Tag: Drama
Feature Pokémon's Dark History In 11 Shocking Moments
"Nintendo turned me into an evil, occult Pokémon character"
Pokémon is a worldwide phenomenon. Since its inception in the '90s, it has spawned an endless series of video games, movies, merchandise and even a massively successful smartphone game in the form of Pokémon GO – and this year, we'll get to play Pokémon Sword and Shield on our...
News Billy Mitchell Live Streams 1,050,100 Point Donkey Kong Game
The Return of the King of Kong
After the apparent fall from grace, 'video game player of the century' Billy Mitchell has been live streaming arcade gameplay sessions of Donkey Kong on Twitch. His latest effort was different from the regular broadcasts. In Billy's own words: While that impressive high score is still not enough to claim the crown...
News Disgraced King Of Kong Star Billy Mitchell Is Aiming To Reclaim His Donkey Kong Score
"Why? Cause I’m Billy Mitchell"
It's not been the best of times for Billy Mitchell, one of the most famous high score-chasers the gaming industry has ever known. Earlier this year, video game records organization Twin Galaxies stripped Mitchell of his high scores following
News UK Tabloid Headline Sparks Drama Around Fortnite, But Can It Really Be Trusted?
All that's fit to print?
On the 31st July, UK tabloid newspaper The Daily Mirror led with a front-page story on recent video game phenomenon Fortnite, with a headline which read "Fortnite made me a suicidal drug addict". The page goes on to describe the story as a "teen's video game hell", saying "a boy's obsession with video game Fortnite ruined...
News Fake Nintendo Switch Game Piracy Software Is Bricking Systems
Do you believe in Karma?
Success in the video game industry is normally followed by rampant piracy, and it’s unfortunate to say the Switch’s current situation is no different. We’ve heard plenty about Nintendo taking legal action in recent times against websites committing copyright infringement, and now there are reports circulating about...
The very definition of irony
There's been a lot of chatter about Switch piracy in recent months, with various groups releasing code which cracks open Nintendo's security measures and allows users to run homebrew programs on their machines, as well as play emulators and run pirated Switch software. One such program, SX OS, has recently been...
News Billy Mitchell Breaks His Silence To Address Accusations Of Cheating
"Everything was done professionally, according to the rules"
It's fair to say that it's not been a great year for Billy Mitchell, the former "King of Kong". Earlier this year he was accused of cheating in order to claim his famous Donkey Kong high score, and last week Twin Galaxies responded and
"We must repeat, the truth is the priority"
High score record-keeping site Twin Galaxies has removed all of Billy Mitchell's rankings from its database and banned him from competition following accusations of wrong-doing relating to the classic Nintendo title Donkey Kong. Earlier this year, Mitchell's scores were called into doubt by Donkey...
News NIS America CEO Apologises For "Negative" PS4 Comments During Chat About SNK Heroines On Switch
Switch is getting the physical exclusive
NIS America CEO and president Takuro Yamashita recent gave an interview with UK trade publication MCV about his company's growing level of support for the Nintendo Switch. In the interview, Yamashita explained the situation with SNK Heroines, an SNK-developed game which NIS America is publishing on both...
News Donkey Kong Scorekeeper Rubbishes Billy Mitchell's Claims Of Fabricated Footage
Mitchell's defence "does not make sense"
The saga of Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong high score continues to rumble along following accusations from score-verifier Jeremy Young that Mitchell - who was a key figure in the cult movie King of Kong - used MAME to record his record-breaking runs on the game, as opposed to original hardware, as...
News Billy Mitchell's Donkey Kong High Scores Come Under Doubt Amid Accusations Of Monkey Business
Meanwhile, Robbie Lakeman extends his world record score
Billy Mitchell is a video game icon who needs little introduction; he was one of the first players to gain mainstream recognition for his skill at arcade games, and more recently found fame in the documentary King of Kong, where he was positioned as the antagonist to Steve Wiebe's heroic...
News Some Japanese Gamers Aren't Happy About Street Fighter 30th Anniversary Collection
Including Hideki Kamiya
The fact that we're getting a compendium of every Street Fighter game should be cause for celebration, but in Japan some fans are less than happy about the upcoming 30th Anniversary Collection. The problem stems from the fact that Capcom is using the "international" versions of each game. In the small print relating to the...
Random Mother Orders Nintendo Switch From Amazon, Gets Box Of Washing Powder Instead
A complete wash-out
When British mother-of-two Charlotte Moore ordered a Switch console during Amazon's Cyber Monday event she probably felt pretty pleased with herself - Nintendo's hybrid machine is going to be a hot ticket this Christmas, and she'd managed to secure one for a reasonable price for her kids to unwrap on the big day. However, when...
