Pokemon as a gaming franchise has been around for nearly two decades. Given its popularity, Pokemon won’t be slowing down any time soon and we’ll continue to see new entries in the franchise.

Where might Pokemon go from here though? Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda won’t give any specifics away, but he did tease to Polygon that he has “some big-picture ideas” for the series.

Masuda said:

There’s probably going to be a lot more games; we might not be able to use the “Gotta catch ’em all” catchphrase anymore [laughs]. Of course, we want to keep creating things that will surprise and delight fans. I don’t think that’s going to change. … I have some big-picture ideas, but I can’t really talk about them.

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Koei Tecmo’s Koinuma shares more on his Mario Musou idea, Masuda open to Pokemon Musou

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 15 Comments

Last year, Koei Tecmo executive vice president Hisashi Koinuma mentioned that he’d love to use Mario in a Musou-type game. That was not a joke – Koinuma was being completely serious.

Koinuma elaborated on his original comment while speaking with Polygon, with the site reporting:

He sees Mario as a character that would need to branch out from hand-to-hand combat but could focus on his distinctive moves. Speaking hypothetically, Koinuma suggests Mario could “blast enemies off the screen or knock them unconscious” with his moveset. “I suppose the game would be balanced so the kids could enjoy it as their first action game experience, whereas the adults could enjoy the game with friends and families as a group,” he says.

Pokemon producer Junichi Masuda also weighed in on Musou. He’d be open to seeing the Pokemon franchise cross over with Koei Tecmo’s IP if it wasn’t too violent. During his discussion with Polygon, Masuda suggested that perhaps players could throw out a lot of Pokeballs. It would also need a new form of gameplay so as to not feel too familiar.

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Pokken Tournament came about thanks to an idea from Pokemon president Tsunekazu Ishihara

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 7 Comments

Bandai Namco’s Katsuhiro Harada briefly touched on Pokken Tournament’s origins while speaking with Polygon. When Bandai Namco met with Pokemon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara about licensing music for Taiko Drum Master, Ishihara surprised them with an idea for a game similar to Tekken. Harada says he is spending a lot of time on Pokken Tournament since it’s the first title in a potential new franchise and because the team has less experience than the group behind Tekken.

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Video: Another look at the Toon Link, Bowser, Sheik, Lucario, and Ike amiibo

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

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Nintendo has sold 200,000 amiibo figures in France

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments

200,000 amiibo figures have been sold in France, Nintendo has announced. That figure accounts for all sales since the product line launched in late November.

amiibo has been extremely successful in other territories as well. For instance, Nintendo confirmed earlier this month that nearly 2.6 million figures have been sold in the U.S. thus far.

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Nyannyan Neko Mario Time episode 29

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

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Gaming sales in Japan decreased following the holidays

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 3 Comments

New information from sales tracker Media Create indicates that gaming sales in Japan decreased during the second week of January, which is generally designated as the end of the “holiday season”.

As Siliconera points out, children usually spend their New Year’s money during January’s first week. This is accompanied by a drop in hardware and software sales in later weeks.

As expected, software sales lowered to 62.91 percent compared to the same period in January 2014. 3DS led the market in terms of holiday software sales, and the industry as a whole was affected when numbers for the portable dropped. There were also no significant titles during the second week of January. Kirby Triple Deluxe debuted last January and sold 214,000 copies in its first week.

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Club Nintendo Japan updated with new rewards

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

Club Nintendo is coming to an end, including in Japan. Nintendo updated the rewards service for a final time today with another batch of rewards.

Members can obtain a Yoshi case, small Kirby blanket, storage case, and a handful of Virtual Console titles. The lineup of classic titles is as follows:

3DS

Alleyway
Super Mario Land
The Legend of Zelda
Ice Climber
Metroid
The Mysterious Murasame Castle
Trade & Battle: Card Hero
Balloon Fight GB

Wii U

WarioWare, Inc.: Mega Microgame$!
Mario Pinball Land
Marvelous: M?hitotsu no Takarajima
Mario vs. Donkey Kong
F-Zero for Game Boy Advance

Wii

Joy Mech Fight
Kid Icarus
Sutte Hakkun
Super Mario Kart
Famicom Bunko: Hajimari no Mori
1080 Snowboarding
Sin & Punishment

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This year’s Club Nintendo Elite Status gifts appear to be digital-only again

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 12 Comments

Last year, Nintendo offered digital-only rewards on Club Nintendo for those who reached Elite Status (Platinum/Gold Status). This was quite a big change since, in the past, we saw gifts like a figurine, Majora’s Mask soundtrack, and more.

It’s looking like the 2015 Elite Status rewards will once again be digital-only. With the closure of Club Nintendo on the horizon, I suppose it’s not entirely surprising.

Check out this blurb from the official Club Nintendo discontinuation notice:

In order to reach Elite Status, you must earn 300 Coins (for Gold Status) or 600 Coins (for Platinum Status) between July 1, 2014 and March 31, 2015. Members who reach Elite Status will be able to choose a downloadable game from a wide selection of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles. Your free Elite Status gift will be available between April 1 and April 30, 2015. A list of the Elite Status 2015 gifts will be posted here once announced.

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