Discussing Everything #4 on Sunday
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Discussing Everything | 0 comments
We’ll be holding another Discussing Everything event on Sunday. Join us at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT to talk about the latest Nintendo news and other random topics! Given yesterday’s Smash Bros. presentation, something tells me that most of the discussion will be focused on the Wii U game. I hope to see you there!
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[Review] Fantasy Life (3DS)
Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Features, Reviews | 7 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 24th, 2014 (NA) September 26/27, 2014 (EU/AU)
Developer: Level 5, 1-UP Studio
Publisher: Nintendo
Author: Austin
Paper Skyrim.
The defining feature of Nintendo’s Paper Mario series is, undoubtedly, its warmth. Characters and locales that are at once unbelievable and entirely lovable, supported by music that makes you forget you’re not a kid anymore, all tied together by a simple but enjoyable story of saving the kingdom from certain doom.
The defining feature of Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls series is, undoubtedly, its scope. Hundreds of quests, hundreds of hours, and a seemingly endless amount of trivial– but altogether enjoyable– gameplay to partake in.
Fantasy Life isn’t perfectly described as a combination of these two philosophies, but thinking of it in those terms would give you a fair idea of what to expect if you opted into this Level 5 adventure. It’s a tempting concept, after all: What if you could live in the world you just saved for as long as you like? What if you never had to leave those characters and locations behind after the credits had receded above the top screen of your 3DS? The possibility of harnessing the emotional weight that an adventurous tale lends to a world and then channeling it into an endless farming game (not just farming of course, but you follow) is an intriguing domain that would seemingly take a considerable amount of work to map and conquer. But Level 5 decided to grab their best cartographers and venture into the unknown, and thus Fantasy Life has burst forth onto the 3DS, covered with bruises and a few broken bones, but with a completed map of that intriguing domain nonetheless in tow.
[Review] Ninja Battle Heroes (3DS)
Posted on 9 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS eShop, Features, Reviews | 2 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS
Release Date: October 9th, 2014
Developer: Tom Create
Publisher: Tom Create
Author: Vincent W.
If someone were to write a book on terrible game design, I feel as if Ninja Battle Heroes would be one of the main examples. Aside from its terribly uncreative title, this 3DS eShop game looks pretty appealing on the surface. Boasting a heavily Japanese-inspired universe along with a unique platforming experience, Ninja Battle Heroes seems like it could provide a small but desperately needed breath of fresh air to a genre that’s been long in need of one. Once inside, however, you’ll find a game that takes all of its interesting ideas and executes them poorly.
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Discussing Everything #3 – full replay
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Discussing Everything | 0 comments
Update: Now over, but the full replay can be found below. I greatly appreciate those who joined and chatted with us!
This week’s Discussing Everything will begin at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT as usual. We’ll be talking about the latest news, including the Smash Bros. Wii U leak on Amazon and plenty more! You’ll also have the chance to submit any random questions/comments towards the end of today’s event.
Note that you can log in with Facebook/Twitter, but these are optional. You can choose a random username as well!
[Developer Musings] Oozing Integrity; three game developers reminisce on the man that gave indies a spot with Nintendo
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Developer Musings, General Nintendo | 2 Comments
It’s been quite some time since Dan Adelman left Nintendo for greener pastures in the independent space (he “helps indies with the business stuff” now, according to his Twitter bio), but it does appear that he left something of a legacy behind with him through the games he helped release on WiiWare and the Nintendo eShops. World of Goo — perhaps the single most notable WiiWare game ever released — was released digitally almost entirely because of his appeals, and the recent release Shovel Knight came out as a Nintendo-focused game initially due to his support.
As sort of a tribute to these developers, this nice man, and the games that they, together, helped give us, we asked a few folks that Dan worked with over the years to talk about what he did and how he helped them get their games out. If you’ve ever wanted to know some of what goes on behind-the-scenes between platform holders and developers, there’s quite a bit worth reading down below.
