Nintendo

Emulator Within An Emulator Runs Almost Perfect Pokemon

We missed this earlier in the month, but the talented team behind the Dolphin emulator have done something very cool: they’ve got N64 games working on the GC/Wii emulator by running their virtual console versions. While Pokemon Snap might not be the most exciting game to show off, it’s done with good reason: the photography…

Nintendo Visits Jim Henson Studios, Is Just The Cutest Thing

It’s a damn shame this dream collaboration had to go down for a simple marketing stunt. Something more substantial between these two companies would have been the best Anyway, to show how this E3 stuff was put together, Nintendo went and shot some behind the scenes and interview footage, most of it starring Shigeru Miyamoto…

Why Isn’t Pokémon vs Zombies An Actual Game

Nintendo, if you can team up with DeNA, you can team up with PopCap. Kleiton Dias made these gifs that illustrate how the crossover would work, as you pick Pokemon instead of plants them send them into battle instead of planting them. Aside from that, same basic principle! Some Pokemon roll down the line, others…

Three Very Different Upcoming Games That Impressed Me In Los Angeles

As I look over my notes from the big E3 show in L.A. earlier this month, three games stand out that I wanted to be sure to praise. I’m eager to play more of all of them. Chibi Robo: Zip Lash This one is for the Nintendo 3DS and comes out in early October. It’s…

Players Turn Team Fortress 2 Into Splatoon

I suppose it was inevitable, wasn’t it? Pretty much since day one, comparisons between Wii U-exclusive Splatoon and early Team Fortress 2 have run thick, like wet paint or a rotting bucket of squid chum. Both are fast, fun team-based shooters that eschew grimdark trappings in favor of cartoon whimsy. This mash-up TF2 mod by…

Splatoon Is Hiding Some Creepy Secrets

It’s pretty easy to miss Splatoon’s creepiest moments. Had someone not pointed it out to me, I never would have noticed! For the most part, Splatoon is a bright, happy game. But YouTuber Siertes has discovered that, if you happen to linger too long on boss levels, you can hear some surprisingly hellish sounds inside…

Mario In Unreal Engine 4 Just Ain’t Right

Would you look at that. Turns out the uncanny valley works both ways. YouTube’s Aryoksini , the guy behind the Blender version of Super Mario 64 from last year, demonstrates why we like our Mario games in colorful cartoon kingdoms and not realistic office buildings, kitchenettes and museums. Aryoksini rebuilt the Mario animations from scratch…

Shigeru Miyamoto Has Good News For Amiibo Skeptics Like Me

I’m optimistic about many things in gaming, but I’m a confirmed Amiibo skeptic. I fear the day a Zelda dungeon or Smash Bros. character is locked out for those who didn’t purchase the right $13 Amiibo figure. Well, at least I don’t need to fret about the new Star Fox’s use of Amiibos. “In terms…

Why It’s Hard To Be The Leader of Pokémon‘s Team Rocket

There are huge issues in Pokémon’s villainous group Team Rocket’s internal communication as Dorkly’s recent comic shows. And you might’ve thought Jesse and James were stupid… To contact the author of this post, write to: [email protected]

Pokémon Credit Cards Exist in Japan

There are Pokémon playing cards, so really, why shouldn’t there be Pokémon credit cards? Today, a Pokémon Visa credit card was announced in Japan, along with two pre-paid Visa cards. One of the prepaid cards is limited edition and features Pikachu along with Hoopa from Pokémon the Movie: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages. Since…

A Little Something About Where Shigeru Miyamoto Sits

I wasn’t sure just how much Nintendo game designer Yugo Hayashi was joking when he recently told me that he thinks he got the gig directing the new Star Fox because of how close he sat to his company’s top game designer. Well, the man himself, Shigeru Miyamoto, was right there, so I asked him.…

Computer Is Learning To Make Mario Levels By Watching YouTube

First they’ll take our jobs. Then they’ll take our Mario. While Nintendo works hard to let us build our own Mario levels, the Georgia Institute of Technology are developing an “artificially intelligent system” that can build its own stages The terror comes not in the fact it can build levels—procedural generation is everywhere these days—but…

New Fire Emblem Has Same-Sex Marriage

Some Fire Emblem Fates (Fire Emblem If in Japan) news! Some of it good, some of it not so good. First, the good! Fire Emblem Fates is going to allow same-sex marriage. Because marriage is such an important part of the game, that’s a big deal! Nintendo tells Polygon “We believe that our gameplay experiences…

Thanks To 73,000 Supporters, They’re Making A Successor To Banjo-Kazooie

For about the last seven years, Grant Kirkhope has been trying to convince people in the gaming industry that it’s time to make a game similar to 1998’s Banjo-Kazooie, one of the great 3D platformers of the Nintendo 64 era. Says Kirkhope: “I was told: ‘Grant, you’re talking nonsense. No one wants this game. Platformers…

Guy Beats Super Mario World In 23 Minutes…While Blindfolded

Fun fact: you don’t actually need to see Mario levels in order to beat them. Marvel as speedrunner PangaeaPanga clears Super Mario World without actually looking at the game using a combination of good timing, and precise jumps. The entire thing takes a whopping 23:14, which is impressive considering the circumstances at play here: Kind…

Nintendo’s Reggie Talks Metroid, Amiibo, And (Of Course) Mother 3

My annual interviews with Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime are upbeat affairs. He’s always feeling good about the line-up and remains unruffled as I pepper him with as many questions about as many topics as I can squeeze in. If you’ve seen Reggie interviews before—or if you’ve done them—you know what you’re going to…

Kotaku reader Bonny John’s running a pretty cool project by drawing one Pokémon every day. He’s at number 251 of this series, and since it’s a milestone for him, he celebrated it with this fantastic Celebi piece. Here’s the full image and a WIP shot below. Head over to TAY for all the other pics…

Visiting Tokyo’s Super Mario Cafes

There are Super Mario Cafes in Tokyo? Oh yes, but only for a limited time. In honor of Super Mario’s 30th anniversary, Nintendo is teaming up with Tower Record Cafes in Tokyo for a trio of newly-opened Mario-themed cafes. Tokyo resident, Nintendo super fan, and all around good guy Kyle McLainswung by all three (in…

I’m So Happy Rhythm Heaven Took Pity on Me

Dear Nintendo: Thank you for taking pity on my poor arrhythmic soul. I love the Rhythm Heaven series of games. The musical mini-games are fantasticand a joy to play. And while I am fantastic at some (and not so much so at others), I can usually at least pass any given song on my first…

“4J studios has been doing a great job, and we’ll continue to [work with them]” — PlayStation’s Adam Boyes to us at E3, confirming 4J will keep improving Microsoft-owned Minecraft on PlayStation platforms. Boyes wore a Super Mario Bros. 30th Anniversary pin when he talked to us, but Mario isn’t coming to PlayStation.