Posted on 9 years ago by Dennis Gagliardotto(@LyonHart_) in 3DS, Reviews | 14 Comments

System: 3DS
Release: May 5, 2015
Developer: Atlus
Publisher: Atlus

Author: Dennis

When you think demons, you think about terrible sentient monsters that aim to do nothing but torture you and inevitably drive you to death. But what if you were put in a position where the very thing that’s nurtured to torment and cause perpetual trepidation becomes the cause and reason for your survival in a world that’s quickly dissipating?

Devil Survivor 2: Record Breaker wants you to experience this firsthand, with an extensive and elaborate narrative that shapes itself by how you choose to respond to certain situations, whether it be during gameplay in the battlefields set all around Japan, or during a cut-scene where you’re sometimes prompted to choose how to respond when interacting with another character. This is a game that wants you to be personally invested, to the point where they let you name your character, both first name and last. You’re only given a certain amount of spaces to input your name, but most names should fit with ease like mine did – Keanu Reeves.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Just a Chat, Videos | 2 Comments

After a one week hiatus, Brian and Daan are back for a new Just a Chat discussion. Playtonic’s Yooka-Laylee Kickstarter success is the big story this week, but there’s also talk about Mighty No. 9 and Splatoon. Plus, hear some impressions of Xenoblade Chronicles X and Bravely Second from someone who has played both games!

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter
New survey (please fill it out if you have a moment!)

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 62 Comments

Let’s Talk #6: Which character do you want to see in Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS?

During last month’s Nintendo Direct, it was announced that there are a bunch of plans for DLC in Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS. Along with Mewtwo and Lucas, Nintendo will be adding even more fighters to both games down the line. The company went as far as to open a Smash Bros. Fighter Ballot so that fans could voice their opinions about which characters they want to see on the roster.

That brings us to this week’s topic! I’m curious about the sort of characters you guys would like to see added as DLC. I’ll get the discussion started.

I’m not too sure if I have an absolute standout character that I’m pulling for in Smash Bros. Adding the Inkings from Splatoon would be a nice choice! And it’d be very neat to see Amaterasu from Okami in the game (though I know that will never happen).

Honestly, I feel like I had my dream fulfilled with Shulk – that’s someone that I never actually thought would make it into Smash Bros. When the initial leak happened last year, I felt like it was too good to be true. Some people say that Shulk is a dull character, but I believe that he is a really great representation of Xenoblade, and I never had a problem with him.

Those are just a few quick thoughts from me. Now I want to see what you all have to say! What would be your dream character for Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS? Sound off in the comments, and read up on some of your highlights from last week’s Let’s Talk below!

Last week’s topic: Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC and 200cc mode (highlights)

Kallumsmarties

I didn’t think it would be better than the first DLC pack to be honest, but it would still be pretty darn good. They definitely proved me wrong lol. They just keep getting better. 200cc also helped get me hyped up it for as well.

Purple3DSXL

I hate Cheese Land. I just don’t get it, and I had played the old version long ago. I didn’t like it then either. These new tracks don’t stick to me like the first DLC pack did. They shouldn’t have shortened Baby Park (seems a little smaller than it used to be) and given it more laps or something. Like Bob said, Wild Woods seems to be the best. I feel it has more to offer than the other tracks do for the latest pack.

gurdurrlv34

I just got both packs of the DLC last week, so I’m going over the most notable tracks. Cheese Land is hard and lame. Wild Woods is cool. The F-Zero courses are bae. Animal crossing is meh as a racetrack. Hyrule Circuit is cool, but I just don’t see Zelda in it. Why couldn’t you just ride through shop town in majora’s mask or ocarina of time??? Ribbon Road is cool. Ice Ice Outpost is LAME! Excitebike arena is cool. Baby park is fun on 200cc and nothing else. SNES rainbow road is, oddly enough, one of my favorite rainbow roads and I like to see it in HD (finally some background scenery 🙂 Wario’s Gold Mine was my favorite course on my favorite Mario kart game, and I’m really happy to see that the mine carts are now GOOD to run into. The rest are just forgettable.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Giveaway, Wii U eShop | 217 Comments

Our winners are in!

