Nintendo

Arms Lets You Fight In A Hoverboard Skate Park, And It Is Dope

The Nintendo Switch’s upcoming fighting game Arms offers much more than battle slinkies. Its wild maps might be its best asset. Right now, I’m obsessed with Arms’ Snake Park map, where you can glide on hoverboards and punch people in the face. It’s the Arms character Kid Cobra’s map (ha ha—get it?). He’s a skateboarder…

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Moon Only Announced For 3DS Later This Year [Update]

Despite rumors that a mainline Pokémon game would appear on the Nintendo Switch, developers Game Freak only announced that souped-up versions of the latest games will be releasing on 3DS hardware. For many, this news will be disappointing, but it’s not without precedent. In the past, Game Freak has stated that they “believe that Pokémon…

Fake Boxes For Downloadable Nintendo Switch Games

Mahir Sümer has an idea for anyone flashy about their game collections but bummed there aren’t many Nintendo Switch games to actually put on a shelf at the moment: make fake cases for the digital games you’ve picked up. So he went and did just that, designing custom cases for a range of downloadable Switch…

Legendary Super Mario 64 Speedrun Rivalry Heats Up

Last month, a speedrun for collecting 120 stars in Super Mario 64 went down in history for being the first run to ever go under a time of 1:40:00. It was a record that took years to achieve; some people didn’t think it was even possible. Last weekend, that legendary record got beaten twice in…

Smash Pro’s Tournament Victory Speech Calls Out Nintendo

Juan “Hungrybox” Debiedma had just come off a long tournament run of beating some of the best in Super Smash Bros. Melee when he took to the stage for a winner’s interview. Debiedma used the opportunity to hold an impassioned rally for the grassroots that makes Smash happen, with choice words for a “certain company.”…

Nintendo is holding a Pokémon Direct tomorrow at 10am Eastern. Feels like time for Pokémon Switch, doesn’t it? Nintendo says the presentation will be eight minutes.

Months Later, Long Nintendo Switch Lines In Japan

Over the weekend, a shipment of Nintendo Switch consoles hit Japanese retail. That mean some stores saw long lines months after it originally launched. For many folks in Japan, it’s still hard to walk into a store and purchase a Switch. It’s certainly not impossible. Sometimes, people wander into a shop with stock, but those…

That Time Nintendo and Sega Introduced 3D Gaming, In 1987

Years before Sega did what Nintendon’t the two gaming giants briefly went head to head in the newly discovered market of 3D gaming. It didn’t go very well for either of them. In the late ‘80s both Nintendo and Sega had put their main focus on expanding their brand to North America. Nintendo’s Famicom had…

Switch’s Netflix-Like Classic Game Service Is A Rare Example Of Nintendo Listening

The noun “Nintendo” can also be used as an adjective. When a company makes players download a separate smartphone app for voice chat? That’s Nintendo. Friend codes? Very Nintendo. Not making Metroid Prime 4? SO NINTENDO. But last night, the company behind Switch made a move that was resoundingly un-Nintendo: it actually listened to fans.…

How To Change Outfit Colors In Arms, And Other Tips

Did you know there’s a secret way to change outfit colors in the upcoming Switch fighting game Arms? Because there totally is. If you’re getting ready to play in one of the betas this weekend, you should definitely take the time to look your best. To that end, if you read through the game’s help…

Fire Emblem Echoes New DLC Makes Me Like The Characters More

Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia has a ton of downloadable content, most of which makes the game a little too easy. The latest DLC pack, Rise of the Deliverance, offers a robust experience with varied combat scenarios and additional story that perfectly complement the main game. Rise of the Deliverance contains four story-driven maps…

One Year Later, Did Nintendo Keep Their E3 2016 Promises?

Nintendo doesn’t play E3 by the same rules as its rivals, but its E3 2016 showing was its most radical departure from the formula ever. Its booth featured a single game, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, and it replaced its big pre-recorded digital event with a series of livestreams that ran throughout…

Look At Squirtle’s Little Raincoat

Build-A-Bear is killing it with their Pokémon line. Available this week as a special online exclusive, the $60 Squirtle set includes a plush water Pokémon capable of making six different Squirtle sounds. Along with a very fetching rain slicker, Squirtle can also wear its Ultra Ball Hoodie and comes with an exclusive trading card. Sadly…

Game Freak Is More Than Just A Pokémon Developer

The studio is always experimenting with new projects

Nintendo Switch’s Online Service Will Be $20/Year, Includes Classic Games [UPDATE]

Nintendo Switch’s online service will cost $20/year and will launch at some point in 2018, the publisher said today. Playing Switch games online will be free until the service launches. You can also get a one-month subscription for $4 and a three-month subscription for $8. As Nintendo previously said, voice chat and online lobby features…

Breath of the Wild Helped Me Beat The Legend of Zelda’s Second Quest

My childhood friends thought the original The Legend of Zelda for the NES was easy: just gather the eight triforces and defeat Ganon. I had a hard time just finding the second labyrinth. I eventually learned that my trek through Hyrule at the age of seven was actually the Second Quest, a remixed journey with…

Splatoon 2 Voice Chat Set-Up Looks Totally Bonkers

If you are planning on using voice chat for Splatoon 2, here’s an official headset with an officially nutso set up. As Kotaku reported earlier this year, Splatoon 2 voice chat will be in the form of an app through your phone. If you’ve been wondering what exactly that will look like, we now know…

Watch (Part Of) A Mario Anime That’s Been Lost For Almost 20 Years

While most of Mario’s adventures through 1980s animation have been preserved on YouTube, not everything has managed to find its way online. Like 1989’s Super Mario Traffic Safety, which for the first time we’re now able to watch (well, at least some of it). Produced by Toei as an instructional safety video for Japanese schoolkids,…

Nintendo Switch Survives 1,000 Foot Drop

Nintendo products are primarily known for two things: functioning as portals to wonderlands of whimsy, and being so durable that they can survive being hit by trucks, or more dangerously, children. The Switch is a worthy heir to that legacy. Thin, glossy, and fragile as it looks, Nintendo’s console/portable hybrid is a damn brick. UnlockRiver…

The Weirdness Of Fire Emblem Heroes‘ Bride Class

While Fire Emblem has had “Brides” for years now, their recent inclusion in a seasonal Heroes event makes the label “waifu simulator” feel less like a joke and more of a staple of the series’ identity. I’ve learned to love the sillier side of Fire Emblem Heroes and the franchise as a whole. A funny…