Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Videos | 0 comments

I’m joined by Daan once again for a new Just a Chat, with the new Nintendo Direct taking center stage. Pretty much everything from the presentation was discussed, including Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 DLC, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, and much more.

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

Share your thoughts about the Nintendo Direct here!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 40 Comments

Another Nintendo Direct is in the books! After more than two months, a new presentation was finally delivered, and it covered a whole bunch of topics. We finally got our first glimpse at Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, and received a big update on the new Fire Emblem game for 3DS. There was also major DLC news for Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 (including the game’s free 200cc update!). Plenty more was shown of course.

What’d you think of it? Are you pleased with what was shown? What is your personal highlight? How do you feel about Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, which seems to be getting mixed reactions?

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

This Nintendo Direct really delivered in my view, especially if you kept your expectations in check. With E3 2015 only two months away, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of brand new game announcements. That’s why it made no sense to me that people were predicting that Star Fox for Wii U would be shown. Star Fox is the sort of game that you need to hold on to for a big event like E3.

Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is one of the biggest game that appeared during Nintendo Direct. Even though it was reconfirmed at last year’s E3 that the game was still in the works, it was nice to finally see a visual confirmation of this. I’m actually a tiny bit surprised that it wasn’t revealed at this year’s E3.

There are a lot of mixed thoughts when it comes to Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. Right now, I’m in the “positive” group. I do like what was shown. Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem is getting a fair amount of comparisons to Persona, and I don’t mind that at all personally – especially since I played (and adored) Persona 4 Golden last year. We still barely know anything about it, so I think it’s too early to make any sort of absolute judgment.

I could probably write up a whole bunch of thoughts about this week’s Nintendo Direct, but then this post would end up being way too long! That being said, the news about Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 was exciting. The Yoshi amiibo is adorable. And hey, the Wii U Virtual Console is still alive thanks to the introduction of N64 and DS titles! It’s about time.

Now we want to hear from you. Let’s talk about this week’s Nintendo Direct! Sound off in the comments below. Just like last week, I’ll be stopping by the comments section and replying to some of your thoughts. Let’s keep the conversation going!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in Features, Reviews, Wii U, Wii U eShop | 7 Comments

System: Wii U (eShop)
Release: April 9, 2015
Developer: KnapNok Games & Nifflas Games
Publisher: KnapNok Games

Author: Patrick

I have to confess, I’m not a fan of the Wii U’s GamePad. For a peripheral that comes with every console, very few games have justified using this massive tablet over a more conventional controller. Sure, off-TV play is great and some of the early releases like ZombiU and Game & Wario provided a nice taste of what the controller was capable of, but the GamePad as a whole smacks of wasted potential. Thankfully, next week sees the eShop release of Affordable Space Adventures, a planet-exploring puzzle game that promises to put the GamePad to good use. If any studio can use this pricey controller effectively it’s developer KnapNok Games, who previously published Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party, one of the few titles that did use the GamePad in interesting ways to create an quirky co-operative experience. Joining them in this collaboration is game designer Nicklas “Nifflas” Nygren, who has produced several moody games based around exploration including Knytt Underground. These two European studios both have very different styles, so how well do they mesh and deliver on their promise that the game “truly utilizes the potential of the Wii U”?

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Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, Game of the Month, Wii | 2 Comments

Of all the games I’ve reviewed for Nintendo Everything over the years, Monster Hunter Tri might be one of the most memorable. Stepping out of Moga Village for the first time was a wonderful moment reminiscent of Richard Attenborough welcoming everyone to Jurassic Park… mostly because there were dinosaurs there. Though the controls and sluggish swordplay took a bit of getting used to, I eventually warmed up to the actual gameplay, giving the game an respectable, yet arbitrary score of 9/10. Now I find myself returning to the hunt with the recently released Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and it turns out that the series has actually evolved quite a bit since 2010’s Tri. While the games look similar on the surface —if anything Monster Hunter 4 looks like a downgrade, with the visuals scaled back to fit on the tiny 3DS screen— there are a of lot of things that have been changed for the better. I think it’s worth comparing these two entries to see how far the series has progressed in the last few years and some of the ways that Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate improves on the formula.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 1 Comment

Podcast Crew: Austin (Twitter), Jack (Twitter), Laura (Twitter)

There was a Nintendo Direct today! Do you want to hear some people talk about it? Well, this isn’t really the podcast for that, but we do talk plenty about games, why they’re good, why they’re bad, and why you should play them. Because we love games.

We love game news. But we mostly love games.

Shenanigans

1) Intros, hello, what to expect
2) Picture of the Day (new segment)
3) Game of the Week: Tetris 2!
4) Personal Grievance Time (PGT)

What we played

5) Austin takes a key for coming in. (Super Ghouls n Ghosts)
6) Laura finds love again, and again, and again. (Fire Emblem: Awakening)
7) Jack tries emulating N64, and realizes it sucks.

Shenanigans Redux

8) FEATURES FEATURES FEATURES
9) Check out that handshake. (Nintendo and DeNa and Zelda delay, the only timely segment)

Book Club

10) A Link to the Past – Book Club FINALE
11) And the Master Sword sleeps again… FOREVER! (Final Thoughts)

Final Shenanigans

12) Tetris 2 quiz!
13) Ending.

