Blackface Continues in Japan. In 2015. [Update]

Above, you can see a photo the members of Momoiro Clover Z, one of Japan’s most famous idol acts, and long-time pop group Rats & Star. And this is apparently how they’ll appear on Japanese television next month. Update: Momoiro Clover Z has cancelled an appearance at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan. The group…

Mario, I Don’t Recognize You Anymore

We’ve already seen Mario without his moustache. But via 2ch, let’s see that again. And minus the hat. And while we’re at it, ditch those overalls, put on a t-shirt, and wear glasses. It looks like the actor Nintendo hires to play Mario in his off hours. To contact the author of this post, write…

eden*: The Kotaku Review

This is the story of the end of the world and the woman who saved humanity. One day, humanity learned the Earth was doomed—that an interplanetary object would collide with our planet, destroying its capability to support life. Humanity would have only 100 years to escape the planet and venture out into the stars. To…

Pokkén Tournament, the Pokémon fighting game developed by Namco, will be out in Japanese arcades this summer.

Track: Gz and Hustlas | Artist: Snoop Dogg | Album: Doggystyle Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to – and gaming to – at the moment.

Fallout Should Always Be Played On An Old Black & White TV Set

Fallout is sort of anchored in that retrofuturist 1950s post-war culture thing and I can’t think of a single thing that represents that culture more than the humble black and white television. Therefore playing a game like Fallout: New Vegas on an ancient, still-functioning black and white CRT TV? That seems like a perfect fusion.…

​The Men That 4chan Pays To Argue About Games and Anime

If you like games or anime, chances are good that you’ve seen silly videos over the years where grown men enthusiastically tell you all about their favorite anime characters, and which “waifu” is the best one. There are of course anime fans who say ridiculous things like, “if you’d simply open up your mind to…

If you like PC strategy games, you should really listen to this podcast, where Soren Johnson (Civ IV) chats with Henrik Fahraeus (Crusader Kings II) and Jon Shafer (Civ V).

Free-to-play games supported by sneaky in-app purchases reign supreme in the mobile world, but Apple has apparently started promoting games that shy away from doing so. You can reach the author of this post at [email protected] or on Twitter at @patrickklepek

Developers Say Apple Is Rejecting Games For Having Images Of Guns

Apple has been rejecting some mobile games from the iOS app store for displaying guns in their promotional material and app store icons. So far, the regulation hasn’t had an impact on actual in-game content. First reported by Pocket Gamer, mobile developers began receiving rejections from Apple on “iTunes Connect,” the portal through which the…

Ten Things People Get Wrong About Anime

Anime might be popular in nerd culture, but that doesn’t mean people always understand what anime is all about. In fact, people often get anime all wrong. Anime sometimes has a stigma for people who don’t watch it. Or, people make misconceptions about what anime can be, as well as assumptions about the type of…