• Kotaku East

  Japanese Cosplayers Turn Up the Summer Heat

  Holy crap summer in Japan is hot. That doesn’t keep the country’s cosplayers from wearing full body costumes, such as Godzilla or Jin Roh outfits. It also certainly doesn’t discourage them from wearing skimpy ones, either. At the recent Wonder Festival, a slew of cosplayers turned up to show off their costume creations. Sister site…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kids, Stop Sticking Your Fists in Pikachu’s Mouth

  This is a thing, I guess. Children in Japan continue to cram their hands in Pikachu’s open mouth—most recently, at a Pokémon event in Kyoto with celebrity Shoko Nakagawa. STOP IT, KIDS, JUST STOP IT. ピカチュウ、ギザカワユス♪　中川翔子さんが京都駅の一日駅長 [産経]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Sorry China, No PS Vita for You (Yet)

  The PlayStation Vita was released in Japan nine months ago and went sale around most of the world by this past spring. However, there is one market that the Vita hasn’t been announced yet: China. Earlier this year there was speculation that Sony was in talks with telecom company China Unicom about releasing the system…

  By Eric Jou Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Phantasy Star Online 2‘s Character Creator Brings Sci-Fi Anime Characters to Life!

  Like most MMOs, Phantasy Star Online 2 comes with a robust character creator. And with its sci-fi setting, it’s perfect for making all sorts of futuristic characters. I, for one, made Kotaku’s very own anthropomorphic avatar, Kotaku-tan, as my character. Of course, I am not the only one to re-create a character. Japanese players have…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Indecent Cosplayer Banned for Being…Indecent

  Late last week, unknown Chinese model Li Ling made a name for herself after causing a ruckus. She appeared at the China Joy gaming expo in a highly revealing cosplay. Dressed as Athena, Ling caused quite a stir. Her revealing costume showed off more than her underpants—way more. Online in China, some heralded Ling’s arrival,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Persona Fighting Game Patch Incoming!

  Xbox 360 owners dealing with Persona 4: The Ultimate in Mayonaka Arena lag issue, take heart! The game’s developer, Arc System Works, is readying a patch, which will be released sooner, hopefully, than later. [Atlus]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Tearing the 3DS XL’s Guts Open

  Japan’s Nikkei tore a Nintendo 3DS XL apart to see what is inside. What did Nikkei find? Parts. Lots and lots of parts. Nikkei showed off the handheld’s main board, which reveals Samsung memory and a wireless LAN module from Hon Hai. For more nitty gritty, check out the report in the link below. 3DS…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  There Is a Correct Way to Play the PS Vita. This Isn’t It.

  PS Vita owners, you probably play your machine on the train or the bus. Maybe you play it when you are out and about—or perhaps at home. You might even play it at the beach, like Polish model Natalia Siwiec. There really isn’t a “correct” place to game. There is a correct way to hold…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Can You Handle All This Collectible Nerd Plastic?

  The real question isn’t how many figures and toys are at the bi-annual Wonder Festival, but rather, can you process all the stunning plastic chaos? Well, can you? Dubbed “Wonfes”, the Wonder Festival is a Japanese model figurine event that brings together professional model makers, figure companies, and collectors in a big event to celebrate…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Meet Gary, The King of Nintendo 64

  Gary went to Otakon 2012 in this costume. A costume made almost entirely out of Nintendo 64 consoles, controllers and cartridges. He called himself King Nintendo 64, but just for today, he is also King of the Internet. Memes in meatspace: Costumes inspired by the Internet [The Daily Dot, thanks everyone!]

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  44 Great (Multiplayer) Indie Games You Can Play Right Now, For Free

  The wonderful website Pixel Prospector turned three yesterday. To celebrate, they cooked up this very useful little video called 44 Free Indie Games In 4 Minutes (Multiplayer Edition). Which pretty much sums it up. These games are all on PC and all available right now to not only play, but play and enjoy with/against another…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  A Game Based on a Tiny Conan the Barbarian Story

  I somehow missed indie platformer Tiny Barbarian, an adorable little package that was based on Conan the Barbarian tale The Frost-Giant’s Daughter. For that, I am very upset, because its follow-up looks lovely. It’s called Tiny Barbarian DX, and if you asked me to imagine the lovechild of Gauntlet and Cave Story, is probably what…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• Culture

  The Art Of Jaime Jones

  I’m in love. This is the art of Jaime Jones, an illustrator and concept artist who has worked for clients like Bungie, Blizzard, Wizards of the Coast and Warner Bros. It’s pretty damn special. Lovers of Fine Art may have already caught a glimpse of his work previously, in these Guild Wars 2 clips, but…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  How Video Game Development Has Changed Over the Past Twenty Years

  The video game business isn’t what it used to be. You know that as a gamer, but what you my find even more interesting is the way it’s changed for those actually involved in making the games. Cory Bloyd is a veteran programmer who works at Munkyfun, and who had previously done stuff like helping…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  Konami’s Cheat to Get Around a Silly Nintendo Rule

  Did you know that, before 1993, Nintendo of America had a rule that limited the number of games a publisher could release on one of it systems? Yup. In a calendar year a publisher, or “licensee”, could only release five games. No more. It was a rule with its heart in the right place: the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Diablo III’s Demon Hunters Come to Life in These Stunning Photos

  BGZ Studios is a small outfit based in Atlanta that, aside from regular photography work, also does a ton of cosplay stuff. Like these Diablo III Demon Hunter pics, which are just great. I love the costumes, sure, and the images themselves, but what I actually like most is the “behind the scenes” look at…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Kris Kuksi’s Beautiful Art is Made From the Bones of Dead Model Kits

  Kris Kuksi is an American artist who is famous for his signature sculptures, which he modestly labels as being comprised of “mixed media assemblage”. What he actually means is “made out of the pieces of seemingly unrelated model kits”. Go on, take a closer look. While from a distance the pieces appear to be a…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Hipster Chell Was Inside Aperture Before You Even Knew About Aperture

  When Megan was short on time for her costume for Otakon 2012, this is what she came up with. Hipster Chell. So good. The glasses and beanie may be what first draw the eye, but the kicker is the can of PBR that’s powering the portal gun. Hipster Chell Cosplay- 01 [DeviantArt, via Super Punch]

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 30, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  How to Make Minecraft Look Like an Attractive Video Game From 2012

  Minecraft has its charms, but let’s face it, it’s one ugly video game. There are tweaks you can use to improve things a little, but nothing like this mod that improves things a lot This video is from Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders, a mod that adds effects (not just improved textures) to the game like…

  By Luke Plunkett Published July 30, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  This is Probably How You’re Going to Die

  There are things about life on the planet Earth that you’re better off not spending too much time thinking about. This ranks right up there. This is an important message. Lots of people die, you know, so you’d best be careful or you’re next. I’d say forward this to your friends and relatives but let’s…

  By Mike Fahey Published July 30, 2012