Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 9 Comments

Nintendo Life recently had the opportunity to speak with John Graham, the co-founder of Humble. Graham was asked all about the Humble Nindie Bundle, including the lineup, region-locking issue, and more.

Head past the break from some excerpts from the interview. You’ll find the full discussion here.

On whether he was surprised Nintendo came through…

You know, I wasn’t sure how things would play out, but I think with anything like this it needs somebody that believes in the promotion idea on the other side. We’ve been working with great guys at Nintendo that figured out what this opportunity was, and I’m very proud of its performance so far.

We try to be the friendly guys that talk to everyone and we strongly believe that, where there’s valuable digital content, Humble Bundle can be very useful.

On the Humble Nindie Bundle performance thus far…

I’m a little superstitious so I try not to make too many hard bets in advance. It gets interesting because this is a promotion only for people in the Americas, and we weren’t quite sure ahead of time exactly who in our existing audience is in the Nintendo community. So there are a couple of X factors here, but I’m very proud of the performance of this promotion; it’s doing really well, and I think it’s meeting my expectations if not exceeding them.

On the Humble Nindie Bundle lineup…

Certainly. We’ve got a great set of Indie games here, so it’s in line with our Humble tradition of promoting amazing Indie games, and when we saw the intersection of that with what’s on the eShop, we realised we probably had something and should go for the promotion.

On any challenges with the Wii U/3DS eShop platforms…

Since Humble Indie Bundle 1, when customers asked whether we could include Steam keys, we’ve had some infrastructure for just administering keys that unlock digital content. Nintendo just generated a batch of keys on their side and that’s all it takes.

The key component is on the curation side – have we got a batch of content that people are going to value and get excited about? That’s always the more interesting challenge, the game key part was easy and Nintendo was easy to work with.

On whether he foresees a future where something like eShop products are sold through Humble in different ways…

I don’t want to speak for Nintendo directly, but if we take the Steam example, that’s pretty progressive-minded in that a if a developer wants to produce and distribute keys, Steam is pretty awesome about getting them into developer’s hands to use as they see fit. I think an open-door policy can only strengthen your platform long term, instead of building a walled garden to keep people out you can do things to bring people in.

As crowded and noisy as the internet and online connected world is, it’s critical to be thinking about that long term strategy instead of just “oh, we do things this way, and this is how we wall the garden”. So kudos to Nintendo for even trying this experiment with us, and I do hope it leads to other things and that it’s smart business to be open to the world instead of trying to close yourself off.

On the region issue…

Of course we always try to be as inclusive as we can be, and region-locking is not ideal. This is a case where we – and Nintendo – pushed as hard as we could to be inclusive, we got as far as we got for this promotion. I sincerely believe it was the right call to run the promotion, and help as many gamers as we could in getting this initial experiment out of the door. I do hope it leads to big things in the future. I have seen blog posts around in the news where Nintendo execs have been considering whether they want region-locking to be a thing in future iterations of consoles. The way things are currently designed it just wasn’t possible for this promotion, but we’re nevertheless really excited to be doing it.

On the average purchase price ($9 or so) in comparison to other current bundles or PC promotions…

I think this is a higher average than many, and we tend to see that when we’ve struck a chord with a vigorous community that can galvanise in one direction. I think we saw that, for example, with the Sid Meier bundle – if you’re really into Civilisation games you’re really into the promotion, and you don’t want to just get a small piece, you want the whole thing. I think that’s what we’re seeing with the Nindie bundle.

On the choice of Code.org as the charity…

It’s always collaborative, but Nintendo gets credit for pushing to have that awesome organisation as part of its promotion.

Overall thoughts…

This is a big deal, a new frontier, and we’re really excited not only to have this initial experiment out of the door and being successful, but to look into the future and see what doors it may open next.

On the definitive factor driving buzz for the Nindie Bundle…

Well, we’re doing something new, as I said it’s a new frontier. But also the content is awesome. These are fantastic Indie games, and I guess we have a platformer theme going on here, but if you look at it each game is different and emphasizing a different aspect. We’ve got puzzle platformers, some stealth platformers, world crafting platformers, skateboarding platforming. Whoever you are as a gamer, there’s at least one or two – or maybe all – of the games that can get you excited.

