GAME OF THE MONTH – Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Game of the Month | 2 Comments
Ah, is it Monday again? Well alright, I can deal with that, but only because our game of the month this March is so wonderful. I bring you: Monster Hunter March! A whole month of features dedicated to talking about Capcom’s latest series entry, the series as a whole, and plenty more. You’re bound to learn something new about it over the next few weeks as our writers provide varying perspectives and observations about the game.
This month’s articles will include an in-depth comparison between Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate on 3DS and Monster Hunter Tri on Wii, a perspective on the game from “a super beginner”, a look at how Monster Hunter 4 creates fanaticism despite how intimidating and broken it can look from the outside, and an adorable exposé on your Palico sidekicks from the latest entry on 3DS. Look forward to all of it!
As usual, if you have an article you’d like to write about Monster Hunter this month, please use the contact form to send us an email with your idea and if we like we’ll get back to you. How can you not love this game? It’s the best.
~Austin
[Just a Chat] eShop reveals, Xenoblade X presentation, Rodea update, and amiibo news
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Just a Chat, Videos | 6 Comments
Daan (who was kind enough to join me once again!) and I talk about a few pieces of Nintendo news from this past week, including some new eShop games, Xenoblade Chronicles X Battle Presentation, Rodea’s Wii bonus, and amiibo.
As a small treat, we’ve left in my initially-botched intro. That was embarrassing!
And please do let us know if you want to see more of these weekly Just a Chats! Your comments will help us decide whether or not to continue with them in the future.
[Weekly Screenshot] Affordable Space Adventures #2
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Weekly Screenshot, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
KnapNok Games is back with the second entry in our Weekly Screenshot feature for Affordable Space Adventures. Following last week’s loading screen, we’re now focusing on the game’s variety of environments.
Here’s the image description from KnapNok:
Not everything in space has to be dark and gloomy. In Affordable Space Adventures players will also get to visit some truly wonderful landscapes. We’ve put a lot of effort into making sure that each area of the game feels clearly distinguishable from each other. The feeling of constantly exploring new areas will definitely be there throughout the entire adventure!
By the way, did you hear that Affordable Space Adventures now has a release date? The game launches on April 9!
[Feature] Will we ever see a remake of the original The Legend of Zelda?
Posted on 9 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in Features, Game of the Month | 25 Comments
With the recent release of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, it makes me wonder: will we ever get a remake of the original The Legend of Zelda? Where did the story truly begin for our beloved Zelda and green clad hero Link? Some say although A Link to the Past was not the first in the series, it is where the story should have began. If that is your belief you might feel we already saw that remake with the previous installment in the Zelda franchise, A Link Between Worlds.
For me however, the journey truly began with that first game. Looking back now, I don’t believe that I realized how truly amazing the game was, or how after so much time had past that I would still love it to this day. Even though I remember being captivated from the moment I heard the first notes of the opening song, I never realized how epic an adventure it would turn out to be.
More: highlight, The Legend of Zelda, top
[Weekly Screenshot] Affordable Space Adventures #1 – Loading screen hint: Do not touch anything valuable.
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Weekly Screenshot, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment
It’s been a few months since we last highlighted a game as part of our “Weekly Screenshot” feature. But there’s long been an indie title on my mind that I thought would be a perfect fit for the idea: Affordable Space Adventures. Now that its development is coming to a close, we’ve teamed up with KnapNok Games to showcase more from Affordable Space Adventures. For the next several weeks, we’ll be sharing exclusive images from the game along with a bit of additional information. If Affordable Space Adventures isn’t already on your radar, hopefully you’ll gain some interest as we introduce new content!
The first photo we’re posting is one of the loading screens that appears between sections in Affordable Space Adventures. It reminds players about the important gameplay mechanic of scanning artifacts to see their range and type of detection before they attempt to attack the spaceship. Loading screens in the game – as well as well as the Wii U digital instructions manual – show a manual written by Uexplore, the company that in the game’s universe offers “Cheap… but functional” spaceships to travel to Spectaculon.
Here’s the official screenshot description from KnapNok:
When exploring around Spectaculon, remember to scan left and right for completely safe alien artifacts. Just don’t disturb them or you’ll be fined. Or shot at.
Another Affordable Space Adventures screenshot will be posted on the site next week!
More: Affordable Space Adventures, highlight, indie, KnapNok Games, Nifflas, top
Here’s a Podcast – Episode 110! (Time Twist: Rekishi no Katasumi de…)
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 7 Comments
Podcast Crew: Austin (Twitter), Jack (Twitter), Laura (Twitter)
Welcome to episode 106 I mean episode 110. How are you? I’m okay. I hope you’re okay too. Here’s an overview of what we’ll be talking about on this episode:
Segment 1, Intro: The game for this week’s Game of the Week is a very, very weird and probably-considered-offensive Famicom Disk System title called Time Twist! It never came out in the west though so I guess everything is okay.
