Posted on 9 years ago by Travis(@nintentravis) in Features, Wii U | 8 Comments

Leading up to Super Mario Maker’s release on Sept. 11th, we’re highlighting some of the coolest, most creative, or just plain ridiculous levels users have created so far. In this episode, we check out the level “A Mushroom’s Life 1” from Dennis in Germany, who chronicles the adventures of a single mushroom as it makes its way from a question block to your heart.

If you have any suggestions for levels we should play let us know in the comments and we’ll check it out!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Just a Chat | 4 Comments

Lots of important Nintendo news has come in over the past few days, including the announcement of the standard New 3DS for North America, Shovel Knight amiibo, and Xenoblade Chronicles X Special Edition. Daan and I talk about it all in this week’s episode of Just a Chat!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Travis(@nintentravis) in Features, Videos, Wii U | 6 Comments

Leading up to Super Mario Maker’s release on Sept. 11th, we’re highlighting some of the coolest, most creative, or just plain ridiculous levels users have created so far. In this episode, we check out the level “Winners don’t do shrooms” from Kocobe in France, who flips the idea of mushrooms being a friend of Mario’s on its head.

Let us know in the comments below if you have suggestions for future videos!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 29 Comments

Let’s Talk #21: Indie amiibo you’d like to see

Nintendo and Yacht Club Games made a major announcements during Nindies@Night. The two sides confirmed rumors – plus retail leaks – that Shovel Knight is getting its own amiibo. This is definitely a big move for Nintendo, and third-parties as a whole.

What’s happening with Shovel Knight really presents some interesting opportunities. It now seems like the possibility exists for any character to receive its own amiibo.

But let’s go back to the news about Shovel Knight for a second, and more specifically, independent developers. Indies have become a very important part of Nintendo’s plans over the past few years. Having said that, is there any indie character you’d like to see have an amiibo aside from Shovel Knight? Tell us in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: What do you want from the next mainline Pokemon?

LittleLynn

This probably sounds like a small, insignificant thing, but I was really disappointed to see trainer customization was absent from OR/AS. It was honestly one of my favorite aspects in X/Y. Between my obsession with collecting things, and my other obsession with making my customizable player characters juuust right in any game where it’s an option, I just always felt excited every time a new town had a clothing store. Plus, it was nice knowing my character wasn’t a carbon copy of approximately half of every other players’ characters. So, whether the next installment is a “third version” to X/Y, or it’s Gen 7, I really want to see that feature come back, and stay for good!

Also, whatever the next game is, it will almost inevitably have Amiibo support with it’s own special Pokemon line. I have no idea what it would do, but hopefully, something actually worth using (and hey, at the very least if character customization comes back, non-Pokemon Amiibo could be used for character-based costumes *wink wink, Nintendo*). Anyway, when it invariably happens, I’m just hoping that at least a few of my favorites will get one.

shinkuu

I’d like to see a bit of a break from the old formula, like with Animal Crossing: New Leaf. With each new generation there’s a new professor, new rival, new gym leaders, etc., and they’re largely forgettable. It might be interesting for new games to be set a bit in the future, with old familiar faces in new roles.

I think there also needs to be a bit of simplification to eliminate the “backwards compatibility” in each new generation. Like, “Oh, this Pokemon couldn’t hold this item before, so that’s why it never evolved” and “Oh, this Pokemon didn’t have this incense before, so that’s why this baby Pokemon never appeared”. Having a dynamic Pokedex that kept related evolutions together, and changed with new additions, might help too.

And finally, I think one of the most appealing aspects of the games is trading with others to get Pokemon you need. It would be interesting if your game’s exclusive Pokemon weren’t simply set by which version you got, but partially randomized, so just buying two copies of the game wouldn’t be a guarantee and you’d HAVE to trade or use the GTS.

Locky Mavo

More Regions with all the Gym Leaders and badges to earn, challenging Pokemon battles from Trainers, Rival, Bad Guy Team, Gym Leaders and Elite 4, at all times. Have the day/night cycle and calendar Pokemon like they had in Gold and Silver. A good story, X and Y did well with that, and some creepy mystery like the ghost girl in X and Y, that was cool.

