Nintendo - Page 476 of 695

Wrong About Japan’s Coolness

A recent issue of the Japanese edition of Newsweek poses this question: Is Cool Japan going cold? The cover reads “Cool Japan Is Running Out of Steam” (息切れクールジャパン). The article centers on “Cool Japan”, which was adopted by the Japanese government and trade organizations that hoped to tap into the country’s soft power status. Cool…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 13, 2012

CultureTotal Recall

Nintendo’s Early DRM Was Simple (And Didn’t Work)

DRM, or Digital Rights Management, is in many ways the great scourge of modern gaming. Designed to limit the effects of piracy, it’s often more of a pain in the ass for paying customers than it is a hindrance to pirates. It’s usually associated with PC games, but Nintendo is no stranger to it either.…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 12, 2012

Can Nintendo Convince Us To Care About The Wii U?

For this week’s Burning Questions, Jason and Kirk return from E3 to talk about their impressions of Nintendo’s next big console. What kinds of new games will the Wii U make possible? What will it take for the Wii U to be a success for gamers? Why can’t any company but Microsoft make an easy-to-use…

Kirk Hamilton & Jason Schreier Published June 12, 2012

Final Fantasy Creator’s Next Game Is Just The Kind Of Complex, Meaty JRPG I’ve Been Waiting For

A long time ago, the combat in Japanese role-playing games was extraordinarily simple. Classic turn-based RPGs would hit you with a deluge of random and scripted battles. To beat them, you’d select options like “fight” or “magic” from a series of dropdown menus. You’d usually only die if you were under-leveled, in which case the…

By Jason Schreier Published June 12, 2012

This Is How Nintendo Prefers You To See Their Games

Nintendo likes to prioritize their screenshots by what they consider to be the best images to use when discussing their games. Last year we looked at what Nintendo’s favorite and least favorite screenshots post-E3 were, according to the notes in their batch of press kits. It seemed like angle-choice, depth of background action and color…

By Tina Amini Published June 12, 2012

Shigeru Miyamoto Thinks He’s Right About Pikmin 3, But, if Not… Uh-Oh

After years of being badgered about making a new Pikmin game, Nintendo is finally making a new Pikmin game. It took the company a while, Nintendo’s head of game development, Shigeru Miyamoto, told me in Los Angeles last week, because the company was experimenting with how to get Pikmin right. They’ve finally settled on an…

By Stephen Totilo Published June 12, 2012

Kotaku East

This Summer, Nintendo Is Cutting Bonus Pay

More and more Japanese companies are feeling the pinch—Nintendo included. After posting its first annual loss in donkey’s yonks, the Kyoto-based game company is reducing its employee summer bonuses by 20 percent. #firstworldproblems Last year, full-time Nintendo staff got the average of approximately 4.4 months worth of their salary as summer bonus. This year, it’s…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012

Kotaku East

How Many Fists Fit in Pikachu’s Mouth? Japanese Children Find Out.

Poor Pikachu. The character shows up for a Pokémon “quiz rally”, and a bunch of Japanese kids stuff their fists into his mouth. The nerve! The official (and current) Pikachu costume worn at events features the character with an open mouth, presumably so the wearer can see out and not so children can stuff their…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012

Kotaku East

Pikmin 3 Won’t Have Online, Because, Um, Because…

Just when you think Nintendo finally gets the internet, the Kyoto-based game maker does stuff like this. In a recent interview with website IGN, game designer Shigeru Miyamoto revealed that the upcoming Pikmin 3, a launch title on the Wii U, will not have online. Because? According to Miyamoto: You have to be very careful…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012

The 3DS’ Circle Pad Pro Gets a Very Attractive Makeover

Nintendo’s official 3DS Circle Pad Pro extension is, well, it’s not very pretty. It’s also getting hard to find. Thank the maker for Nyko, then, who have not only produced the world’s first third-party alternative, but have come up with something that looks much nicer than Nintendo’s offering. For $30, the Nyko Power Grip Pro…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 12, 2012

