News

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

Muramasa: The Demon Blade was one of the most visually striking games on Wii. The action game possessed a unique style, and was heavily based in Japanese mythology.

Glixel recently caught up with Muramasa’s creator, George Kamitani, as part of an interview opportunity. When asked about what inspired the title, he explained:

“I had consecutively done fantasy titles so I wanted to do something different. The concept for Muramasa: The Demon Blade came from the idea of presenting a ‘ninja Princess Crown’ concept to the person who created the arcade game Ninja Princess at Sega. The story for Odin Sphere was inspired by Shakespearean theatre so if I was going to make a Japanese version, I felt that the setting should be inspired by kabuki, so I collected a lot of kabuki scripts. I also referenced a lot of Japanese classical literature, but the old language was very difficult. And I was somewhat nervous to use Japanese mythology, so there’s more Buddhist theology in the game.

Visually, I was influenced by block prints from the Edo period, and I imitated the ink-wash painting style using bright, vibrant colors. I was also influenced by the classic Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi anime where there’s a certain comical element to the background. I tried to create an authentic environment that’s different from a realistic style.”

After releasing on Wii many years ago, Muramasa: The Demon Blade came to the Japanese Wii U eShop in 2015. Unfortunately, it’s still not out in the west.

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More: George Kamitani, interview, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Vanillaware

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Chronova Games has set a date for Mega Maze, which we first heard about last August. The Wii U eShop title is planned for January 19 on the North American Wii U eShop. The game will cost $3.99.

We’ve included a new trailer for Mega Maze below.

Source: Chronova Games PR

More: Chronova Games, indie, Mega Maze

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Images | 5 Comments

Lots of Dragon Quest news was shared during NHK’s recent 30th anniversary program. We got a new, brief look at Dragon Quest XI with tidbits of information, a message from character designer Akira Toriyama, and more.

On the topic of Toriyama, the television program actually gave a look at some scrapped enemy designs he drew up. Here’s a look:

– Arthur Sion / Arthursion
– Hentekorino (Henteko means weird in Japanese)
– Lizardman
– Halloweenman
– Boss #2

More: Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest, Square Enix

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 59 Comments

Well before NX was known as Switch, GamesTM spoke with three developers about the system. The UK magazine previously caught up with DrinkBox co-founder Graham Smith, Rebellion Developments co-founder Chris Kingsley, and Zen Studios VP of Publishing Mel Kirk. Now that we’re starting to get an idea as to what Switch actually is (though much more so next month), GamesTM once again posed some questions to these game makers.

You can read the full Q&A about Switch in this month’s issue of GamesTM. However, we did pick out some excerpts below. Smith, Kingsley, and Kirk shared some thoughts about Switch’s power, developing with NVIDIA hardware, and what they’re most excited about.

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More: DrinkBox Studios, interview, Rebellion, top, Zen Studios

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 4 Comments

Ratalaika Games may not be a name that everyone is familiar with, but they’ve been porting a few games to the eShop since last year. Across Wii U and 3DS, you can find releases such as Defend your Crypt, Blasting Agent: Ultimate Edition, and Twin Robots. Plantera is also due out very soon and could be the neatest of the bunch.

Aside from Wii U and 3DS, Ratalaika Games might be setting its sights on Switch development as well. On its website, the system is specifically mentioned as a platform the company ports to.

We also followed up with Ratalaika directly on this to find out if any active Switch projects are on the way. The response was interesting, as CEO Adrian Vega told us that information cannot be currently disclosed due to the company having partners in Europe/Japan, and he is not authorized to speak about games that have not yet been announced to be in active porting to consoles. We were further told that he may have something to share at the end of this month.

The main takeaway here is that Ratalaika is definitely interested in Switch. Even if we don’t see any titles from them immediately, you can definitely expect new ports down the road.

More: indie, Ratalaika Games

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 0 comments

Shift DX won’t require much space when it hits the North American and European 3DS eShop next week. To download it, you’ll need just 316 blocks. That amounts to 39.5 MB.

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More: block size, Choice Provisions, file size, indie, Shift DX

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Rumors, Switch | 156 Comments

Koei Tecmo could be collaborating with Nintendo on another Warriors game for Switch, if the latest speculation is to be believed.

On Wii U, the two companies worked together to bring Hyrule Warriors to Wii U. The game was then ported to 3DS last year as Hyrule Warriors Legends.

YouTuber OBE1plays first claimed that Koei Tecmo is developing a new Nintendo-themed Warriors game for Switch. Apparently, the project is not a retread of Zelda, nor is it based on Star Fox. Laura Kate Dale, who has been posting Switch rumors over the past few months (many of which have proven accurate thus far), wrote last month that Koei Tecmo pitched a Star Fox Warriors title at some point, but Nintendo turned it down.

Following OBE1plays’ report, Dale wrote on Twitter that she’s heard similar things about Koei Tecmo’s Switch game. She as well says it isn’t related to Zelda or Star Fox.

More: Koei Tecmo

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

A new wave of Mario toys are coming to McDonald’s Happy Meals. These are actually already out in Japan, but are on the way to the UK beginning on January 11.

Nintendo Life has now shared a commercial for the UK promotion as well as images of the toys. If that wasn’t enough, you can see the Happy Meal box and coloring sheet activities below.

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More: Mario, McDonalds, UK

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Pokemon Snap is out now on the North American Wii U eShop. Take a look at the official Virtual Console trailer below.

More: Pokemon Snap, Virtual Console

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 4 Comments

Rime has gone through a lengthy and somewhat rocky development. Originally announced a PlayStation 4 game back in 2013, it’s now heading to Switch and other platforms in May.

Even though it’s been a long wait and there may have been changes along the way, Tequila Works CEO and creative director Raúl Rubio believes Rime was able to maintain its original vision.

Rubio told MCV:

“With RiME’s release now only a few months away the team is still working hard on adding the final touches to the game, but when I look back to when this journey began I feel we have remained true to our initial vision for the project and the original concept of living an adventure through the eyes of an eight year old child.”

Rubio also commented on the impact of the additional platforms on the team. To that, he responded:

“It is true that bringing RiME to other platforms has meant additional workload for the team, but being able to share our vision with a wider audience makes that extra effort worth it. The team at Tequila Works is grateful to the belief Grey Box and Six Foot has shown in both RiME and the studio which has meant the game will now come to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC in May.”

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More: Grey Box, Raul Rubio, Rime, Six Foot, Tequila Works