Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Nintendo Everything recently caught up with Ronimo’s Jasper Koning via email. Of course, we asked several questions about the studio’s recently-announced Wii U exclusive Swords & Soldiers II. Koning also commented on whether Ronimo considered going the Kickstarter route with its game, the possibility of Awesomenauts on Wii U, future support for the system, and more.

You can find our full interview with Ronimo after the break!

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Weekly Screenshot, Wii U eShop | 7 Comments

Nintendo Everything is introducing another new developer-centric feature called “Weekly Screenshot”. Each week, developers will share new photos from their games and talk a bit about what’s going on in the image, how it was made, or what it means for the experience of playing. You know how Masahiro Sakurai shares new screenshots from Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS every weekday? Our feature is similar, though again, new images will only appear each week.

Art of Balance developer Shin’en is kicking things off with weekly looks at their title, which is coming out on the Wii U eShop in the near future. The studio will share one new image each Tuesday and intends to briefly discuss some of the tech being used.

In any case, on with the screenshot!

Hi guys, it’s Manfred from Shin’en. First of all, thanks to Brian for the opportunity to show our fans on Nintendo Everything some images of our soon to be released Wii U eShop game “Art of Balance”. The “Art of Balance” series is known on Wii and 3DS for its perfect gameplay. For the Wii U version, we wanted to create more then just an HD update. So we added new local and online mutliplayer modes, along with a complete new look for the game that makes the Wii U really shine. 200 levels from the Wii and 3DS version are included, but now you can even play them with your family, friends, and even online.

Each week, we will present a new shot and will talk a bit about the game and tech we’re using.

Above you can find the first shot featuring the hub for the eight worlds you can play. We used high dynamic range rendering– which gives us those nice sun sparkles on the ocean– and the ocean uses a dynamic wave simulation. Soft shadows are also used to connect everything, and if you look closely you can even see real-time reflections. Volumetric sun rays have been implemented to give an extra touch of softness.

That’s all for today. See you next week!

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Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 2 Comments

ON THIS EPISODE: Plenty of games are touched upon in the opening segment of this episode, including Rusty’s Real Deal Baseball, Banjo Kazooie, Guild Wars 2, and The Wind Waker HD. Find out why Rusty is a weirder character than you thought he was, and why Banjo Kazooie may not really be all that fun.

PLUS: As you’d expect, a discussion of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS fills out the middle segment where we discuss our thoughts on the game’s staggered release, the separation of dual-characters, an apparent focus on game balance, and how cool Sakurai is. Where does he find such cool sweaters!?

AND: We end the show with listener mail about Tomadachi Life, what kind of Zelda over-worlds we like, and how to review games! Plus we laugh a lot. That’s good.

This Week’s Podcast Crew: Austin, Jack, and Laura

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More: highlight, Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, Super Smash Bros. for 3DS, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Previews, Wii U eShop | 4 Comments

In the very near future, BLOK DROP U will be receiving its first title update. While it won’t introduce any additional content, RCMADIAX has implemented a number of changes to improve upon the core experience.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out BLOK DROP U’s impending update. For some quick impressions, head past the break.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 0 comments

ON THIS EPISODE: Austin brings to us full (but vague) impressions of the independent game The Plan and Jack talks about the worst Zelda temple ever made. (hint: it’s from The Wind Waker HD)

PLUS: We get down and dirty talking about Mario Kart 8 with our hopes, our fears, and how we feel Mario Kart needs to change or improve its formula for this entry to truly stand out.

AND: Finally, the Book Club discussions on Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward come to a close with an hour-long segment dedicated to the game. We all ended with a similar impression of it, so listen to us talk about the goods, the bads, and the uglies on episode 87!

This Week’s Podcast Crew: Austin, Jack, and Laura

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Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Reviews, Videos, Wii U eShop | 2 Comments

Hi everybody, I’m back with another video review for you! This time, we’re talking about this Wii U eShop game about the lovely age old game of King’s and Queens: Chess. Check it out if you have a minute.

More: highlight, Pure Chess, Ripstone, top, VooFoo Studios

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

With Leuvision’s Kickstarter for Twisted Fusion launching today, we caught up with creator Lewis Pugh to talk a bit more about the game.

Pugh shared more details about the Wii U eShop-exclusive, including a Kid Icarus-like difficulty system, additional weapons, enemies, and importance of the Kickstarter campaign. He also discussed the possibility of bringing Leuvision’s mobile titles to Wii U and working with the Nintendo Web Framework.

Head past the break for our mini interview!

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Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 1 Comment

ON THIS EPISODE: Jack kicks off ‘what we played’ with some continued discussion of Wind Waker HD, Austin filled out the middle with his thoughts on Wii U eShop game Pure Chess, and Laura tells us why she’s now addicted to World of Warcraft.

PLUS: We have a discussion about the GBA Virtual Console on Wii U, which games we plan on purchasing, and what games we might desire to see in the future.

AND: Listener mail brings Zelda back into the fray (albeit less prominently) with some talk about it vs. Darksiders, and some nice discussion of whether comparing one game to its predecessors is a valid way to review or criticize.

This Week’s Podcast Crew: Austin, Jack, and Laura

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Posted on 10 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast | 6 Comments

ON THIS EPISODE: Laura tried an interesting new game this week called World of Warcraft, and she’s… on the fence about it to say the least! Jack briefly talks about his experiencing listening to the Zelda: Skyward Sword soundtrack and playing more Wind Waker HD, and Austin primarily talks about a new game: Max Payne 3. He’s less than impressed by it.

PLUS: A sparse news segment means that we talk about Nintendo Downloads and that’s about it, but listener mail fills in with TONS of Zelda-related talk, including a defense of A Link Between Worlds and some more Ocarina of Time vs. Majora’s Mask discussion.

AND: The book club is delayed! Austin and Jack hadn’t the time to finish Zero Escape, so we’re giving them two more weeks to fully complete the game.

This Week’s Podcast Crew: Austin, Jack, and Laura

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Developer Musings, General Nintendo | 0 comments

We’ve brought in three more developers for the next entry in our new feature series, “Developer Musings”. This week, we have a few words from Gaijin Games, Neko Entertainment, and Goodbye Galaxy Games as they touch on how they deal with feedback from critics and players alike. Head past the break for their comments.

Unsure as to what Developer Musings is about? Check out our first entry here for an explanation.

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