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Kotaku East
Summer in Shinjuku Is Hot and Bothered
Thought Akihabara was the only, forgive the pun, hotspot in Tokyo? Nope! Shinjuku heats up in summertime, too. Website DannyChoo.com recently checked out Shinjuku and snapped some pics of the area. If you’ve played Sega’s Yakuza games, Shinjuku should look familiar as the area inspired the in-game locale. Keep your eyes out for a Robot…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Anarchy Reigns is a Glitchy Yet Overall Enjoyable Game
Anarchy Reigns (released as Max Anarchy in Japan) is a beat ‘em up title from the makers of Bayonetta in the vein of Devil May Cry and God of War. Released in Japan two weeks ago, it was originally slated to hit the Western market at around the same time. However, shortly before release, Sega…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Art of Beat Takeshi Will Disturb and Delight
Beat Takeshi isn’t just a comedian. Or an actor. Or a writer. Or a filmmaker. Or a variety show host. Or a video game designer. He’s also an artist. Until September 2, Takeshi is exhibiting a showcase of his art. The collection was first shown in 2010 at a gallery in Paris. Takeshi first started…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Many Multiplayer Modes of Anarchy Reigns
Anarchy Reigns may have a decent single player campaign, but where this game really shines is in the multiplayer. The game sports a roster of 17 characters (18 with Bayonetta) and has 13 separate types of multiplayer. These range from the classic—deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag—to the crazy—chopper battles and a rugby game.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Sixty Feet of All Woman. Inflatable Woman.
It’s the summer of enormous ladies in Japan! As previously mentioned, iconic anime heroine Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion is being turned into a large slide attraction. This is it. The huge, 61-foot Rei appears to be an inflatable balloon. Since this attraction will only be up until August 26, that makes sense. It’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Nintendo Is Selling New Super Mario 2 Via Digital Download
Welcome to the future, er present, Nintendo! On July 28, the game maker will be offering both New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training via the eShop for ¥4,800 (US$61) and ¥3,800 ($48). [任天堂]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastRumor: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Is Dead [Update]
It’s been six years since Square Enix first showed Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s debut trailer. Six long years. When that trailer premiered, George W. Bush was president, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were alive, and the global financial crisis had not yet hit. 2006 was a different world, a long, long time ago. Now…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Strategy RPG Series Sure Loves The PSP
The Summon Night series is coming to the PSP. For those who don’t know, Summon Night is a strategy simulation RPG series from Banpresto (Namco Bandai for the DS versions). Summon Night and Summon Night 2 were both released on the Sony Playstation in 2000 and 2001 and later rereleased on the Nintendo DS in…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Unboxing the Nasne, Sony’s New Media Hub
Yesterday, the day before Nasne’s release, Sony suddenly postponed the media hub because units were damaged during shipment. The Nasne that sister site Kotaku Japan ordered online, however, arrived today—fit as a fiddle and undamaged. Hello unboxing time! The Nasne is a networked recorder that offers 500GB of storage as well as the ability to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
These Pokémon Cards Are Slightly Different. Can You Tell?
One card is Japanese. One is English-language. But that’s not it. And sure, the Pocket Monster is “Grimer” in the West and “Betobetaa” (ベトベター) in Japan and the HP order and font were changed. Those aren’t it, either. Those are big differences. There’s a slight difference between these two Pokémon cards. Can you spot it?…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Kiki’s Delivery Service Cosplay Delivers a Big Bow and a Little Black Cat
Big red bow? Check. Simple dress? Check? Jiji, the cat? Check. All that’s missing is a broomstick and a little Yumi Matsutoya Somewhere between the skimpy midriffs and hot pants at a recent Japanese cosplay event, there was this lovely Kiki from the Ghibli classic Kiki’s Delivery Service. That’s cosplayer Kuroneko as Kiki. Click on…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku EastGiant Video Game Monsters Invade Universal Studios Japan
Most of the West might not give two farts about Monster Hunter, but Japan adores it. Capcom’s monster hunting series is appearing at Osaka’s Universal Studios Japan this summer in giant statue form as part of “Monster Hunter Real 2012”. By “real”, I’m assuming they mean “herky-jerky”? Last year, Universal Studios Japan held “Monster Hunter…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The PS Vita Still Struggles After Six Months, But The Solution Is Obvious
The Playstation Vita hit stores in Japan on December 17th, 2011. Since then, sales performances for the powerful little handheld have been… “Not meeting expectations” would be a mild way of stating it. This week, Weekly Famitsu covered the past 6 months of the Vita’s fight in the game market. As of July 7th, the…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
No, This Isn’t a Star Wars Set. It’s a Japanese Game Studio.
The vast, vast majority of Japanese game studios are bland, boring office affairs. Even the entryway for Nintendo’s Kyoto headquarters is nothing to write home about. This, however, is. So start writing. Level-5, the folks behind those Professor Layton games, have a truly spectacular corporate digs. Internal design and architect company Noa did Level-5’s HQ…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
After Nine Months, The Latest News On Level-5’s Fantasy Life… Is A City
After being unveiled at the Level-5 World 2011 last year, news about Level-5’s new open world RPG, Fantasy Life, remained mostly silent. Now, with a release of “2012” and only about 5 months of the year left, new information is slowly trickling out. Set in the world of “Fantazeel,” Fantasy Life is an open world…
By Toshi Nakamura Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Ninety-Nine Nights Online Is No More as of This Fall
Q Entertainment’s MMORPG Ninety-Nine Nights Online, the MMORPG version of Ninety-Nine Nights, is shutting off the lights on September 27 and going offline. Goodnight, N3 Online! [Game Watch Impress]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Official Kirby Playing Cards Shuffle Out This Summer
Longtime card maker turned video game company Nintendo is readying two sets of Kirby playing cards. Starting this August, a blue set (above) and a green set (same, but green) will go on sale in Japan for ¥1,050 (US$13) each. 星のカービィトランプ [任天堂]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Classic Anime Princess Mononoke Is Being Turned into a Stage Play
Studio Ghibli revealed that Princess Mononoke is coming to the London stage. Theater company Whole Hog Theatre will be doing a production of the 1997 anime next April at London’s New Diorama Theatre. The stage version is a collaboration between Studio Ghibli and Whole Hog Theatre, and it has been in development for over the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
It’s Not Really Cosplay if You’re Naked
Yesterday at an anime festival in Shenzhen, China, a cosplayer showed up dressed as a female spirit. Dressed? Did I say dressed? Silly me. The cosplayer showed up as the Chinese apparition Nu Gui, but the crowd that gathered was very real. Dressed only in a flesh colored skivvies and wearing nipple covers, the cosplayer…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 19, 2012