Strategy guide for the original Metroid, spotted in Akihabara.

Do you know your Totoros? (Spotted at the Kiddy Land toy store in Harajuku.)

Bayonetta 3 development is “on course,” Platinum Games’ Hideki Kamiya and Atsushi Inaba said at a stage event last night in Tokyo. They joked that it was unusual for things to go so smoothly: “We’re actually in sync for once.”

Gaming peripheral maker Hyperkin is releasing another Duke replica, this time in green. The black version was surprisingly ergonomical for being a $70 nostalgia trap, but if you like a splash of color to go with your ginormous hands, the green Duke has you covered. It’s currently available at Gamestop and Amazon.

We’re checking out the new Nintendo Switch Online service live on Twitch. Come watch me and Ethan check out some of the retro offerings. Join us in chat! 

You can download the Famicom versions of Switch Online’s NES games from the Japanese eShop using a fake Japanese Nintendo Account. There aren’t many differences in most cases but it’s still pretty neat. Plus the Famicom box art is way cooler, and in the future Japan might get different games.

PSA: Switch Online doesn’t create backup saves for games automatically. You have to manually initiate the process by either loading the game or going into its settings by hovering over top of its icon and clicking “+”. Only afterward doing that will the backup saves stay updated automatically.

Track: Sweet 16 Blues | Artist: Namie Amuro | Album: Ballada  Kotaku Soundtrack is a selection of the stuff we’re listening to at the moment.