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Chart: Nintendo is Awesome at Pivoting
We’ve heard stories about how Nintendo started as a playing card company, and dabbled in other things. This handy graphic lets us see when their transformation took place, along with other popular companies. What were Nintendo, YouTube and PayPal doing before they transformed themselves from humble beginnings into what we know today? Check out the…
By Matthew Buzzi Published December 8, 2011 -
The Day Mario’s Creator Didn’t Retire (And What It Says About His Future)
The internet was rocked. Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Zelda, reportedly said he was stepping down. Nobody seemed prepared for this. It was so sudden. So surprising. The end of an era. After the original report hit, Nintendo repeatedly denied that Miyamoto is “retiring” and stepping down from his current position. The official…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 8, 2011 -
Nintendo Denies That Mario‘s Creator Is “Retiring”
Late last night, a Wired.com report stated that Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of Mario and Zelda, had said he was “retiring”. Today, Nintendo denied that report. According to the original Wired report, Miyamoto apparently said he was stepping down from his current management position so he could work on smaller projects with younger developers. “What…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 8, 2011 -
What Actually Happens When You Land In Lava
Over the years playing games, you’ve probably fallen into lava hundreds of times. Maybe thousands. Yet for all that falling, and dying, and cursing, did you ever wonder what would actually happen if you wound up on a pool of molten rock? Like, outside of a video game? Wired’s Erik Klemetti knows what happens, and…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 8, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallThank You, Shigeru Miyamoto, For These Awesome Games
Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto may not be leaving Nintendo or the games industry entirely, but the news that he’s soon to step down to a less prominent role on smaller games and with young developers has still sent a bit of a shock through the industry. UPDATE – Phew! Nintendo has denied he’s doing any…
By Luke Plunkett Published December 8, 2011 -
Creator of Mario, Zelda Says “I’m Retiring”, Will Make Smaller Games [Update]
The man behind Super Mario Bros. and The Legend of Zelda says he plans to retire from his current position at Nintendo so he can spend time working on smaller projects and with younger developers or on his own, Wired reported tonight. UPDATE – Nintendo has since issued a statement saying “He has no intention…
By Brian Crecente Published December 7, 2011 -
Nintendo is Ready to Re-Think Zelda
The man in charge of the Zelda series at Nintendo says he’s ready to make big changes in the series. He’s not guaranteeing them, but in an interview in the new issue of Game Informer magazine, Eiji Aonuma says the time for big changes may finally have come. “I started working on the series not…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 7, 2011 -
How to Make 3D Videos, Stop Motion Movies With Your 3DS
Nintendo’s 3DS is quickly, finally becoming a must-have gaming handheld. Games like Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7 are easily satisfying my gaming itch these days and this latest update for the system adds the sorts of new features that has me once more showing off the 3DS to friends and relatives. The…
By Brian Crecente Published December 7, 2011 -
Game-Breaking Skyward Sword Bug Confirmed. Here’s How to Avoid It.
Nintendo has admitted that, yes, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has a game breaking bug. What is this bug and how can you avoid it? Warning: Spoilers. The bug makes it impossible for players to complete the game’s “Song of the Hero” quest. The save file becomes corrupted meaning that players either have to…
By Brian Ashcraft Published December 7, 2011 -
Record 3D Movies on Your 3DS Starting Now
The new 3DS update just hit in North America bringing with, among other things, the ability to create your own 3D videos. The update that just hit gives the Nintendo 3DS the ability to shoot up to ten minutes of 3D footage with the camera. And to create your own stop-motion photography. Other additions include…
By Brian Crecente Published December 6, 2011 -
Reviews
Mario Kart 7: The Kotaku Review
There’s a spot on the couch where Mario Kart 7 sits, a well-worn seat where the pillows and cushions have been arranged just so. Over the years, a multitude of previous Mario Kart games have all occupied that spot, and so Mario Kart 7 knows just how to hold itself, just how to sit, just…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 6, 2011 -
Fortune Street‘s Review Scores Are All Over the Board
Fans have been clamoring for the popular Japanese financial board game series Itadaki Street to make it to North America since the original was released back in 1991. Fortune Street for the Wii scratches that itch bloody. Featuring charming characters from the Mario and Dragon Quest series, Fortune Street seems like the perfect family party…
By Mike Fahey Published December 6, 2011 -
The Resurgence of My Nintendo 3DS, According to the Only Stats that Matter
Nintendo would like you to think that the 3DS, once ballyhooed and then dismissed for a dud, is making a comeback. They’ll show you the numbers. Their numbers don’t matter. Mine do. And my 3DS numbers—the numbers that show how much time I used Nintendo’s newest handheld day-by-day, month-by-month, throughout 2011 since the system launched—tell…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 6, 2011 -
Nintendo’s Latest Cheerfully Teaches You Insider Trading
In real life, insider trading is as much a crime as jumping on someone’s head and flattening them to death. But in the Super Mario-themed Wii virtual board game Fortune Street, insider trading is both a valid tactic and a recommended strategy. The key to making it sound like so much fun is the music.…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 5, 2011 -
Should You Buy Fortune Street? No.
If they’ve been making versions of the Nintendo Wii’s new board game for 20 years, if Nintendo themselves are publishing it—choosing to sell this to us this holiday season instead of other Japanese games still awaiting translation—then surely it must be good and worth buying? Stephen Totilo, who got really close to giving this eye-sore…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 5, 2011 -
Devs Explain How Animal Crossing 3DS Will Be the Best Animal Crossing Yet
Producer Katsuya Eguchi and a trio of developers from the Animal Crossing 3DS team spend ten minutes discussing how the latest iteration of the animal life sim will set itself apart from the rest. They had me at skirts and pants. While I love me some Animal Crossing, the game hasn’t changed very much since…
By Mike Fahey Published December 5, 2011 -
On Second Thought, Club Nintendo’s Platinum Gift Doesn’t Look That Bad
Announced back in July, the pin set Club Nintendo is giving free to its platinum members this year was met with the usual round of griping and complaining. One of our readers just received his and, you know, it’s actually a pretty decent gift. For starters, the display box is pretty big, as reader Jon…
By Owen Good Published December 3, 2011 -
A Video Tour of the 16 New Tracks in Mario Kart 7
This week, we’ve taken a look at Mario Kart 7‘s online multiplayer and community pages, so for my last launch-week video, I wanted to take a quick tour through the 16 new tracks that Nintendo has created for the game. They run the gamut from simple racetracks to elaborate, multi-level roller-coasters, and a couple already…
By Kirk Hamilton Published December 2, 2011 -
Celebrate Xenoblade Chronicles‘ Impending North American Release With a Trailer
Are you ready to help Shulk and friends combat the mechanical Mechon using the power of the Monado blade? Perhaps this official trailer will help you prepare for the North American release of Xenoblade Chronicles this April. Or maybe the fact that you’ve already imported it (or worse) will help you prepare. Either way it’s…
By Mike Fahey Published December 2, 2011 -
Nintendo Changes its Tune, For Once
I have asked Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime about a video game called Mother 3 so many times that, in recent years, he would bring it up before I did. He’d laugh about the question. If we were doing an interview and there were other people in the room, he’d jokingly predict to them…
By Stephen Totilo Published December 2, 2011