In the past we here at Kotaku East have talked a lot about Hatsune Miku and some of Japan’s other virtual idols. But the one thing we haven’t really touched on so far are the numerous fictional singers of Japan. While initially designed to be pop stars in manga or anime, these singers have transcended…
Standing out in the world of Japanese pin-up models is not easy. Being attractive is often not enough! Anna Amamiya decided the best way for her to separate herself from the competition was an anime mask. Debuting in 2010, Amamiya released an image DVD, which featured her in various provocative poses, wearing said anime mask.…
While Square Enix recently confirmed that it is still making Final Fantasy Versus XIII and that it’ll be out when it’s good and ready, some fans are having a hard time waiting. It’s only been six years. What’s the rush? Recently, a group of fans on the GameFAQs boards banded together to form Project Crystallis…
As we move toward the end of the year, it can mean only one thing: it’s time for a new game with everyone’s favorite virtual idol, Hatsune Miku. Project Diva f, this year’s iteration in the series, is filled with firsts. There are new game mechanics, new songs, new costumes, and a from-the-ground-up graphical revamp…
Next year, Clamp’s supernatural manga xxxHolic is getting a live-action series in Japan.
If you’ve seen the wonderful Ghibli anime Whisper of the Heart (and if you have not, you should), you’ll know that the it features John Denver’s “Take Me Home, Country Roads” throughout. The Japanese version of that tune is fantastic. The lyrics are different, of course, but they’re still wonderful and rousing. So is this…
There were many things I expected when I picked up Hatsune Miku: Project Diva f: Vocaloid songs, Miku in tons of crazy costumes, the ability to make “Call Me Maybe” into a playable level, new touch screen controls, and a major graphical overhaul—as the series takes the leap from the PSP to Vita. What I…
The upcoming HD version of Zone of the Enders is getting a “Premium Package”. It’s enormous and heavy. Don’t believe me? Compare below! The game and this jumbo-sized collector’s edition will be out in October. 重いw, 並べてみたw [@Kojima_Hideo] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan,…
And, let me tell you, I’ve been looking! So here you go, the Neon Genesis Evangelion humidifier, which is based on the iconic anime of the same name. It features Eva Unit 01 standing atop NERV head1quarters in Evangelion and looks more like a diorama and less like a humidifier. It also looks completely bonkers.…
Dragon Quest X Wii U will appear at the Tokyo Game Show as part of a stage demo.
Nope. Nothing like it at all. It’s totally different. No way could anyone call Little Masters a Pokémon rip-off. Just look at it. See? Totally different. Recently released on iOS, Little Masters is a game in which you caught monsters, train them, and have them fight. Know why they call the game “Little Masters”? Because…
Being super famous is difficult. Just ask Jeremy Lin! That dude is super famous—in the US and especially in Asia. This video shows how the hoopster escaped Linsanity while in Taipei: by wearing a Hello Kitty mask. Cool video, but there’s something Lin couldn’t escape: all those Nike logos! A Late Night Escape in Taipei…
Check out more footage of Demon Training (Nintendo’s new Brain Age) here. Lotsa math and floating heads.
This summer, the K-pop single “Gangnam Style” hasn’t only been popular in its native South Korea, but it has also captured the imagination of those outside the country. Gangnam is a ritzy area of Seoul and the term “Gangnam style” obviously refers to that district. However, Gangnam wasn’t always galloping horse dances, tennis courts, and…
Zynga, the home to games like Farmville, doesn’t seem to be the greatest place on Earth to work. It’s not entirely awful, though. Here’s a new multiplayer gaming setup built into the company’s cafeteria. That’s sixteen screens. Is it enough to make me want to work there? Hell no. Is it enough to make me…
The use of glorified video games to train military personnel is nothing new, but traditionally, it’s been pretty stodgy stuff, not really the kind of thing casual users would be particularly jealous of. This stuff, though, I am jealous of. Laser Shot is a company that specialises in providing military training gear to clients like…
My last keyboard that broke, I gave it to my kid. It’s now being used for tea parties. The one before that ended up straight in the bin. How wasteful I’m being! Instead of disposing of dead hardware, I could have been recycling it all this time, turning the keys into awesome portraits of celebrities…
This is a commercial for Hitachi’s H2 model of the MSX, Microsoft’s unsung hero of Japan’s gaming past. The soothing tones, the brilliant whites, the computer-generated animal…this is the future, people. The distant, star-gazing future! Where video games are so advanced they’re sold not on discs, or downloaded over communications networks, but put on cassette…
In 1989, Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto sat down with Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii for an interview. The two spoke about practically everything, from game design to their latest titles (like Link to the Past) to the future, but what I found most interesting was the pair’s ideas on making games about teaching. Both had…
Here’s another look at Dragon Fantasy Book II, out for PlayStation 3 and Vita early next year. As you can see, it’s very SNESish. Gotta love that fake Mode 7
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