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This Thanksgiving Day, Pikachu Won’t Be Alone
Thanksgiving means family. But for Pikachu, it means being dragged through Manhattan as an inflatable balloon. And this year he’ll be accompanied by some Pocket Monster cohorts. According to MSNBC, Pikachu will be joined in Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade by Reshiram and Zekrom from the Pokeémon Black and White. The balloons will be 14 feet…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 24, 2010 -
You Cannot Scrub This Mario Drawing Song From Your Brain
Now I will never forget how to draw Mario. I will never look at this mushroom head, his coin eyes and his rising sun hat ever the same again. The clip was done in DSiWare title Flipnote Studio, but the song? That’s from the depths of catchy jingle hell. Learn to Draw Mario with a…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 23, 2010 -
The Many Inspirations Behind Disney Epic Mickey
There are a lot of things to love about upcoming Wii exclusive Disney Epic Mickey. Among my short list? That the game’s creators were able to mine Disney’s 80 years of history to make the game. This video walks us through the process.
By Brian Crecente Published November 23, 2010 -
PopSci Honors Playstation Move, Insults Wii, Xbox 360 Kinect
Popular Science (that’s PopSci to you cool kids) just released their 23rd annual Best of What’s New awards. Inside are just two video game gadgets and a bit of a backhand for the Wii and Xbox 360. The magazine’s awards go to 100 innovations that, according to PopSci, “indicate where technology is headed in the…
By Brian Crecente Published November 23, 2010 -
Nintendo Returns to CES After 16 Year Absence
The Consumer Electronics Show kicks off in the second week of 2011, and for the first time in 16 years Nintendo will be there to show off some new goodies. What’s on their list to show off? We don’t know yet, but I suspect their big push will be for the Nintendo 3DS and it’s…
By Brian Crecente Published November 23, 2010 -
Charting The Wii’s Decline In The US
2007 was the year of the Wii. So was 2008. But 2010? Not the Wii’s year, especially when you look at the console’s decline in the United States over the course of the year. This chart, provided by Gamasutra and based upon US retail sales figures, shows a console in decline, its sales down by…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 23, 2010 -
The Nintendo Download: Shooting Penguins From The Free Throw Line
Give thanks for the opportunity to lob penguins into a basketball hoop this week, courtesy of WiiWare and Snowpack Park, a game you might want to download to your Wii? No? Maybe Tetris then? Nintendo’s Snowpack Park, a penguin hunting and flightless bird mood management sim, leads this week’s list of fresh downloadable options for…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 22, 2010 -
Nintendo DSi Comes In Festive Orange & Green For The Holidays
Rumor? Ha! Nintendo has made official that Black Friday will get an injection of green and orange with a pair new Nintendo DSi bundles that with either remind you of Halloween, Christmas or Samus Aran. Orange and green Nintendo DSi bundles will hit North American retailers on November 26 for $149.99 USD, with a copy…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 22, 2010 -
Debatable Evidence That Conan O’Brien Is Copying Super Mario Again
The theme song for Conan O’Brien’s new show on TBS sounds sorta kinda like a theme song from Super Mario Bros. 3. And we know someone who works with Conan loves Mario. Right? Listen. Even the guy making the video concedes this might be a stretch, but listen and then try to not hear it.…
By Stephen Totilo Published November 22, 2010 -
3DS Games Won’t Send Developers Broke, But…
Never mind that we don’t know how much a Nintendo 3DS game costs to buy, developers need to develop the games first. And that costs money. According to Harvest Moon publisher Marvelous Entertainment, Nintendo 3DS games cost — depending on the title — between ¥70,000,000 (US$838,976) at minimum and ¥100,005,000 ($1,198,598) at max. These, of…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 22, 2010 -
Make Your Own Cheapo Version Of The Nintendo 3DS
The Nintendo 3DS is a glasses-free 3D gaming portable due next February for ¥25,000 (US$299). That’s a long ways away! Let’s make a low budget version right now First you’ll need a Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi or DSi XL. Take your pick! Next? Next you’ll a lenticular lens sheet. Then? Then, you’ll need tape.…
By Brian Ashcraft Published November 22, 2010 -
Green, Orange DSi Consoles To Go On Sale This Week
Interest in the Nintendo DS is drying up as people await the arrival of the new 3DS. Which means Nintendo has to resort to an old trick to keep shifting units: release handhelds in new colours. We’ve been passed this retail listing from Best Buy, showing some of the chain’s Black Friday deals. Alongside a…
By Luke Plunkett Published November 22, 2010 -
Kotaku’s 2010 Wii Gift Guide
The holidays are coming, and that means it’s time for you to start thinking about what sorts of gifts you want to give and get this year. This year’s slate of Wii releases saw plenty of reliable performers and familiar brands in the console’s strongest genres. But it also featured a few games in the…
By Owen Good Published November 19, 2010 -
Should You Buy A Wii?
The Nintendo Wii exploded off store shelves when it first launched back in 2006. Is it too late to hop on the Wii bandwagon, or has Nintendo saved you a spot? UPDATED for the holidays.] Consider this guide our formal advice on whether you should buy a Wii or not, and if you do, which…
Team Kotaku Published November 19, 2010 -
The Wii Is In The Red In Japan’s Hardware Chart
All it takes is a little red plastic to spur Wii sales in Japan. The Super Mario Bros. 25th anniversary edition of Nintendo’s console went on sale overseas last week, tripling sales of the Wii. Japanese gamers weren’t just hungry for fresh red plastic. There’s a copy of Super Mario Bros. pre-installed on the hard…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 19, 2010 -
ReviewsReview: Donkey Kong Country Returns Is Hypnotic, Hard Fun
The people responsible for turning Metroid on its head with Metroid Prime for GameCube now have their hands on Donkey Kong. What have they done with it? Delivered the expected, a Donkey Kong Country game that goes back to basics. Where others have experimented with Donkey Kong adventures in 3D worlds (Donkey Kong 64) and…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 19, 2010 -
Donkey Kong Banana Chowdown Features Japanese Champion Eater
Takeru Kobayashi, famous as the six-time winner of the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating Contest, is appearing in Toronto for a pre-release stunt for Donkey Kong Country, in which he and the game will evidently have a banana-eating contest. That’s all I can infer from the wording of Nintendo of Canada’s news release, which says Kobayashi…
By Owen Good Published November 18, 2010 -
Nintendo Gives The Last Story A First Class Package
Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey developer Mistwalker is working with Nintendo on The Last Story, a game from Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi. That deserves a first-rate presentation, doesn’t it? Nintendo thinks so. In Japan, where we know The Last Story will be released for sure, Nintendo is bundling Mistwalker’s latest RPG with the Wii…
By Michael McWhertor Published November 18, 2010