales series…
Announced back during this year’s Tokyo Game Show, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMIX is a PS3 HD remaster of Kingdom Hearts Final Mix and its sequel Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories—as well as a collection of CG cutscenes from Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days. Today at Jump Festa 2013 in Japan, Kotaku East was able to…
Back in June, Bandai-Namco announced that Tales of Xillia, the first Tales game designed specifically for the PS3, would be heading to America, Europe, and Australia in 2013. But while Western fans can do nothing but wait anxiously, Japanese fans have had time to play not only the original game but also its sequel. Tales…
Japan: The birthplace of Mario, Sonic, Final Fantasy, and Street Fighter—just to name a few. Each year scores of games are made and released here. The best of these come to the West—or rather most of the best do. Each year, a few great titles manage to slip through the cracks for whatever reason and…
I love JRPGs. Since discovering them in the sixth grade, I have played dozens upon dozens of them. But my primary reason for playing them has always been the plot—the epic 40-plus-hour adventure. The battle system, on the other hand, has tended to be rather a boring chunk of useless padding—it’s just something that comes…
Dark Souls II, the sequel to the notoriously difficult action RPG, Dark Souls (which was a sequel to the phonetically tongue twisting Demon’s Souls) has been announced for the PS3, the Xbox 360, and the PC. One of the more shocking announcements to fans of the previous games was that director Hidetaka Miyazaki would be…
Satoru Iwata recently apologized for long Wii U load times and updates and promised future improvement. Hooray!
If something is popular enough, you’ll inevitably find a movie version or spinoff of it. More often than not, it’s because some executive is trying to make a quick buck by using the name value to bring people in to see whatever movie they’re selling. While every now and then you’ll find a diamond in…
Freshness Burger is a Japanese burger chain. They make good burgers! “Organic & natural” is the Freshness motto. But with these new burger wrappers, it should be something else. In the past, Freshness Burger has wrapped its burgers in unusual designs, such as Jack-o’-lanterns. These latest wrappers are highly unusual. “The hell is this, it’s…
There’s a first for everything. Until checking out Pyongyang Racer, I’d never played a North Korean developed game. It’s not as bad as I thought it would be. It’s also not very good. To be fair, it is a browser game developed for a British owned travel agency that takes tourists to North Korea. The…
Nintendo’s Wii U is out, and say what you will about the innovative new controller or long loading times, it’s definitely making its mark on the gaming world. In a recent interview on Hobo Nikkan Itoi Shinbun, Shigesato Itoi, creator of the Earthbound series, sat down with the president of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, and executive…
Heads up! Final Fantasy IV is now out on iOS. Yours for US$16 at the Apple Store
When not promoting Patapon 3 or helping people, Japanese comedian Egashira 2:50 has another hobby: whipping out his dick. Now you can bring Egashira’s antics to your desktop or bookshelf with this upcoming posable figure. Part of the Figma line, this Egashira 2:50 action figure is slated for next June and priced at ¥3,800. (Amazon…
In the West, Reddit says it’s the front page of the internet. But in Japan, it’s not. The internet in Japan is dominated by 2channel. It’s where news—whether that’s political or video game news—disseminates. It’s the center of online culture. And apparently, drugs. That’s perhaps why today drug charges were brought against Hiroyuki Nishimura, 2ch’s…
Remember that insane Metal Gear bento? Well, game creator Hideo Kojima decided to use his new game engine, the Fox Engine, to capture the bento, and then have Big Boss hold it. Because if you could, you’d do it, too. Above is the result, courtesy of Kojima’s Twitter Perhaps you think this is a huge…
Hong Kong police are investigating Jackie Chan for saying his life is like something out of, dare I say, an action flick. While speaking with Guangzhou-based magazine Southern People Weekly, Chan recalled how he did something most Hong Kong actors were afraid to: stand up to gangsters by carrying guns and grenades. In that interview…
Famed Japanese game maker Square Enix recently launched a new establishment called Artnia. Inside, there are figurines on display, plush toys and accessories to buy, as well as CDs, t-shirts, pricey souvenir chocolate and cookies. This isn’t just a gift shop. There’s also a cafe that serves parfait, pancakes, sandwiches, coffee, and original non-alcoholic “potions”…
Recently on NicoNico Douga (via Kotaku Japan), one user showed how a storage room had been converted into a retro Japanese arcade, complete with refurbished cabinets, old game mags, a drink machine, a change machine, and even those crappy metal ashtrays you find in Japanese game centers. The recreation even uses black lighting for that…
By default circuit boards are nerdy. But this circuit board is not just nerdy. It’s cute. Don’t believe me? Check out the other side. Bam! See? Cute. This is the AZPR EvBoard, aka the “Circuit Board Shojo”. Shown earlier this year (check Kotaku Japan), this is a programmable board for hobbyists. Recently, the board is…
Yesterday, Kotaku showed off the special (and totally bonkers) Metal Gear bento Sony created to mark the series’ anniversary. That wasn’t the only special bento. There was a Final Fantasy bento, too. Looks good, huh? Literally. Ham was used for the characters’ skin, while eggs were used for the blond hair. And those blue pupils?…
Mode
Follow us
