Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos | 0 comments

We’ve seen lots of tributes to Zelda through the years. Fans have created Flash games, amazing art pieces, and plenty of other content to show their love for the series.

“Zelda: The Lost Oracle” might be the most impressive Zelda fan-project yet.

Joel Furtado made the minute long clip above as he’s a big fan of the franchise. The video, which is based on a new Zelda title he’d like to see for Wii U, features some absolutely incredible animation.

It’s truly impressive, so be sure to check it out!

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Shigeru Miyamoto was asked about how he balances his own work with nurturing the developers during the Q&A portion of Nintendo’s latest financial briefing. Iwata also commented on the non-retirement situation surrounding Miyamoto.

Both responses can be found after the break.

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Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Satoru Iwata commented on two interesting topics during the company’s financial briefing Q&A.

First, he stated that Nintendo won’t be referring to Wii U as a “home console system”, unlike the Wii, GameCube, and other products from the company. This is because not all gameplay will be limited to what you’ll see in front of your television.

Iwata said:

“…As for the Wii U, although this system is categorized in the general video game description of a home console system, the play styles the company is proposing with the Wii U are not limited to the ones which are available only in front of TV sets, so I believe that we will not use the term ‘home console system’ for this hardware. Whenever we launch a new video game hardware system, if we cannot sustain the momentum during the launch period and a certain period thereafter, it can invite very challenging situations just like the one the Nintendo 3DS experienced. Doing our utmost to avoid such a situation is another challenge the company is focusing on. As for other things, to sum up, we will make efforts to effectively implement what we have already prepared.”

We were hearing last week that Nintendo will announce partnerships with third-parties this year. We have Iwata’s full comments on that below.

“I recall that I also heard a concern at one of these occasions in the past that the company may lack sufficient resources, and I was asked, ‘How will the company cope with it?’ It is obvious that Nintendo does not employ so many people internally. If we look at the number of our own employees, we are not a so-called ‘resource-rich’ company. When we view our company from a different perspective, on the other hand, it is an advantage because Nintendo has more freedom and flexibility to be able to collaborate with outside resources as long as we can find good partners. As a matter of fact, although many tasks used to be done only internally in the past, we are now working with people outside the company in several business fields. When we make any relevant announcements on such projects, we cannot just say we are working with this company on that project. Unless we can make more comprehensive announcements by discussing the details of the subject product, it may not make any sense to you. So, we would like to discuss this topic sometime later. There are several projects we will be able to talk about this year. I hope that I will be able to pick up examples which will show that Nintendo is taking care of the business fields in which it lacks internal resources.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

When the Wii U launches, Nintendo won’t just be concerned about the console’s price point and initial launch lineup. They’ll also be focusing on maintaining the sales momentum once it’s on store shelves.

Satoru Iwata believes that add-on content is one way of maintaining market momentum. This is because people could play a particular title once again if such content is announced. By doing this, Nintendo can keep some momentum, raise profits, and can increase the lifespan of certain products.

Iwata said:

“…In determining the launch date of the Wii U, we need to take into account not only what to release at the launch period but how to keep the sales momentum after then. In the past, I mentioned that having strong momentum is very important for game platform businesses, and as a matter of course, we are now more convinced of that and we need to have a backup plan ready.

“Regarding the add-on content I mentioned before, effectively providing such content for a game which has sold well could be a way to keep the market momentum. The sales pace is getting slower day by day even for the biggest hit software. If we could announce some big news in connection with the add-on content for such software, many people would start playing it again, which could be an opportunity to revive the momentum. In this context, the add-on content should be considered as a key to extending the lifespan of products and to maintaining the sales momentum, as well as a chance to earn additional profits.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Going forward, third-parties will be able to take advantage of micro-transactions on 3DS (and eventually Wii U).

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said that the company will “ensure a relative level of flexibility for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U software compatible with the Nintendo Network as long as the developer has built a trusting relationship with consumers, except for the cases that consumers will be too disadvantaged.”

His full response can be read below.

“As a hardware manufacturer, or platform holder, it would be better to present third-party developers with as much freedom as possible. Some say that the guidelines and regulations we previously established are too strict and behind the times, and others say that Nintendo should not put too many restrictions on the features of software targeting the consumers who are familiar with micro-transactions. Therefore, we plan to ensure a relative level of flexibility for the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U software compatible with the Nintendo Network as long as the developer has built a trusting relationship with consumers, except for the cases that consumers will be too disadvantaged.

