Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 26 Comments

Let’s Talk #14: What are you playing? – July 2015

Summer is here, and it’s the start of a new month. Given that – and the fact that we’re a games-oriented website – I thought we should host a “what are you playing” topic for Let’s Talk this week. It may actually be something that we do at the start of each month going forward depending on how the discussion goes this time around.

So tell us in the comments below: what are you playing right now? It’d be great if what you mention is Nintendo-related, but I don’t think it’d be fair to exclude others from Let’s Talk if they’re currently playing on a different platform. That means anything is fair game! I’ll start the discussion off below.

I’ve been playing a whole lot of Mario Tennis on the 3DS Virtual Console lately. Nintendo put the game on sale in North America a couple of weeks ago, and while it was only about $1 less than the normal asking price, I decided to grab it and jump right in.

I played Mario Tennis a ton back in the day on the Game Boy Color. I still have my original system and the game cartridge in fact!

I have so, so many fond memories of this title. It’s really as a good as I remember it, and it sort of makes me wish that the Mario Tennis games these days were a bit more like it. Mario Tennis Open on 3DS was alright, but this one is much better in my opinion.

The main draw of Mario Tennis on the Game Boy Color was definitely the story mode. You can play as either Alex or Nina (plus a partner of Harry or Kate depending on if you select doubles), and level up/improve stats along the way.

Thus far, I haven’t even touched that mode even though I loved it greatly. I’ve just been spending a lot of time in exhibition matches thus far. Something about the core tennis gameplay feels perfect. I have a feeling I won’t be putting the title down anytime soon!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Your thoughts on Nintendo’s E3 2015 performance

bakedapplepie

Overall I think it was a pretty good show. Ya a lot of what we knew already, but the Starfox reveal, interviews, and muppets/puppets were great. I thought the Treehouse team did a great job really showing the viewer more depth to all the games mentioned in the digital direct and showing some games that were not mentioned (Fatal Frame). Also the return of the Nintendo World Championship was a lot of fun to watch. The one thing that I was seriously disappointed in was their was no announcement for a new HD Zelda remaster for the Wii U. I truly expected that they would announce Twilight Princess HD, since they delayed Zelda Wii U and they did such a good job on Wind Waker. I’m still hoping that this comes true.

Kimite

I think it was the way Nintendo presented their games and some of the interviews were a bit long than they need maybe. Still am not too sure if it was a good idea too show all of the new upcoming stuff right before E3 ;^^. I mean they had their Nintendo Direct about 3 weeks ago and their Smash presentation last Sunday, and I think it would be better if they included some of those games in the Digital Event too.

Still most of the games Nintendo featured in the Digital Event is probably going to be good if not amazing ^^. I mean I am looking forward to 4-5 of the games they showed as I am a Zelda fan and I RPGer. (Really looking forward to Triforce Heroes ^^).

I mentioned it below in a comment, but I think the reason why Devil’s Third and Fatal Frame wasn’t shown in the Digital Event is because of a/the same law in Europe that forbid people to buy 18/M rated games before 11PM ;^^. (Don’t ask me why Europe has laws like that :-/).

The reason why I think there will be a Nintendo Direct in August is the amount of content Nintendo are releasing then. Like: The Match making mode for Splatoon (and Rainmaker mode), Tournament mode in Smash and Devil’s Third.

Right now I think the best thing we can do is wait for the good games to come and we are actually getting both Legend of Kay and Art Academy this month, so I don’t think we should be bitter for too long as there are plenty of games that are coming with are really good :-).

LittleLynn

Nintendo’s Digital Event was kind of completely terrible. There was entirely too much fluff. I totally zoned out when Miyamoto blabbed on about the inspiration for Star Fox for entirely too long. And I actually passed out while Reggie was asking how Donkey Kong and Bowser got into Skylanders (only to wake up and find them still talking). Whoopie. I thought this was supposed to be about games?

I’m sure that kind of stuff is interesting to somebody, but I think even they’d agree it’s not really the time or place for it. One of the things I tend to appreciate about Nintendo’s presentations over the others is that usually Nintendo doesn’t spend so much time patting itself on the back. This year, not so much.

That and a lot of bizarre game choices. From the weird Metroid sports thing to two new Animal Crossing games that did nothing but offend Metroid and Animal Crossing fans alike. And I’ll probably just skip Triforce Heroes, as someone who really couldn’t get into Four Swords. I’m not into Star Fox. I’m not into Skylanders. I’d play Mario Tennis at a friend’s place if they had it, but I couldn’t imagine myself getting and playing it on my own.

