Signs of Life at Studio Ghibli

Back in 2014, Studio Ghibli announced it was taking a break. Since then, it’s collaborated with a French animation studio, but hasn’t yet begun work on a new own in-house feature film. That could change as one of the studio’s most promising young directors, whoquit Studio Ghibli in 2014, could return for his next film.…

Kim Jong-un: Tyrant, Psychopath, Mac User

He might hate the United States, but he sure digs those designed-in-California computers. You probably wouldn’t take Kim Jong-un as a Mac user. Usually, in photos of him checking out military computers, we see the North Korean dictator in front of a P.C. [Image: AFP PHOTO / KCNA via KNS] However, a handful of photos…

Street Fighter V Noodle Restaurant Opening in Tokyo

Yes, it’s called “Hadouken.” Opening this Friday for two days only, this pop-up restaurant is a collaboration with ramen chain Kagetsu and will be serving up Street Fighter themed ramen. The cool thing? According to Capcom, the ramen is being offered for free. The Street Fighter ramen stall will go up in Shinjuku. Get yours…

The Cosplay of Game Party Japan 2016

Game Party Japan 2016 had concerts, video game tournaments, and board games galore. It also had cosplay. 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. To contact the author of this post, write to…

So Many Amiibos. Ito Yokado in Minami-Osawa, Tokyo, Japan. By Jason Capp. 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!

Rocket League Has Been Remade In Halo 5

Yeah, Rocket League is out on Xbox One next week, but if you absolutely must play it on Microsoft’s console today, a pretty decent version of it has been made using Halo 5’s editing tools. It’s far from perfect—the pitch has spots where the ball can get stuck, and the physics gets weird sometimes—but then,…

Stab It, Link, Right In Its Stupid Face

Wanchana Intrasombat is an artist from Thailand who has worked in both video games and advertising. You can see more of Wanchana’s work at his personal site and ArtStation page To see the larger pics in all their glory (or, if they’re big enough, so you can save them as wallpaper), click on the “expand”…

Civilization’s Leaders Are So Very Very Sad

One of the real joys of Civilization V, a key factor in keeping people playing once the systems have worn thin, is the game’s character. Each rival AI isn’t just an AI. Thanks to a wonderful combination of art style, animation and voice, they’re very human opponents. Instead of just reacting to an AI’s calculations,…

Both Of Republic Commando’s Sequel Pitches Sounded Awesome

While Republic Commando never actually got a sequel, for a short time plans were in place to make one. At Lucasarts HQ, there were two competing storylines vying for selection. Brett Douville, lead developer on the game, has been speaking with cinelinx, and says that while both were set in roughly the same time period,…

XCOM Soundtracks Combined On Vinyl, Look Hot To Boot

Continuing their series of “excellent video game soundtracks with amazing cover art”, iam8bit’s latest effort is this gorgeous 2xLP XCOM soundtrack, collecting the score from both the original and XCOM 2 It’s out next month, and along with the vinyl also includes a digital copy of both soundtracks. You can order now for $35.

Star Wars vs Mario Kart

This isn’t some quick, cheap piece of machinima. This is a very impressive animated short that basically throws the cast of Mario Kart into Star Wars fighters and lets them go at it. It’s great, no? I really like the part wh- Luke, what’s wrong? I felt a great disturbance in the Force. As if…

Alfred Will Cook Your Ass, Michelangelo

Batman’s butler hates it when people sneak into the Cave. Like, a lot. The third issue of Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles—written by James Tynion IV, with art by Freddie Williams III, Jeremy Colwell and Tom Napolitano—is out today, featuring a tense meeting between the title characters. Based on the title alone, this series may sound…

The Struggles And Triumphs Of Black Cosplay

Cosplay has always prided itself on its ability to transform fans into their heroes, wherever and whoever they are. In theory, at least. In practice, things haven’t always been that perfect, especially when a fan is black. This piece originally appeared 2/10/16. The cosplay scene is full of cool people who are committed to making…

Pewdiepie’s Premium YouTube Show Is Trashy, But Entertaining

The first thing you’ll hear in the premiere of YouTube Red’s new show Scare Pewdiepie is its host, Felix Kjellberg, screaming. Of course it is. “This show takes what I already do, getting scared of horror games, but taking it to the next level,” Kjellberg, a.k.a. YouTube superstar Pewdiepie, explains. Think of it as an…

An Unlikely Fix For XCOM 2’s Long-Ass Back To Base Load Times

When your surviving XCOM 2 soldiers are returning to base, the loading screen can last a reeeeeaaaaaallly long time. Turns out you can greatly speed it up by pressing… caps lock. I SAW THIS TRICK LAST NIGHT ON oh damn, sorry, I still had caps lock on. Let’s try that again. I saw this trick…

Destiny’s Newest Farming Trick: Valentine’s Day Suicide

This week, everyone gets to celebrate Valentine’s Day festivities in Destiny, the video game version of the myth of Icarus. Naturally, Destiny players have already found a new trick (h/t Luke) for optimizing the amount of loot they score in this new event, which started yesterday and lasts until Tuesday, February 16. It’s simple: You…

Here’s What’s Changing For The Division‘s Second Beta

Patch notes for Ubisoft’s open beta for the company’s early-March shooter The Division have some good news for those who tried the game’s recent closed beta and saw some flaws in its promising quasi-player-vs-player Dark Zone section. The notes indicate, among other things, that the Dark Zone will have more enemies and give a little…