Nintendo

Nintendo Pulls 3DS Feature, Says Kids Were Sharing ‘Offensive Material’

Nintendo just turned off one of the online features of the 3DS, seemingly forever, deactivating the online support for its note-sharing SwapNote service on systems worldwide. The company did this, effective 10pm ET today, after saying SwapNote was “actively misused” to transmit “offensive material” among system users, including minors. SwapNote is a cute, free Nintendo-made…

The Best Charizard Costume Around, Hands Down

Surely there will be some costumed pets tonight, given that it’s Halloween. Many of these pets will be dressed at video game characters. But none will be as awesome as Salsa the bearded dragon here, who is dressed up as Charizard from Pokemon. Salsa is owned by piochips, a pet owner who is dressing up…

Bowser Makes For An Incredible Halloween Costume

Behold: Halloween Costume of the Day. Via Brian Davis of Next Level Games (Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon), who says this is his co-worker, rendering programmer Randy Cavanagh’s Terrifying Paper Mâché Bowser. Do you think he can actually walk around in that? Do those arms move? Does it breathe fire?

Shameless Angry Birds Clone Shows Up On Nintendo 3DS

There are clones of video games, and then there are clones of video games so shameless that you wonder how the hell Nintendo approved them. Today on the Nintendo eShop, for $9, you can buy Angry Bunnies, a game that I really don’t think should be on the Nintendo eShop. It’s developed and published by…

How The New Zelda Game Is Different (Hint: It’s Not Microtransactions)

I’ve done a lot of things in Zelda games—sailing, time travel, saving Hyrule…you name it. Much of it—the bulk of what you do in Zelda games—could be considered old hat, depending on who you ask. That’s kind of always the vague fear when there’s a new Zelda game, isn’t it? That it’ll be more of…

It happened! The Male Wii Fit Trainer is in Sakurai’s latest Super Smash Bros. Wii U screenshots Of course he’s not necessarily a new character—could be a move- or item effect, a stage element or simply an alternate costume—but this does open up whole new possibilities in fan art. Dayshot is an image-based feature that…

Proof that Nintendo Still Rules Japan

If there’s ever been any doubt, this should settle it. Over the past decade, Nintendo hasn’t been doing well in Japan – It’s been dominating. The Wii U is not exactly selling like gangbusters right now, but Nintendo’s probably playing a long game. In this week’s Weekly Famitsu, the magazine took a look at the…

A Taste Of What Could’ve Been Had Nintendo Bought Star Wars

Hint: it would have been insane and filled with nostalgia. Okay, let’s be honest. Something like a full-length Star Wars-Nintendo mash-up movie could never, ever, ever have actually happened—which should certainly make us appreciate James Farr’s latest eight-minute masterpiece that much more, in which Link Skywalker faces Ganon-Darth and the evil Empire in a quest…

AC IV‘s Controversial, Online Singleplayer Features Make Game Easier

The fun, rich single-player campaignof Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is more enjoyable and less tedious if you play the game with an active online connection. Without a connection, multiple valuable features are not available. Curiously, the game’s publisher Ubisoft seems to be walling its online features off unless users activate an online pass, dubbed…

Waiting for the Next Profesor Layton Gets Harder Thanks to New Trailer

Japanese players have had the latest Professor Layton game for more than half a year now. Folks in Europe are getting it next month, specifically on November 8. But the poor SOBs in North America need to hold on for Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy until some unannounced date next year. Someone needs to…

Why Nintendo Had to Kill the Wii [UPDATE: Wii Not Quite Dead!]

Strange that Nintendo killed the Wii, huh? It just stopped making the console [UPDATE: in Japan, at least]. So sudden! Odder when you consider that the Famicom, released in 1983, was on sale in Japan until 2003. But the Famicom (NES, in the West) was followed by the Super Nintendo. And the SNES was a…

Five years after its Western release, Advance Wars: Days of Ruin is finally hitting Japan—as a Club Nintendo Platinum Reward. The game was previously delayed several times in Japan and then cancelled.

Nintendo Wants More Dragon Quests… What Are They Waiting For?

Nintendo of America boss Reggie Fils-Aime says he wants more Dragon Quest. That’s great! Bring’em over! Yesterday afternoon, Fils-Aime took over Nintendo’s Twitter account to answer fan questions in hilarious and ridiculous fashion. The most noteworthy comment: “I’d love to see a new Dragon Quest game, too!” Well, okay. So do some wheeling and dealing…

Tips For Playing Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag is a vast game. Edward Kenway’s groovy pirate adventure will likely devour the free time of more than a few history buffs over the next few weeks. But while all pirates sail the same seas, not all of them are as smart about it. After spending 30+ hours adventuring through…

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag: The Kotaku Review

The loading screen is always the same in Assassin’s Creed. Your character stands, clad in the robes of his people, armed to the teeth and surrounded by empty space. A desaturated digital landscape fades into the distance and out of sight. You press the thumbstick forward, and he begins to jog. What’s left to do…

Nintendo confirms that sexy The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds 3DS XL bundle for North American release on November 22. Aw, and they made poor Eiji Aonuma go out on the roof to do it. The $219.99 bundle comes with a 3DS XL much better than mine, and a download code for some…

Pikachu Gets a Speaking Role in Upcoming Pokémon ‘Detective’ Game

Last week, Japan broadcaster NHKteased an upcoming program featuring a new Pokémon game starring Pikachu. That show has now aired and it shared more on the game, which appears to be a detective-type puzzle game with Pikachu as your partner. And he’ll talk. Siliconera reports that Tsunekazu Ishihara, the president of the Pokémon Company, told…

Most Players Will Never Know About The Best Change In Pokémon X And Y

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are the friendliest Pokémon games ever, both to new players and to jaded old-guard types like myself. The series has never been easier, and at the same there are more options than ever before. But there’s one tiny change in the new Pokémon games that has the hardcore competitive community…

Next Month’s Call of Duty Adds… Aliens

A rumor yesterday, an official trailer today: it’s the new co-op mode for Call of Duty: Ghosts. We’ll be shooting aliens. Activision says: “Call of Duty: Ghosts introduces Extinction – an all-new 1-4 player cooperative game mode featuring a unique blend of fast-paced survival action, FPS base defense, scavenging and class leveling…” To contact the…

Nintendo, Steal This SNES Paint Scheme And Sell It, Please

Console artist Zoki64 once made the prettiest Nintendo 64 (and GBA!) I’ve ever seen. He’s back today, with one of the prettiest Super Nintendo’s you’ll ever see. I’d like to think that even if you didn’t like Zelda that much, you could appreciate the colour scheme, which is appropriate not just for the company’s heritage,…