Segment 2, What We Played: Austin has finally beaten MOTHER 3, and he has so much to say about it! Unfortunately he doesn’t want to spoil anything, so it ends up just being a lot of interesting and vague praise. Laura is continuing through Majora’s Mask 3D, but she’s trying to slow it down this week. Finally, Jack somehow ended up with Brain Age Express: Sudoku, which he says is a bit of a stink.
Segment 3, Book Club: The book club this week comes with a new focus: The bosses of A Link to the Past, what we can learn from them, and how they relate to bosses in more recent Zelda games. We end up talking a lot about Zelda bosses in general and what we like and dislike about them.
Segment 4, Listener Mail: Listener mail ended up being all Zelda topics this week! We address some concerns people have about Majora’s Mask 3D’s “improvements”, how Zelda Wii U could take some cues from the Oracle games to improve its overworld, and more!
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[Feature] Termina’s Secrets – The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Game of the Month, Videos | 3 Comments
Author: Scott
Here’s a Podcast – Episode 109! (Star Tropics)
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 8 Comments
Podcast Crew: Austin (Twitter), Jack (Twitter), Laura (Twitter)
Welcome to episode 106 I mean episode 109. How are you? I’m okay. I hope you’re okay too. Here’s an overview of what we’ll be talking about on this episode:
Segment 1, Intro: Star Tropics makes its first appearance on this podcast, and we discuss some cool tidbits about its development and how it’s similar to Metal Gear Solid in a certain respect.
Segment 2, What We Played: Austin gives his impressions of the New 3DS XL, Laura waxes poetic and tells a story from her time with Majora’s Mask 3D, and Jack updates us on chemistry, computer science, and other collegiate affairs.
Segment 3, Book Club: Our next week of the A Link to the Past book club creates a rift that eventually morphs into a learning experience for everyone involved! Jack likes the Dark Palace and dislikes the Swamp Palace, but Laura and Austin think the opposite! Some interesting notes about Zelda temple design in this segment.
Segment 4, Listener Mail: Listener mails brings about a particularly interesting topic this week: Are 2D Zelda games really just gimped versions of 3D Zelda games? Are they just a stopgap between the “real” Zelda games? We don’t go quite as in-depth as I’d like to someday, but it’s a fascinating idea.
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Zelda on Wii U has “as large of a world as can be realized”, Eiji Aonuma says
Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in Interviews, News, Wii U | 23 Comments
Recently speaking with Gamereactor Magazine, Eiji Aonuma delved a bit into the sheer mass of the newest installment of Zelda currently in development for Wii U:
A huge, seamlessly unfolding world is something that can’t be achieved if the hardware isn’t advanced enough. Ever since we made the very first generation of Legend of Zelda games though, we’ve had as large a world as can be realised with the hardware, so you could say it was inevitable that we’ve now done the same with the new Wii U title.
When I first showed off the new Zelda game on the Wii U, it seemed everyone was very excited and started proclaiming that a Zelda game had at last become open world! Zelda games have always allowed you to roam and explore a huge world.
What’s changed now is that the hardware has progressed to the point that you can now explore this vast world seamlessly; the underpinning of the game hasn’t changed.
Continuing with the interview, Aonuma also talks a little bit about the implementation of the Wii U Gamepad:
Recently, I’ve taken to relying on the map on my smart phone when I’m out walking in a place I’m not familiar with. A map isn’t something you keep tucked away in your bag, it’s by holding it in your hand and being able to constantly check it as you move forward step by step that gives you that sense of adventure.
You can read the rest of the interview in the new issue of Gamereactor Magazine, which is out today.
Zelda on Wii U is expected to come out sometime in 2015.
More: Eiji Aonuma, Legend of Zelda Wii U
[Feature] Tingle: The Man Behind the Magic
Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, Features, GameCube, New Nintendo 3DS, Random | 4 Comments
If you ask someone what the most striking and memorable thing about The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask is, they’d probably answer with the whole three-day cycle gimmick, Link’s many transformations or the creepy moon. But if you held a gun to their head and whispered “it’s Tingle” into their ear, they’d undoubtedly say it was this charming fellow. The life and legacy of Tingle isn’t extensively documented and leaves many unexplored questions. Is he human? Is he a fairy? Is he an offensive gay stereotype? But despite his mysterious nature, Tingle is a crucial character to the development of the Legend of Zelda series. In fact, there are no less than four different games out there with Tingle’s name in the title, which makes him just as important to the franchise as Link, whose name usually only appears as part of a lame pun. Just as the tale of the Hero of Time and the Triforce is constantly being retold, so too is the story of this unsung legend.
