Famitsu

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 5 Comments

In a Famitsu issue from earlier this month, the magazine spoke with a few developers working on Fire Emblem If. But it turns out that the magazine didn’t contain the full discussion. It wasn’t until today that the full interview was finally posted on Famitsu’s website.

Serenes Forest has once again taken on the task of translating the full Famitsu discussion. A summary of what was shared can be found below.

– Interview starts off with the concept behind the game
– Again, it was built around the main character (Avatar) and how his/her choice impacts the story, splitting it into 2 distinct “what if” stories
– Movie scenes are generally from a first-person perspective since the Avatar is the main character
– Phoenix Mode is designed for newcomers; not existing Fire Emblem fans
– Although it sounds like you cannot lose on this mode, there are times when you still have to play somewhat carefully
– Ex: there may be complicated victory conditions, such as reaching a destination within a certain number of turns in the Nohr campaign; failing these conditions means Game Over
– When development began, one of the major challenges was to find ways to help newcomers enjoy the game without feeling too stressful
– One thing that came to mind was the timing of when to use valuable weapons (eg. saving them for a future mission)
– It was perceived that this form of intense micro-management was too much for newcomers to properly enjoy
– Since some players may consider it wasteful to use a particular weapon, they may end up not using it at all; at which point it’s as if the weapon doesn’t exist
– By removing the durability of weapons and giving them more interesting properties, it allows for more enjoyable play, without detracting from the fun of picking weapons
– Weapon weight isn’t in, but there are “strong weapons that are harder to double attack with”, which functions a bit like it
– Javelins and similar ranged weapons can no longer double attack
– The staff unanimously agreed on bringing back Yusuke Kozaki for character designs
– Since the new game has more characters than even Awakening, there was some concern about who to call if Yusuke Kozaki didn’t accept the offer, so the team were very glad when he agreed to reprise the role again
– This game takes place in a “completely new world”
– Some familiar elements that those who played Awakening will appreciate
– Hoshido is based on ancient Japanese culture, while Nohr is built on the series’s traditional Western fantasy setting
– Nohr is western-themed, but also carries a dark atmosphere
– Nohr’s castle even stands in the middle of a giant hole in the ground
– Hoshido is a pacifist kingdom with exceptional peace and order
– In contrast, Nohr is subject to terrible weather conditions, leading to poor crop yields and a lack of law and order
– In order to expand Nohr’s influence, King Garon orders his children to invade Hoshido
– Thus the royal siblings fight for Nohr, although they each harbour their own hidden thoughts
– Meanwhile the Hoshidan royals take up arms to repel the Nohrian invasion
– As this happens, the hero–the Avatar–is stuck in between and forced to make a difficult choice
– Classes available largely depend on the campaign chosen
– In Nohr, you will typically see more characters in familiar classes, like Cavaliers
– In Hoshido, most of the characters are in Japanese-themed classes, like Samurais
– The campaign also determines the weapons you can obtain
– In Nohr, you will commonly obtain “swords”
– In Hoshido you are more likely to find “katanas”, which have slightly different properties
– Although Pegasus Knights have been in the series so far, they technically do not exist in this game.
– If instead features Hoshido’s very similar “Pegasus Warrior” class
– Pegasus Warriors can be male or female

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 31 Comments

It’s time for the latest Famitsu’s most wanted games chart! With the latest chart, Fire Emblem If has slipped to the sixth spot.

Head past the break for the full chart. All votes were cast between April 30 and May 13.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 3 Comments

In Famitsu’s most recent issue, the magazine caught up with Ambrella director Norio Matsumura and president Muneaki Ozawa. The two sides chatted all about the free-to-play 3DS game Pokemon Rumble World.

One of the most notable questions Famitsu asks is why the team decided to try out the F2P model. Matsumura noted that it actually happened thanks to a suggestion from Pokemon president Tsunekazu Ishihara.

