Machoke and Machamp don’t actually wear pants
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Random | 16 Comments
A new tidbit of information about a pair of Pokemon were shared on the series’ website today. Specifically, we have some… interesting news about Machoke and Machamp.
Both characters don’t actually wear pants. Instead, the what you see are markings, meaning Machamp or Machoke don’t wear pants as many had assumed.
More: Pokemon
8 Bit Music Power will be the first new Famicom game in over two decades
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments
Columbus Circle is coming out with the first Famicom title in 21 years. In Japan, “8 Bit Music Power” is arriving on January 31 for 3,800 yen.
8 Bit Music Power features a collection of old-fashioned chiptunes packaged in an original Famicon cartridge. 12 pieces of music composed by videogame sound creators will be included.
Those who are interested in 8 Bit Music Power for the NES would need an adapter to play it. However, it’s possible that the title will eventually leave Japan, assuming there’s enough interest.
A spokesperson told the Wall Street Journal:
“This was just a project among old Nintendo fans around us. We were surprised at the overwhelming reaction we’ve received. Fans and major retailers in the U.S. asked us to make the product available there.”
Columbus Circle also said it plans to make more Famicon cartridges, including new games for the system.
More: 8 Bit Music Power, Columbus Circle
Black Friday 2015 deals up on the Nintendo UK store
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 3 Comments
The Nintendo UK store has gone live with its Black Friday 2015 deals. Consumers can save on hardware, merchandise, and more.
Here are a few highlights:
– Wii U Mario Mega Bundle – Soft Toy, Wheel, Gamepad Protector, Super Mario Maker and Wii U Console – £299
– Nintendo 3DS XL White Console – includes Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Hat – Was £179.99 Now £99
– New Nintendo 3DS XL Pokemon Bundle – Nintendo 3DS XL in Metallic Blue, Pokemon Alpha Sapphire and Free Pikachu Toy – £219.00
– Nintendo 3DS XL Super Smash Bros. Limited Edition – Includes charger and Super Smash Bros. game – Was £238.97 Now £158.97
– Nintendo 2DS Console (Black + Blue) Bundle – Pokemon X and Blue Nintendo 2DS case – Was £132.49 Now £95.99
– Nintendo 2DS Console + Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer + NFC Reader/Writer Pack – Was £149.99 Now £119.99
Update: Dead – Marth, Ganondorf, Falco amiibo up on Best Buy for $9 each
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments
Update: This deal is now dead. Marth and Ganondorf are gone while Falco is back up to $13.
Three amiibo are currently available on Best Buy for $9 each. Those are as follows:
I’ll try to keep the post updated if any amiibo sell out.
Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8 airing on Disney XD next Saturday
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments
On December 5, Disney XD will be airing a special Mario Kart tournament. “Clash of Karts: Mario Kart 8” features a battle between four two-person teams of kids ages 13 to 17, all of whom were coached by YouTube stars Mari Takahashi, Meghan Camarena, Seth Bling, and Andre Meadows. You can watch the action unfold at 8 PM.
This isn’t the first time Nintendo has teamed up with Disney XD. Most recently, the network had a one-hour special based on the Nintendo World Championships 2015.
More: Disney XD, Mario Kart 8
Modern 8-bit Mario amiibo up on Walmart
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Walmart has added the 8-bit Mario amiibo to its website. Naturally though, due to Black Friday, the retailer is being absolutely slammed at the moment. That means you’ll probably have some issues adding the figure to your cart. It might be easier to try nabbing him later in the day!
I’ll also quickly mention that some other Walmart deals that we previously posted about are now starting to go live. That includes the Smash Bros. and Splatoon Wii U bundle for $250.
Monolith Soft boss on appealing to Japan/the west, “mass” hiring clarified, more Xeno games
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 49 Comments
GameSpot has posted another feature with Monolith Soft head Tetsuya Takahashi. In today’s interview, Takahashi commented on things like making games that will appeal to both Japan and the west, the “mass” hiring the studio had in October (which carries a rather interesting response), the possibility of additional Xeno games, and more.
Continue on below to read up on Takashi’s comments. You should also give GameSpot’s original piece a look here.
More: interview, Monolith Soft, Tetsuya Takahashi, top
Nyannyan Neko Mario Time episode 51
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U | 1 Comment
The latest episode of Nintendo’s Japanese show Nyannyan Neko Mario Time has now gone live. We’ve included it below.
More: Japan, Nyannyan Neko Mario Time
Level-5 open to having franchises on NX and Wii U, says Yo-kai Watch and Pokemon can coexist peacefully
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch, Wii U | 21 Comments
The only Yo-kai Watch title we’ve seen from Level-5 on a Nintendo console is the upcoming Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version. But could the studio expand its efforts to bring a proper title to Wii U, or even NX? Company CEO Akihiro Hino is certainly open to the possibility.
Hino said he “would definitely want to proactively consider it,” if Level-5 has a title that would make sense as a Wii U game. Taking things further, Hino expressed interest in potentially making games for NX if it can “bring Level-5 games to as many kids as possible.” Speaking broadly about Level-5, he added that if the company finds this to be the case, “it wouldn’t be impossible” to see its games on the system.
Hino also addressed Pokemon again, which has seen some comparisons to Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch series. He believes the two can coexist peacefully. Hino mentioned: “If kids are willing to buy both of them, I couldn’t be happier.”
More: Akihiro Hino, interview, Level-5, top
NES designer on Nintendo and Sony’s failed partnership, emphasis on design, indie comparison
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 12 Comments
Back in the day, Nintendo and Sony once attempted to work with each other. The SNES PlayStation prototype is evidence of that. Had the two sides collaborated, Sony would have come out with its own SNES-CD peripheral for the console.
NES designer Masayuki Uemura, in an interview with Gamasutra, spoke about Nintendo and Sony’s failed partnership during a NES celebration at The Strong Museum of Play’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. Whereas companies like Sony began to focus on graphics and the technological side of gaming at the time, Nintendo still pushed for innovation with design.
Uemura said:
“You might know that we tried to collaborate with Sony once. We knew what Sony was thinking and what kinds of things they were trying to develop. During this time when Sony and other companies started launching products, people started realizing how difficult it is to create a game with great mechanics. Since the time of Game & Watch, Nintendo was doing their best to create game design mechanics that fully utilize the limited technological specifications. What happened was when they started launching those products with high quality graphic design they started emphasizing the graphics processing power – in other words, it wasn’t just the game mechanics they had to focus on but they also had to focus on graphic expression and sound design, not just game design. That’s how the market got saturated with all these kinds of products.
“By contrast, Nintendo was always trying to push the limitations of new types of play. That was a difference between Nintendo product lines and the others. With the maturity of the game industry…it was time to start thinking about redefining the importance of mechanics and design. So for a couple decades the game publishers and hardware manufacturers were focusing on graphics processing power and sound effects and so forth and not focusing much on innovating in game design and mechanics.”
