Nintendo

The Opening Sequence To Super Metroid Is A Masterpiece

It’s been a little over two decades since Super Metroid debuted on the Super Nintendo, and it’s lost none of its power in the intervening years. This piece originally appeared 12/19/14. What really distinguishes this game is its storytelling. Super Metroid is cinematic in its approach, using a combination of textual, audio, and visual cues…

My Son Has Ruined Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

In the past couple of months there’s been a phrase that haunts me. It reverberates in my dreams and my darkest nightmares. It’s the first words I hear when I arrive home from work. It’s the first words I hear when being woken up at 5:30am on a still-dark Saturday morning. “Daddee. DADDEE. Can I…

Marina Might Ruin Splatoon 2‘s Splatfests, Bless Her 

Splatoon 2 just had its first Splatfest, asking players to fight and see which dessert is better: ice cream or cake. The competition was rigged from the start thanks to the popularity of Marina, the Octoling pop singer. This is my confession: I love cake. Cake is fluffy, delicious, and pretty much perfect. Cupcakes are…

Japan’s Nintendo Switch Lines Are Hell 

The already long Nintendo Switch lines have gotten that much longer. Meaning? Things are suddenly more unpleasant for those wanting to buy a Switch. As Kotaku previously reported, the console has been drawing long lines for months afters its release, and well-known game creator Hideki Kamiya recounted his unsuccessful attempt at trying to buy one.…

Nintendo-Themed Jordans Are About As 1989 As It Gets

Johnny Barry’s Freaker Sneaks, who earlier this year did a custom run of Jordan IV’s in a SNES colourway, are back with a handful of very expensive NES Jordans. They cost $1250 a pair, and in addition to the NES colour scheme they’ve also got some extra features like Mario labels, a cartridge-shaped Jordan tag…

Look At This Bad Mario Puzzle

Nintendo has released a one thousand piece Mario puzzle, and there’s something wrong with it. Can you guess? More than half the pieces in this box are the same exact color. Has anyone who worked on this actually seen a puzzle before? I’m no puzzle expert, but that seems like a recipe for a bad…

In Japan, Nintendo Announces Production For The Smaller New Nintendo 3DS Has Ended

The official Japanese site for the smaller-sized New Nintendo 3DS clearly states that production of the handheld is over. The text in the little box reads 生産終了 (seisan shuuryou) or “production ended.” This does not only pertain to the pictured model. If you click on the Line Up (ラインナップ) tab, it states すべて生産終了しました (subete seisan…

New Trick Has Ocarina of Time Speedrunners Debating What A Glitch Actually Is

Ocarina of Time’s Glitchless speedrun category seeks to complete the game as quick as possible without using game-breaking cheats and glitches, but a newly discovered trick is forcing runners to consider what is or isn’t a glitch to begin with. Is something a glitch if it lets you explore somewhere early? Or is it only…

Arms’ Ranked Mode Gets Big Improvement

Arms’ first big update addeda few much-requested features to the slinky-limb fighting game—and took away some unpopular ones. Most of those features improve upon Arms’ strong Ranked Mode, the game’s bread and butter. Max Brass, Arms’ single-player final boss, is now a playable fighter. He’s the “reigning champion” of Arms’ Grand Prix, a tournament in…

Pokémon Go’s Next Big Event Asks Players Worldwide To Work Together For Rare Prizes

When Pokémon Go Fest was announced for the city of Chicago, many players were bummed that they might miss out on the first live event for the game. Turns out, July 22nd is going to be a worldwide spectacular where everyone can participate. Folks in Chicago will get perks of course, including increased monster encouters,…

I Swear Arms’ AI Must Be Cheating

I am very sure that the Arms AI is cheating, and I am not the only person who thinks so. I’m not saying this because losing to a game’s AI is a little embarrassing. Actually, Arms’ AI is remarkably robust. At higher levels, it is always one step ahead of me at every moment, much…

Touring Super Mario Odyssey‘s New Donk City

We recently played more Super Mario Odyssey and enjoyed the sights and sounds of New Donk City. If you want to learn about the city that never leaps, sit down to watch this informative travelogue before making a trip there when Odyssey releases on October 27th.  Transcript: If you’re looking to get away for a…

Splatoon’s Creepy Boss Sounds Are Back In The Sequel

Back in 2015, Splatoon’s low-key disturbing moments baffled everyone. Turns out, the sequel can be just as unsettling. I’ve been playing Splatoon 2 over the weekend, and while I’ll have more to say about how the game feels when our review drops, one big thing stood out to me after finishing the second boss battle:…

Check Out This Nintendo Switch Keyboard

With upcoming massively multiplayer online role-playing game Dragon Quest X coming to the Nintendo Switch this September in Japan, peripheral makers are readying Switch friendly keyboards. This Cyber Gadget one is something else. No idea if it’s actually any good, but it certainly does bring back memories of this Game Cube keyboard controller. The keyboard…

The Coolest Techniques From Arms‘ First Major Tournament

Nintendo’s shiny new Switch fighter had its first major outing this weekend at 2GGC’s Arms Saga, where 50 entrants showed up to throw hands (or controllers, depending on your preferred playstyle). The top eight play was tense and diverse, with many different approaches and fighters. Two Byte & Barq players made the playoffs, and Spring…

Splatoon 2 Looks Noticeably Richer In Head-To-Head Comparison With The First Game

We’ve heard it a bunch. I’ve said it a bunch. “Splatoon 2 looks like more Splatoon.” But side-by-side it’s clear the sequel is a lot more polished looking. In his latest video, YouTuber NomComms took a look at both games based on their lobbies and the results are a bit jarring. While Splatoon 2 doesn’t…

Nintendo x Diablo Cosplay Was The Star Of Anime Expo

Anime Expo is usually home to some of the year’s best cosplay, and 2017 was no exception. While we’ll be providing a bigger roundup of the whole show next week, I wanted to go early with this incredible shoot featuring a Nintendo x Diablo crossover. In case you can’t make it out, what you’re seeing…

Mario Maker’s “Trials of Death” Level Hurts Just To Look At It

This Super Mario Maker level is called Trials of Death, a level so tough the guy who made it has been trying for over a year to complete it. There’s a great interview up with its creator Braden “ChainChompBraden” Moor over on Waypoint, who has spent 1500 hours trying to beat it. Without success. If…

Wayforward’s half-genie hero, Shantae, is available today as a free downloadable character for Blaster Master Zero on the Switch, and she is a delight to play. Side-scrolling is tough with only her signature hair-whip, but her animal transformations make the top-down segments a joy.

During our recent playthrough of Super Mario Odyssey’s demo, we found the saddest man in New Donk City. We’ll have more sights and sounds to share in the coming days.