Nintendo

The 3DS XL Yoshi fans have been waiting for. Already announced for Europe, the limited edition Yoshi Edition 3DS XL will be available in North America on March 14 for $199.99, just in time for the release of Yoshi’s New Island, sold separately.

Japanese Prime Minister Thinks Country Can Learn from…Nintendo

Nintendo is having atruly difficult year. Things are tough! Yet, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe thinks the country can learn from Nintendo. Earlier today, a member of the Diet asked him for his growth strategy for Japan. “Well, for example, there’s a company called Nintendo,” Abe replied. “Over there, they made hanafuda cards, but gradually…

“We can capitalize the most on our strengths through a hardware-software integrated platform business, and therefore this type of dedicated video game platform will remain our core focus.” Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, in a letter to shareholders and investors about the company’s future

The Week in Games: Humble Folks Without Temptation

This week we’re going down to South Park to have ourselves a time. Other releases include the next episode of The Walking Dead: Season Two and hot damn, some simulation farmin’, hell yeah. Tuesday, March 4 South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC, PS3, 360) The Walking Dead: Season Two—Episode Two: A House Divided (PC,…

Twitch Beats Pokémon!

Early this morning U.S. Eastern time, after 16 days, seven hours, 50 minutes and 19 seconds, the combined strength of hundreds of thousands of Twitch viewers defeatedPokémon Red. You can watch the final battle against Blue right here. After launching Feb. 12, the game began battling the Elite Four yesterday afternoon. Conceived as a social…

An HDMI Mod For The Nintendo 64? That’s A Good Start.

The more television technology advances, the harder it is to keep our classic consoles hooked up. Modder Marshall over at Retroactive is working on a device to bring the last cartridge-based Nintendo console into the HDMI age. Anyone know how to solder? Tentatively scheduled for a Q1 2014 release, the N64 HDMI Coverter is a…

If you had any doubt that the cult of Helix fossil, one of the “religions” formed around Twitch Plays Pokémon, is a serious thing, here’s proof. Someone sprayed this masterpiece recetnly on a seemingly useless cement block, in front of a school. This must be one of those moments when graffiti becomes art instead of…

Puyo Puyo Tetris Blends Two Classics into One Awesome Game

I love Tetris. It’s one of the rare games I have played off and on for the past 20 years. But, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think it could use a little extra something to mix it up from time to time. And sure enough, mixing it with fellow puzzle classic Puyo…

Surprise new Wii U game on the horizon: Swords & Soldiers II, a sequel to the very good side-scrolling real-time-strategy game that debuted on the Wii in 2009, is in the works for Wii U and will be playable at PAX East in April.

If Star Fox Took Place On Earth, We’d Be Screwed

Count your lucky stars that Star Fox takes place in the Lylat system and not here, because if it did we’d all be screwed. In the video above, YouTube user Warialasky takes a look at the horrible, collateral damage that a Star Fox dogfight would cause on a major metropolitan city. Sure nobody dies, but…

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…