[Review] Shadow Puppeteer
Posted on 8 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments
System: Wii U (eShop)
Release date: January 28, 2016
Developer: Sarepta Studio
Publisher Snow Cannon Games
The premise of Shadow Puppeteer is simple: one night, a boy and his shadow are separated by a strange man playing a music box. From there, the journey consists of chasing him down throughout gloomy Tim Burton-esque levels. The game has you controlling the boy and his shadow individually with the controller being split by its left and right sides – each analogue stick controls a character with the buttons on their respective sides being used for jumping and other interactions. If you played Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, the concept should seem familiar. Where this differs is that you control the boy in a 3D space and his shadow along the surfaces of the environment, interacting with other shadows as a 2D platformer. The two ideas on their own aren’t exactly unique, but fusing them together provides plenty of puzzling levels.
More: highlight, indie, Shadow Puppeteer, top
[Let’s Talk] What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 52 Comments
Let’s Talk #37: What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?
The Internet has been set ablaze over the past day or so with speculation regarding a potential new Paper Mario game for Wii U. Since it’s the hot Nintendo topic of the moment, I thought it’d make sense to have this week’s Let’s Talk centered around that.
It’s been a long time since we saw a proper Paper Mario entry. The Thousand-Year Door, a GameCube game, was the last true RPG in the series. Super Paper Mario was fine enough (I enjoyed it quite a bit myself actually), but you could argue that Sticker Star isn’t looked upon favorably despite decent reviews at the time. At this point, it might be for the best to return to the series’ roots and remember why the franchise has (mostly) been loved by so many players.
With all of that in mind, what would you want to see from a new Paper Mario game? If you have any thoughts, definitely share them in the comments below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: Do you want to see more of Linkle?
[Review] Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Posted on 8 years ago by Vincent Ward in 3DS, Reviews | 9 Comments
System: 3DS
Release date: January 22, 2016
Developer: AlphaDream
Publisher Nintendo
In all honesty, Mario & Luigi has fallen off my radar within the last few years. That’s not due to a dislike of the various games. I played the first one, but after that, I simply never picked up another title. However, when Nintendo announced that Paper Mario would be coming together with Mario & Luigi, my love for the former franchise was enough to finally push me to giving it another spin. Now that the RPG is finally in my hands, I can comfortably say that Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is a great representation of both series.
More: AlphaDream, highlight, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam, top
Update: Winners announced – [Giveaway] The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and His Square Mind
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Giveaway | 42 Comments
Update: Bumped to the top. The winners are megasnorlax927, GekkouKitsune, and HueyLooey. Congratulations! Codes have been sent via email.
We’re kicking off a new giveaway today. For North American 3DS owners, three codes for The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and His Square Mind are up for grabs.
We want to hear about your favorite handheld puzzle games in the comments below. All of our $5+ Patreon members are automatically eligible – no comment is required. Entries will be closed off on Friday, and we’ll announce the winners soon after. Good luck!
[Let’s Talk] Do you want to see more of Linkle?
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 36 Comments
Let’s Talk #36: Do you want to see more of Linkle?
After Hyrule Warriors came out, we learned that the developers toyed around with an idea for a character named “Linkle”. To put it simply, she was intended to be Link’s female equivalent. Concept art of Linkle eventually made the rounds, and for the most part, she was well-received. That’s what motivated Koei Tecmo to revisit the character and include her in Hyrule Warriors Legends.
Hyrule Warriors Legends will debut in Japan next week. Players will finally be able to use the character and see how she plays. But what role does she have beyond this game? Zelda series producer Eiji Aonuma has already mentioned wanting to keep her in mind for future entries in the franchise.
Do you guys want to see more of her though? Would you be open to having Linkle (or something else in the spirit of her character) in a mainline Zelda? Or would you prefer for Linkle to remain only in Hyrule Warriors Legends? Regardless of how you feel, definitely let us know below!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – January 2016
Important email status update
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News | 1 Comment
I don’t really know why this is, but I seem to have a curse when it comes to email. Every so often – for what feels like a few times each year – something breaks either on the site or with my inbox. It’s strange, and very frustrating. And unfortunately, it seems that we ran into this problem once again.
If you sent in a tip via the built-in “Submit a news tip” box at the top of the page since around late December or so (estimating December 17), I unfortunately never received it. The same goes for messages sent via the contact form. However, these are now starting to be recovered, and I’m going to try and look through them as soon as possible. Just give me some time! If you don’t hear from me within a week or so and have an important message, please resend. Also note that messages sent directly to my address were delivered properly and should have been replied to at this point.
[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – January 2016
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 78 Comments
Let’s Talk #35: What are you playing? – January 2016
A new month is here! And a new year as well. 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: Impressions of Xenoblade Chronicles X
December 2015 Patreon giveaway winner
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Site updates | 2 Comments
It’s time to announce the winner of our December 2015 Patreon giveaway! Each person pledging $5 or more was automatically eligible for the prize, which was Super Smash Bros. for 3DS. I can now announce that the winner is Brian Brackney. Congratulations!
As for January, we’ll be giving away a Shovel Knight amiibo. Each person pledging $5 or more – regardless of region – will be entered automatically.
To close out, I wanted to bring up something else quickly. I’m curious if there’s anyone who would be interested in having ads removed as a Patreon reward. This wouldn’t be something like $1, but it wouldn’t be something crazy such as $20 either. Now that we have a user account system, this might be doable. We’d make it so that so long as you’re logged in, you wouldn’t see any ads on the site – the code for ads wouldn’t even load in your browser. If there’s enough interest, we might pursue something like this. Otherwise we’ll leave the Patreon rewards as they are!
That’s all for now. See you next month!
[Let’s Talk] Impressions of Xenoblade Chronicles X
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 30 Comments
Let’s Talk #34: Impressions of Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles X has been out in the west for almost a month now. For those that have been playing it, what do you think of the game thus far? Are you enjoying it? Has it not met your expectations? If you’ve played the original Xenoblade, how do you think this one stacks up? Let us know in the comments below.
I’ve actually had Xenoblade Chronicles X since launch, but haven’t had a chance to really play it yet. Sickness, business, and a terrible backlog make for a bad combination. I hope to change that soon though!
Highlights from last week’s topic: What do you want to see from next week’s Smash Bros. presentation?
Update: Winners announced – [Giveaway] SteamWorld Heist
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Giveaway | 79 Comments
Update: The winners are in! Congratulations to gab, Lord Drieg, and Doug (Patreon). Codes have been sent via email.
The fantastic SteamWorld Heist launched on the 3DS eShop earlier this month. In celebration of the game’s arrival, we have three North American codes up for grabs (thanks Max Criden!).
In the comments below, tell us about your favorite steampunk settings or unusual turn-based games. All entries submitted through December 25 will be eligible for the random giveaway. Also, all of our $5+ Patreon members are automatically eligible – no comment is required.
Our three winners will be announced soon after the submission period ends. Best of luck to everyone!