I think Hyrule Warriors Legends was probably the best new(ish) announcement. I’d been waiting for a price drop before I picked it up, but a new portable version, with all the DLC, at the price of a 3DS game? Good enough price for me. I just wish it weren’t spoiled beforehand.

But seriously, no third version for Pokemon XY? I thought for sure they’d announce that.

It’s not to say everything out of Nintendo sucked though. Rather, all the games they showed that I’m looking forward to, are ones we’ve already known about for a while: Yoshi’s Woolly World, Super Mario Maker, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Fire Emblem Fates, and Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem (or whatever they’re calling it now). That’s a lot of games to be excited for actually, but I already knew they were coming. And the new videos mostly offered next to no new real information about any of them (excluding Mario Maker, which actually got a lot of new details). For the most part, there weren’t really any surprises. Honestly, I think they should’ve saved both the Micro Direct from a few weeks back, and the Smash Direct (and maybe even Earthbound Beginnings) from last weekend for the Digital Event. It’d have had a lot more substance if they did.

Exy

I think it would have been a better show if they didn’t sabotage themselves in the six months leading up to it. The Nintendo Directs, the Nintendo World Championships, and the DeNA announcement and the NX reveal accompanying it all took away things that could have been much bigger deals at E3. They should have put, say, Metroid Prime: Federation Force in some Nintendo Direct if they had a clue how people would react to it, but they didn’t because they absolutely had to have a surprise game in the championships. For each big reveal and deconfirmations leading up to E3, expectations went higher and higher and they just made it impossible to get anything other than the reaction they got. That said, they’ll be fine, even if the show did feel oddly 3DS-centric. They’ve survived a few “losses” and this one is being blown out of proportion.

As for me, I went in expecting only a ton of Mario Maker stuff and that’s what I got, so I was satisfied. And they showed a bunch of gameplay whenever possible, unlike some other shows this year as usual. Also Muppets.

Boss Jelly

Underwhelmed as a whole, it just seemed like variants of things we already knew about. I think Paper Jam, Star Fox and Tennis look pretty cool though. I’m not INCREDIBLY angry about the Metroid game but I’m a little disappointed after 5 years that this is the return of the series…Amiibo Festival on the other hand…

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 42 Comments

Let’s Talk #13: Your thoughts on Nintendo’s E3 2015 performance

Well, that’s it! Another E3 is in the books. Now it’s time to talk about it all.

Just like last year’s E3, Nintendo did quite a bit in conjunction with the show. The Smash Bros. presentation kicked things off on Sunday morning, followed by the Nintendo World Championships later that night. The Nintendo Digital Event was on Tuesday, and the Treehouse Live streams lasted for three days.

As it was where the big announcements were made, I’ll be focusing on the Digital Event. You guys can feel free to discuss any part of Nintendo’s E3 presence, however!

To recap, below were the big announcements from the Nintendo Digital Event:

Wii U

– Star Fox Zero revealed, PlatinumGames working on the project
– Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival announced, out this holiday, amiibo figures revealed
– Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash announced, out this holiday
– Skylanders SuperChargers is getting Bowser and Donkey Kong figures that also act as amiibo
– Super Mario Maker: out September 11, new amiibo officially revealed
– Xenoblade Chronicles X: out December 4
– Yoshi’s Woolly World: out October 16
– New Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem trailer, reconfirmed for 2016

3DS

– The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes announced, out this fall
– Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam announced, out spring 2016
– Metroid Prime: Federation Force revealed, out in 2016
– Hyrule Warriors Legends confirmed, out Q1 2016
– Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer: out September 25
– Yo-Kai Watch: out this holiday
– Fire Emblem Fates gets its final name, reconfirmed for 2016

So that was the big stuff. Looking back on everything, how do you guys feel about what was shown? I’ll kick things off with my own thoughts below.

Man, there is a whole lot to talk about concerning the Digital Event. The general impression, unfortunately for Nintendo, seems to be leaning towards the negative side.

Once the Digital Event ended, I was a bit disappointed myself. For a few reasons.

For one thing, there wasn’t much new announced for Wii U. Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival and Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash were the only games we didn’t know about before for the console. Both are due out later this year. What do we have to look forward to in 2016 aside from Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem? I hope we see some announcements later on in the year!

Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a strange thing for me. On one hand, I’m happy that we finally have a new Metroid. On the other hand, it doesn’t feel much like a Metroid game right now. I’m not personally liking how it looks currently, but I’m very much willing to give it a shot. Let’s see what happens as development progresses.

Looking back on it and really reflecting on things, the Digital Event wasn’t awful in my opinion. Don’t forget we had E3 presentations like in 2008, which featured a whole lot of Shaun White Snowboarding and Wii Music. It definitely wasn’t Nintendo’s strongest, and last year’s event was much more exciting by comparison.

