Mario

Source: The Rumored Mario x Rabbids RPG Is Real, Coming To Switch

One of this fall’s big Nintendo Switch games will be Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle, a game that has been rumored for quite some time and does indeed exist, as confirmed by art assets provided to Kotaku. The game will mix Nintendo’s iconic plumber (and friends) with characters from Ubisoft’s popular Rabbids series. Although the…

Music Makes Mario Kart 8‘s Best Level Even Better

The first time I played Mount Wario, I thought, “Holy shit, that was a really good Mario Kart track.” In the weeks since then, my estimation of the track has only increased. It’s a doozy of a run, a rare single-lap race that doesn’t repeat, but instead is a straight shot through a lengthy and…

The Best, Weirdest Mario/Zelda Crossovers

Late last year, it was revealed that Link would become a racer in Mario Kart 8. But that wasn’t his first Mario rodeo. Nor was it the first time Zelda crossed over into the Mario series—far from it. This post originally appeared 3/31/15. Since the late eighties, or more precisely, since the arrival of Zelda,…

Who Knew Mario Sports Was So Stressful 

You have it easy. You’re just controlling Mario and company as they play sport after sport. They have it hard Remember those Mario Mercedes Benz ads? Now the character and his cohorts are starring in a series of Suntory energy drink commercials. The spot is for Dekavita C, a Japanese energy drink, and it shows…

At Nintendo, Working All Night Is ‘Mario Time’

Over the years, game development companies have found all sorts of euphemisms for unpaid overtime, but Nintendo’s might be the best. If legendary designer Shigeru Miyamoto ever comes up and tells you it’s “Mario time,” you’re in for a long night. In a fantastic new interview over at Gamasutra by some dude named Chris Kohler,…

Super Mario Run Is Now Available On Android

Better late than…never? Despite coming out on iOS in December, it’s taken until today for Android owners to get their hands on Mario’s side-scrolling mobile adventure. But hey, despite the long wait, it’s here now. The game’s pretty good, even if it does have some very weird ideas about how mobile users should pay for…

Why Is It So Hard To Make Video Games For Kids?

“Daddy? DADDY!” I look up from my laptop. This video game was supposed to give me a precious 15 minute respite from the endless drudgery of parenthood. What the hell’s gone wrong now? “DADDY WHAT I DO? “WHAT I DOOOOOO?” It must be really hard to make a good video game for kids. I know…

The 12 Best Games for the Wii U

Hail, ye Nintendo faithful! Loyal folk that you are, a Wii U rests beneath your TV. The console never quite hit its stride and has now been replaced by the Nintendo Switch, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some good games for it. Check out the list below for the games that make the…

Announced last fall, here’s a better look at Mario Sports Super Stars for the Nintendo 3DS. The game is, of course, getting an English release, but here is a recently released Japanese-language trailer. 

The Mario Bros. Music Has Official Lyrics

You’ve been hearing the ditty for decades, both in games and on the internet, but did you know that the original Mario Bros. theme—from the games, not the TV show’s intro—has official lyrics to go with it? Anyone who has heardthe excellent Mario & Zelda Big Band Live recording from 2003 (or, if you haven’t,…

You Will Believe A Mario Can Fly 

Look, up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s $50 or so worth of remote controlled flying Mario, also available in Yoshi. It’s always nice to see a familiar face while scouring the outskirts of the New York Toy Fair. I found Mario here at the Carrera booth, hanging in out in…

It’s-a Me. New York, New York. By Frankie Torres JPGs is a photo peek into wherever gamers might find interesting. If you’re a photographer and have images you want to share, drop us a line!  

Yep, This Is An 83-Minute Analysis Of A Three-Minute Super Mario Odyssey Trailer

In January, Nintendo released a three-minute trailer for the upcoming platformer Super Mario Odyssey. This past weekend, GameXplain released an 83-minute video that analyzes that trailer. And it’s way better than it has any right to be. You wouldn’t think a film-length analysis of a video game trailer would be gripping and fun to watch,…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Midnight Mario, Winners!

We started this contest with a much darker vision of life in New Donk City for Mario, but thanks to this week’s winner, we can end it on a much brighter one. The winner for this week is Ihsus who somehow managed the unthinkable, taking a beautiful meme and making it even better, somehow, by…

That Time Some Players Thought Luigi Was In Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64 was a watershed moment for our favorite video game plumber. Mario made the leap into the third dimension and brought a colorful array of characters with him but a major ally was missing: his brother Luigi. Was he just hiding the whole time? Mario’s brother Luigi has always had his back ever…

If Super Mario Odyssey Had The Realism of Grand Theft Auto

Super Mario Odyssey’s trailer was only a couple minutes long, but it was enough to get everyone hung up on was Mario’s bizarre appearance in a fictionalized version of NYC. The immediate comparison was that Odyssey reminded people of GTA, so it was only a matter of time before mods mashed together the whimsy of…

Kotaku ‘Shop Contest: Midnight Mario

It was great to finally get a real look at the Nintendo Switch and some of the things it’s capable of. But even if the future of Nintendo’s latest console remains uncertain, what I’m really worried about is Mario. I just have a feeling New Donk City is going to eat him alive. Not only…

The Next Big Mario Game Is Super Mario Odyssey

The next major, 3D entry in the Super Mario series is headed to the Nintendo Switch, with the announcement tonight of Super Mario Odyssey It…looks like a 3D Mario game, only the catch here is that Mario leaves the Mushroom Kingdom behind to spend some time in the real world. Nintendo also says it will…

OK, Bear With Me: What If Mario And Wario Are The Same Guy?

In Nintendo’s recently released mobile game Super Mario Run, the famous plumber leaps his way through a couple dozen levels on his way to rescue Princess Peach from Bowser. Been there, done that. Yet perhaps there is a second, darker reading of this game? Maybe there’s an interpretation that shakes the accepted Mario lore to…

Tony Rosato, The Cartoon Voice Of Luigi, Dead At 62

Canadian actor and comedian Tony Rosato, who provided the voice for Luigi in the animated series The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3 and Super Mario World, has died at the age of 62 of a suspected heart attack, the Toronto Sun reports Rosato, a veteran of Canada’s SCTV along with Night Heat and Relic…