Happy holidays!
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News | 16 Comments
Hello! With the end of 2016 in sight, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a happy holidays. Happy Christmas / Hanukkah / Kwanzaa / New Year! Don’t celebrate any of that? That’s totally fine! Enjoy the next few days ahead regardless.
Usually at around this time each year, we start to see the news cycle slow down. Companies take off for the holidays, and it’s the one time when North America, Europe, and Japan takes a bit of a rest at once. As always though, our schedule will be staying the same for the most part, and news will continue to go up on the site – even if it’s not quite as much as we typically see.
Plus, we’re not that far away from some very big news. The Switch event is less than three weeks away. Once that happens on January 12 / 13, you know that we’re in for a huge and constant news cycle through March.
That’s it from me. Hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday!
(P.S. – sorry about reusing last year’s image, but that’s all we had. If I tried creating something new on my own, the results would have been disastrous!)
[Review] Shantae: Half-Genie Hero
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in News, Wii U | 4 Comments
System: Wii U
Release date: December 20, 2016
Developer: WayForward
Publisher WayForward
I’ve never been the biggest fan of Shantae games. In terms of presentation, they’ve always been top notch. With level design, I’ve always found them to be a little bit basic at best and a trudge of back-and-forth at worst. With Shantae: Half-Genie Hero, WayForward has done an impressive job remedying my faults with past entries. It definitely has its share of fetch-quest trade-sequence padding, but thanks to a revised game structure, this didn’t bother me as much as it might have on paper.
[Let’s Talk] Super Mario Run launch thoughts
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Mobile | 19 Comments
Mario has finally made his mobile debut. Super Mario Run launched on Thursday… though only on iOS. The Android release will follow in 2017.
Have you downloaded Super Mario Run? If so, have you purchased the full game, or do you intend to? What are your impressions? Perhaps you’re holding off on downloading it all together? Or maybe you’re waiting on the Android version?
That’s a lot of questions, though Super Mario Run is certainly deserving of them. If you do have any final thoughts on the title, be sure to share them with us in the comments!
Highlights from last week’s topic: Which games would you want to see on the GameCube Virtual Console?
[Let’s Talk] Which games would you want to see on the GameCube Virtual Console?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 118 Comments
With just a month to go before the Nintendo Switch presentation, the rumor mill has been in full force. One topic of speculation this week concerns the Virtual Console.
A report emerged that Nintendo is planning on bringing GameCube into the fold on Switch’s Virtual Console. Super Smash Bros. Melee, Super Mario Sunshine, and Luigi’s Mansion are apparently the titles Nintendo is looking at first. The original Animal Crossing is also being looked into.
GameCube is the only one of Nintendo’s consoles that never saw digital re-releases. So assuming the new rumors are true, which titles from the system would you like to see on Switch? I’d personally go with Baten Kaitos and Baten Kaitos Origins. Those two games were made by Xenoblade developer Monolith Soft, and are criminally overlooked. Let us know which games you’d be interested in downloading in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – December 2016
[Interview] THQ Nordic on continued Wii U support, updates on various IPs, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Interviews, Switch, Wii, Wii U | 18 Comments
THQ Nordic is slowly but surely becoming an important name in the gaming industry. Originally known as Nordic Games, the company rebranded earlier this year. It holds to the rights to notable IPs such as Darksiders, de Blob, Deadly Creatures, and much more.
We recently spoke with THQ Nordic’s Reinhard Pollice in a wide-ranging interview. He commented on the publisher’s continued support of Wii U (whereas most third-parties have moved on), and different IPs such as de Blob and Deadly Creatures. We also asked about why Darksiders Warmastered Edition is taking a bit longer to release on Wii U.
For our full interview, head past the break.
More: highlight, Reinhard Pollice, THQ Nordic, top
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – December 2016
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 26 Comments
A new month is here! We’ve just entered December, so that means we want to know what you’ve been playing. Have you started up something entirely new for the month? Or maybe you’re continuing something you started a little while back? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: Pokemon Sun/Moon impressions
[Review] Super Mario Maker for Nintendo 3DS
Posted on 8 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 5 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: December 2, 2016
Developer: Nintendo
Publisher Nintendo
Last September Nintendo graced us with a Mario fan’s dream when Super Mario Maker released for the Wii U. It gave veterans, newcomers, and creatives alike the power to build Mario levels at their own accord and release their inner Shigeru Miyamoto, as well as play brand new courses designed directly by Nintendo and gamers from around the world. Now the 3DS version of the game – revealed just a few months ago during a Nintendo Direct – is here for all to experience, and while it is identical in many ways, there are some things that differentiate it from its home console counterpart that alter the experience, for better or for worse.
More: highlight, Super Mario Maker for 3DS, top
[Let’s Talk] Pokemon Sun/Moon impressions
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Let's Talk | 17 Comments
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon launched in North America last week. Our friends in Europe were forced to wait slightly longer for the games, but they released in PAL regions a few days ago as well. Now that everyone has had some time to experience Sun/Moon, it’s time to talk about them.
How many of you are playing through the new 3DS titles currently? If you are, do you have any particular thoughts about them? Do you like the new Trials, or do you prefer the old Gym system? What are your favorite/least favorite Pokemon introduced this generation? Tell us how you feel about Pokemon Sun/Moon in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: Will you be buying Super Mario Run?
More: highlight, Pokemon Moon, Pokemon Sun, top
[Let’s Talk] Will you be buying Super Mario Run?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Mobile | 89 Comments
Nintendo’s first actual mobile game (Miitomo doesn’t count!) is due out in about a month from now. Earlier this week, the company revealed that Super Mario Run is coming to iOS on December 15. We also have a final price of $10. Super Mario Run is free to download, but paying that amount provides full access to each of the three modes.
Many people will probably download the title just to see what it’s about. Of course, Nintendo is hoping to convert as many of those users into buyers as possible. With that in mind, we have one question for you: will you be buying Super Mario Run? Do you feel $10 is too expensive for a mobile game? Are you even interested in Super Mario Run? Tell us how you feel about it below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: The end of Wii U
More: highlight, Super Mario Run, top
[Review] Pokémon Sun/Moon
Posted on 8 years ago by Philip(@P_Trah) in 3DS, Reviews | 3 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: November 18, 2016
Developer: Game Freak
Publisher Nintendo
There is no denying that the Pokémon franchise is somewhat of a rarity in the gaming industry. To have a series so well-beloved by new and old fans alike for twenty years, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that something like Pokémon would have petered out long ago. It’s still going strong even after such a long time has passed. However, along with two decades worth of games comes a desire to innovate and to avoid the underlying possibility of stagnation and repetition. Now, with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon on the horizon and the promise of a fresh take on its tried-and-true formula, the seventh generation surpasses all expectations and delivers not only one of the finest entries in the franchise to date, but one of the best role playing games of the year.
