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CultureThey’re Finally Making A New Pokémon Snap
During a special YouTube presentation this morning, The Pokémon Company announced a new version of classic Nintendo 64 game Pokémon Snap in development for Nintendo Switch. Released for the Nintendo 64 in 1999, Pokémon Snap is a photo safari spinoff of the monster-collecting RPG series in which players are tasked with snapping pictures of pocket…
By Mike Fahey Published June 17, 2020 -
Kotaku EastKFC Opens A Virtual Restaurant In Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Today, KFC Philippines has created a virtual location in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, complete with little buckets of chicken and Colonel Sanders himself. As Ungeek (via Go Nintendo and Wonderosa) notes, the KFC Philippines Official Animal Crossing Island does an amazing job of recreating the Kentucky Fried experience in New Horizons. If players find the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo’s stocks have hit a two-year high in Japan over second-wave covid-19 concerns. “The stock had been struggling the past two months with demand for stay-at-home stocks dropping as the economy re-opened…” said analyst Katsuyuki Fujii. “But as fears for the second wave of coronavirus grow, people are taking a second look at those stocks.”
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2020 -
CultureHuman Toad Is Freaky And Terrifying
Artist Miguel Vasquez is a genius at taking beloved video game and cartoon characters and turning them into nightmare fuel. His latest? Toad from Super Mario Vasquez uses a 2D image of each character as a reference but then gives them realistic human eyes. He also takes inspiration from movie make-up effects artists like Rick…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 17, 2020 -
The Full Lego Super Mario Launch Lineup Will Run You Nearly $600
Today Nintendo and Lego revealed the full range of Lego Super Mario sets launching on August 1. Between the starter kit, ten expansion packs, four power-up kits, and a series of blind bag characters, the whole starting lineup will run collectors around $590. Don’t worry, parents of young children. There is no reason to collect…
By Mike Fahey Published June 16, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanSuper Mario LEGO Is Launching First In Japan
Previously, Kotaku reported that Super Mario LEGO was launching on August 1 in North America. Today, Nintendo announced that the Starter Course and two expansion sets will launch first in Japan on July 10. As you can see, besides the Starter Course, the two expansion sets include Piranha Plant Power Slide and Desert Pokey Expansion.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 16, 2020 -
CultureNintendo Quietly Releases Free Switch Game That Was Made By Developers Working From Home
With loads of people all over the world still in situations like working from home or having their local gyms closed, Nintendo has released a new first-party fitness game for the Nintendo Switch that anyone can play, right now, for free. It’s called Jump Rope Challenge, and simply uses the Joy-Cons as virtual skipping rope…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 16, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnimal Crossing: New Horizons‘ Real Money Trade Violates The Terms Of Service, Nintendo Points Out
A digital economy has sprung up around Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Japanese website J-Cast reports that the characters Dom (pictured), Judy, and Marshal are being sold for 5,000 yen ($46.59) on Twitter in Japan in the real money trade. The character Jack, J-Cast adds, is going for 8,000 yen ($74.49). Nintendo has strictly defined rules…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 15, 2020 -
CultureOdds and EndsAnimal Crossing: The Last Airbender
Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago the four nations lived together in harmony, until the Fire Nation ruined everything, the jerks. Don’t worry, YouTube’s The Nooksters bring all four elements back together for an outstanding remake of the Avatar: The Last Airbender intro in Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Utilizing the amazing costumes put together by…
By Mike Fahey Published June 11, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanAnd Now, Realistic Trash For Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Twitter user Noanoa has been doing an amazing job recreating trash bags and cardboard boxes in Animal Crossing: New Horizons Just look at this: And in motion: Noanoa’s work is often dystopian. But sometimes so are the times in which we live. For more, follow Noanoa on Twitter.