Some other random thoughts: where was Devil’s Third? Did anyone else feel like the Digital Event was missing “one other game” or “one big title”? After the Mario Maker bit, I was hoping Nintendo would have one final title to reveal. The puppets were lovely, but some segments felt like they ran on too long. Considering Yoshi’s Woolly World was featured in last year’s Digital Event and is launching extremely soon in Europe in Japan, a trailer probably would have been enough.

Okay, that’s enough from me. I better stop now. My brain has melted from E3 coverage, so I’m probably just rambling on too much at this point. Let us know what you thoughts about Nintendo at E3 2015 in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: E3 2015 hopes and dreams

Timppis

In order of preference.

New IP – Large scale JRPG but with more fantasy settings than Xenoblade games. FF9 or White Witch -style.

Paper Mario – Have to have this. The rumors must be true

Star Fox open world game – Not going to happen unfortunately

New line of Mario Sports games, highlighted by Mario Strikers 3 with HUGE career mode – Also not going to happen.

Mario sports games in general – Baseball, Rugby/American football mashup, Basketball, anything. -Not happening

Super Mario Sunshine HD – Plausible

Resurrection of any of these franchises – Waveracer, Golden Sun, 1080 Snowboarding, Advance Wars, Earthbound… – Also not going to happen

Im going to be so disappointed this year… I just know it ;_;

AJK

A new Metroid is the dream really. Ideally a new Prime type game.

Also please please please don’t let Starfox be underwhelming. I have waited since Starfox 64 for a decent Starfox shooter. My fear is that they might try something gimmicky instead of sticking to what made the first 2 games so great.

My final wish would be a new Golden Sun game on 3ds.

Vorsun

I’m probably alone on this, but I really wanna see more of Devil’s Third. That game is shaping up to be a really fun 3rd-person hack-and-slashooter. And of course I want Nintendo to be playing another trick on me and show a trailer for Zelda U, even though I’m sure there won’t be one.

As far as games I want them to announce, I would love for Retro’s new game to be Metroid Prime 4/Dread/whatever, but I’m torn because I also want them to do their own IP. I want Platinum’s game to either be Vanquish 2 or Wonderful 102 or… dare I ask for God Hand 2? With Bayonetta 2 being Wii U exclusive, the possibilities are astounding. And of course, as always, my greatest desire is Custom Robo U/3DS. I will not be satisfied with some cardboard cutout trying to be Custom Robo. I need the real steel deal.

icecreamperson

So I want a couple of things….

An hd remake for zelda for wii u

a new big 3d mario game announced in the vain of galaxy, sunshine or 64 fr wii u

a new paper mario announced for wii u

diddy kong racing for wii u announced

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 28 Comments

Let’s Talk #12: E3 2015 hopes and dreams

It’s crazy to think about how, in a week from today, E3 will be finished. The Nintendo World Championships will be over and done with, all announcements will have been made, and the expo itself will go on hiatus until next year.

Nintendo had an excellent E3 last year. It’ll be tough to top what they showed in terms of pure news and announcements, but there’s a heck of a lot to look forward to.

Nintendo is getting things started early this year with a Super Smash Bros. presentation from Masahiro Sakurai at 10:40 AM ET / 7:40 AM PT / 3:40 PM in the UK / 4:40 PM in Europe. The Nintendo World Championships 2015 kick off a few hours later at 6 PM ET / 3 PM PT / 11 PM in the UK / 12 PM in Europe. Nintendo will be quiet on Monday, but will be back in full force on Tuesday with its Digital Event (12 PM ET / 9 AM PT / 5 PM in the UK / 6 PM in Europe) and Treehouse Live streams throughout the week.

I think it goes without saying that the Nintendo Digital Event is the big thing here. We’ll be seeing more of previously-announced titles, along with new games for this year and 2016. Mario Maker, Devil’s Third, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Hyrule Warriors 3DS, Star Fox Wii U, and plenty more should be on display.

With all of that on mind, what are you hoping to see at E3 next week? Is there a game you’d like to see announced? Which already-announced title are you interested in seeing more of? Really, any E3 related talk is suitable for this week’s Let’s Talk topic!

There’s one game I’d like to see above all else right now: Metroid. The series feels like it’s been dormant for much too long (only five years, but still!).

I’d prefer to see a 3D Metroid – specifically a new Metroid Prime – though I’d gladly take a new 2D entry as well. As long as we see something Metroid-related at E3, I’ll be happy!

Highlights from last week’s topic: How are you liking Splatoon?