Download this episode (click this link)

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Posted on 9 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Features, Game of the Month, Wii U | 5 Comments

If I said it once, I said it a million times; complicated games are not my forte. While most would prefer to spend hours grinding in the latest MMO and cry their eyes out from life-draining games such as Dark Souls, you’ll most likely find me playing Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker alone in my room and giddying with excitement waiting for Toad to do the next adorable thing. As sad of a life choice that may seem, I honestly prefer it this way. Why slay mighty beasts when I can admire the ever-so-cute Toad all day? So, that’s why it took me forever to finally get my hands on the famous Monster Hunter series, and boy am I glad I did.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Wii U | 22 Comments

I had a set plan in place for this week’s Just a Chat, but everything changed when Nintendo announced a delay for Zelda Wii U. That’s the big story for this week’s discussion. Still, Daan and I get around to some other topics as well, including tidbits from Satoru Iwata, Splatoon, and Smash Bros.

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

Tell us about your favorite Nintendo game here!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 65 Comments

It’s been awhile since I last hosted a Discussing Everything session. There’s a reason for that: I’ve been thinking about how to proceed with it going forward. I believe I’ve found somewhat of a solution, though that means ending Discussing Everything to pave the way for something else.

This is where Let’s Talk comes in. I know – it’s another incredibly uncreative name for one of our features. Despite that, I’m hoping that we’ll be able to generate some interesting discussions with this new initiative.

The idea behind Let’s Talk is actually very simple. Each week, we’ll have one post dedicated to a particular topic – almost like a forum post. I’ll kick off the discussion in the main post, and then you guys will be able to follow up with your own thoughts in the comments. I’ll be replying to some of the responses, and other staff members may chime in as well. You guys can also respond to each other comments.

Basically, I’m trying to generate focused discussions. I also want Let’s Talk to be a place where everyone can interact with each other in a positive manner!

So why should you participate? Well, for one thing, hopefully you’ll find it entertaining! If you love talking about Nintendo like me, perhaps some of the topics we bring up will interest you. We’ll also be selecting at least one response per week that will be highlighted in the following week’s post.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to this week’s topic!

Let’s Talk #1: what is your favorite Nintendo game?

Note: we’re opening things up, so this can be any game made for any Nintendo system.

I’ll get things started. This answer tends to change for me occasionally. Sometimes I feel like I’d go with games like Super Mario Galaxy 2 or Xenoblade. But when it comes down to it, I’d have to choose The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.

Ocarina of Time is really what jump-started my interest in gaming. For one thing, it was the first console title that I truly owned and completed on my own. I’ll never forget going to Best Buy and picking up my GameCube, which included with a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition (it also came with a CD player – random, right?). Even though it was technically a N64 title, my brain didn’t really know that, and I was very impressed with the graphics at the time. Getting immersed in the world, travelling across Hyrule, and taking on the various dungeons still fills me with plenty of memories. Like many players, it was amazing stepping into Hyrule Field for the first time!

Now it’s your turn. What is YOUR favorite Nintendo game? You can choose to do whatever pleases you with your response. It can be short, long, or anything in between. Whatever! Just go for it. Let’s have a nice discussion and talk about the games we love!

I’ll be checking up on the comments over the next few days. We’ll be featuring one of your responses in next week’s post, which will also include a new topic to talk about!

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

Affordable Space Adventures’ launch is just on the horizon. We’ll be seeing the game on April 9, but KnapNok Games has shared with us another screenshot from the title to tide you over until then.

View the new image above. We also have an official description of the action below.

Not all the dangers of space come from artifacts trying to detect and destroy you. Sometimes peril comes from things far more organic, like these dark plants which will reach out to you in an attempt to wrap themselves around your ship, drag you over to their base and… And that’s pretty much it. What these plants do to you afterwards is a mystery, but certainly nothing good. So stay away from them as much as possible. Or… perhaps you have something that might scare them off?

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Posted on 9 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in 3DS, Features | 2 Comments

Author: Kira

So let’s get down the to serious-and-yet-unserious side of Monster Hunter. Monster Hunter as a franchise has had a long history of games, starting in 2004 with the original entry, to a decade later with Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. I have always been intrigued by the series and have enjoyed numerous forays into the wild to hunt many monsters, but I have generally felt that there was something missing. I always enjoyed the fact that the games have had an air of silly humor via some of their support characters, and that they have even given you various minions to help you along the way, but none of these bits of charm have made me smile as much as much as the Palicoes in the latest entry, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate! Who knew that a furry little critter could make such a difference; could this be what this series has been missing?

Felyne’s – small, bipedal cat creatures – have various roles in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, but the bravest of them all are named “Palicoes”. These furry hunting companions will travel with you during solo quests, as well as with you and one other hunter and their chosen felyne warrior. You select and create your Palico at the beginning of the game right alongside your own character, choosing their color, markings, and even bestowing upon them a name. I took the latter very seriously as I thought long and hard about my felyne companion; I wanted every aspect of my choices to be just right. After probably way to much time and thought (I honestly think I spent more time on him then my own character), I made my decisions and my furry little friend and I set off on what would prove to be some wild adventures!

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