It’s-a Me, Sexy Mario

If you thought porn star Ron Jeremy was the only sexy Mario, you are wrong. There are other Marios, sexy Marios who like to preen and pose for the camera in overalls and with mushrooms and fireballs. Hot. Say hello to this sexy Mario, who goes under the clever nickname “Sexy Mario”. All the photos…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 12, 2012

Everything You Need to Know About the Wii U, at a Glance

Need to know the fundamentals of Nintendo’s upcoming console but don’t like, I don’t know, scrolling? Or looking at tables? This infographic, listing all the Wii U’s publicly-released specs, has you covered. It comes courtesy of Nintendo Europe, and breaks down both exterior components as well as some of the console’s internal specs. Wii U…

By Luke Plunkett Published June 12, 2012

Sex and the City‘s Samantha Gets Turned On By Mario’s Raccoon Suit

Now, I know that Samantha gets turned on by most things. But all the same, this one’s pretty funny. In a departure for Nintendo’s usually family-friendly celebrity spokespeople, a new British ad for Super Mario 3D Land features Sex and the City‘s friskiest character talking about her predilection for men who play dress-up. “I go…

By Kirk Hamilton Published June 11, 2012

Better Friend Codes, Achievements and More: Nintendo Answers Our Burning Wii U Questions

Nintendo will have a much less annoying Friend Code system for the Wii U, four layers of protection in their online service and system-level Achievements, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime tells Kotaku The Nintendo boss and I rapidly ran through a list of questions about the Wii U’s features during a wide-ranging interview a…

By Stephen Totilo Published June 11, 2012

Here’s the Fake Arcade Classic Disney’s New Video Game Movie Comes From

Maybe you’ve seen the trailer for Wreck-It Ralph, the upcoming Disney movie about a video game villain who doesn’t want to be bad anymore. That clip’s got bad guys like Street Fighter‘s Zangief and Bowser from the Super Mario games opening their hearts in a support group. Those villains earned their bad reputations by body-slamming…

By Evan Narcisse Published June 11, 2012

Kotaku East

Plastic Link, Just Take My Money

My wallet is open. Just, seriously, just take my money—just the ¥3,800 (US$48) necessary to buy this Legend of Zelda Link figure. Going on sale this October in Japan, this Link figure is the latest in the Figma action figure line. This Skyward Sword Link is fully poseable and comes with a Master Sword and…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012

Kotaku East

Today’s Creepy Strangers Offer the Nintendo 3DS, Not Candy

In the past, parents told children not to accept candy from strangers. They might want to add something else to that list: video game portables. Earlier this month in Hokkaido, Japan, an overweight man in his 40s or 50s called out to a grade schooler on her way home: “I’ll give you a 3DS, so…

By Brian Ashcraft Published June 11, 2012

Watch Me Vacuum Ghosts In Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon

Here’s some gameplay we shot of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, the sequel to 2001’s hit GameCube title, during E3 this week. The controls take a little concentration to master, but so far, Dark Moon seems just as clever and interesting as its predecessor. Check it out! (Video shot and edited by Chris Person.)

By Jason Schreier Published June 8, 2012

Microsoft: ‘You Do Not Want’ an Xbox Smash Bros. Clone

Sony PlayStation will soon have a Smash Bros. clone, a game called PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale that lets its most famous characters beat each other up. Why? Because it was a great idea when Nintendo first let Mario, Link, Samus and the rest of its best heroes beat each other up. Surely, Microsoft should join…

By Stephen Totilo Published June 8, 2012

Wario Shows Us Some Creative Things The Wii U Controller Can Do

Leave it to Mario’s evil doppelganger to demonstrate the innovative potential of a new piece of hardware. As you can see from this video we shot of Game & Wario at E3 this week, Wario and his friends do a nice job showing off some of the unique ways you can use the Wii U’s…

By Jason Schreier Published June 8, 2012