DeltaPeng

Pros
So far, the overall game is great. Have not tried single player. The art style/design and concept is cool and is a fresh take on the shooter genre, with Turf wars being more about covering area in paint (less attacking other players, a relaxing experience), and ranked battles primarily focused on attacking other players so that the Zones can be painted (a tense, potentially frustrating experience). Love the new IP.

Weapon and gear selection is plentiful and diverse, and will keep people occupied for a long while.

Aiming with gamepad gyro-sensors feels good and works well.

Easy to level up and get money as you obtain that from any online play (better than grinding as compared to SSB for custom moves [mainly an issue bc the grind is for single player, when the core gameplay/game_time is multi. Mini-rant end]), but maybe too easy. Could’ve made it longer and I don’t think people would’ve minded, I’ve unlocked all weapons, but have not bought/used them all to prevent clutter to my weapon screen. I have 200k money, which is probably enough to unlock everything left in the game since most items are pretty inexpensive.

Cons
-Could use more online stages, the more the better, potentially more than they have planned (planned 2-3 more?).
-ranked battle rank point system adds to frustration of the mode, way too easy to lose points, and is frustrating if you feel you’ve lost due to the ‘randomness’ of stage_selection/team_ selection/team’s_weapon_loadout. Because of point system, people will probably get stuck in the C range and B- ranks, so matching with similar ranked people can still give you wide ranges in skill levels. The tendency I find in ranked matches is that I either play people who completely destroy me and my team, or vice versa.
-not sure about the weapon balance at times, some of the people who are really good at long range or high power splatterguns are really hard to take down.
-hours of play wears on the wrists due to gamepad weight, may need to be careful of that as the game is addicting. A con as they could add other controller options (as far as I know, single player cannot do wiiU Pro controller).
-could use more pre-set message options other than “c’mon” and “booyah”

Recommendations
-ability to create and save/load multiple custom gear/weapon loadouts (help sort through the clutter once a lot of items are collected)
-ability to change equipment while in waiting lobby (or use different saved loadout, per above)
-Paintbrush may need a buff in attack, and an easier way to attack as opposed to mashing ZR (maybe 2 swipes per ZR press). Feels a bit weird when most other attacks are holding ZR or pressing it once.
~ability to exit lobby (maybe, keeping it does help with arranging matches, I imagine)
~ability to sell gear (essentially, reset abilities, or prevent less/no use ones from cluttering menu)

r4ind4nce

I’m really enjoying it despite the fact that I never warmed up to any other online shooter. It’s amazingly fresh (…) and a lot of fun! Also, knowing Nintendo any content shortages will probably be temporary.

timZ117

I love it.

The single player feels like classic nintendo. New gameplay mechanics in allmost every stage, really expressive and funny characters as opponents. Its just really smart and well done.

Multiplayer is a lot of fun too, but i do think its still a bit light on modes and options at the moment.

I cant wait to see whats in store for splatoon the next couple of months, and ill definitely be playing the game for a long time if they keep supporting it the way they have!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 33 Comments

Let’s Talk #11: How are you liking Splatoon?

Splatoon launched in North America and Europe on May 29. That means it’s been out for exactly one week! Given that, I wanted this week’s Let’s Talk topic to be focused entirely on that game, as well as your impressions.

The nice thing about Splatoon is that it’ll likely be fresh in your memory for at least the next few months. Nintendo has already released new weapons and a multiplayer map even though it’s only been out for a few days. The Inkbrush just came out roughly an hour ago!

So let’s get this Splatoon train rolling. Let us know how you’re liking (or not liking!) Splatoon in the comments below. Have you had a chance to complete the single-player campaign? What do you think of the different multiplayer maps? Any thoughts you have are welcome here!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Do you prefer playing alone or with others?

LordDisco

I honestly like playing solo the most. Don’t get me wrong, I do love playing with my friends and family when the timing is right, but amongst those people, there are only 4 that I can think of that value video games like I do. It is with those people that I enjoy multiplayer with the most, but because I live in Japan and 3 of those 4 friends live in North America, I definitely mostly play alone, which is FINE BY ME.

For me, playing video games is a lot like reading a book. If the game is good, it usually introduces itself well, gets you immersed into the game world, and eventually sucks you in until the end. The nice thing with video games is that they don’t necessarily need a story in order to fulfill this, which is pretty awesome and unique. A game like Pushmo, which has very little story, can still suck you in with a great introduction to the game, puzzles, and world.

I also work extremely long and difficult hours, so when I have down time, I usually just sit down and play. Again, like a book, I love to be pulled away from my reality and enjoy time in a make-believe world of sorts. It’s nice to escape reality and enjoy the fantasy of what video games can offer. Escaping that reality with friends is nice, but mostly, I just like playing alone.

