Nintendo

Nintendo Loses Case to Take Control of ‘WiiU.com’ [Update]

Normally when video game companies go into Internet name court to take over domains using their trademarks, they walk out a winner. So you’d think that Nintendo would be easily successful in the effort to get control of WiiU.com from a cybersquatter. You’d be wrong. Astonishingly, Nintendo’s complaint before the World Intellectual Property Organization has…

The Next Mario & Luigi RPG Looks Absolutely Delightful

Man. It’s hard to watch this trailer and not want to get my hands on Mario & Luigi: Dream Team right now. Well, my hands were actually on Dream Team on Monday, during a meeting at Nintendo’s offices in Manhattan. I played about 30 minutes of the upcoming RPG, which is out for 3DS on…

What’s Your Favorite Animal Crossing: New Leaf Song?

We’ve gone over how to compose a great town theme for Animal Crossing: New Leaf But one of the best things about the game is the actual soundtrack, reliably changing tunes every hour as you make your way through a 24-hour cycle. In AC:NL, some players will hear certain songs more than others, depending on…

The daily Smash Bros. screenshots on Nintendo’s site can easily compete with anything the internet at large has to offer. Take, for example, the one uploaded today. We’ll probably never know what’s going on in the pic between Mario and the Wii Trainer. They are not fighting, that’s for sure.

Pokémon is getting its own game show. On August 17 and 18, the Pokémon Game Show will be held at Tokyo Big Sight and will offer fans the first playable Pokémon X/Y demo. Admission will be free, so expect long lines.

Nintendo Boss Didn’t Say He’d Quit, Yo

Earlier this year, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said he felt “strongly responsible” for a two-year string of Nintendo losses. Strong enough to resign? Um… Asfirst posted in January, Iwata mentioned his “commitment” to a business profit goal of ¥100 billion (US$ 1.1 billion) by the end of the next business year ending in March, 2014.…

The Silly Conversations In Animal Crossing: New Leaf

Come on and slam! In Animal Crossing: New Leaf, our actions and the reactions of the animal citizens can trigger some pretty terrific dialogue. Managing our town wouldn’t be the same without these characters and their rather interesting personalities. So here are some noteworthy examples from people who are already deep into the game. I…

Some Goofy Flyers From Your Animal Crossing Town

Strange things happen in Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Things that wouldn’t make a lot of sense in an ordinary town. The always-enjoyable miscreants at Dorkly have helped capture some of those moments in this collection of flyers, ostensibly found on the bulletin board in an Animal Crossing town named, what else, FARTASS.

This week’s Nintendo Download is all about Kokuga, the new game from the folks who worked on classic Treasure strategic shooter Ikaruga. I appreciate G-Rev rhyming the names to make it easier for us to rap about them. Also, Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Sonic Labyrinth, and several games that wish they were Sonic-related.See it all…

More Pikmin 3 Gameplay Footage Than You Could Throw A Spaceship At

This video runs for nearly seven minutes, and rarely pauses from showing you raw gameplay footage of one of the biggest upcoming Wii U exclusives. Yes, the audio is in Japanese, but you can still soak up the visuals.

These Critics Can’t Quite Decide Whether to Love or Hate Game & Wario

Some thought it disappointingly shallow where others had an unusual, but ultimately enjoyable experience. Nintendo’s latest Wario-themed Wii U-exclusive assortment of quirky and highly imaginative minigames, Game & Wario, is unquestionably divisive. The minigames themselves got a lot of complaints, and were said to be a mixed bag concerning quality and depth, but Game &…

“What The F**k Kind Of Game Is Earthbound?”

The following is an excerpt from Earthbound, Ken Baumann’s upcoming book about Nintendo’s cult classic 1994 RPG. “I mean, you have to pray to beat an emotion!” Scott laughs. “Yeah.” “How did this game get made?” • It’s hard for me to reconcile EarthBound with any video games I’ve played since. Most games traffic in…

This Yakuza Ad Is Awesome Even if You Don’t Speak Japanese

Everybody from Kotaku East is asleep right now. So I don’t have the benefit of their multilingual skills when it comes to translating this advert for the HD re-master of Sega’s first two Yakuza games. The language barrier is no real obstacle here, however. I can tell that things start off sweet and then get…

On June 26, Nintendo is holding a Pikmin 3 Direct for Japan. It will feature a special guest: comedian and filmmaker Hitoshi Matsumoto.

How To Compose A Great Town Theme Song In Animal Crossing: New Leaf

I am head over heels for the Animal Crossing: New Leaf soundtrack. Kazumi Totaka’s music is so graceful and sparse, relying as much on suggestion and space as it does on melody. But one of the best musical aspects of the game is the one you can compose for yourself. Early in the game, you’ll…

Nintendo Fans Fight To Get 3DS And Wii U Region-Free

If 2012 was the year of Kickstarter, 2013 is the year of the fan petition. Following in the footsteps of the successful #PS4NoDRM campaign, a number of passionate Nintendo fans are setting out to get the Wii U and 3DS region-free. Nintendo’s current consoles are region-locked, meaning that you can only use each one to…

This Real Life Version of Super Smash Bros. Looks Rad, Sounds Catchy

If you’ve ever wondered what brawling Smash-style would be like in real life, well, turns out it looks pretty dang fun. At least, it does in Screen Team‘s music video of the song “SMASH,” which includes not only franchise veterans like Mario, but also newcomers like Wii Fit Trainer and Mega Man duking it out.…

Find Out How Many Creators of this Game Are Female Or Hate Peas

The credits in the new Nintendo game Game & Wario are as weird as the rest of the game, but they’re also possibly the best credits ever. They serve a serious, modern purpose. And they make some good jokes. The serious purpose: they break the team down by job focus (directors, programmers, producers, etc.) and…

Game & Wario: The Kotaku Review

Are there insane people working at Nintendo HQ? Game & Wario suggests there are. Behold, one of the weirdest pieces of software ever made by the House of Mario, a game that is not a WarioWare game, is not a great game, but is a comedic must-play triumph. If you were a person to have…

Nintendo’s Turn For a 180? ‘Let’s Play’ Drama Might Have Happy Ending

A month ago, Nintendo played the unfeeling corporate villain in an online spat about popular Let’s Play videos and the gamers who make them. A month later, there is evidence of a possible resolution. The most positive sign is that Zack Scott, the popular YouTuber who first raised the alarm about Nintendo cracking down on…