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Would You Like Some Raw Pikachu with Your Miso Soup?
Pika Pika | CHARLOTTE, NC: A Japanese restaurant spotted by a reader. (Photo: Tail Light) They’re Big. They’re Nerdy. They’re Papier-Mâché. Every year, the Asagaya Tanabata festival is held at a covered shopping arcade near JR Asagaya Station. In Which Samus Meets Adam West Got a crazy Fancy Pants for you this week, Kotaku readers.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Can You Spot the Error in the Absurd Controller?
Let’s say, you ordered a large, 2.2 feet by 1.4 feet controller that costs $360. The controller’s production is contingent on people like you pre-ordering it. Then, you get the controller. And you noticed that something was wrong—off-—and made even more noticeable by the controller being so damn big. Can you spot it? Created by…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
In Japan, Deus Ex Is Sexual Object Free
When Western games are released in Japan, it’s not uncommon for the more graphic elements to end up on the cutting room floor. Deus Ex: Human Revolution is no exception. According to Square Enix, the Japanese version will have one cutscene modified because it shows a character’s internal organs. In an area of the game,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Would You Like a New PS3 HDMI Cable?
Because that’s exactly what you’re getting! In Japan, Sony’s launching a new HDMI cable September 8. According to the official press release, the 2.0m high-speed HDMI cable is priced at ¥1,800 is ideal for 3D movie and gaming.
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
In Which Samus Meets Adam West
Got a crazy Fancy Pants for you this week, Kotaku readers. Oh sure, there’s the normal array of people dressed up as people from Final Fantasy, Halo and Assassin’s Creed But there’s also some crazier stuff. Like a walking KOS-MOS from Xenosaga. A Samus Aran in honour of the lady’s 25th birthday. And, for good…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
It’s Time to Play the Original Deus Ex in “High Definition”
Not that you ever really use the term “high definition” on a PC, but if you did, this mod for the original Deus Ex would surely be described as such. It’s called Deus Ex: New Vision, and has replastered 75% of the walls in the game with remastered, high resolution textures that should make the…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
Pokémon‘s Pokéball Explodes Across the Sky
Every summer, huge fireworks displays light up the sky across Japan. The fireworks come in an array of colors, but the pyrotechnics don’t stop there. Some fireworks change color, some explode to form Saturn-like spheres or even Hello Kitty’s face. This year, a Pokémon Pokéball was spotted at the Nagaoka fireworks display in Niigata. Photo…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Real Life Can Be Just as Scary as a Scary Video Game
Amnesia: Dark Descent is a scary, scary video game. But just what makes it so scary? Can you, say, simply layer the game interface and soundtrack over the real world, and suddenly the real world is scary? Yes. Amnesia was released last year on the PC, and showed that scrabbling around in the dark with…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
They’re Big. They’re Nerdy. They’re Papier-Mâché.
Every year, the Asagaya Tanabata festival is held at a covered shopping arcade near JR Asagaya Station. At this festival, large papier-mâché characters cover the shopping arcade. Characters from anime, video games, and popular culture appear along side colorful orbs. Last year, there was even the Twitter whale. In the past, there’s been Sponge Bob…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Saved by the Bell: The Video Game Is the Best Thing That Never Happened
You know, it was one of the great tragedies of the 1990s that we never got a Saved by the Bell video game on the SNES. One heavily inspired by the Earthbound series, in which you had to help Zack do whatever he did for 23 minutes an episode. This clip, by the team of…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
This Year’s Hardest Game Has Been Delayed (Briefly!)
Dark Souls, the spiritual successor to Demon’s Souls, was supposed to be out on September 15. It won’t be. Instead, the game will be delayed a week to September 22. From Software, the game’s developer, stated that the game is being delayed “due to various circumstances”. From Software did not go into greater depth than…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Owl Boy Takes his First Flight This Month
There are two indie games I’m looking forward to above all others. One is Fez, but Lord knows when that will ever be released. The other is Owl Boy, which will be playable later this month. The platformer, which we’ve covered a few times here before, won’t be out for a little while yet, but…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
More Nintendo 3DS Dpad Woes
Soon after the Nintendo 3DS, photos surfaced of wrinkled 3DS buttons. The paint on the buttons and the Dpad seemed “warped”. The issue appeared isolated, but was related to the paint used on the 3DS. More photos have now surfaced showing how another 3DS had a warped D-pad that, over time, has started flaking and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Good Morning! Here’s Almost 40 Minutes of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
If the extended demonstration of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim at Quakecon was good enough to fend off the onset of child birth to watch, then maybe you should grab a snack and settle in with it as well. Captured via shakycam™, the clip has some footage you’ve seen before, but then since it’s forty…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
Goodbye Hyper Sexy Cosplay!
Comic Market, or Comiket, is a twice yearly event that showcases self-published comics. In the past, it’s also showcased obscene amounts of flesh. Real flesh. Like most nerd events, Comiket is a cosplay magnet. Cosplayers, like Ushijima Good Meat, not only pose for pictures, but they also sell their own CD-ROMs filled with sexy photos.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 8, 2011 -
Dungeons & Dragons Has Rarely Been This Sentimental
Performed by Allie Goertz, this little ditty about Dungeons & Dragons is just the thing to get your working week started with a big smile on your face. It’s like the theme song to a charming 2006 indie flick. Only, instead of a young man in tight jeans from a country town struggling to find…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
Nintendo’s Ambassador Program Ad Reads Like a Product Recall
Nintendo is slashing the price of the 3DS and giving away a ton of free games to early adopters. While I’m sure that’s grim news for those who actually work at Nintendo, the marketing for the move doesn’t have to follow suit! The first ad up top is for the British 3DS-owning public. It’s sombre…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 8, 2011 -
Samus’ Silver Anniversary
Metroid Turns 25 | Yesterday, Aug. 6, marked the 25th anniversary of Metroid’s debut. Although Nintendo has yet to formally observe the anniversary, that hasn’t stopped lifelong fans of the series, who pay tribute in this 10-minute video by Shinesparkers Hooray! Now We Know Why Bobby Kotick is in that Brad Pitt Movie Bobby Kotick’s…
By Owen Good Published August 7, 2011 -
South African Cops Make First-Ever Raid of PS3 Jailbreak Operation
In what is believed to be the world’s first-ever arrest in connection with circumventing a video game console’s security, South African authorities raided a jailbreaking operation in Johannesburg, sending one man to jail and confiscating all kinds of hardware and software the outfit used. The Commercial Crime Unit of the South African Police Service carried…
By Owen Good Published August 7, 2011 -
Pregnant Mom Fends Off Labor Long Enough to See Skyrim Demo [Updated]
About six months ago, Bethesda Softworks’ Pete Hines figured Feb. 18 was the perfect day to conceive a child, as the baby would be due on Nov. 11, the ship date for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. One couple conceived well early of that, but their baby’s birth will still forever be associated with the…
By Owen Good Published August 7, 2011