??????84

Both. But if I play local multiplayer, it’d have to be with people I have good chemistry with. It’s annoying when some people get competitive and childish instead of enjoying the moment of playing video games with a mate

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 11 Comments

Let’s Talk #10: Do you prefer playing alone or with others?

There are two very different ways to play games. Way back in the day, is wasn’t as easy being able to play with a friend, but now that online play is being incorporated into more and more games, it’s become a very tangible option. Of course, quite a few games offer local multiplayer as well – notably titles made by Nintendo.

So what side of the fence do you site on? Are you more of a single-player gamer? Or do you prefer getting in your gaming fix by playing with others? Perhaps you sit somewhere in the middle. Do you have any memorable experiences playing alone or with friends with a particular game? Regardless of how you feel, be sure to let us know in the comments below!

I’ll kick off the discussion with my own thoughts.

Honestly, I’ve always been more about the single-player experience. I really enjoy getting immersed in a game, and the genres I enjoy the most are typically about playing alone. Platformers, adventure games, RPGs… those are right up my alley. Shooters, fighters, racers, party games, etc. focus more on multiplayer, and tend to be experiences that I’m not a huge fan of. That isn’t to say that these are defining rules. Super Mario 3D World, for example, does have a pretty big multiplayer component despite being a 3D platformer.

Even in multiplayer-centric games though, I’ve generally played through the single-player aspects much more than multiplayer. Take Smash Bros., for instance. Tons of people enjoy playing that title with friends, but I haven’t dabbled with the multiplayer much since Super Smash Bros. on the N64. The same even goes with something like Splatoon, which places the emphasis on online play. I see myself playing more via the campaign versus the multiplayer modes.

I do want to mention that I’m not against multiplayer gaming at all. Actually, it can be quite fun! Back when we did Game Nights with Mario Kart Wii and other titles, those were some pretty good times. It might be neat to bring that back one day.

Highlights from last week’s topic: What is your favorite Nintendo franchise?

Auragar

The Legend of Zelda. Best series. One of my top favorite series overall.

saltypop

This is tough. I’m going to go with Pikmin though. I’ve always loved the idea of exploring our world as a little person. And better yet they’re aliens so it’s all different to them. I love hearing what they have to say about our objects and fruits and even giving them new names, i.e. Strawberry is called “Sunseed Berry”. Oh and the gameplay is really fun.

Lolo

This is kind of personal, but my favorite series is the kirby series. Back in the early 90s, my dad was looking for game for me for my gameboy. Usually I would play mario games but he bought me kirbys dreamland for the gameboy. I looked at the game in disgust when I first saw it, so my dad played it first. I watched how much he sucked at the game, and I watched all the cute enemies walk into him, throw bombs in his face, until he died over and over and over. He let me play, and I enjoyed the game…it was different, and I felt the need to avenge my dad and beat the game. So I reached the end, and I finally meet the main bad guy of the game, King dedede. I honestly was puzzled as to why this Daffy Duck impersonator in robes with a hammer was the final boss. After fighting him, I was in awe at how he fights you like if he was another kirby, since he knew kirbys moves. I yelled in my room in shock when dedede sucked me in and spit me out, I yelled “HEY!! That’s what I do!”. I was especially shocked by how he could jump so high to hit kirby if you’re flying to get away. I had never seen a boss that acted like the hero…it was groundbreaking to me as a child. Since this game I was after my dad to get kirbys dreamland 2, and when he got it, I was very happy. I loved the animal buddies Rick, Coo, and Kine…and I wish for them to return someday. Dreamland 2 taught me, that not everything is what it seems. I honestly thought King dedede was at it again, and I never understood why he was sleepy when I fought him. I would beat the game countless times, puzzles at the one eyed black thing at the end of the credits, saying “that’s so stupid, why name all the characters, and then put a question mark for this one eyed black thing I have never seen”. To me it was stupid how the game ended that way. I never understood the deal behind the rainbow drops, but several years later when I was 9, I got them all. Then I faced king dedede again. I was officially scared when I beat dedede, because the game’s usual ending was changed. I watched the rainbow drops purify dedede from being possessed by the one eyed black thing that was always unnamed at the end of the game for me. It was then I realized, games can have an alternate true final boss and ending. This game was no longer cute, it was scary for me. But it made me realize that King dedede wasn’t always to blame for bad things to happen. It taught me that a character can’t always be labelled as a villain for just doing bad in 1 story. Which is why King dedede became my favorite character. He is funny bird that likes to be King, even if no one agrees that he should be. He surprised me as a child and made me laugh when I would race with him in gourmet race. Things like the gourmet race and the ending to kirbys adventure reminded me that even if someone does a bad thing, they aren’t always responsible for if something bad happens, and they are always capable of doing good.

