Podcast Stories

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

Two Epic Mickey games have been created thus far. If Warren Spector has his way, we could be seeing a third title.

Spector once again showed great interest in continuing the series in an interview of with RedBull, noting that “there are plenty of stories still to tell about Wasteland and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse!” He also talked about other possible Disney games such as a standalone Oswald adventure and a return to DuckTales:

“I’d love to see the Disney Epic Mickey series continue – there are plenty of stories still to tell about Wasteland and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and Mickey Mouse! I’d love to see some Oswald games, where he’s on his own. He deserves a shot at solo stardom. Then there are the ‘duck’ games – Donald, Scrooge, etc – that are just waiting to be made. And a bunch of us at Junction Point have thoughts about Goofy and the Gremlins and a hundred others.”

As far as what could be included in Epic Mickey 2, Warren stated:

“We go a step further, changing the actual orchestration based on how you choose to deal with game challenges.”

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Podcast Stories, Videos | 0 comments

Later this week, Swapnote will be celebrating its one-year anniversary. Nikki, the app’s tutorial character, has already sent out a message to users. It’ll be officially available for viewing in a few days, but those who set their system date ahead by a few days can read the note right now – take a look below:

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, GBA, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

In an interview with GamesMaster this month, Shigeru Miyamoto said that it’s “very likely” he’ll return to ideas that weren’t realized with the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link system.

Nintendo originally revealed the functionality at E3 2002. It allowed players to unlock modes, extras, and other content. One of the first games announced to support the functionality was Pac-Man Versus. Miyamoto noted that it was “a really interesting game”, but “it was rather hard for everyone to own four GBAs at the same time.”

Miyamoto told GamesMaster:

“I think it is very likely. I cannot tell specifically what ideas I used to have at the time which might be realized this time around. But as you might recall, at one of the E3 shows several years ago we showcased a game of Pac-Man Versus, which was a really interesting game. Unfortunately however it was rather hard for everyone to own four GBAs at the same time.

“But at that time still it was not very easy or accepted. [Now, with Wii U], it’s not just creators outside the company are finding fascinating possibilities to be able to realize a game dream come true.”

Thanks to joclo for the tip.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

Chinese company JinXing is coming out with an Android tablet that looks very reminiscent of the Wii U GamePad.

The S7300 “SMART Console” features a 7-inch, 5-point capacitive touchscreen. The Wii U GamePad is single-touch and contains a 6.2-inch touchscreen. Button layouts are fairly similar, as are the placement of control sticks. Unlike the GamePad, however, the S7300 has implemented circle pads rather than analog sticks.

In its promotional material detailing the product, JinXing uses the alternative/second name “Dual Core HD GamePad 2”. It also hints that Super Mario Galaxy 2 can be played on the machine as a “simulator game”, but the Wii isn’t a supported console.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii | 0 comments

A total of seven Nintendo Selects games can be purchased from Toys”R”Us for just $10. Super Mario Galaxy, Super Paper Mario, Mario Super Sluggers, Mario Power Tennis, Mario Strikers Charged, and Wii Sports are all included in the collection.

At the moment, only Mario Super Sluggers and Mario Power Tennis are available for shipping. However, in-store pickup is an option for all titles.

You can find product listings for each game here.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Podcast Stories, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

Gamasutra published a feature today comparing launch scores for consoles that have hit the market over the past 15-20 years. Take away from it what you can.

First by release:

Next by launch averages:

And here’s one more image comparing launch titles by platform:

Source, Via

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

ZombiU producer Guillaume Brunier has said that the development team wanted “to be the first to offer a core gaming experience with the Wii U Gamepad.”

Here’s his quote in full:

“We wanted to be the first to offer a core gaming experience with the Wii U Gamepad. You can call it experimental, you can call us crazy but that’s what we wanted to do.”

I can’t think of any core Wii U launch that takes advantage of the GamePad like ZombiU. I suppose the team was successful then!

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Nintendo published an Iwata Asks for Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney a few days back. Right now the discussion can only be read in Japanese, as the game has not been released (yet alone announced) for North America/Europe.

A bunch of details from the Iwata Asks have been translated, at least. There’s a roundup below covering how the project got started, tidbits about meshing the two series together, and more.

