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Kotaku EastJapanReport: Despite Covid Emergency, Capcom Made Employees Work At Office After Cyber Attack [Update]
In early January, with Japan posting some of its highest covid-19 cases, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared a state of emergency for a number of prefectures, including Osaka. As part of this declaration, the government asked corporate employees to work from home or limit the number of staff in the office. According to Business Journal,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 10, 2021 -
ReviewsToysJakks’ Super Mario Bowser Airship Is The Toy Boat I’ve Always Wanted
Coming this fall from Nintendo and Jakks Pacific, the $40 Super Mario deluxe Bowser Ship playset plays the airship theme as the 2.5-inch plumber climbs aboard to wreak havoc. Announced today in honor of this week’s MAR10 holiday, the Bowser Ship is a proper toy playset for proper plastic Mario toys. There’s no Lego funny…
By Mike Fahey Published March 8, 2021 -
CultureMonster Hunter Stories 2 Takes Flight July 9
Monster Hunter fans have a date with a newly-hatched baby Rathalos on July 9, when Capcom launches Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin for the Nintendo Switch and Steam. The original Monster Hunter Stories came out in 2016 for the Nintendo 3DS, giving players a new way to interact with the series’ mighty creatures.…
By Mike Fahey Published March 8, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanSuper Nintendo World Will Finally Open In Japan On March 18
After repeated delays, Super Nintendo World will open on March 18 at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. The park was originally slated for a summer 2020 opening, but in the wake of last year’s state of emergency, that was pushed back. Then, it was scheduled to open last month on February 4. However, because of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 8, 2021 -
CultureMorning CheckpointThe PS2 Turns 21, The Future Of Twitch, Doom 3 VR Comes To PS4, Valve Kills Artifact And More
This week on Morning Checkpoint we remember the launch of the PS2, make bananas into controllers, discuss the future of Twitch, check out what’s happening with Hitman 3 this month, find out what game died this week, and stop buying movies on the PlayStation Store. Great Kotaku Content From The Past Week This was one…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 6, 2021 -
OpinionMario Is Making Animal Crossing Weird For Me
Before Animal Crossing: New Horizons added Mario items on March 1, my island was a pleasant place that was not being stalked by a dead-eyed plumber cosplayer with an axe. I must admit I scoffed when Kotaku contributor John Walker posted about how wrong Animal Crossing villagers looked dressed up in Mario costumes. Surely he…
By Mike Fahey Published March 5, 2021 -
OpinionImpressionsPyra Is My New Favorite Sword Main In Smash Bros. Ultimate
I greeted Pyra and Mythra’s announcement last month with a big sigh. Ugh, more sword fighters? It’s my preferred class in Smash Bros. Ultimate, but even I was beginning to get sick of them. After a couple hours with the new duo, however, I’m pleased to announce my initial skepticism was misplaced. Pyra and Mythra…
By Ethan Gach Published March 5, 2021 -
CultureNintendo Talks About The Switch’s Lifespan
The Nintendo Switch was launched on March 3, 2017. Just as the console passes the four-year point, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa discusses the hardware and its lifespan in a new interview with Nikkei Business “For our company, it’s a big topic what we should do next when [a console] passes its fifth year and the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 5, 2021 -
OpinionHey Nintendo, A Few More Requests For That Fancy New Switch
As the latest rumors about the Switch Pro/Super Nintendo Switch fly all about us, everyone is focused on the potential for that Samsung 7″ OLED screen, and just how well it’ll pull off its 4K resolution in docked mode . But if Mario HQ is currently piecing together components, we have a few other requests…
By John Walker Published March 4, 2021 -
CultureReport: Florida Super Nintendo World Delayed To 2025
After being delayed for nearly a year, construction on Universal Orlando’s new theme park, Epic Universe, has resumed. This new park will contain a US version of Super Nintendo World, but it won’t be open until early 2025, two years later than first expected. As reported by The Orlando Sentinel, Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings…
By Zack Zwiezen Published March 4, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsSakurai Hides Figures Of Unreleased Smash Bros. Fighters In His Desk At Work
In his latest episode of “Mr. Sakurai Presents”, Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai revealed that he often keeps figures of upcoming fighters locked away in a drawer at work while developing them. Not just Amiibo either, but the good stuff. After giving a detailed look at Xenoblade Chronicles 2‘s Pyra and Mythra, who are…
By Ethan Gach Published March 4, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanOfficial Pokémon-Themed…Fishing Lures
The amount of Pokémon branding in Japan is intense. And with the arrival of these fishing lures, it seems the pocket monsters can be slapped on just about anything. As Go Nintendo points out, Japanese fishing equipment company Duo has teamed up with The Pokémon Company for made-in-Japan Pikachu and Kygore-themed lures. One is a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 4, 2021 -
CultureReport: New Nintendo Switch With 4K Output, OLED Screen Will Release Before Christmas
Last year, Bloomberg reported that a new model of the Nintendo Switch would be out sometime in 2021. Today, they’re reporting some more specific details, like the size of the screen and some 4K news. The original report was very light on details, saying only that Nintendo “has looked into including more computing power and 4K…
By Luke Plunkett Published March 3, 2021 -
Tips & GuidesHow To Beat Bravely Default 2’s Brutal Boss Battles
Bravely Default 2, the new Nintendo Switch game about watching numbers go up, isn’t easy. The boss fights in particular are guaranteed to mess up your day. If you’ve been playing the game since it launched last week, you’ve likely found yourself banging your head against a wall on more than one occasion. Yes, in…
By Ari Notis Published March 2, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Wii U Gets A New System Update Two And A Half Years Later
Today in Japan, Nintendo released a new system update for the Wii U. The last firmware, 5.5.3, was released in early September 2018. Nintendo of America detailed the previous update as fixing the following: Improvements to system stability and usability Further improvements to overall system stability and other minor adjustments have been made to enhance…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 2, 2021 -
Kotaku EastJapanHere’s An Excellent Majora’s Mask Replica
This year marks the 35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda. To celebrate, artist Pikousa reposted an excellent Majora’s Mask she sculpted. Out of all the Zelda games, Pikousa’s husband, photographer Kyon, likes The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask best. For his birthday last year, she sculpted it entirely out of clay. It was then…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2021 -
CultureOdds and EndsPokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl‘s Graphics Compared To The Original Games’
Late last week, Nintendo announced remakes of Pokémon Diamond and Pearl. The original games were released in 2007 on the Nintendo DS, while the remakes will be out on the Switch this year. Plus, the new versions will not be developed by Game Freak, but rather, ILCA (the games’ original director, Junichi Masuda, will be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published March 1, 2021 -
CultureShop Contest‘Shop Contest: The Legend Of Zelda 35th Anniversary, Winners!
Last week marked the35th anniversary of The Legend of Zelda franchise. To celebrate the iconic series, I asked you all to create Zelda-themed images. You didn’t disappoint. Our winning image this week comes from MonoArtan who creates something I didn’t realize I wanted: A sidescrolling sequel to Wind Waker. Someone call Nintendo! Some very interesting…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 27, 2021 -
CulturePokemonPikachu Gets More Powerful The More It Sleeps
Every Pokemon is interesting and worth talking about. I don’t play a ton of Pokemon, but I do enjoy the universe and I love learning more about the creatures in it. So, Here’s Another Pokemon! It’s Pikachu! Pikachu Details Type: Electric Average Height: 1′ 04″ Average Weight: 13.2 lbs First Added In Generation I Happy…
By Zack Zwiezen Published February 27, 2021
