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Why Bowser is in Disney’s New Movie, But Mario Isn’t
Disney’s upcoming animated movie Wreck-It Ralph features cameos from all sorts of existing video game characters, from M. Bison to Altered Beast’s Neff. Yet there’s one character conspicuous by his absence. Mario. The biggest video game character on the planet will not be in the flick, and before you go thinking that’s just a licensing…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2012 -
Maybe Nintendo Needs a New Mascot
Mario may be identifiable as the sun to the wider population, but there’s a generation of gamers coming of age who grew up playing more Pokémon than Paper Mario. To better appeal to their sensibilities, then, perhaps Nintendo could take a look at its choice of mascot. I’m not saying get rid of Mario. Maybe…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallThe History of Video Games Gets, Uh, Weirdly Sexual Towards The End
This bizarre little piece of animation was originally intended to serve as the intro to a German documentary about video games. The idea was to take existing characters from the history of games and “reinterpret” them, to match the series’ brief to present the everyday lives of MMO addicts. I can kind of see that,…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 14, 2012 -
Mario Gets His Race On In “Boost Rush” Mode For New Super Mario Bros. U
At Nintendo’s press event today, Jason took a look at the new “Boost Rush Mode” for New Super Mario Bros. U for the Wii U. Here, you can see the mode in action—it involves pushing the screen to scroll faster by hitting boost blocks. Also, check out the nifty secret Luigi finds near the end.
By Kirk Hamilton Published September 13, 2012 -
You Can Watch Nintendo Announce The Wii U’s Release Date And Price Live Tomorrow Morning
Nintendo’s releasing a new console soon, in case you haven’t heard. And Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime is having lots of important meetings with cartoon characters in order to commemorate the occasion. Tomorrow at 10am Eastern, Nintendo is holding an event in New York City to announce some big news about the console—including, presumably,…
By Jason Schreier Published September 12, 2012 -
Modern Warfare Comes to the Mushroom Kingdom, and it Looks Terrific
It’s been nearly 20 years since Nintendo last made a Mario movie. If they ever decided to make another one, and for whatever reason didn’t go the Paper Mario route, this might work. I mean, it’s barely Mario at all, but then, that didn’t stop them in 1993. At least this would have guns and…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 30, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Oh, Link and Mario, How You’ve Grown!
The years have flown right by. Think about your first time to play a Zelda or a Mario title. You’ve changed. But so have Link and Mario. Next January, Japan’s Medicom is releasing a trio of Mario and Link “Ultra Detail” figurines. They measure about 2.3 inches tall and are priced at ¥730 (US$9). For…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 24, 2012 -
Super Mario Bros., on The…Atari? Huh?
While the Mario Brothers did make an official appearance on an Atari console, that was the original Mario Bros. arcade game, not a Super Mario Bros. platformer. So this footage you see up top, as good as it looks, isn’t from a real game. It’s a demo made by Atari Age forum member Sprybug, showing…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 23, 2012 -
Kotaku EastJaywalking Insanity Combated with Mario and Frogger
Jaywalking is a big problem in China. One news station decided to use Frogger (or rather, a Frogger clone) and some Mario music to show that jaywalking is not the best idea! In the new clip, you can see folks walk across several lanes of traffic Edmonton Rd. in Harbin, Heilongjiang province. Scary stuff. As…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 22, 2012 -
Reviews
New Super Mario Bros. 2: The Kotaku Review
Now here’s the story of a guy named Mario. It’s an old story. You’ve probably heard it before. Princess is lounging around, minding her own business. Giant turtle jumps out of the sky. Drags her away. Sticks her in a cage and waits for Mario to follow. The specifics might change every now and then—a…
By Jason Schreier Published August 19, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Assassin’s Creed 3 Director Says Japanese Games Get a Free Pass
Alex Hutchinson, the creative director of Assassin’s Creed 3, thinks he knows why Nintendo can get away with releasing new versions of old franchises. It might not be the answer you expect. After Hutchinson compared AC to other well known franchises, Mario and Resident Evil, website CVG asked the creative director why Nintendo can release…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 17, 2012 -
This Kiddy Smack Talk Song Will Make Your Day
UK comedian Adam Buxton (one half of Adam and Joe) recently uploaded this song to YouTube. As Kotaku reader Sam pointed out, it was for a section called Song Wars in which both Adam and Joe have to make a song on a theme and listeners vote on the winner. This is the result. Dubstep…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 16, 2012 -
This Collection of Old Apple Hardware Is Heroic
If you are super old like me (hello old friends!), you’ll remember using some of these Apple computers. If you are a young whippersnapper (hello young friends!), you might not—but you should still enjoy perusing the retro hardware that’s on display. You are looking at a Russian collection of Apple computers, which website English Russia…
By Brian Ashcraft Published August 10, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
What is This Weirdly Sexual Mario Image I Don’t Even Um OK
The live-action Mario movie is like a giant scab on your knee. It’s gross, and an eyesore, yet for whatever reason many of us just can’t resist picking at it. Most of the time that invokes painful memories, but not today. Today it’ll provoke some different, much stranger emotions. Witness Golden’s Super Mario Bros. The…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 10, 2012 -
Ain’t Nothing Special About This Week’s Nintendo Download But the Real Bout
Sometimes Nintendo’s weekly downloadable content offerings grant me a broad selection of game-infused paints with which to decorate the canvas of this post. And then there’s weeks like these that don’t even give me enough to keep a painting metaphor going. I could try to get excited about Real Bout Fatal Fury Special, if you’d…
By Mike Fahey Published August 9, 2012 -
What a Real Mario Brother Would Look Like
Mario has a giant cap for a reason: so Nintendo didn’t need to animate his hair or eyebrows. That was back in the 1980s, though; if Mario was being designed now – or, heaven’s forbid, being redesigned – there’s every chance he’d look a little more realistic. Maybe not this realitic, though, which would be…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 7, 2012 -
The Dorkly Weekly: Princess Peach Takes Her Revenge
You had to have known that after multiple kidnappings, Princess Peach would finally crack. It’s about time she takes her revenge on Bowser and his minions. Note to self: never piss off Princess Peach. Oh, and, NSFW for language. For more sick and twisted video game comedy, follow the link to Dorkly.com
By Tina Amini Published August 6, 2012 -
id’s John Carmack Gets a Reminder on How Mario Used to Kick Our Ass
Here’s a short, cute clip from id boss John Carmack’s keynote address at this year’s QuakeCon, in which the brutality of Super Mario Bros. 3 is compared to the more pedestrian Mario games of today. Why do I bring it up? Well, Carmack and his old colleague John Romero once took Super Mario Bros. 3…
By Luke Plunkett Published August 3, 2012 -
The Red-Headed Killer Returns to the Nintendo Download
It’s an incredibly short week for the Nintendo Download, but that just makes Circle Entertainment’s follow-up to the compelling DSiWare action-adventure The Lost Town: The Dust more of a chance to shine. Stare into the eyes of the red-headed killer. It was a grave oversight on my part that I completely skipped over The Lost…
By Mike Fahey Published August 2, 2012
