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Altaïr, Guest-Starring In This Week’s Episode Of The Simpsons (Well, Not Really)
Simpsons fan artist extraordinaire Dean Fraser imagines Assassin’s Creed Altair as a guest star on the animated series. Luckily, the chances of him having to swim during such an appearance would be slim. Assassin’s Creed [Springfield Punx]
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 -
Kotaku EastJapan’s Most Recommended Anime Films of 2012
Back in November, 1,049 Japanese people were asked by survey company goo Ranking to choose which animated or Tokusatsu (think Godzilla or Power Rangers-style) movies of 2012 they would recommend to other people. Here are the top five recommended films of 2012—all of which are anime. #1 — The Wolf Children Ame and Yuki The…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
Why Ash Ketchum Always Loses (And Why That’s Okay!)
Since the late 1990s, Ash Ketchum has been training Pocket Monsters. And with a decade plus under his belt (sixteen years, actually), you’d think he’d be pretty good. You’d be wrong. In Pokémon League play, in which trainers have their Pocket Monsters battle, it always seems like he’s losing. Well, that’s because he is. And…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
I’m Not Entirely Sure What to Think About Robotics;Notes (And It’s Already Half Done)
From the creators of the visual novels Chaos;Head and Steins;Gate comes the anime adaptation of their latest game, Robotics;Notes. While at first the Robotics;Notes anime seems like little more than a near-future high school slice-of-life story, it soon devolves into a myriad of different stories, often of completely different genres. Good — A Realistic Giant…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
All These Little Steve Jobs Heads Are Creepy
They really, really are. That’s okay, because that Steve Jobs figure is already kind of creepy! Japanese figure maker Legend Toys nailed Jobs’ face, which is a testament to the company’s sculpting talents. All these little Steve Jobs heads lined up all neat like, however, is a testament to Legend Toys’ ability to freak people…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
You Can Now Rent Ninja in Japan. They’re Not Deadly.
Well, it’s about friggin’ time! Starting this month, a new service will deliver ninja on the time and to the place of your choosing. The name of this new service? Why, Ninja Delivery. So clever. Don’t expect these on-demand ninja to climb walls and assassinate enemies. But who cares when ninja are only a phone…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
This “Adult 3D Racer” is Neither a Good Racing Game, Nor a Good Visual Novel
When I heard about Moero Downhill Night Blaze (and its recent Western release), it was described as a Japanese-made “adult 3D racer”—a description that sent my mind reeling. How do you make a game that is both a porn game and a racing game? My mind came up with more than a few “interesting” theories,…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
This Lineage II Elf Statue Is Neat and Tidy
Heads up, Lineage fans. Japanese figure maker Max Factory is rolling out a Lineage II Elf figure. As Japanese site Moeyo (NSFW) points out in its review, this is one tidy looking statue. Can you imagine wearing something white like that outside? Think of the dirt stains! Plastic sculptures don’t have to worry about that…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Uncategorized
Of Course The Internet Is Awash with Pokémon X/Y Fan Art
Newly announced Pokémon X/Y isn’t even a week old. Heck, it’s not even half a week old. But the internet makes it seem like the game is a thousand years old. Sites like DeviantArt as well as numerous Tumblr blogs are awash with Pokémon X/Y fan art. Here’s a very small sampling of what’s out…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Uncategorized
Sex and Violence in Far Cry 3 Edited for Japan
For its Japanese release, Far Cry 3 is getting a series of edits that will result in a slightly different experience for the country’s gamers. According to Ubisoft (via website 4Gamer), here’s what’s different in the Japanese language version: • Wounded corpses have been cut (er, censored) • A sex scene as well as a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 - Kotaku East
Like Creepy Woody, This Skeleton Warrior Is Nothing But Good Times
A skeleton wielding a sword is supposed to be scary. It was scary in 1963 when special effects maestro Ray Harryhausen created a whole army of them in Jason and the Argonauts. How do you kill something that’s already dead? But what happens when you take a Skeleton Warrior out of Jason and the Argonauts?…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 11, 2013 -
UncategorizedYou Should Be Watching This Gaming Documentary Series
Here’s a welcome break from fan-flicks and comedy videos. Psycho Crusher Productions are a team setting out to “make gamers as famous as the games they play”, courtesy of a series of films called GAM3R It’s an unfortunate title, in many ways, because it makes you conjure images of insult-spewing shooter fans and excruciating attempts…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 - Reviews
The Best PC Gaming Mouse I Have Ever Used
Boy, this review was easy. Normally, when I sit down for a week or so with a gaming mouse, it’s all about coming to grips with a new feel and a new design. Not so with Mionix’s Naos 8200, because it’s the updated version of the Naos 5000, my personal mouse, the one that sits…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 - Uncategorized
Help Make A Video Game Magazine Called Sneaky Bastards (With Awesome Dishonored Art)
Aussie writer Daniel Hindes, who for a while has run a niche site called Sneaky Bastards, wants to take the idea of discussing stealth games to a more tangible format. Hence, Sneaky Bastards, the magazine. Promising that the magazine will feature 100% new content (as in, nothing that’s been on the site before), the first…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 - Uncategorized
Microsoft Would Like To Remind Valve That Selling Hardware Is Hard
I said earlier this week that Microsoft and Sony should be worried about Valve’s Steam Box plans, because they appear to have traditional home consoles square in their sights. Well, in an interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft’s Phil Harrison (still feels weird typing that) seems to get awfully defensive, issuing what amounts as a warning to…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 - Culture
Sorry Joker, This Guy Knows EDI Better Than You
Kolby Jukes, formerly of BioWare, is now a Senior Character Artist at 343 Studios, where he got to build the 3D models of Halo 4’s villain, Didact, in excruciating detail. While at BioWare he worked on Mass Effect 2 & 3, building the game models for some of the series’ biggest characters, and before that,…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 -
UncategorizedA Portal Figure So Good You’ll Think It Came From The Dark, Distant Future
3D printers are not machines. They are portals to a realm of dark magic, where you can conjure anything you want, in return for a plastic sacrifice. Take this, for example: this is not an expensive, professional action figure (though you’ll soon be able to get one of those). It’s something made by a human…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 -
UncategorizedChristian Bale Never Starred In A Pokémon Movie, But Damn It, He Should Have
A classic piece of modern cinema. An angry man known better these days for his portrayal of Batman. A deck of Pokémon cards, some better than others. Demi Adejuyigbe has done one hell of a job with this. The Snorlax zoom is especially well done. American Psycho: Unreleased 10th Anniversary Director’s Cut [YouTube, via Go…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 11, 2013 - Uncategorized
We Will Soon Be Able To Play Skyrim & Mirror’s Edge With Virtual Reality Goggles. Goodbye, World.
The Oculus Rift virtual reality headset is shaping up to be a great piece of technology, but that potential greatness has always been tempered by the worry that most games would never support it. Thank the Maker for community-created software, then, because cybereality’s Vireio Perception driver means that games like Mirror’s Edge, Skyrim, Half-Life 2,…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2013 - Uncategorized
If There Was a Pokémon Game On The Wii U, It Might Look Like This
There’s never been a proper Pokémon game on a home console. For reasons Nintendo have long stuck to. But hey, it’s the internet, let’s imagine that they broke with tradition, and announced a massive new Pokémon adventure for the Wii U. What could it look like? Maybe something like this. Environment artist Evan Liaw (who…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2013