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Kotaku EastJapanNintendo Japan Will No Longer Service The Original Wii [Update]
Today, Nintendo Co. Ltd. has announced that it’s going to end repair service for the original Nintendo Wii. The console launched in Japan on Dec. 2, 2006, and went on to sell over a hundred million units worldwide, making it one of the most successful consoles ever. After March 31, Nintendo will no longer be…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 27, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanThe Most Downloaded Switch Games In Japan Last Year
Do you wonder which Switch games were downloaded most in 2019? Would you like to know? Well, good news, because Nintendo just released a list of them. There are two lists, actually. The first is for download-exclusive games. Let’s have a look! And here are the top 30 downloads for retail games: Any surprises? Any non-surprises?
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2020 -
CultureA Tribute To Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aimé Kicks Off With A Terrific String Quartet
Former longtime president of Nintendo America Reggie Fils-Aimé received lifetime achievement honors at the New York Video Game Critics Circle award ceremony in Manhattan last night. He delivered a classy acceptance speech which followed a couple of moments Nintendo fans may enjoy seeing. Fils-Aimé’s acceptance speech was preceded by a video highlighting the ex-executive’s career,…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 22, 2020 -
Dad Builds Custom Xbox Adaptive Controller So Daughter Can Play Zelda: Breath Of The Wild
Xbox’s Adaptive Controller has done some amazing things as far as accessibility in video games goes, but the setup isn’t hard-wired to only work on a Microsoft console. It can, with a little work, also run on the Nintendo Switch, and in doing so bring an enormous smile to a little girl’s face. Rory Steel…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 19, 2020 -
Mario Maker Contest: Going Down, Winners!
Last week I gave you all the task of creating courses in Mario Maker 2 that were all about getting down. Be it tunnels, mines, deep ravines or giant ocean mazes. Consider this a sequel to a contest a few months back, which was all about going up! I got some great levels this week.…
By Zack Zwiezen Published January 18, 2020 -
CultureNow There Are Official Pokémon ASMR Videos
Want to listen to Chespin munching on a stack of sweets? How about Charmander curled up next to a crackling fire? Now you can, courtesy of Pokémon Kids TV’s official ASMR videos. Auditory sensory meridian response, or ASMR, is a tingling sensation that comes from listening to certain sounds. Lips smacking, keyboards clicking, chewing, hair…
By Mike Fahey Published January 17, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsTokyo Mirage Sessions Is Great On Switch
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore arrives on the Nintendo Switch on January 17, bringing the excellent Wii U role-playing game hardly anyone played to a much larger audience. While the Shin Megami Tensei/Fire Emblem crossover has more than enough style and charm to stand on its own, Atlus added a bit more story and a…
By Mike Fahey Published January 17, 2020 -
CultureLet’s See How Construction On Nintendo’s Theme Park Is Coming Along
Super Nintendo World is due to open in around six months time, which is why we’re starting toget stuff like big shiny music videos. For something a bit more real, though, let’s check out some aerial footage of the park under construction at Universal Studios Japan, see how things are coming along. For reference, the…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 16, 2020 -
CultureSuper Smash Bros. Gets Cuphead, Assassin’s Creed, Mega Man, And Rabbids Costumes
Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses not your cup of tea? How about Cuphead, a literal cup of possible tea? The animated drinking vessel headlines the new Mii fighter costume lineup, joining two Mega Men, an assassin, and a guy in a Rabbid hat. Due out January 28 alongside Byleth, the new batch of Mii…
By Mike Fahey Published January 16, 2020 -
CultureThe Next Smash Bros. Character Is Fire Emblem‘s Byleth
During a special presentation this morning, Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai said that he had been working on the fifth downloadable character for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate in secret, and that only a few people at Nintendo knew about it. Viewers wondered: what kind of twist could that be? A Mario monster? Waluigi? Reggie Fils-Aime?…
By Jason Schreier Published January 16, 2020 -
We Are All This Detective Pikachu Plush
I feel you, Detective Pikachu. 2020 has not got off to the greatest start. This wrinkled and very sad plush, which came out in Japan last year, is available today at the Pokémon Center for $20. He is almost unfathomably cute.
By Luke Plunkett Published January 15, 2020 -
Nintendo Co., Ltd.’s new recruitment pamphlet looks like a child’s picture book. It’s actually a corporate guide and the pages seem to depict the character working in different jobs, such as doing office work or composing a score. The art style is fantastic!
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2020 -
Kotaku EastChinaIt appears that Chinese Switch consoles are locked. Tencent is handling the Chinese market, and domestic games, which read “CHN” on the Switch cards, are reportedly locked. This means international players will need to import Tencent Switches should they want to play any future China-only releases.
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 14, 2020 -
CultureNintendo’s Theme Park Trailer Is A Trip
We’re only six months (at most!) away from the opening of Nintendo’s big new theme park at Universal Studios, Osaka. That means it’s time to not only get a big hype trailer, but some actual information on the place as well, including a very cool, very Mario feature. It’s a pretty good vid, hinting at…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 13, 2020 -
ReviewsToysHere Is Kirby On Pancakes Brandishing A Stick Of Butter
What is sweeter than Kirby? How about Kirby sitting on a stack of syrup-soaked pancakes raising a glistening stick of butter over his head? Throw in a strawberry and that’s about as sweet as Kirby can get. This little two and a half inch-tall figure is part of Banpresto Box’s Kirby’s Dolce Collection, a $30…
By Mike Fahey Published January 13, 2020 -
Modder Creates Custom GameCube Controller For Switch
It took a lot of work, planning, and tinkering, but a modder has created a custom GameCube controller that can split apart and connect to a Switch tablet, allowing for handheld play. Shank Mods is a popular YouTuberwho has created a lot of wild things, like portable Wiis and GameCubes. His latest project, turning a…
By Zack Zwiezen Published January 11, 2020 -
The BestsThe 25 Best Gaming Handhelds, Ranked
I recently got a Nintendo Switch Lite, and I love it. I wanted to write about the joys of that dying breed of device, the dedicated portable gaming machine. And I thought to myself, how can I write this in a way that would make the largest number of people hate me? And I realized:…
By Chris Kohler Published January 10, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsPokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team‘s Storybook Switch Makeover Is Enchanting
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rescue Team Blue for the Nintendo DS and Red for the Game Boy Advance looked good enough on their respective systems, but the upcoming Switch version, with its adorable hand-drawn art style, is downright delightful. Spike Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon series is all about roguelike dungeon crawling. The games’ heroes, be they Dragon…
By Mike Fahey Published January 10, 2020 -
OpinionImpressionsI Can’t Wait To Fight Pokémon Shield‘s Nerdy New Psychic-Type Rival
The upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield DLC, The Isle of Armor, will feature two new rivals exclusive to each of the games. Sword will get Klara, who specializes in poison type Pokémon, while Shield will get Avery, a Psychic-type gym trainer. I have Shield, and while Klara is demonstrably cuter than Avery, I can’t wait…
By Gita Jackson Published January 10, 2020 -
Kotaku EastJapanNintendo’s Old Headquarters Will Be Turned Into A Hotel
Nintendo’s old card-game headquarters is being turned into a hotel. Guests can stay at the Kyoto property starting in 2021. The building, which dates from the first half of the 20th century, held the head offices for the Marufuku Nintendo Card Co., which Fusajiro Yamauchi founded in 1889. It would go on to become the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 10, 2020