• Uncategorized

  Lease Your Own Little Piece of Battlefield 3 When Xbox 360 Server Rental Goes Live Today

  Strangers can be jerks. Granted, they can be cool, too, but if you’re competing in an online shooter, chances are that they’re jerks. And sometimes you have to play with them. But now that Battlefield 3 server rentals will be going live for the Xbox 360, you’ll be able to control who you play with.…

  By Evan Narcisse Published April 3, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  The Secret World‘s Beta Weekends and Early Access are Yours for the Preordering

  Want to get in on the beta weekends for Funcom’s upcoming paranormal MMO The Secret World? Want up to four days of early access before the game launches? Want an Egyptian Cat as an in-game pet? Man, you sure want a lot. You should probably preorder. The Secret World beta weekends kick off May 11,…

  By Mike Fahey Published April 3, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  One Man’s Tortured History With Kingdom Hearts

  Kingdom Hearts is a polarizing series to say the least. People seem to love it or hate it with few standing in between. I am no different except that I fall into both categories. While I am a fan of the series, I am also incredibly critical of it. So with Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  It’s Not Just the Lady Who Dazzles, Its Her Amazing Outfits

  For the past 12 years, Yaya Han has been tearing up the cosplay circuit. One of the coolest things about her work is the craftsmanship that goes into her costumes, which she makes herself. Fantastic stuff. Top-notch cosplay photographers take many of Yaya’s photos; so do visit her site to see which photographers took which…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  El Shaddai Returning as a Social Game Spin-Off

  Ungh. El Shaddai, that crazy game in which you have God on speed dail, is returning—but as a Japanese social game spin-off. Um, neat? GameSpot via Eurogamer]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  This Shooting Game Is Played with Your Tongue

  A group of Japanese researchers is working on a tongue-controlled tech demo to aid those with oral motor function disorders that impacts their ability to speak or swallow—a very admirable goal. There are also disabled gamers who cannot use their hands, so an interface like this could hopefully one day be applied to various Xbox…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Kingdom Hearts Tries Its Hand at Augmented Reality Games, Fails Miserably

  In the Kingdom Hearts series, the player character often teams up with two other party members as you explore the game’s various Disney worlds. In Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance however, players use friendly versions the game’s monsters—called “Dream Eaters”—as party members instead of the usual Disney characters. Besides leveling-up through battle, your Dream…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Real-Life Superhero Helps the Homeless with Food, Money, and Cleavage

  Meet the Hong Kong Orchid Woman. She doesn’t fight crime. She helps the homeless. Last spring, a young woman in Hong Kong took to the streets and pass out money and food to those in need. And next year, she’ll be getting her own feature film. Inspired by Kick-Ass and 1965 Hong Kong flick Black…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  It’s Resident Evil Meets…Motorsports

  Ada Rising is a fan film. An odd fan film. I don’t mean that in an pejorative way—it’s just odd. But when you say the words “Resident Evil fan film”, street racing doesn’t leap to mind. Ada Rising [YouTube]

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  Watch Kingdom Hearts 3D‘s New Battle Systems in Action

  Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance plays a lot like past titles in the series, especially Re:coded and Birth by Sleep, however there have been a few major changes. The first is the “free-flow” system which allows you to perform special attacks by interacting with enemies or the environment in certain ways. These attacks are…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Japan’s Club Nintendo Now Offering Official Polo Shirts

  Does Japan’s Club Nintendo get the best stuff? Yes, yes it does. Take this wide selection of Club Nintendo shirts available for 550 Club Nintendo points. There are different monograms available, like a Fire Flower or a Triforce. You can select your size and even the color of the polo shirt. There are eight different…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
• Uncategorized

  My Neighbor Totoro Will Destroy You with Cuteness

  Artist Kevin Derken took two of the Japanese things he loved most—Maschinen Krieger and Studio Ghibli—and mashed them together for this. He calls it the S.A.F.S. Totoro. I call it awesome. S.A.F.S. stands for “Super Armored Fighting Suit”, while Totoro is the cute character from the classic anime My Neighbor Totoro. Previously, Kotaku featured Derken’s…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Foxconn Recruiter Fuels the iPhone 5’s June Launch Rumors

  Okay, it’s not a plant manager. It’s not even an assembly line employee. It’s a recruiter at the Foxconn factory gate. That being said, it’s a recruiter at a Foxconn factory gate—you know, where they make Apple products. There have been rumors swirling around the inevitable iPhone 5—namely, that Foxconn is now going on a…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  How To Get Girls in Japan? Read One Piece.

  One Piece is perhaps the most popular manga in Japan. While it is serialized in a magazine aimed at young males, schoolgirls are apparently big into One Piece. “If you want to talk to girls, you better read One Piece and Bleach,” a high school freshman told Japanese publication Yuukan Gadget One Piece makes for…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Paper iPads for Your Dead Chinese Ancestors

  This spring, the hot Apple device isn’t made from metal, glass or plastic. It’s made from paper. April 4 is Tomb Sweeping Day (Qingming), a tradition that goes back thousand of years. Families visit ancestral tombs and make offers of food. Paper replicas depict items that can be used in the afterlife, such as clothing,…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published April 3, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  We Dance With Slave Leia To Weird, Lucas-Approved Christina Aguilera Star Wars Remix

  We’ve had a copy of Star Wars: Kinect in our New York office for a few days now. Which means, aside from Stephen’s upcoming review, people have been dancing their asses off to pop songs. Pop songs that have been re-worked to include lyrics from the Star Wars universe. While Lando and Boba Fett dance…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 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 3, 2012
• Culture

  Giant Killing Machines, Direct From Russia

  Hope you like giant instruments of destruction. Because Russian artist KaranaK specialises in giant instruments of destruction. Most of the vehicles you’ll see in these galleries are from Star Conflict and Russian game Project Genome. Others are just personal pieces. You can see more on his DeviantArt page Fine Art is a celebration of the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2012
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  Reacting to Mass Effect 3’s Ending: The Adorable Comic

  I never got the anger people had towards Mass Effect 3. I can’t remember the last time a video game made me angry. Sad, though, maybe even crushingly disappointed, yes. I remember that well. I remember it like it was last month, actually, because it was when I finished Mass Effect 3. Something this wonderful…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2012
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  PS Vita Firmware Updated to 1.65

  Sony has pushed live an update for PlayStation Vita users. Don’t get too excited. – A “Notification Alert” option will be added to Settings, so you can toggle alerts on or off – “After 10 minutes” will be added to the time options under Power Save Settings – An Arrow icon will now appear when…

  By Luke Plunkett Published April 3, 2012