[Review] Story of Seasons
Posted on 9 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in 3DS, Reviews | 2 Comments
System: 3DS
Release: March 31, 2015
Developer: Marvelous AQL
Publisher: XSEED Games
Author: Kirara
Story of Seasons is a farming simulation game that was created by the same development team that has worked on past Harvest Moon releases, and if you’ve played a entry in that series, it will only take a moment to realize that Story of Seasons is by all means a successor in all but name. For all intents and purposes, it should have been called as such, but licensing issues prevented that from happening. I myself never played any of the Harvest Moon titles, and to be completely honest I have never really been a fan of simulation games; they’ve always intrigued me but it was never enough to inspire me to play one, with exception to my secret obsession Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
Now I must say: after four seasons into my year one with Story of Seasons, I am exhausted! The game’s description is “farming simulation”, but that cannot be farther from the truth; it should really be considered part of the “everything simulation” genre. You are not only a farmer, but a carpenter, cook, designer, animal caregiver and breeder, landscaper, horticulturist… you probably get the point by now.
More: highlight, marvelous, Story of Seasons, top, XSEED Games
[Giveaway] psyscrolr
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Giveaway | 63 Comments
Winners are in! Congratulations to:
Leonel
DavidEssex
windstar
Adrian Brown
Derek
Codes should hopefully be sent out tomorrow!
With psyscrolr having launched on the North American Wii U eShop this past Thursday, we’re kicking off a new giveaway. Five codes are up for grabs. Just leave a comment below talking about your favorite memories and experiences of playing classic 2D sidescrollers. Note that we may give more consideration to those who put some effort into their posts.
You have until April 9 to get your entry in. Keep in mind that codes will only work with North American Wii U systems!
GAME OF THE MONTH – Mario Kart 8
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Game of the Month | 10 Comments
It was a tough choice for April’s Game of the Month, but with Nintendo announcing the push-forward of the Mario Kart 8 DLC, we’d be ridiculous not to make a spectacle of the game. So it is: April will feature Mario Kart 8-focused articles all month long from all of our writers, including– most likely– a look at the new DLC when it comes out in a couple of weeks here.
Look forward to it! And get pumped for 200cc.
~Austin
More: highlight, Mario Kart 8
Here’s a Podcast – Episode 114! (Wario’s Woods)
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, we’ve finally given in to the man and decided to talk about news.
Here are today’s chapters:
Shenanigans
1. Intro
2. Picture of the Day
3. Game of the Week: Wario’s Woods
4. Where is Steve?
What we played
5. Laura removes her own heart in The Sims 4
6. Austin vs. Donkey Kong (Mario vs. Donkey Kong)
7. Laura looks for cheap love in Story of Seasons
Discussion
8. Nintendo Directs us to Mario Kart 8 DLC, and more.
Shenanigans Redux
9. Freetures
10. Animal Crossing Music Break
Listener Questions Mail
11. The “right” way to play Fire Emblem?
12. Maybe microtransactions are just like modern arcade machines?
13. Jack’s favorite email about A Link to the Past.
Shenanigans Finale
14. Wario’s Woods Quiz
15. Devolution and Ending
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[Just a Chat] April 2015 Nintendo Direct reaction
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!
More: highlight, Nintendo Direct, top
[Let’s Talk] Your thoughts on this week’s Nintendo Direct
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!
More: highlight, Nintendo Direct, top
[Review] Affordable Space Adventures
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”?
[Feature] Returning to Moga – The many improvements of Monster Hunter 4
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.
Here’s a Podcast – Episode 113! (Tetris 2)
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.
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[Feature] How Monster Hunter’s community made my first hunt unforgettable
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.