Matsumura said:

Mr. Ishihara (the president of the Pokemon Company) suggested: “Let’s try out F2P.” Personally I think that refreshing controls and the nature of continuously returning to the game are concepts which suit free games very well, so I thought there was a chance of success. However, many members of the staff are against F2P games…

Matsumura continued on his comments by talking about how development didn’t progress without some resistance:

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Images | 6 Comments

Kantopia has gone to the trouble of fully translating Famitsu’s latest coverage of Fire Emblem If. You can check them out in the gallery below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 5 Comments

Famitsu has kicked off a Squid Fashion Contest for Splatoon. In Japan, fans have a chance to have their gear featured in the game by coming up with creative new ideas. The winning designs will be added to Splatoon via a future update.

Participants will need to come up with a full set of gear. That includes headgear, clothes, and shoes.

Those who are interested can enter the contest here. The competition will close on June 11, and the results will be announced later in the month.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Images, Wii U | 3 Comments

This week’s issue of Famitsu once again has coverage of numerous Nintendo titles. Fire Emblem If, Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX, Langrisser Re:Incarnation Tensei, Splatoon, Super Robot Wars BX, and the upcoming Yo-Kai Watch games are all featured in the latest magazine. Scans of these titles and various ads are posted in the gallery below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 18 Comments

Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. debuted in Japan last week. Sadly, it’s almost an understatement to say that it’s off to a very slow start.

As Media Create didn’t include Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. in its latest charts, it was an indication that the game sold under 2,000 units. This is something that Famitsu confirms with its own sales figures. According to the site, Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. moved just 1,835 copies in Japan.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 9 Comments

Famitsu is following up on its coverage of Fire Emblem If last week with another update on the 3DS game. It’s revealed that the Weapon Triangle is seeing some changes, and we have information about new characters. All of the new details are rounded up below.

– Weapon Triangle has been a mainstay since 1996
– Changed from the standard swords over axes over lances to swords and magic, over axes and bows, over lances and dark weapons
– In other words, swords and magic are stronger than axes and bows; axes and bows are stronger than lances and dark weapons; lances and dark weapons are stronger than swords and magic
– As Fire Emblem If doesn’t feature weapon durability, the stronger the weapon, the larger the unit’s disadvantage in terms of abilities
– Ex: the Bronze Sword has no chance of landing a Critical hit, but has +10 Critical evasion, while the stronger Steel Sword has -5 evasion and makes it hard to use a Pursuit attack
– Only staffs restrict the amount of times they can be used
– New characters:

Felicia (voiced by Nozomi Sasaki) – A maid.
Joker (voiced by Junichi Suwabe) – A butler.
Gunther (voiced by Rokuro Naya) – A great butler.
Suzukaze (voiced by Daisuke Ono)
Saizou (voiced by Tarusuke Shingaki)
Kagerou (voiced by Rie Murakawa) – A shinobi.

– Felicia, Joker, Gunther, and Suzukaze appear as allies in both the White Night Kingdom and Dark Night Kingdom versions of the game
– Saizou and Kagerou are allies in the White Night Kingdom version
– Maids, butlers, and shinobi use dark weapons
– Dark weapons have weakening effects on enemy abilities when attacked
– Game has different weapons that can be used in each version

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More: details roundup, Famitsu, Fire Emblem If, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 5 Comments

This week’s Famitsu review scores are as follows:

Hatsune Miku: Project Mirai DX (3DS) – 9/9/9/9
Wolfenstein: The Old Blood (PS4/XBO) – 8/8/9/8
Cross Ange: Tenshi to Ryuu no Rondo tr. (PSV) – 8/7/8/8
Gekidoui Arbeiter KOJI (3DS) – 7/8/8/7
Wind-up Knight 2 (Wii U) – 7/7/8/7
Possession Magenta (PSV) – 7/8/7/7
Downtown Nekketsu Jidaigeki (3DS) – 7/7/7/7
Saikoro No Mori 3-in-1 (Wii U) – 5/4/5/6

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 13 Comments

It’s time for the latest Famitsu’s most wanted games chart! Fire Emblem If has now climbed up to the second spot.

Head past the break for the full chart. All votes were cast between April 23 and April 29.

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