Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

At the Japan Expo in France earlier today, Level-5 announced the European release date for Inazuma Eleven 3: Lightning Bolt/Bomb Blast. Both games will be available on September 27.

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Donkey Kong are just a few of the well-known names that we seen from Nintendo regularly. But some fans and critics have called for the company to make something new and come out with never-before-seen IPs.

In Shigeru Miyamoto’s opinion, it makes sense to rely on Nintendo’s well-regarded series. He also believes that the likes of Nintendogs, Brain Age, and Wii Fit are all new franchises because they offer original experiences. While most may not see it this way because they lack a symbolic character, Miyamoto said that these titles “are actually contributing to our sales.”

Also, it is sometimes said that Nintendo has recently had no new franchises. At E3 this year, some said that Nintendo is always showing the same series of games, but this is because we mainly featured the characters from our franchises in our exhibition booth. There were six featured areas of our franchises in our booth, including Zelda, Mario and Donkey Kong, and the visitors were able to take commemorative photos with these characters. Considering that visitors will not enjoy less well-known franchises in such areas, we did it in this way, which resulted in such a criticism, I think. On the other hand, I think it is one of our advantages to have such franchises. When some young in-house developers come up with an idea of a new franchise, I say that creating a new character does not necessarily mean creating a new franchise. In my view, a new way of playing or new use of media is necessary for a “new product” and creating a character is not the first thing to do. In this sense, “nintendogs,” “Brain Age” and “Wii Fit” are all new franchises. Few people see it this way because these games have no symbolic “character” like the existence of Mario, but they are actually contributing to our sales. I would like to continue developing video games with the view of entertaining a wide variety of people including the existing video game fans. Thank you so much for your support.

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 5 Comments

The Wii U is Nintendo’s first attempt at HD development. As such, the transition to making these types of games hasn’t been smooth.

Shigeru Miyamoto said during a recent investor Q&A that the switch to Wii U development – HD visuals and all – “requires about twice the human resources than before.” Nintendo “may have underestimated the scale of this change and as a result”, which caused games to remain in development longer than expected. Miyamoto now feels that Nintendo is just about past some of these initial difficulties, however.

When it comes to the scale of software development, Wii U with HD graphics requires about twice the human resources than before. Please allow me to explain that we may have underestimated the scale of this change and as a result, the overall software development took more time than originally anticipated just as we tried to polish the software at the completion phase of development. However, we are almost out of this phase, and we are also trying to create something unique utilizing an easier development approach called “Nintendo Web Framework.”

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata began the company’s investor briefing Q&A last week by addressing points pertaining to graphics, the E3 Nintendo Direct, and appealing to all types of gamers.

Due to how lengthy the investor’s question was, it would probably be best to share the entire thing:

I enjoyed Nintendo Direct yesterday, so I would like to “directly” ask a question to Mr. Iwata and Mr. Miyamoto. I am afraid that personally the new hardware systems announced at E3 were not a big surprise. Some games certainly had breathtaking graphics, but their gameplay seemed as if they were an extension of existing games. Wii U is no exception to me. I think it is unfortunate that there have been no unique games only it could provide yet. It is true that “Off TV Play” is very convenient when we play Virtual Console games, but Wii U itself has not surprised me as much as Wii, which created a new form of entertainment that revolutionized conventional wisdom. Also, I saw the first-party software lineup for Wii U to be released until 2014, which was announced in “Nintendo Direct@E3 2013,” as continuations of existing games and found nothing in it that seemed possible only on Wii U. This is also true for third-party games. I am concerned that no one in the video game industry will be able to create anything new in the near future because developers have reached their creative limits. Nintendo is supposed to create products that can be enjoyed by many people regardless of age, gender or gaming experience, in accordance with its philosophy of “gaming population expansion.” However, most of the games in the current lineup are for those who have some interest in games. Some Japanese software developers focus on creating innovative games, but this appears to be possible only when they are small companies. Is Nintendo faced with a dilemma of attempting to improve its business performance while creating innovative games for a new consumer base?

And now for Iwata’s response:

Read More

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

Humid Games has cancelled its Kickstarter for Project Sweat. Without any sort of notice or campaign update, it’s unclear as to why the plug was pulled. However, it may have something to do with the small amount of backers.

Project Sweat could have landed on the Wii U eShop if the Kickstarter reached a stretch goal of £45,000. At the time of its cancellation, only £1,290 was raised.

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

Despite the financial situation surrounding Index Corporation, subsidiary Atlus hasn’t been greatly affected. Its games are still in the works and are coming as originally scheduled – including Devil Survivor 2: Break Record.

Atlus has been able to confirm that, just like its other projects, the 3DS game will arrive in Japan on time. Break Record is still planned for release in Japan this fall.

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

The just-released 3DS eShop game Urban Trial Freestyle could make its way to Wii U. Paul Leskowicz, VP of Tate Multimedia, told NintendoWorldReport that the company is considering the possibility, though nothing is imminent. If Urban Trial Freestyle does end up on the Wii U eShop, it would “require new ideas and enhancements to fit Wii U specific features.”

Leskowicz said:

“We’re of course thinking about this but no final decision has been made yet. Bringing the game to Wii U will require new ideas and enhancements to fit Wii U specific features. We promise to keep you posted!”

Leskowicz also commented on whether there are plans for a sequel or expansion to Urban Trial Freestyle. Although the team is “working on some new stuff around trials mechanisms”, a sequel isn’t something we’ll be seeing in the very near future.

“We are working on some new stuff around trials mechanisms and would like to enhance the stunts factor of the game, but there is no rush with the sequel as there are still a lot of players that we hope will discover our game since the game is just releasing now on the 3DS.”

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

Yet another Cooking Mama game is in development and it’s heading to Japan this winter.

Cooking Mama 5 is in development for the 3DS, Cooking Mama Limited has confirmed. The game will be officially revealed during Shogakukan’s Ciao Summer Festival on July 28. The previously-announced Gardening Mama: Mama and the Forest Friends will be playable at the event as well.

Source

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 1 Comment

In a series of tweets, The Wonderful 101 director Hideki Kamiya expressed some concerns about the lack of attention surrounding The Wonderful 101.

Kamiya noted how magazine coverage appears to be light, and stores have shied away from promoting the Wii U exclusive because they’re unclear as to what it is. On the whole, he feels that ads are minimal and awareness is lacking.

From the perspective of development, Kamiya estimates than manpower and resources are around 1.5 times greater than what was spent on the first Bayonetta. Kamiya also appeared to make a comparison to Okami – “no one really gets the game, so there isn’t a lot of hype”.

Source