Since my childhood, I have played though all the kirby games. I will conclude with this. A grew up with an older lady in my neighborhood, in recent years. Her grandaughter had a mother that along with her room mate, abused her. This granddaughter now lives happily with her grandmother I know. I introduced to them kirbys return to dreamland and they loved the game. This older lady, even though I am not related to Her, has taken me in like one of her children. Because if kirby I introduced to her, she loves play video games with her granddaughter. would you believe she has 100% on her own time games like snowpack park wii and animal crossing city folk? I was amazed. Together, we love kirbys return to dreamland (mario is too hard for her), because you can play as a team and its easier on the players than other games. She loves to play as King Dedede, and she loves to give enemies a “headache” with her hammer, I love that haha. She labels King dedede as “our buddy” because of how funny he is and how helpful he can be in the adventure.

If you don’t believe me, I have some videos of us playing. A 3 part kirby game of us 3 playing.

So this why I love the Kirby series and I eagerly await more of them. So I will conclude with this fan art I drew for my “grandmother”.

http://unclelaurence.deviantart.com/art/Kirby-and-his-friend-King-DeDeDe-365987290

FireFrog

I love almost every Nintendo franchise but the one that is my favorite and that I can always go back to its Yoshi. The Yoshi games are so calming imaginative and all around fun to play. They are great platforming games with tons of elements and mechanics that make it constantly enjoyable. Yoshi’s Story is actually my favorite in the series because of how crazy fun and innovative it is. I’m more excited for Woolly World than any other game right now.

shaw98

The main Super Mario series. Many people forget that Mario has a main series because of how many spin offs he has. I love all the main Mario titles except for Mario bros 2 both Japan and U.S.A. What I love about the mario franchise in general, is that even the spin offs are masterpieces. Usually spin offs are simple cash ins on the main series but Mario makes his spin offs so good to.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 44 Comments

Let’s Talk #9: What is your favorite Nintendo franchise?

Nintendo has created a ton of franchises over the years. We’ve seen IPs like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Star Fox, Kid Icarus… just to name a few. There are so many series out there that it’s tough to choose a favorite. But that’s exactly what I’m asking of you this week!

This week’s Let’s Talk is very simple. I want to have a discussion about our favorite franchises. What’s your favorite? Why do you enjoy it so much? I’m curious about your absolute favorite series, but you can name a few runner-ups as well. Sound off in the comments! You’ll find a few thoughts from me and highlights from last week’s Let’s Talk down below.

Choosing a favorite Nintendo franchise is incredibly difficult since Nintendo has a bunch of well-known and great series to choose from. At the end of the day though, I’d probably have to go with Zelda. I’ve previously talked about how Ocarina of Time truly jump-started my interest in gaming, and my experience with it is a big reason why Nintendo Everything exists today!

There’s a lot to love in Zelda. The epic adventures. The variety of art styles. The different types of gameplay. For me, there’s very little that beats riding Epona across Hyrule.

I do want to mention that I have a ton of love for other Nintendo franchises. If I were to rank them, Zelda would be first, followed by Mario, and then Metroid. Mario… well, not much explanation is needed there! It’s an absolutely classic franchise that can resonate with just about anyone. I started with the Metroid series late – Metroid Fusion was my first experience with the franchise. But I never looked back, and have loved both the 2D and 3D entries.

Highlights from last week’s topic: Your thoughts on Splatoon

Exy

I had my worries in the past that they’re not doing as much as they should to promote it, but they should be credited for identifying their internet fanbase and getting to them where it counts. Tumblr in particular is big on the game’s aesthetic and characters, and they’re actually using their Vine account for the first time since 2013 solely to promote this game. Before last month, they had only two Vines, both half-heartedly promoting the Wii U, but now there’s a good amount of videos on it all dedicated to Splatoon. They’re really going all out on the internet front getting this game known. Pity about those American television commercials though…

timfletcher1983

I’ve read a lot of complaints about the game pad being necessary to play online. I have to admit, I was a little concerned too, given I use the Pro Controllers almost exclusively with the relevant games that support it. However, the gyro + analogue stick controls of the game pad were absolutely, surprisingly comfortable when playing for 1 hour during the Splatoon Global Testfire. I gave it a good go, then turned motion control off to see how I’d fare with the typical analogue stick controls, but I have to say I preferred the gyro + analogue combo; it seems far more accurate.

