Nintendo

The Moneysaver: 1000 Indie Games On Sale

In a week already bursting with crazy discounts, Steam has announced their Indie Spring Sale, featuring 1000 discounted indie titles. Since indie titles are already typically pretty cheap, we’re talking extremely low barriers to entry here. Given the quality, fun factor, and artistic merit on tap, this is an amazing dollar-to-entertainment ratio. There are also…

15 Minutes of the English Version of Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Let’s Go Swimming!

Tom Nook is no longer the boss of you in the new Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which is coming to the 3DS in North America on June 9. You’re the mayor. You’re in command of this town. Well, somewhat… watch and see. We got a hands-off demo of the new game at PAX East in…

This Impressive Custom-Built Arcade Machine Was Specially Designed For Pokémon Pinball

It took three weeks of hard work to finish this custom pinball machine, which simulates Pokémon Ruby/Sapphire Pinball and the classic Pokémon Pinball, originally released on Game Boy Color. Its surface looks really smooth and clean, and the functioning tilt buttons, plus the classic Pokémon music make it all totally super effective. You can take…

Washington DC’s Metro Line Makes A Perfect Super Mario World Map

Designer Dave Delisle did a really great job recreating the Washington DC Metro Line as a Super Mario Bros 3 world map. With its 86 stations as separate levels, Washington’s Metro would be an extremely long Mario game (and a damn good one, with names like The Pentagon). This is not Delisle’s first such work.…

Nintendo’s letting folks buy Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and Pokemon Mystery Dungeon early at PAX East

Nintendo Bossman Has One of the Coolest Video Game Jackets Ever

Fun fact: Nintendo honcho Satoru Iwata was one of the main programmers on Mother 2 (aka Earthbound) for the SNES. Today on Twitter, Iwata uploaded this photo of a badass Mother 2 sukajan. The jacket, Iwata noted, was given out to the game’s staff, and it was the thing he treasures most. Heck, I would,…

Why The Next Portable Nintendo Game Wouldn’t Work on an iPhone

Nintendo executives have many reasons to keep their games off of iPhones and Androids and to only let them play on Nintendo hardware. But what about the creators of a new Nintendo video game? They’ve got reasons, too. Last week, I asked some of the Japanese and Canadian creators at Nintendo and Next Level Games…

Nintendo is Moving its NYC Offices, Shipping Some Jobs West

In a move that probably won’t affect you, Nintendo is making some changes to its presence in New York City. Don’t panic! Their Nintendo World Store near Rockefeller Center in midtown is sticking around. No changes there. But the company’s Park Avenue offices, where I participated in a transcontinental video-conference interview with the creators of…

Turn-Based Combat Is The Best Kind Of Combat

Editor’s Note: I’m on vacation today, but since I know you’re all craving your regular dose of JRPG goodness, I’ve enlisted the wonderful Kirk Hamilton to jazz up Random Encounters this week. Be nice! —Jason Schreier Oh boy, here we go. If I’m gonna take over Jason’s column for a week, that means I’m gonna…

Creating a Video Game With Nintendo Sounds Stressful, Amazing and Unreal

Some time during the three-plus years the Nintendo 3DS video game Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon was in development, the game’s main development team in Canada received a visit from Shigeru Miyamoto, the lead creator of The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario Bros. Miyamoto, who works primarily out of Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto, has famously…

Nintendo sent us this famed photo today to announce Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D‘s launch on May 24. Cute.

Those Scannable Pokémon Wii U Figures Finally Revealed!

Today, Nintendo and The Pokémon Company unveiled the upcoming near field communication toys for Pokémon Scramble U. Phew, finally! The set includes Bulbasaur, Pikachu, Torchic, Piplup, Lucario, Victini, and one special (or secret) Pokémon. According to The Pokémon Company, this is the “first set”. The official release indicates that there will be more NFC Pocket…

Lego City Undercover: The Kotaku Review

It’s an excellent, brand-new year-one Wii U game. It’s simultaneously safe for kids and yet more or less Lego Grand Theft Auto—with you as a cop rather than a crook. It’s the best Lego game of the 10 I’ve played, though it’s not going to win any awards for progressive game design. And it’s got…

Remember that adorable Pikachu 3DS XL? It’s coming to the US on March 24, bundled with a 4GB SD card, priced at $199.99.

Federal Jury Rules Nintendo Infringed On Inventor’s Glasses-Free 3D Patent, Awards $30.2 Million [UPDATE]

A New York federal jury has ruled that Nintendo infringed on inventor Seijiro Tomita’s 3D technology with their handheld 3DS, Reuters reports. The jury awarded Mr. Tomita $30.2 million in compensatory damages. Yow. From Reuters: In opening arguments last month, Tomita’s attorney, Joe Diamante, told the jury in U.S. District Court in Manhattan that Nintendo…

The Opening Cinematic For Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Is Pretty Damn Gorgeous

Capcom just released the introductory cinematic to Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, which comes out March 19 for Wii U and 3DS. Gorgeous, don’t you think? Too bad the real game doesn’t look like this.

The Difference Between Luigi and Mario, According to People Who Would Know

You might think that the difference between Nintendo’s famous brothers is that one likes to wear red and the other wears green, or that one of them can sometimes jump a tad higher. But there’s another key difference. Luigi, the creators of the next Luigi-starring game from Nintendo say, is more emotional. That is essentially…

Why One DSi Community Is Upset at Nintendo Right Now

So Nintendo is bringing Flipnote Studio to the 3DS. This latest iteration will allow users to create 3D flipnotes and is called, wait for it, Flipnote Studio 3D. But what does this mean for users of the plain old Flipnote Studio? From the sound of it, they’re screwed. In Japan, Nintendo offered two interesting services…

Shigeru Miyamoto Is Not Worried About The Wii U Just Yet

Even though the sales for the Wii U have been less then stellar—with Nintendo actually expecting to lose money—Shigeru Miyamoto believes there is no cause for concern yet. In an interview with the New York Times, when asked about the Wii U’s performance, Miyamoto seemed optimistic. “I think that the Wii U still has a…

The New Wii U Pokémon Game Has Toys, Kind of Like Skylanders

The Skylanders video games set off a merchandizing bonanza thanks to its toys that were outfitted with near field communication. The upcoming Pocket Monsters game for the Wii U looks set to do the same thing. According to a leaked CoroCoro Comic magazine scan, the upcoming Pokémon Scramble U for Wii U will use NFC…