Bringing Yakuza To The West Is Still Tricky

Sega’s Yakuza games are terrific. You really need to play them. Yet, they’re not always localized, and if they are, they arrive late. According to series mastermind Toshihiro Nagoshi, Sega is still trying to figure out how to appeal to Western gamers. I’d say keep doing what you’re doing, but it’s not that simple, I…

Anime Characters Sliced Right Out of Paper

This is impressive stuff. Over on 2ch, Japan’s biggest online forum, member A8SwkEFs0 uploaded a series of cut-out art that use negative space to bring to life some of anime and manga’s most famous characters. Here’s the blade A8SwkEFs0 uses to slice and cut black sheets of paper. And the resulting works. Kotaku East is…

Overwatch‘s Tracer Photoshopped with a Sexy Carrot 

Earlier this spring, a sexy carrot appeared online. Photoshop battles ensued. But the dust hasn’t cleared, because even now, that carrot still lives on as Tracer’s legs. Japanese Twitter user Uuyan recently uploaded this Tracer Photoshop. It’s been retweeted well over 3,500 times. As far as I can tell, the first Tracer carrot leg Photoshop…

The Ghibli Museum Is Getting a Catbus for Adults

Dreams are real once again! The Ghibli Museumin Tokyo’s Mitaka has a Catbus from the classic anime My Neighbor Totoro. Until now, only children (children, ha!) could get in the Catbus. But this July, there will be a Catbus that adults can also board. Thank goodness. Cinema Today reports that the Ghibli Museum will be…

After the Rain. Nikko, Japan. By MJ Smets. JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!

That’s Some Damn Good Fallout Cosplay

Viverra Cosplay’s Vault Survivor outfit here took over a month to make, since all the leather parts (100% pigskin) were made by hand and every weapon and accessory was 3D-printed then finished and painted. Also: the pup, Rex, is a great Dogmeat. Photos by BTSEphoto. Rex courtesy of Intrepid Productions

The Wild Story Of Tie Fighter’s Illegal 1994 Pirate Leak

Software piracy in 2016 is so ubiquitous that we expect games to leak ahead of release. Back in the 20th century, though, it was a lot harder for pirates to get hold of video games before they hit retail shelves. As evidenced by this crazy old story about howthe classic TIE Fighter got out a…

Former Valve Employee Sues For $3.1 Million, Alleging Wrongful Termination [UPDATE: Jury Rules For Valve]

A complex lawsuit was recently filed against Valve, in which a former employee is suing for $3.1 million in damages, alleging transgender discrimination, misclassification of employment, retaliation for whistle blowing, and more. Update – 6:00pm, January 19, 2018: It was recently brought to our attention that on November 2 of last year, a jury ruled…

Spontaneous Windows 10 Update Prevents Game Dev From Checking Out Of Hotel

Microsoft really wants people to upgrade their machines to Windows 10, to the point that computers will now install the new operating system without your knowledge. This lead to a frustrating (but darkly humorous) situation today for Vlambeer co-founder Rami Ismail, while checking out of a hotel. “I woke up all chill and relaxed and…

15 Things You Should Know Before Playing Overwatch

Getting started in Overwatch can be pretty daunting: there are so many heroes to learn, maps to memorize, and loot crates to open, that it’s hard to keep track of it all. But we have a few quick pointers that should help. Here are the things I wish I knew before jumping into Overwatch. Start…

Peek-a-boo. Today’s shockingly viable Counter-Strike strat? The pyramid scheme, courtesy of ahmadyar17

I Am Setsuna Is Chrono Trigger In Everything But Name

It’s not clear why Square Enix isn’t making new Chrono games, but hey, at least there’s I Am Setsuna, which will be out for PS4 and Steam on July 19. (New trailer above.) In their press release today, Square was quick to note that the battle system is inspired by Chrono Trigger. The new trailer…

The Sound Of A Hit In Overwatch Is Made By… Beer

Overwatch is to big-budget release bonanzas what eclipses are to the rest of the sky. It’s a multi-million dollar production fueled by laser-targeted marketing. Even Game of Throneshad to glom onto its underbelly to avoid being unceremoniously forgotten. Anyway one of its most crucial sounds was made by a beer can. I’m talking about the…

Doom Is Even Better When Played On A Harder Difficulty

About halfway through playing the new Doom, I tried to remember the last time I’d died. Turns out, it hadn’t happened for hours. That was a problem. Doom doesn’t categorize difficulty the way other games do, but it breaks down roughly the same. Here’s how it’s listed, with my translation: I’m Too Young To Die…

Twitter’s Controversial New Changes Are Mostly Good

Twitter announced a bunch of changes to its service today. Some are useful, some are terrible. If the past informs the present, there will be a lot of hand-wringing before people reluctantly continue using a useful service that’s often misunderstood by the company that created it. Many of the changes outlined by Twitter todayare meant…

It’s Time To Stop Being Salty About Bastion In Overwatch

For months now, some Overwatch players have insisted that one hero is too strong, perhaps even overpowered. Now that the game is officially out and the hero balance is more or less set, however, I hope we can all agree that the bellyaching is all bunk. Meet Bastion, an automaton capable of turning into a…