Nintendo

Ultra Sun and Moon Shouts Out The Time Iwata Helped Save Pokémon

Last week, fans discovered that the latest Pokémon games reference beloved Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata, who died in 2015. The easter egg is touching, but it’s also kind of brief. Here’s the full story behind how Iwata saved Pokémon—and a closer look at why the man became so legendary. Joe Merrick, proprietor of Pokémon site Serebii,…

What Did Black Friday Make You Buy? 2017 Edition

Black Friday and its numerous extensions (Cyber Monday, Just Buy Our Damn Stuff Thursday) are a magical time in retail, when the veil between wallet and willpower is at its thinnest. Which games, gadgets and gear made it past your defenses this year? I’ll start. First up we have the special Poké Ball version of…

Chrissy Teigen Reviews Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Supermodel Chrissy Teigen, who is excellent at Twitter, is playing Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and has some thoughts about it. They are: And this has been Chrissy Teigen’s review of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp

Breath Of The Wild‘s Horses Do The Darndest Things 

It’s been a good year for games. Trying to arrive at a shortlist for the best ones to come out in 2017 is going be tough. But every time I think I’ve finally started to cool on The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild, it finds a new way to warm my heart.…

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Is Charming But Sleazy

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is a perfectly serviceable entry into the series, until the new mobile game reminds you that could be spending money on it. When you open up Pocket Camp it’s unsettling how much it looks and feels like the other Animal Crossing games. You’re first greeted by K.K. Slider, then Isabelle, two…

A Small, Disturbing Side Story In Ultra Pokémon Sun and Moon

The original Sun and Moon are famed for having surprisingly dark story elements that redefined how we understood beloved monsters, along with core features such as Mega Evolution. Ultra Sun and Moon take that ball and run with it. One of the best examples of this actually happens early on in the new games. Not…

Splatoon 2‘s Big Winter Update Adds A Ton Of New Stuff

Here’s something for Splatoon 2 players to be thankful for this week. The game’s next big update drops on November 23, adding four battle stages, a new Salmon Run stage, four hairstyles, an increased level cap, fresh tunes and more. Four new stages begin rolling out on November 24, starting with the Black Friday-appropriate MakoMart,…

Legendary Nintendo composer Hip Tanaka has released his first full solo album, DjangoIt’s really good You can listen to it below. Via Thumbsticks

Ultra Pokémon Sun and Moon Make Hunting Shiny Pokémon Way Easier

Pokémon fans know just how rare finding a “shiny” is: you can play multiple games across generations and never encounter monsters in a special coloring. Typically, you have a 1 in 4,000 chance of finding a shiny, which is pretty low. Ultra Sun and Moon change the odds by giving you another sure-fire way to…

Mother 4, a fan-made sequel for Nintendo’s series that’s been in the works since 2010, isn’t out yet. Its soundtrack, however, is, and you can listen to it here

Streamer Suspended From Twitch For Playing Pokémon Game That Came Out Early In Australia

Australian streamer Mark “Werster” McKenzie received a temporary ban from Twitch last week, because the service said the Pokémon game he was playing was “unauthorised pre-release content”. Even though he’d bought the game from Nintendo’s own store. Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon were released in the US on November 17, but because of time…

Metroid Prime: The Kotaku Review

When she shoots, Samus Aran doesn’t miss. That’s one of the fundamental truths of the original Metroid Prime, the first-person sci-fi game that came out on the Nintendo GameCube in 2002. You lock her gun onto a target and fire. She hits it every time. (This post originally ran on March 10, 2016. We’re bumping…

14 Things That Are New In Ultra Pokémon Sun and Moon

A third version of 2016’s Pokémon Sun and Moon drops today for the 3DS, so you may be wondering what, exactly, has been changed this time around. Should you play Ultra Sun and Moon if you already enjoyed the original games? If you’ve never played any version before, is this the best game to get?…

A Hot New Strategy For Speedrunning Ocarina Of Time: Don’t Press The A Button

The world record for The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is 17 minutes and 9 seconds… but what if you pressed the A button as little as possible? Limiting Link’s ability to jump, talk, and open chests creates a new challenge for speedrunners to race through. The “A Button Challenge” restricts speedrunners into completing…

It’s Fall And The Nintendo Switch Is Still Selling Out In Japan

When will the Nintendo Switch sellouts end in Japan? Who knows. It’s autumn, and the console is still hard to get in many places. Last week, the Nintendo Switch topped the Japanese sales charts, moving 84,593 units (in comparison, the PS4 was the second-best seller at 23,613 units).  This was earlier today at the Yodobashi…

Arms’ Newest Update Adds A Spirit Fighter And A Splatfest-Like Event

Arms’ latest update is a damn good one. Overnight, Nintendo added a new and seriously fun South American fighter, three pairs of arms, a great map and the game’s first community event, a competition in the style of Splatoon’s Splatfest. Guided by the power of temple spirits, the newest fighter Misango has a “mysterious entity”…

Comparing The Different Versions Of Skyrim

This week, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim comes to the Nintendo Switch. It will join previous releases on PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One and PS4. Above are only three of the versions, but let’s see how all of them stack up. Which version do you think is the best? (Hint: PC.)

A Perfect Mario Odyssey Moment

One thing I love about Super Mario Odyssey is how often it anticipates me. Odyssey seeks to strike a balance between structured challenges and open-ended play. It achieves that balance with remarkable consistency. Each level is a toy-filled sandbox, loaded with springs, levers, and buttons for you to bounce, pull, and press. The game feels so…

To mark Kirby’s 25th anniversary, these buns will be available at Lawson convenience stores across Japan starting November 21 for a limited time. The buns come in two different expressions and are stuffed with a “Maxim Tomato” inspired filling. 

Report: Nintendo Making Animated Mario Movie With Studio Behind Minions

Nintendo is in talks to bring Mario back to Hollywood, according to a report today by the Wall Street Journal The paper reports that Illumination Entertainment and Universal Pictures are close to reaching a deal with Nintendo for an animated Super Mario Bros. movie. Illumination is the company behind Despicable Me—which foisted Minions on the…