• Kotaku East

  Colonel Sanders Sure Looks Like Hell

  In Japan, Colonel Sanders is an iconic part of pop culture. There are Kentucky Fried Chickens across the country. In front of each shop, there’s a glasses-wearing Colonel Sanders statue. And boy, can they ever look scary. Don’t believe me? Above is the Colonel from the Akihabara KFC. When it recently snowed in the geek…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  This New Japanese RPG Has Soul

  Rather, make that, “Sol”. Dubbed Sol Trigger, this Japanese role-playing game is Imageepoch’s upcoming title. It features character design from Shuji Sogabe of Persona 4 (the comic) and God Eater fame and a game scenario from Kazushige Nojima, who wrote Final Fantasy VII and Kingdom Hearts. Big names! Sol Trigger is slated for the PSP…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  All You Need to Punch a Stranger is a $9,000 Watch

  An old man in the subway car near the seats reserved for the elderly, the handicapped, and pregnant women, grips the rack above with one hand; next to him is an older hiker, weighed down by heavy gear on his back, who carries his jacket, a second bag, and his age like a shield in…

  By Chi Lee Published March 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Ladies Come for the Comics, Stay for the Pornography

  Men aren’t the only ones reading adult comics and watching adult videos. (Shocking, I know!) In Japan, there are mature manga and porno flicks for females. Yet, women might feel reluctant to walk into their local convenience store and flip through dirty mags or rent X-rated DVDs at the video store. Good thing there are…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
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  Kotaku East

  These Foreigners Want To Marry 7-Eleven

  Now they don’t want to really marry 7-Eleven, but they’re more than happy to sing about going there—and wanting to marry it. Made by a bunch of foreign exchange students, the song is called “Konbini Ikou” (“Let’s Go to the Convenience Store”). In Japan, the vid went viral, racking up well over 100,000 YouTube views.…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  When You Say Japanese Games “Just Suck”

  Remember a decade ago? Heck, remember six or seven years ago? I do. I remember telling Japanese gamers that Western games were great and seeing the wry smiles. I remember hearing that the Xbox didn’t have any games on it Japanese people wanted to play—a polite way of saying Western games stink. How things have…

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Conquering the World with Flying Penguins

  Based in Seoul, Korea and Los Angeles, California, Gamevil describes itself as a world class leader in mobile game publishing. While “world class leader” is sometimes the language of arrogance or deceit, Gamevil was able to show the rest of the Korean mobile market this month that it can back its claims with numbers. That…

  By Chi Lee Published March 7, 2012
• Kotaku East

  Kotaku East Starts Now

  Kotaku East runs from 4am to 8am EST. For more info about Kotaku East click here

  By Brian Ashcraft Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Medal of Honor: Warfighter Leaves Afghanistan to Fight Pirates

  So, the upcoming Medal of Honor is still trying to say it’s authentic while showing Call of Duty-esque blockbuster moments. Some things will never change, but some things do, like a lot of the trimmings and context of this reboot’s sequel. In a nice nod to the fact video games are enjoyed by people living…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  You Won’t Believe the Scale of This Video Game World

  Last year, we told you about the Outerra engine, an ambitious plan to build a system for video game developers (and other software applications) that could make use of entire worlds. The video we showed you then was impressive, but is now less so, because this new clip is even better. The first was from…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  SimCity Already has Bonus Content, System Specs and 16-player Multiplayer, Apparently

  EA has already launched an Origin page for its new SimCity, revealing that those picking up the Digital Deluxe Edition will be getting a range of content that includes supervillain lairs and European city packs. Those buying either the Digital Deluxe or Limited Edition sets will get access to a range of superhero content, including…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
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  Uncategorized

  Brace Yourself, Mass Effect 3, a Giant Little Girl’s Got You

  Mass Effect 3’s fancy cinematic trailer gets the “literal” treatment in this clip that, as often as it grates, manages to bring a smile to the face. The trailer was put together by YouTube users Tobuscus, who practically does this for a living these days

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Someone Has Already Made a Replica Assassin’s Creed III Tomahawk

  Sometimes, the internet moves so fast it makes your head spin. Take this piece of fan art, for example. It’s been less than a week since we knew what Assassin’s Creed III’s hero looked like, yet in that time somebody has managed to already build a replica tomahawk that looks identical to the one he…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Culture

  The Concept Art of Mass Effect 3

  So, Mass Effect 3 is now out. And everyone who has played it for a few hours, or even been keeping up with it via trailers and screenshots, knows it’s a very pretty game. Something we’re celebrating here with this look at some of the game’s concept art. If you don’t own the game’s accompanying…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  What if Video Games Were Old-Timey Movies?

  Sacramento graphic artist Bao Nguyen has done these great title cards, depicting modern video game legends as classic film credits. His site is worth a look for more gaming stuff, including some explorations in Street Fighter typography and a different take on the Dead Space logo. Bao Office [Site, via Albotas]

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  Assassin’s Creed III Features 4-Player Co-op?

  According to a report on Eurogamer, a listing for Assassin’s Creed III briefly appeared last night on Xbox.com before being hurriedly taken down. Why? Maybe because it had a listing for “Online co-op 2-4 [players]”. Now, it could have been taken down because this information wasn’t supposed to go live yet. That happens all the…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• Uncategorized

  The Tallest Building on Earth is Half-Life 2’s Citadel

  And you thought it was some giant building in Dubai. Nope. According to measurements converted from in-game models ad referenced for scale, City 17’s own Citadel, constructed by the Combine, easily takes the cake. Standing at 8430 feet tall, the Citadel easily, ahem, towers over the competition, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa only managing to get 2723…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  This is how to Play Ms. Pac-Man Like a, Well, Man

  Or at least a young adult. So adorable. Brewer’s Arcade [Flickr, via Arcade Nation]

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 7, 2012
• CultureTotal Recall

  What is This, Sonic or Mirror’s Edge?

  This is from Sonic Advance 3, released on the Game Boy Advance in 2004. But boy, it looks a lot more like a demake of Mirror’s Edge, no? [via Noirlac] Total Recall is a look back at the history of video games through their characters, franchises, developers and trends. You’ll find Total Recall stories every…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 6, 2012
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  CultureTotal Recall

  This Game is Terribly Sorry About Michael Jackson, S&M and Dead Japanese Politicians

  In Japan, this game was called Gonbee I’m Sorry. In the West, it’s more commonly referred to as just I’m Sorry. But really, it has nothing to be sorry about whatsoever. Because it’s wonderful. Not to play, necessarily. I’ll be honest, I’ve never played it. But just as a thing, as an idea, it’s amazing.…

  By Luke Plunkett Published March 6, 2012