-
iTunes Users Are Upset About This Blatant Mario Clone
Another day, another beloved video game gets cloned by an iOS developer out to make a quick buck. The current victim is Nintendo, a company that is seeing their lovely 3DS game Super Mario 3D Land pilfered by the creators of 3D Cartoon Land Safari Naturally, the everyday Joes and Janes who review games in…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 17, 2012 -
Take a Look at Shin Megami Tensei IV‘s Trailer Again for the First Time
A month back, the trailer leaked for the next, 3DS-bound installment of Atlus’ beloved RPG series. Then it went away. But it’s back now, shinier and more full of the sweeping mythological feel that the SMT series—which spawned the wildly popular Persona offshoot—is known for. Expect to hear more about Shin Megami Tensei IV at…
By Evan Narcisse Published September 17, 2012 -
Tweets from the Nintendo 64 Launch
Twitter was invented 9 1/2 years after the first Nintendo 64 washed up for sale on American shores. That was fortunate for the N64, because, as we re-learned last week, Twitter exists to vivisect any and all video game news—and to make it all seem rather crappy. But what if people could Tweet about the…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 17, 2012 -
Five Reasons Not to Buy the Wii U from a Reputable British Newspaper
With all the excitement surrounding the upcoming release of Nintendo’s next console, Britain’s largest daily newspaper takes a hard look at the facts of the matter and warns the public against an early Wii U purchase. We should all cancel our preorders right away, as The Sun sets us straight: the GamePad is a Vita,…
By Mike Fahey Published September 17, 2012 -
Nintendo Doesn’t Think Your Wii U Will Collect Dust
Maybe your Wii is collecting dust. Maybe you’re sick of hearing people say that their Wiis are collecting dust. Either way, it’s undeniable that the Wii has not garnered the same software support as, say, the Xbox 360. Or the PlayStation 3. The Wii’s release schedule over the past two years has had some serious…
By Jason Schreier Published September 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Original 151 Pokémon Made Very, Very Small
This summer, talented internet person Ninjazzy made the original 151 Pokémon in clay. That’s impressive! It’s even more impressive after you realize Ninjazzy not only did that, but made them small enough to stand on a penny. No wonder these are called Pénnymon. The level of craftsmanship and detail on display here is heroic. Have…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2012 -
Kotaku East
OK, Tensions Between China and Japan Are Getting Serious
Anti-Japan tempers continue to flare in China. Japanese stores are being vandalized and looted, and Japanese factories are being destroyed. The images emerging from China can be described as unreal—shocking, even. Last month, the anti-Japan protests started brewing in China over disputed islands (called “Senkaku” in Japan and “Diaoyu” in China). There are supposedly oil…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 17, 2012 -
Maybe Nintendo Needs a New Mascot
Mario may be identifiable as the sun to the wider population, but there’s a generation of gamers coming of age who grew up playing more Pokémon than Paper Mario. To better appeal to their sensibilities, then, perhaps Nintendo could take a look at its choice of mascot. I’m not saying get rid of Mario. Maybe…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 17, 2012 -
If You Put Your Wii U GamePad in a Blender, Yes, Nintendo Will Sell You a Replacement
On one hand, this seems like a painfully obvious thing: Broken hardware typically can be replaced under warranty or through the manufacturer for a fee, and the Nintendo GamePad is hardware. On the other hand, it’s a controller, and Nintendo is deliberately not selling GamePads on their own in North America. So that raises the…
By Owen Good Published September 15, 2012 -
Someone’s Already Trying to Sell a Wii U on eBay. For $900.
Remember when the Wii launched? What were those things going for on the gray market, like $700 or something? Actually, yeah—Fahey did this analysis after the 2006 holidays and found the price, for a pre-order listing on eBay, spiked at $707, almost three times its MSRP. (That’s not counting this jackhole, trying to sell one…
By Owen Good Published September 15, 2012 -
Francis is Back, and He is Pissed at the Wii U
Francis, the vox fulminati of gamers worldwide, has contemplated yesterday’s formal unveiling of the Wii U’s price, specifications and launch lineup and offers this cogent analysis of its shortcomings, plus the phonetic pronunciation of “TVii.” It evidently has less memory than his nonexistent wristwatch. And, in probably the most humiliating slam, “Apple charges less for…
By Owen Good Published September 14, 2012 -
The Wii U Start-Up Screen Is Like Nothing Ever Seen On Consoles Before
Nintendo talked a lot about the Wii U yesterday, but there was one big topic they didn’t cover: the Miiverse, the console’s version of a social network. Turns out you’ll see it as soon as you boot up the Wii U. In fact, according to Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, who sat down with…
By Jason Schreier Published September 14, 2012 -
Kotaku East
The Case for Why Bayonetta Could Be in the New Smash Bros.
The upcoming Bayonetta 2 is a Wii U exclusive. Nintendo, not Sega, is now publishing the game. You know what that means? Yep, it probably means that the character of Bayonetta will pop up in the upcoming 3DS and Wii U Smash Bros. games. This, of course, would not be the first time a “non-Nintendo”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Bayonetta 2 Developers Don’t Want to “Alienate” You
Action game Bayonetta 2, the sequel to…Bayonetta 1, is headed to the Wii U. It’s an exclusive! And Nintendo is publishing the game. This has made some “fans” pissed as hell. Others are happy. But what do the game’s developers have to say? Platinum Games, the studio behind Bayonetta, released statements from staff as well…
By Brian Ashcraft Published September 14, 2012 -
Here’s What’s Inside Each Wii U Console Box
Once you open up a Wii U box, you’ll find a bunch of stuff inside. Namely, all of this, as Nintendo seeks to crush the practice of unboxing by doing it for us, months before the product is even released. What I love about these images is the small print down the bottom. As though…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 14, 2012 -
The Wii U Will Be Out In Europe (and Australia) Before Japan
The Wii U is being released on November 18 in the US, and on December 8 in Japan. PAL fans, though, can expect to get their hands on the console right in between those two dates. November 30 is when the Wii U will hit shelves across Britain, continental Europe and Australia. Prices will of…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 14, 2012 -
Nintendo Land is 2012’s Wii Sports
Like Wii Sports was to the Wii, Nintendo is going to need something small, fun and easy to learn if “new” players are going to get hooked on the upcoming Wii U. Nintendo Land is surely going to be that game. Well, provided you actually buy it, since only the “premium” version of the console…
By Luke Plunkett Published September 13, 2012 -
For Those With a Fetish, Here’s the Wii U’s Box Art
Not for the games, we knew about those already. This is what the actual console’s box will look like when it goes on sale in the US in November. I like it. Classy. It’s simple, it’s bold, it doesn’t try too hard to sell you on STUFF, at least not on the front.
By Luke Plunkett Published September 13, 2012 -
Everything You Need to Know About The Wii U (That Nintendo Was Willing To Tell Us)
The new Wii is called the Wii U. It’s coming out in America on November 18 and will cost $299, not counting hidden costs. Nintendo blasted out a ton of news about it today. But they didn’t tell us everything. Here’s What We Know It’s $299, for the basic version that includes the console (which…
By Stephen Totilo Published September 13, 2012 -
Balloon Trip Breeze Brings Back Memories of the NES’ Balloon Fight
What I recall of Balloon Fight on the Nintendo Entertainment System was whaling on one button or the other to maintain altitude, to the point of thumb cramps. Balloon Trip Breeze, the Wii U’s obvious homage to the NES classic, relies on the use of a stylus with the Wii U GamePad’s touchscreen, as Kotaku‘s…
By Owen Good Published September 13, 2012