History CowboyBebopAtHisComputer / VideoGames

* [[http://venturebeat.com/2011/05/25/how-many-ways-can-thqs-space-marine-game-rip-off-gears-of-war/ This article]] which calls ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'' a ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' rip-off, pointing out similarities like the bulky armor of Space Marines, presence of the {{chains|awGood}}word,[[note]]Both of which appeared in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' long before Gears of War[[/note]] the size of targeting reticle and the appearance of blood spatters. It caused quite a lot of internet backlash. The writer later had to add a quite lengthy update to the article in which he acknowledged that he knows little about 40K and that he was primarily referring to ''gameplay'' rather than ''setting'' in the original article, which is equally absurd as Gears of War is a cover-based shooter and Space Marines entire marketing was based around the concept of 'cover is for cowards.'

* [[http://venturebeat.com/2011/05/25/how-many-ways-can-thqs-space-marine-game-rip-off-gears-of-war/ This article]] which calls ''VideoGame/Warhammer40000SpaceMarine'' a ''VideoGame/GearsOfWar'' rip-off, pointing out similarities like the bulky armor of Space Marines, presence of the {{chains|awGood}}word,[[note]]Both of which appeared in ''TabletopGame/Warhammer40000'' long before Gears of War[[/note]] the size of targeting reticle and the appearance of blood spatters. It caused quite a lot of internet backlash. The writer later had to add a quite lengthy update to the article in which he acknowledged that he knows little about 40K and that he was primarily referring to ''gameplay'' rather than ''setting'' in the original article, which is more justifiable.

** The German media at that time really enjoyed purposefully giving out false claims about video games. The Bild-Zeitung (a newspaper about as "good" as "The Sun") showed a picture taken out of the uncut version of VideoGame/SoldierOfFortune2 (which is outlawed in Germany, by the way, and the version actually sold there has all the blood and gore removed and the enemies replaced with robots) taking heavy advantage of the damage system (LudicrousGibs) and said that it was a screenshot of ''VideoGame/CounterStrike 2'', a game that doesn't even exist.

*** [[https://youtu.be/l1aUmAnO64w This 1991 TV article]] (yes, the same who called [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]] a firefighter) did something even worse. Sonic was called a cat.

* Sears catalogs had some different game descriptions. ''VideoGame/BubbleBobble'' is a "younger children's game". ''VideoGame/LegacyOfTheWizard'' is a game where you "Destroy the planet Naju and its evil creatures as the Guardian of Earth", which is the plot for ''VideoGame/TheGuardianLegend''. ''[[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaI Legend of Zelda]]'' is a game where you "gather crystals to stop warlords." ''VideoGame/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles'' is an adventure game where you can "Team up with these terrific turtles to knock heads with the nasty Ninjitsus". There are games spelled VideoGame/{{Bad Dude|s}}, VideoGame/{{Hyd|lide}}elide, [[VideoGame/MegaMan2 Mega Man II]][[note]]there ''is'' a ''VideoGame/MegaManII'' game that uses Roman numerals instead of Arabic, but that was released on UsefulNotes/GameBoy, not the UsefulNotes/NintendoEntertainmentSystem[[/note]], VideoGame/{{Ninja Gai|den}}-Den, Shootin' Range, and [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 Super Mario Bros. II]].

* Yet again from ''GTA'', a news report in Australia on the release of ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAutoV'' mentioned its R18+ rating due to "extreme violence". While it ''is'' true it recieved that rating, it was due to drug use, not violence. (If you're going to be MoralGuardians about it, at least get the issue right) They also said it was the first game to get the R18+ rating in Australia, which isn't true. (That would be ''Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge'', released many months earlier)

* In the ''Series/MalcolmInTheMiddle'' episode "Francis Escapes", Hal says the final boss in ''[[VideoGame/MortalKombat1 Mortal Kombat]]'' is Sub-Zero when it's actually Shang Tsung.

* [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/jun/01/microsoft-xbox This British newspaper article]] talks about ''Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance'' starring Raiden, "the baddie from [=MGS2=]". He may have been [[TheScrappy unpopular with the fanbase]], but that's still taking it a little far.

* [[http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2009/jun/01/microsoft-xbox This British newspaper article]] talks about ''Metal Gear Solid: Rising'' starring Raiden, "the baddie from [=MGS2=]". He may have been [[TheScrappy unpopular with the fanbase]], but that's still taking it a little far.

** Kotaku's article about a FanTranslation of the card game from the [=90s=] refers to it as its spinoff series, ''VideoGame/{{Persona}}''. Must be because ''Persona'' entered the Western mainstream after Joker's debut in ''Super Smash Bros.'' while its parent series remains a small niche.

