Back before the release of Phantasy Star Online 2 on the PC, one of its main selling points was that it would eventually be released on the PlayStation Vita as well. Now, nearly a year after the game's PC launch, this has finally come to pass. And while the Vita version of the game remains largely identical, it is the little changes that make it enjoyable on Sony's pint-sized system.

Good — Online Play Anytime, Anywhere

Perhaps the most amazing thing about PSO2 on the Vita is the ability to play over 3G networks. This of course means you can play it anytime, anywhere—if your Vita is the 3G model anyway. And while my Vita is strictly Wi-Fi (and I certainly encountered no lag playing that way), players on Gamefaqs are report no issues playing over 3G.

Good — Portable Interface and Controls

PSO2 plays very well on the Vita, and instead of feeling like you're playing a knock-off port, it feels identical to its PC big brother—only on a smaller screen. The controls work well and using the touch panel for selecting your items on the shortcut bar is a great touch.

Best of all, though, is how they handle the text chat system. Instead of covering up half the screen with a touch keyboard, the game instead switches to a picture-in-picture interface with the game screen re-sized to about a fourth its normal size in the corner. You're still able to move your character in this configuration; so if you are attacked in the middle of typing a sentence, you can run away and still finish typing.

Mixed — Vita Centric Gameplay Changes

The interface changes aren't the only changes in the Vita version of PSO2, however. Each server now has a set of Vita/PC cross play instances as well as Vita-only instances for those who don't wish to play alongside PC players.

And in all instances that allow Vita play, amount of monsters you encounter at once has been lowered slightly with the randomly generated areas made a bit smaller as well to make for smoother portable experience. While I found this difference hardly noticeable, hardcore PC players my be annoyed they are not getting exactly the same experience that is available on the PC.

Mixed — It is Still Just PSO2

As far as free-to-play online RPGs go, PSO2 is pretty darn good. The graphics look nice, the combat is fast-paced, and it has a great and helpful community. Still, the same basic areas are repeated over and over in the randomly generated maps, and the story isn't exactly what you would call "deep." And compared with MMO giants like World of Warcraft or Guild Wars 2, it clearly isn't even close to the same level.

Final Thoughts

If your Vita is sitting around gathering dust (or even if it isn't), Phantasy Star Online 2 is definitely worth a try. It's not a groundbreaking online game, but it is free and, most importantly, fun.

If you want to try it for yourself, check out our guides on "How to make a Japanese PSN account," "How to switch your Vita to the Japanese region," "How to navigate the Japanese PSN on your Vita" and "How to sign up for Phantasy Star Online 2."

Phantasy Star Online 2 was released for the PlayStation Vita on February 28, 2013. The PC version of the game is scheduled for an early 2013 Western release.

When you think of plastic models, you probably think about cutting out parts from those leftover frames (called "sprues"). Painting said parts. Then, putting the kit together to make a robot, a car, or an airplane. You probably do not think of sex toys.

As Kotaku Japan points out, this plastic model kit isn't your typical model. It's a build-your-own-vibrator kit and comes in a retro style box that proudly points out that the model is so easy to build, anyone can do it. (It also says that you can even customize your vibe, but the retailer does warn about how you customize it!)

The product's concept and packaging are novel and totally tongue-in-cheek. This looks like something you'd see for a Japanese robot toy from the 1960s or 70s—not a sex toy.

This type of vibrator is called a "rotor" (ローター) in Japanese. In English, it's a "love egg". Put together your own for a mere ¥630 (US$6.68). It's available at the Japanese sex toy retailer in the link below.

ハイパーダッシュローター [NLS NSFW via Kotaku Japan]

A short line, mind you. Just three dudes. But a very heroic line.

It's no secret that StarCraft is very much a thing in South Korea—and has been for some time. So it should not be surprising to see some of the country's StarCraft diehards already in line for the game's upcoming expansion.

These three fellas were complete strangers until they all showed up, days early, at the venue in Seoul where the Heart of the Swarm's launch event will be held on March 12. The expansion pack will also go on sale there, and according to Blizzard, there will be 2,000 collector's editions available for purchase.

The high number reflects how Blizzard underestimated the overwhelming demand for collector's editions during the Diablo III launch event.

Before the launch event on Monday, the same venue is holding the Global Starcraft League finals on Sunday. Guess they're first in line for that, too! Good thing one of them brought a suitcase.

HotS/StarCraft2 [Raynor's Smart & Game Thanks, Sang!]

Over the past few weeks, I've been thinking a lot about the connection between games and anime and how as a young gamer I would eagerly watch any game adaptation I could get my hands on. Sometimes (many times) I wound up entering a world of disappointment. However, other times I would come across a movie that I really enjoyed.

Despite never being a hardcore fighting gamer, I spent more than a little of my youth playing Street Fighter II. And so I was overjoyed when I randomly came across the Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie on HBO for the first time in the late nineties. I also remember thinking that it was a great telling of the Street Fighter II story. And since I hadn't see the film since high school, I dropped by my local video store (yes, these still exist in Japan) on a nostalgic whim and grabbed a copy. I'm glad I did as Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie remains, even after all these years, the best fighting game movie—anime or live action—I have ever seen.

