We found out earlier today that a demo for Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden is coming to Europe on Thursday. Bandai Namco has since provided confirmation that it will be launching in North America on the same day as well. North American 3DS owners can begin downloading the demo at 12 PM ET / 9 AM PT on Thursday.

Bandai Namco announced on Twitter a short while ago:

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More: Arc System Works, Bandai Namco, demo, Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butoden

Examiner recently spoke with Scott Moffitt, executive VP of sales at Nintendo of America. One of the topics the two sides discussed was how Nintendo uses fan feedback and looks at industry trends.

Moffitt told the site:

“We like to be different, unique and tend to march to the beat of our own drum. I would never say we’re blind to the outside world, but we listen to our game fans a lot. We’re always curious to [see] their reaction to new games like Splatoon. We don’t use them as our sole inspiration but we certainly like to hear what they are saying, enjoying and appreciating about a game, in addition to what they would like in future iterations of that game. We take a broad look and always pay attention to what is going on beyond our walls with trends, but it starts with listening really carefully to our gamers.”

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Back in June, the UK Super Mario Maker website stated that the game would come packed with 100 pre-made courses. This mention was soon removed from the official page.

The same Super Mario Maker site has been updated once again, and the blurb now mentions something slightly different. It says that the title “will feature dozens of sample courses that are directly playable, and can help to inspire players in creating their own.”

I suppose it’s still possible that Super Mario Maker contains 100 courses. The wording is unclear though – that’s for sure. There’s a chance that we won’t know of the final level count until around launch time.

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Lots of details about the Wii U and 3DS versions of Terraria have been shared on the game’s official forum. We’ve rounded up the various tidbits below.

– Additional control options on New 3DS to take advantage of the extra buttons
– The team is trying to include as much content as possible
– Dual screen setup will be used to its fullest
– So far everything up to version 1.2 is in
– Not all of the 1.3 content will be ready for launch
– The game will be receiving future updates
– Won’t have stereoscopic 3D
– Touching to build and dig isn’t compulsory
– “Wii U will take its cues from the existing console versions, but obviously takes full advantage of touch and the second screen”
– No Download Play; each player needs a copy of the game
– Wii U version has Miiverse, but no voice chat currently
– For multiplayer on Wii U, you can split the displays, meaning the first player has all of the GamePad screen and the other players split the TV screen
– 3DS is four-player ad hoc
– Use the second screen for inventory and accessory management, housing management, map usage, etc.
– CodeGlue is handling the 3DS version
– Engine Software is on the Wii U version
– Looking into what will happen with the Plumber and Hero Outfits in terms of coloring
– There will be constant updates like the other version
– “first post launch updates are already specced out”

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More: 505 Games, CodeGlue, details roundup, Engine Software, Re-Logic, Terraria

Splatoon will be undergoing a bit of maintenance on Wednesday. That makes sense, given that the big update is scheduled to arrive on the same day.

Splatoon’s online functions will be down starting at 5:50 PM PT / 8:50 PM ET. Everything will return at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET. That’s probably when the update will launch!

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Nintendo and Rare formed a tight relationship in the 1990’s. At one point, Nintendo held a 49 percent stake in the company. But in 2002, Nintendo as well as Rare co-founders Tim and Chris Stamper sold their stakes, and Microsoft took control of the game developer.

Some may wonder why Nintendo never ended up acquiring Rare. This is something that confounds Tim Stamper as well.

“I’ve no idea why they didn’t do that,” he recently said to Develop. “I thought we were a good fit.”

No matter who purchased Rare, Stamper did feel that change was necessary at the time. As he explained:

“The price of software development was going up and up with the platforms, and Rare works really well with a partner. We were looking for someone to help broaden our horizons.”

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More: interview, Rare, Tim Stamper

Photos with Animal Crossing will be distributed at Gamescom 2015 later this week. For those who won’t be attending the expo, a second option will be available in Germany as well.

Three different AR cards will be handed out at select McDonald’s locations during the weeks of August 10, August 17, and August 24. Quantities are expected to be limited.

The Photos with Animal Crossing application can be received through Nintendo Zones. Users will be given a code once they access they boot up Nintendo Zone on their 3DS.

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More: Europe, McDonalds, Photos with Animal Crossing

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds has received a discount over on Amazon. At the moment, it’s on sale for $29.66 (save $10.33). Those who are interested can place an order here.

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Square Enix issued the download card for Dragon Quest VIII in japan today, which is posted above. Additionally, we now know of the game’s file size. Dragon Quest VIII will take up 3.6 GB (roughly 28,800 blocks) of space on an SD card.

Dragon Quest VIII is coming to Japan on August 27. The digital version is available for pre-load on the Japanese eShop.

More: Dragon Quest VIII, file size, Japan, Square Enix

Activision and FreeStyleGames released a new behind the scenes video for Guitar Hero Live today. In the trailer, players can learn more about Rock the Block and SoundDial and the music festivals they’ll be playing throughout Guitar Hero Live. There’s also a more in-depth look at GHTV. Watch the video below.

Another important note: Activision confirmed that singing will be included in Guitar Hero Live.

Source: Activision PR

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