Nintendo

Trying To Buy A Nintendo Switch In Japan: A Story In Four Photos

Platinum Games developer Hideki Kamiya recently tried to get a Nintendo Switch. He documented the experience in four photos. As Kotaku previously reported, it’s not easy getting a Switch in Japan! Things have been so difficult that Nintendo apologized. We have no idea if Kamiya has another Switch (or if there’s one at Platinum’s office),…

Japan And Europe’s SNES Classic Is Better

Just like how the actual PAL/JP Super Nintendo looked better than the North American model, so too it is with the Classic Mini: Super Nintendo Entertainment System, which like the NES Mini will release in two versions. Americans will be getting the one we showed you earlier today, while those in Japan, Europe and Australia…

The Makers Of Fire Emblem Warriors Won’t Tell Us If Donnel Is In It

Fire Emblem Warriors is an upcoming hack and slash game featuring heroes from the popular strategy games. Staff writer Heather Alexandra and Kotaku editor in chief Stephen Totilo sat down with Masahiro Higuchi from Intelligent Systems and Yosuke Hayashi from Koei Tecmo to talk about the game and whether or not it will have Donnel…

Nintendo Switch Versus PS4: An Updated Japanese Sales Comparison

The Nintendo Switch has only been out since March. It’s now June, and the console is clearly having one helluva run in Japan. Let’s see how the Switch’s Japanese sales numbers compare to another blockbuster console, the PS4. This story was originally published on April 20, 2017. It has since been updated. As Kotaku previously…

Nintendo 3DS game The Snack World has been delayed Originally scheduled for a July 13 release in Japan, it has been moved to August 10. The reason developer Level-5 gives is to “further improve quality” and to make playing enjoyable for all.

Pokémon Go Players Are Making Themed Gyms With The New Update

In the main Pokémon games, every gym had a shtick, or at least a type affinity. In real-life Pokémon Go gyms, players often had to face the same handful of monsters over and over again. While that’s still true to some degree now, the big gym overhaul also makes it possible for players to set…

Fan Transforms Old Game Boy Advance SP Into A Nintendo Switch Dock

This used to be an ordinary Game Boy SP until DIY-er Alexander Blake decided to make it into a retro-accessory for his Switch. It’s a lot more work and less sturdy than the one that comes packaged with the console, but you have to admit it looks way cooler. “In the process of tinkering with…

Pokémon Go Players Are Fighting Gym Raids Against Magikarp, Of All Monsters

Our beautiful, splashy fish son can now occasionally be found as a boss fight in Pokémon Go. Earlier this week, Pokémon Go’s gyms were redone and revamped. One of the new additions are “raids,” which are timed events where powerful monsters take over a gym. Raids come in five different tiers of difficulty, and the…

Nintendo apologized for Switch shortages in Japan, saying it will ship more units in July and August for the Splatoon 2 launch. Nintendo also said it’s ramping up Switch production for later this year. 

We’re putting on our game faces and blasting through some ranked Arms matches right now live on Twitch!

The 12 Best Games For The PlayStation Vita

The PlayStation Vita is something of an oddity—a pricy, powerful portable gaming console adrift in a sea of smartphones, touchscreen controls, and inexpensive app-store games. All the same, we have a fondness for Sony’s beefy handheld, and the many unusual games you can play on it. The Vita gives us a handheld machine with sticks,…

Hololens Super Mario Bros. Looks Dangerously Fun

Designer Abhishek Singh created a first-person augmented reality version of Super Mario Bros.’ first level, which is very cool. Then he dressed up as Mario to test out his creation in New York City’s Central Park. That’s the dangerous bit. On one hand, Singh’s AR game does a great job of demonstrating the potential of…

Ever Oasis: The Kotaku Review

The sad decline of the Mana series has been difficult to watch, and it’s equally unfortunate that its spiritual successor Ever Oasis suffers from similar problems—solid action RPG mechanics and moments of creative brilliance hampered by an experimental gameplay structure that drags everything down with it. Ever Oasis is the latest 3DS collaboration between Nintendo…

Point: Helix From Arms Is Bad; Counter-Point: No He’s Not

Here at Kotaku, we have strong opinions about video games. Currently, Arms’ DNA-themed fighter threatens to tear this snack website apart. Helix is Arms’ gooey fighter whose signature “Blorb” arms squirt blinding goo on opponents’ faces. Depending on who you ask, Helix is either a lovable snot ball with tons of competitive potential or a…

A List Of Things I Still Have To Do In Zelda: Breath Of The Wild

According to my Nintendo Switch, I’ve put more than 125 hours into The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. I’ve defeated Ganon, of course. I’ve also taken down an army of monsters, completed a bunch of shrine puzzles, and found a ton of Korok seeds. There’s still so much to do. Like a lot…

After Dropping A Tier, I Am Freaking Out About My Overwatch Rank

After a difficult string of placement matches for the current Overwatch competitive season, the unthinkable happened. I dropped to a lower tier. I had spent multiple seasons comfortably sitting in the Platinum tier, and suddenly I was Gold. I have become obsessed with undoing this demotion. I like to think that I’m a decent video…

Arms: The Kotaku Review

Arms may look like a Mario Party mini-game, but it doesn’t play like one. Charming and involved, Arms toes the line between a party game and an entry-level fighter with moderate depth. While Arms succeeds as an easy-to-pick-up brawler, its ambitions as a hardcore game for serious players are less certain. Arms does one thing,…

New Nintendo Switch Update Lets You Find Lost Controllers 

JoyCon, the detachable controllers that latch onto the Switch tablet, are small pieces of hardware. They’re probably easy to lose, if you’re not careful. Good thing, then, that there’s a feature for that now. Last night, a Switch system update dropped, and it introduced a number of small quality of life improvements. The most notable…

Japanese Airport Cosplays As Nintendo Advertisement

Travellers arriving at Kansai International Airport in Osaka will soon be greeted by Nintendo characters plastered all over the place. Starting June 23, Nintendo is setting up what it’s calling the “Nintendo Check In” at the airpot’s Terminal 1 with Switch, 3DS, and smart device titles. The airport is also slipping on some huge Nintendo…

Metroid: Samus Returns Feels Great To Play

Last week, Nintendo surprised everyone with the announcement of Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of Metroid II. Here’s another surprise: It’s basically finished. And a fact that’s probably not so surprising: It looks and feels fantastic. At E3 in Los Angeles last Thursday, in a private room within Nintendo’s VIP booth, I sat down with…