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Here Are Some Isometric Ocarina Of Time Maps
I have a thing for isometric video games, so big thanks to Mark Mayers for linking this gallery of Ocarina of Time areas cut open and laid out. They’re from the site VGMaps, “the largest source of screenshot maps on the Internet”, which incidentally is now where I’ll be spending the rest of my week.
By Luke Plunkett Published September 28, 2017 -
EsportsSplatoon 2 Players Across The World Say Matchmaking Is Making It Harder To Play
Competitive video games are unique in that they offer an international field of play. Unlike soccer or football, video games let you play the best in the world without having to travel, creating an international dialogue of play and growth. For Splatoon 2 players though, the current matchmaking system hinders that exchange of ideas, a…
By Eric Van Allen Published September 28, 2017 -
ReviewsRetro
Link: Faces Of Evil: The Kotaku Review
When Nintendo foolishly licensed The Legend of Zelda to Phillips Media in the early 90s, the result was more than just Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon for the company’s CD-i console. Link: Faces of Evil is the action complement to Gamelon’s adventure game sensibilities. It eschews subtlety for a dungeon crawl-fest that is better left…
By Heather Alexandra Published September 28, 2017 -
Nintendo Switch Owners Really, Really Care About The Game Icons
How important is the design of game icons, the visual indicators of the titles available to launch from our consoles’ dashboards? A number of Switch owners are very particular about the colorful squares that show up on their home screens. They’re calling for changes, and developers are listening. On Thursday, September 18, three days before…
By Mike Fahey Published September 28, 2017 -
Super Metroid‘s Creators Want You To Save The Animals
At the biannual Games Done Quick speedrunning marathon, there’s always an ongoing contest: In Super Metroid, should the runners save or kill the animals? Super Metroid’s creators say… SAVE THEM. After defeating the final boss of Super Metroid, you, as protagonist Samus Aran, must escape from the exploding planet of Zebes. Along the way, you…
By Jason Schreier Published September 28, 2017 -
Confirmed: Mario Was Originally Punching Yoshi
Among Nintendo fans, there has been dispute as to whether Mario was telling Yoshi to get something or smacking the character in the head. According to Nintendo, Mario was originally punching Yoshi, causing the character’s tongue to shoot out in surprise. For example, a few years back website Supper Mario Broth tried to disprove the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 28, 2017 -
Now Waluigi Is In Breath Of The Wild
We’ve seen GTA, Mario and Minecraft modded into Breath of the Wild on Wii U and PC, but now we are getting into the good stuff This Waluigi skin is by Hefty and DonkXProXAli, and I think we’re about done here. I mean… Yeah we’re done here. Those new to this and wondering how it’s…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 27, 2017 -
ReviewsRetro
Zelda: The Wand Of Gamelon: The Kotaku Review
In 1993, Nintendo made the inexplicable decision to license The Legend of Zelda to Phillips Media, creators of the CD-i. Among the resulting games is Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. It’s known as one of the worst games ever made. Replaying it 24 years later reveals a game with interesting ideas marred by atrocious execution.…
By Heather Alexandra Published September 26, 2017 -
CultureTotal RecallCircle Of The Moon Is Secretly The Best Castlevania Game
The original Castlevania released 31 years ago on the Famicom in Japan. It launched a franchise that dominated games for decades. But there’s one game in the series that’s woefully underappreciated, the Game Boy Advance’s Circle of the Moon Released in 2001 as a flagship title for the Game Boy Advance, Circle of the Moon…
By Heather Alexandra Published September 26, 2017 -
Zelda’s Hyrule Historia Gets A Follow-Up Encyclopedia
Nintendo’s partnership with publisher Dark Horse has already brought us two outstanding volumes, Hyrule Historia and Art & Artifacts. Next April the “Goddess Collection” gets its third and final volume in The Legend of Zelda Encyclopedia, a comprehensive guide to the series from the first game to Twilight Princess HD. Hyrule Historia and Art &…
By Mike Fahey Published September 25, 2017 -
