-
Kotaku East
When You Have the Mario Bros. for Fans, You Cannot Lose at Euro Soccer
In the wake of this week’s Germany vs. Italy Euro 2012 match-up, there’s one image that’s making the rounds online in Japan: two of Italy’s biggest fans cheering on their team. Italy defeated Germany 2-1, and we’re left mesmerized by the GIF below, courtesy of SB Nation Pipe Dream: Super Mario Bros. Fans Rally Italy…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 29, 2012 -
CultureTotal RecallThe Mario Games That Were, For Some Reason, Released on PC
Being Nintendo’s principle mascot, you’d think that Mario would only ever appear on Nintendo consoles. And for the most part, you’d be correct! But, as with most things in life, there are exceptions. I thought with the sad news today of the cuts at Radical Entertainment that we’d look back another one such exception: the…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 28, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Luigi Has a Bra on His Face
Cannot. Unsee. Reddit user SexyPenguin‘s seven year-old daughter pointed out that Luigi’s mustache looked like a bra. That it does. That it really, really does. No wonder Luigi’s so frightened—you would be too if you had underwear permanently affixed to your face. My friend’s 7 year old daughter told me… [Reddit]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 27, 2012 -
The Mario Theme Music, as Performed by Diablo III
I’m a big fan of the fantastic sound design of Diablo III. I’m also a big fan of Koji Kondo’s original theme for Super Mario Bros. So as you can imagine, I got a kick out of this remix by YouTuber Tyler73123, who puts the sounds of Diablo III behind the music from Mario. Okay…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 26, 2012 -
Nintendo Games Turned into Edgy, Sexy Pin-Up Pics
Artist Keith P Rein is noted for his colorful and erotically charged illustrations. What do you expect when the P in Keith P Rein stands for penis. When not working at his design studio, Rein makes pin-up style photos that often use visual puns and feature nudity. His work looks like a fusion of 1940s…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 26, 2012 -
There are Wine Glasses, and Then There Are Vine Glasses
Over at Etsy shop The Basement Invaders, Jason and Alex make a variety of Nintendo-inspired goodies. There are Yoshi egg earrings aplenty, but my favorites are the piranha plant wine glasses. Or maybe the thwomp glasses, which glare angrily at you. Then again, they may be a bad idea; I’d be tempted to slam them…
By Kate Cox Published June 25, 2012 -
Tanooki Suit, Frog Suit…Luigi Suit?
Um. This is pretty gross. Dann Matthews [Tumblr]
By Luke Plunkett Published June 25, 2012 -
Nintendo is Releasing Mario DLC. That You Pay For.
Hi, Nintendo. Welcome to the DLC era. Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed today that, when New Super Mario Bros. 2 is released on 3DS on August 19, it’ll be supported post-release by new, paid downloadable content. After making very sure he promised that this wouldn’t be affecting development on the core title, Fils-Aime…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 22, 2012 -
Check Out This Unbelievable Performance of the Mario Theme on Wineglasses. Wineglasses.
This one has been out in the ether for a little while now, but somehow I hadn’t seen it. Which means that I hadn’t lived, because damn. Thankfully, Journey composer Austin Wintory linked to a similar video of another person performing the Harry Potter theme (equally impressive, so I’ll embed it below), and I went…
By Kirk Hamilton Published June 21, 2012 -
Iconic Game Characters Smoke Pot, Eat Pizza, and Play Video Games
Boy, Link, you’ve really let yourself go. You too, Sonic, Cloud, and well, everyone sitting here, playing video games, stuffing their faces and smoking up. This “FatGamers” series was done by Belgian illustrator Franck Graetz late last year, but it’s now really starting to make it way around the internet—especially in Japan. FatGamers [Behance via…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Even Mario Gets Stuck in Traffic
These Mario Kart racers were apparently spotted in Japan, all dressed up and stuck in traffic. Sure hope they didn’t kill time by throwing banana peels, turtle shells, or squid ink. I hate the squid ink—haaaaaate it. なんか16号でマリオ達が渋滞ひっかかってた [Twitter via Turbo Bee]
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 18, 2012 -
Kotaku East
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Features The Midas Touch And Co-op Play
It looks like Nintendo’s latest Mario game, New Super Mario Bros 2, which is scheduled for release in August, is going for the gold. Literally. The Mario series has always been adding new costumes for the mustached plumber with every game. The previous announcement that New Super Mario Bros. 2 would include a variation of…
By Toshi Nakamura Published June 14, 2012 -
Super Modern Mario Bros. Is Both Delightful and Terrifying
Watching this video, I can’t help but teeter back and forth between desperately wanting to play it and desperately wanting to shun it. On the one hand, the concept is ridiculously cool. The eerie lack of music lets you hone in on the ultra-realistic sound effects. Gone are the cute and familiar Mario jump sounds,…
By Tina Amini Published June 13, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Wrong About Japan’s Coolness
A recent issue of the Japanese edition of Newsweek poses this question: Is Cool Japan going cold? The cover reads “Cool Japan Is Running Out of Steam” (息切れクールジャパン). The article centers on “Cool Japan”, which was adopted by the Japanese government and trade organizations that hoped to tap into the country’s soft power status. Cool…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 13, 2012 -
Can Nintendo Convince Us To Care About The Wii U?
For this week’s Burning Questions, Jason and Kirk return from E3 to talk about their impressions of Nintendo’s next big console. What kinds of new games will the Wii U make possible? What will it take for the Wii U to be a success for gamers? Why can’t any company but Microsoft make an easy-to-use…
Kirk Hamilton & Jason Schreier Published June 12, 2012 -
Kotaku EastHere’s Why Japanese Gaming Is Not Dead
At the 2009 Tokyo Game Show, Keiji Inafune, creator of Mega Man, Onimusha, and Dead Rising uttered the following: “Man, Japan is over. We’re done. Our game industry is finished.” I hope Inafune was watching E3 this year. It’s true that over the past half-decade Japanese and Western gaming markets have gone in different directions.…
By Richard Eisenbeis Published June 12, 2012 -
It’s-a Me, Sexy Mario
If you thought porn star Ron Jeremy was the only sexy Mario, you are wrong. There are other Marios, sexy Marios who like to preen and pose for the camera in overalls and with mushrooms and fireballs. Hot. Say hello to this sexy Mario, who goes under the clever nickname “Sexy Mario”. All the photos…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012 -
Our Lady of the Mushroom Kingdom Turns Mario Into Religious Iconography
French artist Soasig Chamaillard has taken some standard images of Catholic worship – statues of Mary – and jazzed them up a little, adding a pop culture focus to something that was once purely spiritual. While some may rightly find these a little offensive (you have been warned), others will find them oddly charming. Except…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 12, 2012
