Nintendo

Splatoon 2 Splat & Chat Headset: The Kotaku Review

Just about any headset you can use with a phone or tablet can be used with Nintendo’s Switch app to chat with friends during rounds of Splatoon 2. You don’t have to pick up Hori’s official licensed headset, but there are a couple of reasons you might want to. First off, just look at the…

The Best Reason To Use The Switch App Is Shopping For Splatoon Gear

Chatting with your friends is great and all, but the Switch online app’s best Splatoon 2 feature is Annie’s SplatNet Gear Shop, featuring a rotating stock of exclusive items for the discerning squid kid. The SplatNet Gear Shop allows players to purchase exclusive timed items outside of Splatoon 2 proper. Unlike the in-game shops, which…

On Splatoon 2 Launch Day, Japan Lines Up For The Switch 

Hellish lines formed today all across Japan. Splatoon 2 launched, and stores got a fresh shipment of Switch consoles, including the Splatoon 2 hardware bundle No doubt there were people waiting to just get Splatoon 2 and its Amiibos, but with theway things are in Japan Switch-wise, many folks were certainly hoping to get the…

Rare NES Game Stadium Events Sells For Nearly $42,000

A sealed copy of the rare Nintendo Entertainment System game Stadium Events has sold for $41,977, the seller has confirmed to Kotaku While the owner had originally attempted to sell the game through an eBay auction earlier this month, the winning bidder did not pay, the seller said in an email. But after speaking with…

Quiz: How Will You Meet Shigeru Miyamoto?

Could there be anything worse than meeting Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind Mario and Zelda, when you’re completely tanked? Probably not. But if you’re into video games, you’ve probably considered what it’d be like to meet the man himself. Find out how you’ll meet Miyamoto in this quiz.

The Switch’s Phone-Enabled Voice Chat Is As Ridiculous As Expected

The Nintendo Switch online app is live for Android and Apple devices. It offers some Splatoon 2 utilities that let players to keep track of their stats or buy special in-game items, which is pretty neat. It’s just not a very elegant solution for online voice chat between friends. In order to communicate with friends…

Four months after the console’s release, Nintendo has made the Switch app available on both iOS and Android. It’s intended to let you do things like use voice chat and invite friends, though for now all you can do is stare at a “server maintenance” sign.

Fan Creates Super Mario 64 Maker

Nintendo is happy enough with its own Super Mario Maker, but modder extraordinaire Kaze Emanuar figured, hey, we could probably do with a Super Mario 64 version as well. So he made one. Super Mario 64 Maker is a download for the PC that you can play via an emulator (like Project 64). You download…

The Opening Sequence To Super Metroid Is A Masterpiece

It’s been a little over two decades since Super Metroid debuted on the Super Nintendo, and it’s lost none of its power in the intervening years. This piece originally appeared 12/19/14. What really distinguishes this game is its storytelling. Super Metroid is cinematic in its approach, using a combination of textual, audio, and visual cues…

My Son Has Ruined Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

In the past couple of months there’s been a phrase that haunts me. It reverberates in my dreams and my darkest nightmares. It’s the first words I hear when I arrive home from work. It’s the first words I hear when being woken up at 5:30am on a still-dark Saturday morning. “Daddee. DADDEE. Can I…

Marina Might Ruin Splatoon 2‘s Splatfests, Bless Her 

Splatoon 2 just had its first Splatfest, asking players to fight and see which dessert is better: ice cream or cake. The competition was rigged from the start thanks to the popularity of Marina, the Octoling pop singer. This is my confession: I love cake. Cake is fluffy, delicious, and pretty much perfect. Cupcakes are…

Japan’s Nintendo Switch Lines Are Hell 

The already long Nintendo Switch lines have gotten that much longer. Meaning? Things are suddenly more unpleasant for those wanting to buy a Switch. As Kotaku previously reported, the console has been drawing long lines for months afters its release, and well-known game creator Hideki Kamiya recounted his unsuccessful attempt at trying to buy one.…

Nintendo-Themed Jordans Are About As 1989 As It Gets

Johnny Barry’s Freaker Sneaks, who earlier this year did a custom run of Jordan IV’s in a SNES colourway, are back with a handful of very expensive NES Jordans. They cost $1250 a pair, and in addition to the NES colour scheme they’ve also got some extra features like Mario labels, a cartridge-shaped Jordan tag…

Look At This Bad Mario Puzzle

Nintendo has released a one thousand piece Mario puzzle, and there’s something wrong with it. Can you guess? More than half the pieces in this box are the same exact color. Has anyone who worked on this actually seen a puzzle before? I’m no puzzle expert, but that seems like a recipe for a bad…

In Japan, Nintendo Announces Production For The Smaller New Nintendo 3DS Has Ended

The official Japanese site for the smaller-sized New Nintendo 3DS clearly states that production of the handheld is over. The text in the little box reads 生産終了 (seisan shuuryou) or “production ended.” This does not only pertain to the pictured model. If you click on the Line Up (ラインナップ) tab, it states すべて生産終了しました (subete seisan…

New Trick Has Ocarina of Time Speedrunners Debating What A Glitch Actually Is

Ocarina of Time’s Glitchless speedrun category seeks to complete the game as quick as possible without using game-breaking cheats and glitches, but a newly discovered trick is forcing runners to consider what is or isn’t a glitch to begin with. Is something a glitch if it lets you explore somewhere early? Or is it only…

Arms’ Ranked Mode Gets Big Improvement

Arms’ first big update addeda few much-requested features to the slinky-limb fighting game—and took away some unpopular ones. Most of those features improve upon Arms’ strong Ranked Mode, the game’s bread and butter. Max Brass, Arms’ single-player final boss, is now a playable fighter. He’s the “reigning champion” of Arms’ Grand Prix, a tournament in…

Pokémon Go’s Next Big Event Asks Players Worldwide To Work Together For Rare Prizes

When Pokémon Go Fest was announced for the city of Chicago, many players were bummed that they might miss out on the first live event for the game. Turns out, July 22nd is going to be a worldwide spectacular where everyone can participate. Folks in Chicago will get perks of course, including increased monster encouters,…

I Swear Arms’ AI Must Be Cheating

I am very sure that the Arms AI is cheating, and I am not the only person who thinks so. I’m not saying this because losing to a game’s AI is a little embarrassing. Actually, Arms’ AI is remarkably robust. At higher levels, it is always one step ahead of me at every moment, much…

Touring Super Mario Odyssey‘s New Donk City

We recently played more Super Mario Odyssey and enjoyed the sights and sounds of New Donk City. If you want to learn about the city that never leaps, sit down to watch this informative travelogue before making a trip there when Odyssey releases on October 27th.  Transcript: If you’re looking to get away for a…