Brian Ashcraft

What The 3DS Comes With Is Pretty Great

Nintendo really screwed up when it named its new portable the 3DS. A better moniker would have the Nintendo Super DS, because thanks to its on board software, that’s exactly what it is. The Nintendo 3DS hardware is only one part of the equation. It’s a big, important part. But players also interact with Nintendo’s…

Cuss Words, Maps And A Big, Red Letter Box

I quite like the design of traditional Japanese letter boxes. We have a whole collection of old piggy banks shaped like them. Are piggy banks still called piggy banks if they are not shaped like…piggies? Nintendo 3DS Allows Racist, Sexist And Vulgar Character Names The 3DS’s “StreetPass” function allows players to automatically trade Mii Avatars…

Fan Favorite Gracious About Uncharted Movie Snub

In the Uncharted movie, Mark Wahlberg will be hero Nathan Drake. Fans, however, had a different actor in mind and even made awkward pleas for their choice. That choice was television star Nathan Fillion. The actor tells The Nerdish podcast that he “would have loved” to be Drake. “Mark Wahlberg, I think that’s a talented…

If Hasbro Made The Elder Scrolls

It might look like this. It might have My Little Ponies. But one thing that is for certain, it would be totally awesome. Let’s call it The Elder Scrolls IV: Equestria. This clip features footage of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, which is the My Little Pony series currently running on the Cartoon Network.…

Censorship Has Never Looked So Good

The Chinese government dictates what can and can’t be shown in overhead photographs. This is bad news for Google Maps, which continues to have run-ins with the Mainland. No worries, there is a solution. A beautiful one. Baidu Maps created a Sim City-like reproduction of China to sidestep these issues. An overhead view of the…

A Stand For The DualShock 3 To Rest And Recharge

The DualShock 3 hasn’t had an official place to call its own. Until now. When charging the controller, players typically just connect it to the PS3 via its controller cable and perhaps leave it on the floor or place it on the console or something Third party companies do have charging stand solutions. And this…

The Menus On The 3DS Are A Breeze

Nintendo hasn’t only just released a stylish piece of hardware, the Kyoto-based games maker has just launched a piece of hardware powered by elegant software. If only other Japanese companies could follow suit. Anyone who has ever owned a cell phone in Japan knows exactly what I’m talking about. Heck, if you’ve played Japanese video…

Happy Birthday Chun-Li (And Chun-Li’s Thighs!)

She’s survived fight after after fight, opponent after opponent. She’s even made it through woeful Hollywood adaptations. Today, Chun-Li and her thighs turn 43 years old. Born in China on March 1, 1968, Chun-Li is an Interpol agent, investigating her father’s death. Her impact on gaming has been tremendous. She was the first playable female…

Nintendo 3DS Allows Racist, Sexist And Vulgar Character Names

The 3DS’s “StreetPass” function allows players to automatically trade Mii Avatars with whomever they pass on the street. But the streets are dangerous, and some 3DS owners are bound to be total dicks Offensive and Not Safe for Work language to follow. “Dick” is actually a nickname that brings up a warning screen on the…

The 3DS Turned My Sofa Into A Monster’s Lair

Today, eight games launched along with the Nintendo 3DS in Japan. But if you don’t end up getting any packaged titles, there is already pre-bundled software on the 3DS that should keep you entertained. It’s doing that for me! The 3D camera is fun and all, but AR Games really seems to be the most…

How To Keep Your Barfing And Eye-Melting To A Minimum

I’ve been playing with the 3DS all day for much longer than Nintendo’s recommended allotment of time. My head isn’t killing me, and I’m not barfing. Yet. Gaming for me has always been about relaxing and unwinding. And I do think you can do that with the 3DS. You just need to know there is…

Let’s See If DS Games Look Better On The 3DS

This is hardly scientific. In fact, it’s not scientific at all. But since the 3DS has better screens, then DS games should look better on them, no? That’s exactly what I tried to find out! I’m comparing how the New Super Mario Bros. looks on the DSi XL and how it looks on the 3DS.…

Does The 3DS Have More Bite?

Whenever new game hardware is released, there are the inevitable comparisons to the previous hardware. This isn’t right or wrong or good or bad. It just is. And Nintendo’s making that easier than ever. Nintendogs, released in 2005, is a pet simulator in which players look after four-legged friends. Nintendogs + Cats, released this weekend…

A Visual Guide To The 3DS

The Nintendo 3DS Is Stylish, Grown-Up And Flawed

Following up the most successful game handheld in history is no easy task. That’s exactly what Nintendo is doing starting today with the Nintendo 3DS. The future begins now. Note: This is a straight-up hardware review. The Basics The Nintendo 3DS is a portable gaming system capable of displaying more realistic graphics than any of…

Buying A 3DS Without A Pre-Order Is A Beautiful Thing

The lines for the Nintendo 3DS didn’t start this morning. No, many of them started last night. Those who waited in line were most likely able to snag a 3DS. Those who simply waited probably weren’t as lucky. Besides the 3DS, a set of Kamen Rider medallions went on sale today. These are extremely popular…

Kotaku Unboxes Its Nintendo 3DS

The 3DS is Nintendo’s successor to the DS, the most successful game portable. And this is me taking that successor out of its box and getting my fingerprints all over it. Besides the 3DS, it comes bundled with a charging stand, an AC adaptor, a touch pen, a SD memory card and six AR cards.…

You’ve Got Taiko No Tatsujin In My Happy Meal Toys

Too. Much. Crap. Probably should bin these toys, but won’t. I kinda like Happy Meal toys! They’re so…happy. Our First Look At Batman: Arkham City In Motion Is A Stunner 2009’s Batman: Arkham Asylum set a new bar for super hero video games, a game unexpectedly great. Based on what we’ve seen of the sequel…

After Mother’s Death, Woman Finds Solace In Metroid

In 2007, Brooklyn’s Michelle Perl was struck with tragedy. Her mother, sick with cancer, passed away. But in her mourning, Perl decided to do something. She decided to change. The 25-year-old tells Nintendo Power, “I wanted to make a vow of personal improvement to my mother, so I decided to target the one problem that…

How To Cover Your Boobs In Pokeballs

You might have boobs. You might have moobs. And if you do, you probably have bras. So why not cover them in Pokéballs from Pokémon? For those brassiere-wearing folks who love Pocket Monsters, here is a quick tutorial from Selina, the maker of the original Pokébra. We’ve seen the Pokébra before, but we just didn’t…