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Kotaku East
Kids, Stop Sticking Your Fists in Pikachu’s Mouth
This is a thing, I guess. Children in Japan continue to cram their hands in Pikachu’s open mouth—most recently, at a Pokémon event in Kyoto with celebrity Shoko Nakagawa. STOP IT, KIDS, JUST STOP IT. ピカチュウ、ギザカワユス♪ 中川翔子さんが京都駅の一日駅長 [産経]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Tearing the 3DS XL’s Guts Open
Japan’s Nikkei tore a Nintendo 3DS XL apart to see what is inside. What did Nikkei find? Parts. Lots and lots of parts. Nikkei showed off the handheld’s main board, which reveals Samsung memory and a wireless LAN module from Hon Hai. For more nitty gritty, check out the report in the link below. 3DS…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 31, 2012 -
Meet Gary, The King of Nintendo 64
Gary went to Otakon 2012 in this costume. A costume made almost entirely out of Nintendo 64 consoles, controllers and cartridges. He called himself King Nintendo 64, but just for today, he is also King of the Internet. Memes in meatspace: Costumes inspired by the Internet [The Daily Dot, thanks everyone!]
By Luke Plunkett Published July 31, 2012 -
The Dorkly Weekly: Team Rocket Saves the Day?
When Team Rocket appears and your Pokemon rejoice, that’s a sure sign that your training skills need a little work. Oh Rusty, dear, sweet Rusty; you’re such a suck-bucket. For more sick and twisted video game comedy, follow the link to Dorkly.com
By Mike Fahey Published July 30, 2012 -
Compare the Same Mario Game Running on the Old 3DS and the XL One
We’ve got two copies of New Super Mario Bros. 2 in the office. And we’ve got an original 3DS and the new 3DS XL. The XL’s screens are advertised as being 90% bigger than the regular 3DS’. Numbers are nice, but wouldn’t you rather just see the same game running on each unit? That’s what…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 30, 2012 -
The Best Part of Waking Up is a Super Nintendo in Your Cup
This “Super Nincoffee Jr.” case-mod won’t brew you the perfect cup of joe, but apparently it will play Super Nintendo games. This appears to be the creation of a kid named Tyler and his father. Yes, I scoured it for clues that this could be a trick, that some other console playing Super Mario All-Stars…
By Owen Good Published July 28, 2012 -
There Was a Nintendo 3DS In the Olympics’ Opening Ceremony For Some Reason
The opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympic Summer Games had their share of surprises, but we certainly weren’t expecting to see a Nintendo 3DS among them. Get off the stoop, young man, and go do some sports! I’m a fan of the 3DS myself, but I think I’d have a hard time sitting on the…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 27, 2012 -
Kotaku East
No, Nintendo Doesn’t Send Miis to Check Chinese Factories
It sends humans. In the past few years, working conditions in China have come under greatly scrutiny. Conditions have also gotten better. Nintendo recently discussed how it conducts on-site factory visits in China: There are morning interviews with managers, paperwork checks, multiple manufacturing line checks, and checks into the lives and welfare of the factory…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 27, 2012 -
Nintendo Puts a DS Through Mechanical Hell to Make Sure it Works
Despite what some may think, Nintendo doesn’t just make a product, put it on the market and hope everything works. The company has a reputation for making stuff that doesn’t break easily, and these images show how that reputation is maintained. They give a rare glimpse behind the curtain at Nintendo, showing the various stress…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 26, 2012 -
Planet Crashers Takes on Mario and Wario in This Week’s Nintendo Download
Which would you rather have, a grungy old black-and-white Wario game, a dollar off a classic Mario game, or a colorful action role-playing game from the creators of Dementium: The Ward? I have no definite answer. I just like asking long form questions. I will say, at least, that were I completely unfamiliar with all…
By Mike Fahey Published July 26, 2012 -
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Is All About Fresh Power-Ups, Spiteful Multiplayer And Coins, Coins, Coins
Some things in this universe are constant. Death, taxes. Slow buses when you’re late. And the fact that Mario is into coins. He’s still into coins in the upcoming 3DS game New Super Mario Bros. 2. And it’s a good thing, because the game has lots of coins. So many coins. Pretty much all of…
By Kirk Hamilton Published July 26, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Some of the Worst Pikachu Drawings on the Internet
There are many talented artists online. You see some of the stuff on DeviantArt, and you go, “Wow, there are many talented artists online.” But what about the untalented ones? Over on Japanese forum 2ch, a thread popped up in which people showed off their awful Pokémon drawings—drawings they knew were terrible. Many of them…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 26, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Meet Nintendo’s Hardware Ladies
For nearly a decade now, Nintendo has made a very focused effort to makeover how Japan views video games. To do that, Nintendo’s needed help from the country’s most famous females. With the DS, Nintendo changed the stereotypical notion that video games were toys or for guys. It wasn’t just the games that had non-gamer…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 26, 2012 -
CultureTotal Recall
Mario’s First Kart Was, Well, a Little Crap
I’m guessing this is an advertisement of some sort for NES Open Tournament Golf or, as it was known in Japan, Mario Open Golf, a Nintendo Entertainment/Famicom golf game first released in 1991 One of the earliest attempts by Nintendo to shoehorn its platforming characters into a console sports game, it’s perhaps notable these days…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 26, 2012 -
What a New Mario Game Could/Should Look Like
Part of the reason I’m not exactly thrilled about the Wii U isn’t because of its hardware, it’s because of the games. I want to see what a new Zelda game or a new Mario game looks like on the console. And when I say new, I mean new So I like what artist Luigi…
By Luke Plunkett Published July 26, 2012 -
The 3DS Is Bigger In Japan Than In America
Stare, stare, stare at Nintendo’s latest hardware and software sales figures and what do you see? The Wii and DS proved to be more popular in America and in “other areas” (aka the rest of the world) than they were in Japan by a wide margin. America is pretty big, of course! But the 3DS?…
By Stephen Totilo Published July 25, 2012 -
Some Stages In The New Mario Look A Lot Like Temple Run
Mario on rails? Some stages in the newest Mario game will borrow the auto-run mechanic found in many mobile games like Temple Run and Jetpack Joyride When you enter one of these stages in New Super Mario Bros. 2, which is out for 3DS on August 19, Mario will start dashing like there’s no tomorrow.…
By Jason Schreier Published July 25, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Why an Olympic Judo Athlete Was Inspired by…a Pokémon Fight
Gotta catch ’em all! And then, flip them over your shoulder. Judo athlete Ashley McKenzie, who competes for Team Great Britain, went from young Poké punk to serious athlete after a fight broke out over his Charizard card. When McKenzie was 11, another kid tried to swipe his Pokémons. “This Charizard was the best card,”…
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2012 -
Kotaku East
Just Look at How Nintendo Is Embracing Digital Releases in Japan
Nintendo is selling 3DS games, like New Super Mario Bros 2 and Demon Training, as digital downloads. Those who don’t like purchasing items online can swing buy their local retailer in Japan and be greeted with aisles of download cards. Aisles of this. 3DSのDL版(店頭販売)が高すぎｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗｗ [2ch]
By Brian Ashcraft Published July 25, 2012
