Update (11/29): Bumped to the top. Added in news about badges for Sunday.

Nintendo Badge Arcade has been receiving regular updates, so I’ve decided to go ahead and round up the new additions in weekly posts. Each post will go up on Monday, and we’ll then update it every day (and bring it to the top of the homepage).

Here are the latest updates for Nintendo Badge Arcade:

November 23

– 4 new sets of Pokémon badges (final day for Pokémon badges)
– 3 new sets of Animal Crossing holiday badges (available for today only)

November 24

Here are all of the badges currently available:

– 5 BoxBoy! panels (2 on the final day)
– 5 Mario Kart panels
– 3 Super Mario Bros. panels (all last day)
– 3 Splatoon panels
– 5 Animal Crossing panels
– 4 Mario panels (mostly of characters)

November 25

Here are all of the badges currently available:

– 5 Animal Crossing panels
– 4 Mario panels (final day)
– 3 Tomodachi Life food panels
– 2 BoxBoy! panels
– 5 Mario Kart panels
– 3 Splatoon panels (final day)

November 26

Here are all of the badges currently available:

– 6 Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D panels
– 5 Animal Crossing panels
– 3 Tomodachi Life panels
– 2 BoxBoy! panels
– 5 Mario Kart panels

November 27

– 6 Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D panels
– 5 Animal Crossing panels (2 days left)
– 3 Tomodachi Life panels (2 days left)
– 2 BoxBoy! panels (2 days left)
– 8 Mario Kart panels (3 new, 5 in final day)
– 1 free play

November 28

– 6 Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D panels (5 in final day)
– 5 Animal Crossing panels (1 day left)
– 3 Tomodachi Life panels (1 day left)
– 2 BoxBoy! panels (1 day left)
– 5 Mario Kart panels (2 in final day)
– 3 8-bit Mario
– 1 free play

November 29

– 5 Yoshi’s Woolly World panels (2 days left)
– 4 Mario Party panels (2 days left)
– 6 Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D panels (5 in final day)
– 7 8-bit Mario (2 days left)
– 3 Mario Kart panels (2 days left)
– 1 free play

Source

More: Nintendo Badge Arcade

Japanese outlet Game Watch interviewed Shigesato Itoi at an Earthbound event in Japan. The discussion has since been translated by Tuxedo Unmasked.

We’ve posted some of Itoi’s comments below. He addressed Earthbound’s continued popularity, Mother 4, Iwata’s passing, and several other topics. If interested, you can also read the full interview here.

Read More

More: interview, Mother 4, Satoru Iwata, Shigesato Itoi, top

Update (11/29): Bumped to the top. These deals are currently live:

Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker – $30, N/A
Skylanders SuperChargers Racing 3DS – $30, ends 12:55 PM ET / 9:55 AM PT
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. – $18, N/A
Animal Crossing amiibo 3-pack – $30, N/A
Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – $25, ends December 2

Over the next few days, Amazon will be hosting its Black Friday 2015 deals. Specific prices have yet to be revealed, but we do know which games will be featured.

There are a few Nintendo offers to keep track of. Disney Infinity 3.0, Mario Kart 7, Persona Q, and New Super Mario Bros. 2 are all being discounted tomorrow. Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Guitar Hero Live, Mario Party 10, Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX, and the New 3DS XL will be on sale starting on Friday. Also be on the lookout for Animal Crossing: New Leaf, LEGO Marvel Super Heroes, Snoopy’s Grand Adventure, Gravity Falls, and Devil Survivor 2 on Saturday.

You can follow Amazon’s Black Friday 2015 gaming deals here.

More: Amazon, sale

Eurogamer published a new feature today about Monolith Soft and studio head Tetsuya Takahashi. You can read the full thing at this link, but we’ll be sharing some of it here as well.

With Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii, the team encountered some issues and were in danger of missing the launch deadline. But Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami swooped in and assisted Takahashi in getting things back on track.

The situation was different with Xenoblade Chronicles X, as Takahashi explained:

“We wanted to achieve something that was more about us as Monolith Soft being able to create an open world system, to implement online features, and to transition into the high definition era. With that game we’d learned how to create locations that are fun to explore on a budget. If we had no restrictions at all in terms of costs, then for example we could easily make a varied and interesting map simply by creating textures and models for four or five different to use in a single 20km squared area. But within restrictions we had the difficult task of creating varied and fun locations using just the textures and models for a single kind of environment.”

Takahashi also mentioned also said that lessons were learned when making Xenoblade Chronicles. Monolith Soft was able to achieve its goals despite certain restrictions it put on itself, such as not using middleware to increase the speed of production.

