The 3D platforming and collectathon style of game is one that hasn’t been very prevalent since the days of the Nintendo 64. However, fans of old-school 3D platformers have wanted to see a revival of these experiences and its seems as though their cries are now being heard by the many studios out there. One indie developer named Rainy Night Creations strove to create a game that followed in the footsteps of the giants that were Super Mario 64 and Banjo-Kazooie in an attempt to bring its new title, FreezeME, into the genre. However, unlike the platformer’s clear inspirations, FreezeME has some seriously glaring issues at its core.

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[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – February 2016

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 22 Comments

Let’s Talk #39: What are you playing? – February 2016

A new month is here! We entered February just a few days ago. 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: What do you want to see out of NX?

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[Review] Final Fantasy Explorers

Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 10 Comments

System: 3DS
Release date: January 26, 2016
Developer: Square Enix
Publisher Square Enix

Final Fantasy has always been a beloved RPG by people around the globe with a rich and deep history that spans nearly three decades. Whether it be a mainline title or a spinoff delving into a genre other than the standard adventure JRPG, the series has managed to connect with millions since its inception, and still thrives to this day. Final Fantasy attempts to push the boundaries and mold several gaming styles and genres together with each new iteration, whether mainline or spinoff, but sometimes these attempts don’t go over so well — enter Final Fantasy Explorers.

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[Let’s Talk] What do you want to see out of NX?

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Switch | 68 Comments

Let’s Talk #38: What do you want to see out of NX?

It was almost a year ago that we first heard about NX. Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced the platform during the same conference where the mobile partnership with DeNA was made known, which was a move to assure fans that the company is still dedicated to core gaming systems.

We’ll finally be hearing more about NX this year. At the very latest, news will be coming in June at E3, though I’d be surprised if Nintendo didn’t touch on it a bit before then. We’re only a month into 2015, yet the rumor mill is already stirring with plenty of speculation. And as the months go on, we only expect this to continue. Rumors will persist so long as Nintendo remains quiet!

Everyone is anxiously awaiting new information about NX… which might not be an entirely bad thing! It allows us all to keep dreaming and imagining different elements about the system. We want to hear from you guys on this very subject: what do you want to see out of NX? Tell us in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?

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[Review] Shadow Puppeteer

Posted on 9 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.

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[Let’s Talk] What would you like to see from a new Paper Mario game?

Posted on 9 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?

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[Review] Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam

Posted on 9 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.

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Update: Winners announced – [Giveaway] The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and His Square Mind

Posted on 9 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!

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[Let’s Talk] Do you want to see more of Linkle?

Posted on 9 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

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Important email status update

Posted on 9 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.