No weekly Just a Chat, but you can catch up on the E3-specific discussion Austin and I held earlier this week. It’s probably a good thing we got that in on Wednesday since whatever I’ve come down with has taken a lot out of me. Being sick isn’t fun!
Nintendo shared some pretty big news about its E3 2015 plans today, so Brian and Austin talk about it all in this episode of Just a Chat. That includes the Nintendo World Championships and Digital Event. There’s also some discussion about what Nintendo may/may not show during its presentation and more!
Stuff:
Let’s Talk #8: Your thoughts on Splatoon
Splatoon’s release date is fast approaching. Actually, two weeks from today, the game will finally be out on store shelves. How exciting is that?!
Splatoon is a pretty big deal. It’s a new IP from Nintendo, and it’s something different from the Big N. Nintendo itself seems to be promoting it fairly heavy with various commercials in all regions, a dedicated Direct (though it’s true they do that for most games), and even a special demo.
Since we’re so close to Splatoon’s launch, I thought it could be nice to hold a discussion about the game. How do you feel about Splatoon? Has your opinion changed since the original reveal at E3? What’d you think of the Splatoon Global Testfire? Sound off in the comments below!
Just a few quick thoughts from me since I’ve been feeling sick the past couple of days!
I feel like this isn’t the popular opinion, but I’m actually looking forward to playing the single-player campaign more than the multiplayer modes. Don’t get me wrong: I’ll definitely be trying out the various multiplayer offerings. However, I’ve always been more of a lone gamer. That’s just the way I tend to enjoy games!
Everything we’ve heard about Splatoon’s single-player thus far sounds very interesting. I love hearing that it has a lot of variety, and some people have even compared it to Super Mario Galaxy in a way – which is certainly a good thing.
Obviously multiplayer is going to be what carries Splatoon forward. I managed to get in a few rounds last week, and I think what I played managed to sell me on those multiplayer aspects more. I just need more time with the game.
Highlights from last week’s topic: Do you care about amiibo?
Diortem
I care about amiibo! I’m sick of hearing people complain about them. They’re not DLC- they’re figurines. If you don’t want it for your shelf, DON’T BUY IT. I love the way a lot of them look and I think the in-game bonuses are fantastic and not even CLOSE to DLC. I have a nice collection of the ones I love the most and I have the Splatoon 3-pack pre-ordered.
By the way- just spent the hour playing the Splatoon demo- WOW! They hype is VERY real. That was amazingly fun.
Garrett Austin Boyle
I have 18 on my shelf with seven preordered. I think I kind of like them.
??
In a strange ironic twist, I have only one amiibo and no real motivation to complete a collection, despite being a completionist (in collections as well as games) to a debilitating point xD
I think several things turned me off from it, namely the modeled appearance versus the actual thing. Of course it was too much to actually assume every factory model one would appear in such a lovely way. The other thing was the one-file-at-a-time functionality makes it a little limiting…
Seeing other comments, I am more than happy to let others who truly enjoy Amiibos buy them (at non scalped prices none the less) rather than buying them and trying to convince myself that I need or want them.
ArsonDoctor
I do, though it didn’t really start until I bought a Peach amiibo for my niece. At first, I decided I was only going to get amiibo for my mains in Smash Bros., Captain Falcon and Shulk, and Sonic since I grew up playing his games, but then my nieces got interested, and then a Pikachu amiibo happened, and then a Zelda, and then Samus too. I’m only really interested in the Smash Bros. line as of right now, but of course that could change in the future. I want a Mewtwo amiibo really, REALLY bad though.
I got the Captain Falcon and Shulk ones BTW, my Gamestop is awesome!
Locky Mavo
I’d love to see Nintendo make a Amiibo game, like Disney Infinity and Skylanders,
Amiibo-land maybe? (seeing as Nintendoland is taken). Give Amiibos more of a use, instead of just unlocking costumes, weapons, abilities and Smash AI saves. Maybe even have it so they can be added into the Nintendo version of Disney Infinity, Skylanders and Lego Dimensions, that’d be awesome!
Maybe something will be announced at E3?