Good — Excellent Choreography

As an anime based on a fighting game, good fight scenes are key. And by and large, Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie delivers. The fights in the film are numerous and well choreographed. In an excellent creative choice, the fight scenes stick closer to a realistic portrayal of martial arts than in the games; and attacks like the hadouken, sonic boom, and lightning kick are treated as rare and powerful special attacks. The Chun Li versus Vega fight and the Ryu and Ken versus M. Bison battles are especially well done—mixing perfectly realistic martial arts with signature Street Fighter moves.

Good — Well Managed Characters

One of the main problems in adapting any fighting game to film is the sheer amount of characters. Even the original Street Fighter II had twelve characters, and more were introduced in the updated versions of the game. The film gets around this by focusing on five characters: Ryu, Ken, Chun Li, Guile, and M. Bison. This is further streamlined by having Chun Li and Guile become partners and by having Ryu and Ken constantly dish out plot exposition of their shared history.

But even though only five characters receive the movie's focus, most of the rest of the cast from Super Street Fighter II Turbo get a fight scene if nothing else—except for Akuma who just has to settle for a brief cameo.

Mixed — Drags A Bit at Times

When the film isn't showing awesome fight scenes is when it begins to stumble. Parts of the film—like a one minute and 20 second scene of M. Bison walking through his base or the numerous Ryu/Ken flashback scenes—break the film's pace and feel more than a little like padding. Of course, the numerous fight scenes with the non-main Street Fighter characters are technically padding as well, but fan service and the fight choreography keep those scenes captivating.

Mixed — The Music

When I took a look at Final Fantasy: Legend of the Crystals last month, one of my biggest complaints is how badly music was used—with no music at all used in several climactic moments. Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie is also an interesting case as to the effect of music on a film—though not because the music is bad. Rather, it's that the Japanese and American versions of this film use completely different sound tracks.

While the Japanese version is scored with typical 90s anime background music (read: forgettable elevator music) with the occasional well-done J-rock or J-pop song accentuating the important scenes, the American version is a mix of grunge and techno—it even has music from Korn and Alice in Chains—the result of which is two very different-feeling versions of the film.

Take Chun Li's amazing fight scene with Vega (video to the left). The Japanese version starts with an acoustic guitar song; the American version with an electronica track. Then, each transitions into a new song, with the Japanese version being generic background music and the American version being the KMFDM song "Ultra." Regardless of whether you like the Japanese or American soundtrack, comparing the two is endlessly fascinating.

Final Thoughts

I was completely blown away by how well Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie has held up in the twenty years since its creation. It has excellent fight scenes and manages to be true to the game's story while streamlining it at the same time. Moreover, it manages to be a film that both gamers and non-gamers can enjoy. And, for a late 90s anime, it still looks pretty darn good—though it could definitely use a digital remaster. If it weren't for recent films like Ace Attorney, this could arguably be one of the best game movies of all time.

Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie was released in 1996 and is currently available on DVD.

Studio Ghibli still uses traditional animation techniques. You know, hand-drawn. And while it did loan out Totoro—well, a plush toy version—from My Neighbor Totoro to Pixar's computer boffins for Toy Story 3, don't look to Studio Ghibli to go all digital anytime soon.

But if Studio Ghibli does, its characters would probably look something like this.

This, of course, is the character Mei from My Neighbor Totoro. These computer generated images are not new and date from 2009 (so old!). But they're still fantastic. They were created by ZBrushCentral forum member d8Ds as part of a "hardcore modeling challenge".

Above are various expressions Mei makes in the original animated film. You can see how d8Ds brought them to life in highly expressive, totally adorable 3D digital models.

The character totally works in computer graphics. Here is an array of expressions:

And, yes, that's Mei drunk!

Mei, HMC 15 expressions [d8Ds@ZBrushCentral]

Let's face it, over the years there have been some pretty terrible English dubs of Japanese games. Moreover, these horrible dubs often replace an excellent Japanese voice cast. Now while there is nothing wrong with liking your Japanese games in English with English voices, have you ever wished you could just play some of your favorite Japanese games in the original Japanese with English subtitles? Well, you're not the only one.

For years now, various game hackers from across the net have been taking their favorite Japanese games and "undubbing" them. Simply put, after getting the game both in English and in the original Japanese, they replace the English audio files with the audio files extracted from the Japanese version. The result is just what you'd expect: a fully localized version of the game but now with Japanese voices.

Of course, creating an undub is far from easy. To start with, every game is different in design and structure; so switching the audio files is often no easy task. You need to have at least some working knowledge of the game's code to even find the files you want to replace. Moreover, even after the files are swapped, the timing for the voices—i.e., when they start and stop—often no longer syncs up. The only way to fix this is to manually edit the game's code.

Despite these hurdles, more than a few people have released their undubs online for others to download. These undubs cover everything from PS2 games to DS games to Wii games. Big named RPGs like the Final Fantasies, Personas 3 and 4, and various games from the Tales series have all received the undub treatment.

