Mario

Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World Delayed Due To Covid-19

This summer, Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World was slated to open. As Kotaku has previously reported, the park is coming along nicely. However, due to the novel coronavirus, the Mario-themed area will not open. The state of emergency has been lifted in Japan, and USJ re-opened on June 8. Visitors, however, have been restricted,…

Nintendo’s stocks have hit a two-year high in Japan over second-wave covid-19 concerns. “The stock had been struggling the past two months with demand for stay-at-home stocks dropping as the economy re-opened…” said analyst Katsuyuki Fujii. “But as fears for the second wave of coronavirus grow, people are taking a second look at those stocks.” 

Human Toad Is Freaky And Terrifying

Artist Miguel Vasquez is a genius at taking beloved video game and cartoon characters and turning them into nightmare fuel. His latest? Toad from Super Mario Vasquez uses a 2D image of each character as a reference but then gives them realistic human eyes. He also takes inspiration from movie make-up effects artists like Rick…

The Full Lego Super Mario Launch Lineup Will Run You Nearly $600

Today Nintendo and Lego revealed the full range of Lego Super Mario sets launching on August 1. Between the starter kit, ten expansion packs, four power-up kits, and a series of blind bag characters, the whole starting lineup will run collectors around $590. Don’t worry, parents of young children. There is no reason to collect…

Super Mario LEGO Is Launching First In Japan

Previously, Kotaku reported that Super Mario LEGO was launching on August 1 in North America. Today, Nintendo announced that the Starter Course and two expansion sets will launch first in Japan on July 10. As you can see, besides the Starter Course, the two expansion sets include Piranha Plant Power Slide and Desert Pokey Expansion.…

Mario And Luigi Make Magnificent Mechs

Singapore-based artist ClogTwo makes wonderfully detailed works imagining mechanical art. His Mechasoul series imagines iconic characters as pilots inside their own massive mechs. Mario and Luigi are the subjects of his latest work, and they are magnificent. The brothers Mario prepare for battle inside giant robot versions of themselves. Cutaways show off the insides of shock-absorbing…

Let’s Check In With Universal Studios Japan’s Super Nintendo World

The last time we checked in with Super Nintendo World at Universal Studios Japan, it was coming along nicely. Now, the theme park looks like it’s nearly finished. USJ’s Super Nintendo World was slated to open this summer, and it’s still unclear how the new Mario-themed area will debut. The state of emergency has been…

As Expected, Nintendo Is Taking Down That Unofficial Super Mario 64 PC Port

With the world in turmoil, it’s important to hold onto the few constants we have left. The sun still rises in the east, the sky is still (mostly) blue, and Nintendo is still devoted to taking down unofficial ports of its games. Earlier this month, a PC port of Super Mario 64 appeared that could…

Mario, Meet Ultraman & Godzilla

Bid Toys have made this incredible pair of figures depicting Mario and Bowser as Ultraman and Godzilla respectively. Going on sale in a few hours (at time of posting), Mario stands 13cm tall and costs USD$42 shipped worldwide, while Bowser is 15cm and costs USD$49 shipped. If you manage to get one, they’ll ship in…

Mario Is Ready To Protect Tokyo From Godzilla Bowser

The crossover that the world has long deserved is here: Mario as Ultraman duking it out with Bowser as Godzilla. Bid Toys, known for mash-ups like this Tetsujin 28-meets-Pinocchio, is releasing these soft vinyl “Manultra” and “Koopala” figures later this month. I don’t see any copyright on these official images from the maker Bid Toys’…

Super Mario Bros. 3‘s Angry Sun Gave Me Anxiety

I’ve been playing Super Mario Bros. 3 on my Nintendo Switch lately. It’s been reminding me how the Angry Sun, an enemy that appears in the fifth level of the game’s Desert Land, provoked terror in me when I was young. Its implementation is a lesson in narrative level design and accomplishing less with more.…

Sony Pulls Popular Mario Creation From Dreams After Nintendo Complaint

One of the most popular and downloaded Mario character models in the PS4 game Dreams has been removed after Sony received a complaint from Nintendo. As reported by Eurogamer, a Dreams creator by the name of PieceofCraft, who made the popular Mario model, recently Tweeted the news that Sony had pulled their Mario from the…

First-Person Mario Lets You Shoot Goombas In The Dang Face

As part of Nintendo’s forced MAR10 holiday (March 10, Mario, get it?), developer Sean Noonan has released a beautiful rendition of Super Mario Bros. as a first-person shooter. Sure, the gun only shoots plungers, but I have to imagine Mario would take some satisfaction from being able to blow away hordes of Goombas. Noonan, a…

Mario Maker Contest: I Love Power-Ups

I love a good power-up in a Mario game. Especially one that makes the level easier or more exciting to play through. Or what about that feeling of grabbing a Super Star and knocking out every enemy in your way. It never gets old. Your challenge this week: Create courses filled with power-ups or using…

The Wii U Games That Still Need To Come To Switch

With Platinum Games bringing The Wonderful 101 to Switch via a Kickstarter campaign, that’s one more former Wii U exclusive that’s being moved to Nintendo’s newer, much more successful console. As of now, there are a few major games still stuck on the Wii U, but only a few that will likely end up on…

Donkey Kong Has Mouths On His Feet And I Hate It

I could have gone my whole life without ever knowing this fact. But now I know it, and now you, too, know this fact. In Mario Kart Wii, Donkey Kong has mouths on his feet. If I have to live with this image and thought in my head, so do you. It is only fair.…

Mario Maker Contest: Water, Water Everywhere

Water levels often are terrible. But sometimes, if they are done just right, they can be…mostly not terrible. Let’s make some mostly not terrible or even good Mario levels using water! Your Challenge This Week: Create levels featuring large water sections or set entirely underwater. Don’t feel like you need to make the whole level…

Nintendo’s Theme Park Trailer Is A Trip

We’re only six months (at most!) away from the opening of Nintendo’s big new theme park at Universal Studios, Osaka. That means it’s time to not only get a big hype trailer, but some actual information on the place as well, including a very cool, very Mario feature. It’s a pretty good vid, hinting at…

There’s A Creepy Ghost Secretly Following You In Super Mario 3D Land

Ghosts are part of the Mario universe, no doubt about that. But there’s one ghost in Super Mario 3D Land that is unlike any other ghost. And because it is easy to miss, most players have no idea it’s even there. As explained in a recent video from YouTuber, SwankyBox, this spooky spirit looks like…

Mario Maker’s New Update Is The Closest Thing To Zelda II Maker We’ll Ever Get

Super Mario Maker 2 has finally leveled up with today’s release of the version 2.0 update. Some carefully-considered new enemies and items open up new creative possibilities, but the big change is the fact that Mario can now transform into Link, with a full suite of new moves that turn Mario Maker levels into Zelda…