Wii U: The Kotaku Review [UPDATE]

The Wii U is the first new video game console in six years and the sixth console Nintendo has ever made. It comes freighted with heavy expectations. It more or less starts the next generation of consoles, one that will see a new Xbox and PlayStation late next year, and therefore it needs to seem…

Nintendo’s Miiverse Dreams of a Civilized, Spoiler-Free Online Community

Welcome to the Miiverse, the online community launching today with the midnight release of Nintendo’s Wii U, but before you can access it, you must read through the Miiverse Code of Conduct, portions of which may have been paraphrased from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure. Let’s stroll through it, shall we? Welcome to the Miiverse,…

The Wii U eShop Is Live and Stuffed With Games

The Wii U’s eShop for downloading games just went live. This thing has a lot more games in it than I’d expected. You’ve got full-sized launch games, from New Super Mario Bros. Wii U to Assassin’s Creed III, several indies, including Little Inferno, Mighty Switch Force: Hyper Drive Edition, Nano Assault Neo and Chasing Aurora…

I’m Adding Friends To My Wii U, And I’m Not Even Using Friend Codes!

The Wii U firmware update that just went live and will be mandatory for any of the system’s online features has enabled me to start adding friends to my system. The system is pretty easy. You press the Home menu on the GamePad controller, tap the Friends List option, and then start typing in the…

Ninja Gaiden III on Wii U: Well, It Sucks Less.

When Ninja Gaiden III came out, I was none too kind to it. As a long standing fan of the franchise, it just did too many questionable things: QTE’s in combat, Long-winded villains, and an uncomfortable scene in which you’re forced to murder somebody while he pleads for his life and the welfare of his…

Wii U’s Firmware Update Hitting Right Now [UPDATE]

A firmware update appears to have finally become available for the Wii U, a little later than Nintendo personnel had predicted. Pre-release Wii U systems are now able to at least begin downloading the update. I’m trying to download it right now and will let you all know how it goes and what features become…

With one day to go, Star Citizen became the most crowd-funded video game project ever, $4.2 million and counting.

Programming note: Our Wii U review will hit at midnight, ET. You can read our Mario and Nintendo Land reviews right now.

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Icing on the Chief: The Winners

Master Chief said it with cake when Halo 4 launched, though what exactly it says when he’s carving into his own noggin, I have no idea. That’s where our ‘Shop artists were supposed to supply a translation. We’ve got all the finalists above, plus overall No. 1 sciteach. GiantBoyDetective (3) had the best of the…

More Than a Million People Beat Halo 4‘s Campaign in the First Five Days of Its Release

In the first five days since Halo 4‘s release on Nov. 6, 1,116,882 people completed the game’s campaign, or roughly one out of every four persons who played campaign at some point in that span. Some 4.5 billion kills were recorded by all these players, roughly two-thirds of the projected population of Earth. About 13.5…

THQ Gets Tattooed by Lawsuit

If you think you’ve had a rough couple of weeks, pour one out for THQ. Its stock price did a swan dive on Nov. 5, the same day of a disastrous earnings call that sent up rumors the publisher is trying to sell itself off. Then word passed it was in default on a $50…

Sony and Microsoft Could Have Killed the Wii Long Before It Would Save Nintendo

The midnight launch of the Wii U is a perfect time to reflect on the craze, six years ago, surrounding its predecessor, and the industry-transforming success of the Wii. And there really is no finer story you could read about that than what Rob Crossley has written for CVG. Microsoft and Sony both had their…

Bad Port or Bad Hardware? We’re Already Hearing Complaints About Wii U Visuals.

As Nintendo’s first high definition console, Wii U will join the neverending, nothing-really-proven debate between the PS3 and the Xbox 360 over which console’s visuals for whatever multiplatform game are superior. Some people are convinced it’s a bad port, others are convinced it proves inferior hardware. It doesn’t sound like Mass Effect 3 or Ninja…

Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Removed from Steam Over Music Licensing

When Grand Theft Auto: Vice City disappeared from Steam’s marketplace a few days ago, some suspected it was because of the game’s upcoming release for iOS devices. Instead, what appears to be a lapsed license for one of the songs appearing in the game has forced the takedown, until the matter is resolved. Gaming Blend…

This Week in the Business: ‘There is a Dark Underbelly to Xbox Live.’

What’s happened in the business of video games this past week … QUOTE | “There is a dark underbelly to Xbox Live.”—Rob Fahey, former editor of GamesIndustry.biz, talking about what can be done to rescue Xbox Live and online gaming from abusive bullies QUOTE | “The idea that Microsoft would make a game console was…

Jimmy Fallon is No Match for Reggie in Metroid Blast

Before working the line at Nintendo World’s Wii U campout, Nintendo of America Reggie Fils-Aime went back on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to show off the new console and play a couple of games, Metroid Blast in NintendoLand, and New Super Mario Bros. U. Reggie’s good at both games, which is refreshing to see;…

The Moneysaver: No Soup for Wii U

This is the Wii U’s big release weekend in North America and no, you will not find it discounted anywhere. In fact you, probably will not find it anywhere unless you pre-ordered the console back when its release date was announced. Dealzon reports that the only online availability for Nintendo’s new console is through third…

The Best of Kotaku, This Week

Welcome to the Best of Kotaku, where I round up all of this week’s best content. This week’s best image is what I imagine baby Gordon Freeman looks like. Look at him. All adorable and rosy-cheeked. Go on. Look at him. knitetgantt’s adorable creation was found with the help of Blue Dog’s Eyes Moving on…

Animal Crossing‘s Creepiest Room Is Amazing and Somewhat Criminal

Manga artist Pyocotan might be best known for signature illustrations in Japanese game magazine Gamelabo or CoroCoro Comic. His work is anything but cute. It’s actually both wonderful and creepy—kind of like Robert Crumb Pyocotan, a hardcore Nintendo fan, recently picked up a copy of Animal Crossing: New Leaf and is passing the time by…

This New Resident Evil Pistol Looks Real Enough to Kill Zombies

While Resident Evil 6 might not have been the best survival horror game, it sure did have nice hairdos and cool looking firearms. That’s probably why Airsoft gun maker Tokyo Marui is releasing a customized version of the SIG P226 that Leon Kennedy wields in the game. This isn’t a first: Tokyo Marui has collaborated…