Pokken’s Funky Fighting Controller Finds New Purpose On The Switch
Since the Nintendo Switch launched earlier this year, mine has rarely seen the inside of the TV dock. Now that Pokken Tournament DX is here, that’s changed. I need that USB port for Hori’s Pokken Tournament Pro Pad DX—and not just for Pokémon battles. Released in white for the Wii U version and now in…
By Mike Fahey Published September 22, 2017 -
Some GameStops Refuse To Sell Switches Without Bundles, But GameStop Says That Shouldn’t Happen
At least four GameStops were refusing to sell the Nintendo Switch on its own without a warranty or game attached, Kotaku has learned. And although GameStop’s corporate office says stores shouldn’t be doing that—and that, after being contacted by Kotaku, they have asked those stores to stop—an employee tells us that stores are incentivized to…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published September 22, 2017 -
Pokken Tournament Is Way Better On A Console That Isn’t Dead
There was nothing wrong with the Wii U release of Pokémon fighting game Pokken Tournament that couldn’t be solved by Nintendo releasing an entirely new, more fully-realized platform for people to play it on. And here we are. Originally published on 9/18/17. Pokken Tournament is one of my favorite games on the Wii U. It was…
By Mike Fahey Published September 22, 2017 -
CultureTotal RecallWorking For Nintendo Used To Be Hell, But At Least We Got Cool Music Out Of It
Super Metroid has one of the most famous themes in video games. If you’ve ever wondered where it came from, you’ve got the nightmarish working conditions of 1990s video game development (and some impromptu one-man karaoke) to thank for it. In an interview on Nintendo’s site, Composer Kenji Yamamoto remembers that during the development of…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 20, 2017 -
Hackers Say Nintendo Switch Contains A Game That Unlocks On The Date Of Satoru Iwata’s Death
When a Switch owner named Setery told a gaming forum about how NES Golf randomly appeared on her Switch’s screen, commenters accused her console of being haunted. Switch hackers’ subsequent race to unearth NES Golf now indicates that there’s a hidden game on the console and, actually, it appears to be a heartwarming tribute to…
By Cecilia D'Anastasio Published September 20, 2017 -
Nintendo Files Copyright Strikes Against Super Mario 64 Online
Nintendo has issued copyright strikes against multiple accounts belonging to a well-known Super Mario 64 ROM hacker, days after the release of his newest project, a multiplayer hack called Super Mario 64 Online. As of this morning, you can no longer download Super Mario 64 Online or even watch its creator’s videos of gameplay footage.…
By Jason Schreier Published September 20, 2017 -
After Ratings Problem, Golf Game Returns To Switch, Minus The Sexy Demon Art
In early August, Zen Studios’ latest game, Infinite Minigolf, wasremoved from the Nintendo Switch eShop following a sudden shift in the game’s rating from E for Everyone to T for Teen. The racy artwork responsible for the shift is now gone, and the game is finally back up for sale. Zen Studios never specified which…
By Mike Fahey Published September 19, 2017 -
Japan Lines Up For Super Famicom Mini Pre-Orders
This Saturday, pre-orders for the Classic Mini Super Famicom kicked off in Japan. At stores in Tokyo and Osaka, fans showed up in droves. The Classic Mini Super Famicom comes packed with 21 games, including the never released Star Fox 2. There were lines at stores across the country. At 5:30am on Sunday morning, there…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 18, 2017 -
Reviews3DS
Metroid: Samus Returns: The Kotaku Review
There was a time, so many years ago now, when it felt like we had too much Metroid. The simultaneous launch of Prime and Fusion in 2002, followed up with another one-two volley of Metroids two years later. “Slow down!” we cried. “We can’t keep up with all this Metroid!” Time makes fools of us…
By Chris Kohler Published September 15, 2017 -
Arms‘ New Character: She Protec, She Attac, But She Also Inflate
Arms’ newest character, Lola Pop, joins the roster today. With a combination of fast movement and the ability to inflate herself like a freaky balloon, she’s exciting to play but horrifying to watch. Every fighter in Arms has unique abilities that activate when they guard, jump or dash. For instance, the movie star Twintelle can…
By Heather Alexandra Published September 14, 2017