New Super Mario Bros. 2‘s New, Free* Levels Are Re-Makes Of Old Ones

The new Nintendo Direct Mini isn’t about the Wii Mini. It’s about new/old New Super Mario Bros. 2 levels that are temporarily free on the Nintendo 3DS. Not too confusing, right? Skip to 3:50 to see the levels. They may ring some bells. Nintendo Direct Mini — November 27, 2012 [YouTube. Thanks, Philip!]] UPDATE: So……

FarmVille Mistletoe Lane Chapter 4 Goals: Everything You Need to Know

It’s time for another chapter in FarmVille‘s Mistletoe Lane saga, and we’re ready for Chapter 4 in the tale of Nick and the elves from Winter Wonderland. This goal series sees Zang taking a trip from Winter Wonderland to help Nick restore the town’s Toy Factory, and we’re here with a guide to finishing them…

Ian Bogost’s appraisal of the Wii U looks at the new console and Nintendo’s long, twisting history in shifting contexts.

Little Inferno: The Kotaku Review

Here’s an odd one. One of my favorite games on Nintendo’s new console is an interactive fireplace. It’s an emotional, interactive fireplace. And it’s the first console game I’ve played through without ever turning on the TV. Little Inferno is a download-only game for Wii U and PC/Mac/Linux. It was mostly made by two friends…

The Tide of Battle Quickly Turns Once You Realize Your Enemy is Delicious

For years the peaceful-yet-pecking Hoggyens battled the relentless Gobblen hordes that rained down from the sky. Then one day the embattled hedgehog creatures discovered their demonic nemeses’ fatal flaw: they are delicious. This is why giant slingshots get built, people. Little Guy Games’ Super Snack Time is a bubble-popping game on a sugar high. Your…

The Saddest Video Game Character You Will Ever See

There’s a bit of Pinocchio in Mega Man’s story, what with the kindly father figure creating a “son” out of artificial materials. And, yeah, there’s some melancholy in there, too. Melancholy that digital artist Madec Brice captures in his beautiful portrait of the Blue Bomber. Over on DeviantArt, Brice also mines the loneliness that must…

Hollywood Monsters is The Next Big Thing on iOS

No, that’s not hype. Released last year on PC under the title The Next Big Thing, Hollywood Monsters is a hilarious adventure game from the creators of Runaway, and its coming to your iDevices December 6. Mobile is quickly becoming a second home to the point-and-click adventure game, what with tablets and smart phones being…

Dunwall City Trials—the previously announced challenge DLC for Dishonored—will be coming out on Dec. 11

The Today Show Fails at the Wii U

Yesterday morning’s Today Show featured the Wii U, the hot new Nintendo console that’s like a tablet merged with a game console. Should be great for live TV, right? Not quite, as you can see above. At least no one has thrown a Wii U GamePad through a TV screen yet. Remember that stuff? Let’s…

This Week’s iPhone Charts: The Cheapest Dental Surgery Available

The magic of mobile gaming affords us countless opportunities to explore magical worlds filled with happiness and joy and comfort. Or we could just take a hammer to our teeth. I must admit that when I first saw Dental Surgery at the top of this week’s free iPhone app charts, I downloaded it immediately. Within…

Yes, Robot Chicken, Kratos Should Be Embarrassed if Sackboy Kicks His Butt

Robot Chicken’s brand of geek humor gets a lot of mileage from imagining the messed-up stuff fictional characters get up to when they’re not busy being all heroic or villainous. So, yeah, a breakroom filled with the cast of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale would be boiling over with all of the shame and neediness you…

Here’s a Devastating Account of the Crap Women in the Games Business Have to Deal With. In 2012.

Over the past 24 hours or so, a number of women working in the game industry (and some male colleagues) have taken to Twitter to share their stories via the hashtag #1reasonwhy They’re not motivational tales. Instead, they’re accounts of the rampant sexism and discrimination many have faced in the past, and are still facing…

The Wii Mini Looks Glorious, Lacks Internet and GameCube Games [Update: Canada Exclusive]

Earlier tonight, a teeny-tiny image of the Wii Mini’s box appeared online. Here’s a better look at the console itself. And hot damn, it’s lovely looking. Smaller than the regular console, the Wii Mini has a red casing and a rough, matte finish with a Wii logo dead in the middle. It appears to be…

PSP picture game Photo Kano is getting a PS Vita version and a TV anime, says Famitsu

Chinese Newspaper Believes The Onion, Really Thinks Kim Jong-un Is The Sexiest Man Alive

People’s Daily is China’s newspaper of record. It’s the paper of the Chinese Communist Party—a mouthpiece of the government. And today, it figured out that The Onion is not America’s newspaper of record. If you’ve been on the internet since forever, you know that The Onion is a humor site that satirizes the news. People’s…

Erotic Game Company Parodies Nintendo Honcho

“Iwata Asks” is a regular online feature in which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata interviews developers. Some of the game creators are in-house and some work for outside companies. All of their games appear on Nintendo hardware. None of them feature hardcore pornography. Instead of “Iwata Asks”, Osaka-based erotic PC game company SoftPal launched a “Shacho…

There’s a New Wii Console, The Wii Mini

While it’s yet to be officially announced by Nintendo, Canada’s Best Buy website has revealed the Wii Mini, a smaller, sleeker version of Nintendo’s console. There’s no price information yet (or larger image), but it’ll be out on December 7, and appears to boast a square form factor, a black & red colour scheme and…

Link Is So Pissed, So Effing Pissed

Bet he’s dealing with Mothula in The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. I can see it on his angry, tortured face. (We’ve all been there!) This is Link’s “Angry Face” from Figma’s new Skyward Sword figurine (read the Kotaku review). Please, let’s make Angry Face Link a meme. Surely, there are more…

Just a friendly reminder! In Japan, Nintendo said its TVii streaming service hits December 8.

Sometimes, Interaction with Foreigners Is Awkward, Even in Japanese Anime

The long pauses. The nervous gestures. They’re not quite sure what to say, and thus, neither are you. Sometimes when foreigners interact with Japanese people, things can get awkward. Very, very awkward. Good thing there’s anime to remind us how awkward! Japan is around 98.5 percent Japanese. Within that, there are small groups of are…