This month’s issue of Retro Gamer features an interview with Satoru Okada, a former designer at Nintendo. Okada worked at the company for about 40 years, and was directly involved with the creation of various hardware.
Some excerpts from the interview are now available. Below, you can read excerpts from Okada about the Game & Watch, Game Boy, and DS. You might be surprised to learn that late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata wasn’t initially interested in the idea for dual screens…
This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U Virtual Console
Mario Kart 64 – $9.99
New 3DS Virtual Console
Castlevania Dracula X – $7.99
A new Fire Emblem CD featuring music from the series is coming to Japan. Called “Fire Emblem Music Collection: Piano – Faith & Engagement -“, the CD will feature, as the name suggests, piano rearrangements of various tracks from the whole Fire Emblem series. All of these arrangements were performed and composed by KEIKO.
Below is the track list of the CD, including which game the track originated from:
- Battle Map 1 – Player Attack Phase (FE: Shadow Dragon and the Blade of Light)
- The Path to You (FE: Fates)
- Distant Utopia (FE: The Binding Blade)
- Victory is Near (FE: Path of Radiance)
- World Map – Chapter 3 (Liberation Battle – Each Road) (FE: Gaiden)
- Encounter (FE: Gaiden)
- Father’s Back (FE: Path of Radiance)
- Seliph’s Theme / Thoughts Going Around (FE: Genealogy of the Holy War)
- Leif’s Army, In Search of Victory – Leif (FE: Thracia 766)
- Id (Serenity) (FE: Awakening)
- Legend of the Divine Dragon (A) (FE: Mystery of the Emblem)
- Child of Chaos (FE: Radiant Dawn)
- Don’t Speak her Name! (FE: Awakening)
- Alight (FE: Fates)
- Ascent (FE: Radiant Dawn)
- Lost in Thoughts All Alone (FE: Fates)
The album will be released on February 22nd for the price of 3200 Yen.
Additionally, two live performances of the CD will be held on March 12th at the Science Museum Science Hall in Tokyo.
Game Center DX held an episode featuring Pokemon Sun and Moon a few weeks ago, and now the show is continuing its adventures in the Alola region. You can watch it below:
Super Mario Run will eventually be coming to Android devices, and now Android users can be notified of when the game becomes available. You can visit the Google Play store here to pre-register.
Miitomo is ringing in 2017 with a special event. Nintendo has added in a special Golden suit, a Miitomo Drop stage with popular items, plus golden items and 100 daily items in Miitomo Shop. Additionally, you can purchase 6500 coins for the price of 3150.
Below are the full details about the New Year event:
The 2017 New Year event has begun! Why not take this chance to grab some special items?
– All Miitomo users will receive an in-app Golden suit!
You can claim your Golden suit during the New Year event starting 1/1/2017 at 12 AM (midnight, of course) on the dot! You’ll be the center of attention all year long with this fashionable outfit.
(Available 1/1/17 12 AM – 1/5/17 23:59 PM)
Famitsu’s final issue of 2016 features another big report on The Alliance Alive. This week’s information batch covers various aspects about the game, including weapons, magic, and plenty more.
Our translation of Famitsu’s report is as follows:
The Ark Ship Brionac
The only ark ship in this universe that can go through the Black Current to travel between worlds. Created by an unknown civilization, many features are included. This will become the player’s moving base after it’s obtained, allowing for destinations to be chosen as well as form the party. Famitsu notes that Brionac’s bridge looks like a shrine, and each character will have their own personal room.
Update: Bumped to the top. Bear with us as we try to explain this.
Fire Emblem Fates is getting a manga after all starting with the March issue of Ichijinsha’s Monthly Comic Zero Sum out on January 28. It’s called Fire Emblem if: Nibelung no H?kan (Fire Emblem Fates: Crown of Nibelung), and focuses on the character Leo. Tama Yugy?ji will be drawing the series.
The manga Kozaki was involved with is still cancelled. We’re now less certain that Kozaki’s manga would have been for Fire Emblem Fates – it could have been for something else, despite what we heard last year.
In any case, the point is that Fire Emblem Fates will be receiving a manga next month. Kozaki’s manga remains cancelled / on hold. Hopefully that’s clear!
Thanks to KilleyMC for the tip.
Original: The Fire Emblem Fates manga was announced well over a year ago. However, it has yet to resurface since then. There seems to be good reason for that, as the manga has seemingly ran into some issues. It’s either been put on hold or outright cancelled.
Fire Emblem Fates artist Yusuke Kozaki was originally on board to draw illustrations. But on his Twitter account, he shared the following message:
“Regarding the Fire Emblem manga, due to various circumstances, right now the plans have essentially been suspended. Everyone who was looking forward to it, we are deeply sorry. Personally speaking, I would like to draw FE as a manga one way or another.”
This week’s 3DS eShop charts are as follows:
Software
1. Mario Kart 7
2. Pokemon Sun
3. Pokemon Moon
4. Pokemon Yellow
5. Super Mario Maker for 3DS
6. Super Mario Bros. 3
7. Pokemon Red
8. Super Mario World
9. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition
10. Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies
11. Monster Hunter Generations
12. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo
13. Pokemon Blue
14. SteamWorld Dig
15. Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
16. Super Mario Bros.
17. Mega Man Legacy Collection
18. Dragon Ball Fusions
19. Super Smash Bros. for 3DS
20. Zelda: A Link to the Past
Videos
1. Super Mario Maker for 3DS – Overview Trailer
2. Pokemon Sun/Moon Special Demo Version Video
3. Dragon Ball Fusions
4. Pokemon Sun/Moon – Top 7 Features
5. Super Mario Maker for 3DS – Play everywhere
6. First look at Nintendo’s new home gaming system
7. Pokemon Rumble World Trailer
8. Pokemon Yellow Trailer
9. Super Mario World Trailer
10. Sonic Boom: Fire & Ice Trailer
11. My Nintendo Introduction Video
12. Pokemon Bank Trailer
13. Super Smash Bros. – Final Video Presentation
14. IronFall Trailer
15. Mario Party: Star Rush E3 2016 Trailer
16. Starter Pokemon Z-Moves in Pokemon Sun/Moon
17. Mario Kart 7 Video
18. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Welcome amiibo
19. Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition Video
20. Nintendo Badge Arcade Trailer
Source: 3DS eShop
Nintendo brought a Metroid Prime: Blast Ball demo to the 3DS eShop a few months ago. It allowed players to experience a very small slice of single-player, but it primarily was a means to try out the soccer-inspired mode.
Servers for the demo are now confirmed to be discontinued this week. In a notice found on the eShop, it states that they’ll be going offline this weekend.
The full message is as follows:
“Thank you for your continued support. The online multiplayer feature for the Metroid Prime: Federation Force Blast Ball demo will be discontinued at 2016/12/31 23:59 PST. The discontinuation of this demo feature will not impact the online multiplayer feature available in the full version of the game.”
Even after the demo’s servers are removed, you’ll still be able to play Metroid Prime: Blast Ball locally (including Download Play).
