• Kotaku East

  An Elevator TO SPACE

  If you thought you were going to have to wait until 2307 for Gundam 00 style space elevators, good news! You might only have to wait until 2050. That is, if a Tokyo-based company gets its way. Obayashi Corp. hopes to construct an operational elevator, able to whisk passengers 36,000km above Earth. According to the…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2012
• Kotaku East

  How One Photographer Conquered Chinese Cosplay

  A few weeks ago Kotaku showed you some cosplay photos from photographer Mengjie Luan. Meng, a 29 year-old web editor, has been snapping off pictures of Chinese cosplayers over the last 5 years. Meng sat down with me last week to show off some of his photos and to talk about the Chinese cosplay community.…

  By Eric Jou Published February 27, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Mass Effect Explained with Cute Schoolgirls

  As far as space operas go, Mass Effect‘s storyline isn’t *that* hard to follow. But if you are a latecomer to the series, you might need a primer. So what better way than with Asari schoolgirls wearing sailor uniforms? Japan’s Dengeki Online is serializing the manga, which is titled “Teach me! Professor Mordin!”. Drawn by…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Unusual Anime Promises Unusual PSP Game

  Bakemonogatari, the famous anime series based on novels by Nishio Ishin, will have its own PSP game, Bakemonogatari Portable, released in Japan this August. There’s a limited edition version with its own PSP case, a DVD and CD with bonus content, and a special booklet with gaming info. Aiming to keep the anime series’ unique…

  By Toshitaka Tachibana Published February 27, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Fake iPhone Gas Stoves Seized in China

  Apple makes a lot of different things, such as laptops, displays, and phones. It does not make gas stoves—regardless if the Apple logo and iPhone brand seem to indicate otherwise. I know better, you know better, and the Chinese government knows better. On Feb. 23 in Wuhan, authorities raided a warehouse with stacks of green…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

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

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2012
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  Brazilians Shake Their Asses to Mario

  Brazil’s Carnival parades are some of the biggest, and certainly the danciest shindigs on Earth. Especially when they draft the Mushroom Kingdom in to help out. Reader Marcelo sends us these clips taken over the weekend in the Rio suburb of Santa Teresa, as a Mario-themed posse shakes their way down the streets. I’ve seen…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2012
• Uncategorized

  The Very Best In Cosplay: Beethy

  Our running focus on the very best in cosplay is not, as some may have noticed, just looking at models/costume builders. We’ve also been looking at the people behind the camera, like LJinto and Eric Ng Or, in today’s case, Australian photographer Benjamin “Beethy” Koelewijn. Beethy has most recently been taking snaps of the new,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2012
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  The Dog from the Oscars Also Works for Nintendo

  This month is Responsible Pet Owners Month. And to mark it, Nintendo hired Uggie, the Jack Russell terrier from The Artist, as its official spokesdog. This month is also the Academy Awards. During last night’s Oscar presentation, Uggie was on stage as The Artist won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He donned a bowtie…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published February 27, 2012
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  Minecraft, now With 100% Added Salt

  Bashir Sultani, who in all seriousness I am about to label a salt artist, likes to draw things using salt. Like Minecraft creepers. We saw him last year going all Modern Warfare on us, but I think I like this better. It’s quainter. Which fits, since the dude is drawing pictures with salt. Which is…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2012
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  The Anatomy of Amazing LEGO Pokémon

  LEGO builder Mike Nieves has put together these two awesome Pokémon models, one showing Gyarados ready to bite someone’s face off, the other a Magikarp stripped bare to the bones. Literally. So if you’ve ever fancied yourself as a Pokémon osteologist, a rare but dignified branch of Pokémonology, take notes. retinence’s photostream [Flickr, via Brothers…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 27, 2012
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  The Perfect Moves of an Asshole Video Game Bad Guy

  I want to talk about the medusa head, an enemy that has appeared in at least as many games as the goomba in Super Mario, but which moves in a more complex way. The pattern it follows is called a sine wave, and it was inevitable that a memorable entity in one of the most…

  Hamish Todd Published February 27, 2012
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  Please do not get Excited Over This Sonic 4: Episode 2 Footage

  So Sonic 4: Episode 1 was a bit of a disappointment. Which should have surprised nobody, but hey, you can’t rely on Sonic fans (which, really most of us are, deep down) for rational expectations of upcoming products So it’s with trepidation, and not excitement, that we take a look at this gameplay footage from…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 26, 2012
• Reviews

  FIFA Football Vita: The Kotaku Review

  I’m still a little shocked. I mean, I love my football and I generally love my FIFA, but if you’d told me two months ago that the single best game available at the Vita’s launch would be this, a handheld port of a game that’s just in time for the end of the European season,…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 26, 2012
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  Mass Effect 3’s Live-Action Trailer is the End of the World as we Know it

  This is a new live-action trailer for Mass Effect 3. Because an expensive pre-rendered one last week wasn’t enough! Kind of wish it had stopped at the collapsing roof. The “end of the world” stuff from the perspective from Joe on the Street is a neat angle to show a bombastic sci-fi game from, so…

  By Luke Plunkett Published February 26, 2012
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  R2-D2 Birdhouse? R2-D2 Birdhouse

  I Bet Birds Actually Understand R2 | Hand-painted R2-D2 birdhouse by Nirdhouse of Etsy. NirdHouse also has C-3PO and Mario designs. (via Neatorama) Pokémon Black 2, Pokémon White 2 Coming This Summer As promised, Junichi Masuda, the director of Pokemon Black and White appeared on Japanese TV show Pokémon Sunday today to announce the next…

  By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012
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  I Bet I Know Why You Will Play Kinect Star Wars’ Dance-Off At Least Once

  It’s going to take a hell of a turnaround to get me to change my tune on Kinect Star Wars. Yeah, Totilo said the game’s improved over what I played at E3, but, come on, a dancing game? I mean, how stupid is that. Do I look like a guy who wants to— fast forwards…

  By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012
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  The Pac-Man Saturday Morning Cartoon is Coming to DVD Next Week

  Despite how silly it looks, the Pac-Man animated series broadcast on ABC in the early 1980s was a modest success. It lasted only two seasons, but that can partly be attributed to the crash of home console video gaming taking the subject off people’s minds. What’s crazy to me is that it was an animated…

  By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Looks Like Kingdom Hearts 3D Comes West in Late July

  Square-Enix’s official French store briefly listed Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream, Drop, Distance for release on July 27 before the company pulled back the listing and replaced it with “Summer 2012.” Either way, it’s a more precise release window than what we’d heard before. Square may be pulling back the Western release date just to give…

  By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012
• Culture

  Someday the Mountain Might Get ‘Em

  The franchise restart of SSX carves this week’s fresh powder, joined by the North American release of Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor 2 and WAKFU‘s arrival on PC. Monday •PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond (Wii) Tuesday •Binary Domain (PS3, 360) •Mortal Kombat Komplete Edition (PS3, 360) •The Lord of the Rings Online: Mithril Edition (PC) •SSX…

  By Owen Good Published February 26, 2012