Nintendo is holding a 3DS-centric Nintendo Direct this morning at 10am Eastern. You can watch it live right here. And we’ll be covering all of the news on Kotaku as it happens, of course.

There’s Going To Be A Mario Kart Tournament…In Minecraft

The guys that make up YouTuber group WorldGoodSquad built a Mario Kart-style map in Minecraft, as you can see in the video above. They’re even planning a small tournament that could very well be a hilarious event, considering the ridiculous mods at work. The only thing missing now is an array of power-ups, just like…

Wii U Left Out of Another Major Sports Release with FIFA 14

The first details on FIFA 14 point to continued refinement of the gameplay in EA Sports’ top-selling, critically acclaimed football franchise. But what wasn’t announced also is noteworthy. FIFA 14 is, so far, slated to release for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC—with “additional platforms” to be announced later. That most likely means a…

This Wreck-It Ralph Character Looks Just Like…a Real Japanese Popstar

Wreck-It Ralph recently opened in Japan, where it’s titled Sugar Rush. Besides enjoying the flick, Japanese moviegoers are doing something else: Comparing the character Vanellope to a real idol. Namely, Japanese moviegoers are saying Vanellope looks like AKB48 member Ami Maeda. Yes, their eye color is different, but their eyebrows, hair and facial expressions seem…

The Coolest Japanese Video Games With Over The Top Action

You don’t need to worry about Japanese developers when it comes to creating an insane, over-the-top frenzy on the screen. It’s in their veins. Just think about the superb 60 frames per sec action in Bayonetta or having twelve characters on the screen all at once in Guardian Heroes (thank you Sega Saturn), few things…

We’ve seen a lot of the gameplay mechanics behind Mars: War Logs, Spiders’ third-person sci-fi RPG. This time, Spiders CEO Jehanne Rousseau tells us about the game’s story and universe, and describes the ways our choices will shape the way the story unfolds. Mars: War Logs is coming “very soon” to PS3, Xbox 360 and…

Is PSY’s “Gentleman” Video Just a Giant Commercial?

Well, PSY’s newest music video “Gentleman” looks like a smash hit. It also looks like it might be filled with product placements. Go figure! As Kotaku previously mentioned, mobile game Candy Crush Saga appears in the “Gentleman” video for several seconds. There are rumors of a big payout. But this isn’t only alleged product placement…

Telltale’s Poker Night 2 will contain a whole bevy of unlockables, according to this trailer—not just for Poker Night 2 itself, but also for Borderlands 2 and Team Fortress 2, along with themes for PS3 and avatar items for Xbox 360. The game’s coming out next week, on April 23.

The Bizarre Japanese of Call of Duty: Black Ops II‘s Newest Map

The Japanese language and Call of Duty have never gotten along. But in the past, that’s been simply due to translation mistakes. That might not be the case here. In the latest downloadable content for Black Ops II, the in-game Japanese is both strange and funny. The downloadable content features four new multiplayer maps, including…

Remember Descent? You know, the sometimes vertigo-inducing six degrees of freedom shooter from 1994? Above is a teaser for an episodic, unofficial updated re-release of sorts using Unreal Engine 3, named Sol Contingency. The first episode, The Lunar Incident, will be arriving sometime this year. [via DSOGaming]

New Final Fantasy Versus XIII Info Is Coming…Apparently!

Final Fantasy Versus XIII designer Tetsuya Nomura recently appeared on a Square Enix radio program and was asked the question on everyone’s mind: When will there be new Final Fantasy Versus XIII info? Nomura seemed to be in good spirits about the question and said, “If we’re talking about when there will be news, MD…

The Revealing World of One Piece Cosplay

One Piece is the biggest manga in Japan. Know what that means? Yep, there’s a ton of One Piece cosplay. Technically, One Piece is for young boys, but adult males and females alike love it and really get into the saga. Let’s take a look at some—certainly not all—of the best One Piece cosplay the…

Good Evening. Time For Some Nude Smash Bros. Fan Art.

You know, on your average working day, we get sent all kinds of weird and wonderful stuff via email. Tips about cosplay, replica props, fan films, spam. The cast of Super Smash Bros Brawl drawn in the nude. You know. The usual. This beauty comes courtesy of reader Rick, who is currently working on his…

This Real Life Banjo-Kazooie Video Takes Place In The Most Australian Swimming Pool Ever

In a world where a new ‘real life’ Mario YouTube clip is created every minute I feel the need to reward this attempt at creating a real life Banjo-Kazooie video. It might just be the nostalgia talking, but I found this hilarious. I also love that the creator managed to convince his Mum to play…

The Prettiest Card Game I Ever Did See

The art on Magic: The Gathering cards is some of the best you’ll see on the planet. No, seriously, over the last few years it’s gotten really good. It’s a shame about the rest of the packaging, then, which has changed little from its ultra-dorky, 1990s roots. If only it could look as classy as…

What A Hollywood Nausicaa Might Look Like…

Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind – or as I knew it as a kid, the butchered Warriors of the Wind – is one of the greatest animated films ever made. It’s also, despite the European influence on its inhabitants’ design, a very Japanese movie. So it’s interesting taking a look at this…

Just About The Most Perfect Metal Gear Toy

I’m not the world’s biggest Metal Gear fan, but I can definitely appreciate a good action figure, especially one with a sense of humour. Like this 25th anniversary piece. We caught glimpses of the gag when the figure was first shown off earlier this year, but now that it’s finished, we can see it in…

No Robots Tonight. Tonight It’s Beautiful People (And…Elves).

Chinese artist Mingzhu Yang’s classical style reminds me of the old Mills & Boon books my Mum used to have lying around the house when I was a kid. Only instead of commercial pilots and farmers on the front cover, Yang’s art has demons and dudes who should be on America’s Next Top Belmont on…

The Ouya Is The…78th Fastest Android Device On The Planet

The Android-powered Ouya console, a $99 Kickstarter darling, was never going to be a gaming thoroughbred, in either commercial or horsepower terms. You just don’t get top-shelf gaming performance from something that cheap. It’s impossible. But just what kind of shelf do you get for your $99? Well, according to benchmark tests done by Futuremark,…

A Moving Tribute To Metal Gear Solid 3’s Ridiculous Ladder Climb

You may previously have thought this was the most boring thing in Metal Gear history. A ladder that seemingly goes on forever. A test of your patience and nerves. It’s not. You just needed to see the ordeal in a new light. Like James Howell here, who writes in addition to the video above: This…