When you think about it, the fact that Nintendo allowed Next Level Games to make Super Mario Strikers was somewhat unexpected. The studio was a bit unproven at the time yet the Big N nonetheless allowed the developer to get its hands on some of the company’s most-beloved characters.

You might be wondering: how did Next Level’s partnership with Nintendo begin? It was actually the initiative on the part of Next Level that got the ball rolling. The team first decided to make a Mario soccer demo “with no direction from Nintendo”.

Read on below for comments from Next Level Games discussing how Mario Strikers as well as Punch-Out!! came to be.

Video: Zelda: Majora’s Mask’s fan-made Nicholas Cage mod

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Random, Videos | 0 comments

Oh man… this is both hilarious and downright creepy at the same time:

Eternal Darkness trademark extended by Nintendo

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Nintendo has filed a fifth extension for the Eternal Darkness IP.

That begs the question: what does the trademark update mean? Well, it could be nothing at all. Given the state of Silicon Knights at the moment, the studio would unlikely be making a new entry in the franchise. The only other way Nintendo could be revisiting Eternal Darkness is if it handed off the IP for another developer… which would also be unlikely at this point.

And so this could simply be a standard trademark move for Nintendo.

Source, Via 1, Via 2

Club Nintendo holding “Luigi’s 72 hour sale”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

The Year of Luigi has begun, and Club Nintendo is celebrating with a special 72-hour sale. Until March 19 at 11:59 PM PST, the following rewards can be bought (with coins!) at a discount:

Reversible Pouches – 150 coins
Mario & Luigi Greeting Cards – 200 coins
Wii Remote Holders – 200 coins
Wii Remote Wrist Strap Set – 250 coins
Classic Super Mario T-Shirt – 350 coins
Stylus & Game Card Case (Animal Crossing) – 350 coins

Access the rewards page here. Also be sure to view Club Nintendo’s temporary green makeover!

Thanks to Ryan Schmidt for the tip.

Mod lets you play as Zelda rather than Link in NES game

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Zelda and Link switch roles in a mod created by professional animator Kenna W. This time around, Zelda is the one doing the saving. Link is the “damsel” in distress.

More information and a download link (ha!) can be found here. There isn’t a ROM included, so you’ll instead need to apply a patch.

Via

Road Rash creator looking to talk with EA about new entry, “amazed” by fan interest

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Earlier this week, Road Rash co-designer Dan Geisler said that he would take to Kickstarter for a new Road Rash if there was enough fan interest. The response was very positive to say the least.

Geisler now sounds quite eager to move ahead with a new Road Rash and is currently talking with EA about how it can happen.

Geisler told Destructoid:

“I am amazed at the level of interest in the remake. I feel this needs to happen. As to EA, I’m having discussions with my Chief Technology Officer about it now.”

It’ll be interesting to see what EA has to say about the situation!

Source

Video: “The Miis take a snow day at Whistler Blackcomb”

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Random, Videos | 0 comments

This is about as random as you think it is:

Nintendo shifts some staff west as NYC offices move

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Nintendo will be closing its New York offices in Park Avenue, the company has confirmed. Some employees working in the area will now move to a smaller location.

A comment provided by Nintendo of America spokesman Charlie Scibetta also states that the Direct Consumer Communications will head west as it merges with the Network Business Department in Redmond “to provide better digital offerings and services for consumers.”

“Nintendo is keeping a facility and operations in New York. The Direct Consumer Communications (DCC) team is moving to Redmond headquarters to merge with our Network Business Department (NBD) to provide better digital offerings and services for consumers. Other Nintendo staff unrelated to DCC will remain in New York in a new office location close to the Nintendo World Store.”

Here’s something you may not have known: according to Kotaku, Nintendo’s smaller New York office was mainly responsible for the behind-the-scenes workings of Club Nintendo. No need to worry about the New York changes, though – Scibetta said: “There will be no impact to consumers as a result of the move.”

Source

Latest GT.TV featuring Miyamoto interview and Injustice

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Source

Next Level/Nintendo on Luigi’s Mansion 2 development, experiments with the original, Nintendo’s rules, why Luigi can’t jump, more

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Kotaku has published a very interesting and insightful article about the working relationship between the folks at Next Level Games and Nintendo. The two companies needed to come together for the development of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.

We’ve picked out a bunch of quotes below, but be sure to read the full piece here. Topics include Next Level not knowing which system it would be making Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon for initially, 3D and multiplayer experiments with the original GameCube title, Nintendo’s rules for Luigi, why the character can’t jump in the Luigi’s Mansion games, and more.