Hello. Everyone. (say this like Iwata does in the Nintendo Directs)
Nintendo was very kind to send us a pre-release build of Splatoon for review, and Brian and I wanted to try and get some video content about the game up before its release in a couple weeks. We were going to do a simple Q&A about the game, but since GameXplain already covered a ton of the more common desired information (as comprehensively and eloquently as they always do), we thought we’d ask first: is there anything more detailed you want to ask about the game? How mechanics interplay? How it feels to only have two maps in rotation? Something very specific about online play or whatever?
If you’ve got anything you want to ask, post a comment below, send us an email with the subject “Splatoon Question”, or tweet at us with the tweet beginning with “Splatoon Q:”.
Thanks everyone! We’ll look at the questions soon and decide if there’s reason enough for our own Splatoon Q&A video. Either way, we’ll have a video review when the embargo lifts and more video content before launch as well.
~Austin
A few weeks ago, we had the opportunity to interview the developer behind Legend of Kay Anniversary. One of the things Peter Thierolf from Kaiko confirmed to us at the time was that it was running at 720p on Wii U. But with some extra development, the game’s resolution has increased.
Thierolf has informed Nintendo Everything that Kaiko was able to upgrade Legend of Kay Anniversary’s rendering with some optimizations and fine-tuning. Currently, it “renders the scene in 1600*900 and outputs in 1080p with extra crisp UI”. Of course, Legend of Kay Anniversary still runs at 60 frames per second, and features full screen anti-aliasing.
Legend of Kay Anniversary launches this summer.
Amazon and GameStop both have unique pre-order bonuses for Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition.
On Amazon
, those who reserve the 3DS package will receive the retailer’s exclusive Vampire Lord unlock bonus. This unlocks the ability to earn the Vampire Lord character. Amazon’s description notes, “The Vampire Lord is a dark yet noble monster. Rumor has it that its bite has the power to turn others into vampires.”
GameStop’s bonus is slightly different. By pre-ordering Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition there, you’ll be able to obtain an exclusive Relic that will help you evolve the Apocalypse Monster.
A new Japanese trailer for Splatoon came out yesterday, highlighting one of the game’s weapons. You can now watch a new version of the video below that comes with English subtitles.
Bear Box Media has a couple of new Wii U eShop games in the works. The first is StarLight, which was revealed at the end of April.
Bear Box shared an update on the project with Pure Nintendo, with the studio’s Andy Ford stating:
Although designed to be addictive… StarLight is hard… very hard. It’s composed of 75 standard levels, 5 secret levels, and 3 modes to choose from. Pure, Easier, and Hardcore. Pure is the way the game was designed to be played. It’s all about reactions and timing. Once players complete Pure Mode, they unlock Mirror mode. Each level has been carefully designed to create an entirely different puzzle both forwards and backwards, so in this mode you effectively have 150 levels to work your way through.StarLight gameplay 2There’s no mirror mode for easier players. Hardcore is the tough one. As soon as a player collides with a single barrier, they must start all over again… from the very beginning. It’s a pretty big challenge, so we felt it deserved a worthwhile reward. We’ll be running a competition from the game’s launch stating that the first player to post an image of the final screen of Hardcore mode on Miiverse will win $100 worth of eShop vouchers. The highest I’ve personally been able to get in this mode is level 56… So it’ll be interesting to see who manages it first.
You may recall that along with StarLight, Bear Box is also working on UHost. The original plan was to have it out towards the end of last year, but the team is now targeting Q4 2015.
Here’s the latest from Ford:
Regarding UHost, our original plan was to release the game in Q4 of 2014 at a low price, and then increase the price each time an update was created, bringing in new content. This would have been great, but unfortunately we missed our window. It was then decided that the additional content would be added to the game, aiming for a release this year, Q4. It’s given us time to add in some great new mini-games, even more questions, and a lot of extra polish.
GameStop has updated its Splatoon product page with information about the Smash Bros. costumes offer. Those who pre-order Splatoon will receive codes for three costumes to use in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U.
The offer is valid both in-store and online. Orders can be placed here.
Despite having come out with a new Nintendo Minute yesterday, we’re treated to yet another episode today. This one has Kit and Krysta talking documenting their experiences at yesterday’s Splatoon Mess Fest. Check out the new Nintendo Minute below.
