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The Sexy and Sadistic Nintendo Art of NekoshowguN
You might not know Japanese illustrator NekoshowguN. But you damn well should. The young artist first made her splash as part of the Osaka art collective Digmeout. She’s done art for music games GuitarFreaks and DrumMania, but her highest profile work to date is lead character and weapon design for Goichi Suda‘s upcoming hack-and-slash Lollipop…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
What Does Over a Decade of Cosplay Look Like?
For all intents and purposes, HezaChan has been cosplaying since the dawn of the internet. Granted, loads of people were online before 2001 (many of you included), but take a look back at her cosplay photos from 2001. It looks like a million years ago. HezaChan’s first cosplay was Saber Marionette J at the 2001…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
This Man Can’t Stop Building Awesome Mass Effect Weapons
Hey, it’s Zander Brandt! Builder of fake Team Fortress 2 guns and fake Mass Effect guns, he’s back with…another fake Mass Effect gun. And this one’s great. It’s one of the best-looking guns in the franchise, the M-96 Mattock Assault Rifle, and doesn’t just look like it’s made of metal (it’s not, it’s made of…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
You Cannot Kill the PS2. It Will Not Die.
The PlayStation 2 was released back in Oct. 2000. That’s well over a decade ago, and the damn thing is still selling—and selling lots As Kotaku marveled back in Feb. 2011, the PS2 continues to shift consoles. And today, Kotaku will marvel at this some more. According to an official Sony Computer Entertainment release, “The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
Stylish or Ugly? The PS Vita Gets New Carrying Cases
Beams, the Japanese hipster brand, is designing a set of PS Vita carrying cases, straps, and clothes. Have a look. The Beams Design Pouch and Strap Set goes on sale Mar. 22 in Japan. Available in Dark Gray, Impact Blue, and Red & Dark Blue, each set is priced at ¥2,800 or US$37. The PS…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 -
UncategorizedRefused: New Noise
Some awesome news yesterday for anyone who’s going to this year’s Coachella: Swedish punk legends Refused are getting the band back together and will be playing at the show. If you don’t know why this is good news, see above. Formed in 1991, Refused broke up in 1998 just as their masterpiece, The Shape of…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
Who Wants To Crap Next to a Window?
Tokyo is expensive. That new Shinjuku office Square Enix is moving into must cost a large fortune. Some of the country’s most expensive real estate is Tokyo’s Ginza and Osaka’s Umeda. There are deals to be had, but land is expensive and space comes at a premium in big cities. That doesn’t stop people from…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
Live and Breathe Japanese Games? Kotaku Is Now Hiring.
Occasionally, people ask me, “Brian Ashcraft, is Kotaku ever hiring?” To which I reply, “No, random person, it is not.” But if you were to ask me that same question today, I’d have a very different answer. Kotaku is looking for a few good men/women/whatever in the Tokyo area for increased Japanese gaming coverage. Do…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Culture
Runescape is Getting a Facelift. Here’s Some Art.
Here’s something cool. Runescape, the venerable (and hideous) MMO that’s now over ten years old, is getting a graphical overhaul later this year. Before the new models take their place in the game, though, concept artists had a tricky challenge. How to maintain the identity of such ancient characters but update them for 2012? And…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
The PS Vita’s Best-Looking Game Gets a New Heroine, Multiple Endings
Sumioni—a wonderful, upcoming PS Vita game—is getting a new female character, a princess named Mitsuhime. You must rescue her! According to Famitsu, the game will also feature multiple endings—three to be exact. During last year’s Tokyo Game Show, I got hands on with Sumioni. It was the best title I played at the show, and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
An Aliens Colonial Marines Collectors Edition? Bay 12, Please.
The Frenchmen at Gamekyo have posted images of what looks like a very big, very fancy collectors edition for Aliens Colonial Marines The news isn’t that it’s getting one, because every game gets one these days. The news is that this one comes with a big resin statue of a Marine strapped into a Cargo…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 10, 2012 - Uncategorized
Check Out Square Enix’s Brand New Headquarters
This Summer Square Enix, the home of everything from Final Fantasy to (these days) Deus Ex, will be moving house, shifting its headquarters to a brand new building located in Shinjuku’s East Side Square. It looks like a hospital. From the future. [via Gamasutra]
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 - Uncategorized
Kinect Coming to Windows on February 1 (and Costs $250??) [Update]
Microsoft has announced that Kinect is coming to Windows on February 1. While you’ll of course be playing games on it, as has been explained when the crossover was first revealed, there’s more to it than just waving your arms to play Microsoft Flight. There are a number of office and communications uses for it…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 - Uncategorized
Xbox 360 Getting Fox News, Wall Street Journal
Hope you Xbox 360 owners in the US like your News Corp and Fox, because later this year there’ll be a range of apps bringing Murdoch-owned content like Fox News, IGN, The Wall Street Journal, Family Guy, House and The Simpsons to the console, all available on demand.
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 - CultureTotal Recall
The Legend of the Legend of Zelda Board Games
In 1988, Milton Bradley released a Legend of Zelda board game. Awesomely, it wasn’t a lazy conversion of an existing game like we see now, with Nintendo Monopoly or Metal Gear Risk. It was a game specifically tailored for Zelda And take a look at that box art! Amazing stuff. The game was based on…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 -
UncategorizedThere are now 66 Million Xbox 360 Consoles In the Wild
Microsoft announced just ahead of its CES keynote that the Xbox 360 has sold 66 million units worldwide. Kinect has sold 18 million. And there are just under 40 million Xbox Live users. That’s…a lot of people not connected to Xbox Live!
By Luke Plunkett Published January 9, 2012 - Uncategorized
The Saga of Ken Levine and the E3 Ice Cream
Our friends over at Unwinnable have posted the unforgettable story of “The Rapture of Ken Levine.” What does the Bioshock creator enjoy even more than talking about his latest game? Delicious frozen yogurt, as it turns out. They’ve got the pics to prove it.
By Kirk Hamilton Published January 9, 2012
