Where the Hell Is My Lime Green Wii, Nintendo?

I was told to arrive early—that Nintendo would be announcing something big. Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata stood before the 2005 Tokyo Game Show podium and did just that: he showed off the new controller for the very first time. The console was then codenamed “Revolution”. It was later released as the Nintendo Wii and was a…

These Yakuza Photos Tell Brutal Tales of Chivalry

They’re called thugs. The Japanese media labels them “bouryokudan” (暴力団), or literally “violence” (暴力) “group” (団). They call themselves humanitarian outfits. The world knows them as the yakuza. Here is a glimpse inside. Photographer Anton Kusters and his brother, Malik, documented two years in the life of the Shinseikai family, which operates in Tokyo’s Shinjuku.…

A Gun-Shaped Controller For the Wealthy and Insane

There are controllers, there are controllers, and then there’s a very special place in the world—alongside inflatable rafts—for peripherals like the Delta Six. Shooting (SORRY) straight for the mildly crazy Call of Duty fan, it’s essentially replicating the actions of a standard video game controller, only in the most convoluted and theatrical way possible. A…

Oh so quietly, the Homestuck project has become the third-biggest game in Kickstarter history, raising $2.4 million

Here, Let Kinect Show You What Isaac Newton’s Face Looks Like

Perhaps because old-timey paintings can be naught but artistic lies, it’s tough knowing exactly what a notable person from history actually looks like. Oh, unless you’ve got a record of their actual face. And a piece of modern technology that lets you scan and reproduce it. A collaboration between Microsoft, the Royal Society of London…

A Rube Goldberg Machine That’s Powered By Parkour

The entirety of this video is impressive, but things start to get really crazy around 1:50 in. If you’re wondering where these guys got the time/money to build something you’d normally only see in a platforming video game, Red Bull stumped up the cash. Human-Powered Freerunning Machine – with Jason Paul [YouTube]

3DS XL’s Circle Pad Pro Gets a Release Date in Japan. This Is It!

The 3DS XL add-on circle pad got its first public airing at this year’s Tokyo Game Show. I checked it out—and it was pretty good! Nintendo, however, didn’t give a release date for the peripheral. Until now. The 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro will be out in Japan on November 15, Nintendo announced today. It’s…

Love Wind Waker? Put Your Money Where Your Heart Is.

The delightful Zac Gorman, who must be a good person if he loves Wind Waker this damn much, has come up with both a t-shirt and a poster paying tribute to Nintendo’s post-apocalyptic high seas adventure. They both feature different pieces of art, and are available from his store either individually or as part of…

Spanish Cops Name an Investigation After Pokémon. No, Seriously.

Police in Spain have won the admiration of Nintendo nerds worldwide this year after naming a major sting operation after a bunch of Pocket Monsters. Operation Pokémon is the name given to an effort by Spanish police to stamp out corruption amongst the ranks of the nation’s politicians. Why “Pokémon”? There are two theories. One…

How to Buy Your Own Giant Mass Effect Reaper

It may not be quite 1:1 scale, but at 18.5 inches, this new Mass Effect statue is still one enormous piece of adult collectible. Only 1000 of these recreations of the villainous Sovereign will be made, with preorders available at BioWare’s store (below). If they’re not live when you visit, they should be ready to…

Dude, These Monsters Are Gross (But These Robots Are Great)

This is the work of Anthony Jones, a concept artist previously employed at Sony’s Santa Monica studio, and a man who can draw both monsters and robots better than almost anyone else on Earth. In the gallery below you’ll see examples of his work, which includes all kinds of stuff, from commission pieces to toy…

Your First Hilarious Look at Footage From the New Star Trek Movie

Director J. J. Abrams was on Conan tonight, and was dying to show off footage from the new Star Trek sequel. You know, the one that’s not even done yet. Surprisingly, Paramount Pictures let him! What follows is equal parts hilarious and disappointing. Star Trek [Conan]

There’s two million dollars up for grabs in the League of Legends Season 2 World Championships. Two. Million. Dollars.

The Real Winner of the Presidential Debate Was Pokémon

Let’s stop talking about the losers from the first US Presidential debate, and instead talk winners. Like the guy who got a Pokémon joke up on CNBC’s news ticker. Pretty sure both candidates would be Margikarps [Buzzfeed]

Can’t Get a Wii U? There’s Always eBay (and $1000+ Prices)

Let’s say you really, really want a Wii U for Christmas. Problem is, it’s pretty tough getting hold of a pre-order, because most places are sold out. What options are you left with? Two. The first is to suck it up and spend the holidays without a Wii U. The second is to take to…

Yeah, I Would Totally Wear These Game Of Thrones Chuck Taylors

Just this week, I bought a pair of Converse Chuck Taylors for the first time since… maybe middle school? I’d forgotten how much fun these shoes can be, even if they are a little bit hard to get on and off every day. But while my rust-colored sneaks are cool, they’re not as cool as…

EA Sports Dodges Questions It Recycled FIFA on the Wii

A week ago, Chris Scullion of Nintendo Gamer and Official Nintendo Magazine ripped FIFA 13‘s Wii version chin-to-groin, for being basically indistinct from FIFA 12 other than roster and uniform updates. Everyone knows the Wii is a dead console walking, but that does not excuse a major publisher palming off last year’s release like it’s…

You Can Fight with Cakes in Tekken Tag Tournament 2

When I see a video like this focusing on the special moves made possible by Tekken Tag Tournament 2‘s customization items, it just makes me want to grind even harder to earn more points. That Lei baseball pitch is awesome.

The Freaky, Disorienting Fun Of The Deadly Premonition Soundtrack

The confounding open-world thriller Deadly Premonition was a lot of things to a lot of people. Some said it was bad, some said it was good, some even said it was “good-bad.” It was a supreme example of idiosyncratic game design; a game that was somehow both profoundly ambitious and woefully half-baked; a haunting mystery…

This Gloriously Cheesy MIDI File Was Windows’ Greatest Hit

For the longest time, I had no idea that Canyon.mid was even recognized as “a thing” by the internet at large. And then, Harmonix’s Dan Bruno posted about it (always a fount of random internet yuks, that guy), and I realized that Canyon.mid is kind of famous. But then, of course it is. For a…