Franchises with their own pages:

* ''CowboyBebopAtHisComputer/{{Pokemon}}''

!Creator/{{Nintendo}}
* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOy2xaqbNQc An infamous video]] on Website/YouTube shows Spanish-Brazilian evangelist Josue Yrion demonizing popular games (most of which he calls "[[AllAnimationIsDisney Nintendos]]") of the time, and frequently getting things wrong even beyond his insistence that they were tools of the Devil. His most infamous quotes include:
-->''(on [[Franchise/MortalKombat the game that helped create the ESRB]])'' The most-- one of the most dirty and perverse games Nintendo ever created.[[note]]Nintendo had no hand in the game beyond [[{{Bowdlerize}} censoring]] the UsefulNotes/{{Super Nintendo|EntertainmentSystem}} version - it was developed by Creator/{{Midway|Games}} and published by Creator/{{Acclaim}}.[[/note]]\\
Franchise/{{Resident E|vil}}evil. The evil, resides in you (this is a Nintendo[[note]]It's [[UsefulNotes/PlayStation not]][[/note]]). Evil possesses you. You are a slave of evil, you are martyrized by evil, you serve evil and live on evil.\\
[[VideoGame/DoomII Doom Namba Too]]. Doom Número Dosssss. You can see the devil, Hell, souls going in. ''(later, showing a magazine ad for the game with the quote 'So, how's Hell?')'' Look at what it says here: [[BlindIdiotTranslation How. To go. To Hell!]]
* ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'':
** A 1988 article of ''The New York Times'' claimed that the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' were janitors as opposed to plumbers. This same article was quoted, error included, in a September 20, 2013 obituary for longtime Nintendo president Hiroshi Yamauchi; a correction was made [[http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/27/pageoneplus/editors-note-september-27-2013.html?_r=3&amp& on September 27]], 25 years after the fact.
** There exist countless instances across multiple media in which descriptions of ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong'' label the DamselInDistress as Peach (it's Pauline; ''Donkey Kong'' is from 1981 and Peach wasn't introduced until ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros1'' in 1985), and makes no distinction between the original character of Donkey Kong and the modern ones. The last point is a bit more forgivable, as the only noticeable difference between the original DK (now Cranky Kong) and his son/grandson of today is that the latter wears a tie with his initials.
** And [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2RkiF1v0so this TV article in Brazil made in the early 1990s and Super Mario Bros 3. on Brazilian TV]] It was how Brazilian mainstream media potrayed video games in the 90s, made a combo of fact check failures. Mario [[IAmNotShazam was called "Super Mario"]], he was described as an Italian firefighter that is "[[HotBlooded always angry]]", and to get an extra life, you don't have to simply collect coins, you'll have to ''{{eat|DirtCheap}}'' them. At the end of the segment shows a [[StylisticSuck a poorly made animated 8-bit sequence]] with the reporter telling Mario about children wanting to know about the game, Mario then talks in an angry tone and kicks her like a character from a fighting game or a beat-em' up. This just really depicts Mario as {{Jerkass}} and [[WouldHitAGirl hurt women]], Mario in the sequence is depicted without his hat on, oddly enough, and his the colors of his outfit being similar to the artwork of the game, What's odder is that the segment begins with two girls playing the game.
** The Mario Brothers are on the cover of ''Magazine/{{Mad}}'' #292 ([[http://sydlexia.com/mad_magazine_292.htm shown here]]). Luigi is based on the second player color palette, with green irises, green boots and green on part of his gloves. Readers were quick to point out, if he is Luigi, his cap should have an L on it and not an M like Mario.
** The Scholastic book ''[[http://www.mariowiki.com/How_to_Draw_Nintendo_Heroes_And_Villains How to Draw Nintendo Heroes and Villains]]'' contained a couple of infamous errors. Identifying Snide from ''VideoGame/DonkeyKong64'' as a villain is at least understandable, since [[HeelFaceTurn he worked for K. Rool in the game's backstory]]. Naming [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Bowser]] "Kerog", on the other hand...[[labelnote:Explanation]]The name probably came from a robotic frog enemy in ''VideoGame/MegaMan2'' known as Kerog; how they managed to get its name mixed up with that of a dragon-like turtle monster from a different series is anyone's guess.[[/labelnote]]
** There was a newspaper article about how "Sega's mascot [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]" was more recognizable than Mickey Mouse.
** When Penguin biscuits started including trivia questions on their wrappers, one of them was "In what game did Sega's Mario first appear?" Maybe that's why they later just focused on jokes...
** Official advertisements for ''VideoGame/SuperMarioRPG'' stated that without Mario's help, various characters' wishes would never come true, such as Mallow finding his parents, Geno wanting to BecomeARealBoy, or Booster finding a bride. Geno is a star spirit possessing a doll for his goal of getting the pieces of the Star Road back - he never becomes human and never expresses any desire to do so. And as Booster is a minor villain attempting to take ''Peach'' as his bride, Mario does more to ''interfere'' with that than help. (Booster does, in fact, find a bride by the end of the game, but Mario himself had little to do with that.) At least the Mallow part was right.
** Another error seen in official sources, such as ''Nintendo Power'' and at least one TV ad, was referring to the sword in the castle as Smithy. The sword is named Exor, and is never confused with Smithy inside the game itself. Smithy is the final boss in the alternate dimension to which Exor acts as a portal.
** ''[=GamePro=]'' once claimed that Bowser was a playable character in ''VideoGame/MarioParty2'' in their preview. While there is the rare [[https://www.mariowiki.com/Bowser_Suit Bowser Suit]] item that puts the character in a full bodysuit but leaves their head exposed, as well as the [[https://www.mariowiki.com/Bowser_Bomb_(item) Bowser Bomb]] item that allows Bowser to roll Dice Blocks and travel the board like the playable characters, the King of the Koopas himself is unplayable. [[HilariousInHindsight Funnily enough]], ''VideoGame/MarioParty4'' has Bowser playable in the [[https://www.mariowiki.com/Beach_Volley_Folly Beach Volley Folly]] minigame, ''Mario Party 10'' features a mode where a fifth player controls Bowser and tries to destroy everyone else, and ''Super Mario Party'' [[PromotedToPlayable promoted Bowser to a normal playable character]] three years after that.
** In ''WebVideo/BadCreepypasta'''s second video on the {{creepypasta}} ''The Truth Behind Super Mario'', they say that Peach's name was "Toadstool" for the first three games and that "Peach" in ''Super Mario 64'' is treated as a nickname. "Toadstool" was a DubNameChange that lasted for four main games (and various spinoffs) until it was officially abolished with ''Super Mario 64''; her name was always "Peach"/"Pichi" in Japan. ''Super Mario 64'' treats "Peach" as her first name, with "Toadstool" as a surname.
** A brochure of the video game trade fair ''Gamescom'' describing ''VideoGame/MarioAndLuigiBowsersInsideStory'' claims that the BigBad of the game is "King Fawful Bowser", implying that "Fawful" is Bowser's given name. In reality, Fawful is an independent character and Bowser isn't the villain of this game, he was PromotedToPlayable instead and actually opposes Fawful.
** Official press releases for ''VideoGame/SuperMario3DWorld'' stated that this is the first game in the mainline series to feature Princess Peach as a playable character. [[VideoGame/SuperMarioBros2 It isn't]], [[RecursiveImport not even in Japan]]. Everyone's moveset in ''3D World'' are even direct references to that title.
*** When the newspaper ''Chicago Red Eye'' made a review of the game, [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ovASWQwf6uc/Up_K-sa8u9I/AAAAAAAAWpk/1LN8XfZww2M/s1600/unnamed.jpg the editor accidentally used a fan cover made by a user from]] Website/{{Fantendo}} instead of the real cover. More blatant since the game is for UsefulNotes/WiiU, while that cover has a Wii cover design.
*** The [=GameStop=] in-store advertisement of ''3D World'' says that, like her appearance in ''Super Mario Bros. 2'', Peach can float. The problem is that they show ''[[VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy Rosalina]]'' when they say that.
*** The [[https://supermario3dworld.nintendo.com/play-together/ official website]] for the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch port of ''3D World'' misspells Rosalina's name as Rosalin'''e'''. A minor error, sure, but one that ''Nintendo'' shouldn't be making.
** [=GameStop=] in Italy placed preorders of ''VideoGame/MarioKart8'' showing [[http://www.deviantart.com/art/Mario-Kart-8-397160071 a fan-made cover]]. The fakeness of that is blatant, with Peach, Wario and Bowser clearly using their artwork from ''Wii'' and having ''[[VideoGame/MarioAndLuigi Fawful]]'' between the playable characters. And later, when the game was released, their official review included a fake character screen made by the same author, including not only Fawful but also [[VideoGame/SuperPaperMario Dimentio and Mr. L]].
** When Doug Bowser became Nintendo of America's new president, the Seattle Times article originally stated that "Yes, he shares a name with a Franchise/{{Pokemon}}". It should be obvious that Bowser is not a Pokémon but the main villain of the ''Franchise/SuperMarioBros'' series, and luckily they soon corrected the article.
** The early-morning show on the (now-defunct) [[http://www.midwestradio.co.uk/ Midwest Radio]] station in the UK is rife with this, usually whenever the bumbling DJ presenting the show presents listeners with a game-related competition. During one such competition, in which one lucky listener could win a copy of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the question was "What occupation does [[TheHero Mario]] have?" the answer of course being "Plumber". When the answer was revealed, the DJ and his co-presenter claimed that you could tell that Mario was a plumber because "he carries a spanner (aka a wrench, to those across UsefulNotes/ThePond) around with him in the games", which he clearly doesn't.
** [[https://www.gamebyte.com/super-nintendo-world-is-a-gamers-dream-come-true/ An article]] on the Super Nintendo World theme park on Universal Studios Japan rattles off a few dates for major Nintendo releases. One these is "the runaway success of Super Mario Bros. in 1983." The game came out in 1985.
* ''Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda'':
** A review of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTheMinishCap'' in a reputable British newspaper claimed that Link must rescue a [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal petrified Princess]]... [[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Peach]].
** The easiest test to see if someone is a gamer or not is whether they refer to the green-hatted (usually), sword-wielding protagonist as ''[[IAmNotShazam Zelda]]''.
** ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime''[=/=]''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' Link is the only Link that is referred to as the Hero of Time. The other Links either have [[CanonIdentifier different titles]] or no in-game title at all. And he's not an elf.[[note]]He actually ''was'' an elf in the first game, but it was later {{Retcon}}ned.[[/note]]
** Nintendo's [[http://www.zelda.com official Zelda site]] used to contain an encyclopedia that contained so many factual errors that it isn't even funny. One of the most egregious errors is the fact that the site's article on Link implied that there is only one Link. Stating exactly that is one of the worst things you can do in front of a Zelda fan. The encyclopedia's other articles included completely non-canon information that is passed off as canon. [[http://zeldawiki.org/Zelda.com#Bad_reputation_amongst_fans There are many examples of this.]]
** Even the ''Hyrule Historia'' had its share of typos. On the page describing the six sages, the Fire Medallion is incorrectly placed next to Nabooru, the Sage of Spirit, while the Spirit Medallion is placed next to Darunia, the Sage of Fire. This is somewhat understandable, since the one arranging the graphics probably thought the yellow Spirit Medallion looked more fitting next to the gold-skinned Goron, and likewise for the red Fire Medallion and the red-haired woman (the other medallions/sages are color coordinated as such). However another error in the book involves the picture choice in the Official Timeline. To denote the placement of the game ''Four Swords'' in the timeline, they used a promotional picture from the ''Link to the Past'' GBA port with the ''Four Swords'' game built into it. The result is a split-screen picture with ''[=LttP=]'' Link on the left and the four Links of ''FS'' in the space that is strictly labeled "Four Swords." The book also incorrectly labels the ''Wind Waker'' promotional art as being "from Niko's picture show" (i.e. the intro cutscene to ''Phantom Hourglass'').
** [[MoralGuardians Family Friendly Gaming]]'s review of ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'', criticized the game for its many references to The Goddess, noting that while "goddess culture is big in Japan", it shouldn't be "shoved down our throats". The reviewer apparently missed the fact that the goddess mentioned is the ''fictional'' goddess Hylia, whose actions and mythos are very important plot points to the game and is in no way a reference to any real world goddesses or religious cultures. In addition, anyone who has actually played the games could have told them that goddesses have been mentioned before in the games; ''Ocarina of Time'', released over a decade prior, established the creators of the games' main setting and its recurring MacGuffin as being the three Golden Goddesses.
** ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' and ''Zelda Encyclopedia'' contain several theories and speculation with little to no basis or rationale in canon, though they at least ''admit'' to speculating early on. However, some of their theories and "facts" are just flat-out untrue. The book is also filled with typoes, mislabeled images and at least one file-corrupted screenshot:
*** ''Hyrule Encyclopedia'' speculates the Triforce was "annihilated" at the end of ''Wind Waker'', which isn't possible because 1: The Triforce separates but visibly remains intact in the ending and 2: ''Link Between Worlds'' shows that destroying the Triforce would cause the world to fall apart, which it clearly ''didn't'', as the world showed no signs of decay in ''Phantom Hourglass'' and is still whole 100 years later in ''Spirit Tracks''. ''Zelda Encyclopedia'' fixes this.
*** They claim that Ganondorf's cycle of revival began with his DyingCurse at the end of ''Ocarina of Time'', completely ignoring Demise's speech at the end of ''Skyward Sword'' and failing to account for the other two timelines in the process. This gets even more baffling as they ''do'' bring up Demise's curse when covering ''Four Swords Adventures''.
*** The "History of Hyrule" section claims the plot of ''Four Swords'' involved Ganon tricking Link into unsealing Vaati. ''Four Swords'' is notably one of the few games in the series where Ganon has no presence ''at all''.
*** Their most notorious theory is that Termina is an illusion based on Skull Kid's memories that he conjured under Majora's influence. This contradicts Tatl's flashback, which shows Termina existing before Skull Kid even obtains the mask. It also fails to take into account that several of the game's characters are counterparts of ''Ocarina of Time'' characters who Skull Kid never met and therefore could not have memories of. The book even contradicts itself by saying that the events of the game "faded into history", which wouldn't make sense if Termina didn't exist to ''have'' a history.
*** Holodrum and Labrynna are referred to as parallel realities to Hyrule when they are actually neighboring countries. Coupled with the two aforementioned errors, some fans theorize the writers forgot what games they were writing about and sloppily mashed the plots of several games together (e.g. applying the premise of ''Four Swords Adventures'' to the original ''Four Swords'', ''Link's Awakening'''s ending to ''Majora's Mask'', and the ''Majora's Mask'' intro to ''Seasons'' and ''Ages'').
*** The sidequest plot of "Kafei was turned into a child by the Skull Kid" was mangled into "Kafei was turned into a Skull Kid".
*** Troupe Leader Gorman is referred to as the eldest of the three Gorman Bros. when he's actually the middle child.
*** The picture captioned "Medigoron" is that of an ordinary, normal-sized goron.
*** The "Relationship Charts" have several screw-ups, such as giving names to characters that don't have them (Mrs. Ruul from ''Oracle of Seasons'' is called "Inga"), not giving names to those that did (Stockwell is correctly named in the ''Seasons'' chart, but only called "Shopkeeper" in the ''Ages'' chart), failing to connect characters that are related, connecting those who have no interaction, connecting characters incorrectly, some characters being missing, and names that are just plain wrong (The ''Ocarina'' incarnation of Guru-Guru is called "Phonogram Man" despite actually playing a Phono''graph'').
** The ''Art and Artifacts'' book swaps the names of Jalhalla and Molgera from ''Wind Waker''.
* ''VideoGame/FZero'':
** In a preview for the original ''Super Smash Bros.'', IGN referred to Captain Falcon as "Blue Falcon," mistaking the name of his vehicle for his name.
** In an interview, even his voice actor in ''GX'' (the man who voiced Kalas in ''Baten Kaitos'') called the character he voiced "Blue Falcon".
* ''Magazine/NintendoPower'':
** ''Nintendo Power'' has been known to misidentify the species of Krystal from ''VideoGame/StarFox'' more than once. In one issue, they called her a cat (using this as a device to say she should've ditched Fox and hooked up with Panther by the end of ''Assault''), and another claimed she was a ferret.
** The same magazine also erroneously claimed in a ''[[VideoGame/SoulSeries Soulcalibur II]]'' article that Yoshimitsu is a ghost.
** The walkthrough for ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'' incorrectly gave the name of the BigBad Saddler to the game's StarterVillain Mendez. They also spelled it wrong (missing a D).
** One of their writers also seems convinced that Sonic the Hedgehog's buddy Tails is a mutant squirrel, even after someone wrote in to tell him that he's a fox. It's mainly just a RunningGag he uses to get a rise out of the fans.
** In an article about ''VideoGame/DiddyKongRacing DS'', they referred to Dixie Kong as "Daisy".
** One early issue covering the NES and Game Boy game ''Yoshi'' said that Yoshi has become popular "since his debut in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioBros3''", even though Yoshi's first appearance was in ''VideoGame/SuperMarioWorld''.
** An article in volume 72 about the X-Band specified the Super NES Multitap as the first means of multi-player gameplay ever. No it wasn't; there were other devices before it for different consoles. Two of those were the [=FourScore=] and Satellite for the ''original'' NES, the former of which was even advertised on the back covers of certain earlier issues from 1990 and '91.
** In the review of ''Manga/RanmaOneHalf: Hard Battle'', the writer indicates that all of the teenage characters are siblings, with Genma being their father. The story is a ''romance.''
* ''VideoGame/AnimalCrossing'':
** ''Animal Crossing'' players (and everyone else), find yourself something big and solid for your head before watching [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xAK-X0RA5o this]]. For those not familiar with the game, the turtle character that is supposedly a potential child molester is Tortimer, ''an NPC''. Yes, in ''Animal Crossing'', [[SarcasmMode the game itself tries to seduce your children into sending it pictures of themselves.]] In addition, interacting with other players over the internet is only possible by swapping friend codes with that particular player; [[HilariousInHindsight that wouldn't happen for]] [[VideoGame/AnimalCrossingNewHorizons another decade]] [[UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch or so]].
** Not that it matters in some jurisdictions -- according to [[http://www.gamepolitics.com/2009/03/17/cybercop-no-good-reason-adults-own-animal-crossing a spokesman for the Mid-Missouri Internet Crimes Task Force,]], just being [[PeripheryDemographic an adult]] and owning ''Animal Crossing'' is apparently ''prima facie'' evidence of being a pedophile.
** The November 2002 issue of ''Magazine/VideoGamesUnderground'' has blurry images of what is likely ''VideoGame/{{Cubivore}}'' in their section about the original title.
** The Player's Guide for ''Wild World'' misidentified Kapp'n the Kappa as a parrot. The original game's guide calling him a turtle was at least somewhere in the ballpark.
* A Fox affiliate made a news report warning parents to look out for potential pedophilic activity on the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, but of course there's the daunting task of explaining how the DS actually works. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vN7Ra0nVzIE Here's a video of the important bits edited into a (misinformative) Nintendo DS commercial.]]
* Although it's not the focus, an article about 1988, the last time the University of Florida lost three straight games, came out with this gem: "Nintendo released Tecmo Bowl." Putting aside the fact that the arcade version was released in 1987 and the NES version was released in 1989, most actual experts agree that it was ''Tecmo'' that released ''Tecmo Bowl''.
* ''Franchise/FireEmblem'':
** The official site for ''VideoGame/FireEmblemPathOfRadiance'' claims that Greil is a Ranger, the Black Knight is a Paladin, and Ashnard is a Lord. The "official guidebook" on the other hand, had a section at the end of the book where they showed every playable character, and claimed that characters with a red highlight are already class-changed, while they actually just highlighted all the female characters red.
** The official guidebook for ''VideoGame/FireEmblemTheBlazingBlade'' (the first one released to the west) claimed that Sonia was "human", though the writers may have been confused because she has deluded herself into believing she was human, and constantly refers to herself as such. It is possible they did not want to spoil anything (not that it was really a ''major'' spoiler or anything), though they seemed to have no problem revealing Ephidel was one as well.
** ''Blazing Blade'' also had this [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LM-s5C0dnZs infamous commercial]] where Dorcas was (presumably) killed off when someone put poison in his mutton. The only way Dorcas can die (like most of the rest of the cast) is to have him die in combat. Nothing of "poisoned mutton" exists in the game. Also, Dorcas in-commercial looks ''nothing'' like in-game Dorcas (the commercial version wears chain armor and is balding; the game version has a full head of reddish hair and wears a sleeveless yellow tunic). The developers were good sports about it, though, because years later, upon Dorcas's introduction in ''VideoGame/FireEmblemHeroes'', he mentions "recovering from poisoned mutton" and that he "[[AscendedMeme trusts nobody]]".
** When a second set of ''VideoGame/FireEmblemFates'' badges appeared in ''VideoGame/NintendoBadgeArcade'', the arcade bunny may say that the second generation units were [[KidFromTheFuture from the future]]. This applies to the second generation units from ''[[VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening Awakening]]'', not ''Fates'', which instead implements realms that run on YearInsideHourOutside for the second generation.
* ''VideoGame/TomodachiLife'' fell victim to this trope when a GameBreakingBug was patched out, and a lot of gaming media in North America and Europe misreported it as "patching out" the GayOption.
* ''Franchise/{{Metroid}}'':
** Enforced in the cartoon ''WesternAnimation/CaptainNTheGameMaster'', since Nintendo wanted the cast to say the names of their advertised games as much as possible. As such, Mother Brain is the leader of Planet Metroid instead of Planet Zebes like in the actual ''Metroid'' games (it's also the reason why the protagonist of ''VideoGame/KidIcarus'' is called just that instead of his actual name of "Pit"). The worst part though? The showrunners ''didn't know Samus existed'', so she did not appear in the series. She appeared in the comic book adaptation, however.
** A ''Rolling Stone'' article on ''VideoGame/SuperMetroid'' and the influence it had on the gaming industry as a whole mentioned that "[the game] let players [[ATasteOfPower briefly experience the thrill of starting out with the powers you'd normally acquire over the course of the game, then it stripped them away]], forcing you to slowly rebuild your arsenal." Which is a perfectly accurate description of the opening to... ''VideoGame/MetroidPrime''. In ''Super Metroid'', no such thing happens and Samus's BagOfSpilling from ''Metroid II'' goes completely unexplained.
** Speaking of ''Metroid II'', a [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mJLIB9ofx5s Kool-Aid tie-in giveaway]] claims that "you can battle Zebs, Zoomers, and Zebetites with your free UsefulNotes/GameBoy ''Metroid II'' Game Pak", even though all three mentioned enemies, all originating from [[VideoGame/Metroid1 the first game]], do not actually make an appearance.
* ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBros'':
** The [=BradyGames=] strategy guide for the original game claims that Jigglypuff's Rest move does nothing and is a completely useless gag move. Series aficionados know well that this innocent-looking move is actually one of the deadliest attacks in the game, especially in ''Melee'', and is often an instant KO at higher percentages. This could be a case of AmericanKirbyIsHardcore and AmericansHateTingle, as the writers previously stated their dislike for Jigglypuff and immediately accuse the move of being useless because of it.
** The writers of the official NOA guide were apparently never made aware that Ditto was DummiedOut, as they still list it as one of the summonable Pokémon. Less forgivable is that they used the Mario verse's logo for Mr. Game & Watch's stage, which would be echoed later by the NOE Smash DOJO giving ''Sonic's'' stage the Mario logo.
** In the British English version of ''Smash Bros. for Wii U'', the trophy for the item "Lip's Stick" claims it debuted in 1996's ''Tetris Attack''. Lip, the character the item was named after, debuted in 1995 in ''VideoGame/PanelDePon'' and wasn't even ''in Tetris Attack'': it was a DolledUpInstallment featuring characters from the ''VideoGame/YoshisIsland'' series. The previous two games where the item appeared got this right, so this is a particularly egregious error. The American English version identifies it correctly.
** [[http://www.pluggedin.com/games/2015/super-smash-bros.aspx Plugged In Online's]] review of ''Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS/Wii U'', when listing some of the many characters in the game(s), mention [[VideoGame/MetalGear Snake]] as being among them. While Snake was in ''Brawl'', he didn't return to the series until ''Ultimate''.
** Italian magazine ''Pokemon Mania'''s reviews of ''Super Smash Bros.'' and ''Super Smash Bros. Melee'' said that Link's moveset includes the slingshot with the seeds from [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOracleGames the Oracle games]] (to the point that, instead of the ''Smash'' official artworks featuring an ''Ocarina of Time''-styled Link, they kept using artworks from the ''Oracle'' games in these articles), when actually the ranged weapon Link uses in every ''Super Smash Bros.'' game is the boomerang (Bow and arrow were introduced in ''Melee''). Worse, the first ''Smash Bros.'' game predates the release of either ''Oracle of...'' by over two years.
** The E3 2018 Nintendo direct refers to Zelda's ''VideoGame/SuperSmashBrosUltimate'' design as her ''A Link Between Worlds'' design. It's a composite design of that one and her ''A Link To The Past'' design. She actually takes much more after the SNES design than the 3DS design, with only slight elements of the ''ALBW'' design added in. This is a translation error as the Japanese direct correctly referred to her as ''A Link To The Past'' inspired.
