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Kotaku EastThis Rich, Arrogant Gamer Might Piss You Off
At the recent China Joy gaming expo in Shanghai, a rich gamer apparently rented an entire booth so he could have it all to himself and play a new online game. According to reports, the gamer booked the booth for thirty minutes, and there were even three booth companions on hand to fan him while…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
This Flying Battleship Is Over 16 Feet of Awesome
Spotted at the recent Wonder Festival, this 1/35 scale Space Battleship Yamato measures over 16 feet was was erected to promoted upcoming anime Space Battleship Yamato: 2199 The anime is a modern updated version of the first season of the classic Japanese space saga, Space Battleship Yamato 全長5メートルで圧倒的迫力のヤマトなど「宇宙戦艦ヤマト2199」ブース [Gigazine]
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
Resident Evil 6 Will Let You Infect Other Players’ Games as Bad Guys
There’s a new mode in Resident Evil 6, and it lets you enter other people’s games—and kill them. Dubbed “Agent Hunt”, it’s available after you’ve cleared the game and allows you to play as a RE6 creature—presumably a monster—and take on the game’s protagonists. Agent Hunt is only available on specific stages. And Agent Hunt…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Uncategorized
You Gotta Catch All These Pokémon Trainers! (No, Really, You Do)
Pocket Monsters isn’t only about monsters. It’s also about those Monster Ball packing characters. You know, trainers Over the generations, there have been a host of Pokémon trainers. Some of them have become iconic—such as Ash Ketchum, Misty, and Hilda. Being iconic in gaming means there are countless numbers of folks who enjoy dressing up…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
PS Vita Rip-Off Appears at China’s Biggest Gaming Expo
Even though the actual PS Vita was at the recent China Joy gaming convention in Shanghai, a Vita inspired copy was there, too. From iReadyGo, the Much 3G is an Android-powered handheld that sure looks like the PS Vita (though, it seems to be missing rear-touch and proper analog sticks). Tech company iReadyGo even had…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 -
Kotaku EastHanging Out with Darth Vader Sure Seems Fun
Camping. Skateboarding. Getting your hair done. If you’re a looking for a buddy, Darth Vader is the Sith Lord you want. Vader appears in the Samsung Galaxy spots for Japanese mobile carrier Docomo. Debuting last fall, the commercial is part of the “Walk with You” series of commercials that turns celebrities in personified cell phones…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
Naruto, All Freakishly Tall and with Breasts
Nana-chan ningyou (“Nana-chan doll”) is a huge female mannequin in front of Nagoya’s Meitetsu Department Store. Since 1973, she’s towered over shoppers in a variety of seasonal and promotional outfits. Recently, Nana-chan donned Naruto gear as part of a campaign for the new Naruto animated film, Road to Ninja: Naruto the Movie, giving Nagoya the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
The Upcoming Final Fantasy XIII Lightning Title Will Be Revealed Next Month
As previously hinted, Square Enix will be revealing the latest entry in its Final Fantasy XIII “Lightning Saga” at the upcoming Final Fantasy anniversary event in Tokyo’s Shibuya on September 1. Square Enix’s Yoshinori Kitase confirmed to Famitsu that work on the latest entry in the Lightning Saga has “just begun”. At the Final Fantasy…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
A Chinese Arcade Cabinet Built for RPGs
Side-scrolling role-playing game Zhan Hun (roughly, “Soul Decapitation”) made an appearance at the recent China Joy gaming convention in arcade form. The wuxia game is a single player role-playing title set in ancient China, and its arcade demo cabinet was outfitted with buttons and a joystick for those who like arcade controls as well as…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Kotaku East
This Is Not Fried Chicken. You Cannot Eat It.
Your mouth might water. Your stomach might growl. You might want to reach out and shove these chicken wings into your mouth. But you cannot for two reasons: One, they exist on the internet, and two, they’re not actually fried chicken. They’re fake. In Japan, plastic food is called “shokuhin sample” (食品サンプル) or “food sample”.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 1, 2012 - Uncategorized
A Tribute to Old Games (and Life!)
Swedish artist KJ Andersson pays a strangely powerful tribute to Ernest Kline’s “When I was a Kid“. I say strange because, you know. For all the cheery retro graphics on display, cutting just those two lines out and sticking them front and centre reminds me a little too much of my own mortality. Embroidery [kjandersson,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 -
UncategorizedHere’s How to Play Crytek’s New Online Shooter (That You’re Not Really Supposed to be Playing Yet)
Crysis developers Crytek (or, at least, their Kiev satellite studio) have been working on Warface, a multiplayer shooter for the PC that while looking entirely unremarkable also boasts visuals that look bloody amazing The game’s actually playable right now, and what’s more it’s free! But there’s a catch: it’s only live in Russia, and the…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 - Culture
Concept Art From Guild Wars, Halo and Beyond
Meet Thomas Scholes. Well, meet his art. An illustrator and concept artist who has worked at 343 Studios, ArenaNet and Disney, he’s now a freelancer who can draw some of the nicest pieces of environment art around. In the gallery below you’ll see examples of his work on games like Halo 4 and Guild Wars…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 - CultureTotal Recall
GameStop’s Trade-In Program, the 1993 Edition
Here’s a flyer for Electronics Boutique’s (now part of GameStop) fledgling trade-in scheme, which not only warns you that the program could end at any time (oh no!), but demands you bring the instructions in. No manual, no trade-in. Compared to the “sure we’ll take any old piece of shit” policy the company has now,…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallThe Only Game Where You’ll Find James Bond, Capcom and Rob Lowe in the One Place
You don’t need me to tell you how awful most FMV games from the 1990s were. But amidst the wreckage of bad racing games and even worse adventure games, I have a soft spot for Fox Hunt. Mostly because, over 15 years later, I can only now appreciate how batshit crazy the whole thing was.…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 - Uncategorized
Return of the Jedi LEGO Has a Freakin’ Sarlacc Pit
There’s been a lot of great Star Wars LEGO over the years, but these two new sets, both based on the opening of Return of the Jedi, are my new favourites. The first set is Jabba’s Palace ($120). It not only has a moving throne platform, for trapping Luke beneath while he sticks bones in…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 - Uncategorized
Online Game Suspected of Causing Teen to Shoot at, Stab a “Friend”
An unspecified online game is suspected of leading to a stabbing and attempted shooting in Oakley, California, with a 17 year-old boy now in police custody following the incident. On Monday afternoon the arrested teen and a 20 year-old man – reportedly a “family friend” – had been playing the mystery game together online when…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 1, 2012 - Uncategorized
DSi Coming in Two New, Rather Fetching Colour Schemes
While the 3DS is the flagship handheld at the moment, Nintendo hasn’t forgotten about the DSi, with plans to release two new colours for the device “as early as this week”. The two colours are “Matte Red” and “Matte Blue”. A sneaky Olympic-themed marketing move? They’ve only been announced for the North American market at…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012