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2020 -
NYC Prisoners Given $15 Bootleg Game Boys
Because prison visits and social mingling have been curtailed recently as part of Covid-19 precautions, the New York City Department of Corrections have decided to buy 5500 handheld gaming machines at a cost of $15 each to try and give inmates at the city’s prisons something else to do. As the Daily News reported last…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 9, 2020 -
CultureA Delightful Tour Of Danny Trejo’s Animal Crossing Island
In the first episode of “Danny’s Diary,” a new segment in Gary Whitta’s star-studded in-game talk show Animal Talking, see the power of Animal Crossing: New Horizons transform one of Hollywood’s toughest, most intimidating actors into an adorable butterfly-collecting islander. Yeah, I just called Danny “Machete” Trejo adorable, and for good reason. It’s the only…
By Mike Fahey Published June 9, 2020 -
ReviewsToysArtist Gives Us A Peek Inside Animal Crossing‘s Resident Loan Shark
Having trouble paying back Tom Nook’s loans in Animal Crossing: New Horizons? I find it helps to imagine the person you owe bells to without clothes. Or skin. Kinda like resin artist Scott Wilkowski has done with his “Nookowski” series of see-through figures (via ToysREvil). Scott Wilkowski makes amazing things with resin. Bulbasaur skeletons. Big-headed…
By Mike Fahey Published June 9, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo Confirms Another 140,000 Accounts Were Possibly Breached In April
Earlier this year, Nintendo confirmed the possibility that as many 160,000 Nintendo Accounts were breached in a hack. Today, Nintendo announcedanother 140,000 or so more accounts may have been accessed. That means a total of around 300,000 accounts may have been breached. Nintendo pointed out in an update today that that’s less than one percent…
By Brian Ashcraft Published June 9, 2020 -
CultureNintendo’s New Clubhouse Games Is A Damn Fine Collection Of Light Diversions
Coming June 5 to the Nintendo Switch, Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics is no cheap-and-dirty mini-game bundle. It’s a polished collection of beloved multi and single-player card, dice, board, and sports games in a wonderfully presented package. It’s good stuff. This article was originally published on May 21, 2020. Clubhouse Games: 51 Worldwide Classics, developed by…
By Mike Fahey Published June 5, 2020 -
Report: Old Pokémon Games’ Encounter Rates Are Different On Different Days
Throughout 2020 the source code for a bunch of Pokémon games has been leaking online. As people are coming through the data, they’re making weird little discoveries, like the fact Gen 4 Pokémon games would seemingly adjust their encounter rates on certain days, like birthdays or the anniversaries of tragic events. As Polygon report, folks…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 3, 2020 -
CultureGame Companies Say They’re Supporting Black Lives Matter, But Few Are Offering Specifics
As protests over the killing of George Floyd by police spread throughout the country last weekend, some of the gaming industry’s biggest companies put out statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. But while a few have shared some specifics about what they’re doing to help fight systemic racism, almost none of them…
By Ethan Gach Published June 3, 2020 -
Mario And Luigi Make Magnificent Mechs
Singapore-based artist ClogTwo makes wonderfully detailed works imagining mechanical art. His Mechasoul series imagines iconic characters as pilots inside their own massive mechs. Mario and Luigi are the subjects of his latest work, and they are magnificent. The brothers Mario prepare for battle inside giant robot versions of themselves. Cutaways show off the insides of shock-absorbing…
By Mike Fahey Published June 3, 2020 -
CultureMario 64‘s Unofficial PC Port Will Look Glorious Once Modders Get Done With It
Ever since a fan-made PC version of Mario 64 was released last month, modders have been having fun updating the nearly 25-year old Nintendo 64 game to give it a fresh, modern look. Mario 64 on PC is the work of fans reverse engineering the game’s code last year. After it was publicly released last…
By Ethan Gach Published June 2, 2020 -
CulturePokémon Sword and Shield‘s Isle Of Armor DLC Drops June 17
According to information released today initially on the official Japanese Pokémon website, the first DLC from Pokémon Sword and Shield’s expansion pass, The Isle of Armor, brings new pocket monsters and fresh adventures to the games on June 17. The website and accompanying trailer show off new features coming in The Isle of Armor on June…
By Mike Fahey Published June 2, 2020