News 25 Years Later, And Night Trap Still Isn't Going To Appear On A Nintendo Console
Howard Lincoln's words echo through the decades
Controversial FMV game Night Trap is getting a 25th anniversary remaster, but the game won't be appearing on the Switch - despite the best efforts of the developers. The game - which involves trying to protect a household full of excitable young women from the clutches of some rather unconvincing...
News Scammers Are Taking Advantage Of Switch Mania In Japan By Ripping Off Desperate Fans
Tut tut
The Switch is very hard to find in its native Japan at present, with stock vanishing from shelves as fast as Nintendo can produce it. The incredible demand for the console in the Land of the Rising Sun has predictably led to people scamming desperate gamers on social media. Several news outlets in the Far East are reporting that these...
News Italian Bishop Likens Pokémon GO To Nazism, Claims It Turns Players Into "Walking Dead"
App has "alienated thousands and thousands of young people"
Pokémon GO may have captured the hearts and minds of millions of players all over the globe, but like so many elements of popular culture - and the Pokémon craze in general, it should be remembered - it hasn't made fans of everyone. Agence France-Presse reports that Antonio Stagliano,
Weirdness The NES Zapper Just Became Much Deadlier
Controversial custom mod causes outrage online
As if the United States didn't already have enough problems with accidental shootings, a custom firearms manufacturer in Texas has taken it upon itself to fashion a deadly Glock handgun in the guise of a (normally) harmless NES Zapper. Posting on its Facebook page last week, Precision Syndicate of...
News Nintendo Issues Statement On Side Quest Changes In Bravely Second
Aim was to improve the "game experience" and avoid "undue regret"
Earlier this month, we reported on a rumour that the western edition of Bravely Second: End Layer only had "good" endings to optional side quests - a change which, when twinned with alterations to one of the character costumes, triggered quite a stir among fans.
News Nintendo Seems To Be Deleting Super Mario Maker Levels Without Explanation Or Warning
"I know this has been post about before, but I am so angry"
Nintendo appears to be removing user-generated Super Mario Maker levels without warning or reason, and is refusing to comment on the reasons why. Kotaku has reported on various posts online from users who have had their beloved creations taken down despite the absence of any objectionable...
News Xenoblade Chronicles X Voice Actress Is In Favour Of Lin's Western Costume Change
"People are calling it censorship. I really see it as localisation"
Xenoblade Chronicles X is now out in the west, and it's great - as you'll know if you've read our review or played it yourself already. However, changes made for the North American and European launch of the game - one of which involved the removal of a revealing costume worn by the...
News Some Western Splatoon Players Would Prefer Not To Compete With Japan
Online technicalities causing tension?
Reports have recently surfaced via Japanese video game blogs that certain clusters of Western Wii U owners do not enjoy playing Nintendo's competitive online squid shooter Splatoon with players from Japan. Some have even taken to social media to demand that Nintendo enforce regional servers for the game. The...
All feedback is good feedback?
Nintendo's Digital Event has been and gone, and to say the reaction has been somewhat mixed would be an understatement. While Star Fox Zero ticked all of the relevant boxes, other announcements didn't get the kind of response Nintendo was possibly looking for. The reaction has been so strong that Nintendo president...
News British Tabloid The Sun Brands Gaming "As Addictive As Heroin"
"The next level of mental health risk"
UK mainstream newspaper The Sun has launched an investigation which claims that video games are as addictive as the drug heroin. The report has been published in today's edition of the tabloid, and can be read online here behind a pay wall. The feature puts forward brain scans as evidence that violent titles...
News EA Boss Peter Moore Apologises For Frostbite's "Stupid" Wii U April Fools Prank
The person in charge of the Frostbite Engine Twitter could be in trouble
Yesterday was April Fools Day, that one day of the year when media outlets are allowed to let their imaginations run riot and create some truly outlandish — and totally fictional — news stories. You'll no doubt have seen our Nintendo VR prank, and — to save you the bother...
News Former Criterion Boss Alex Ward Laments Issues With Releasing Need For Speed On Wii U
"Neither Nintendo or EA gave a s*** about it"
Criterion co-founder Alex Ward recently parted company with the studio to found his new firm, Three Fields Entertainment. Yesterday, he took to Twitter to partly explain the reasons behind this move, as well as highlighting some of the issues he and his staff faced when porting Need for Speed: Most...
News Nicalis Boss Tyrone Rodriguez Thinks The Wii U GamePad Is "A Waste Of Time And Resources"
"I'd sure regret wasting $100+ on a second-screen that no one uses"
Anyone who has played Nintendo Land will know how much fun the concept of asymmetrical gaming can be, but it's fair to say that too few games have really exploited the potential of the Wii U GamePad's second screen. Clearly, coming up with unique concepts and new ideas takes time...
