Nintendo

Don’t Panic: The Wii U Naysayers Are Wrong

Nintendo is doomed. Haven’t you heard? They’re about to release a new, underpowered console with a funny name that’s built around a silly gimmick. There’s no way anyone will buy it. Oh, wait. That was the Wii. And the DS. And the 3DS. All of which have turned into ridiculous successes for the folks who…

Hands On with the Brand New Circle Pad Pro for 3DS XL

Nintendo has once again made an add-on second Circle Pad for the 3DS. And, you know what, it’s not half bad. Actually, it seems like the Circle Pad Pro for the XL could be pretty good. The smartest thing about the larger Circle Pad Pro is its design. It’s not nearly as bulky as the…

Up Close with Circle Pad Pro for the 3DS XL

Yesterday, Nintendo revealed that a larger circle pad add-on was headed to the 3DS XL—something that Nintendo first mentioned this past summer. Here is a first look at the new Circle Pad Pro for the 3DS XL. Nintendo has not given a release date for the Circle Pad Pro for the 3DS XL, nor has…

10 GameCube Games That Should Be Downloadable On Wii U

The Wii U won’t play GameCube discs. But it will play the Virtual Console, Nintendo’s online shop that lets you buy games from old consoles like the Super Nintendo and N64. We’re two generations removed from the GameCube now. That qualifies it as an old console. So when chatting with Nintendo of America president Reggie…

This Week’s Nintendo Download Involves A Little Boy Hanging Out With Grown Men In Spandex

While I’m looking forward to Denpa Men, a new downloadable RPG for the eShop that sort of looks like a cross between Pikmin and Dragon Quest, I would strongly urge the folks behind the game to reconsider the above marketing campaign. This is the type of stuff that traumatizes kids for life. This week’s roundup…

In Monster Hunter 4, You Control Insect Minions

A demo of Capcom’s Monster Hunter 4 on the 3DS was up for play at the Tokyo Game Show, and here’s how the 15-minute gameplay was. They provided me with 3 different quests with a ranging difficulty of easy, medium and hard, and a premade set of armor for each of the special weapons in-game.…

First Look at the Circle Pad Pro for the Nintendo 3DS XL

We knew the peripheral was coming to Nintendo’s new handheld, but until today we hadn’t seen what it looked like. Now we have. Yup. Still hideous. Pricing and release date are TBA. Accessories [Nintendo, via Go Nintendo]

Nintendo Will be Making Games Using the Unity Engine

Unity CEO David Helgason has revealed that his company, whose light-weight engine is becoming increasingly popular in both the mobile and PC gaming worlds, has been licensed by Nintendo for use with the upcoming Wii U. The engine is being optimised for Nintendo’s latest console, and while it’s become surprisingly powerful in recent times (see…

Level-5 tells Kotaku that none of its TGS games are confirmed for a Western release.

Tekken‘s Mushroom Battle Mode Gives Tekken a 1-Up

Namco’s Tekken series is making the leap to the Wii U. The fighting game favorite is one of the first big games slotted for the console. But does it pack enough punch on the Wii U? To cater to Wii U players, Nintendo and Namco have tailed the Wii U edition with loads of platform…

Ace Attorney 5’s New Trailer Makes Phoenix Wright Look Even Cooler

You’d expect the first 3D Phoenix Wright/Ace Attorney game to look in motion. And whaddya know, it does. Tastefully done, Capcom, you’ve done a great job maintaining the art style of the DS games while spicing things up a little for the 3D-capable hardware.

Might the West Actually Give a Damn About Monster Hunter 4?

I doubt it. But bless Capcom and Nintendo for trying. Here’s the TGS trailer for the upcoming monster battler, which is coming out for the 3DS.

Pikmin Meets Dragon Quest In This Downloadable RPG For 3DS

Take a dash of Pikmin, throw it into some Dragon Quest, and you get Denpa Ningen 2. Here’s some gameplay footage for the upcoming sequel, which Nintendo announced a few weeks ago for the 3DS eShop And believe it or not, we’re actually getting the first game in this bizarre Japanese series: The Denpa Men:…

Something’s Not Right Between Nintendo And Amazon, But Neither Side Is Talking

You can buy a Nintendo 3DS at GameStop. You can buy one at Best Buy. Target. Wal-Mart. You can buy it from pretty much anywhere—except for the world’s biggest online retailer. For at least the past year, retail titan Amazon.com has not sold Nintendo hardware. There are Amazon listings for the DS and Wii and…

Which New Pokemon Game Should I Play?

I have a dilemma. Here in the office I have Pokemon Black 2 and Pokemon White 2. One will go to Mike Fahey for review. One will go to my 3DS for playing (and JRPG columning). But I can’t decide which to keep. So I’m letting you guys decide. Vote right here: Should I play…

Even An Olympic Gymnast Should Probably Not Play With a 3DS While Standing On Her Hands

Nintendo has a long history of getting celebrities—honest-to-goodness non-gaming celebrities—into commercials for their handheld systems. Nicole Kidman, Sir Patrick Stewart, Liv Tyler, Carrie Underwood, Beyonce, and America Ferrara have all appeared in ads for the Nintendo DS over the past five years. Those ads were actually pretty effective. Mostly they just showed people, if famous…

Pokémon Are So Cute When They’re Small

Spotted by sister site Kotaku Japan, these—dare I say—pocket-sized Pocket Monsters sure look darling. Some of these Pokémon toys were shown last August. Here are more—have a look! ［キャラホビ2012］コロコロっとしたデザインのポケモンギャラリー [Kotaku Japan] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every…

Next March in Japan, Nintendo is shuttering its mobile news site Nintendo Mobile, which also offered ringtones.

Sixteen Minutes of That Capcom Meets Namco Game. Sixteen!

Upcoming tactical role-playing game Project X Zone is headed to the 3DS. Here’s the game’s latest trailer, which is sixteen minutes long. Pour yourself a cup of coffee and soak up the latest gameplay footage. 「PROJECT X ZONE（プロジェクト クロスゾーン）」第2弾PV [YouTube] Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points…

Why Bowser is in Disney’s New Movie, But Mario Isn’t

Disney’s upcoming animated movie Wreck-It Ralph features cameos from all sorts of existing video game characters, from M. Bison to Altered Beast’s Neff. Yet there’s one character conspicuous by his absence. Mario. The biggest video game character on the planet will not be in the flick, and before you go thinking that’s just a licensing…