Pokemon Sun/Moon devs on connectivity with Pokemon GO, choosing platform for next entry, 3D, much more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 12 Comments
A ton of Pokemon Sun/Moon developer interviews are starting to come online. Series producer Junichi Masuda and director Shigeru Ohmori fielded a ton of questions from the press.
First up is Game Informer, who asked the two about topics such as connectivity with Pokemon GO, which platform we’ll see the next entry on, stereoscopic 3D, and much more about Sun/Moon specifically. Naturally, the discussion wouldn’t have been complete without a question about Yungoos looking like Donald Trump. You can find a bunch of notable comments below, and the full interview here.
More: interview, Junichi Masuda, Pokemon Moon, Pokemon Sun, Shigeru Ohmori, top
Image & Form “seriously considered” multiplayer for SteamWorld Heist
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments
SteamWorld Heist nearly had multiplayer. That’s according to Image & Form community manager Julius Guldbog, who said in a Reddit AMA that the functionality was “seriously considered”. Time was the only reason why it wasn’t included in the end.
Guldbog stated:
“We would love multiplayer and seriously considered it for Heist. In the end we ran out of time, simply.”
As another aside, the SteamWorld Heist hat packs are still planned for 3DS. Image & Form “ran into a nasty bug that will take some time to fix since DLC on 3DS didn’t work the way we thought,” though the team will “definitely compensate 3DS owners for the long wait”.
More: Image & Form, indie, interview, Julius Guldbog, SteamWorld Heist
Game Freak on Pokemon’s sustained success, keeping the main games on handhelds, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 26 Comments
Pokemon is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year. Junichi Masuda is one of the main developers responsible for its success, as he’s been working on the series since the very beginning. He started out as a programmer and composer before eventually becoming a director.
Speaking about Pokemon’s long-lasting success and continued relevance in the latest issue of EDGE, Masuda has this to say:
“There are so many variables in the games market that it’s not easy to define why Pokemon has had sustained success. There’s no doubt that the core elements of collecting, battling and trading have a lasting appeal when it comes to kids. But the thing that all our games really have in common is that we start by designing them with the younger audience in mind, and then add elements for our other core players. This means that even people who have never played the game before can easily buy it and get stuck in.”
Masuda also commented on how the competitive nature of Pokemon has helped the franchise gain appeal outside of its traditional demographic:
More: Game Freak, interview, Junichi Masuda, Pokemon, top
Shin’en talks about its history, FAST Racing Neo, supporting Nintendo platforms
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 7 Comments
Nintendo recently posted a video interview with Shin’en on its German YouTube page. Martin Sauter, the studio’s art director, took on some community questions. Sauter talked about the history of Shin’en, FAST Racing Neo in depth (making it easier for beginners, length of development, not trying to create an F-Zero spiritual successor), interest in the continued support of Nintendo platforms, and more.
The interview hasn’t been made available in other languages officially, but we did take the time to translate the whole thing in English. Head past the break to read it in full.
More: FAST Racing Neo, indie, interview, Martin Sauter, top
Miyamoto reveals new secrets about making Donkey Kong – Nintendo’s company bath, working with NoA, Mario’s age, more
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
Earlier today, Nintendo published a new interview with Shigeru Miyamoto about Donkey Kong on its Japanese website. It was conducted in celebration of the NES Classic Edition/Famicom Mini due out on the market next month.
To say that the interview was interesting would be an understatement. It’s unfortunately Japanese-only right out, but Wired has provided a pretty good rundown of what was talked about. Miyamoto revealed how Nintendo’s company bathtub helped soothe his thoughts, working with Nintendo of America and pushed for Donkey Kong’s name, how he tried conveying that Mario was in his 20s, and more.
Head past the break for a summary of Wired’s article. We encourage you to read their full piece here as well.
More: Donkey Kong, interview, Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, top
Splatoon devs on the game’s origins, style, success, Squid Sisters popularity
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 3 Comments
Last week, Nintendo of Europe published an interview with Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami and general producer Katsuya Eguchi. The second part of the discussion went up today.
While the initial round of questions were mainly about Splatfest topics, this portion is much more focused on the game itself. Nogami and Eguchi were asked about Splatoon’s origins (wasn’t initially set as a shooter, not tied to a Nintendo franchise), inspiration for its style, what aspect of the game’s success they’re surprised by, and the Squid Sisters popularity.
Continue on below for Nogami and Eguchi’s comments.
More: Hisashi Nogami, interview, Katsuya Eguchi, Splatoon, top
Antipole DX pushed back to 2017
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments
Antipole DX will no longer launch in 2016 as originally planned. In a Miiverse post, creator Edward Di Geronimo explained that the project is roughly 95 percent complete, though other obligations have prevented development from finishing entirely. Although it’s nearly done, we won’t be seeing Antipole DX this year.
Geronimo isn’t ready to share any sort of new date at the moment. He said Antipole DX “is very close to done and doesn’t need a lot more work, but I’m just not sure when the timing will work out.”
The full Miiverse post reads:
More: Antipole DX, indie, interview, Saturnine Games
Senran Kagura creator interested in NX, talks Nintendo’s initial reaction, still wants to make a pinball game
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Switch | 21 Comments
This past week, Marvelous announced a new Senran Kagura game known as Peach Beach Splash. It’s not planned for Nintendo platforms, but series creator and producer Kenichiro Takaki remains interested in supporting what the big N brings to the table.
In an interview with DualShockers, Takaki spoke briefly about his interest in NX as well as how he still wants to make a pinball game. You can read his comments on both of those topics below, along with talk about how Nintendo initially reacted to Senran Kagura.
More: interview, Kenichiro Takaki, marvelous, Senran Kagura, top
Former SEGA of America CEO says Sonic’s “downward cycle” isn’t abnormal, similar to other big franchises
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 53 Comments
Sonic the Hedgehog was one of the most iconic video game characters during the SEGA Genesis days, but he’s had a tough time over the past several years. Former SEGA of America CEO Tom Kalinske weighed in on the situation in this month’s issue of Game Informer, explaining that it’s not entirely unnatural.
Kalinske feels that Sonic’s “downward cycle” is part of the “natural up and down for any character.” He compared the situation to other big franchises like Star Wars. After being on the decline for some time, Kalinske says that it’s now time for Sonic “to have an upward cycle again”.
As Kalinske stated:
“I think there is some natural up and down for any character. We’ve certainly seen it with the Marvel characters over the years. We’ve seen it with Barbie. We’ve seen it with Star Wars. We’ve seen it with G.I. Joe and Hot Wheels. All of these brands have had their cycles. I think Sonic has had a downward cycle for a while, and it’s time to have an upward cycle again for a while.”
Thanks to Jake for the tip.
More: interview, SEGA, Tom Kalinske
Activision CEO believed the Wii would “completely transform video games” the first time he saw it
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 28 Comments
During a recent episode of the Corner Office podcast, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick commented on a wide array of topics. Some interesting discussion came about when Kotick was speaking about how he’s been able to get early looks at certain things that would end up having a big impact on society. Kotick referenced the Macintosh and Toy Story, but in the video game industry, his favorite example is the Wii.
Before the Wii was unveiled, Kotick was invited to Nintendo’s headquarters in Japan for a preview of the platform. Late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata and Shigeru Miyamoto were both present. Kotick was simply handed a Wii remote, and was asked to try fishing. It all came naturally, and after that demo, he believed “this is going to completely transform video games”.
Kotick’s full words:
