Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 1 Comment

Gust Corporation uploaded a new video featuring footage from Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland. Watch it below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

There was a great deal of Nintendo news last week, and Daan/I talked about it all! That includes the Splatoon Direct, the Universal partnership for theme park attractions, and latest financial results (including related tidbits).

Stuff:

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Daan’s Twitter

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Developer Musings | 4 Comments

Nintendo’s entry into the mobile market through its partnership with DeNA is a natural fit, but moving forward it does beg a lot of questions. When you combine Nintendo’s notoriety for doing things their own way with the unforgiving nature of the mobile market outside of the already flooded free-to-play space, its not as simple as making a Mario endless runner and calling it a day. Nintendo has an interesting set of challenges put forward to them, as the kind of investment they make in this space could have some unprecedented consequences for their own handheld platform.

We reached out to developers Springloaded Software, Joost van Dongen, Rawkins Games, and Yazar Media Group for their take on the best way for Nintendo to get some of the mobile limelight and use it as a way to get more consumers back where they really want them – on their own systems. How can the two spaces co-exist without diminishing what’s already there with the 3DS? Is it possible for the mobile titles to exist as both good standalone products as well as a good entry point for Nintendo systems? Will Nintendo finally have to follow the trend rather than setting it when it comes to working on a platform that’s not their own? Having existed in both the traditional console and mobile spaces themselves, our guests this week offer some insight into some of the possibilities Nintendo has going forward.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 49 Comments

Let’s Talk #7: Do you care about amiibo?

Yesterday, Nintendo confirmed that over 10 million amiibo have been shipped worldwide. That’s a big number. A large majority of figures have made their way to the U.S. and Canada – a whopping 66 percent. Europe is second with 20 percent.

amiibo only just debuted last year, but we’ve already seen some extensive plans from Nintendo. A whole bunch of Smash Bros. figures have been released, with more on the way. Splatoon amiibo are due out this month, followed soon by Yoshi plushies. Animal Crossing amiibo cards are coming this fall.

While amiibo sales have been strong, not all has gone well. Many figures are tough to find in stores at the moment, and scalpers are taking advantage of that situation. There are many instances in which retailers open pre-orders only to sell out of stock within a matter of minutes.

All of that said, do you care about amiibo? Did you once care, but stopped after figures became difficult to find? Were you never interested in amiibo at all? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

So. Here’s my situation. When Nintendo initially announced amiibo, I didn’t care about the figures too much. I wanted Link, but that was about it.

… But I couldn’t help myself. I ended up ordering a few more amiibo from wave one after they launched, and once I started hearing that certain figures were becoming harder to find, I got caught up in the craze. I eventually told myself that I’d pick up every figure from the Smash Bros. line and likely stop there.

Well, now I don’t really have a game plan! I ended up purchasing Toad from the Super Mario Bros. line, and I secured the gold Mario as well. Something tells me that I won’t be able to resist the Yoshi plushie either. I suppose you can say that Nintendo has me hooked! I’m not even entirely sure why I’m collecting amiibo – figures and the like have never appealed to me much in the past. The stock situation has definitely been frustrating, yet I still have interest in amiibo – for now anyway!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Which character do you want to see in Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS?

There were lots of fantastic comments and choices about last week’s topic, so it was really tough choosing a few highlights. Thanks for your participation – the discussion was great!

ronin4life

Isaac from Golden Sun. Nintendo’s GBA RPG has no reps whatsoever in Smash, even though Isaac was an assist in Brawl.

LordDisco

I still think the Mushroom Kingdom could be represented more amusingly. Waluigi, Daisy, and Toad would all be great additions to Smash Bros, in my opinion.

Waluigi would be hilarious. If they keep him the way he’s been developed over the years, he’ll be wildly interesting and much funnier than the toilet-humored Wario. Waluigi’s moveset can just be a crazy combination of his weird obsessions, and as long as he does the “suck it” gesture from Mario Strikers, he will become my favorite Smash character. hahaha.

Daisy is great too, because she’s basically a sassy and unprofessional princess. He’s basically the opposite of Peach personality-wise, and giving her her own Smash character can open up new possibilities for her as a character in general. She can be kind of a cheating character, which lots of funny moves, like pimp-slapping, headbutting, and throwing turnips like baseballs. I would love for her to be better represented than a simple skin for Peach.

Lastly, Toad would be awesome! His skins could be like Bowser Jr, where each skin is a different Toad, like Toadette, Captain Toad, and Toadsworth. He could be exceptionally small, too, like how Servebot was like in Marvel VS Capcom. And if Nintendo wanted to be really funny, they could just intentionally make Toad the weakest character by a long shot (Again, like Servebot) so people can brag heavily to their friends if they happen to win matches as Toad.

I would love for any one of these characters to be added in, and it’s not like it would be too difficult for Nintendo to pull off, honestly.

AquaBat

King K. Rool, of course!

link2metroid

I’d like to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Their moveset would be brilliant and they’d fit in well. Who here is old enough to remember TMNT: Tournament Fighters for the SNES? I thought that was a brilliant game. And more recently, TMNT: Smash Up, while not as good as Smash Bros. it too was a decent game. The different colours could be the different characters though having 4 characters could be a lot of work even though they’d have a lot of common moves. The only thing is deciding which style would be best. I prefer some of the older versions going back to their image rather than some of the more modern looks.

Mirai Akemi

The one I really, really want is Simon Belmont. I think he’s the one missing legend from the NES era. There’s other iconic characters form back then, but he’s the biggest one. There’s so much potential for his moves, a stage and definitely music. A very close second is Bomberman, also a gaming icon and a classic, and he also has potential, though not as much as Simon.

Realistically speaking though, and with Konami being, well, Konami, my most wanted character that actually has a chance is Isaac. I half expected him to be there from the start and still have faith that Sakurai removed him as an assist because he knew that even if they couldn’t work on every character they wanted for the release, DLC could still happen and he saw potential in him.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

This month’s issue of Nintendo Dream has a lengthy interview with some of the folks responsible for the Pokemon games. The magazine chatted with Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire director Shigeru Ohmori, Ken Sugimori (art director), Shigeki Morimoto (battle director), Kazumasa Iwao (game designer).

Some of the most interesting comments came about when the interview focused on the topic of Mega Evolutions. Nintendo Dream asked about things like criteria for Mega Evolutions, why Slowbro was chosen to go through the process rather than Slowking, and more.

Head past the break for our full translation of Nintendo Dream’s Pokemon Mega Evolution discussion.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments

Bandai Namco uploaded a new trailer and commercial for Super Run for Money: Assemble! The Strongest Runaways today. Both can be seen below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Videos | 0 comments

Johnny Dynamite landed on the North American 3DS eShop this past Thursday. You’ll find some footage from the game below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

The latest issue of Famitsu has shared a listing of the top 30 best-selling games in Japan for the month of March 2015. You can check out the full results below.

1. [PS3] Dragon Quest Heroes – 445,044 (428,799 physical, 16,245 digital)
2. [PS4] Dragon Quest Heroes – 338,906 (308,142 physical, 30,764 digital)
3. [PS3] Yakuza Zero – 198,623 (195,413 physical, 3,210 digital)
4. [PS4] Yakuza Zero – 123,760 (118,946 physical, 4,814 digital)
5. [PS4] Final Fantasy Type-0 HD – 97,285 (91,093 physical, 6,192 digital)
6. [PS3] Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – 97,027 (73,615 physical, 23,412 digital)
7. [3DS] Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D – 96,727 (92,505 physical, 4,222 digital)
8. [3DS] Etrian Mystery Dungeon – 84,134 (76,345 physical, 7,789 digital)
9. [PSV] God Eater 2 Rage Burst – 80,456 (75,075 physical, 5,381 digital)
10. [PSV] Digimon Stories: Cyber Sleuth – 80,456 (75,075 physical, 5,381 digital)
11. [WIU] Mario Party 10 – 77,914 (75,706 physical, 2,208 digital)
12. [PS4] Battlefield Hardline – 77,131 (65,189 physical, 11,942 digital)
13. [PS4] Resident Evil: Revelations 2 – 71,917 (41,169 physical, 30,748 digital)
14. [PSV] Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition – 61,915 (36,593 physical, 25,322 digital)
15. [3DS] Yo-Kai Watch 2: Shinuchi – 60,280 (58,609 physical, 1,671 digital)
16. [PSP] Uta no Prince-Sama: All Star After Secret – 52,623 (52,623 physical, N/A digital)
17. [3DS] Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire – 34,630 (33,923 physical, 707 digital)
18. [3DS] Assassination Classroom: Grand Siege on Kurosensei – 34,238 (31,611 physical, 2,627 digital)
19. [3DS] The Prince of Tennis II: Go to the Top – 28,367 (27,370 physical, 997 digital)
20. [PS4] Evolve – 27,841 (23,688 physical, 4,153 digital)
21. [3DS] Super Smash Bros. for 3DS – 27,568 (26,118 physical, 1,450 digital)
22. [PS3] Battlefield Hardline – 26,633 (25,034 physical, 1,599 digital)
23. [3DS] LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins – 25,396 (23,379 physical, 2,017 digital)
24. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – 23,052 (21,359 physical, 1,693 digital)
25. [WIU] Mario Kart 8 – 20,297 (19,308 physical, 989 digital)
26. [PS3] Dragon Ball Xenoverse – 20,070 (19,267 physical, 803 digital)
27. [PSV] Phantasy Star Online 2 Episode 3: Deluxe Package – 20,056 (20,056 physical, N/A digital)
28. [3DS] PriPara & Pretty Rhythm: PriPara de Tsukaeru Oshare Item 1450! – 19,312 (19,073 physical, 239 digital)
29. [3DS] The Seven Deadly Sins: Unjust Sin – 17,713 (16,523 physical, 1,190 digital)
30. [PSV] Diabolik Lovers: Dark Fate – 17,463 (16,589 physical, 874 digital)

Note that these sales are based on data between February 23 and March 22.

More: Famitsu, Japan, sales

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments

Collectible Badge Center was recently updated with even more Rhythm Heaven and Animal Crossing badges. You can get a look at them through the video below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

There are plenty of Kickstarter projects that feature Wii U in one form or another. For the latest look at which games are seeking funding, check out our roundup below.

LOUD on Planet X (new) – $50,000 CAD for funding, Wii U stretch goal at $75,000 CAD

LOUD on Planet X is an arcade-style indie music game featuring Tegan and Sara, METZ, Metric, Lights, July Talk, F*cked Up, Cadence Weapon, Austra and more.

Choose from a cross-section of top current indie music artists, then defend your stage from hordes of quirky aliens by tapping to the music and using a fun assortment of makeshift weapons like speakers, strobe lights, fog machines, amplifiers, bouncers and custom special attacks!

LOUD on Planet X is an exciting new indie alternative to Rock Band or Guitar Hero with a splash of Plants vs Zombies – a new hybrid of rhythm game and classic shooter with tower defence elements.

Yooka-Laylee – already funded at $270,041, coming to Wii U

Yooka-Laylee is an all-new 3D platformer from the creative talent behind the Banjo-Kazooie and Donkey Kong Country games. We’ve come together to form Playtonic Games and create a spiritual successor to our most cherished work from the past!

Our new heroes, Yooka (the green bloke with no pants) and Laylee (the wisecracking lady-bat with the big nose) were conceptualised from the ground up for stellar platforming gameplay, created by the same character artist behind the rebooted Donkey Kong family and legendary N64 heroes Banjo and Kazooie.

Using an arsenal of special moves like Yooka’s tongue grapple and Laylee’s tactical sonar blast, players will explore – and expand – gorgeous 3D worlds drawn up by esteemed environment artist Steven Hurst (Banjo-Kazooie series, Viva Pinata) and through skill discover the plethora of delicious collectibles hidden within.

Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death – already funded, Wii U stretch goal at $35,000

Sydney Hunter and the Caverns of Death is a new retro-style adventure/puzzle platformer for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Armed only with his trusty boomerang, Sydney must navigate dark caverns while avoiding bats, ghosts, hot lava and other obstacles. If you can survive all 10 caverns, you will be able to win your freedom.Your support for this Kickstarter campaign will help bring a new game to one of the most beloved systems of all time…the SNES. You also have an opportunity to receive some cool rewards available exclusively through this Kickstarter campaign.

10 total levels.
Unique soundtrack.
Different region versions available.
Exclusive Kickstarter rewards.

More: indie, Kickstarter