Nintendo of Japan has published the first edition of the Japanese Iwata Asks interview for Fire Emblem: Awakening. Producer Hitoshi Yamagami, Intelligent Systems project manager Higuchi Masahiro, and character designer and illustrator Yusuke Kozaki were some of the staff who participated in the discussion.
A few details have been transcribed from the site, which you can find below. We’ll likely get a fully translated version of the column once Awakening comes close to its European launch later this year.
– Making a Fire Emblem set in modern times or setting the game on Mars were ideas suggested at the beginning
– Yamagami refers to the modern Fire Emblem as “Fire Emblem 2011”
– Yamagami/Masahiro were thinking about what would end up being Fire Emblem Awakening game during the development of DS remake Fire Emblem: Shin Monsho no Nazo
– Thought about using a different world or modern times
– Ultimately went with an idea to make Awakening into a compilation that brings together all the good elements of the series- Kozaki said this is the first time he’s needed to draw a lot of characters for a game
– Someone from Nintendo had contacted Kozaki to make roughly 60 characters
– Kozaki asked if his work would be for a Fire Emblem game, but was told that the identity of the game had to be kept secret
NIS America will be holding a press event next week. The company has confirmed that announcements will be made pertaining to their summer/fall lineup.
Members of the media will be given hands-on time with these products on March 29.
The Wii Shop Channel and the 3DS eShop have been temporarily closed. Both are undergoing maintenance at the moment.
The eShop should return later tonight/early tomorrow morning. I would assume that the Wii Shop Channel will be back up and running at the same time.
Everyone’s Favorite Amphibian is Back in Classic Coin Op Form
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. – March 20, 2012 – Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. today announced Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition is arriving this Spring for the PlayStation®Network for the PlayStation®3 computer entertainment system, Xbox LIVE® Arcade for the Xbox 360® video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, and Nintendo’s WiiWare™ service on Wii™. The game will also be available for smartphone platforms.
Frogger’s coin-op thrills are back and better than ever in Frogger: Hyper Arcade Edition! The arcade excitement of Frogger returns in time for its 30th anniversary celebrations with updates that are sure to delight fans old and new. Players can jump into the action with classic and brand-new game modes like Tile Capture, Battle Royale, Freak Out and more that expand the challenge of Frogger’s style of run-and-dodge gameplay. Players can even customize their game experience through a variety of different skins, from the modern neon style of HYPER ARCADE to the 8-bit sprites from Frogger, Castlevania and even CONTRA! Competitive types can also throw down against friends or the CPU in up to 4 player matches to find out who’s really the top frog!