** Nintendo's ''official website'' for Pokémon's 20th anniversary states, in the games timeline, that in ''Super Smash Bros. '' for UsefulNotes/Nintendo64 Pikachu, Jigglypuff, and Mewtwo were playable. Mewtwo was not in the game (however, according to the Japanese website for the game, [[WhatCouldHaveBeen it was indeed originally going to be playable]]), and it is playable only as an unlockable character in ''Melee'' and ''Ultimate'' and as DownloadableContent in the UsefulNotes/WiiU[=/=]3DS version. They later fixed that bit, but still...
** ''[=GamePro=]'' printed a guide to unlocking the secret characters in ''Brawl''. In it, they made several glaring errors, such as calling [[VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime Sheik]] [[Franchise/{{Metroid}} Samus]] (funny, considering what the two [[SamusIsAGirl have in common]]), and printing what they apparently thought was a picture of Marth, except it was a picture of Geoffrey, an unrelated ''VideoGame/FireEmblem'' character who not only does not exist in the same universe as Marth, but fights with a [[BladeOnAStick lance]] instead of a [[HeroesPreferSwords sword]], and on horseback. Apparently, everybody with blue hair is the same person.
** The woman who sang the part of Ashley in ''Brawl'''s rendition of [[VideoGame/WarioWare "Ashley's Theme"]] stated on her blog that she was chosen to do a song for the upcoming game, "Super Mario Bros. Smash".
** The video ''[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v66C3Ef2r3o 10 Pokémon That Actually Exist In Real Life]]'' by Facts Verse refers to the series as "Mario Smash Bros".
** [[https://www.engadget.com/2008-04-17-louisiana-resident-wins-gamestops-smash-bros-brawl-tournament.html This article]] refers to ''Brawl'' as an "indie title" and "that little game nobody paid any attention to", even though it's anything but.
** While ''Ultimate'' is usually extremely accurate with its Spirits, the depiction of Zero from ''VideoGame/MegaManZero'' is simply called "[[IAmNotShazam Mega Man Zero]]", despite Zero not being an incarnation of Mega Man. [[https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_spirits_(Mega_Man_series) SmashWiki]] also makes this mistake.
* Several German websites claim that ''Brain Exercise with Dr. Kawashima'', made by Creator/BandaiNamcoEntertainment for iOS and Windows, is a port of Creator/{{Nintendo}}'s DS hit ''VideoGame/BrainAge'', when it is actually an independent implementation of Ryūta Kawashima's work; Namco and Nintendo cooperated several times before, but are not known to have done so here. In fact, the DS software is called ''Dr. Kawashima's Brain Training''.
* CNN Money (or Fortune Magazine, it's hard to tell) did a review for the UsefulNotes/Nintendo3DS, to which there were glaring issues. Those involved specifically to this trope were complaining about the 3DS using cartridges, "which weren't used on since the last Game Boy" and "to add insult to injury, it comes with a stylus, which we've last seen on [=BlackBerry=] devices in the early 2000s". Both cartridges and styluses were last used on the handheld's immediate predecessor, the UsefulNotes/NintendoDS, which was first released in late 2004 and was relevant for a good 7 or 8 years afterwards; the writer appears to have fallen victim to "The last time I saw cartridges/styluses was on the now-dead Game Boy Advance/in the early 2000s, therefore they no longer exist" syndrome. Otherwise, the reviewer's credibility for reviewing the device was he was a "hardcore gamer that grew up on ''VideoGame/{{Halo}}''". Apple's iPod, iPad, and iPhone were also seen as direct competition; they are technically capable of playing video games, but aren't marketed as portable gaming consoles.
* ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'':
** [[http://www.nydailynews.com/tech_guide/2011/10/24/2011-10-24_review_kirbys_return_to_dreamland_is_good_not_quite_epic.html This article]] for ''VideoGame/KirbysReturnToDreamLand'' describes Kirby as "everyone's favorite ghost".
** One of Kirby's abilities is 'Sword', which gives him a hat that looks similar to [[Franchise/TheLegendOfZelda Link]]'s hat. For this reason, the Italian Official Nintendo Magazine kept calling it "Kirby wearing a Link disguise". It doesn't help that, when [[VideoGame/SuperSmashBros Kirby actually eats Link]], the weapon he gets is not the sword but either the Boomerang (in the original) or the Bow (in later games).
** British Publication "Retro Gamer" once referred to Kirby as "The adorable pink puffball from the ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' series". While it was likely a simple mistake, since Retro Gamer is a knowledgeable publication that regularly goes in-depth about Kirby, it's still rather baffling.
** The official Prima strategy guide for ''VideoGame/Kirby64TheCrystalShards'' has a description that claims 02 is a "benevolent creature" who "rarely presents any trouble in the cloud levels of Shiver Star." This is wrong because 02 is not only ''not a nice guy'', it's actually the TrueFinalBoss of the game, and doesn't appear on Shiver Star at all. It's fought on Dark Star, which isn't even mentioned in the guide.
** [=BradyGames=]' guide was more competent, but still slipped up occasionally: They referred to HR-H as HR-E, misnamed the actual HR-E as HR-''V'', and repeatedly got Shotzo mixed up with Wall-Shotzo (for the record, the latter enemy only appears in one area of stage 2-4).
** Many ads for ''Kirby 64'' claimed Kirby has to collect 100 shards. There are only 72 in-game (three in each of the 22 stages and one from each of the 6 bosses), or 74 counting the two Kirby and Ribbon had in the intro. The Virtual Console blurb also describes the Dark Matter as a "new enemy" when they were already the villains in [[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand2 two]] [[VideoGame/KirbysDreamLand3 games]] prior.

