• 

  Uncategorized

  See a Twisted Dystopia In The Awesome First Trailer For Bethesda’s Dishonored

  Here’s the first trailer for Bethesda’s Dishonored, a first-person stealth action game that the publisher will release this year for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3. We get to meet the main character, Corvo, who is apparently framed for an assassination he didn’t commit. And we get to see the steampunk-inspired open world, which is…

  By Jason Schreier Published April 17, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  I’m Pretty Sure This Star Trek Video Game Trailer Breaks the Prime Directive

  The number one rule in Star Trek fiction states that the Federation can’t mess with the development of other planets. Looks to me like that whatever planet Kirk and Spock are on is freakin’ crumbling. Surely, that counts as messing with development, right? Nevertheless, Starfleet’s most famous officers are finally coming back to video games…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 17, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Wasteland 2 Has Now Made $3 Million From People Like You

  The grassroots initiative to generate a sequel to old-school CRPG Wasteland wrapped up last night by getting more than triple the amount that InXile Entertainment was asking for. In addition to the $2,933,147 raised on Kickstarter, $108,803 has donated through PayPal. Passing $3,000,000 means that a mod kit will be made available for the in-development…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 17, 2012
• Uncategorized

  I Sunk 40 Extra Hours Into Mass Effect 2 To Salvage My Relationship With Thane

  I haven’t played Mass Effect 3 yet. As a big fan of the franchise, I’ve been meaning to. But I had a very important task at hand before tackling the last game in the trilogy. I needed to replay Mass Effect 2 (Mass Effect 2 spoilers ahead.) In my first playthrough of the sequel, I…

  By Tina Amini Published April 17, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Red Pandaren Males Don’t Get Fluffy Tails? World of Warcraft is Dead to Me

  What kind of World of Warcraft does Blizzard expect us to live in when the red male Pandaren doesn’t have a long floofy tail? It just doesn’t make sense. I was cautiously optimistic that the Mists of Pandaria expansion would feature enough new content to keep the game interesting for another couple of years. Now…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  This Japanese Video Game Sets Feminism Back, Oh, a Good Hundred Years

  Girl’s RPG: Cinderellife is the newest game by Level-5. Far from the puzzle solving of Professor Layton or the giant armored suits of White Knight Chronicles, this title is directed toward the female gamer demographic—just as the name suggests. But what exactly is a “Girls RPG,” I wondered. Is it about a strong female protagonist,…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japan’s Beer Machine Promises a Perfect Pour

  A perfect pour in Japan has just the amount of right amount of head. This beer tap (beer fountain?) tilts the glass, just so. At after the beer is poured, foam jets out, and a creamy head is poured. I’m not sure if this exists outside of Japan. Perhaps it does. When I first came…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Man Arrested for Stealing Super Rare…Stickers

  On April 16th, a 34 year-old male stole a total of 2,500 Bikkuriman stickers in Hokkaido, Japan. First going on sale during the 1980s, the Bikkuriman stickers are packaged with chocolate snacks. Being around for so long means that certain Bikkuriman stickers are worth well over $1,000—just as some of the stolen stickers were. With…

  By Toshitaka Tachibana Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japanese Porn Is Overdosing on Video Games and Anime

  If something exists, then, yes, there is a dirty movie of it. Video games and anime exist, so, yes, there are dirty movies of them. Japan just seems to have more of them. Sure, the West has its own video game porn parodies. Blue movie versions of World of Warcraft, Left 4 Dead, and Tomb…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• 

  Kotaku East

  Hostess Clubs Are Invading Video Games (Host Clubs Too!)

  Last year at the Tokyo Game Show, Level-5 announced they were making an RPG on the 3DS specifically targeted toward girls. I was interested by the idea. What exactly is a “girl’s RPG.” Would it present girls with a strong female role model or would it just be a traditional princessy love story? But whatever…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  This Girl’s Face Does Not Lie

  Japanese idol group AKB48 hold meet-and-greet events in which its young idols shake hands with their rabid fans. It’s a chance for their adoring public to rub elbows with their favorite singers. Some of AKB48’s fans are older. Some are young. Some are cool. And some are not. I know the difference, you know the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Famous Anime Characters Will Now Tell You Where to Drive and What to Wear

  Ever since its first apperance on TV in 1995, Neon Genesis Evangelion has been a popular series for anime fans of many nationalities. In anticipation for the upcoming new movie, Evangelion 3.0: You Can (not) Redo, the official Evangelion Store has some new Eva

  By Toshitaka Tachibana Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Sony Introduces New Hardware for PS3 Digital Recording and Streaming

  Sony’s Japan-only digital recording system, Torne, is getting an upgrade. Say hello to Nasne. Outfitted with a 500GB HDD, Nasne comes with an onboard digital and terrestrial tuner. Using Torne’s software, Nasne can record and stream to a variety of Sony devices—such as the PS3, the PS Vita, the Vaio, the Sony Tablet, and Experia…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A Samurai’s Guide to Harakiri

  Suicide is not to be taken lightly—especially in Japan, where it has a long (and bloody) tradition. In Japan, samurai committed seppuku (切腹 or “ritual suicide”) if enemies captured them or if they defiled the samurai code. The ritual suicide, also called “harakiri” (腹切り), was performed in front of an audience, and samurai sliced open…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• 

  Kotaku East

  In This Role-Playing Game, You Eat, Shop, And Seduce Men

  Girl’s RPG: Cinderellife on the Nintendo 3DS purports to be—as the name suggests—an RPG for girls. But what exactly does that entail? Mostly running around a city, buying clothes, talking with men, and finding true love—all in a hostess club setting. And while the setting is more than a little questionable, the game is presented…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Grandpa Really Wanted To Hold This Statue with Ridiculous Breasts

  At the age of 88, this grandfather got his hands on a Cattleya statue from Queen’s Blade. But grandma wouldn’t let grandpa see Cattleya topless—not at his age! Figure collector HSkeleton had been gushing to her grandpa for months about this enormous Cattleya from Queen’s Blade statue, and her grandfather was keen to check out…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  What Do You Say to a Man in a Gundam Mecha Suit?

  Clive Lee is a Singapore-based game designer, a Flash programmer, and a cosplayer. He is also a hero. Lee specializes in amazing Gundam cosplay, bring the huge mecha to life with huge costumes. His work is truly impressive. Just look at the detail and craftsmanship that goes into each of his outfits. Bravo. In the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  The City Where Japanese Nerds and Japanese Temples Meet

  The smoke from cooking fires mingles with potent incense and perfume, a heavy smell that hangs cloying in the air. This is Ōsu, an old “temple town (monzenmachi) spread between Ōsu Kannon and Banshōji in present-day Nagoya. While it might seem an unlikely pairing, the spiritual and the commercial have long been aligned in Japan,…

  Patrick W. Galbraith Published April 17, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Right Now!

  Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am Eastern. For more info about Kotaku East click here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 17, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Iwata Asks…For Some Brilliant Sword & Sworcery Wallpaper

  To celebrate the PC release of iOS smash Sword & Sworcery, there’s an “Iwata Asks” (oknotreally) about the game over on its official site. Once you’re done reading that, you may well notice the astonishing new wallpaper featured on the site. Above is a 1920×1080 version. If you want the 2048×1536 original, head to the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 17, 2012