Nintendo

Majora’s Mask In-Game Ocarina Is A Surprisingly Versatile Instrument

I wasn’t initially impressed with PuppetMaster9‘s compilation of popular tunes played using the in-game Ocarina from The Legend of Zelda: Major’s Mask for the 3DS. Then he got to “Baker Street.” Such a sucker for that song. You may have seen some of PuppetMaster9’s performances when they started blowing up on Twitter back in March.…

Metroid Prime‘s First Boss Battle Captured Perfectly In Lego

Last year Lego builder and Metroid Prime fan Jared Rosenblitt recreated the exciting battle between the terrifying Meta Ridley and Samus atop the Chozo Artifact Temple. To celebrate the series’ 30th anniversary, Jared hit reset and went back to the beginning of the game. Metroid Prime is one of our favorite games as well, so…

Pokémon Uranium Creators Pull Game After A Reported 1.5 Million Downloads

After nine years of work on Pokémon Uranium, the fans who made it have removed all download links for the game from their website (h/t Christian), saying they want to respect Nintendo’s wishes that the game no longer be distributed, despite the fact that (according to them) it’s already been downloaded 1.5 million times. Although…

New Metroid Spin-Off Is Meant For Multiplayer, But Gives Solo Players A Boost

There’s been so much focus on what next week’s 3DS game Metroid Prime Federation Force isn’t that it’s been a revelation to finally play the finished game and see what it is. In the early going, it seems like it might even be a game you can solo. Nintendo has repeatedly presented Federation Force as…

Raichu’s New Form Already Has Fan Art 

Surfing Raichu! Today, we got confirmation that Raichu’s Alola incarnation is real in Pokémon Sun and Moon, but ever since the leaks hit, people have been fascinated with the character’s new surfing form. Okay, okay. It looks more hovering than riding the waves, but who cares? This is ELECTRIC SURFING. And surfing on its tail!…

DeNA, the Japanese company making upcoming mobile apps with Nintendo, today said it “can’t update you today about progress on our work with Nintendo.” According to WSJ, work is continuing, but DeNA doesn’t currently have any info to share.

The Metroid II Remake Nintendo Doesn’t Want You To Play

AM2R is a full scale remake of 1991’s Game Boy classic Metroid II: Return of Samus. In the works for years, the fan-made game updates the original to modern standards. It was released just in time to celebrate Metroid’s 30th birthday before the project was hit with a DMCA from Nintendo. Nintendo does not want…

Pikachu lights up a Ferris Wheel in Japan. To help celebrate the now seemingly annual “Pikachu Outbreak” event, everybody’s favorite electric rodent is appearing on Cosmo Clock 21 wheel in Yokohama.

30 Years Of Galactic Bounty Hunting With Metroid

Thirty years ago today the platforming of Super Mario Bros. and the exploration of The Legend of Zelda coalesced into science fiction action adventure starring a person in a powerful suit of armor. Shh. Don’t want to spoil the Metroid surprise. Launching in Japan for the Famicom on August 6, 1986, Metroid combined elements of…

It Probably Won’t Matter If The Nintendo NX Is ‘Underpowered’

Last week on Kotaku Splitscreen, Jason and I talked about whether or not it’ll really matter if Nintendo’s NX is less powerful than the competition. In the video below, we go more in-depth on the topic and talk about the NX in general. Very short version: Nah, it won’t really matter. Most of what we’re…

The Best Console Commercials Of All Time

Trailers for video games are a weird beast, as misleading as they can be esoteric. Free from the burden of trying to directly sell you a piece of art, commercials for video game hardware are often a lot more fun. While most console sales are (surely) made through stuff like company loyalty, word of mouth,…

Watch Us Play Zelda: A Link To The Past With Randomized Items

Last Friday, Stephen Totilo and I played through a modded version of Zelda: A Link to the Past called the Randomizer. It randomizes the contents of every chest and item-giver in the game, which shifts things in some really interesting ways. As you can see in our playthrough (above), the results can be both funny…

The SNES-Themed 3DS Compared To An Actual Super Nintendo

Earlier this year, Nintendo announced a SNES (the Super Famicom) themed New 3DS XL. Those who ordered are finally getting the portable, and now we can see what the handheld looks like. Next to a Japanese Super Nintendo First, let’s check out the hardware itself, which evokes the Japanese and PAL version of the console:…

Pokémon Sun And Moon Leak May Reveal Starters’ Evolutions [UPDATE]

Earlier this year, a leak appeared online alleging to contain some new, unconfirmed information about Pokémon Sun and Moon. There was even some concept art floating around. At the time, it seemed like bunk. But with yesterday’s big reveal, it seems more likely that the leak was true all along. As PokeJungle reported early in…

Legendary Articuno ‘Appears’ In Ohio, Tears Pokémon Go Community Apart [UPDATES]

UPDATE 8/3 2:14 PM: Niantic has now taken away the legendaries these Pokémon Go players. Original story below: Legendaries are supposed to be the rarest, most unique monsters available in Pokémon Go; the sorts of creatures you would expect to only show up during special events announced by Niantic. And yet, a couple has unbelievably…

Even Pokémon Go’s Biggest Fans Are Turning Against It Right Now [Update]

In the course of a few weeks, Pokémon Go has gone from a mega hit, to a broken game even its most ardent fans cannot defend. This shift in the community is due to mostly one thing: a lack of communication from Niantic. It’s been like this since the beginning, really. When Pokémon Go originally…

Classic Pokémon Can Transform Into Something New In Pokémon Sun and Moon

Fire Pokémon turning into ice Pokémon. New colors for old favorites. Introducing “Alola Forms,” which will debut in Pokémon Sun and Moon Here are some more OG Pokémon with new forms featured in the trailer, courtesy of Serebii: There are also new monsters with something called “styles,” and these depend on what island you encounter…

Yo-Kai Watch Season Two Premieres Today With A Special Presentation From Steve Jaws

The second season of Yo-Kai Watch cartoon kicks off today on Disney XD, introducing U.S. viewers to the latest in wearable supernatural tech. And who better to usher in the next generation Yo-kai Watch than a shark in a turtleneck and jeans? I love the game and the toys, though I’m not sure what I’m…

Pokevision And Other Pokémon Go Trackers Shut Down For Unclear Reasons

Last week, Niantic’s John Hankewarned Pokémon Go players that popular tracking websites may no longer work in the future. It seems that moment has now arrived. Yesterday, Pokémon Go received a new update that, among other things,got rid of the “footsteps” mechanic that alerted players of how far away other monsters were spawning. The mechanic,…

Pokémon Go’s Vaporeon Has Been Nerfed

Well, that was quick. Earlier this week, we reported Vaporeon’s immense popularity in Pokémon Go—the best players around the world were flocking to this water Pokémon both because it was both easy to get, and because it packed a punch. Well, some of that is changing now. As noted by Archangelus on Reddit, Vaporeon’s bread…