• Uncategorized

  Is This Mostly-Forgotten Square Enix Game Worth Revisiting?

  In today’s nostalgic Speak Up on Kotaku, commenter Daemon_Gildas imagines a world where Square Enix’s The Bouncer didn’t bounce from the hearts and minds of gamers so quickly. Does anybody else kinda wish Square Enix would do something with The Bouncer? The game wasn’t a great game or anything, but I thought they actually made…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012
• Culture

  The Oreo Will Be 100 Years Old in March

  Famous foodstuffs frequently double-stuffed, Oreos tun 100 next month. The Pac-Man-inspired ad on the right of the image above is just part of the campaign for the very old cookies. Here’s the most startling fact about Oreos in today’s New York Times story about the upcoming March 6 birthday: Worldwide sales for Oreo rose to…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Talk Amongst Yourselves

  We’ve beefed up security here in the official Kotaku forums, so grab yourself someone with a keen eye and get in here to talk about all things gaming. Mr Marsu forces his way into TAYpic history once more. That leaves just one day left in February, and then we move on. I’ll miss these guys.…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  Why A Video Game Blockbuster Will Finally Allow You To Be A Gay Man

  In the video game adventures of Commander Shepard, being a gay man was neither a matter of biology nor choice. It was a matter of programming. And the programming of Shepard’s first video game, 2007’s Mass Effect, made being gay impossible. And then things changed. The programming changed. You can play Shepard as if he…

  By Stephen Totilo Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Preorder This Game and Adolf Hitler Dies

  In April of 1945 the dictator of Nazi Germany took his own life in order to avoid capture by the Red Army during the Battle of Berlin. The move left millions feeling as if they were cheated out of an opportunity. The preorder bonus for Rebellion’s Sniper Elite V2 gives customers a chance to make…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012
• 

  Reviews

  SSX: The Kotaku Review

  Looking back on the original SSX titles, it’s hard to believe that they were based on an actual real-world sports activity. The snowboard riders you steered across the bright white landscapes of 2001 were near indestructible, able to shrug off massive crashes with quips and bit of boost. But, with a reboot that binds the…

  By Evan Narcisse Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  It’s Amazon Gold Box Video Game Day

  Just a friendly reminder that Amazon is firing off a Gold Box / Lightning Deal video game combo today, with Star Wars: The Old Republic for $39.99 and new bargains scheduled all day long. [Amazon]

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012
• 

  Uncategorized

  You Can Play Street Fighter X Tekken Tomorrow… in PlayStation Home

  Sony’s virtual playground turns bloody tomorrow, as the Street Fighter X Tekken Total Game Integration event elevates into violence. For the first time, PlayStation Home avatars will be able to beat the living crap out of each other. They’ve built a replica of one of the upcoming fighting game cross-over’s stages in PlayStation Home, and…

  By Mike Fahey Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  The Adobe Flash VW Bus

  Flashed | TOKYO, JAPAN: Nice bus! (Photo: azixero | GameWatchImpress) Saluting Japan’s Computer Graphics Pioneers There was a revolution in the 1980s. It started in the military and the space industry, but it didn’t use rockets or weapons. Instead, it used computers and floppy disks. More » The First Great Cosplay of 2012, in Video Form…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Let’s Be Freaked Out By The Big-Headed Girl Costume

  Hatsune Miku is a virtual idol that was originally created for Yamaha Vocaloid software. Now, Hatsune Miku pops up in her own Sega music games. Meaning? People wearing ridiculous Hatsune Miku costumes at Sega events! The costumes themselves are rather freakish—even freakier when you consider that there is a person in there waving hands and…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Well Designed Tongue Cleaners

  I’ve actually never thought that I needed an instrument to clean my tongue. I thought regular tooth brushing (and occasional tongue brushing) would handle that. I guess I was wrong. This morning, I spotted this as the store. The fact that there was a tongue cleaner—well, a whole rack of them—was not interesting per se.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A Starbucks Unlike Any You’ve Seen

  If you’ve been to one Starbucks, you’ve been to them all, right? No! You have not been to this Starbucks in Fukuoka, Japan. Designed by Kengo Kuma, this Starbucks is near Dazaifu Tenmangu, one of the country’s most important shrines. Explained Kengo Kuma and Associates: Established in 919 A.D., the shrine has been worshiped as…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• 

  Kotaku East

  This Might Be the Worst Beatles Cover Ever

  　You might know Aki Toyosaki from her voice acting in games like Final Fantasy Type-O. Or maybe you know her from her role as Yui Hirasawa in anime K-On! After this clip, you’ll know her as the woman who massacred “Hey Jude”. Toyosaki covered The Beatles tune in concert, and her rendition is a hot…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  A Total Waste of Paint. Sumioni: Demon Arts Impressions.

  Sumioni: Demon Arts is a 2D action/platformer for the PlayStation Vita inspired by the traditional Japanese painting style, “sumie.” But is this title an artistic masterpiece or does it simply fail to paint a pretty picture? Good — Progression Through Skill If there’s one good thing to say about Sumioni: Demon Arts—and I stress the…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 28, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Is This Lady the Perfect Chun-Li?

  You might have a notion of who you’d think could pull off the perfect Chun-Li. Then again, you didn’t develop Street Fighter II so what the hell do you know? Japanese illustrator Akiman, one of gaming’s most celebrated artists, illustrated Chun-Li—and a whole bunch of other cool characters. Recently on Twitter, he posted a series…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• 

  Kotaku East

  The First 20 Minutes of The Last Story in English

  The Last Story, the latest game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, made its Western debut last Friday when it was released in PAL territories. We’ve already covered the combat system and multiplayer modes from our Japanese copy of the game, so now it’s time to show you what it’s like in English—British English to…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  When Russian Hotels Have Anime Walls

  The Red Stars Hotel is one of St. Petersburg’s more unusual lodges. Unusual in that its walls are not only covered in graffiti, but graffiti inspired by various countries, including the UK, the US, Brazil, and…Japan. If you’ve ever been to Japan, you’ll know that, yes, there is graffiti in Japan. Though, I’ve never seen…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Neglected Regions Carve Out Their Own Home in The Old Republic

  When Star Wars: The Old Republic launched last December across Europe and America, players on the other side of the world were told they would have to wait until some time in the indeterminate future before they would be allowed to join Bioware’s first MMORPG. But gamers—not to mention Star Wars fans—are a determined lot.…

  By Richard Eisenbeis Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Three Women Got the Same Plastic Surgery. Wait, What?

  You know in video games, how you see the same enemy characters over and over and over again. Real life isn’t like that. Even if people are dressed in similar outfits, people look different. Except these three ladies. Japanese blogs have dug up this photo from Chinese site TT.Mop, even going as far as saying…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Saluting Japan’s Computer Graphics Pioneers

  There was a revolution in the 1980s. It started in the military and the space industry, but it didn’t use rockets or weapons. Instead, it used computers and floppy disks. The revolution was the proliferation of computer graphics, and it soon spread to entertainment. “Japanese institutions were just as avid as its American and European…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 28, 2012