But ultimately, an open world, home console Pokemon game would be nice, open world with the likes of Xenoblade’s open world feeling. And maybe with some MMO elements would be neat too.

But heck, a Pokemon game where you start in the Kanto region then made your way to the Kalos region would be awesome.

thecrimsonbolt

Aesthetically the game is pretty ok, but I’d lke the next game to look more polished and less rough around the edges.
Pokemon distribution really turned me down in X/Y. The amount of Pokemon was fine, but they were all just thrown in every route, making for some truly bloated routes (route 2 had like 6 different pokemon!) B2/W2 had the same amount of Pokemon, but their distribution was done a lot better (Make more caves and side areas so the distribution is more even).
I loved customization, but it was really biased towards the female side. For every single customization option, females had twice the options as males). Also, I’d like to go hatless as well.
HAVE THE OPTION TO TURN ROLLERSKATES OFF.
Allow Megas to be usable in Amie.
Allow for multiplayer battle backgrounds to be changed. This gen had some amazing backgrounds but for online battles you’re stuck with the boring blue one.
Then I’d like to tweak some of the breeding mechanics. Destiny Knot now passes down the 5 highest IVs instead of 5 random IVs, and make it so both parents can pass down the Pokeball, but in different ratios, (instead of only females passing them down, make it so it’s 25% male and 75% female).
More side areas like caves and forests. These last two gens have felt really linear.
I think that’s pretty much all of what I’d want.

Kogamo

What I want is what I think everyone has wanted since… jeez, the Wii’s launch, maybe? Just a simple open-world, home-console experience, if not containing all regions, at least containing all Pokémon thus far introduced. Where there aren’t two versions, and where coming across Pokémon that would normally be version-exclusive is simply a rare occurrance that isn’t dictated by your color or cover-legendary preferences. ‘Tis beautifully simple to imagine.

Also, the underground from Diamond/Pearl/Platinum is something I’ve wanted again and again since it was removed. Naturally, things that are objective improvements, like character customization and online trading, should return just because there’s no reason to remove them at this point.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, New Nintendo 3DS, Reviews | 33 Comments

System: Nintendo 3DS
Release date: August 27th, 2015 (EU) – September 15th, 2015 (NA)
Developer: Tamsoft
Publisher Marvellous, XSEED
Best girl: Rin

Let’s just get this out of the way first: Senran Kagura has always sold itself on the breasts of its female protagonists rather than the actual gameplay and on the surface this sequel is no different. It’s still all about teenage anime girls fighting it out in the perviest way possible and it’s bound to be a style that will alienate most of the console’s audience. Though it wouldn’t be particularly professional to do so as a reviewer, Senran Kagura 2 is absolutely the kind of game where it is reasonable to dismiss it based on the premise alone. That said, there is more to Deep Crimson than finally making good on the producer’s promise of viewing breasts in stereoscopic 3D and there are some welcome refinements to the brawler gameplay.

My only experience with the series prior to this was the Playstation Vita spin-off, Senran Kagura: Shinovi Versus, a game I didn’t care for at all, which made it even more surprising when I ended up enjoying Deep Crimson quite a bit. I still have my misgivings about the game’s aesthetic, but the fast-paced combat and bizarre tone definitely filled a niche on the console’s library. Though the gravity-defying blobs the game calls breasts might still be Senran Kagura’s primary selling point, there is thankfully a bit more to it this time around.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Vincent Ward in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 13 Comments

System: Wii U eShop
Release: August 27, 2015
Developer: 13AM Games
Publisher: 13AM Games

Author: Vincent

It’s not too often that an indie release comes around and blows my expectations out of the water. But with Runbow, it appears that the folks over at 13AM Games have successfully created a title worthy of being the exception. Bringing a new concept to the platformer genre is about as difficult as it gets, and it’s even harder to make it all work. Yet with Runbow, the developer has gracefully created a game filled with as much innovation as there is fun. Also, did I mention you get to play as Shovel Knight and Rusty?

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Videos, Wii U | 3 Comments

Nintendo announced a whole bunch of news on Monday, including release dates, the Mega Yarn Yoshi amiibo, and more. Daan and I talked about it all on the latest episode of Just a Chat, which you can listen to below. I was a bit exhausted while we were recording, but that’s okay!

