Tons of Sonic Boom details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 4 Comments
A whole bunch of Sonic Boom details have come in from new press previews. You can find a roundup of the latest information below.
– Demo broken up into different selectable sections
– Level from the campaign, Doctor Eggman boss fight, on-rails level to zoom through
– Each played differently
– Zoomy level had several paths to take
– Each one leads to more or less rings
– Combo system assigns letter grades based on performance
– This seems to be based on number of hits and not variation of moves
– Also in play is some sort of collectible currency (apart from rings) that go toward what might be an upgrade system
– Puzzles are mixed in with combat and exploration
– Eggman fight features him in a giant suit and he shoots rockets which either crash into Sonic and/or Knuckles, or come to rest on the ground
– Need to pick up the undetonated ones and use the EnerBeam to fling them back at the evil doctor
“If you’re a classic Sonic gamer, a 2D fan, you have an appreciation for the platforming. This game has quite a bit of that classic platforming. I think these levels inspire some of that feeling for the old places that Sonic went back in the day.” – Steve Frost
– Game has some hub world interactions
– Most levels will feature a branching path that only one specific character (you’re presented with a choice of two per level) can take
– Select characters on the GamePad
– Hub worlds and speed levels will make use of Sonic Boom’s full roster
– When two local players are in the same game and the time comes to split up, player one runs a character with the GamePad on its screen and player two uses a Wii Remote or Pro controller for their character on the television
– Big Red Button Entertainment thought hard about adding split-screen local multiplayer — either to bring more human players to the game, or to let the Wii U Gamepad perform other functions for them
“We had, for a long time, considered split-screen play. And it just didn’t feel as special. If we’re out in real life, and we’re off exploring, we have our cell phones and cameras out, we’re calling each other and saying, ‘Hey, you should see what I’m seeing.’ We wanted to have that sharing.
“Split screen doesn’t really do that because you’re constantly staring at the other person’s screen. That sense of wonder, of what the other person is doing, is gone.”
– Sonic and his cohort are exploring an ancient, unknown island
– Eggman has sought to exploit an ancient evil being named Lyric,
– It’s turned out to be more than he can handle
– Eggman isn’t supposed to be a bumbler — “he’s still got that fun personality, but his presence overall is more formidable”
– Sonic’s principal concern is exploring the surface and neo-Atlantean ruins and beating up the danger lurking within
– Knuckles can climb rock walls in sections specific to him
– Tails can hover on air currents and ride them to his goal
– Each character comes equipped with an “enerbeam”
– This lets you grapple and move pieces in puzzle levels
– With it, you can also lasso and toss foes into one another
– This will be required in some battles
– Previews mention that the camera isn’t up to snuff
– 3DS version is more of a traditional 2D, scrolling platformer
– No multiplayer in the 3DS version
– Can swap characters on the 3DS touch screen and solve multiple platforming puzzles
– Sonic Boom on 3DS features its own story and another entry point into the canon
– Sega’s strategy is that wherever someone’s interest might be piqued they may find something different in the other two.
“The thought is, we can only show you X amount of the world, and the others can show you even more. By virtue of the cartoon, the toys and the games, you can see this big cohesive world.”
