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ReviewsPlaying To Wiin Offers More Than Wii Puns
Nintendo is gaming’s comeback kid. Just when everybody counted them out with the GameCube, the Kyoto-based game maker fired back with the hugely successful Nintendo DS and the Wii. But there’s more to the Cinderella story than that. Specs Price: US$24.95 Platform: Hardcover What’s in the book: 256 pages, black and white pictures. The Basics…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2011 -
Man, Wii Skiing Is More Dangerous Than It Looks
Wii Fit’s skiing looks harmless enough. You ski by…leaning a little. Don’t tell that to this guy’s living room, though. He ends up doing quite a number on it. Which considering the game is requiring him to just stand up is quite an achievement. God forbid someone give him a Kinect. He’d probably end up…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011 -
Japanese Gaming Does Not Speak The Same Lingo
While to outsiders Japan appears a homogeneous nation (with only 2% of the population being registered foreigners), there are actually key regional differences in the way people behave and the language is spoken. The country’s video game developers are no exception. It’s easy to divide the country into East and West Japan — or simply…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 26, 2011 -
CultureTotal RecallNintendo And Sony Didn’t Invent 3D Gaming, You Know
With the PS3 able to play games in 3D and Nintendo about to launch a 3D handheld, it’s easy to get carried away with the “latest big thing” in gaming. And forget we had 3D games the 1980s Yes, long before Sony added 3D capabilities to the PS3 and Nintendo unveiled the 3DS, several companies…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 26, 2011 -
The Cheaper, Better Tasting Alternative To The Nintendo 3DS
In today’s short but sweet episode of Speak-Up on Kotaku, commenter 100Tacks spends a dollar on a portable Nintendo product that does 3D without the aid of special glasses. I got my 3D’S today for one dollar! About Speak-Up on Kotaku: Our readers have a lot to say, and sometimes what they have to say…
By Mike Fahey Published January 25, 2011 -
Why Don’t Foreigners Like Japanese Role-Playing Games?
For decades, Japanese role-playing games ruled gaming. These days, they don’t. Now, Western role-playing games get all the attention and praise. What gives? Noting the low popularity of Japanese role-playing games outside their native country, Sakaguchi believes that role-playing games need to break the stereotype they’ve created. Sakaguchi tells Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Xenoblade…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 25, 2011 -
The Nintendo 3DS Is The Anti-Game Boy
Inexpensive, low-tech and sporting an impressive battery life, the Nintendo Game Boy was released in 1989. Next month, Nintendo is releasing the 3DS. It’s everything the Game Boy wasn’t. It is the Anti-Game Boy. Designed by Gunpei Yokoi, the Game Boy was big and bulky with gray graphics. The machine was and is almost indestructible,…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 25, 2011 -
The Origins Of Pokémon (In Two Minutes)
The story of Pokémon is a long and ridiculous one. Cutting its origins down to a two-minute web animation saves us all a lot of trouble, heartache and having to actually watch an episode of the awful Pokémon cartoon series. DJChlorine has taken the very first episode of the long-running Pokémon animated series and broken…
By Luke Plunkett Published January 25, 2011 -
Metroid’s Heroine Won’t Fight In The New Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive: Dimensions for the Nintendo 3DS will feature a cameo from Metroid hunter Samus Aran, but she won’t be jiggling alongside the rest of the DOA cast. Samus, sadly, won’t be playable in the game. So says Team Ninja leader Yosuke Hayashi of the developer’s latest beat ’em up. While the latest Dead…
By Michael McWhertor Published January 24, 2011 -
We Win, If Nintendo Can Be As Modern As Apple
There’s a theory going around that you or I or someone else who owns an iPhone will soon help Apple do what no company has done in a long time: make Nintendo struggle. I’ve heard this theory a lot in the last week, even before I spent a full day checking out Nintendo’s next big…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 24, 2011 -
Excitebike’s Bikes Weren’t All That Exciting, Were They?
In 1985 Nintendo kept North American children glued to their consoles via the magic of poorly designed motocross bikes. We were so stupid back then. Trying to apply real-world logic to classic video games is silly. They weren’t built for realism back then. They were a form of easy entertainment, and sometimes developers had to…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2011 -
The Nintendo Download Delivers Hot Girl-On-Girl-On-Skates Action
Have you ever wondered why there aren’t more officially licensed female roller derby video games? Jam City Rollergirls for WiiWare is here to help. Frozen Codebase fills a gap many of us didn’t realize existed today with the release of Jam City Rollergirls, the first official roller derby console game I can personally recall without…
By Mike Fahey Published January 24, 2011 -
Nintendo’s Big, Pricey Bet on 3D
Would you pay $250 for 3D gaming, movie watching and picture taking you can carry in your pocket? That’s the question Nintendo is gambling on this spring when it rolls out its latest in a long a series of what has been traditionally incredible popular portable gaming consoles. The 3DS hits the U.S. on March…
By Brian Crecente Published January 24, 2011 -
Over 800 Children Herded Together For Handheld Gaming
If anyone wonders what a gathering of 800 people playing portable game consoles look like, it looks like this. Because that’s exactly what happened this weekend in Odawara City in Japan’s Kanagawa Prefecture. At the city’s shopping center Dyna-City, a meet-up kicked off for “playing handheld gaming consoles at the same time”. In a space…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2011 -
Why The Prettiest PlayStation 2 Game Wasn’t A Smash
In April 2006, Okami was released on the PlayStation 2 in Japan. The game was a critics’ favorite and a commercial flop. Selling a mere 66,000 copies the year it was first released in its native Japan, the Capcom game follows a Japanese sun goddess and uses game controls based on a brush calligraphy. The…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2011 -
Ballet Is For Girls (Who Love Nintendo)
Super Mario Bros. made the leap to the big screen, and that didn’t work. What about the leap to ballet? One school in Brazil tested out Mario’s twinkle toes. School plays are great. Handmade backdrops and colorful costumes. The kids at Brazil’s Maria Imaculada de Porto Alegre recently gave their ballet recital, titled “Super Mario…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 24, 2011 -
GameStop Pegs 3DS Titles At $40 To $50 In U.S.
Most Nintendo 3DS games will cost $40, though two are listed at $50 in a list GameStop is giving to customers who preorder the new handheld. Projected release dates are given for 26 titles, with the 3DS remake of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time confirmed for June 2. Kotaku was sent this list…
By Owen Good Published January 22, 2011 -
A Nintendo Argument Against Achievements
“We’re not opposed to Achievements,” Nintendo’s Bill Trinen told me earlier this week, even as he confirmed that his company’s next system, the 3DS, won’t have one of the more popular features in Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC gaming. Perhaps Nintendo has found a trend worth bucking. Since the launch of the Xbox 360,…
By Stephen Totilo Published January 21, 2011 -
Is 3D Is Making Everyone Barf?
If 3D causes you to feel ill, tough crap. 3D is here to stay. According to optometrists, as many as one in four individuals either experience eyestrain — or worse, become dizzy or ill. One study of 115 South Koreans found that viewing 3D close-up causes more eyestrain than 2D, reports Fox. This lead the…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2011 -
China Is Totally Freaking Out Japan
Big bad China. The Mainland. The second biggest economy on Earth. Communism. And a whole military complex. Neighboring Japan is worried. What about game companies? It used to be the other way — China worried about Japan. During the early part of the last century, Japan romped through Asia in a smash-and-grab, taking land and…
By Brian Ashcraft Published January 21, 2011