Source

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Rumors | 9 Comments

The folks over on the amiibo subreddit have posted rumored information about the performance of the Jigglypuff figure – supposedly from a verified source – as well as a tease for the future.

Regarding Jigglypuff, the amiibo’s product page on Target.com apparently received a million views when pre-orders went live. The second-highest viewed item in the site’s history only has 20,000 views.

It’s also being said that Jigglypuff pre-orders sold at 500 per minute, which makes it the fastest-selling item in Target.com history.

Last but not least, the same source claims that Target will have yet another exclusive amiibo for wave 5. This has not been revealed to members of the Target team at present.

Source

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments

Nintendo is stocking several amiibo in both Australia and New Zealand. Earlier today, the company confirmed plans to bring back figures such as Little Mac, Captain Falcon, and the Wii Fit Trainer.

Nintendo wrote on Twitter a few hours ago:

We really need a restock here in North America. There are a whole bunch of figures that are practically impossible to purchase at the moment!

Source

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

The Art of Grasshopper Manufacture is coming west, it’s been announced today.

You’ll find plenty of content within the 224-page art book. No More Heroes, Killer 7, and other titles from Grasshopper Manufacture are featured.

Here’s the full overview:

The Art of Grasshopper Manufacture is a highly specialized title showcasing the design work and artistry of the video-game developing company Grasshopper Manufacture. Director-designer-CEO of Grasshopper, Suda51 is known internationally for his original, imaginative style. Most major Grasshopper games are covered within this book including Lollipop Chainsaw, Killer 7, No More Heroes and more. The main visuals for each game are covered, along with package designs, sketches, model sheets and greeting card designs. A must have for fans of high quality Japanese video games!

Featured animations and video games include:
Shadows of the DAMNED Sine Mora LOLLIPOP CHAINSAW KILLER IS DEAD NO MORE HEROES Diabolical Pitch Fatal Frame – Project Zero Flower, Sun, and Rain Evangelion: 3.0 You Can (Not) Redo BLOOD+ ONE NIGHT KISS michigan SAMURAI CHAMPLOO killer7 The Silver Case Shining Soul II FROG MINUTES
and more…!

You can pre-order Art of Grasshopper Manufacture here. Note that it says “Japanese Edition”, but Grasshopper confirmed on Twitter that it’s in English and Japanese. There’s only one version of the art book (in both languages) for all regions.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments

Update (6/1): LEGO Worlds has been revealed and released on Steam Early Access today. The full release is planned for 2016, and it’s currently unclear if there are plans for consoles down the line.

Could Warner Bros. be preparing yet another LEGO game? On the back of the instructions for the 60097 City Square set – due out next month – an image has been found that seems to tease something called “LEGO Worlds”.

Based on words included in the advert, it sounds like LEGO Worlds is Mincraft-inspired. Players will be able to “explore”, “discover”, and “create” within the game.

We don’t have an announcement from Warner Bros. at this time, but the image seems to be legitimate as far as I can tell. It also looks to be game-related given the inclusion of TT Games’ logo. All of the recent LEGO games have been on Nintendo platforms as of late, so hopefully this one is planned for Wii U.

Source, Via

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

German website Nintendo-Online published a new piece about the development of the Game Boy. It’s an interesting recap of how the system came together, which includes information about a partnership with Sharp and more.

