Skylanders series has sold 250 million toys, generated $3 billion
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 7 Comments
Skylanders has been a huge success for Activision since the franchise’s debut. GameSpot reports that 250 million toys have been sold to date, and the series has generated $3 billion for Activision.
The first Skylanders, Skylanders: Spyro’s Adventure, launched in October 2011. Four games have been released, with Skylanders SuperChargers following later this year.
More: Activision, sales, Skylanders
Yooka-Laylee main character ideas included a tiger, witch and a broom with eyes
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 7 Comments
Yooka-Laylee features a chameleon and bat as the platformer’s main characters. However, those two didn’t start out as the initial ideas.
Responding to one fan in a Reddit AMA, Playtonic’s Steve Mayles revealed that he initially wanted to have a tiger in Yooka-Laylee. The team also considered a witch and a broom with eyes.
Mayles’ full comments are as follows:
My initial idea was a tiger as they are great-looking animals, but he never got past the sketch phase. He was deemed a bit too much of a ‘hero’ when all of my past characters were more like underdogs. We even tried a witch and a broom with eyes at one point!
More: indie, Playtonic, Steve Mayles, Yooka-Laylee
Find a local Best Buy involved with Nintendo Access: Mario Maker
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 1 Comment
Nintendo has a number of activities lined up for E3. One of these is playable Mario Maker sessions at Best Buy, which will be available as an opportunity to those in North America.
Nintendo has now launched a page that allows you find a nearby Best Buy outlet involved with the Mario Maker event. You can access the tool here.
More: Best Buy, E3 2015, Mario Maker
Another round of Skylanders SuperChargers details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments
Game Informer has a new preview up with a whole bunch of details about Skylanders SuperChargers. Read on below for the full information summary.
– new portal has a wider surface for the increased size of the vehicles
– new portal features a slot for the traps from last year’s Skylanders: Trap Team
– new portal does not have voice or light functionality
– traps themselves give you special ammo, and unlock a Skystone of that specific villain [in the trap]
– 20 new figures and 20 vehicles
– possibility of a legacy line along the lines of Eon’s Elite
– all 20 of the new characters have a signature car
– Spitfire rides in Hot Streak; Dive-Clops rides in Dive Bomber; Jet-Vac rides in Jet Stream
– each car, submarine, and airship is equipped with a playable function
– Hot Streak’s wheels spin like any Hot Wheels toy
– aircraft and submarines are equipped with moving parts
– any character can ride in any vehicle
– new vehicle-based animations for all of the characters
– a vehicle won’t appear in the world until a player enters a portal leading to a vehicle sequence
– portals are clearly marked with the vehicle type needed (land, air, or sea)
– some vehicle portals are placed in the middle of a level’s critical path and are mandatory
– other vehicle portals are placed along the side of paths, where secrets and bonuses await
– on critical-path missions, only land-based vehicles are used
– during a vehicle sequence, the character is locked into the driver’s seat and cannot run on foot
– follow a linear path where the camera is positioned behind the vehicle
– tracks have jumps and obstacles
-“Gearbits” are a new form of currency used to upgrade the specific parts on the vehicle
– Gearbits are often positioned in places that help the player navigate obstacles, such as a trail leading up to a ramp
– other driving sections include an arena that looks like a skate park, with its walls doubling as half-pipes
– Hot Streak’s car is equipped with a Flamethrower and lock-on technology
– avoid/destroy enemies in the arena and ring a set of bells to open the arena exit
– when a pilot hops into his or her signature car, the duo becomes SuperCharged, earning a damage boost and other perk
– SuperCharged effect is shown visually through a pulsating energy being given off by the vehicle
– if you finish a vehicle section SuperCharged, the character will still have a damage boost for part of the next on-foot section
– in flight sections, enemies can be locked onto and debris that can be avoided with a quick barrel roll
– one flight mission is in the Cloud Kingdom stage
– this mission uses Stormblade, a bird-like Skylander, and her craft, the Sky Slicer
– fight off an armada of transport ships
– Sky Slicer is equipped with feather projectiles and secondary homing missiles that can lock-on to numerous targets at once
