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Kotaku East
Pokémon Is Not Entirely Historically Accurate (Well, Duh)
Pokémon + Nobunaga’s Ambition is no doubt one of the strangest crossovers we’ve ever seen. This is not only because it’s crossing a feudal Japanese war strategy game with Pokémon, but also because all the characters in Nobunaga’s Ambition are based on real people. So let’s take a look and see how these real historical…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Imperial Warships Made from Sushi Will Make You Fat
When you look at Japanese rice, seaweed, and ikura, you probably think sushi. Art school grad Mayuka Nakamura saw something different. She saw warships. Using rice with vinegar, nori (seaweed), ikura, and uni (sea urchin), Nakamura re-created the eleven different warships—such as the Imperial Japanese Navy ship Kongo, Imperial aircraft carrier Hosho, and Imperial destroyer…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
This Isn’t Madness. It’s Wonderful and Legendary.
Chinese cosplay photographer Mengjie Luan is back with another set of spectacular pics. In the above gallery, there are Alice: Madness Returns photos with cosplayer Jill. “There were some problems and headaches during the Alice shoot—but in the end it worked out great,” Meng told Kotaku. “I also finally learned the meaning of ‘苦逼造就牛片’ or…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastSee the Strangest Pokémon Game in Action!
Pokémon + Nobunaga’s Ambition is the strangest crossover this side of Kingdom Hearts. Not only does it mix a historically-inspired series with a monster-catching one, it also mixes a team-centric strategy game with a one-versus-one traditional RPG. And how does this odd combination work out? Pretty well, actually. As you can see in the game’s…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Creepy Fun with a Hug Pillow Cover
Hug pillows aren’t only for hugging, but hijinks. Though, I’m inclined to recommend not putting a pillowcase on your head—Dream Club hug pillow, included! Also not recommended? Walking around Las Vegas wearing a hug pillow. The above dakimakura photos are from the folks at Japanese game site Dengeki Online 『ドリームクラブ』魔璃抱き枕カバーは本日23：59に予約締切！ サンプルが届いたから被ってみた……よ？ [Dengeki]
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThis Beatboxing Cat Was Made for the Internet
Her name is Nao. And today, she rules the internet—and our hearts. The woman beatboxing is named Aibo, and she’s been beatboxing for about two years. You can catch more of her videos, such as this cool beatboxing in Shinjuku vid, on her YouTube channel JAPANESE MPC CAT NAO [YouTube Thanks, Luke!]
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Octopus Tentacle Fantasies Brought To Life with Fishing
You see them in anime. You see them in manga. And yes, you see them in video games. Octopus tentacles are, and have been for centuries, common tropes. But in Japan, octopus are not just creatures that pop up in popular culture, they are creatures that pop up on the dinner table. Japanese fishermen catch…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 20, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Because Having One Class Is Never Enough for an RPG
The open Beta test for RAGNAROK Online 2: Legend of the Second started in Korea on Feb. 22 of this year. With completely new graphics, systems, and quests, the only thing intact from the original RAGNAROK Online is its settings and world. Here’s some insight on what is going on currently with the open beta…
By Toshitaka Tachibana Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThis Girly Commercial Is Grossing People Out
Late last week, a new candy commercial featuring girl group AKB48 began broadcasting on Japanese television. In the commercial, young idols passed the chewy Puccho candy via mouth-to-mouth. Online in Japan, there were the typical, “Oh, this turns me on” or “I want to join in” type of comments, but also harsh criticism, too. “I’d…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Thieves Had No Place To Run, Except for an Internet Cafe
Two young men in Yueqing, Zhejiang Province China, were taken in by police earlier last week for pick-pocketing. The two young men in question, Xiao Pan and Xiao Bing, are only 17 and 14 years-old respectively. Xiao Pan had ran away from home and had been living on the streets for a while, surviving by…
By Eric Jou Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
From Chun-Li to Final Fantasy, This Lady Gets Thumbs-Up
Meet Mei Wei. She’s one of China’s top coplayers (or “coser” as they’re called there). She appears in Chinese cosplay mags, at game promotions, and at event after event. Mei Wei’s image appeared on the flier for China Joy’s cosplay event; China Joy, of course, is the country’s biggest game event. Hailing from Tianjin, she’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Why Come to China? One Foreign Game Developer Responds.
Game development in China is no longer just a domestic thing. Foreign power houses such as EA, Zynga, and Ubisoft have major studios working on big titles in China. However, many of their best console titles won’t reach Chinese players until either the game is released in PC in Chinese or pirated by Chinese hackers.…
By Eric Jou Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Would You Sniff this Gundam? It Smells Wonderful.
There’s been giant Gundams built in Japan from metal and screws—as well as whatever the hell China used for its knock-off. Now, it’s South Korea’s turn. This Gundam, dubbed “Surface Gundam”, was created for a Korean art exhibit, making it not only one of the best looking large Mobile Suit creations, but best smelling. お花で作られたガンダムがなんだか独特の雰囲気…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Wonderful and Seedy World of Chinese Arcades
Hot, loud, flashy, and incredibly smoky. These are some of the best ways to describe the sensation of walking into an arcade in China. And when walking in during peak hours, the lines to play the latest fighting games usually snake across cabinets. It’s interesting to see that China still has a flourishing arcade industry…
By Eric Jou Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Let’s Try Guessing Her Hair Color
Project A14, the newest of the Alchemy-based Atelier series game was just announced by Gust. The Japanese role-playing game is to be released on the PS3 platform in June. The newest title will have a whole new world, heroine, and system along with renewed designs based on the game’s theme, which is “The promise starts.”…
By Toshitaka Tachibana Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Greatest Manga Screw-Up of 2012?
If not the greatest, this has to be one of the greatest you’ll see this year. The most recent issue of Comic Yurihime offered up a doozy of a printing error. On page 173, one of the characters of Yuru Yuri exclaimed, “These clothes are so cute,” while reading the magazine. The magazine was blank.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
I Love the Power Glove Space Suit. It’s so Bad.
Leave it to Japanese musician Verbal from hip-hop group M-Flo to take Power Glove to the next level. In the latest issue of rock and fashion mag EyesCream, Verbal talks about his forthcoming album and poses in a spiffy, custom-made Reebok astronaut outfit with dual-wielding Power Gloves, just begging for some cosmic Rad Racer action.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Inappropriate 3DS Game Gets Inappropriate Art
Nintendo 3DS game Senran Kagura featured large breasts because the game’s creator really wanted to see boobs in 3D. With that as a starting point, you can already imagine what sort of illustrations the game can inspire. You don’t have to! A recent exhibition showed a collection of 57 Senran Kagura illustrations from 50 artists.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Nintendo Says Japanese Newspaper Is Making Crap Up. Again.
Late last week, respected Japanese newspaper Nikkei (and seemingly Nintendo’s nemesis of late) reported that the Kyoto-based game maker would be launching the 3DS in South Korea next month. That launch would be followed by a release in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Mainland China. According to the Nikkei piece (viewable here), Nintendo now looks at…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 19, 2012