(Unsure as to what Developer Musings is about? Check out our first entry here for an explanation.)
[Weekly Screenshot] Paper Monsters Recut #3 – Rickety Old Minecarts
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Weekly Screenshot, Wii U eShop | 0 comments
Hey… wait a second… Isn’t Paper Monsters Recut out on the Wii U eShop this week? Why are we still sitting around here talking about screenshots when we could all just go buy the game for the low low price of $7.99!? Lord knows I can’t explain it. But either way, we have another screenshot from the game for you showcasing some of the darker underground levels of the game. Check out what Mobot Studios has to say about it below:
In Paper Monsters Recut, you’ll spend time fighting your way through a number of bright outdoor levels in Paperland, but we’ve also tried to more variety for Wii U as well, and this darker atmospheric mine level is a good example. You’ll encounter some different bad guys when you venture underground, and change up the gameplay with a fun ride on this rickety old minecart. We hope you’ll enjoy it!
More: highlight, Mobot Studios, Paper Monsters Recut, top
Discussing Everything #3 scheduled for Sunday
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Discussing Everything | 2 Comments
I truly hoped to host our third Discussing Everything event last week, but a personal matter made that impossible. We’re back this week though! Our usual Sunday time slot is set once again. Join us at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT to discuss this week’s news, general Nintendo topics, and other random things!
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[Weekly Screen] Paper Monsters Recut #2 – Space Pterodactyls (It doesn’t need to make sense)
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Weekly Screenshot, Wii U eShop | 0 comments
This week’s exclusive indie-game screenshot from upcoming Wii U platformer Paper Monsters Recut shows off something that, according to the laws of physics as discovered by Newton, Einstein, and their comrades, shouldn’t exist! This is a video game though, so that doesn’t matter too much. I’ll let our friend at Mobot Studios explain what you’re seeing above, because they’re actually working on the game:
Paper Monsters Recut is our take on a classic 2D platformer, but our new space levels change the gameplay up a bit with a cool jetpack and laser bolt powerup, for epic space battles! You’ll also face different enemies in space from the ones you’ll find in Paperland, such as the flying Pterry and the mini Twirkle shown here.
The other thing we wanted to highlight with this screenshot was how the GamePad is used (which you can see in the lower right hand corner). Different powerups work differently, and the gamepad will always display the current powerup’s controls for quick reference based on what type of level you’re playing. Of course if you are in Off-TV play on the GamePad you can always reference this by hitting pause, but we think it’s pretty handy to have it at a glance.
More: highlight, Mobot Studios, Paper Monsters Recut, top
Just a Chat – Smash Bros. Wii U date, Captain Toad, and more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Just a Chat, Videos | 8 Comments
Austin and I talk about some of the more notable pieces of Nintendo news from the past week. There’s some chatter about the Smash Bros. Wii U date, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, and plenty more.
One of these days we’ll record Just a Chat when I’m not dead tired!
[Review] Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS
Posted on 10 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, New Nintendo 3DS, Reviews | 11 Comments
System: Nintendo 3DS (what a shock)
Release Date: October 3, 2014
Developer: Sora Ltd/Bandai Namco Games
Publisher: Nintendo
Author: Patrick
The long-awaited fourth entry in Nintendo’s crazy crossover series is finally out, but it finds itself on a curious platform – the 3DS. A multiplayer fighting game is a strange fit for the portable console, but this new instalment retains the addictive style of fighting and throws in a few new ways to battle. Even on the 3DS, the frenetic pace of previous entries is still present (to an extent – this ain’t Melee) and Smash is still very much an experience accessible to both newcomers and seasoned players, with plenty of weird Nintendo references, of course. As a sequel, the game promises more of everything: more characters, more items, more assist trophies, more stuff to collect… the problem is that in some cases Smash on the 3DS feels like a lesser game than the ones that’ve come before it. Make no mistake, the game is still an incredibly enjoyable time, especially with a few friends, but the series makes the jump to the 3DS with a couple of compromises.