– there is also a submarine section in Cloud Kingdom
– this involves using the Dive Bomber, owned by Dive-Clops
– follow a linear path and have the sub hit jumps to catch air and avoid hazards
– sub is equipped with the ability to submerge beneath the water’s surface
– this portion ends with a battle against rival boats and subs
– use sonar pings to lock-on to these targets
– deactivate a storm-sequencer that is threatening the inhabitants of Cloud Kingdom
– other sub missions include full-on diving
– there are different upgradeable parts for each of the 20 vehicles
– Hot Streak can upgrade the engine and tires
– other cars could offer defensive body and suspension upgrades
– earn instant mods hidden in stages and at the end of specific vehicle sequences
– some returning characters have superhero-like guises that open up a new arsenal of moves
– Super-Shot Stealth Elf has a new green/yellow outfit, is equipped with a rail gun and poisonous/stealth attacks
– she drops her gun, turns invisible, and sneaks up on enemies
– Jet-Vac now goes by Hurricane Jet-Vac
– he can use a hurricane hover attack, narrow the distance to his attackers using a dash kick, and can use his vacuum gun
– Trigger Happy is now wearing red and white gloves and has a new flamethrower gun
– he has been renamed Double Dare Trigger Happy
– Kaos returns as the villain and has a new weapon, the Doomstation of Ultimate Doomstruction,
– this weapon is capable of eating the sky and everything contained within it
– over 40 minutes of cinematics
– collectible hats, collectible Skystone cards, lock-picking minigames, and laser and block puzzles all return
– same cooperative experience for the on-foot sequences
– does not allow for two vehicles to be onscreen at the same time
– roughly 50 percent of the game is dedicated to vehicle
– level cap has not been increased beyond 2
– digital version of Skylanders: SuperChargers for all systems for people who don’t want to purchase another portal
– download SuperChargers and unlock digital “Instant” versions of Spitfire and Hotstreak for use in the game
– no other characters or vehicles are planned for the Instant line.
Splatoon – devs wanted to make something new and fun, amiibo, appealing to everyone, more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 25 Comments
Nintendo Life has an extensive interview up with Hisashi Nogami, the producer of Splatoon. Nogami commented on a variety of topics, including the single-player campaign, amiibo, the game’s ability to appeal to different age groups, and more.
Excerpts from the interview are posted after the break. The full discussion can be read here.
More: Amiibo, Hisashi Nogami, interview, Splatoon, top
Skylanders SuperChargers footage and more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments
Several videos for Skylanders SuperChargers have come in showing footage, among other things. You’ll find all below.
Scans roundup – Fire Emblem If, Monster Hunter X, The Great Ace Attorney, more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Images, Wii U | 1 Comment
This week’s issue of Famitsu has plenty of Nintendo content. The magazine has new looks at Atelier Rorona Plus: The Alchemist of Arland, Fire Emblem If, Monster Hunter Diary Poka Poka Airou Village DX, Monster Hunter X, Stella Glow, and The Great Ace Attorney. Scans of each game can be found in the gallery below, along with a few ads.
Mighty No. 9 gameplay trailer
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Videos, Wii U | 6 Comments
Deep Silver released the first official trailer for Mighty No. 9 today. View it below.
More: Comcept, Deep Silver, Inti Creates, Mighty No. 9
Terraria Wii U receives PEGI rating
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 2 Comments
Terraria was first presumed to be coming to Wii U and 3DS after listings popped up on GameFly and Amazon. Then in April, both versions were rated in Germany. Now we can add another piece of evidence to the pile, as the Wii U version has been rated by PEGI (no 3DS version yet for whatever reason).
It’s pretty bizarre that we first heard about Terraria for Wii U and 3DS around half a year ago, yet 505 Games still hasn’t made an announcement. If we don’t hear anything at E3, I’d be curious as to why the publisher is continuing on with radio silence.
Mario Kart 8 has sold over 1 million copies in Japan
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 2 Comments
Mario Kart 8’s sales have been creeping up to the 1 million mark in Japan over the past few weeks. With the latest data provided by Media Create, it’s been confirmed that the Wii U game has now reached that milestone.
Mario Kart 8 sold another 11,654 copies in Japan between May 25 and May 31. According to Media Create, its lifetime sales are now at 1,006,719 units.