!!Other

** The early-morning show on the (now-defunct) [[http://www.midwestradio.co.uk/ Midwest Radio]] station in the UK is rife with this, usually whenever the bumbling DJ presenting the show presents listeners with a game-related competition. During one such competition, in which one lucky listener could win a copy of ''VideoGame/SuperMarioGalaxy2'', the question was "What occupation does [[TheHero Mario]] have?" the answer of course being "Plumber". When the answer was revealed, the DJ and his co-presenter claimed that you could tell that Mario was a plumber because "he carries a spanner (aka a wrench, to those across UsefulNotes/ThePond) around with him in the games". Um... no he doesn't (and even most people who have never touched a ''[[Franchise/SuperMarioBros Mario]]'' game in their entire life probably know this!).

** [[https://www.engadget.com/2008-04-17-louisiana-resident-wins-gamestops-smash-bros-brawl-tournament.html This article]] refers to ''Brawl'' as an "indie title" and "that little game nobody paid any attention to"... even though it's anything but.

* Parodied by WebVideo/LoadingReadyRun in [[http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/escapist-news-network/1123-Pictodicks this video.]]

** The Canadian news outlet CTV posted a tweet for their review of the 2023 ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' and in it [[https://www.twitter.com/CTVNews/status/1643949235165863937 they referred to the Gameboy, being purely a ''battery-operated handheld console'' being unplugged]]. The article doesn't actually make this mistake however.

* [[https://www.gamebyte.com/super-nintendo-world-is-a-gamers-dream-come-true/ An article]] on the Super Nintendo World theme park on Universal Studios Japan rattles off a few dates for major Nintendo releases. One these is "the runaway success of Super Mario Bros. in 1983." The game came out in 1985.
* The Canadian news outlet CTV posted a tweet for their review of the 2023 ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperMarioBrosMovie'' and in it [[https://www.twitter.com/CTVNews/status/1643949235165863937 they referred to the Gameboy, being purely a ''battery-operated handheld console'' being unplugged]]. The article doesn't actually make this mistake however.

** The Canadian news outlet CTV posted a tweet for their review of the 2023 ''Western Animation/TheSuperMario BrosMovie'' and in it [[https://www.twitter.com/CTVNews/status/1643949235165863937 they referred to the Gameboy, being purely a ''battery-operated handheld console'' being unplugged]]. The article doesn't actually make this mistake however.

** The Canadian news outlet CTV posted a tweet for their review of the 2023 ''Western Animation/TheSuperMario BrosMovie'' and in it [[https://www.twitter.com/CTVNews/status/1643949235165863937 they referred to Gameboy, being purely a ''battery-operated handheld console'' being unplugged]]. The article doesn't actually make this mistake however.

* One children's atlas, in its section on Japan, lists video games as a notable part of the country's culture, including an image of an iconic game character. This'd all be fine and dandy if they hadn't used VideoGame/CrashBandicoot, an '''American''' video game.
** Not as unbelievable as it sounds, actually. Crash Bandicoot was ''very'' popular in Japan: the song and dance made for the first game's TV campaign in Japan was so popular that the song was used as the title screen for every subsequent game on the UsefulNotes/PlayStation1, and the dance was used as Crash's victory dance internationally. The fact that Crash is American is ''why'' it's so notable!

*** When the newspaper ''Chicago Red Eye'' made a review of the game, [[http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ovASWQwf6uc/Up_K-sa8u9I/AAAAAAAAWpk/1LN8XfZww2M/s1600/unnamed.jpg the editor accidentally used a fan cover made by a user from]] Wiki/{{Fantendo}} instead of the real cover. More blatant since the game is for UsefulNotes/WiiU, while that cover has a Wii cover design.