Lots of Costume Quest 2 details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
Polygon has published a new report on Costume Quest 2, which was just confirmed for the Wii U eShop today. Here’s what we know thus far:
– Similar to the first game
– Play as twins Reynold and Wren
– The two set off on a trick or treating adventure
– Reynold and Wren will fight evil Grubbins in Halloween costumes that grant them superhuman powers
– In the sequel, everything is set in a new suburb in Louisiana
– Double Fine keeping quiet on story details
– Only saying that it’s set right after the DLC add-on Grubbins on Ice
“It’s probably our most requested sequel, besides Psychonauts. People have been asking for it forever. I think it’s that every Halloween you’re reminded about the game. We have a lot of people who are coming back to us saying they replay it every year.” – Greg Rice, Double Fine publishing manager
– Double Fine wants to give fans of the original more of what they loved while addressing some of Costume Quest’s shortcomings
– Battle system is being refined
– Attack combos have been added
– Slight changes in the timing of button presses in battles
– Players will need to press the action button as their character strikes with their attack, not beforehand
– The same is true for defending against enemy attacks
– You can get a follow-up attack (and a third) by nailing the timing on attacks
– More Halloween costumes will be included
– Fan favorite costumes will be back
– At least 4 new costumes: the Clown, the Superhero, the Pterodactyl and the Candy Corn
– Clown: healer, can replenish the hit points of his or her teammates with a move called Laughter is the Best Medicine
– Superhero: looks like the superman of Double Fine’s Middle Manager of Justice, attacks with big punches and can throw a bus for an area of effect attack
– Candy Corn doesn’t do anything
– Unclear what the Pterodactyl does
– Candy Corn costume: player wearing it sits out his or her turn — every single time
– The only action is a message explaining the character’s inaction, something along the lines of “Candy Corn has nothing to prove” or “Candy Corn decides to sit this one out”
– Double Fine hopes to have somewhere around a thousand variations on that line that explains why Candy Corn just stands there idle
– Double Fine has an achievement built into the game for players who wear the Candy Corn costume the entire game, limiting your party to two members, instead of three
– Party’s health won’t automatically regenerate after each battle this time around
– Will need to find water fountains to replenish your hit points
– Cards are being added that players can use to enhance their battle abilities
– Cards are a combination of the Battle Stamps — modifiers that each character could equip — and the collectible Creepy Treat Cards from the first game
– Purchase cards from vendors or earn them by completing tasks
– Bring cards to battle, which will give you an advantage
– Cards will have limited uses in battles
– Some cards may take a few battles to recharge before they can be used again
– Explore the world and take on side quests when you’re not battling
– All kids wear heelys this time around (in the first game, most players opted to wear the Robot costume, as the outfit’s roller shoes let players glide around at high speed)
– For side quests, Rice says that in the first game “a lot of those were a bit fetch quest-y, but in this one they’re a little more [tied to] game mechanics.”
– Side quest example with the Clown’s horn:
The kids wanted to join a group of street musicians as they played some New Orleans-style jazz in the game’s version of the French Quarter. But the band demanded that we rustle up an audience if we wanted to play, so, horn in hand, we chatted up a few tourists milling about. After drawing an audience with an ear for brassiness, the band acquiesced and let us toot along with their street jazz in a simple rhythm game. The reward? Candy, of course, and maybe a little street cred.
– Can hunt down hidden pinatas stuffed with candy
– If you beat up those pinatas rhythmically, they’ll unleash more candy
– Improvements made to Double Fine’s engine
More: Costume Quest 2, details roundup, Double Fine, top
New Sonic Boom details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments
SEGA has shared new details about Sonic Boom for both Wii U and 3DS. Overviews for each can be found below.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric will deliver a different experience than past titles. The detailed levels and emphasis on each character’s unique abilities will showcase the distinctive feel of an action- adventure game, giving players more choice in exploration as they work as a team to stop the deadly snake-like ancient villain, Lyric, before he can power up his army. The gameplay will challenge players with over-the-top speed runs, but the heart of the game will focus on intense combat and brand-new abilities including the Enerbeam. This new feature in the game gives players an energy-charged cord that can be used by characters to navigate the world like never before. Players will be able to swing or zip-line across gaps, explore alternate paths, grab and throw enemies and take away their shields in combat.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a standalone adventure that shares key characters, events and lore of the Sonic Boom universe with exclusive environments and characters. For the first time ever, gamers will be able to take on the role of Sticks, the newest member of the team who will play an integral role in the story after her best friend Amy gets kidnapped by the ancient villain Lyric. While the Wii U version is focused on action-adventure and exploration, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal will place a bigger emphasis on platforming and puzzles. Additionally, unique collectibles featured in the Nintendo 3DS version will unlock special content on Wii U via Wi-Fi connectivity.
The Band of Thieves & 1000 Pokemon screenshots and details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 0 comments
New screenshots and details for The Band of Thieves & 1000 Pokemon have come in through the game’s official website. You can find the latest batch of content below.
