- Kotaku East
GIFs Bring Old Chinese Art to Life in a Charming Way
That’s the Yongzheng Emperor. He ruled China in the 18th century. And now, several hundred years later, he’s being turned into animated GIFs. The interesting thing is that this isn’t some random internet person making these GIFs. Apparently, according to Pouch, a staffer from the Palace Museumin the Forbidden City in Beijing created them. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 12, 2014 - Kotaku East
Hope You Haven’t Had Enough of Japan’s Oddest English Book
English Words That Don’t Appear on Tests isn’t your typical English textbook for Japanese students. Thank goodness. Previously, Kotaku has covered the book (here and here). It’s truly wonderful and strange, and that’s the point. Because, you know what? The English language is wonderful and strange, too. Japanese people often find English rather difficult, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 12, 2014 - Kotaku East
The Five Anime of Summer 2014 You Should Be Watching
We are now six weeks into the summer anime season, and with 44 new anime on the air it can be more than a little difficult to know which ones to watch. Luckily, we at Kotaku East are here to help with our recommendations. I have spent the last few weeks getting fully caught up…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 12, 2014 - Kotaku East
In Japan, You Can Get Raw Meat on Conveyor Belts
You know conveyor belt sushi, right? Little plates of sushi go around on a conveyor belt. Well, it also appears there is conveyor belt meat. Yes, raw meat. Last month, Japanese website Gigazine visited a conveyor belt meat restaurant called Issoyoubin in Mie Prefecture. [Photo: Tabelog] Conveyor belt sushi is called “kaiten zushi” (回転寿司)in Japanese,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 12, 2014 -
Kotaku EastWatch Us Play Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines
Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines is a turn-based JRPG with an amazing-looking traditional Japanese art style. But that begs the question, does it play as good as it looks? Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines was released in Japan for the PlayStation Vita on July 17, 2014. It has been licensed for a Western release, but no specific date has…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published August 12, 2014 - Uncategorized
Let’s Hope Mirror’s Edge 2 Looks This Good
Until we find out, we have some great fan art to look at. These shots are from an Unreal Engine 4 environment done by 3D artist Jun Choi, and they show an interpretation of one of the areas from the first chapter of Mirror’s Edge. Choi first shared WIP shots of the map on the…
By András Neltz Published August 12, 2014 -
Kotaku EastGiant Patlabor Mecha Withstands a Real Typhoon
For the live-action Patlabor movies, they made a giant Patlabor mecha. It might look like just some promotional prop, but they built it tough. How tough? Strong enough to weather a typhoon. This weekend, much of Western Japan was hit hardest by the typhoon, Osaka included. The life-sized AV-98 Ingram from the anime, manga, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 12, 2014 -
UncategorizedSaying Goodbye to a Three-Year-Old Minecraft World
Generally for Minecraft players, the more time they spend in their world, the more attached they’ll be. I don’t tend to get too attached because I play in several-hour spurts, usually moving on to a new file each time. But what if you decide to move on from a world that’s been with you for…
By András Neltz Published August 12, 2014 - Kotaku East
Final Fantasy Blue Ramen Looks Utterly Disgusting
That new Final Fantasy cafe in Tokyo? Oh, it looks wonderful. The blue ramen it’s serving? Not so much. As pointed out on Radio Kaikan, Dengeki Online (above) and elsewhere, this is called “Sea King Leviathan‘s Chilled Ocean Noodles.” So, yeah, they’re blue and they’re cold. [Photo: Radio Kaikan] [Photo: LiveDoor] Who the hell wants…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 12, 2014 -
UncategorizedNew RTS Game Parties Like It’s 1997
Because screw it, if EA won’t make new/better Command & Conquer games, then somebody else may as well give it a shot. Act of Aggression is actually a sequel to 2005’s Act of War. I’m cautiously optimistic about this, because it’s being developed by Eugen, the same guys behind the Wargame series.
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 -
UncategorizedBinding of Isaac Is Gonna Take Over My Life (Again)
There’s a new Binding of Isaac coming to PC and PlayStation, and it’s nearly ready for release. Series creator Edmund McMillen just released a video of the bloody, malformed roguelike madness. As a recovering BOI addict I’m worried about my ability to function in everyday society. The video is indicative of “basically what you will…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 11, 2014 -
UncategorizedWow, They Actually Made Another Toy Soldiers Game
Part of me is furrowing my brow at the violent gender divide going on here. Why do “boy’s toys” and “girl’s toys” need to fight each other? Can’t kids just get along and play with all of them? Or just get some LEGO instead? But another part of me grew up with a little sister,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 - Culture
When The Aliens Invade, Be Nice To Them
Ben Mauro is an artist who has got to work on, well, all kinds of cool stuff. Elysium, The Hobbit, Man of Steel, Spider-Man 2, even the new Call of Duty. We’ve featured his work before, but since he’s got a bunch of amazing new art that’s able to be shared with the public, we’re…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 - Uncategorized
Because I Always Wanted To Be A Star Wars Admiral/Fish Man
I always thought the coolest job in the Star Wars universe was one of the guys/gals/fish aliens in charge of a fleet of enormous starships. So little exertion, so much fun The arrival of the velvet-smooth Grand Admiral Thrawn in the 1990s only cemented this view, yet for all the job’s luster, video games have…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 - Uncategorized
PC Game Was Too Punishing, So The Devs Hit The “Cruisey” Button
I was really excitedfor Gods Will Be Watching, so it was a bit crushing to find that when the game was actually released, it was little more than a punishing checklist simulator. Guess I wasn’t the only one down on the game, as the developers have released a pretty important update that adds a few…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 -
UncategorizedGandalf Had A Very Good Reason Not To Fly Straight To Mordor
Last week, a fan theory posted to Redditsought to explain why Gandalf and the Fellowship didn’t just fly to Mordor instead of doing all that walking. It made some sense, but I think I like this explanation better.
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014 - Uncategorized
Years Ago Today, Resident Evil‘s Creator Was Born It’s Shinji Mikami’s birthday. The game designer is responsible for some of the most influential games around, including Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Phoenix Wright, Viewtiful Joe, Killer 7, and God Hand. He’s one of the industry’s seminal figures – effectively inventing the survival horror genre as…
By Dan Starkey Published August 11, 2014 -
UncategorizedIt’s Like Katamari Damacy, But You’re A Giant Hole
In Donut County you play as a sentient hole in the ground that gets larger and larger as it consumes all things in its path. It looks magnificent. It’s an extremely simple concept, but goodness does it ever look weird and charming—with players gobbling up everything from tiny donuts to entire mountains and solving puzzles…
By Nathan Grayson Published August 11, 2014 - CultureCosplay
Rick Grimes Doesn’t Care Where Carl Is, He’s Getting Lunch
Taken at StocktonCon over the weekend, this Walking Dead cosplay is perhaps the most perfect cocked eyebrow you’ll ever see. Cosplayer is Avery S Klemm. Pic by Xplict91 [Photographer] Best Rick Grimes Cosplay Ive seen so far (Stockton-Con 8/9/2014) [Reddit]
By Luke Plunkett Published August 11, 2014