I wonder though how this might fare for longer periods of playing. No doubt, the game pad may get a little heavy over time, and I still had a lot of tweaking (and skill development) to feel like I had the hang of it 100%. Nonetheless, I was super pleasantly surprised – two hands on the game pad make for some seriously accurate and timely aiming – much more than those one handed Wii remote motion aiming days.

Ant M.

I for one am REALLY excited for this game after getting my hands on it. It’s a new spin on a genre that DESPERATELY needed one & a polished one at that. That game feels SO good! Everything about it feels fluid and works together to make you feel immersed in the gameplay from the controls down to the sound design.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 14 Comments

Let’s Talk #8: Your thoughts on Splatoon

Splatoon’s release date is fast approaching. Actually, two weeks from today, the game will finally be out on store shelves. How exciting is that?!

Splatoon is a pretty big deal. It’s a new IP from Nintendo, and it’s something different from the Big N. Nintendo itself seems to be promoting it fairly heavy with various commercials in all regions, a dedicated Direct (though it’s true they do that for most games), and even a special demo.

Since we’re so close to Splatoon’s launch, I thought it could be nice to hold a discussion about the game. How do you feel about Splatoon? Has your opinion changed since the original reveal at E3? What’d you think of the Splatoon Global Testfire? Sound off in the comments below!

Just a few quick thoughts from me since I’ve been feeling sick the past couple of days!

I feel like this isn’t the popular opinion, but I’m actually looking forward to playing the single-player campaign more than the multiplayer modes. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll definitely be trying out the various multiplayer offerings. However, I’ve always been more of a lone gamer. That’s just the way I tend to enjoy games!

Everything we’ve heard about Splatoon’s single-player thus far sounds very interesting. I love hearing that it has a lot of variety, and some people have even compared it to Super Mario Galaxy in a way – which is certainly a good thing.

Obviously multiplayer is going to be what carries Splatoon forward. I managed to get in a few rounds last week, and I think what I played managed to sell me on those multiplayer aspects more. I just need more time with the game.

Highlights from last week’s topic: Do you care about amiibo?

Diortem

I care about amiibo! I’m sick of hearing people complain about them. They’re not DLC- they’re figurines. If you don’t want it for your shelf, DON’T BUY IT. I love the way a lot of them look and I think the in-game bonuses are fantastic and not even CLOSE to DLC. I have a nice collection of the ones I love the most and I have the Splatoon 3-pack pre-ordered.

By the way- just spent the hour playing the Splatoon demo- WOW! They hype is VERY real. That was amazingly fun.

Garrett Austin Boyle

I have 18 on my shelf with seven preordered. I think I kind of like them.

??

In a strange ironic twist, I have only one amiibo and no real motivation to complete a collection, despite being a completionist (in collections as well as games) to a debilitating point xD

I think several things turned me off from it, namely the modeled appearance versus the actual thing. Of course it was too much to actually assume every factory model one would appear in such a lovely way. The other thing was the one-file-at-a-time functionality makes it a little limiting…

Seeing other comments, I am more than happy to let others who truly enjoy Amiibos buy them (at non scalped prices none the less) rather than buying them and trying to convince myself that I need or want them.

ArsonDoctor

I do, though it didn’t really start until I bought a Peach amiibo for my niece. At first, I decided I was only going to get amiibo for my mains in Smash Bros., Captain Falcon and Shulk, and Sonic since I grew up playing his games, but then my nieces got interested, and then a Pikachu amiibo happened, and then a Zelda, and then Samus too. I’m only really interested in the Smash Bros. line as of right now, but of course that could change in the future. I want a Mewtwo amiibo really, REALLY bad though.

I got the Captain Falcon and Shulk ones BTW, my Gamestop is awesome!

Locky Mavo

I’d love to see Nintendo make a Amiibo game, like Disney Infinity and Skylanders,
Amiibo-land maybe? (seeing as Nintendoland is taken). Give Amiibos more of a use, instead of just unlocking costumes, weapons, abilities and Smash AI saves. Maybe even have it so they can be added into the Nintendo version of Disney Infinity, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions, that’d be awesome!

Maybe something will be announced at E3?

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Posted on 10 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 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 62 Comments

Let’s Talk #6: Which character do you want to see in Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS?

During last month’s Nintendo Direct, it was announced that there are a bunch of plans for DLC in Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. Along with Mewtwo and Lucas, Nintendo will be adding even more fighters to both games down the line. The company went as far as to open a Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot so that fans could voice their opinions about which characters they want to see on the roster.

That brings us to this week’s topic! I’m curious about the sort of characters you guys would like to see added as DLC. I’ll get the discussion started.

I’m not too sure if I have an absolute standout character that I’m pulling for in Smash Bros. Adding the Inkings from Splatoon would be a nice choice! And it’d be very neat to see Amaterasu from Okami in the game (though I know that will never happen).