News Mighty No. 9 Studio Comcept Facing Fan Backlash Over Community Manager Appointment
"This is basically not what we were promised"
Mighty No. 9 creator Comcept appears to have irked some of its fans by appointing a female community manager known for her outspoken personal views on social issues. It has been revealed in a recent update that Dina Abou Karam has taken up the position, and will be in charge of engaging with fans across...
News Platinum Games Producer Hates "Pedantic Port-Begging" Regarding Bayonetta 2
"We heard you. We get it."
Platinum Games Creative Producer JP Kellams has taken to Twitter to voice his displeasure at people who continue to ask when Bayonetta 2 is coming to a Sony or Microsoft console. Bayonetta 2 is currently a Nintendo exclusive, and is likely to remain that way as Nintendo itself has invested money in its development...
News Former Sony Developer Feels The Wii U "Won't See Another Christmas"
Former BigBig Studios staffer Kenny Linder voices his opinion
Nintendo launched Super Mario 3D World in the UK last week, on the same day as Sony released its PS4 console in the country. It was a bold move — no doubt intended to prove that while Sony has the new tech, the Wii U has the best games this Christmas — but it didn't quite go according...
News Nintendo Issues Full Statement Regarding Uncensored Lyrics In Wii Karaoke U
"Nintendo does not restrict which songs are included in the catalogue"
Last week, we broke the news that Wii Karaoke U contains uncensored versions of songs with offensive lyrics, and that these songs can be downloaded and accessed by anyone using a Wii U console. Nintendo of Europe has now given us an official statement regarding this matter,...
News Wii Karaoke U Doesn't Censor Explicit Lyrics
Cover your eyes and ears, kiddies
This morning, we reported that Nintendo had disabled Swapnote's SpotPass functionality due to safety concerns. The Japanese giant is clearly mindful of its younger fans, but doesn't seem to have checked the kind of songs which are available through Wii Karaoke U. We've discovered that the Wii U title grants access...
News Just Dance 2014 UK Commercial Lands Ubisoft And Nintendo In Hot Water
Nicky Minaj lyric confused for an "N-Bomb"
Just Dance 2014 launched at the start of October and commercials for the game have been airing recently in the UK. However, these adverts have come under fire for questionable lyrics — watch the video below and listen out around the 10 second mark: You'll hear Nicky Minaj utter the line "My name is...
News News Site Claims That Zelda "Takes A Dim View Of Workers, People Of Colour And Women"
Best not mention GTA, then
You might assume that time spent in the mythical land of Hyrule is unlikely to cause anybody any undue distress, but according to some, that simply isn't the case. News and entertainment site Salon.com — which has a monthly unique readership of 15 million — has controversially branded The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of...
News Atari Founder Nolan Bushnell Claims Nintendo "Could Be On The Path To Irrelevance"
Says a handheld gaming-only device "doesn't make sense any more"
Atari founder Nolan Bushnell has spoken about Nintendo's current situation and admitted that the company finds itself in a "very difficult position". Talking to the BBC at Campus Party Europe — a London-based O2 event involving thousands of developers working on various technology...
News BBC Warns Of Online Gaming Addiction, Uses Image Of Someone Playing Offline Mario Kart
Nothing like a bit of fact-checking, right?
Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games — or MMORPGs — are pretty addictive. The allure of a constantly connected world populated by other players and challenges is often too much for some people to resist, leading to gaming sessions which last for days rather than just a few hours. According...
Weirdness Two Kids Debate The Legend of Zelda
Still better than half of all Internet arguments
Today the Internet brings to you one of the most heated debates of our age: is The Legend of Zelda one of the best franchises in the world, or what? Representing anti-Zelda is HaleytheHedgehog, cooly wielding her observations like a surgeon’s scalpel. She has played Zelda with her 7-year-old cousin...
News Platinum's Hideki Kamiya Gives Smash Bros. Fans Both Barrels
Famous designer lets it all out in foul-mouthed Twitter rant
Platinum Games designer Hideki Kamiya is renowned for his classic contributions to the world of video gaming, but one thing he doesn't seem to be famous for is his patience. He regularly indulges in rants via his Twitter account, and following numerous requests from Super Smash Bros. fans...
News Tomodachi Collection Famitsu Article Falls Foul Of Unfortunate Timing
"Whaddaya think of this happy face my husband is making?"
Japanese star Mari Yaguchi used to be in the band Morning Musume, and is no stranger to the world of video games — she starred (virtually) in Sega's Yakuza 4. She's also a regular columnist in the popular Japanese video games magazine Famitsu. Her most recent column was based around the...
