Nintendo

In Ace Attorney, Sherlock Holmes is a Crappy Detective

The new Ace Attorney, Dai Gyakuten Saiban, is full of the over-the-top courtroom drama you know and love. But outside of the courtroom, you have to prepare for the trials—mainly by proving how terrible a detective Sherlock Holmes is. In Dai Gyakuten Saiban you meet and befriend the world famous Sherlock Holmes. Several times throughout…

The Best  Super Mario Maker Levels (So Far)

Super Mario Maker is largely in the hands of reviewers, entertainers, and YouTubers right now—but even so, we’re already starting to see some fantastic user-created levels. I recorded myself playing through a few favorites, including: A level where mushrooms are your worst enemy. A bullet hell level. A roller coaster. A level with a goomba…

From August 30, Nintendo 2DS will get cheaper in North America. The console will be priced at $99.99, which is thirty bucks less expensive than it’s current $129.99 price tag. And yes, the handheld will still come with the digital version of Mario Kart 7.

Smash Bros. Can Be A Gateway Drug For eSports

Can’t get into eSports? Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place. Many of the scene’s bigger draws are laden with technical jargon that can be off-putting to newcomers, so you might be better off starting with something like Smash Bros. That’s what Ian Danskin did, and he makes a pretty compelling argument for it in…

It’s a little technical, but this post by the Dolphin team outlining a big improvement to the emulator’s audio is fascinating, giving you a real insight into just how much work and problem-solving goes into the whole thing.

Nintendo says that the first Yokai Watch game for the West—developed by Professor Layton creators Level-5 and spinning out of the extremely popular Japanese anime/game series—will hit the 3DS on November 6. Contact the author at [email protected]

The next Splastfest event in Splatoon on August 28 will be a battle of truly epic proportions: Transformers Autobots vs. Decepticons. Ink color will be customized based on your choice, and you’ll even get to wear a special t-shirt showing your robotic preference. (Go Autobots!) Contact the author at [email protected]

Solving the Mystery of When the New Ace Attorney Takes Place

Dai Gyakuten Saiban, the latest game in the Ace Attorney series is set not in the near future but over 100 years in the past. The game never gives an exact year for its setting—but that doesn’t mean you can’t figure it out using a bit of real-world information. A few weeks back I put…

Nintendo, Give Rick & Morty Free Stuff

This week’s episode had a pretty good bit about Zelda, the 3DS and eBay monsters.

YouTube Exploit Can Disable 3DS Region-Locking

3DS tinkerer extraordinaire Jordan Rabet, aka smea, has (with a little help) found a really easy way for Nintendo 3DS owners to get around the company’s region-locking. Previous attempts at breaking down Nintendo’s region restrictions have required buying certain games and the installation of custom firmware, but this new method—called tubehax—is much easier; installation is…

Actually, Mario Is Missing Was Awesome

Praising Mario is Missing is no way to impress someone with your gaming acumen. But it’s true; I thoroughly enjoyed Mario Is Missing as a young kid. My father didn’t know much about video games, but he did know that ‘Mario’ was a signifier of quality (or, at least, it should have been). So he…

Nintendo’s Big Splatoon Gamble Has Paid Off

Splatoon came out in May. It is now August. I am still talking about Splatoon with my friends. I am still delightfully tweeting pictures of outfits and hilarious Miiverse posts, even the ones with bad meme jokes. And along with all of that, I’m still playing. Not only is Splatoon is one of my most…

Fire Emblem Fates: Conquest: The Kotaku Import Preview

When picking up Fire Emblem Fates, I had two choices: the stereotypical “good guy” story in Birthright, or the far darker “good people forced to do bad things” story in Conquest. Even as I slaughtered the would-be Birthright heroes, I was glad with the choice I made. Fire Emblem Fates is three games, not one—though…

Nintendo Fires Employee For Speaking On Podcast

Last week, Nintendo localization editor Chris Pranger made an appearance on a small podcast called Part-Time Gamers. This week, Nintendo fired him. “Hello friends and family,” Pranger wrote in a heartbreaking public Facebook message this morning. “As many of you have probably seen, I am no longer at Nintendo. I was terminated this week due…

Nintendo’s Virtual Console Choices Sure Are Strange

Today, Nintendo released the fifth downloadable Wii game for Wii U in North America. It’s not what you might expect—the new release isn’t Mario, nor is it Zelda. It’s Pandora’s Tower, a niche action game published by XSEED and released here for the Wii in 2013, way toward the end of the console’s lifespan. Now,…

Japan’s Official Mario and Luigi Cosplay Costumes

Here we go! These are the first officially licensed Mario and Luigi costumes for Japan. I believe that officially licensed Halloween costumes are available outside the country, but until now, that wasn’t the case in Japan. Below, you can check out the Luigi costume (via Inside): Both outfits go on sale in Japan on September…

Few video games look as insanely joyful as Super Mario Maker, the upcoming level-maker that’s out September 11 for Wii U. Check out this new overview video for a look at customizable sound effects, Amiibo support, and other features in Nintendo’s latest.

The Nintendo Games Hidden In Seinfeld’s Apartment

All those years watching Seinfeld, and I never noticed this, sothanks to Tim Rogersfor the pic: turns out the media shelf in the background of Jerry’s apartment, which is mostly full of his old VHS tapes (like Navy Seals!), is also home to a few NES games. You can clearly see SimCity there (which is…

More Than the Story Changes in Fire Emblem Fates

There are three versions of the newest Fire Emblem title: Fire Emblem Fates. Yet, it’s not just the plot that changes between each version, but the gameplay as well. To start, let’s take a look at the differences between Conquest and Birthright—and leave the DLC version of the game, Invisible Kingdom, for later. Of course,…

A Defense Of Mario Kart 8’s Unpopular Battle Mode

In video game years, Mario Kart 8 is already middle-aged yet remains virile. It maintains a healthy population of online racers over fourteen months past its May 2014 launch. By most accounts, the Wii U version of the seminal kart racer is the series’ high watermark, resplendent in its HD gloss and detail-rich course design,…