Mario

Earthworm Jim’s Mean-Spirited Satire Doesn’t Hold Up

Earthworm Jim first released on the Sega Genesis today in 1994. The strange side scroller married offbeat humor and experimental level design. The result was a hodgepodge of a game that was frustrating but engaging. Developed by Shiny Entertainment, Earthworm Jim positions itself largely as a work of satire seeking to upend various side scrolling…

Oh God This Waluigi Cosplay

This is how Mick Ignis went to Comic Con this year. I will not sleep easily tonight. He had some make-up help from Cig Nuetron, who was looking just as awful/amazing as Wario (while that’s Rannie Rodil as Mario & Luigi’s Princess Shroob):

Just As You Thought, Nintendo Is Doing Really Well

During the Wii U years, things didn’t always look so good. This time last year, Nintendo was losing more money than expected. But now, Nintendo has the Switch, and it’s doing just fine, thank you. According to Reuters, the 16.21 billion yen ($144.95 million) operating profit for the April to June period surpassed an 11.55…

The Worst Way To Meet Miyamoto

For a certain type of video game enthusiast, getting to meet Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto is the ultimate dream. You rehearse in your head what you’re going to say. You hope you don’t blow it. In 1997, game music composer Grant Kirkhope had, shall we say, a suboptimal experience meeting Nintendo’s game design guru. This…

Nintendo-Themed Jordans Are About As 1989 As It Gets

Johnny Barry’s Freaker Sneaks, who earlier this year did a custom run of Jordan IV’s in a SNES colourway, are back with a handful of very expensive NES Jordans. They cost $1250 a pair, and in addition to the NES colour scheme they’ve also got some extra features like Mario labels, a cartridge-shaped Jordan tag…

Look At This Bad Mario Puzzle

Nintendo has released a one thousand piece Mario puzzle, and there’s something wrong with it. Can you guess? More than half the pieces in this box are the same exact color. Has anyone who worked on this actually seen a puzzle before? I’m no puzzle expert, but that seems like a recipe for a bad…

Touring Super Mario Odyssey‘s New Donk City

We recently played more Super Mario Odyssey and enjoyed the sights and sounds of New Donk City. If you want to learn about the city that never leaps, sit down to watch this informative travelogue before making a trip there when Odyssey releases on October 27th.  Transcript: If you’re looking to get away for a…

During our recent playthrough of Super Mario Odyssey’s demo, we found the saddest man in New Donk City. We’ll have more sights and sounds to share in the coming days.

Here’s A Closer Look At That Nuclear Bunker Filled With Mario Murals

Foxtrot-01 is one of several Minuteman Missile Launch Sites, a series of facilities dedicated to launching inter-continental nukes in the event that the U.S. comes under attack. It’s also filled with Mario murals. The bunker’s fascination with Mario first surfaced (as far as I can tell) back in 2014 after it was pointed out in…

Super Mario Postage Stamps Coming To Japan 

Today in Japan, the country’s postal service is releasingan official set of Super Mario stamps. This is not the first Mario stamp set to be released in Japan, as another one came out a few years back. As Famitsu notes, one set is 820 yen ($7.30) and most certainly will 1Up any letter. Kotaku East…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: A Little Mario In All Of Us, Winners!

The ‘Shop Contest is back, and the first one in a few months is now complete. Unfortunately, the results have shattered my confidence in Super Mario Odyssey unless it gets some standalone DLC devoted to just how weird Mario and Cappy can get. But congrats to this week’s winner: Pleasance13. Maybe if Mario finally possessed…

Hololens Super Mario Bros. Looks Dangerously Fun

Designer Abhishek Singh created a first-person augmented reality version of Super Mario Bros.’ first level, which is very cool. Then he dressed up as Mario to test out his creation in New York City’s Central Park. That’s the dangerous bit. On one hand, Singh’s AR game does a great job of demonstrating the potential of…

Japanese Airport Cosplays As Nintendo Advertisement

Travellers arriving at Kansai International Airport in Osaka will soon be greeted by Nintendo characters plastered all over the place. Starting June 23, Nintendo is setting up what it’s calling the “Nintendo Check In” at the airpot’s Terminal 1 with Switch, 3DS, and smart device titles. The airport is also slipping on some huge Nintendo…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: A Little Mario In All Of Us

Super Mario Odyssey this week showed no one’s consciousness is safe from the little plumber. Thanks to Cappy, he can become a dinosaur or even a Goomba. The possibilities are endless( unlike my ‘shop talents). This latest ‘Shop Contest isn’t just about exploring the boundaries of Odyssey’s premise, it’s about searching for answers to the…

I Played 30 Minutes Of Super Mario Odyssey And It Sure Is Impressive

Super Mario Odyssey is a wild, ambitious game. It’s got secrets, dinosaurs, and the type of flawless jumping you’d expect from a new main Mario made by the design wizards at Nintendo. It’s less Super Mario 3D World, more Super Mario 64. And it lets you throw around Mario’s hat, which I promise is more…

Super Mario Odyssey Lets You Play As A Dinosaur

The next big Mario game is coming to Switch on October 27, and it’ll let you play as a Cheep Cheep, a taxi cab, and even a dinosaur. Using Mario’s special abilities in Super Mario Odyssey, you can inhabit those people and objects, as we saw in a new trailer during the Nintendo Spotlight today.…

Nintendo’s Theme Park Teased In Cute New Trailer

The big Nintendo section of Universal Studios Japan is still years away from being finished, but the park is already hyping up the attraction. Here’s a trailer giving hints at what we can expect when it opens in 2020. Explains why that stage was being built yesterday If you look at the big reveal of…

Universal Studios Japan Gets A Super Mario Bros. Stage

Previously, Universal Studiosreleased concept artfor its upcoming Super Nintendo World. This week at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, a large Mario-themed stage appeared in the parking lot, giving a more concrete look at what to expect. These photos were snapped by Twitter user and USJ super fan LCASTUDIOS_USJ. It’s believed that the stage was created…

Only 90s kids will remember Mega Man’s nightmarish mascot visage. From Blake J Harris’ book Console Wars, via VideoGameArt&Tidbits

The Top 30 Selling Games In Japan Are Dominated By Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

Last week, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was way out in front in the Japanese sales chart, surprising absolutely no one. Some of the entries, however, might catch you off guard. Via Famitsu, here are the top 30 selling games from April 24 to April 30.  30. Final Fantasy XV (PS4): 2,220 copies Total: 975,104 copies…