Here’s a brief summary Nintendo-Online passed along:

– developed by the 40-man R&D1 team with Gunpei Yokoi handling the system’s design and Satoru Okada working on the hardware
– goal was to combine the concepts behind Game & Watch and NES
– system had to be small, technically on par with the NES and cheaper than the NES
– to archive this, the team had to use a black & white LCD display; a color screen would have increased the power consumption and thus made the system more expensive
– system was codenamed “Dot Matrix Game”, hence the console’s model no. starting with “DMG”
– Sharp was approached to manufacture the screens of the DMG because it already supplied the Game & Watch displays
– Sharp was unable to produce the screens at a price low enough for Nintendo so that development of the console reached a dead point
– R&D1 learned about the “Chip on Glass” technique which would make a cheap production possible and approached TV maker Citizen to produce the Game Boy’s screens using this technique
– in the end, Sharp was also able to use the CoG technique and was thus chosen to produce the screens and made a four billion yen investment for that
– the screens Sharp produced at the beginning were of a wrong type and were next to useless for the Game Boy project
– Yokoi remembers Hiroshi Yamauchi’s reaction on Game Boy prototype with wrong screen type: “What the hell is this? I can’t see a damn thing. What’re you thinking? No one’s gonna buy a game they can’t see. Forget it.”
– finally Sharp produced Super-Twisted Nematic displays with decreased motion blur effect

Source, Image source

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 16 Comments

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata published a few messages on the company’s Japanese Twitter account following today’s Nintendo Direct.

Iwata first commented on how he did not host this latest broadcast. Rather than having him present, he turned to Mr. Morimoto from the PR department for the stream. Despite this, Iwata noted that has hasn’t quit doing Nintendo Directs. He just thought it might not be interesting to see a 55 year-old man present each time.

Iwata also addressed the amiibo situation as well. Once again, he apologized for amiibo shortages. He said that some figures will be re-produced, though this will take time to accomplish.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Videos | 1 Comment

This week’s Just a Chat puts the focus on two topics. Brian and Daan talk about the Humble Nindie Bundle, as well as the imminent Japanese Nintendo Direct.

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 11 Comments

Let’s Talk #10: Do you prefer playing alone or with others?

There are two very different ways to play games. Way back in the day, is wasn’t as easy being able to play with a friend, but now that online play is being incorporated into more and more games, it’s become a very tangible option. Of course, quite a few games offer local multiplayer as well – notably titles made by Nintendo.

So what side of the fence do you site on? Are you more of a single-player gamer? Or do you prefer getting in your gaming fix by playing with others? Perhaps you sit somewhere in the middle. Do you have any memorable experiences playing alone or with friends with a particular game? Regardless of how you feel, be sure to let us know in the comments below!

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

Honestly, I’ve always been more about the single-player experience. I really enjoy getting immersed in a game, and the genres I enjoy the most are typically about playing alone. Platformers, adventure games, RPGs… those are right up my alley. Shooters, fighters, racers, party games, etc. focus more on multiplayer, and tend to be experiences that I’m not a huge fan of. That isn’t to say that these are defining rules. Super Mario 3D World, for example, does have a pretty big multiplayer component despite being a 3D platformer.

Even in multiplayer-centric games though, I’ve generally played through the single-player aspects much more than multiplayer. Take Smash Bros., for instance. Tons of people enjoy playing that title with friends, but I haven’t dabbled with the multiplayer much since Super Smash Bros. on the N64. The same even goes with something like Splatoon, which places the emphasis on online play. I see myself playing more via the campaign versus the multiplayer modes.

I do want to mention that I’m not against multiplayer gaming at all. Actually, it can be quite fun! Back when we did Game Nights with Mario Kart Wii and other titles, those were some pretty good times. It might be neat to bring that back one day.

Highlights from last week’s topic: What is your favorite Nintendo franchise?

Auragar

The Legend of Zelda. Best series. One of my top favorite series overall.

saltypop

This is tough. I’m going to go with Pikmin though. I’ve always loved the idea of exploring our world as a little person. And better yet they’re aliens so it’s all different to them. I love hearing what they have to say about our objects and fruits and even giving them new names, i.e. Strawberry is called “Sunseed Berry”. Oh and the gameplay is really fun.

