-
CultureOdds and EndsIt’s 2021, And Super Mario 64 Now Has Ray Tracing
You might think that marrying mid-90s textures to 21st-century lighting tricks would look hideous, but this video of the Super Mario 64 PC port is looking very nice. Announced late last year, this video by Dario gives us a really good look at the modding community’s still-in-progress effort—among others—to add some modern touches to the 1996…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 8, 2021 -
CultureThe Week In Games: Prepare For Bowser’s Fury
People like Mario games, I’ve heard. So it’s good to see Nintendo releasing another one! Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury releases later this week for Switch. I’m very excited about this port. I never owned a WiiU, so I missed out on this Mario game. It always looked like a lot of fun…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 8, 2021 -
CultureCactus Props At Super Nintendo World Appear To Be Based On A Fan Game
It appears someone working on the cacti props at the Super Nintendo World theme park in Universal Studios Japan might have inadvertently built them to look just like some cacti that appear in a New Super Mario Bros Wii fan mod. Whoops! As spotted by Twitter user Meatball132, the cacti in question can be clearly…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 7, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSuper Mario World Soundtrack Remaster Spoils Original’s Lo-fi Brilliance
A group of Super Mario World fans are currently remastering the SNES platformer’s soundtrack (h/t Chris Kohler) with high-quality versions of the original samples. But if you’re hoping for some grand, orchestral versions of tracks you’ve loved for decades, these really aren’t that. It started with a fan combing through files from the so-called “Gigaleak,”…
By Ian Walker Published February 5, 2021 -
CultureGuy Goes On Super Nintendo World’s Rides, Films Them
Universal Studios’ Super Nintendo World was supposed to open in Japan this week before being indefinitely delayed due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. That said, folks who recently had a chance to visit the park during a special preview day are apparently still allowed to share footage from their experience, giving us some nice first-person…
By Ian Walker Published February 3, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsLet’s Compare Resident Evil Village‘s Lady Dimitrescu To Other Tall Video Game Characters
Lady Dimitrescu, otherwise known as Resident Evil Village’s Tall Vampire Lady, is very tall. Capcom confirmed yesterday that she stands at nine feet, six inches tall. That got me thinking: How does she compare to other video game characters? First off, let’s take a look at the dudes she’ll probably be fighting in Resident Evil…
By Ian Walker Published February 2, 2021 -
CultureReport: Nintendo Gives Non-Answer When Asked About New Switch Model
Despite years of rumors and reports indicating that upgraded Switch hardware is in the works for 2021, Nintendo continues to dance around the question of a Switch Pro. During a quarterly earnings report Q&A earlier today, company president Shuntaro Furukawa said there were no plans to announce a new Switch model anytime soon. Nintendo had…
By Mike Fahey Published February 1, 2021 -
CultureWell, Nintendo Is Still Doing Incredible
Today, Nintendo released its financials for the nine-month period ending December 31, 2019. Once again, the company posted some truly staggering figures. Net sales were up 37.3 percent year on year, while operating profit increased an eye-watering 98.2 percent, doubling last year’s results and reaching nearly $5 billion. During the same period, Nintendo sold 24.1…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 1, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsI Hope Bowser’s Fury Is The Future Of Mario
Bundled with the enhanced port of 2013’s Super Mario 3D World coming to the Switch on February 12, Bowser’s Fury is an open-world side-story that pits Mario against the scariest damn Bowser ever. So far it’s the most fun I’ve had with Mario since Odyssey Bowser’s Fury is a 3D Mario sandbox adventure that would…
By Mike Fahey Published January 27, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan Now Has A Super Nintendo World Train
Starting today, the JR Yumesaki train line in Osaka is covered in Mario and friends to celebrate Super Nintendo World, which was supposed to open February 4. However, it has since been delayed. Again. Universal Studios Japan visitors will ride the train line to the theme park. Japan is currently under a state of emergency…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 27, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsControlling Mario Kart And Smash Bros. With An Exercise Bike Looks Like Fun/Hell
Look, man, I get the idea here, but I am playing video games to not exercise, not to exercise. But I admire the ingenuity on display, and can fully appreciate that my steadfast determination to die slowly in this husk of a body may not be everyone’s approach to health and fitness. The idea of…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 14, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanUniversal Studios Japan Delays Super Nintendo World Again Due To Covid-19
Super Nintendo World, the Mario and friends themed area at Universal Studios Japan, was scheduled to open next month on February 4. However, due to the state of emergency declared in Osaka, it will not. This is not the first time the park was delayed. It was originally slated for a summer 2020 opening, but…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsArtist Claims Official Super Nintendo World Website Is Using His Fan Art
A new website for Nintendo’s upcoming Japanese theme park Super Nintendo World went live yesterday. It featured new details and a virtual tour of the video game wonderland ahead of its February 4 opening. It also used an image of Mario for its loading screen that appears to have been created not by Nintendo, but…
By Ethan Gach Published January 7, 2021 -
CultureYoshi Devolved From Babysitter to Baby
Yoshi, upon its debut, was a bright green agent of change in the Mario franchise. In its first appearance, it bursts from an egg, growing from newborn to adult in the blink of an eye. Yet for a character so tied to the concept of change and evolution, Yoshi has found itself creatively and conceptually…
Mike Sholars Published January 7, 2021 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Miyamoto In A Pipe, Winners!
2020 is over. But we got some unfinished business to take care of: one last 2020 ‘Shop Contest needs to be judged. So, let’s get to it. Let’s see what you assholes did to Miyamoto. Our winning image this week comes from Arai-the fly on the wall who has decided to curse 2021. We just…
By Zack Zwiezen Published January 2, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSuper Mario Sunshine Mod Turns Every NPC Into A Chuckster
Indie game developer Bread released a very special Super Mario Sunshine mod over the holidays that makes every NPC in the game able to heave Mario over their heads with no regard for his safety. What a great gift! This ability is lifted from the Chucksters, a group of throw-happy Piantas who form the crux…
By Ian Walker Published December 28, 2020 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: Miyamoto In A Pipe
Shigeru Miyamoto hosted the most recent Nintendo Direct, which was all about the Super Nintendo World park in Japan. It opened with the legendary designer jumping out of a pipe. Thank you, Nintendo for this ‘Shop Contest gift. Your challenge this week: Have some fun with Miyamoto in a pipe! I was originally planning on…
By Zack Zwiezen Published December 20, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanJapan’s Super Nintendo World Looks Amazing, Sure, But Also Kind Of Small
Yes, we can all probably agree that the upcoming Super Nintendo World looks incredible. On the inside, it’s amazing, but on the outside, it looks somewhat small. This is something that we’ve previously heard. When Bloomberg’s Kurumi Mori checked out the park in a press previewlate last month, she did say, “I do want to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2020