– Select the lead Pokemon to attack when you begin
– You can then change the Pokemon you use as previous explained
– Pokemon will disappear after you use them
– As a result, you’ll need to keep StreetPassing others
– The lead Pokemon of the person you pass determines which Pokemon you get
– Ex: if they lead with Froakie, you’ll get Froakie
– You can also buy Pokemon using Game Coins, but you’ll only get the Pokemon that matches your lead
– Game’s purpose is to bring back treasure that has been stolen by the thieves Marilyn and Riot
– Marilyn appears in Stage 4 with her Delphox
– Clear the game by beating Greninja and Delphox
– You have to decide how many Pokemon to use in each battle, based on your opponent’s strength
– Using too many up in a single battle may mean you will lose the next one because you have too few Pokmon left
– Can attempt to sneak past opponents to skip the stage, but if they spot you, the battle will commence
More Medabots 8 details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments
A new round of Medabots 8 have been translated from a recent Famitsu article. Check them out below.
– Disconnected to previous entries in the series
– Stars a young boy named “Salt”
– Salt lost his father from Medabot crime
– Salt aims to become a detective because of this
– His senior officer at the Laurel Detective Agency is Anise
– Anise: renowned for her intellect and data management skills
– Story written by Yukinori Kitajima (Okamiden, Chaos Rings, and Hamatora)
– Shinto Kamichi working on character designs.
– Robots themselves will be designed by series regular Horuma Rin
– Battle system will be easier for new players to grasp
– Will still be the 3-on-3, defeat the leader, relay-style battle system the mainline Medarot RPGs are known for
– Players will have more control over attack targeting and responses to attacks
– 6,264 yen
More: details roundup, Japan, Medabots 8, Rocket Company
Another round of Hyrule Warriors details and dev comments
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 16 Comments
Even more Hyrule Warriors details and developer comments have come out of this week’s Famitsu. Once again, the information comes from producers Hisashi Koinuma and Yosuke Hayashi as well as Nintendo’s Eiji Aonuma.
Here’s the latest information from the magazine:
Koinuma on whether we’ll see a similar selection of wide-ranging characters…
“Out of all the playable characters [in Hyrule Warriors], there are some surprising characters that made us say ‘why did you pick this one?!’” added Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma.
– Koinuma said Aonuma didn’t have any requests for certain characters to be included
– Tecmo Koei took care of most of this
– He also joked that Hyrule Warriors has so many characters, that his own staff would get mad at him if he were to ask them to do something similar
– Hayashia said characters can change their weapons and have a completely different fighting style
– Weapon enhancements and character growth systems included
– The Fire Rod-type item seen in the trailer isn’t from the Zelda series
– If a rod like that existed in The Legend of Zelda, we wouldn’t be able to use it in the same way
– Weapons and other important in Hyrule Warriors are acquired through treasure chests
– Hayashi also said that the iconic treasure chest opening animation has been prepared for all of the playable characters
“This is actually a very valuable scene [in The Legend of Zelda]. And this also applies to Hyrule Warriors.” – Aonuma
– According to Hayashi, The Legend of Zelda games have very high-quality boss fights, and if Tecmo Koei were to try emulating something similar, they wouldn’t stand a chance
– Bosses will instead have a Warriors touch by having instances where you’ll face a bunch of smaller enemies to charge up your meter, then unleash a special attack on the boss
– There will also be more Zelda-like features, such as strategically using items that can be found around stages to take on the boss
Message for the fans…
Koinuma: “We plan on having Hyrule Warriors’ first playable demo at E3 this year. With E3 being the opener, we’ll be releasing more and more new information afterwards, so please look forward to it!”
Hayashi: “After watching the trailer that will be shown at E3, it would make us happy to know that you guys will get a better idea of what we’re trying to do. We’ll sequentially reveal the other playable characters, so don’t miss it!”
Aonuma: “I believe it’s safe to say that this title was born as one of the answers from thinking of a new The Legend of Zelda game. By all means, we’d love to have as many people possible enjoy this game.”
