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Is the 3DS Lite Coming Out Next Spring? Wonders a Japanese Magazine
Japanese magazine Nikkei Trendy put forth a question that’s nagging us all: is Nintendo releasing a 3DS Lite? In a recent issue of the publication that looks at 2012, Trendy wrote, “To increase the 3DS’s install base, there’s a possibility for a lighter version that addresses the handheld’s weak points, the thickness and the battery…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 4, 2012 -
Zelda: Skyward Sword‘s Alphabet Cracked
Leave it to Zelda fans to fix the Zelda timeline. And leave it to Zelda fans to undertake yet another laborious task: translating the in-game lingo. In the Zelda games, you see Hylian, the language written throughout the Zelda games. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the most recent Zelda title, features a new type…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 3, 2012 -
New Mario Party and Pokemon Games Hitting the *ahem* 4 Million-Selling Nintendo 3DS [Update]
Nintendo tipped the world off to its coming software line-up last month, but it seems like they left a few aces up their sleeves as far as what’s coming to the 3DS. In an announcement crowing about the 4 million 3DS units the company’s sold in the United States since launch, Nintendo also declared that…
By Evan Narcisse Published January 3, 2012 -
Is the PS Vita A Device Ahead of Its Time or Behind It?
With its big, bright screen, ability to sense touch and motion, and controls that mimic a home game console’s, Sony’s Playstation Vita delivers the sort of gaming that approaches what you might expect to experience in your den. But is that what gamers still want? I’ve spent the past week with a PS Vita, enjoying…
By Brian Crecente Published January 2, 2012 -
The Most Pirated PC, Xbox 360 and Wii Games of 2011
This week, TorrentFreak reported on the 50 most searched terms on torrent sites, giving indications as to what may have been the most pirated things of 2011. Not a single video game title was among them. Well, now TorrentFreak has listed its top 5 most pirated games of the year, across three platforms. PC, Wii…
By Owen Good Published December 31, 2011 -
Big Game Makers Take Names Off SOPA Support
The Stop Online Piracy Act, currently a bill before the Congress, is utterly detested by the Internet, in case you don’t read the Internet. Gamers don’t think much of it either, as it would have some rather stupid ramifications for how they enjoy that lifestyle and consume its products. So it’s of note that Nintendo,…
By Owen Good Published December 31, 2011 -
A Multiplayer Role-Playing Game You Can Play in Swapnote
Savannah College of Art and Design game design student Ben “MNC Dover” Gray saw more than just a chance to draw dicks with Nintendo’s free Swapnote program for the 3DS. He saw a chance to draw +4 vorpal dicks. What Ben is proposing in this video is a nifty variation of good old play-by-mail Dungeons…
By Mike Fahey Published December 30, 2011 -
One Very Good Reason to Be a Nintendo-Exclusive Gamer
Tired of being picked on and looked down upon for being a Nintendo-exclusive console owner, commenter ClaudioIphigenia speaks up on Kotaku about the rather reasonable reasoning behind his brand loyalty. So after having just replied to three different comments on why I only own a Nintendo console, I figured it was time for a Speak…
By Mike Fahey Published December 30, 2011 -
Nintendo Starts Offering NES Classics to All in the 3DS eShop
Nintendo not only gave its 3DS “Ambassadors”—early adopters of the device—10 Virtual Console classics for free, it also didn’t let anyone else buy them. That exclusive privilege appears to be headed to a close, as the Japanese eShop has already listed Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, and will get Super Mario Bros. next week.…
By Owen Good Published December 30, 2011 -
Myst Re-Release Headed for 3DS in March
The super-old collection of HyperCard stacks Myst will be published as Myst 3D on the 3DS, with a release date scheduled for March 27. The publisher handling the port says it will add 3D effects to the original game, so it isn’t a reboot or a new adaptation. It will, however, include the Rime Age,…
By Owen Good Published December 30, 2011 -
In Week Two of the Vita vs. 3DS Showdown, Guess Who Lost?
On Dec. 17, Sony released the PS Vita, its PSP successor. The PS Vita is a fine machine (read Kotaku‘s review). In its first week, Sony sold over 360,000 Vitas. But during the machine’s second week, sales plunged to approximately 72,000 machines sold. That’s fewer than the PSP, which came in second in hardware sales…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2011 -
I Agree with This Little Girl about Pink Things
In the above video, little Riley goes off on the way toys are marketed to kids: blue and superheroes for boys, while girls get pink and princesses. While she’s specifically talking about toys (she is in a toy store), I agree with so much of what she says. And so much of what she says…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 29, 2011 -
Finish the Year Strong Talking About the Skyward Sword Finale with the Kotaku Game Club!
Welcome back to the Kotaku Game Club. Today we’re wrapping up our discussion series on The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and 2011. Since we’ve all (hopefully) completed the game, let’s talk about the game’s final dungeons and the ending. Since we’ll be discussing the entire game today, including the ending. Players who haven’t finished…
By Mike Epstein Published December 29, 2011 -
VVVVVV Spells Victory for the Final Nintendo Download of 2011
The Nintendo Download ends the year on a high note with the release of Terry Cavanagh ‘s indie darling VVVVVV on the 3DS eShop, adding a 3D twist to the game’s already twisted gravity platforming. If the 3DS does nothing more than get a few indie PC greats into the hands of the masses, then…
By Mike Fahey Published December 29, 2011 -
Paper-Rock-Scissors Tactics Spring to Life in Fire Emblem 3DS
This spring in Japan the swords, axes, and spears of Fire Emblem spring forth from the 3DS screen to pierce your eyeballs with varying degrees of severity depending on which sort of weapon you’re holding at the time. Check out the live stream of the game from the Nintendo Direct presser. One of the first…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2011 -
Your First Look at Kid Icarus: Uprising’s Online Multiplayer
News that Kid Icarus: Uprising will feature both local and online multiplayer was followed up with this video showing the game’s online play in action. The gameplay looks like free-roaming third-person shooter with wings and some fancy weapons. Players seem to team up, light versus dark, in this video. Though there’s also a free-for-all Battle…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2011 -
Swapnote is Much More Than a Fun Way to Send Your Boss Penis Drawings With Your 3DS
When the original DS launched Nintendo gave us Pictochat, a decent local wireless program for chatting and exchanging pictures with our friends. When the 3DS launched, casual chatting was nowhere to be seen. Swapnote fixes that. Available for download now in the 3DS eShop, Swapnote does exactly what the name implies, allowing users to swap…
By Mike Fahey Published December 28, 2011 -
Nintendo To Host New Year’s Eve Video Telethon on Your 3DS
Nintendo plans to kick off a two day video New Year’s telethon starting the last day of the year and running until the morning of Jan. 2, the company said in a note sent to 3DS owners. “Mark your calendar for the first-ever Nintendo Video New Year’s Telethon,” the note reads. “Wondering what you’ve missed…
By Brian Crecente Published December 28, 2011 -
The Great Nintendo Family Portrait
Artist Luis Carrasquillo sent us this amazing piece to share, which includes just about every major Nintendo hero (or hero appearing on a Nintendo console) there’s ever been. At 4000x, it’s only wallpaper for the more hardcore among you, so for everyone else, it’s like a Where’s Waldo/Wally. Only, with Marios everywhere. If you want…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 28, 2011