Kotaku East

The Most Disgusting Bowl of Ramen on Earth

At this year’s Tokyo Game Show, game company D3 Publisher is apparently offering Dream Club curry ramen with soymilk and other stuff. Dream Club is D3P’s hostess simulator, and this colorful ramen is a real world way to prove yourself to the in-game hostess Amane. There are two versions: both are barftastic. The deluxe version…

OK, Tensions Between China and Japan Are Getting Serious

Anti-Japan tempers continue to flare in China. Japanese stores are being vandalized and looted, and Japanese factories are being destroyed. The images emerging from China can be described as unreal—shocking, even. Last month, the anti-Japan protests started brewing in China over disputed islands (called “Senkaku” in Japan and “Diaoyu” in China). There are supposedly oil…

The Case for Why Bayonetta Could Be in the New Smash Bros.

The upcoming Bayonetta 2 is a Wii U exclusive. Nintendo, not Sega, is now publishing the game. You know what that means? Yep, it probably means that the character of Bayonetta will pop up in the upcoming 3DS and Wii U Smash Bros. games. This, of course, would not be the first time a “non-Nintendo”…

Tokyo Cops Stop Freaky Anime Lady

Earlier this month, cops in Tokyo’s Shibuya stopped a person dressed as an anime female (see above). The mask is called an “animegao” (アニメ顔) or “anime face”. According to Japanese publication Tokyo Sports, the police stopped the cosplayer, asking, “Why are you wearing that mask?” The anime faced cosplayer replied, “That, I cannot say.” The…

Rurouni Kenshin Kansei Succeeds on Innovative Ideas, Fails on Balance

Just over three weeks ago, the 18-year-old series Rurouni Kenshin made its return to the Japanese consciousness with the release of the series’ first live action feature film. But not content to hit just one genre of popular media, a Kenshin fighting game was released that week as well, giving long-time fans more Kenshin at…

Banned Cosplayer Capitalizing on Her Game Show Infamy

This summer, cosplayer Li Ling was booted from China Joy, the country’s largest game show. She was appearing at the booth for ZQgame, who contracted the model to promote its new Saint Seiya game. Ling’s appearance and outfit was orchestrated game PR. Dressed as Athena, Ling caused quite a stir. Her revealing costume showed off…

Now’s the Perfect Time for a Phoenix Wright Comeback

Last week, Capcom announced that everyone’s favorite blue-suited defense attorney, Phoenix Wright, would be returning as the protagonist of Ace Attorney 5. While it may not seem like that long since he last starred in an Ace Attorney game, it has actually been eight long years (five in the West). And his return is the…

A Peek Inside Where They Make Final Fantasy

Japanese game studios, Square Enix included, generally don’t like cameras poking around where they make games. There are obvious reasons for that, such as designs or game info leaking out. Another reason is that, you know, people are trying to work! Still, Square Enix allowed its own cameras into a Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII…

Turn Your iPhone Pics into Japanese Manga Images

Okay, this sounds cool: Sister site Kotaku Japan points to an app called Manga Camera that can make your photos look like Japanese comic book panels. If you’ve ever read manga in Japanese, you’ll be happy to know that Manga Camera has an array of onomatopoeic words with melodramatic shading. So go ahead, make your…

Hollywood’s rebooted Godzilla film will be out May 2014.

Aussie Deli Sandwich From McDonald’s Japan: The Snacktaku Review

McDonald’s Japan has decided to bring the rest of the world to Japan via fast food. Well, not the whole world. For the burger joint’s latest campaign, it’s only been France, India, and Australia. As Snacktaku’s embedded emissary in Asia, I take snack sampling very seriously. Snackology is an extremely important field, and one must…

Square Enix’s Online Shop Seems To Have Been Hacked

Tokyo-based game company Square Enix announced that it believes the third-party server, which hosts its online shop, was breached. While the landing page can be accessed, the Square Enix Online Shop is currently offline and clicking on the Japan catalog brings up a notice about the hack. Square Enix is currently assessing the extent of…

Bayonetta 2 Developers Don’t Want to “Alienate” You

Action game Bayonetta 2, the sequel to…Bayonetta 1, is headed to the Wii U. It’s an exclusive! And Nintendo is publishing the game. This has made some “fans” pissed as hell. Others are happy. But what do the game’s developers have to say? Platinum Games, the studio behind Bayonetta, released statements from staff as well…

A Blurry Look at Dragon Quest X on the Wii U

While the Wii version is already out, the Wii U version of Dragon Quest X, well, ain’t. Here’s a scan of the upcoming game. WiiU版「ドラクエ10」の画像公開！これで寝ながらプレイ出来るな！！ [オタク] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

This Japanese Educational Animation Becomes A Journey Into Madness

Educational videos are an excellent tool for teaching. You can both visually and audibly stimulate your audience, while offering insight and knowledge. A new educational animated video from the Japanese National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation does just that by covering the topic of exponential complexity, but takes a dark twist. In the video,…

Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney Is a Refreshing New Take on the Phoenix Wright Formula

Never since the OJ murder trials has there been such a court room dream team. Professor Layton from the Professor Layton series, and Phoenix Wright from the Ace Attorney series will team up in the upcoming Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney scheduled for release in Japan on November 29th. The game will take place in…

You Don’t Need To Go to Tatooine To Visit the Star Wars Slave Quarters

You do need to go to Tunisia, which doubled as Tatooine spaceport Mos Espa. It was what Anakin Skywalker called home and the locale for the podrace in Star Wars: Episode I. Real people now live on the abandoned set, but not all of Mos Espa was created by Hollywood. Ksar Hadada in Tunisia served…

In Earth Defense Force 4, the Bugs Are Back, And This Time They’re Hungry…

The bugs are back. D3 Publisher has released new details and images for Earth Defense Force 4, the sequel to Earth Defense Force 3 (Better known in the west as Earth Defense Force 2017). Unlike Earth Defense Force Insect Armageddon which is being treated as a spin-off, EDF4 will be the official sequel to EDF3.…

The Wii U’s Hardcore Controller Gets a Price and a Date

Today, Nintendo also dated and priced the Wii U Pro Controller. It will be available at launch in Japan on December 8. It’s priced at ¥5040. The Wii U Pro Controller was first shown earlier this summer. It sill looks like a pad from one of Nintendo’s competitors. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though!…

Tokyo Game Show Map Reveals a Small Square Enix Booth

The Tokyo Game Show organizers released a map of the show floor—helpful for all those who like comparing sizes. Capcom, Sony, Gree, Level-5, Sega, and Konami all have large booths. The booths for Namco Bandai and Tecmo Koei seem smaller—Square Enix’s booth is even smaller-looking than theirs! Not sure how important all this is as…