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ReviewsSSX: 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 -
UncategorizedYou 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 EastThis 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 EastThe 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 -
UncategorizedThe First Great Cosplay of 2012, in Video Form
Earlier this month, Katsucon went down at the National Harbour resort in Marlyand, just outside Washington DC. There was loads of great cosplay, but since I’m in the middle of a “best in cosplay” series on Fancy Pants, haven’t been able to get to it in that weekly gallery. So in its place, here are…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012 -
UncategorizedDead Space’s Navigation System is Now a Reality
If Dead Space is to be remembered for one thing, it should be its navigation system, where pressing a button triggers an illuminated “path” in the game world showing you your destination. I don’t know if it was the first game to do this, but it was certainly the first to do it so prominently/so…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012 -
UncategorizedA Twenty-Minute Documentary About the Gender of Final Fight’s Poison
Reader Andrew points us towards this documentary. Which goes for twenty minutes. And which is entirely about the seemingly endless debate over the gender of Final Fight’s Poison. While it gets a little “high school paper” in parts, and is something we’ve pondered over once or twice ourselves, it’s still a fairly interesting watch, if…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012 -
UncategorizedJustin Bieber is Being Sued Over an iPhone Game Called “Joustin Beaver”
Video game developers RC3 have a harmless little game called Joustin Beaver for sale on the App Store. It’s $0.99, and it’s turned the teen heartthrob into a beaver. Something Justin Bieber’s attorneys aren’t very happy about. Representatives of the Canadian pop star sent a cease-and-desist letter to RC3 over the title a few weeks…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 28, 2012