Head past the break for a few more comments from Takahashi.

Read More

More: interview, Monolith Soft, Tetsuya Takahashi, top, Xenoblade Chronicles X

Another hour of footage has come in for Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. Find the latest videos rounded up below.

Read More

More: AlphaDream, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

It’ll be a little while longer before the 3D platformer Poi is ready to debut on Wii U, but it recently came out on Steam Early Access. About an hour’s worth of footage from the title can be seen below.

More: indie, Poi, PolyKid

Nintendo has now opened the full North American Xenoblade Chronicles X website. Find it here. You can catch up on some videos, view concept art, download wallpapers, and more.

More: Monolith Soft, Xenoblade Chronicles X

A trio of new Wolf Link amiibo photos were snapped at the VIECC Vienna Comic Con. View them in the gallery below.

Source

More: Amiibo

Last month’s issue of GamesTM has a very interesting feature on the making of Excitebike 64. We encourage you to pick up the magazine to read it in full, though we wanted to share some of the information and comments here.

Excitebike 64 was the next title from Left Field Productions following the Nintendo-published NBA Courtside. Several ideas were pitched, many of which were focused around sports given the studio’s specialty in the genre. The possibility of a motocross game was flying about in part due to a few producers at Left Field enjoying it, and that’s what was ultimately selected.

Henry Sterchi, a producer from Nintendo working on the title, mentioned to GamesTM that Excitebike 64 began “as a more traditional motocross game”. However, as ideas were being prototyped and mechanics were being worked on, Left Field came up with an idea of developing a sequel to the NES classic. It was eventually proposed to Nintendo, who approved it soon after.

Sterchi told GamesTM:

“Excitebike 64 started out as a more traditional motocross game to prove out the core engine, handling and basic play. The handling was physics-driven and realistic, but I wouldn’t have called it a technical simulation. We did try some real-time track deformation such as tyre ruts, but it was abandoned because it wasn’t that fun and quite a technical drain.”

“We’d already discussed and prototyped the thing we wanted around the turbo mechanic and track designs in order for it to be an authentic Excitebike experience, so it was always the hope that they’d go for it and if it didn’t work out, it was ready to stand on its own as a more traditional motocross racer.”

Read More

More: Excitebike 64, interview, Left Field Productions, top

Nintendo is running its “Cyber Deals” on the North American Wii U and 3DS eShops, but there are other notable discounts as well. Some were mentioned in previous Nintendo Download reports (without specific prices) while others were not.

In any case, here’s what stood out to me:

Wii U

Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures – $4.99 (was $9.99), ends 12/1
Blocky Bot – $1.49 (was $2.99), ends 12/3
Darksiders II – $9.99 (was $39.99), ends 12/3
Legend of Kay Anniversary – $12.49 (was $24.99), ends 12/3
Mighty Switch Force! – $2.99 (was $5.99), ends 12/2
Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition – $4.99 (was $9.99), ends 12/2
Paper Monsters Recut – $3.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/3
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 – $19.99 (was $49.99), ends 12/4
The Amazing Spider-Man: Ultimate Edition – $14.99 (was $39.99), ends 12/4
The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure – $19.99 (was $39.99), ends 12/4

3DS

3D Out Run – $5.99 (was $4.19), ends 12/2
Aero Porter – $2.99 (was $4.99), ends 12/2
Angry Video Game Nerd Adventures – $4.99 (was $9.99), ends 12/1
Attack of the Friday Monsters: A Tokyo Tale – $2.99 (was $9.99), ends 12/2
Bugs vs. Tanks! – $2.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/2
Cave Story – $7.49 (was $9.99), ends 12/2
Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic – $4.99 (was $19.99), ends 11/30
Cooking Mama 5: Bon Appetit – $4.99 (was $29.99), ends 11/30
Crimson Shroud – $2.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/2
DOOORS – $1.99 (was $3.99), ends 12/16
Gardening Mama 2: Forest Friends – $4.99 (was $19.99), ends 11/30
Liberation Maiden – $2.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/2
Mighty Switch Force! – $2.99 (was $5.99), ends 12/2
Mighty Switch Force! 2 – $2.99 (was $5.99), ends 12/2
The Peanuts Movie: Snoopy’s Grand Adventure – $14.99 (was $29.99), ends 12/4
The Starship Damrey – $2.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/2
Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark – $9.99 (was $29.99), ends 12/4
Weapon Shop de Omasse – $2.99 (was $7.99), ends 12/2

More: sale