How Nintendo Just Teased Japan with a Game the Country Desperately Wants

In the West, few people care about Monster Hunter. Most really do not give a flip. Japan, however, is another story. There is one game Japan seems to desire more than any right now. That game is Monster Hunter 4 How important is Monster Hunter 4? This series made the PSP in Japan. When people…

This Fan-Made Skyrim Battle Is The Most Epic Thing You’ll See Today

Created by Kotaku reader Geo “Tyrannicon” Paradissis, he who made that crazy re-creation of 300‘s final battle in Skyrim, this is an excellent way to start off your morning. Pour yourself some coffee and dive in.

Money-Grubbing Square-Enix Is Now Letting Us Play Some Of Their Old Hits For Free*

Old Conventional Wisdom: Square-Enix is ripping us off left and right New Conventional Wisdom: They’re, um, letting us play some of their old games for free. They’re nice people, after all. Look, Square-Enix is such a big company that they can encompass both Tomb Raider and Final Fantasy. They can price-gouge and demonstrate the wonderful…

A Morning of Pleasantly Surprising 3DS News Direct from Nintendo

This morning’s Nintendo Direct event was chock full of news, views, and not a few surprises about the latest titles coming to the 3DS. What’s going on with Animal Crossing? Is that really the last Professor Layton game? What are the Pokémon people working on? We’ve got you covered. Behold, 3DS joy! First Look at…

Capture Tiny Electric People in this Strange-Looking 3DS RPG Sequel

Denpa Ningen no RPG was one of the oddest-looking titles to hit the 3DS. The title literally means “Electro-Magnetic Wave Human’s RPG”. In Denpa Ningen no RPG2, you catch these electro-magnetic wave people, make a party, and then go on adventures with them! The series is developed by Genius Sonority, the folks behind Pokémon Colosseum,…

The New Animal Crossing Has MUCH Cooler-Looking Houses

Straight from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s livestreamed Nintendo Direct event today, here’s more of Animal Crossing for 3DS, which Japan gets this November and America and Europe get next year. Clothes-designing is nice, but, wow, look at those houses! In order to fit in players’ lives, Animal Crossing allows people to customize the store hours…

The Latest Game from Pokémon‘s Creators Isn’t Pokémon

Game Freak, the folks behind Pocket Monsters, are working on a new download title for the 3DS. It’s called Rhythm Hunter: HarmoKnight. It’s a platforming game meets rhythm game. HarmoKnight uses “attack” and “jump” to clear each stage. To take down enemies, it uses a timing mechanic that seems similar to what you’d see in…

Nintendo 3DS XL Going All Pink (and White)

To mark the newest Girls Mode fashion game, Nintendo is releasing a new 3DS XL color: Pink and white. The handheld will be released on September 27 for ¥18,900 (US$251).

Nintendo Has a New Tomodachi Collection. This Video Justifies Its Existence.

Nintendo’s latest Tomodachi Collection is slated for spring 2013. Tomodachi Collection is a life simulator that is often compared to both The Sims and Animal Crossing. The first Tomodachi Collection came out in 2009 in Japan. It has not seen an international release.

The Newest Paper Mario Looks Awesome

Nintendo is putting a new spin on Paper Mario with its upcoming entry in the series, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. The game features sticker spin on the Paper Mario games, and players will be collecting stickers through out the game, which can even be used when battling enemies. The game will be out later this…

Let Them Eat Cake, Glorious (and Expensive) Nerd Cake

As Kotaku previously mentioned, there is once again a set of official Neon Genesis Evangelion cakes. This is the third series of Eva cakes. Yes, the third! These cakes are pricy (around US$50 or higher), and are eaten with utensils that look like Eva weapons. Recently, sister site Kotaku Japan got to see the Eva…

First Look at the New Professor Layton Adventure. It’s the Last One.

Today, Level-5 unveiled its latest Professor Layton. It’s not only the sixth Layton adventure. It’s the last one for the game’s titular character. The name of the game is Layton Kyoujyu to Cho Bunmei A no Isan (loosely “Professor Layton and the Legacy of Super Civilization A”). The game takes Layton and his trusty assistant…

You Can Win This Super Rare Nintendo 3DS XL in Japan

Nintendo is holding a special tournament for 3DS game Culdcept in Japan. The winner will get this: a special Culdcept 3DS XL. With Culdcept, Nintendo brought Omiya Soft’s classic fantasy strategy title to the 3DS. The game’s image character even became a sex symbol ニンテンドー3DSカルドセプト [Twitter]

Nintendo Direct…[Update: It’s over now]

Nintendo’s latest “Nintendo Direct” showcase is streaming live right now. Japanese-only, focused on 3DS and Wii. Watch it.

Buy Berserk Manga, Get Awesome Berserk Figure

Manga fans! A limited edition version of the 37th volume of Berserk will be bundled with an Berserker Armour-wearing Guts. (Guts, of course, is the lead character of Berserk, non-manga fans!) This bundle is priced at ¥4,780 (US$61) and pre-orders end on October 31. 「べルセルク」37巻は3月、初の限定版にガッツフィギュア [Natalie] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture,…

Sony’s New 100 Person Team Is Looking for the Next Big Whatever

Times are tough. While Sony has had success with the PS3, the tech giant sometimes seems like it’s lost its touch. That might be why Sony is creating a special team of one hundred crackerjack employees. The aim is to find the next big thing. This week, Sony revealed that it established a new R&D…

How Sleeping Dogs Tried To Avoid Chinese Stereotypes

Set in Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs didn’t just look to the city’s rich cinema tradition for inspiration. It also tried looking to the city itself. But when you are mixing fact and fiction, you must be careful not to stereotype. Here’s Sleeping Dogs producer Dan Sochan to website CVG on attempting to overcome that challenge:…

“Star Wars: First Assault” has been trademarked for “interactive video games”, among other things.

Ladies, Please Leave This Man Alone. He’s Playing a Video Game.

In the above clip, a Chinese gamer ignores several booth companions while he focuses on what looks like side-scrolling role-playing game Zhan Hun (roughly, “Soul Decapitation”). The clip is now going viral, but it’s actually from the China Joy expo earlier this summer. This is probably a stunt by a game company—however, it could also…

Wait, This Figure Costs $200? You Are Joking.

These days, figures look better and better. They also cost more and more. Against that backdrop, this creation is baffling. Above is a 9.6-inch soft vinyl figure of Mian from virtual bar hostess game Dream Club and Dream Club Zero. Out this October in Japan, it’s priced at ¥15,750—that’s a little over US$200. Crazy! This…