This week’s issue of Famitsu features several dual creator interviews. One of these has Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai and well-known Square Enix developer Tetsuya Nomura conversing. As expected, the conversation was focused around Cloud’s appearance in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS.

Sakurai mentioned that roughly 25 percent to 33 percent of fan requests in terms of Final Fantasy characters in Smash were for Cloud. Although Sakurai felt “it would be impossible” to make this happen, he reached out in any case.

Here’s a notable excerpt from the discussion, courtesy of Source Gaming:

Nomura: When we first talked, I asked “are you sure you’re okay with Cloud?” He’s not a character from a new game, after all.

Sakurai: But on the other hand, if you think about who to add from Final Fantasy, it’s hard to come up with a choice that’s not Cloud. We could have used Terra or Bartz, protagonists in their own right, but I feel like there would be some people who wouldn’t know who those characters are.

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More: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, top

Two more classic games are joining the North American Wii U eShop this week.

In terms of the Virtual Console, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3 will be available starting tomorrow. Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros’ Treasure will also be sold as a Wii download. Pricing is set at $7.99 and $19.99 each.

Here’s an overview of Super Mario Advance 4:

“The Koopalings have been sent to wreak havoc in the Mushroom World. It’s up to Mario to recover the royal magic wands and restore the kings to their true forms! Access extra levels by selecting Level Card on the file-selection screen. Or take a break from the journey, and get in on some classic Mario Bros. action!”

And Zack & Wiki:

“Get ready to explore seven vibrant and fantastic lands with Zack and Wiki as they go on a quest to become the greatest pirates who ever lived! Use the Wii Remote™ to navigate, open objects, transform items, or unlock new pathways as you solve puzzles and outwit a variety of enemies and bosses!”

Source 1, Source 2

Hyrule Warriors Legends is out now in Japan. Over the next few days, we’re counting on a bunch of player footage to come online. Let’s start out with Linkle’s full intro, which you can see below.

More: Hyrule Warriors Legends, Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, Team Ninja

Hyperkin showcased “ProCube” at EVO 2015 last year in hopes of bringing the new GameCube-inspired controller to market. Having been well-received, it’s now being sold as an actual product.

These Wii U controllers are wireless, so no Wii Remote is required. They’re also compatible with games that make use of the Pro Controller.

Pre-orders are up on Hyperkin’s website here. Black, white, and purple controllers are all $30 each. Shipping should begin on February 1.

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More: Hyperkin, ProCube

All versions of Minecraft have been continually updated over the years. And fortunately, Wii U isn’t being ignored. 4J Studios has already submitted a bug fix update to Nintendo that is now in final testing.

Here are the patch notes:

– Fix for a problem with the analog sticks when using 3rd party Pro controllers.
– Fix for a crash after playing for an extensive time.
– Fix for a hang when losing internet connection while in an online game.
– Fix for a graphical issue when looking through opaque colored Glass Blocks.
– Fix to enable Game Chat through the gamepad even if it isn’t being used by one of the active players.
– Fix for an issue when disabling the Game Chat option while in an online game.
– Fix for an issue with the Game Chat option in splitscreen.
– Fix for an issue with input when a splitscreen player is using the system keyboard.
– Fix for an issue when copying saves with no space available.
– Fix for issues when the user deletes one of the Favorite Mii characters.
– Display Japanese names for DLC in the in-game shop in Japan, rather than English names.
– Fix for a graphical corruption issue in the in-game Skin Selector menu.
– Fix for an issue with the flowing water texture in the Festive Mash-up Pack.
– Fixed issue with the left stick input while in Edit Layer and Add Layer in the Superflat World creation menu.
– Corrected some text in the eManual.

4J also told one fan on Twitter today that the team is “working on bringing the Wii U Edition up to 1.8.8 functionality now”.

Source

More: 4J Studios, Minecraft: Wii U Edition, Mojang, title update

The Game Developers Conference has conducted its annual State of the Industry Survey to find out about which platforms are gathering interest. Much like in 2015, Wii U and 3DS are towards the low-end of the spectrum.

Only five percent of participants said that they are working on Wii U projects, a decrease from six percent last year. Just two percent of developers who responded said they’re involved with 3DS games, which is down from three percent last year. With NX on the way, perhaps this news isn’t entirely unexpected.

Source

More: Game Developers Conference, GDC

Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam launches in North America in just a couple of days. View the launch trailer below.

More: AlphaDream, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Square Enix sent out another news blast for Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3. We’re able to officially learn about the customization elements, as well as new monsters and characters. Get acquainted with the latest information and screenshots below.

Customize Your Hero

– Change the appearance of the protagonist
– This is a special skill you’ll learn on your adventure
– Change your look from what you decided at the beginning of the story
– Consider your own color coordination and become a “Fashion Master”
– Change the color of your hair, scarf, pants, gloves, and boots
– 12 colors for each section
– These colors are also reflected in story scenes, as well as in the menu screen character artwork

Customize Your Monsters

– New “paint synthesis” element for monsters
– This uses the game’s synthesis system
– Change the color of a monster’s body and its clothing without changing its stats and skills
– “Color Fondue” monsters are the key to paint synthesis
– Color Fondue monster White will tell you about his brothers who were captured by mysterious monsters
– As you come across the six brothers on your journey, you’ll be able to perform paint synthesis
– Your monster’s color will vary based on the Color Fondue you synthesize it with

New Monsters

– New monsters in the game
– King Healslime: A Healslime king
– Regiaccel: A monster able to transform into a motorcycle

New Characters

– The hero who lost his memory will learn the truth about himself and about Break World
– King: King of the Nochora race
– Once had a human companion, and so he provides the hero with support through various means
– Caring Old Woman: a caring old woman with a bad mouth
– Seems to have been an acquaintance of the hero before he lost his memory, and has great expectations of his power
– Mysterious Girl: guides the hero and leads him on an adventure
– She is waiting for the hero to become familiar with the world and significantly grow
– Dark Master: a self-described human “Hunter” and monster master dressed in black clothing
– He is accompanied by a monster that has awakened a violent power, and stands before the protagonist

Source

More: details roundup, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3, Japan, Square Enix

A new memo from GameStop officially confirms that the figure will be an exclusive. We’re hearing that pre-orders will begin online and in-store starting at around 3 PM ET / 12 PM PT. Once they’re open, we’ll be sure to let you know!

Source

More: Amiibo, GameStop

The latest details about amiibo support in The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD leaked out of Famitsu yesterday. Now that we have the issue for ourselves, we have even more information about how different figures work in the game.

First, we have additional news about the Ganondorf amiibo in Twilight Princess HD. After scanning it, you’ll receive twice the amount of damage as you normally would. You’ll know the effect has taken place when Link’s hearts bar changes from red to blue. Also, unlike other amiibo which can be only used once per day, it looks like Ganondorf can be scanned as many times as you like. This is partially speculation, but this might be because the effect has a time limit and wears off after awhile.

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More: Amiibo, Tantalus, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, top