Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

Japanese publication Dengeki published a new interview with Dragon Quest series producer Noriyoshi Fujimoto and ArtePiazza’s Shintaro Mashima. In it, the two discuss how his ArtePiazza and Square Enix tackled the 3DS remake of Dragon Quest VII.

Read on below to find out what the two had to say:

– Fujimoto always wanted to remake Dragon Quest VII for a handheld
– Dragon Quest VII was originally made right before the digital era
– All development documents were written on paper
– Dragon Quest VII had an insane amount of documents used for development
– All old documents are kept from the previous series
– Dragon Quest VII has its own section because the game has so much
– The Dragon Quest VII 3DS team had to brace the face that they’d be going through each file
– There couldn’t be a much longer wait for a remake of VII since it has already been almost 10 years since the game’s first release
– Waiting any longer could be too late
– When ArtePiazza and Square Enix met up, they would haul about 40 books of documents, consisting of the scenario texts alone
– Almost a year was needed to copy everything from paper to stored data on PC
– While this was taking place, Square Enix and ArtePiazza thought of new remake ideas
– A lot of planning was involved on how to give it a new presentation while keeping the same Dragon Quest feeling to it
– The team was focusing on how to best utilize the 3DS graphics and its features
– Fujimoto actually sat down and played through the PlayStation version of Dragon Quest VII with Yuji Hori, the creator of the Dragon Quest series
– Hori noticed that the game was difficult with its various problem solving aspects and puzzles
– When they made the original version, the idea was to make a “riddle solving adventure” game
– Hori pointed out the change of era during their recent play
– Fujimoto: “Solving some of the puzzles felt very exhilarating at times. Whenever you got stuck in the game, the frustration would build up.”
– With that in mind, they’ve decided to add features such as the stone shard radars
– Overall tempo improved and smoother gameplay
– From the starting point of Estard Island to the number of puzzles and overall difficulty, they’ve revised many things for the upcoming 3DS version
– First fight will be introduced earlier so players can enjoy their adventure while participating in heated battles from start to end
– Originally took around an hour until the first fight
– Leveling pace increased to match other Dragon Quests
– The addition of the visual encounters was meant for that purpose, allowing players to have the choice to fight whenever they want
– The team wants to make it easier to play rather than easier overall
– Better tempo stems from allowing players to have more decision making instead of forcing them to fight or solve puzzles
– Tough enemies will still be tough
– Useful spells including Evac will be available at earlier levels in the game
– Evac: escape from a dungeon
– Exclusive costumes added that visually correspond to each class
– Prior to that, the characters always looked the same regardless of any class changing
– Dragon Quest has been known for having an in game menu window, rather than screen
– For Dragon Quest VII on 3DS, they’ve made it an even better experience to provide smoother game play
– Camera work improved
– Players have two different angles to play from
– Can adjust this at any time

Source 1, Source 2

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Capcom’s latest financial results are in, and the company is taking pride in the sales of its first Wii U game. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, a launch game in Japan, was “a smash hit”.

The 3DS version of Ultimate had also been re-released under a new “Best Price!” label. According to Capcom, it has “enjoyed steady growth.”

Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate launches simultaneously in North America on March 19 and on March 22 in Europe.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Update: Bumped to the front page. Nintendo has also confirmed Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 for release this week.

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U Download (technically retail)

Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 – €59.99 / £49.99

3DS Download

Real Heroes: Firefighter 3D – €9.99 / £8.99

3DS retail

Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – €39.99 / £29.99

3DS demo

Fractured Soul – free

3DS Virtual Console

Mega Man 2 – €4.99 / £4.49

3DS video

The Beet Party: Jurassic Fridge – €0.99 / £0.89

Wii Virtual Console

Sengoku 2 – 900 Wii Points

Source: Nintendo PR

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Screenshots | 0 comments

These are technically our first Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed screenshots that haven’t been incredibly compressed. Now we just need some direct-feed footage!

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, News | 0 comments

Pokemon Black/White 2 players will be able to add Meloetta to their game starting on March 4. Through March 24, GameStop will be running an in-store promotion for the Pokemon’s distribution.

Those who acquire Meloetta can take advantage of its Aria and Pirouette forms. The Pokemon is capable of activating Pirouette Form after the Relic Song is used in battle.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

First True 3D Entry in Revered Series Now Available for Nintendo 3DS

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– You are standing at the edge of a massive battlefield. Before you stands a sea of enemies: wyvern riders, dark mages, fearsome knights. You and your companions must use your wits to defeat the approaching onslaught. One wrong move could end in defeat. But the right decisions could result in a glorious victory. Your archer is in position. Your healer is standing close. You are defending the Kingdom of Ylisse from a vicious enemy alongside the bravest warriors in the land. You are ready. This is Fire Emblem Awakening.

