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This Is A Shitty Way To Teach A Child New Words
The Nintendo Wii continues to prove itself quite capable when it comes to teaching children new things. In fact, it taught three-year-old Oliver Smith a brand new word! Can you say shitheads? Countdown is a long-running British television show involving the descrambling of letters and numbers into words, a fact I know only because the…
By Mike Fahey Published February 10, 2011 -
Sony Is Also Competing Against Booze, You Know
This month, Nintendo is launching a new gaming portable, the 3DS. Sony also has a new, still forthcoming portable the NGP. How is Sony going to compete? When asked that question by Japan’s Nikkei, Sony Computer Entertainment president Kaz Hirai replied, “I think that it’s too narrow-minded to discuss the competition among game platforms such…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 10, 2011 -
Activision Blizzard Loses An Ancient European Court Appeal
In 2009, the EU let Nintendo (slightly) off the hook when it reduced the company’s fine for engaging in price-fixing during the 1990’s. Well, Activision asked for a similar reduction in its fine (same case), and has been denied
By Luke Plunkett Published February 10, 2011 -
The Origins Of Nintendo’s Game & Watch
Nintendo may have been around for over 100 years, but the Nintendo we know today does video games. And it first hit the handheld gaming big time with its line of Game & Watch units. Here’s how they got their start! A new “Iwata Asks” Q&A on Nintendo’s website goes into great detail on the…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 10, 2011 -
Should You Buy A Nintendo DS?
The Nintendo DS is the most successful portable gaming machine on the planet. More than 100 million of them are out there. Should you get one, or wait for the Nintendo 3DS? [UPDATED for the pre-3DS shopping season.] This is our best advice — updated regularly — about whether or not you should buy a…
Team Kotaku Published February 9, 2011 -
Nintendo Revives 30-Year-Old Handheld ‘Ball’ For Club Nintendo Members
Nintendo’s most loyal fans in the United States will be able to get their hands on the company’s Ball, the Club Nintendo exclusive re-release of the 1980 Game & Watch portable. It’s the latest Club Nintendo reward. Club Nintendo of Japan gave out Game & Watch Ball hardware way back in 2009, a recreation of…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 9, 2011 -
A Motion Control Master Shows The NES’s U-Force Wasn’t So Useless
We recently took issue with Brøderbund’s video game controller that required no physical contact, the U-Force. This forgettable, flaky Nintendo Entertainment System controller, almost universally despised, has been mastered by one man, who uses his U-Force with rare mastery. That man is Joe McKenna, maybe the best U-Force practitioner we’ve ever seen. His sister, Karen,…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 9, 2011 -
Make Quick Cash On The Nintendo 3DS By Unloading It
On February 26, the Nintendo 3DS is going on sale in Japan. Demand for the product is reaching close to the fever pitch that the DS Lite experienced when it released in Japan in 2006. So those looking to turn a quick buck, er yen, can. A photo snapped apparently outside Japanese retail chain Mandai…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 9, 2011 -
This Child Sleeps In A Mario Paradise
Casey Fleser and his wife thought it would be cool to paint their son’s room in a Super Mario Bros. theme. So they did. And the end result makes the word “theme” sell it a little short. The room doesn’t just have a few bits of Mario-related stuff thrown up on the wall. No, this…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallDon’t Touch This Horror Of A NES Controller
This is the U-Force. It’s a motion-control peripheral released for the Nintendo Entertainment System in the late 1980’s. In some ways, it’s an amazing piece of technology. In most other ways, it was an absolute disaster. Unlike Sega’s rival Activator peripheral, which we looked at the other day, the U-Force was not a full-body motion-sensing…
By Luke Plunkett Published February 9, 2011 -
Play Super Smash Bros. Brawl Like It Was Melee Now
Project M, the Super Smash Bros. Brawl hack that injects more of what you loved about Super Smash Bros. Melee into its Wii sequel, has been released in demo form. This is your opportunity to answer the question “Why not just play Melee?” for yourself. The demo release of Project M packs in just 14…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011 -
The Nintendo 3DS Launch Lineup For Europe
Japan knows what Nintendo 3DS games it will get on day one, but Americans don’t yet know for sure. Europeans, as of today, can enjoy the peace of mind of a locked-down 3DS launch line-up, thanks to Nintendo of Europe. Not too many surprises in the European launch line-up, scheduled to drop on March 25.…
By Michael McWhertor Published February 8, 2011 -
Don’t Buy And Sell Pokemon Data In Japan, You’ll Make People Angry
Japan is going a bit copyright crazy of late. It’s not cool to sell customized figures online, it’s not cool to rent video games in love hotels, and now, it’s apparently not cool to sell Pokémon save data. On Japan’s Yahoo! Auctions, there is a cottage industry in which saved in-game Pokémon are bought and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 8, 2011 -
Nintendo Wanted To Drown Game Stores In Puppy Games
There are three different versions of DS pet simulator Nintendogs: Dachshund, Lab and Chihuahua (later a Dalmatian version was released). But initially, Nintendo wanted more than three versions. Many more. “I think we internally began by discussing 12 versions,” says Nintendogs producer Hideki Konno. “No, it was 16 at first,” corrects Mario producer Shigeru Miyamoto…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 8, 2011 -
There’s Something Different About This Nintendo Download
Can you spot the differences in this week’s Nintendo Download? There could be a little S.C.A.T. in it for you, if you know what I mean. And even if you don’t know what I mean, there’s still a heaping helping of Natsume’s S.C.A.T. – Special Cybernetic Attack Team – on the Virtual Console this week.…
By Mike Fahey Published February 7, 2011 -
Fanboy Or Gaming Hardware Loyalist?
In the first post-everything-changes edition of Speak-Up on Kotaku, GiantBoyDetective wonders who else sticks with one hardware maker for their video game platform needs. Anyone else only buy one brand of gaming system? I’ve only ever bought Nintendo consoles. The 3DS is next! I can imagine some people out there grew up on strictly PlayStation…
By Mike Fahey Published February 7, 2011 -
Don’t Hold Your Breath For A Nintendo Vs. Capcom Fighting Game, You’ll Pass Out
Capcom vs. Marvel. Capcom vs. SNK (pictured). Capcom vs. Namco. Know who’s missing? Nintendo. And that might not change. At last year’s Gamecom gaming convention, Street Fighter producer and all-around wacky guy Yoshinori Ono was asked about the idea of a Capcom vs. Nintendo game. “I mentioned it was an interesting idea,” Ono said recently.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published February 7, 2011