Nintendo Everything

Junction Point is known for its work on the Epic Mickey franchise. After the first game in the series shipped, the studio could have had an opportunity to work with a small group of developers on a 3D platformer called “Goliath”.

Here’s a brief overview of the project:

The initial stages of Goliath had revolving around a large gorilla protecting small children. This concept evolved into a relationship of Tarek the gorilla working together with a girl named Ky. The two would combine their skills of strength (Tarek) and intelligence (Ky) to overcome obstacles. Goliath was planned to be a 3D platformer, and was inspired by several other games of the time, including Jack and Daxter, Rachet and Clank, and Shadow of the Colossus.

Had Goliath been picked up at Junction Point Studios and Disney, it would have been made on Wii and other platforms. But in the end, it never entered full production and no gameplay types exist. Junction Point ended up focusing on Epic Mickey 2 next, and after that title released, Disney closed Junction Point. It was also discovered an artist on the team who created some concepts plagiarized work, meaning it couldn’t be pitched to Disney directly or any other game companies.

Unseen64 has the full report below, as published by DidYouKnowGaming? today:

More news is in from the Sonic Mania panel hosted at Comic-Con last night. The latest information concerns early development, cut-scenes and the opening animation, and more.

The Sonic Stadium shares the following:

• Sonic Mania was originally named “Sonic Discovery” during it’s early development stages
• When Sonic Mania was first pitched to Iizuka-san in early 2016, a working demo was already playable featuring Studiopolis Zone
• Iizuka-san came up with the phrase “By the Mania, for the Mania”
• Many different story narratives were discussed for Mania, including a defeated Eggman retiring, while his machines form their own gang in the Hard Boiled Heavies
• Sonic Mania will feature sprite cut scenes, a la Sonic 3 & Knuckles
• Sonic Mania will feature an opening animation by Tyson Hesse, and will be revealed on August the 14th
• Aaron Webber stated no Super Emeralds will feature in the game, following an audience question
• Attendees at the panel received a free “Introduction manual”, in the style of the 32X instruction manuals, detailing game story, developer profiles and new sketch-hog art by Tyson Hesse

And speaking of that instruction manual…

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Following up on last night’s news about Special Stages in Sonic Mania, SEGA has prepared new music that can now be listened to on YouTube. “Dimension Heist”, the theme being used in these levels, is included in the video below.

Hey! Pikmin launched in Japan on July 13. Through July 16, the game sold around 65,000 copies. Dengeki has since reported that it sold through 45 percent of its initial shipment.

That might seem a bit low, but Hey! Pikmin isn’t a core Pikmin game. The series as a whole has also never been a massive seller. The first Pikmin and Pikmin 3 sold just over 100,000 copies in their first weeks, while Pikmin 2 debuted at a little over 150,000 units.

In other news, overall Japanese hardware sales were at 132,000 units between July 10 and July 16, which means 56,000 units more than last week (173.73 percent ratio). This is not only due to the New 2DS XL debuting at 43,000 units, but also existing consoles like Switch selling more. It’s been about two and a half months since overall hardware sales exceeded 100,000 units, the last time being in the first week of May.

Source 1, Source 2

In Japan, Fate/Extella: The Umbral Star has received a limited edition on Switch. It features a copy of the game, an Aruko Wada-designed special box, and a Nero Travel Pouch. The full contents are unboxed in the video below.

Famitsu published a lengthy Splatoon 2 feature this week. Among the coverage was an interview with four of the game’s developers. Art director Seita Inoue, lead programmer Shintaro Sato, director Yusuke Amano, and producer Hisashi Nogami participated in the talk.

The developers weighed in on Splatoon 2’s improvements and adjustments from the first game, the new Salmon Run mode, the story, and future updates. Among the things discussed were Nintendo’s approach to Salmon Run, how Nintendo considered announcing a Splatoon sequel during the first game’s final Splatfest, a tease of more new weapon categories, and more. The developers were even asked if Marina is an Octoling.

You can find a comprehensive summary of important points from Famitsu’s interview below. 

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Although Layton’s Mystery Journey isn’t coming to 3DS in overseas territories until October, it’s already out in Japan. You can see what the game looks like on Nintendo’s handheld below along with more mobile footage in English.

The first Legendary Pokemon have finally arrived in Pokemon GO. Lugia and Articuno have been pushed out, both of which can be found in Raid Battles. Check out some footage of the Pokemon below.

Miitomo has been updated with more content. Users will find returning stages with more items.

“Swords and sorcery! Miitomo RPG” is the returning theme. The stages provide the following:

– Villager outfit
– Hero tee
– Wandering swordsman outfit
– Battle-scarred sword
– Dancer’s set (top)
– Dancer’s pants (set)
– Noble knight’s armor
– Queen’s sword
– Mage’s hood
– Mage’s robe
– Evil king tee
– Mage’s staff

The returning stage will be available until July 25 at 6 PM PT / 9 PM ET.

The Inkbrush was added in as Splatoon’s first new weapon a few hours ago. Take a look at some footage showing it in action below.