-
Kotaku EastSee if This Alchemy JRPG’s Gameplay Has Good Chemistry
Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land, the latest entry in the Atelier role-playing games, shows off its gameplay in this new clip. So. Whaddaya think? Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Twilight Land is out this June in Japan on the PlayStation 3. In case you missed it, here’s the game’s opening.
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 22, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Beat Takeshi Explains His Controversial Gay Marriage Remark
Last week, entertainer and filmmaker Beat Takeshi came under fire due to comments he made on Japanese television about gay marriage. When shown footage of people celebrating President Obama’s support of gay marriage, Takeshi said, “Obama supports gay marriage. You would support a marriage to an animal eventually, then.” Everyone is entitled to his or…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 22, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Watch the Wii U Controller Change Before Your Very Eyes
Over the weekend, a new photo surfaced of what’s supposedly the Wii U controller. It looked, well, different. But how different? This is not perfect, but here is a GIF that shows just how the controller has apparently changed between summer 2011 and this spring. The photo showed a new square button on the left…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 22, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Aliens in Japan, Kiss Your Gaijin Card Bye Bye
After over a decade in Japan, this week I got a letter from the Japanese government. It said that the alien registration card (外国人登録証明書), or informally “gaijin card”, was vanishing. Starting this summer, the credit card sized i.d. will be replaced. This is a card I’ve had since I’ve been in Japan, and one that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 22, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Growing Up on Mario and Sonic. Growing Up in China.
Doodling away at his desk, a skinny and unassuming young man, Li Feng, ponders how to draw a political cartoon regarding missile defense shields. Li, 32, is a graphic artist for a media company in Beijing and he attributes his choice of career to his upbringing, an upbringing in China, with video games. “When many…
By Eric Jou Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Naruto Inspires Polish Lady To Kick Shogi Ass
Shogi. It’s typically called “Japanese chess”. And like chess, it’s a board game of strategy—and smarts. To get good, you must spend years playing and studying. Polish college student Karolina Styczynska did that on the internet after reading a manga. The 20 year-old Styczynska first discovered shogi about four years ago while reading a ninja…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Two Juliets Reveal the Absurdity of Cross-Pacific Commutes
Lollipop Chainsaw has two image characters: Jessica Nigri for the West and Mayu Kawamoto for Japan. Kawamoto is a black belt in karate, but Nigri has, I guess, a black belt in revealing cosplay This weekend in Tokyo geek district Akihabara, both Juliets appeared alongside game designer Goichi Suda to promote the title and pose…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Bureaucrat Allegedly Molested a Male Train Passenger for Thirty Minutes
According to Japanese news reports, a 40 year-old bureaucrat from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, was recently arrested for groping on Tokyo’s Chuo Line. Between Mitaka Station and Yotsuya Station, the bureaucrat put his right hand on the crotch of another 40-something year-old male and apparently groped the passenger repeatedly for 30 minutes.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Man Sold Stolen Game Console. Victim Accidently Bought It Back.
Twenty-nine year-old Jin Yasuda allegedly swiped a friend’s game console. When it came time to sell the console (the make wasn’t specified), Yasuda didn’t stray far from his victim’s resident. That, it seems, was his undoing. Yasuda supposedly sold the console back to a local game shop. So when the victim’s eldest son wanted to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku EastMeet Your Tekken Tag Tournament 2 DLC Characters. They’re Free!
Here’s a video of the first batch of DLC characters for Tekken Tag 2. The first batch of free characters. Actually, to keep the game balanced, there are no plans for paid Tekken Tag Tournament 2 DLC characters (keep in mind that doesn’t mean no paid DLC, just no paid characters). Still, those are very…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
A Clearer, Sharper Look at the New Tales Game
There’s a new Tales role-playing coming out. Last week, Kotaku posted the first concept art images of the game, as well as excerpt from an interview with Tales producer Hideo Baba. According to Baba, “We want players to be surprised at first and think things like, ‘What is this!?’ and ‘I’ve never seen this kind…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Pokémon Lady Has Crazy Long Legs
Okay, so the Pokémon games are not noted for their realism. Young people catch and train monsters. If this anime teaser is anything to go by, Pokémon: Black and White 2 is no exception. Pokémon: Black and White 2 won’t only feature new Pocket Monsters. It will also feature unnatural limbs. As the recent anime…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Hidden Naked “Lady” of Kirby 2
While 1995 was a simpler time, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a sexier one. Just look at the saucy hijinks Japanese game developers slipped into Kirby’s Dream Land 2. Oh là là! This game’s 5-5 secret stage shows what looks like lady parts in Game Boy pink. Kirby’s Dream Land 2 was re-released earlier this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
China Is Building a One Piece Theme Park
The coastal city of China’s Dafeng will soon play host to One Piece fans across the country—and perhaps, even the globe. See, China is constructing a new One Piece amusement park. The theme park has a budget of approximately US$76 million and will be built on 133-hectare plot of land. According to news reports, this…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Japan Shows the Beauty (and the Craziness) of the Solar Eclipse
This morning in Japan, kids and adults alike paused momentarily. They wore funny glasses and turned their eyes to the skies. This Monday morning, just as a new week started, a solar eclipse was visible. And Japanese television chronicled the whole thing the best way it could: sometimes serious and sometimes anything but. For several…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 21, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Schoolgirl Presidents, Aliens, and Super Saiyan Panda Fighting!
What if one day you went to sleep and when you woke up your teenaged neighbor was The President and you the vice president? Then what if all fell to you to defend the country from terrorists, a mad Korean dictator, crazed fanboys, and Josef Mengele—while returning everything to normal rested on the shoulders of…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Tokyo’s Strict Poisonous Blowfish License Is Getting Lax
Fugu (blowfish) is a delicacy in Japan. If it’s not prepared correctly, the result is death. Since fewer people have died from fugu poisoning in recent years, the Tokyo government decided that, hey, it should lower the strict licensing required to prepare the fish. You follow that logic? Between 2000 and 2009, there were 338…
By Brian Ashcraft Published May 18, 2012 -
Kotaku EastYour Favorite Games Get Anime Openings
Japanese video-sharing site NicoNico Douga is well known for having its own unique net culture and memes. One of the most interesting of these is the “tegaki” style of video. “Tegaki,” literally meaning “hand-drawn,” refers to a type of video where a popular clip —usually an anime or video game opening—is altered to portray a…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published May 18, 2012