North America: James Parry, Figureguy, Kevin Malone
Europe: Ramsés Cabello, daydream, Leon Fletcher

Congratulations to them! Codes should be sent out tomorrow, so keep an eye on your inbox. More giveaways to come!

We’re kicking off a new giveaway today for Affordable Space Adventures. Wii U owners in both North America and Europe are eligible to participate!

Simply leave a comment below and tell us about the following: if you could only bring one item with you on your Small Craft to Spectaculon, what would it be and why? Six codes are up for grabs (thanks Max Criden!) – three for North America, and three for Europe. We’ll choose a winner next weekend.

In your comment, please be sure to let us know which region you’re entering for. We may not be able to count your submission without this information.

Good luck, everyone!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in Features, Game of the Month, GameCube, Wii U, Wii U eShop | 10 Comments

It’s safe to say that Mario Kart 8 takes more than a few cues from F-Zero. Nintendo’s other racing franchise that started out on the SNES gets comparatively little love nowadays, but several features from this series have worked their way into the latest Mario Kart. The new racetracks are the most obvious influence, with gravity-defying courses that are straight out of F-Zero (quite literally in the case of some of the DLC), but the new 200cc class brings Mario Kart’s speed just a little bit closer to its older brother. Heck, you can even play as a Mii approximation of Captain Falcon if you can track down his elusive amiibo. But for all the inspiration that Mario Kart 8 takes from F-Zero, the two series remain distinctly different. Some people are claiming that Mario Kart is now an adequate replacement for the currently MIA F-Zero (and by some people I mean just one guy on Neogaf), but taking a look at the design philosophy behind both titles shows that they’re completely at odds with each other.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in Features, Game of the Month | 15 Comments

Author: Kirara

Mario Kart as a franchise has been around for a long time– twenty-three years to be exact. Although that seems like awhile, it really isn’t for a series from Nintendo; they have a history of creating franchises that are able to stand the test of time. In 1992 when Mario Kart had its debut on the Super Nintendo, it was dubbed Super Mario Kart. Fast forward twenty-three years and we now have Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, and after five games for home consoles – three on portable, and even three in the arcade released in Japan – I think it is safe to say that Mario Kart has been a successful franchise. But what if it wasn’t Mario Kart? What if, instead of basing the game initially on the Mario series, it was simply Nintendo Kart or even Smash Kart? Is that something that would have seen as much notoriety then as it could today?

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Wii U | 11 Comments

The news of Legend of Kay’s revival was unexpected, to say the least. It originally launched for the PlayStation 2 back in 2005, and ended up as more of a niche platformer for the console. Yet now the game is back in a remastered format for Wii U and a few other platforms, thanks to Nordic Games and developer Kaiko.

Nordic recently announced that Legend of Kay Anniversary is slated for spring. With the title’s launch coming sooner rather than later, we caught up with Kaiko’s Peter Thierolf for an interview. We asked Thierolf about why Legend of Kay is returning after so many years, what sort of improvements are being implemented, how it will play on Wii U, and more.

Read on below for our full interview.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 13 Comments

Let’s Talk #5: Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC and 200cc mode

Mario Kart 8’s second wave of DLC has finally arrived. Players now have access to eight additional courses, three new characters, and four more vehicles. Plus, let’s not forget the new 200cc mode that can be obtained through the latest update! Given all of the new content that Mario Kart 8 has added, it seems like the perfect topic for this week’s Let’s Talk.

Unlike previous Let’s Talks, I don’t have much to say about this one… yet! That’s largely in part because I just haven’t had any time to give the new DLC a go yet. I’m hoping to change that sometime this weekend. That being said, I absolutely love the courses in this latest DLC batch. Ribbon Road might be my favorite based on what I’ve seen due to all of the little details.

How many of you have gone hands-on with the new DLC? What’s your favorite track? How are you liking the new characters? Have you tried out 200cc yet? Would you be interested in seeing even more Mario Kart 8 DLC? Sound off in the comments below!

