Nintendo - Page 515 of 695

If Charles Darwin Had Studied Pokémon…

Artist Michael Casteel has reimagined the Pokédex as something you would have found in the tattered diary of a 19th-century British man with a Pith helmet and a magnificent beard. He calls it his “Pokémon Field Guide”, and alongside the hand-drawn illustrations are rough notes detailing the first encounters between the bumbling Professor Baobab and…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 7, 2011

Nintendo 3DS Circle Pad Add-on is Real, Here’s Your First Horrifying Look

Wait a second. That crazy insane rumor that the struggling Nintendo 3DS would be getting a second analog slider might actually be true? If you believe early reports from the latest issue of Japanese video game mag Famitsu, well, yeah. According to still unconfirmed reports from the mag, which typically leaks all over the internet…

By Michael McWhertor Published September 6, 2011

Dragon Quest X Needs the Internet And Extra Money, Too

Dragon Quest IX was the deal of the century. It had something like seventy hours of single player gameplay, checking off two things that Japanese gamers love: meaty RPGs and playing solo. DQX is a different beast. An official Square Enix FAQ regarding the game noted that while DQX can be played alone, it can…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 6, 2011

This Is the Arcade, Totally Re-Invented

In the past decade, retro game bars have popped up across Japan. Part of the appeal is that these water holes have game consoles you can play while getting shitfaced. There are other places where you can game with maids or talk with game voice actors who serve you alcohol. But what about a place…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 6, 2011

Some Hate It, Some Love It. Here’s a Look at Dragon Quest X.

Years in development, and here it finally is, Dragon Quest X. It’s an online game. It’s for the Wii and Wii U. This is what it looks like. Dragon Quest VIII was dazzling. For 2004 and 2005, it was truly a beautiful game. DQVIII was a leap forward, it was a fresh take on an…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 5, 2011

Mario Veering Around Seattle. What, Is He Drunk?

Some dude named Mike S. decided to take a video showing how a traffic-free Seattle commute looked. And added some Mario Kart You see Mario veer around the freeway, as if he’s had a few too many. Then he drives on a ramp. And then he merges again on the freeway. Mario Kart is kind…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 2, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

Let’s Go Shopping For Video Games! (In the 1980’s and 1990’s)

Ah, paper catalogues. They still make them, but they’re not what they used to be. What are now glossy prints highlighting only a select few items from a store used to be informational tomes, full of almost everything you could ever want. And we all wanted video games, right? These catalogues, mostly from US retailer…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 2, 2011

Watch Your Friends Watching You Beat Them at Starfox 64 3D

Nintendo has uploaded a new trailer video from Starfox 64 3D, which highlights what battle mode will look like in the game. Of course, the video is only in 2D here, but it already looks so damn pretty that I’ll take it. Like so many other Nintendo games before it, Starfox will let you battle…

By Jen Schiller Published September 1, 2011

Is This a Clue for New Nintendo Hardware?

Before the Tokyo Game Show, Nintendo is holding a press conference. Previously, it was revealed that 3DS-related event was called the “Nintendo Conference”. That’s not the whole story. The event is actually called “Nintendo 3DS Shinseihin Happyoukai” (ニンテンドー3DS 新製品発表会). “Shinseihin” (新製品) means “new product” or even “new product line”, while “happyoukai” (発表会) is a more…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2011

The 3DS Has a Multiplayer Secret

Yesterday, ten free NES Virtual Console games were dispensed to 3DS owners who had purchased the hardware before the price cut. And it looks like those gamers won’t be playing their VC games alone. Pointed out by Kotaku reader Siegling, it appears you can switch from one player to two player controls, which would appear…

By Brian Ashcraft Published September 1, 2011

The Five Boroughs of the Mushroom Kingdom

New York isn’t like other cities. It’s confined to a limited space, has clearly-defined areas and a multitude of rich and varied cultures. So saying it’s like a video game world isn’t drawing too long a bow. Neither is drawing the city in the style of Super Mario World, as Jesse Eisemann has done here.…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

What Makes the Mother Series so Great?

They may not be chart-toppers – indeed, the third game has never even been officially released in the West – but the Mother/Earthbound series of role-playing games are some of the most revered and cherished of all Nintendo games (at least among certain cliques). There’s a very good reason why this is. And it has…

By Luke Plunkett Published September 1, 2011

Under No Circumstances Should You Use This Dirty Password on Metroid for Nintendo 3DS

Wait! Before you fire up that 3DS Ambassador copy of NES classic Metroid on your Nintendo 3DS—you know those games are available for download already, right 3DS owners?—do not put in the following password. It’ll crash your 3DS! The password I am referring to, of course, that you should never, ever put into your copy…

By Michael McWhertor Published August 31, 2011

Time To Check Out Ten Free NES Games

Today, Nintendo’s ambassador program kicked off early in Japan, giving early 3DS adopters like me the chance to snag free NES games. In this video, I give some of the games a spin. It’s hard to give things a spin when you’re holding an iPhone with one hand and tugging on a joystick with another.…

By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011

Look Ma! Free NES Games Go Live Early in Japan [Update]

Today, the 3DS’ “ambassador program” kicked off in Japan—you know the program that gives early birds twenty free games. Previously, Kotaku let you how to get your free games with words. And now we’re doing it with words and moving pictures. The future, people, the future! As readers (and my wife) pointed out, these free…

By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011

Kotaku EastJapan

Meet the Craziest Sony Product of 2011

Meet Sony's 'Head Mounted Display Personal 3D Viewer HMZ-T1'

By Brian Ashcraft Published August 31, 2011

Now That’s How You Make a Game of Super Smash Bros. Melee Interesting

What may be the greatest variation on the log flume photo gag—you know, the one in which log riders are engaged in the most casual or precise of activities, like playing Jenga or Monopoly during an intense drop—manages to work in a Smash Bros. reference. Log fluming while playing a one-on-one game of Super Smash…

By Michael McWhertor Published August 30, 2011

Here’s How You Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors Can Download Your Free NES Games [Update]

This week, starting September 1, early Nintendo 3DS adopters will be to download classic NES games like Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda for free—as long as they hopped on the Nintendo eShop in time and achieved “Nintendo 3DS Ambassador” status. Turns out, downloading those games might be just a little bit… tricky.…

By Michael McWhertor Published August 30, 2011

Full List of Free Famicom Games for 3DS Owners

Back in July, Nintendo announced it was dropping the 3DS’s price from US$250 to $170. To make it up to those who shelled out full price, Nintendo launched its 3DS “ambassador program”, The program offers gamers twenty free games: half of them NES (Famicom in Japan) and the other half Game Boy Advance titles. When…

By Brian Ashcraft Published August 30, 2011

CultureTotal Recall

There Were Worse Mario Cartoons Than the American One

It has a certain nostalgic charm, yeah, but lets face it, the American Super Mario Bros. cartoons were pretty terrible. Poorly animated, poorly written, poorly voiced. Next to the Japanese Mario cartoon, though, the American version looks like it was made by Disney. Premièring around the same time as America’s The Super Mario Bros. Super…

By Luke Plunkett Published August 30, 2011