– Crossover between the two series had been thought about for awhile
– One of Hino’s dreams was to collaborate with Ace Attorney and creator Shu Takumi
– While Nintendo’s Brain Age games served as Layton’s inspiration, Ace Attorney has always held its place in Hino’s mind as the Layton series’ rival
– Hino admired the series’ charm and the flow of the Ace Attorney games
– Both of these influenced Layton’s design
– Hino feels that the two series are actually rather similar
– Hino: “From the outside, Professor Layton and Ace Attorney appear to be made with completely opposite game designs in mind. Professor Layton was created to go in a direction games don’t usually go, and Ace Attorney was created to appeal to the fans. However, even though the superficial interfaces are incredibly different, the core wrapped inside the package is essentially the same game.”
– Hino knew a crossover wouldn’t be possible until Layton was an established franchise
– Idea was presented to Capcom in 2010
– Takumi first heard about the project when he was working on Ghost Trick
– Takumi wasn’t involved with Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney’s initial development because of his commitments to Ghost Trick
– In May, he was called out to a yakiniku restaurant by the producer of the project in what Iwata termed the “Capcom tradition”—the practice where a superior takes hapless subordinates out for food when they want to reorganize existing projects
– Takumi was reluctant at first to work on the project
– In his mind, Ace Attorney has always been its own little world
– When the phrase “witch trials” came up during a brainstorming session held in Level 5’s Tokyo office over the first half year, he started thinking: “What would it be like for Phoenix to hold trials in a world where magic exists?”
– Most important factor in changing Takumi’s mind was that if he was going to do a crossover, he wanted to do something that would’ve been impossible in just the Ace Attorney world
– The idea took such a hold that before he knew it, that Takumi found himself working on the script when he’d merely gone over to bounce some ideas off of the staff
– Running with the idea of magic and witch trials, Level 5’s team put out the idea of having an “ultimate criminal, one where anything he writes would become true”
– Iwata noted that usually, one company takes the leadership role in collaborations; having two companies work together to write and compose the music together was unusual
– Programming was generally done by Level-5
– Art direction was generally Capcom’s job
– Music equally divided between Layton and Ace Attorney tracks
– Art required more attention, especially on Professor Layton’s end
– The team tried to adapt the Professor Layton style of art to Ace Attorney’s
– Transforming Ace Attorney from 2D to 3D and transformation of the characters into anime cutscenes both took some time
– Other characters in the game are a mix of both styles
– Mahone is drawn completely in the Ace Attorney style
– If you look carefully, you can tell which side the characters fall, but the blending of the two styles is still very natural
– Hino was most proud of his city’s design and graphics
– Setting was medieval, so he found it especially interesting to note the differences between Labyrinth City and Layton’s fantasy London
– Hino wanted a world that was balanced between realism and fantasy
– Takumi enjoyed the 3D effect in the cities, which gave them a sense of awe
– Takumi says the game is packed with 30 hours of content, easily
– Takumi also said that Professor Layton fans will enjoy seeing a new, more playful side to the Professor
– Ace Attorney fans will enjoy both the nostalgia of seeing Phoenix and Maya interact again, as well as the newness of the situation.
– Takumi: “The logic and scientific investigation that’s held up in the series up until now won’t apply to this world where magic exists, so you’ll have to put together a new logic.”
– Hino feels that the game encompasses the best of both series
– The crossover shouldn’t be viewed as just a side-story (with its implied throwaway, subpar quality), but as a fusion that embodies the feel of both games
– Hino suggests that players listen to the ending song once they finish the game, which is a hybrid of the two main themes played by a symphony

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Media Create’s latest hardware sales from Japan indicate that the 3DS has surpassed lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3.

3DS sales now stand at 8,799,378 following sales obtained between December 3 and December 9. Sales of the PlayStation 3 are at 8,716,260 in Japan.

Here’s the full listing of Japanese lifetime hardware sales:

Nintendo 3DS – 8,799,378
PlayStation 3 – 8,716,260
Nintendo DS – 32,875,469
PlayStation 2 – 21,829,112
PSP – 19,488,236
Nintendo Wii – 12,608,700
Xbox 360 – 1,608,399
PlayStation Vita – 1,074,621
Nintendo Wii U – 308,142

Source, Via 1, Via 2