Today, for the first time, the epic fantasy turn-based strategy series launches for Nintendo 3DS in retail stores and in the Nintendo eShop. Fire Emblem Awakening follows the story of Lord Chrom as he bands together with a growing army of brave companions to save the world from a rising evil.

Read More

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

At the moment, Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate is a 3DS exclusive. That could change in the future, however.

MercurySteam producer David Cox revealed to CVG that all of the game’s assets were made in HD. That includes the textures, levels, and models. But to have everything fit on the 3DS, the team shrunk things down. Cox said that MercurySteam does “have an HD version of the game sitting there in a computer somewhere.”

“We created everything in high definition – all the textures, all the levels, high-poly models, everything – and we kind of shrunk it all down into the 3DS. Then we lost bones from characters, you know, we dropped the resolution of the textures and everything to make it fit. At MercurySteam we have an HD version of the game sitting there in a computer somewhere.”

This new information begs the question: could we ever seen an HD version of Mirror of Fate? Cox is more than open to the possibility:

“Absolutely, yeah. We would consider it. We want as many people to play it as possible. Obviously we have an exclusivity deal with Nintendo right now though and they’ve been very supportive of the product.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

Individual formats

LW		TW			Title	Format	Label	Publisher
–		1			NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH	PS3	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES
1		2			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	XB360	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
2		3			FIFA 13	XB360	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
5		4			FAR CRY 3	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
4		5			FIFA 13	PS3	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
3		6			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	PS3	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7		7			JUST DANCE 4	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
–		8			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
6		9			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	PC	SEGA	SEGA
11		10			FAR CRY 3	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
12		11			HALO 4	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
15		12			FORZA HORIZON	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
10		13			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
8		14			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	XB360	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
–		15			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
17		16			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
19		17			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
14		18			FORZA MOTORSPORT 4	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
–		19			ABBA: YOU CAN DANCE	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
18		20			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	PS3	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
21		21			GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
22		22			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
16		23			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
9		24			DMC	XB360	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
20		25			PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
13		26			DMC	PS3	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
23		27			NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
27		28			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	XB360	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
25		29			MARIO KART 7	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
37		30			UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTY	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
24		31			DISHONORED	XB360	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
28		32			BORDERLANDS 2	XB360	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
29		33			WWE ’13	XB360	THQ	THQ
30		34			SUPER MARIO 3D LAND	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		35			SLEEPING DOGS	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
–		36			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	WII	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
36		37			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	XB360	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
–		38			SLEEPING DOGS	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
34		39			WWE ’13	PS3	THQ	THQ
31		40			MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS

All formats

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
–		1			NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH	LEVEL 5	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES
2		2			FIFA 13	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
1		3			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	TREYARCH	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3		4			FAR CRY 3	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
–		5			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	IO INTERACTIVE	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
5		6			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
6		7			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	CRITERION GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
7		8			JUST DANCE 4	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
10		9			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	IO INTERACTIVE	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
9		10			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	BETHESDA	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
4		11			DMC	NINJA THEORY	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
8		12			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	SPORTS INTERACTIVE	SEGA	SEGA
13		13			HALO 4	343 INDUSTRIES	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
19		14			FORZA HORIZON	TURN 10/PLAYGROUND	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
15		15			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	TOYS FOR BOB	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
11		16			LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
12		17			LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
14		18			SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED	SUMO DIGITAL	SEGA	SEGA
16		19			WWE ’13	YUKE’S	THQ	THQ
28		20			SLEEPING DOGS	UNITED FRONT GAMES	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
18		21			FORZA MOTORSPORT 4	TURN 10 STUDIOS	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
20		22			BORDERLANDS 2	GEARBOX SOFTWARE	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
17		23			DISHONORED	ARKANE STUDIOS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
–		24			ABBA: YOU CAN DANCE	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
25		25			GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION	POLYPHONY DIGITAL	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
22		26			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	ROCKSTAR NORTH	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
26		27			ANGRY BIRDS TRILOGY	ROVIO	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
24		28			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	TECHLAND	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
21		29			MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER	DANGER CLOSE	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
29		30			GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITY	ROCKSTAR NORTH	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
23		31			PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR	INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		32			RED DEAD REDEMPTION: GOTY	ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
27		33			MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES	SEGA	SEGA	SEGA
–		34			XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN	FIRAXIS	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
33		35			NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
32		36			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2013	KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT	KONAMI	KONAMI
34		37			MARIO KART 7	RETRO STUDIOS / NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		38			UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTY	NAUGHTY DOG	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
40		39			LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 5-7	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
30		40			NBA 2K13	VISUAL CONCEPTS	2K SPORTS	TAKE 2

Source 1, Source 2