Honestly, I feel like I had my dream fulfilled with Shulk – that’s someone that I never actually thought would make it into Smash Bros. When the initial leak happened last year, I felt like it was too good to be true. Some people say that Shulk is a dull character, but I believe that he is a really great representation of Xenoblade, and I never had a problem with him.

Those are just a few quick thoughts from me. Now I want to see what you all have to say! What would be your dream character for Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS? Sound off in the comments, and read up on some of your highlights from last week’s Let’s Talk below!

Last week’s topic: Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC and 200cc mode (highlights)

Kallumsmarties

I didn’t think it would be better than the first DLC pack to be honest, but it would still be pretty darn good. They definitely proved me wrong lol. They just keep getting better. 200cc also helped get me hyped up it for as well.

Purple3DSXL

I hate Cheese Land. I just don’t get it, and I had played the old version long ago. I didn’t like it then either. These new tracks don’t stick to me like the first DLC pack did. They shouldn’t have shortened Baby Park (seems a little smaller than it used to be) and given it more laps or something. Like Bob said, Wild Woods seems to be the best. I feel it has more to offer than the other tracks do for the latest pack.

gurdurrlv34

I just got both packs of the DLC last week, so I’m going over the most notable tracks. Cheese Land is hard and lame. Wild Woods is cool. The F-Zero courses are bae. Animal crossing is meh as a racetrack. Hyrule Circuit is cool, but I just don’t see Zelda in it. Why couldn’t you just ride through shop town in majora’s mask or ocarina of time??? Ribbon Road is cool. Ice Ice Outpost is LAME! Excitebike arena is cool. Baby park is fun on 200cc and nothing else. SNES rainbow road is, oddly enough, one of my favorite rainbow roads and I like to see it in HD (finally some background scenery 🙂 Wario’s Gold Mine was my favorite course on my favorite Mario kart game, and I’m really happy to see that the mine carts are now GOOD to run into. The rest are just forgettable.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 13 Comments

Let’s Talk #5: Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC and 200cc mode

Mario Kart 8’s second wave of DLC has finally arrived. Players now have access to eight additional courses, three new characters, and four more vehicles. Plus, let’s not forget the new 200cc mode that can be obtained through the latest update! Given all of the new content that Mario Kart 8 has added, it seems like the perfect topic for this week’s Let’s Talk.

Unlike previous Let’s Talks, I don’t have much to say about this one… yet! That’s largely in part because I just haven’t had any time to give the new DLC a go yet. I’m hoping to change that sometime this weekend. That being said, I absolutely love the courses in this latest DLC batch. Ribbon Road might be my favorite based on what I’ve seen due to all of the little details.

How many of you have gone hands-on with the new DLC? What’s your favorite track? How are you liking the new characters? Have you tried out 200cc yet? Would you be interested in seeing even more Mario Kart 8 DLC? Sound off in the comments below!

Last week’s topic: The future of 3D Mario games (highlights)

Vigilante_blade

I personally want a Super Mario 64 more open game. While I think there is some merit in Super Mario Galaxy, (apart from the Wiimote controls), I quickly grew bored of the extremely linear level design. Besides, I think it’s been a while since we had a 64-style Mario game.

sonicfan1373

I think we need a balance between linearity and exploration. I think that is one of the things Super Mario Sunshine did well, at least conceptually. Much of the shine collecting occurred in a walled garden setting, whereas there were also linear courses (albeit they were somewhat dull).

I would not mind something like that in future Mario games, having exploration based worlds where you collect stars by completing missions, collection red coins, searching for hidden coins or star parts, and competing in races but also having these worlds connect to more linear courses that really test your platforming, though unlike Sunshine’s somewhat dull courses these could be more like courses from Super Mario 3D Land/World or Galaxy.

FrostedFireFly

I don’t want another Galaxy game because I think the Galaxy mechanic would lose it’s wonder after a 3rd game. I’d still buy it if they made one though, but I’d prefer they didn’t.

I don’t want another 3D World either though… The games felt fun, but extremely underwhelming, making it not really feel like a main Mario game in the series. A sequel to Sunshine would be nice but if possible, I want a completely new Single Player experience using a newer mechanic for the overall game perhaps.

I doubt it’d happen, but I’d like a new 3D Mario game that mixes it’s elements with the Super Mario RPG game back on the Snes… Yeah I guess you could say I just want a new Super Mario RPG but imagine jumping around like you can in Galaxy in actual inhabited Mario places. Have you seen the villages used in the background for Mario Kart 8 tracks!? Why can’t we explore a world like THAT in video games???

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