More: Bandai Namco, Japan, Tales of the World: Reve Unitia

The creation of Mario Maker isn’t exactly traditional. Nintendo’s Takashi Tezuka originally set out to make a new Mario Paint game for Wii U that would leverage the GamePad.

Partway through, Tezuka changed his mind and the project we know of today became Mario Maker. He believed that creating Mario courses is much easier than drawing and would be more accessible.

Tezuka told NintendoWorldReport:

“So what I particularly like about Mario Paint is that it’s not just about drawing. It’s playing with the software itself and having fun with it as you draw. So I wanted to take those fun, clever little things from Mario Paint and implement them in Mario Maker, so it’s a lot more than just a course editor.”

As previously mentioned, Mario Maker came about from Nintendo’s internal Mario course editing tools. The team eventually created a prototype that they felt would be enjoyable for gamers.

More: interview, Mario Maker, Mario Paint, Takashi Tezuka

More: Pokemon Art Academy

Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney won’t be out until August in North America, but if you pre-order the game now, you can save a bit of cash. Amazon and GameStop both have the game available for $32 as opposed to $40. It’s unclear how long the offer will last, so take advantage while you can!

More: pre-order, sale

More: Another World - 20th Anniversary Edition, Digital Lounge

More: Chariot, indie

There’s been a bit of confusion surrounding how Nintendo will be distributing Bayonetta 1 when Bayonetta 2 releases. We initially heard that this offer would only be available with retail copies in the states, though it was later clarified that the eShop release is also included.

And yesterday, Nintendo revealed that Bayonetta 2 would indeed ship with a separate disc in Japan. This seems to be the case in Europe as well.

Check out this excerpt from Amazon UK’s Bayonetta 2 listing:

Bayonetta comes packed in with the purchase of every retail packaged version of Bayonetta 2.

At this point, I have no clue what’s happening. Hopefully Nintendo will make things absolutely clear soon.

Source, Via

More: Bayonetta, Bayonetta 2, Bee Tribe, Europe, Platinum Games

From Nothing Game Studios is currently wrapping up work on GravBlocks+. The game will be available sometime this summer.

GravBlocks+ is a match-3 game that has players switching gravity to maximize combos and avoid environmental dangers. It was originally released for smart devices as GravBlocks, though the Wii U version features “a rebuilt engine, new graphics, a new story mode, extra accomplishments, 50 more puzzle stages, and GamePad-centered gameplay with easy on-the-fly switching between touchscreen and controller input”.

You can find a trailer for GravBlocks+ above.

Source, Via

More: From Nothing Game Studios, GravBlocks+, indie

A number of new games are coming to the North American 3DS eShop this Thursday. The selection includes Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition, 2048, and more.

Here’s the full lineup:

3DS Download Only

– 2048 ($1.99)
– Euro Conqueror 3D ($0.99/1.09)
– Color Zen Kids ($3.99)
– Another World – 20th Anniversary ($7.99/8.69)

DSiWare

– Fashion Tycoon
– My Aquarium: Seven Oceans
– Mysterious Stars: Singer
– ATV Fever
– ATV Quad Kings

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More: Bandai Namco, Japan, scan, Tales of the World: Reve Unitia