Nintendo

The Closest You Can Get To Storing A Pokémon In Your Pockets

Klefki, one of the newest Pokémon characters, is also one of the weirdest. It’s a set of keys, with an immunity to poison and dragon-type moves. You probably can’t open doors with it, but Tony Sarkees on Etsy is selling nickel-coated steel replicas of it. Much easier to put them in your pockets than a…

Nintendo Killing Online Services For Wii, DS

If you own either (or both!) of Nintendo’s last-gen machines, and you use any kind of online service with them, now’s the time to make the most of it. Because on May 20, Nintendo is pulling the plug. While both console’s online stores will remain, other stuff like online play, matchmaking and leaderboards will be…

The Goofy Religions Of ‘Twitch Plays Pokémon,‘ Explained

The cult of the Helix fossil/Omanyte is not the only ‘religion’ that’s formed around the events of Twitch Plays Pokemon, you know. This makes sense: a random group of thousands of people aren’t necessarily all going to believe in the same thing. Plus, the mythology surrounding the Helix fossil itself is a complicated beauty/mess—there are…

Crazy Nintendo Investor Wants Us To Pay $0.99 For Higher Mario Jumps

“Just think of paying 99 cents just to get Mario to jump a little higher.” No. Let’s not think of that. Ever. The quote above, in today’s Wall Street Journal, comes from Seth Fischer, manager of Oasis Management, a hedge fund that owns shares in Nintendo. The Journal got a look at a letter from…

The 3DS Is Three Today. It’s Still The Best Gaming Machine Out There.

Last year, at around this time, I declared that the 3DS is the best dedicated gaming system you can buy. Today, the 3DS turns three. It’s still the best gaming system you can buy. DECLARATION SUCCESSFUL. Yep, four months after the launch of the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One, the best gaming experiences you can…

How I 3DS

The 3DS turns three years old today. This is how I’ve used the thing. I take it with me to work every day. I use a 32GB card, so I can hold all of this in one system, which is insane: That’s right. Two Mario RPGs, a Pokémon, Animal Crossing, the new Phoenix Wright, two…

Not Everyone Playing ‘Twitch Plays Pokémon‘ Appears To Be Human

Right now, more than fifty thousand people on a Twitch channel are trying to control a trainer inPokémon Red. Collectively, they’ve acquired seven gym badges, which means that the end of the game is near. Great! Except not everyone watching is interested in helping making progress in the game. Sure, there are trolls—most recently, this…

Remember, the guy who does Sonic’s voice just did a turn as Batman. Hey, the guy who just did Batman’s voice will be doing Sonic next. A new behind-the-scenes video for Sonic Boom looks at how Sega’s signature character will be changing in his new video game and TV show. A few quick glimpses of…

Club Nintendo Promotion Offers Free Pokémon X or Y in March

Nintendo is offering a free download code in March for Pokémon X or Pokémon Y to those who register, via Club Nintendo, either a 3DS, 3DS XL or 2DS, and one of five games for that platform. The promotion is, obviously, designed to encourage people to buy one of the handhelds, but if for some…

The Twitch Plays Pokémon phenomana inspired a lot of artists, including TsaoShin on DeviantART, who assembled a movie poster to mark the first week of the online playthrough. Here’s the full poster, with The Helix Fossil, Bird Jesus, Abby, and so on: Twitch Plays Pokemon by TsaoShin [DeviantART, via The Cyber Wolf] To contact the…

Sony Wants To Make A Movie About The Sega v Nintendo Console Wars

And it appears as though Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg are taking on writing and directing duties. You might have heard of Console Wars, a book by Blake Harris which focuses on SEGA’s challenge to Nintendo through the early 90s with the SEGA Mega Drive. That book is due in May of this year, but…

The Week in Games: Garden Warfare and Thief

Thief arrives on the PC and both PlayStations and Xboxes this week, along with Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare on Xbox 360 and Xbox One and the latest Castlevania for PC and the previous-gen consoles. Call of Duty fans on PC and the PlayStations get the Onslaught DLC this week, too. Tuesday, Feb. 25: Castlevania:…

The Creationism Debate…For Pokémon

Do Pokémon really evolve? How do we know that? Do we have actual science to prove that Pokémon evolve? Or do new Pokémon just appear in a flash of light sometimes? (I’m joking, people. Joking.) It’s kind of hilarious to think the Pokémon universe might have debates like the one in this video by The…

​If The Dark Knight Returns Were About Donkey Kong

Take Batman out of Frank Miller’s classic story about an older Batman coming out of retirement. Replace him with Donkey Kong. And you get something that hopefully exists in some more blessed alternate universe: The Donkey Knight Returns Gaze upon the work of Brazilian artist Bill the Butcher—who we’ve featured before—and despair that you can’t…

JRPG That Mocks Boring JRPG Tropes Turns Out To Be Pretty Boring

For as long as there have been RPGs, there have been people making fun of RPG tropes. The Internet is sprinkled with jokes about level grinding and home invasion, to the point where Jokes About RPGs deserve their own slot on the Grand List Of RPG Clichés So if you’re going to do RPG humor,…

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze: The Kotaku Review

Let me tell you about a moment in world five of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. It’s a little late in the game, but it’s oh so typical (and not a spoiler, unless you count the placement of platforms as a spoiler). How you feel about this moment will determine how you feel about this…

So What Did You Think Of Bravely Default‘s Second Half?

This post contains spoilers for Bravely Default It’s been two weeks since the wonderful 3DS RPG Bravely Default came out in America, so I think it’s fair to start talking about that horrible second half. As many of you must have realized by now, the first four chapters of Bravely Default ask you to go…

Diddy Kong Joins The Battle In Super Smash Bros. Wii U

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is out today, and to celebrate this, Masahiro Sakurai revealed the next member of Super Smash Bros. Wii U‘s roster: Diddy Kong. I was really hoping for a Cranky Kong reveal, but Diddy Kong will do as well. Looking at his hands, I’m pretty sure he’ll be a flexible character.…

Soon, You Can Buy A Real Mario Kart

This isn’t an action figure, or some random capsule collectible. This baby is a “full size” 6V ride-on Mario Kart, and is ready for you to try and cram your butt into. Of course, it’s designed primarily for kids. But given the franchise’s history, and the fact it’s got an open seat, I’m sure the…

When Mario Meets Seinfeld

What would happen if you mashed up Mario and Seinfeld? Well, something like this, probably. Aside from turning Super Mario Bros. into an existential sinkhole, the combination of Seinfeld and Mario brings up some questions, namely: 1. Who does Princess Peach think is spongeworthy? 2. Did Toad really kill Birdo with toxic glue attached to…