Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 53 Comments

Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the most iconic video game characters during the SEGA Genesis days, but he’s had a tough time over the past several years. Former SEGA of America CEO Tom Kalinske weighed in on the situation in this month’s issue of Game Informer, explaining that it’s not entirely unnatural.

Kalinske feels that Sonic’s “downward cycle” is part of the “natural up and down for any character.” He compared the situation to other big franchises like Star Wars. After being on the decline for some time, Kalinske says that it’s now time for Sonic “to have an upward cycle again”.

As Kalinske stated:

“I think there is some natural up and down for any character. We’ve certainly seen it with the Marvel characters over the years. We’ve seen it with Barbie. We’ve seen it with Star Wars. We’ve seen it with G.I. Joe and Hot Wheels. All of these brands have had their cycles. I think Sonic has had a downward cycle for a while, and it’s time to have an upward cycle again for a while.”

Thanks to Jake for the tip.

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 3 Comments

Minecraft: Wii U Edition added the new Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack earlier in the week. For a look at the DLC, watch the video below.

More: 4J Studios, DLC, Minecraft: Wii U Edition, Mojang

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 5 Comments

The NES Classic Edition has been a hot commodity since it was announced in July. It’s sold out at a lot of European retailers, and the same goes for the very select few in North America.

The Nintendo Classic Mini: Famicom was announced for Japan last week, and the situation is similar there as well. Big online retailers stopped accepting pre-orders soon after they opened. The likes of Amazon, Rakuten, and Yodobashi have all sold out. We’ll have to hope that there will still be some stock around for the holidays.

Here are some additional photos of the Nintendo Classic Mini: Famicom by the way:

More: nes, pre-order

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 28 Comments

During a recent episode of the Corner Office podcast, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick commented on a wide array of topics. Some interesting discussion came about when Kotick was speaking about how he’s been able to get early looks at certain things that would end up having a big impact on society. Kotick referenced the Macintosh and Toy Story, but in the video game industry, his favorite example is the Wii.

Before the Wii was unveiled, Kotick was invited to Nintendo’s headquarters in Japan for a preview of the platform. Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto were both present. Kotick was simply handed a Wii remote, and was asked to try fishing. It all came naturally, and after that demo, he believed “this is going to completely transform video games”.

Kotick’s full words:

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Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle came out at the start of 2010. Since then, fans of the series have been left waiting as to when we’ll be seeing a third entry. Creator Goichi Suda – otherwise known as Suda51 – has spoken about the prospects every now and then over the years, though that hasn’t translated into an actual game.

Destructoid did ask Suda51 once again about No More Heroes 3. On that topic, he had this to say:

“It’s not going to be 20 years, I’m hoping it’ll be 10 years or maybe earlier than that. It might be like an indie game. No More Heroes fans’ voices are still strong, but young gamers have never heard of it, so I want to create something for them as well.”

Suda51 added that 2018 will be the 20th anniversary of Grasshopper, so he’d like to make some news related to No More Heroes. However, he did say “I’m not sure.”

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More: Goichi Suda, interview, No More Heroes 3, Suda51

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments

Xavier Orion Games hasn’t had the easiest time porting Booty Diver for Wii U. However, the indie developer confirmed today that the eShop version is still planned, and is working with TreeFall Studios to make it happen. The two sides will be collaborating on any other Wii U projects from Xavier Orion Games as well.

Xavier Orion Games is still handling actual development and publishing responsibilities. TreeFalls Studio will primarily be tasked with testing.

In a blog update, Xavier Orion Games said: “As we progress we will keep everyone updated on how close Booty Diver is to arriving on its true home Nintendo Wii U.”

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More: Booty Diver, indie, TreeFall Studios, Xavier Orion Games

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Images, Wii U | 2 Comments

We have a handful of additional art from Paper Mario: Color Splash. The gallery below shows characters, the map (including what it looks like “filled in”), and more.

More: Intelligent Systems, Paper Mario: Color Splash

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos | 0 comments

GameXplain has provided us with some footage of the various boss battles included in Mario Party: Star Rush. Check out the video below for the gameplay.

More: Mario Party: Star Rush, Nd Cube

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Choice Provisions recently made it known that Runner3 is on the way. However, not much was said about the actual gameplay. In a new blog update, Choice Provisions did touch on what’s planned.

Runner3 will be building off of the gameplay found in the original two games. In this title, there will be “a whole new world, with ups, downs, lefts and rights, split paths, and of course forwards”. Runner3 is also getting a controlled event mechanic, in which Commandervideo controls vehicles, animals, and more.

Continue on below for Choice Provisions’ full blog update.

You might have noticed that our announcement image had ABSOLUTELY no running. This is fairly silly, considering the game is called Runner3. Well I am here to tell you that we are very silly people, but also, we are silly people that have already made two running games. We need to add as many herbs and spices to this tangy sausage as possible so that we can serve it to you with maximum flavor, aroma, and aftertaste.

Making a sequel is a bit harder than you might think. We are bound to the rules of gameplay that have already been set in place. The fans have an expectation that is based off the previous game, so you need to honor that relationship. That said, you also need to reinvent and evolve the game, so it’s not the same ole bag of beans. If we aren’t careful, we can paint ourselves into a corner.

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More: Choice Provisions, Runner3

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Images | 2 Comments

Fans are starting to receive The Legend of Zelda Trading Cards, recently released by Enterplay. You can see what some of the various cards look like below.

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More: The Legend of Zelda