Today’s announcement of Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo came a bit out of left field, but in a new interview today, we get to hear about how the whole thing came together.

A discussion was posted on Nintendo’s website featuring producer Yosuke Tamori and director Tetsuya Akama. Tamori revealed that the project began with research into motion sensor technology. However, making an alarm clock wasn’t the first thing decided – rather, Tamori said Nintendo was looking to “support people during their sleep, and we were looking for a way to achieve this.”

Tamori and Akama shared the following:

More: interview, Tetsuya Akama, top, Yosuke Tamori

Monolith Soft sets up new R&D division, expanding its game engine

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

As shared in a new interview published today, Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft has not only set up a new R&D division, but is also expanding its game engine.

CCO and director Tetsuya Takahashi has been in charge of overseeing the R&D team for roughly a year. Xenoblade lead programmer Michihiko Inaba is the group’s producer and director.

Speaking about the need for an R&D team with CGWorld, Takashi shared the following (rough translation):

More: Monolith Soft, Tetsuya Takahashi, top

Nintendo Museum has unseen hardware prototypes on display

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, GameCube, GBA, General Nintendo, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

In what has come as a surprise to many, a number of hardware prototypes were added to the Nintendo Museum just days before the official opening date.

One of the key complaints brought up with the location prior to its opening was that based on what was shown in the Direct and to the press, Nintendo didn’t delve much into its history here. However, this has been rectified a bit. Now that the museum has just started to open, fans have discovered that many prototypes are on display, including the earlier times with the Super Famicom and Virtual Boy, extending into the Wii U era. Some have been shown publicly before, but many have not.

More: Nintendo Museum, top

F-Zero inspired by back Back to the Future Part II, Batman

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Takaya Imamura had a legendry career at Nintendo where he spent over thirty years at the company, working on franchises like F-Zero and Star Fox.

In a recent interview with Famitsu, Imamura shared some insight into the inspiration for F-Zero. Along with the second Back to the Future movie, it also looks like the team was influenced by Tim Burton’s Batman. He went as far as to say that director Kazunobu Shimizu wanted to emulate the Batmobile.

Our translation of the interview excerpt is as follows:

More: F-Zero, interview, Takaya Imamura, top

Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – Zelda figma release date, pre-orders, new photos

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

There’s a bit of news regarding the previously-announced Zelda figma for The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, including the release date and pre-orders. We have a handful of new photos as well.

The new figma comes with a standard face, closed-eyes face, and serious face. Optional parts include the Purah Pad, broken Master Sword, and more for different poses. It measures approximately 155mm in height.

More: figma, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

Dragon Quest creator on III HD-2D Remake design changes and censorship

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments

September 30: Dragon Quest creator Yuji Horii has weighed in on the character design changes and bits of censorship being made for Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake.

For those that are unaware, the original RPG let players choose between a male or female warrior. It’s the female design that fans have been discussed, as Square Enix made changes to cover up the design more – that’s shown in the image above. The original design is on the left while the new version is on the right.

More: Dragon Quest III, Square Enix

Build-A-Bear making Cubone plushie

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Yet another Pokemon is here at Build-A-Bear, and now the retailer is offering a plushie for Cubone.

Cubone was one of the franchise’s early creatures as it was introduced in the first generation. The Ground-type Pokemon is known for crying when the memory of its departed mother brings it to tears.

More: Build-A-Bear, Pokemon

Final Fantasy creator feels like he cheated on Nintendo by going to PlayStation

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Back in the day, Final Fantasy was a franchise that was strongly tied to Nintendo. Up until Final Fantasy VI, you could always see the series’ different RPGs on platforms like the NES.

Final Fantasy VII is where things took a turn though. While the game was originally planned for the SNES and some consideration was given to the N64, it ended up releasing on PlayStation instead. That move made Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi feel like he cheated on Nintendo, especially given how the NES helped jumpstart his career.

More: Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, interview

Pikmin teams up with the San Diego Zoo

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo has announced a collaboration with the San Diego Zoo that will see Pikmin come to the area. The opportunity will be available starting today, lasting through November 28.

Nintendo says that similar to the Pikmin games, “kids will be encouraged to grow, gather and guide: grow in their appreciation for the natural world around them, gather pictures and memories of Pikmin in the Zoo, and guide their friends and family through exciting themed locations throughout Wildlife Explorers Basecamp.”

Here’s some additional information about the Pikmin x San Diego Zoo partnership:

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Monolith Soft celebrates 25th anniversary with special video

Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Monolith Soft is officially 25 years old, and to celebrate, the company has come out with a special video.

The video reminds fans with what the studio has worked on since its inception, with the Xenoblade series getting a focus in particular. But other series and games such as Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga are featured as well.