- Kotaku East
Why I was Pokemon’s Greatest Villain
Going into Pokémon Black and White 2, I had high hopes for the game. This wasn’t for the new aspects of the game like Pokéwood (Pokémon Hollywood) or even the chance to explore new areas of the world. No, the thing I was most excited to see was the return of Team Plasma. In each…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 6, 2012 - Kotaku East
Devil’s Third Bound for Digital Devices, Too
After being on ice, THQ dumped Devil’s Third, the latest game Ninja Gaiden mastermind and Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki, and gave the rights to Itagaki’s Valhalla Studios. Now with said rights in hand, studio boss Satoshi Kanematsu announces that the game is coming to “a wide range of digital devices” as well as…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2012 -
Kotaku EastSee the First Direct Pokémon Sequel in action!
Two weeks ago, the first ever numbered Pokémon sequels, Pokémon White Version 2 and Pokémon Black Version 2, were released in Japan. As the name implies, these games mark the first time players spend an entire game returning to a region from a previous title and seeing how the region has progressed. In Pokémon Black…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 6, 2012 - Kotaku East
Dressing Like Lady Gaga To “Prove Chinese People Aren’t Inferior”
Once again, Chinese model Gan Lulu has raised eyebrows. This time it wasn’t her seemingly awful mother-daughter relationship, but for what looked like a Lady Gaga cosplay. And it’s not just that Gan Lulu dressed in several Lady Gaga-esque outfits this week (even though the Chinese press delights in pointing that out) or that she…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2012 - Kotaku East
Resident Evil 6 Plays Like Three Resident Evils in One
This year, the big center piece at Capcom Summer Jam was a giant booth dedicated to Resident Evil 6 with a demo allowing players to spend time as either Leon, Chris, or series newcomer, Jake. In my first time in the booth, I chose to play as Chris—who seems to have decided to lay off…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published July 6, 2012 - Kotaku East
Persona Anime Drawings Show the Magic of Illustration
Today, TV Anime Persona 4: The Official Illustration Compilation goes on sale. The book is, well, a compilation of original illustrations used in the Persona 4 anime and provides a look at the process of how the popular role-playing game is animated into televised cartoon. The 200-page book is packed with over 1,200 original illustrations,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2012 - Kotaku East
This Bar Offered PS3 Gaming and Schoolgirls Until the Cops Arrived
The staff served drinks, made small talk, and played PS3 games with customers. They not only went on dates, they also broke the law. This week, the manager of a schoolgirl themed “girls’ bar” was arrested for employing actual schoolgirls. Koichiro Fukayama, 44, managed an AKB48 inspired schoolgirl establishment called AKB162 and allegedly violated Japan’s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Meet the Pyro’s LEGO Fantasies
Team Fortress 2’s Pyro is a…unique character. It sees things inside that mask that may be better off left unseen If we are going to see them, though, we may as well see them in LEGO form, courtesy of master builder Pepa Quin. Pepa Quin’s photostream [Flickr, via Brothers Brick]
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 -
UncategorizedA World War One Game That Drops You Right in the Trenches
It was one of the most important conflicts in human history, but for all its impact the Great War remains an almost non-event in video game circles. The war, which raged across Europe and the Middle East between 1914-1918, is often assumed to be under-represented in games due to the nature of the conflict. Who’d…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Princess Mononoke’s Game That Never Was
On the one hand, I’m kind of glad there was never a Princess Mononoke video game. As much as I love the film, a proper game just couldn’t really work. Or….could it? Because on the other hand, I look at this image, and my heart swells. If Super Star Wars could get away with butchering…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 -
UncategorizedGame of Thrones on Commodore 64 is so Crunchy it Makes my Teeth Hurt
It’s the fake intro and menu system for a C64 adaptation of Game of Thrones that lures you into this clip, but once there, it’s the music that really kicks your ass. As any chiptune or C64 nut will tell you, the system was capable of some of the crunchiest effects the 1980s could muster,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 - Culture
Art That Gets to the Heart of Star Wars (and Tomb Raider, and Resistance)
Concept artist Christian Piccolo works at BioWare’s Austin studio. Before that, he’s worked on a number of cool game franchises (and other projects) like Tomb Raider, Resistance and Marvel Ultimate Alliance My favourite stuff, though, comes not from a game, but from a book. Piccolo managed to get a gig on DK’s amazing Star Wars…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Oh God, This PC Casemod is Bleeding to Death
Oh, I like this one. There’s no garish colour schemes, no pulsating lights that would look more at home in a Fast & the Furious movie than in some dude’s computer. Just a concept, and the smarts to keep the canvas blank so the concept can carry the show. Its German builder, Jogibaer, makes just…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Nintendo Shows off a New 3DS Colour That is VERY PINK
Nintendo is bringing two all-new 3DS colours to the Hong Kong and Taiwan markets when the handheld officially launches there in September. One is “Cerulean Blue”, while the other is “Shimmer Pink”. While there are already blue and pink models available elsewhere, “Cerulean” looks a lot brighter than the current “Aqua”, while “Shimmer” is a…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 - Uncategorized
Meet the First Ever Region-Locked PS3 Game [Update]
The upcoming PS3 and Xbox 360 release of fighting game Persona 4 Arena is, in North America at least, taking the rare and terrible move of being completely region-locked. While the PS3 is usually entirely region-free, as are many Xbox 360 games these days (since on Microsoft’s platform it’s a decision left open to the…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 6, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallX-Men’s Giant Six-Player Cabinet Was an Arcade Marvel
While many arcade games can accommodate two players, and some even four, there aren’t many that can crowd six around a single cabinet like the incredible X-Men arcade game could. Released in 1992, and developed by Konami, the game came out at the height of the studio’s arcade power, during which similar side-scrolling games (all…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 5, 2012 - CultureTotal Recall
The History of Blizzard Entertainment, in One Very Pretty Timeline
In 1991, a small development studio called Silicon & Synapse was founded. It would make a name for itself with cult driving games like RPM Racing and Rock N’ Roll Racing. Fast forward to 2012, and that small studio is now known as Blizzard Entertainment. The entertainment juggernaut, behind such blockbusters as World of Warcraft,…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 5, 2012 - Uncategorized
Why Didn’t Anyone Tell Me His Dark Materials Was Amazing?
Well, I mean, okay, other than the billion people who have told me His Dark Materials is amazing. This is mostly on me—I’d heard that Philip Pullman’s fantasy trilogy was good, and had been meaning to read it for a long time. Plus, pretty much the entire world has already gone and said that these…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 5, 2012