General Nintendo

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 9 Comments

In Japan, a pretty big update has been released for the arcade game Mario Kart Arcade GP DX. This adds new courses such as Pac-Man Stadium and Namco Circuit while also improving the user interface and making the versus mode more enjoyable.

First, below are details on Pac-Man Stadium and Namco Circuit:

Pac-Man Stadium

A course glittering with neons, with the Pacman statue leaving the most impressions. It’s a technical course with many sharp curves. In order to progress smoothly, players will need to memorize the order of curves, and spin the handle in a rhythmical pattern accordingly.

Namco Circuit

A circuit that looks like a history museum of Namco games. There are many straight lines and loose curves, making it a course with high-speed battles. Use the acceleration area gimmicks well to instantly widen the gap against rivals.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U | 4 Comments

Nintendo will soon be hosting a live stream for its new animated feature, Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins. Right after this, a special Nintendo Treehouse session with Star Fox Zero and Star Fox Guard will begin.

The festivities will begin at 3 PM PT / 6 PM ET / 11 PM in the UK / 12 AM in Europe (about an hour from now). We’ve attached a live stream for the event below.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Nintendo will be in attendance at PAX East this weekend, and the company will have a few games on display.

On Wii U, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE and Star Fox Zero will be playable. There will also be play opportunities for Kirby: Planet Robobot, Monster Hunter Generations, and Metroid Prime: Federation Force on 3DS. Indie titles Axiom Verge and Tumblestone are showing up at the developers’ respective booths on the show floor as well.

In terms of activities, Kirby is going to be on hand for photo opportunities at Nintendo’s booth. The following Bravely Second panel is also scheduled:

In addition to all the fun playable games, Nintendo will host a Bravely Second: End Layer panel on Sunday, April 24, from 1 to 2 p.m. ET in the Dragonfly Theatre. The panel will feature developers from SQUARE ENIX discussing the creation of the just-released role-playing game. Behind-the-scenes info, such as concept art and gameplay, will be shown, concluding with an audience Q&A. On Saturday, April 23, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. ET, the SQUARE ENIX developers will also be at the Nintendo booth to meet fans and sign autographs.

Source: Nintendo PR

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Update: Isabelle amiibo pre-orders are open: Summer Outfit and Winter Outfit.

The Kirby series amiibo can now be pre-ordered both in-store and online at GameStop. If you’re going with the latter option, do so here. Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and Waddle Dee are all up.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

Update: This is now up for pre-order on Amazon. Ocarina of Time on Amazon US here, Amazon Canada here. The next set is also confirmed to be Oracle of Ages/Seasons. That can be found on Amazon US here and Amazon Canada here.

Starting in November, VIZ Media will be releasing the first of five manga series compilations from author/illustrator Akira Himekawa. Fans can pick up “The Legend of Zelda: Legendary Edition Volume 1” for $17.99 / $21.99 CAN. This will feature parts one and two of Ocarina of Time’s manga telling.

Senior editor Beth Kawasaki said of today’s news:

“The Legend of Zelda is an unforgettable and tremendously loved property among multiple generations of video game, pop culture and manga fans. We are very excited to bring fans The Legend of Zelda in a comprehensive new way with these collectible omnibus editions.”

Each volume of the Legendary Edition will come with two graphic novels. They’ll launch every two months, meaning the second set should follow in January, and so on.

Source

More: The Legend of Zelda, top, Viz Media

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

U.S. retailers like Best Buy have already opened up pre-orders for Nintendo’s upcoming amiibo, and GameStop will be next out of the gate tomorrow. You’ll be able to reserve the new Kirby series as well as Isabelle in her winter and summer outfits. We’ll put up a separate post when live.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 6 Comments

Nintendo has partnered with SONIC for a new promotion. Those who order a Wacky Pack at a Drive-In between April 19 and June 30 will receive a colorful toy based on Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.