Lolo

This is kind of personal, but my favorite series is the kirby series. Back in the early 90s, my dad was looking for game for me for my gameboy. Usually I would play mario games but he bought me kirbys dreamland for the gameboy. I looked at the game in disgust when I first saw it, so my dad played it first. I watched how much he sucked at the game, and I watched all the cute enemies walk into him, throw bombs in his face, until he died over and over and over. He let me play, and I enjoyed the game…it was different, and I felt the need to avenge my dad and beat the game. So I reached the end, and I finally meet the main bad guy of the game, King dedede. I honestly was puzzled as to why this Daffy Duck impersonator in robes with a hammer was the final boss. After fighting him, I was in awe at how he fights you like if he was another kirby, since he knew kirbys moves. I yelled in my room in shock when dedede sucked me in and spit me out, I yelled “HEY!! That’s what I do!”. I was especially shocked by how he could jump so high to hit kirby if you’re flying to get away. I had never seen a boss that acted like the hero…it was groundbreaking to me as a child. Since this game I was after my dad to get kirbys dreamland 2, and when he got it, I was very happy. I loved the animal buddies Rick, Coo, and Kine…and I wish for them to return someday. Dreamland 2 taught me, that not everything is what it seems. I honestly thought King dedede was at it again, and I never understood why he was sleepy when I fought him. I would beat the game countless times, puzzles at the one eyed black thing at the end of the credits, saying “that’s so stupid, why name all the characters, and then put a question mark for this one eyed black thing I have never seen”. To me it was stupid how the game ended that way. I never understood the deal behind the rainbow drops, but several years later when I was 9, I got them all. Then I faced king dedede again. I was officially scared when I beat dedede, because the game’s usual ending was changed. I watched the rainbow drops purify dedede from being possessed by the one eyed black thing that was always unnamed at the end of the game for me. It was then I realized, games can have an alternate true final boss and ending. This game was no longer cute, it was scary for me. But it made me realize that King dedede wasn’t always to blame for bad things to happen. It taught me that a character can’t always be labelled as a villain for just doing bad in 1 story. Which is why King dedede became my favorite character. He is funny bird that likes to be King, even if no one agrees that he should be. He surprised me as a child and made me laugh when I would race with him in gourmet race. Things like the gourmet race and the ending to kirbys adventure reminded me that even if someone does a bad thing, they aren’t always responsible for if something bad happens, and they are always capable of doing good.

Since my childhood, I have played though all the kirby games. I will conclude with this. A grew up with an older lady in my neighborhood, in recent years. Her grandaughter had a mother that along with her room mate, abused her. This granddaughter now lives happily with her grandmother I know. I introduced to them kirbys return to dreamland and they loved the game. This older lady, even though I am not related to Her, has taken me in like one of her children. Because if kirby I introduced to her, she loves play video games with her granddaughter. would you believe she has 100% on her own time games like snowpack park wii and animal crossing city folk? I was amazed. Together, we love kirbys return to dreamland (mario is too hard for her), because you can play as a team and its easier on the players than other games. She loves to play as King Dedede, and she loves to give enemies a “headache” with her hammer, I love that haha. She labels King dedede as “our buddy” because of how funny he is and how helpful he can be in the adventure.

If you don’t believe me, I have some videos of us playing. A 3 part kirby game of us 3 playing.

So this why I love the Kirby series and I eagerly await more of them. So I will conclude with this fan art I drew for my “grandmother”.

http://unclelaurence.deviantart.com/art/Kirby-and-his-friend-King-DeDeDe-365987290

FireFrog

I love almost every Nintendo franchise but the one that is my favorite and that I can always go back to its Yoshi. The Yoshi games are so calming imaginative and all around fun to play. They are great platforming games with tons of elements and mechanics that make it constantly enjoyable. Yoshi’s Story is actually my favorite in the series because of how crazy fun and innovative it is. I’m more excited for Woolly World than any other game right now.

shaw98

The main Super Mario series. Many people forget that Mario has a main series because of how many spin offs he has. I love all the main Mario titles except for Mario bros 2 both Japan and U.S.A. What I love about the mario franchise in general, is that even the spin offs are masterpieces. Usually spin offs are simple cash ins on the main series but Mario makes his spin offs so good to.

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