Last week’s topic: The future of 3D Mario games (highlights)

Vigilante_blade

I personally want a Super Mario 64 more open game. While I think there is some merit in Super Mario Galaxy, (apart from the Wiimote controls), I quickly grew bored of the extremely linear level design. Besides, I think it’s been a while since we had a 64-style Mario game.

sonicfan1373

I think we need a balance between linearity and exploration. I think that is one of the things Super Mario Sunshine did well, at least conceptually. Much of the shine collecting occurred in a walled garden setting, whereas there were also linear courses (albeit they were somewhat dull).

I would not mind something like that in future Mario games, having exploration based worlds where you collect stars by completing missions, collection red coins, searching for hidden coins or star parts, and competing in races but also having these worlds connect to more linear courses that really test your platforming, though unlike Sunshine’s somewhat dull courses these could be more like courses from Super Mario 3D Land/World or Galaxy.

FrostedFireFly

I don’t want another Galaxy game because I think the Galaxy mechanic would lose it’s wonder after a 3rd game. I’d still buy it if they made one though, but I’d prefer they didn’t.

I don’t want another 3D World either though… The games felt fun, but extremely underwhelming, making it not really feel like a main Mario game in the series. A sequel to Sunshine would be nice but if possible, I want a completely new Single Player experience using a newer mechanic for the overall game perhaps.

I doubt it’d happen, but I’d like a new 3D Mario game that mixes it’s elements with the Super Mario RPG game back on the Snes… Yeah I guess you could say I just want a new Super Mario RPG but imagine jumping around like you can in Galaxy in actual inhabited Mario places. Have you seen the villages used in the background for Mario Kart 8 tracks!? Why can’t we explore a world like THAT in video games???

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Posted on 9 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in Features, Game of the Month, Wii U | 8 Comments

For all of the fresh and welcome adjustments Mario Kart 8 brought to the series, there was one mode that saw a massive set of changes much to the dismay of many: Battle Mode. Doing away with the iconic arena stages prevalent in previous entries, Mario Kart 8 opted instead to re-use existing tracks to create somewhat of a joust around the courses, an unwelcome change to many fans. Combine that with the initial lack of a mini-map, the implication for couch co-op with a twelve-player cap and the fact that the tracks were larger and more open than ever, many fans felt that Nintendo had missed the mark when it came to capturing what the Grand Prix’s little brother was all about. Battle Mode has undergone a number of changes over the eight entries in the franchise. We’ve seen the size of the arena grow from two to twelve, the addition of bikes and countless other tweaks to the original inclusion back in 1992, but is the shift in focus really to blame entirely on Mario Kart 8? What should Battle Mode in a modern day Mario Kart even look like anyway?

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Posted on 9 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 0 comments

Once upon a time I mentioned how Comcast played a role in canceling one of our podcasts because they made Laura’s internet go away. This week, another American corporation has disrupted our regular flow of feces-like podcasting content to you, but thankfully Xcel Energy’s mishandling of my electrical power only succeeding in delaying the podcast rather than outright canceling it. It’s an exciting show though, because Laura is back in Minneapolis so we’ve recorded our first in-person show since episode 103! Here are today’s chapters:

Shenanigans

1) Opening
2) Picture of the Day
3) Game of the Week: Super Mario Land!

What we played

4) Laura’s a’rumblin’. (Pokémon Rumble World)
5) Story of Sadness. (Story of Seasons)
6) Story of Seasons Spoilers Skip-Mark
7) Shepard is not a smart man. (Mass Effect)
8) ProPay develops new Streetpass games for Laura.
9) Donkey Kong Country 2 vs. Super Mario World, a retrospective featurette.

Shenanigans Redux

10) Freetures (the only free part of the podcast)
11) Donkey Kong Country 3 musical interlude

Listener Mail

12) Mario & Luigi is good?
13) New 3DS transfer process and other woes.
14) Are cinematic games taking over? Will they always suck so bad?
15) Comedian corner.

Shenanigans Finale

16) Super Mario Land Quiz
17) Ending sequence and staff roll.

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