Five toys in total are up for grabs, and each one plays differently. There’s one shaped like Mario racing across the room on wheels whereas another has Paper Mario and Luigi spinning around like a top. Nintendo has also prepared two toys that resemble the folded-up paper look of the papercraft battles featured in the game.

Here’s a look at the various toys:

Source: Nintendo PR

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

Yooka-Laylee developer Playtonic has been adding talent from Rare on a regular basis since its inception. This past week, yet another staffer from that company joined the team – at least temporarily.

Playtonic has welcomed Phil Tossell, who was the coding lead on both Star Fox Adventures and Kameo. He’s also one of the co-founders of Tengami maker Nyamyam.

Playtonic tweeted out the following:

Based on a tweet from Tossell, it sounds like he’s still on with Nyamyam:

Thanks to Jake for the tip.

Source

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, General Nintendo, News, Videos, Wii | 6 Comments

Warner Bros. was once planning new video games based on the Dirty Harry film franchise. It was previously known that a primary version was in the works for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 courtesy of developer The Collective, but it came to light in recent years that Sensor Sweep was also making a separate game for other platforms including Wii and DS.

Sensor Sweep’s project would have adopted the same plot and some similar gameplay mechanics. However, it was an alternative approach, with plans to include a cel-shaded art style.

All Dirty Harry games were eventually scrapped. Regarding Sensor Sweep’s take on the IP, the team was well behind schedule and found itself not properly equipped for development on home consoles given its past work exclusively on handhelds. These factors contributed to its demise, along with the declining interest from Warner Bros. in moving forward with Dirty Harry after the HD version was cancelled.

Here’s the full report from Unseen64 and Liam Robertson:

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 25 Comments

Before coming out with the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo was looking into a completely different type of portable device. Many years ago, the company was experimenting with a Game Boy successor under the apparent codename “Project Atlantis”. In the end, it never turned into a consumer product.

German outlet Nintendo-Online has taken a look at what’s known about Project Atlantis based on previous information floating around (plus a few other separate, but interesting tidbits). The site passed along the following information:

– “Project Atlantis” is usually regarded as the GBA’s codename, which is NOT true – the GBA was codenamed “Advanced Game Boy”
– “Project Atlantis” was a Game Boy successor that Nintendo developed around 1995. Rumours about the system started in early 1996. It was supposed to be a 32 Bit color handheld, to have four buttons and to have a screen bigger than the final GBA. Media reported the system was supposed to release in late 1996.
– Rumours further suggested that “Project Atlantis” had power comparable to the N64 and used a 160 MHz processor – it would have been way more powerful than the final GBA. Also, “Project Atlantis’s” battery time was supposed to be 30 hours.
– Although Nintendo confirmed the system’s existence in mid-1996, “Project Atlantis” never got released. The newly released Game Boy Pocket sold well enough so that Nintendo delayed the release of “Project Atlantis” to the end of 1997.
– Finally the system never came to the market. The reason was that the system was simply way too big to be a Nintendo portable system. Also it was too power-consuming, too expensive to manufacture and Nintendo apparently wasn’t satisfied with it’s performance.
– DSi lead developer Masato Kuwahara who also participated in the development of “Project Atlantis” showed the prototype in a GDC 2009 lecture. Here’s the picture he showed, with a DSi as a size comparison.
– Bonus fact 1: Kuwahara also showed an unreleased Touch Screen Adaptor for the Game Boy Color that he developed in 1998. His picture shows the prototype attached to a Game Boy Advance SP.
– Bonus fact 2: The dev team also experimented with a fold up model for the Game Boy Advance, the like of which the GBA SP and the DS are. Because back then the system would have been to thick, they discarded the idea.
– Bonus fact 3: The development of the final GBA didn’t start until the Game Boy Color was released and only took about two years.

Some interesting things here for sure! It’s always neat to look back on Nintendo’s history, and get a glimpse at products that never made it to market.

Source, Via

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