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 88 Comments

Let’s Talk #20: What do you want from the next mainline Pokemon?

Pokemon is taking a slight break this year. Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon is due out in a few months, and we even have Pokken Tournament to look forward to on Wii U next spring. But in terms of the next core entry in the Pokemon franchise, there’s nothing planned for 2015.

One thing to note is that this isn’t out of the ordinary as there tends to be at least a one-year absence for new Pokemon RPGs. For instance, after Pokemon Black/White came out in 2010 in Japan, Black 2/White 2 weren’t ready until 2012.

It’s very likely that we’ll end up seeing the next core Pokemon game next year. What do The Pokemon Company, Nintendo, and Game Freak have planned? That’s anybody’s guess. Chances are though that it will be on 3DS. One theory floating around is that “Pokemon Z” is in the works, and it will launch next year.

Let’s just say that you had control over the Pokemon RPGs. Are there any particular gameplay elements that you would want to include? Would you try changing up the visual style? What sort of direction do you want to see the series take? Let us know in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Thoughts thus far about Super Mario Maker

Reiianuo

As someone who hasn’t enjoyed a Mario game until Super Mario 3D World (Seriously!), I cannot believe how excited I am for Mario Maker. I’m even worried about not being creative enough to make full use of the level editor itself. But I’m very excited to try other players creative output (Not necessarily high difficulty, although if that goes hand-in-hand with a very creative stage I’m all for it)! It’s comprehensive, it’s simple, it just looks like it’s going to be a blast to make and share stages with my friends. The online setup looks to be solid, its just a very good make. Although I don’t like to see such blatant copies in the industry, it makes me crave things like a Sonic (the Hedgehog) Maker that lets you make games in Sonic 1/3/4/Advance (?) styles, but that comes more from the childhood fan in me.

LordDisco

I can’t be more excited about it! My friends and I do Game Tournaments every couple months, and ever since we’ve heard about Super Mario Maker, we already knew that was going to be one of our tournaments entries. After watching the Nintendo World Championship, I knew it was the perfect game to play!

Recently, N++ came out on the PS4, and I am addicted to that right now. I love excruciatingly difficult platformers, and N++ is about as top-notch as you can get in this category.

However, Super Mario games aren’t normally that hard. Even the most difficult levels in Super Mario games are doable for the average gamer. But with Super Mario Maker, that casual nature for Super Mario is gone, and the ability to bring chaos into the Super Mario world is finally upon us! I cannot wait to make and play the “worst” of levels. And knowing how creative the Wii U community is, I can’t wait to see what everyone brings to the table. This is my most anticipated game of 2015! Already pre-ordered and patiently waiting.

Steve793

While I won’t get the game day 1 (darn school!), I will definitely be picking it up very soon. I have never been this excited for a new 2D Mario game. I can imagine spending hours creating a level, while watching TV or concentrating on the big screen performance, making sure that every piece is in the best spot. Some levels will be mean, and some will be challenging, while others will be just fun! And the best part, limit-less Mario levels! A never ending game. What is not to get excited about?!

And though I might be in the minority, I don’t mind the 9-day system. It will give me time to play the other modes, experiment and discover what I can do with each new block and fine tune my creation skills to make great levels. And, there are “dozens” of pre-made levels to play on disc, so I’ll need some time to play those, right?!

All I need is a Nintendo Direct to give me some more info on this game and Star Fox, and Zelda, and Xeno, and I need Yoshi. R.I.P. my Wallet!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 6 Comments

A late, late episode of Here’s a Podcast as a weary Austin tries to find the time to edit this dang thing. He didn’t really succeed this week, but the episode is here anyway, without chapters, but still with all the gaming goodness that your grandma grabbed from McGrady’s Grape Gastle.

Games discussed this week: Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia, Axiom Verge, Xenoblade Chronicles, Fantasy Life.

Listener Questions Mail Topics: Favorite game soundtracks, the future of the Mother franchise, Guitar Hero and Rock Band, and more.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Just a Chat, Videos, Wii U | 1 Comment

After a bit of a hiatus with Just a Chat, Daan are I are back to discuss the latest week of Nintendo news. That includes Super Mario Maker, Splatoon, Runbow, and more.

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
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