-
UncategorizedThe Dark Knight Rises: The Kotaku Review
To make a film about a character like Batman is to reckon with the notion that all of the good stories have been told. 70 years of publishing history—not to mention comics, novels, cartoons and video games—swirls through the Caped Crusader’s cloak. With all of that comes a fan base that can quote Bruce Wayne’s…
By Evan Narcisse Published July 20, 2012 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Says Wii U Is Going To Be ‘Important For The World’
Nintendo will launch the Wii U this fall, at least a year before fellow hardware makers Sony and Microsoft release their own new gaming consoles. But Nintendo isn’t launching early to beat out the competition. They just want to change the world. “Being first in the next generation race is not important at all,” Nintendo…
By Jason Schreier Published July 20, 2012 - Uncategorized
Talk Amongst Yourselves
Go on and talk about the games you’re playing, loving and hating. Head over to Talk Amongst Yourselves, the place where we gather on a daily basis to discuss all things video game and existential. Go to the TAY forum at this link and do what you’ve always done: share your thoughts and opinions on…
By Tina Amini Published July 20, 2012 -
UncategorizedMetal Gear Rising: Revengeance Tutorial Teaches You To Very Carefully Take Down Evil Watermelons With Blade Mode
Much has been made of the fancy blade mode in Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. It’s all about Raiden and his slicey-dicey sword. But how does it actually work? A few minutes of gameplay tutorial are now making the rounds, via IGN, showing the cyborg ninja himself in action. The watermelon-slicing is a little Fruit Ninja,…
By Kate Cox Published July 20, 2012 - Uncategorized
With the Triforce on Her Flank, Epona’s Friendship Really is Magic
This pretty much had to happen. If this irresistible crossover doesn’t become the best-selling t-shirt in TeeFury history then everything I believe in and hold dear is a lie. Artist Julia “JellySnail” Whittle combines the magic of The Legend of Zelda with the magic of friendship to give birth to My Little Epona, a golden…
By Mike Fahey Published July 20, 2012 - Uncategorized
This is What’s New In God of War: Ascension
To some jaded eyes, the new God of War revealed this past spring looked too much like the old God of Wars. Oh, they added multiplayer this time, but what was so fresh in the game’s solo campaign? Earlier this week, David Hewitt, design manager at Sony Santa Monica, showed me what was new. He…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 20, 2012 -
UncategorizedSmite‘s Latest Playable Hindu Deity is Decidedly Unsexy
Despite mild controversy surrounding the upcoming free-to-play online battle arena game’s depiction of Hindu gods, Smite isn’t quite done yet. The latest deity to join the online god battle is Bakasura, and he’s pretty damn creepy. Bakasura is an Asura, one of a group of power-hungry deities that are often used to represent moral and…
By Mike Fahey Published July 20, 2012 - Reviews
Amazing Music, Beautiful Battles, and an Epic Love Story All in One Cinematic Package
The Macross series (released as the first generation of Robotech in the West) is one of the staples of 1980s anime. While other 80s anime like Gundam and Transformers have remained strong in the Western public consciousness due to the continuous, worldwide release of their respective sequels, Macross‘ sequels have stayed almost exclusively in Japan (due…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 20, 2012 - Kotaku East
Summer in Shinjuku Is Hot and Bothered
Thought Akihabara was the only, forgive the pun, hotspot in Tokyo? Nope! Shinjuku heats up in summertime, too. Website DannyChoo.com recently checked out Shinjuku and snapped some pics of the area. If you’ve played Sega’s Yakuza games, Shinjuku should look familiar as the area inspired the in-game locale. Keep your eyes out for a Robot…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 - Kotaku East
Anarchy Reigns is a Glitchy Yet Overall Enjoyable Game
Anarchy Reigns (released as Max Anarchy in Japan) is a beat ‘em up title from the makers of Bayonetta in the vein of Devil May Cry and God of War. Released in Japan two weeks ago, it was originally slated to hit the Western market at around the same time. However, shortly before release, Sega…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 20, 2012 - Kotaku East
The Art of Beat Takeshi Will Disturb and Delight
Beat Takeshi isn’t just a comedian. Or an actor. Or a writer. Or a filmmaker. Or a variety show host. Or a video game designer. He’s also an artist. Until September 2, Takeshi is exhibiting a showcase of his art. The collection was first shown in 2010 at a gallery in Paris. Takeshi first started…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastThe Many Multiplayer Modes of Anarchy Reigns
Anarchy Reigns may have a decent single player campaign, but where this game really shines is in the multiplayer. The game sports a roster of 17 characters (18 with Bayonetta) and has 13 separate types of multiplayer. These range from the classic—deathmatch, team deathmatch, and capture the flag—to the crazy—chopper battles and a rugby game.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 20, 2012 -
UncategorizedMass Shooting at Dark Knight Rises Premiere
Early Friday, 12 people were killed and dozens more were injured after a suspect opened fire at a midnight Dark Knight Rises screening outside Denver. Colorado NBC affiliate 9 News is reporting that 12 were killed—ten of which died in the movie theater. Over seventy people were shot in total. The shooting happened in a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 - Kotaku East
Sixty Feet of All Woman. Inflatable Woman.
It’s the summer of enormous ladies in Japan! As previously mentioned, iconic anime heroine Rei Ayanami of Neon Genesis Evangelion is being turned into a large slide attraction. This is it. The huge, 61-foot Rei appears to be an inflatable balloon. Since this attraction will only be up until August 26, that makes sense. It’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 - Kotaku East
Nintendo Is Selling New Super Mario 2 Via Digital Download
Welcome to the future, er present, Nintendo! On July 28, the game maker will be offering both New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Demon Training via the eShop for ¥4,800 (US$61) and ¥3,800 ($48). [任天堂]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
Kotaku EastRumor: Final Fantasy Versus XIII Is Dead [Update]
It’s been six years since Square Enix first showed Final Fantasy Versus XIII’s debut trailer. Six long years. When that trailer premiered, George W. Bush was president, Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden were alive, and the global financial crisis had not yet hit. 2006 was a different world, a long, long time ago. Now…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 20, 2012 -
UncategorizedWho Needs Cosplay Photos When You’ve Got Slow-Motion Cosplay Swordfighting Videos?
Cosplay cinematographer and convention hound Angel James de Ocampo was at Japan Expo 2012 this year, a French show that’s fast becoming one of the best places in the world to see people dress up as people from other stuff. What’s cool about his videos is that, instead of just taking cosplay photos, he gets…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2012 - Culture
Nazi Explosions Meet Beautiful Landscape Paintings in This Video Game Concept Art
Geoffroy Thoorens is a French concept artist who currently works at Quantic Dream, the developers of Heavy Rain and the upcoming Beyond: Two Souls. He’s also done stuff for movies, TV shows and even board games, so the gallery you’ll see here is a mix of all kinds of work, ranging from landscape painting to…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2012 - Uncategorized
Panorama Shots Wrap This Game Around You
Reader Daniel, who’s playing MMO The Secret World, made these panorama screenshots and asked if we thought they looked interesting. I don’t have the slightest care for the Secret World and looked at every single one of them, so yeah, I guess that’s a yes!
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallIt Took Japan to Add a Little Style to Alien vs Predator
It’s been over twenty years since some bright sparks decided it’d be cool to see Aliens fight Predators. Since then we’ve had good comics, good video games, bad video games and terrible movies based on the idea. When people talk about the games, though, they almost exclusively remember the three first-person shooter titles. While the…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 20, 2012