“On the other hand, the reason I refer to Nintendo as a software developer is that we have a belief that our games should be a trusted brand for a very wide variety of consumers, including children and casual users who are not so familiar with the trends of video games. Therefore, we would like to have regulations with a certain degree of strictness so that consumers will get a sense of reassurance from our games. I am not saying that Nintendo is better than third-party developers. Each developer has its own customer base, and we should be more careful with this point for Nintendo consumers.”

Shinji Hatano, Senior Managing Director, General Manager of Marketing Division, also weighed in on micro-transactions:

“Third-party developers worldwide have recently been interested in micro-transactions and many of them are considering doing some business in this field. My team has exchanged information with domestic developers about what they would like to do. Each developer has its own desire, but basically, not only Nintendo but these developers share the same idea and have no objection that we need to establish the reliable system for the consumers on which they can feel safe and comfortable when they select the software. We will start organizing the various requests from developers and working with them to create new and interesting software. Please wait for some time for announcements from each developer.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo has added the translated version of the latest financial briefing Q&A, and it’s filled with all sorts of interesting information.

Shigeru Miyamoto was first asked about what makes network functions an interesting avenue to explore. He responded by by noting that “Nintendo has been making its best efforts to raise the Internet-connection ratio for years”, once again made note of the 3DS’ 60% connection rate, and noted how “there are some who like the excitement of being together with a lot of people online.”

His full response can be found below.

“A big question from the beginning. Speaking as a developer, giving no comment is the typical answer. But let me try to tell you something. Nintendo has been making its best efforts to raise the Internet-connection ratio for years. In addition to our efforts, network connections have rapidly become widespread, like cell phones which are always connected to the network. The connection ratio for the Nintendo 3DS (as Mr. Iwata explained in his presentation today) has reached approximately 60%, and we feel that the network environment has improved significantly. We also put importance on safety and reliability of the network because many people use it. We have concentrated on developing packaged software, but there are some who like the excitement of being together with a lot of people online. Electronic mail and chat are typical examples. Although you might not know it well, ‘Flipnote’ has become a hidden hit among our products. Millions of children who do not communicate on the Internet use this software. We are taking on various challenges including how to operate the system of note exchanges by children freely in a safe manner. In short, we trust the great potential of the network, but we are still in pursuit of originality through trial and error.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

As we’ve previously mentioned, Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance and Theatrhythm Final Fantasy were featured in the January 19 issue of Famitsu.

Tetsuya Nomura was interviewed by the magazine and briefly discussed upcoming Square Enix titles.

At the end of the discussion, Nomura was asked about Square Enix’s outlook for 2012. He pointed to the company’s lineup for the year, and also teased an unannounced project from a secret team.

Nomura said:

“…There is also a secret team working on an unannounced title, so there is a chance that some information about that will be announced this year too, please continue looking forward to these announcements.”

Source, Via

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Max Factory is readying a couple of new Samus Aran figurines based on her appearance in Metroid: Other M. One of the figures is based on Aran in her Varia Suit (3,620 yen) while the other is a 1/8th scale figure of the bounty hunter in the Zero Suit (7,429 yen).

Both products will be released in June. You can pre-order each figure here.

Thanks to Jake for the tip!

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Earlier today, Capcom announced that Ace Attorney 5 is in the works. We don’t have any details about the project, nor do we have any screenshots to show you. Capcom did, however, send out the logo above.

We can only hope that Ace Attorney 5 is in development for the 3DS. It’d be a perfect fit!

Thanks to Robert for the tip!

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo announces world renowned developer behind their latest RPG The Last Story(tm) to present his latest creation at BAFTA on 16th February

Nintendo today announces that an exclusive event will be held at the London headquarters of The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) on Thursday 16th February 2012. BAFTA will welcome the world renowned videogame developer, director and producer Hironobu Sakaguchi to the stage to discuss his illustrious career as the creator behind some of the greatest video games, a departure into film and his return to his heartland of gaming with the creation of the critically-acclaimed The Last Story(tm) for Wii.

Mr Sakaguchi will demonstrate The Last Story(tm) the latest epic RPG from Nintendo ahead of launch on the 24th February to an audience of BAFTA members, press and fans – public tickets can be purchased from http://tinyurl.com/BAFTALastStory at £5 each. The creator himself will take the audience through the twists and turns of the game as players follow the journey and adventures of a band of mercenaries on Lazulis Island. The rich narrative as well as impressive graphics and combat synonymous with Nintendo RPGs will be revealed by the man behind it all before the audience’s very eyes.

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