Azure Striker Gunvolt details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 0 comments
A new batch of Azure Striker Gunvolt details have popped up online. You can find them rounded up below, as translated by Siliconera.
General
– Once again, the game’s story focuses on the concept of “psychic powers”
– Psychic powers are basically mutant abilities
– In the near future, people possessing these psychic powers emerged
– People initially feared them
– The conglomerate Sumeragi Group took it upon themselves to supervise them and maintain peace
– Sumeragi are actually running a concentration camp for psychics
– Here, they experiment on their psychic prisoners
– The organization QUILL was created to combat the Sumeragi Group
– QUILL is a subdivision of a foreign human rights organization that is dedicated to protecting psychics, and Gunvolt himself is part of this group
Asimov
– One of QUILL’s founding members
– Team leader
– Skilled marksman
– Uses a sniper rifle
– Displays no emotion while on the job, but his passion for QUILL’s cause is well known among those that look up to him
– Rescued Gunvolt from a Sumeragi facility where he underwent terrible experiments
– Thought of as a teacher and father by Gunvolt
Gino
– “life of the party” at QUILL
– Loves anime, manga, games
– Tends to crack frivolous jokes at other people’s expense
– Cares for Gunvolt even after he leaves QUILL
Monica
– Operations officer at QUILL
– No psychic powers
– She’s sort an older sister to both GV and Gino
– Has a clumsy side to her, despite normally being a serious and highly capable officer
– Has a deep admiration for Asimov
Sumeragi
– Powerful conglomerate that is composed of power companies
– Sole supplier of the nation’s energy needs
– Also involved in media, space development and military technology
– Have a great influence over politics as well
Shiden
– Sumeragi lieutenant
– Has a small army of psychics and soldiers serving under him
– Leading a project that would give Sumeragi total control over all psychics
– Speaks in riddles and has a tendency to look down on others
– Thought of as the most powerful among the Sumeragi psychics
Hyrule Warriors character profiles
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 3 Comments
StreetsAhead has provided translations of Hyrule Warriors characters (Link, Impa, enemies) from the game’s new Japanese website. You can find them rounded up below.
More: details roundup, Hyrule Warriors, top
A few Hyrule Warriors details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 20 Comments
Hyrule Warriors details are now starting to emerge from this week’s Famitsu. You can find a roundup of what’s included in the magazine’s report below.
– Premium box will be available for at least 10,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Retail release is at least 7,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Digital release is at least 6,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Producers: Hisashi Koinuma, Yosuke Hayashi
– Supervisor: Eiji Aonuma
– Developers: ?-Force / Team NINJA
– Link sets off to rescue Princess Zelda
– Zelda has been kidnapped by the evil witch Shia
– Link, Impa, Shia introduced in the magazine
– Some of Shia’s minions shown as well
– Shia might be under control of a force of dark magic (not clear)
– Locations include Hyrule Field
– Will have unexpected playable characters
More: details roundup, Famitsu, Hyrule Warriors, Tecmo Koei, top
Youkai Watch 2 images/details
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Images | 0 comments
Level-5 published a few new images and details for Youkai Watch 2 on the game’s official website. You can find all of the latest content below.
– Fuyunyan: new super hero cat
– Might be related to the popular character Jibanyan
– Fuyunyan has a kicking mantle and belt to go with a battle scar on his head
– Fuyunyan will help out the protagonists at one point
– Karipakkun: yokai who seems to eat everything he borrows and makes it his own
– If he latches onto you, then you’ll stop returning things that you might’ve borrowed from others
– Norakurari: will make you start making all kinds of excuses
– Kudan: fortunetelling yokai
– Kudin is still training and can only predict things like the weather
– Hanako-san: yokai of a girl who lives in the school
– Hanako is always looking for someone to play with, and especially likes the girls’ bathroom
– Gamanmosu: has been holding in his pee for so long, which allowed him to gain an ultimate ability of perseverance
– Exclusive monsters in each version
– Will be going through a time slip
– Kemamoto Village: looks like it’ll be somewhere back in time way before the current era of Sakura New Town
– You might be able to meet some of the ancestors of your yokai, or perhaps even see them before they became ghosts