News Capcom UK Cancels Resident Evil "Blood Swimming Pool" PR Stunt After Fatal Attack
Bizarre promotional event pulled following suspected terrorist killing
At the start of the month we reported that Capcom UK was planning a grisly and macabre PR stunt to mark the HD release of Resident Evil: Revelations. The plan was to fill a swimming pool with blood-coloured water and dismembered body parts, as well as employ "zombie" lifeguards...
News Denis Dyack: X-Men Destiny Accusations Affecting Shadow Of The Eternals Development
"I've got to do something about this"
Last last year, Kotaku reported that Silicon Knights was on its last legs, crippled by mismanagement. The blame was laid squarely at the door of founder Denis Dyack, who has since left the company and joined Precursor Games — which is hard at work at the Wii U title Shadow of the Eternals. Dyack was accused...
News Thomas Was Alone Creator Responds To Nintendo Claiming "Let's Play" Video Revenue
"Nintendo. You're doing it wrong"
Earlier today we reported on Nintendo's move to gain revenue from user-created "Let's Play" videos on YouTube. The company has apparently been filing content ID claims against certain users, a move which stops short of blocking accounts but means that Nintendo is able to make cash off advertisements which play...
News Europe Gets An Unobstructed Flash Of Tharja's Bottom In Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC
View of fictional character's butt is uncensored, millions rejoice
We recently reported that the latest North American DLC release for Fire Emblem: Awakening contained some strange censorship, with Tharja's dainty behind being covered by a cloth sheet which actually made the situation look ruder than it was in the Japanese original. Thankfully, it...
News Assassin's Creed Creator Fired From Ubisoft Less Than Two Months After Rejoining
"I intend to fight Ubisoft vigorously for my rights"
Patrice Désilets has been fired from Ubisoft less than two months after rejoining the company following the collapse of THQ. Désilets was one of the leading figures in the creation of the million-selling Assassin's Creed series, and departed Ubisoft in 2010 in order to take some time out from...
News The Image Of Tharja In A Swimsuit Nintendo Of America Didn't Want You To See
Avert thine eyes, children
We've already seen that the European version of Fire Emblem: Awakening has been subjected to alterations to remove "adult" content, but now it's the turn of the North American version of the game. The recently-released DLC packs — Harvest Scramble, Summer Scramble and Hot Spring Scramble — were created as the result...
News Mario Kart, Wii Sports And Animal Crossing Named In Violent Games Rundown
UK newspaper investigates guns and violence in best-selling games
Critics have been saying that violent video games have a negative impact on children for decades, but recent fatal shootings in the US have resulted in renewed debate on the topic. UK newspaper The Guardian has decided to investigate the issue by highlighting the violent content of...
News Sega and Gearbox Sued By Irate Gamer Over "Misleading" Aliens: Colonial Marines Footage
In court, no one can hear you scream
When Sega canned the Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines it probably hoped that it would draw a line under what has been an especially torrid project for the publisher. The highly-anticipated game launched on other formats to scathing reviews and nightmarish stories from people involved wi
News Platinum's Inaba: Wonderful 101 Is So Much Fun You'll "Wear Out Your GamePad"
"Actually, the Wii U GamePad is pretty sturdy, so you probably won’t"
Yesterday, we reported that Platinum Games' Hideki Kamiya had taken to Twitter to indicate that The Wonderful 101 wasn't a game that would take that long to complete. "If u hate to finish a game the next day u buy it, u better not play TW101," he said. "I focus on how it is fun,...
News Nintendo's Legal Team Forces Mobile Dev To Make Lead Character Less Yoshi-Like
"We are cooperating with Nintendo about the changes required"
Smartphone clones of popular console titles are nothing new, but Android game Era's Adventure took shameless pillaging to an entirely new level; its lead character — by the developer's own admission — was Yoshi. Unsurprisingly, Nintendo's lawyers have been in touch and Era's...
News Frontier Adamant Coaster Crazy Deluxe Won't Impact Elite: Dangerous Development
Forced on the defensive after negative reaction to Wii U title from fans
Frontier Developments has been forced to defend itself following the announcement of Coaster Crazy Deluxe for the Wii U eShop. There's been something of a negative reaction from certain sectors of the gaming public, with some individuals suggesting that Frontier has used money...
News Nintendo Of Korea Embroiled In Twitter Drama Over Alleged Sexist Comment
Comments made regarding TV host Eun Ji Park
Nintendo of Korea is having to deal with an unfortunate piece of bad publicity after its Twitter account was allegedly used to post a derogatory comment about former weather presenter Eun Ji Park. The comment read: "She should have just stayed as a TV Meteorologist. Getting all the work done on her face...