Luckily, as time goes by and disc size increases, more and more games are released with the Japanese voices included in addition to the English ones. But until the day that this is the case with all games, it's a comfort to know that with the right skills, you can undub them.

Upset about the rocky SimCity rollout? Take heart. You are not alone. Gamers in South Korea are also not happy campers. But it's not just due to the inability to play.

Here's what happened: When South Korean gamers couldn't connect to servers, the official SimCity Korean Facebook page called out the country for piracy. You know, EA Korea's paying customers. Talk about adding insult to injury!

Yesterday, the game's Korean Facebook page carried this message (translated by Kotaku reader Sang Kwon): "We are currently undergoing a server maintenance to increase capacity per your request. We expect a lot of fluctuation throughout the maintenance. Your feedback is important. Thank you for your understanding and patience."

Okay, this is all rather innocuous. This comment is not the problem. Rather, it's what the EA Facebook page manager apparently wrote in the comments. The sticking point was that supposedly there aren't any servers in Asia—something that seemed perplexing for a game has always requires an internet connection.

Above, in the highlighted section, a commenter wrote, "Asia has one of the highest populations. Why aren't there any servers?"

The EA Korea Facebook manager replied (once again, translation by Sang Kwon): "There is a lot of piracy in Asia, so it would be difficult for the time being."

This, of course, set Korean gamers off. "It's so hard to legitimately play games even when you buy the official product," wrote one Facebook user, and another asked, "Haven't you learned anything from Diablo III launch?" Yet another quipped, "Change the company name to MA: Money Arts." Many asked where they could get refunds. The Facebook post now has over 700 comments.

The whole brouhaha is all over Korean gaming sites like GameMeca, Game Donga, and Daily Game.

The EA rep has apologized for the comments, saying this was just an unfortunate result of trying to be more proactive as Facebook users were complaining about the lack of communication from EA.

What's more, the Facebook page manager admitted ignorance on how EA's Origin service worked (and that, thus, piracy shouldn't be an issue for the game because of the heavy online registration). The manager continued apologizing, taking full responsibility and asking to be replaced at this post; the Facebook page manager even said these were personal comments and not EA Korea's remarks—which might indicate that this Facebook page was outsourced to outside PR.

Still, if someone is running a game's official Facebook page, that individual does end up being a mouthpiece for said title.

Besides the messy launch and inelegant statement, what makes the incident all the more unfortunate is how EA Korea seems to have put effort into the Korean localization. But right now, who's thinking about that?

서버증설 요구에 불법복제 핑계, 게이머들 원성 산 EA코리아 [Naver]

EA Korea [Facebook Thanks, Sang Kwon!]

The Pokémon anime debuted on Japanese television what seems like ages ago. The year 1996 is a distant memory. But last night, it came flooding back.

As previously mentioned, Ash's Charizard is returning to the Pokémon animated series as a regular character, er, Pocket Monster. What last night's episode illustrated was just how different the Pokémon anime looks all these years later. And does it ever.

Yes, we already know that Pikachu has changed over the years. And yes, Ash Ketchum has changed, too. Heck, Nurse Joy has also changed!

But last night's flashback, which introduced Charizard to a younger generation of anime fans, was more than a simple hi-def touch-up on widescreen televisions. It allowed the show's creators to revisit classic scenes in a new way. Not everything changed, though. Some things did stay the same—or almost the same. It's interesting to see what was tweaked and what wasn't.

Below are some of the comparisons between the original series and the latest one, Pokémon: Best Wishes:

ポケットモンスターBW シーズン2 第32話 Part1, Part2 [2ch]
おいェ、、、ヒトカゲ捨てた奴美化され過ぎだろ [まゆ]
Ash's Charizard [Bulbapedia]

At first glance, Edward Kenway—the protagonist of the upcoming Assassin's Creed IV game—looks like your typical leading dude. Stoic, beefy, masculine. Nothing special, right?

Those with more astute observation skills over at Reddit, like zinadello13, noticed that Kenway bears a striking resemblance to Capt. Edward Reynolds from Pirates. As in, the (in)famous porn from 2005 which features references to the more family-friendly Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl. Pirates is also the most expensive porn film ever made.

Here is Edward Reynolds, who is played by actor Evan Stone:

Kenway and Stone could practically be related!

Stone has also been featured in classics like "Space Nuts," " Batman XXX: A Porn Parody," "A Mother's Love," and naturally, "Pirates II."

The resemblance is one thing, and sure, that's kind of funny. But the fact that Stone has also played a pirate, and in a porn film no less, makes it hilarious. Also, it's kind of weird that both Stone's character and the new AC protagonist are named "Edward."

Under closer inspection, there is something kind of skeevy about Kenway's appearance, no?

So...is the lead character from Assassin's Creed 4 based on the lead character from Pirates, the best selling porno of all time? [zinadello13]

Yes, yes. Another day, another rap-tribute to a video game. But this one's particularly good. Alabama rapper Kadesh Flow goes beyond "fun and/or goofy" and enters the realm of "real chops." Give it a watch.

(Thanks, Tai!)