- Kotaku East
They Say this Earthquake Town Is Haunted
On March 11, 2011, an earthquake and ensuing tsunami destroyed the town of Ishinomaki. Nearly a year has passed. Kids might be back at school, reconstruction might be underway, but things will never be the same—not with all those the town lost. “If you know someone who was killed, and the death was so sudden,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 - Kotaku East
From Generic Bullet Fodder to Distinguished Heroes: Koreans in Video Games.
“Are you a North Korean?” I’ve been asked this question as often in America as I’ve been asked by Koreans if I own a gun, because all Americans own guns. The answer to both is “no”. The two questions are too absurd to be borne, and the answer to both questions is obvious, but if…
By Chi Lee Published February 29, 2012 - Uncategorized
Yakuza Designer Now Has More Incentive to Never Leave Sega
Toshihiro Nagoshi has undergone many changes while at Sega. His latest? He’s now slated to become Sega’s Chief Creative Officer. Good news, because he said he’d never leave the company. [Famitsu]
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 - Kotaku East
Every Korean Gets Wi-Fi. For Free.
On February 28, LG U+, the mobile and telecommunications subsidiary of one of Korea’s largest conglomerates, has made it possible for anybody living in South Korea to access free Wi-Fi services, regardless of carrier subscription. All you have to do is register for an ID with LG U+ and you can connect to LG U+’s…
By Chi Lee Published February 29, 2012 - Kotaku East
Squid Character Recreated with Real Squid. She Is Not Cute.
Squid Girl or Ika Musume as she’s known in Japan is a popular Japanese manga and anime. The character is funny and cute. This real-life Squid Girl recreation, while funny, sure as hell ain’t cute—with her blue tentacles replaced with real tentacles. It’s the Uncanny Valley of food characters. Or something. イカめしめ作ったったwwwwwwwww [オタクニュース] (Top photo:…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 -
Kotaku EastMan Builds One Piece Slingshot. He Shoots It, Throws It, Scares Me.
Joerg Sprave doesn’t just build slingshots, he builds them and then shoots (slings?) them. His latest creation? A slingshot that will look familiar to any One Piece fan. In One Piece, of its characters, Usopp, used a long staff called a kabuto. Joerg recreated this weapon and then tested it out. Be sure to stick…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 - Kotaku East
This Is The Ugliest 3DS Ever
It really, really is. It’s horrendous. And I say this as someone who thinks both the 3DS and the Dragon Quest character Slime are well designed. Starting May 31, this Ice White Nintendo 3DS is being bundled with the 3DS version of Dragon Quest Monsters, a 3D release of the 1998 Game Boy Color game.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 - Kotaku East
Where Japanese Thugs Meet and Date Online
You are not alone. If you’re into video games, I bet you can easily find a companion who is, too. What if you are in to getting into fights and acting tough? Sure, if you are a Japanese hooligan, you can find others with similar hard nosed interests. And now that’s just gotten a whole…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 29, 2012 - Uncategorized
Are These Doom 4 Screenshots?
These images, supposedly from Doom 4, have popped up. It seems they were inadvertently spilled by the portfolio of artist Thao Le, a senior environmental artist at id Software (and since taken down). Turning up alongside the images, a user on 4chan has, in addition to sharing the pics, also claimed that the game has…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 - Uncategorized
This Wii Controller Looks Like Samus’ Arm Cannon
I don’t think this counts as a mod, since all the guy’s done is stick a Wii Remote inside a giant replica of Samus Aran’s arm cannon from Metroid, but still…it means you can play Metroid Prime with a giant replica of an arm cannon. If you think/say “but it’ll get tiring”, you’re missing the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 -
UncategorizedHey Quake Fans, Here’s What an Actual Railgun Looks Like
Say the word “railgun” around a PC gamer and they’ll instantly start telling you stories about the Quake series, and how it’s such an awesome weapon in a make-believe future universe. They’re right on the former, but on the latter, not so much, because railguns are real, and the US Navy has one. Here it…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 - Culture
These Men Design Video Game Guns for a Living
rmory Studios occupy a fascinating little niche in the video game concept art business: they specialise in the design of firearms. Based in Southern Germany, rmory is “particularly proud of and known for our believable, functioning and appealing weapon designs”. While guns are the team’s top priority, they also handle peripheral items like “gadgets” and…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 -
UncategorizedA Gaming Comedy Series That Actually Looks Funny? Surely Not.
You wouldn’t believe the number of comedy series and shorts that get crammed in our collective inboxes on a weekly basis. You may believe, however, that the majority of them are pretty awful. Which is why Gamestore is such a surprise. Because it actually looks pretty good. If you’ve ever worked at a video game…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 - Uncategorized
Syndicate Pirates Get Unexpected Career Advice
Those unscrupulous sorts pirating the recent PC release of Starbreeze’s Syndicate have found a little surprise buried inside the release. And it’s not some kind of punishment or DRM. It’s…career advice? A message, which at first appears to be cracking instructions, is actually a note from Starbreeze to those digging through the pirated game’s files,…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 - Uncategorized
Indie Game Blocked by Nintendo Over “Questionable Religious Content”
One of 2011’s more pleasant surprises was The Binding of Isaac, a game Totilo described as “a wonderfully warped Old Testament take on The Legend of Zelda“. It’s been out on Steam for months now, but was also slated to appear on the 3DS eShop as a downloadable purchase. That was until Nintendo took a…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallIn Loving Memory of Namco’s Ace Driver
The 1990s were a great time for arcade racing games. Daytona, Cruis’n USA, the original Ridge Racer…but for all the quality on offer there, my friends and I spent more time and money on one game than any other. And that game was Namco’s Ace Driver First released in 1994, Ace Driver doesn’t look terribly…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 29, 2012 - CultureTotal Recall
It’s the Last Chance Saloon for Joy Division
This background art is from SNK’s Fatal Fury 3. Drink it in. It’s glorious, no? Then, when you’re done, take a closer look at the full image below (click to embiggen), and read some of the stuff written on the buildings. [via SpecSNK] Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012