GameSpot sat down with a pair of developers behind Xenoblade Chronicles X. The site chatted with executive director Tetsuya Takahashi as well as art director Norihiro Takami. During the discussion, Takahashi and Takami commented on the complex nature of Xenoblade Chronicles X, the Xeno name, how the Wii U game is a culmination of ideas held onto for a very long time, and more.

We’ve rounded up a number of Takahashi and Takami’s statements below. Additional comments can be found in GameSpot’s piece here. Some concept art is also in the gallery below.

More: interview, Monolith Soft, Norihiro Takami, Tetsuya Takahashi, top, Xenoblade Chronicles X

KnapNok on Affordable Space Adventures’ reception and sales, more DLC possible, could hit 3DS

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

KnapNok’s Anchel Labena has commented on a number of topics pertaining to Affordable Space Adventures as part of an interview with Nintendo Life.

Regarding the game’s reception, Labena said that the game has received “some pretty amazing reviews”, which came as a bit of a surprise given its “quirky nature”. Sales were strong out of the gate, though “things slowed down a bit during the months after.”

Labena’s comments in full:

“We’ve been getting some pretty amazing reviews, which we are obviously really happy about. It really caught us by surprise, since Affordable Space Adventures is such a quirky title that we didn’t know what the press would think about it. I guess that all the positive press really affected sales at launch, because we saw a sudden surge of interest from players, YouTube streamers and other media outlets who hadn’t heard about the game before its launch.
While sales kicked off to a great start, things slowed down a bit during the months after launch. We still keep selling units on a daily basis though. It doesn’t come as a surprise either. We are, after all, a digital-only release, and presence in the Wii U eShop is crucial for us. Every time our game shows up in the eShop front page (like a banner, a Nintendo Highlights video or being included in a list of indie games for example), we have a considerable spike in sales. The new update is surely going to get a new surge of interest in the title, so we hope to keep the momentum going with that. We also just launched in Japan, and that’s definitely a super interesting market to get into. You have to think different in how you approach the audience there. Luckily, there are also fans there. One of them posted a drawing on Miiverse and it took as a while to understand that her handwriting said “I’ve been waiting for a year for this game since Knytt Underground” (Knytt Underground being the previous game of Affordable Space Adventure’s Game Director, Nicklas Nygren). What I can tell you, however, is that the game has definitely been a success for us and we are quite happy about how it is performing.”

More: Anchel Labena, indie, interview, KnapNok Games, Nifflas, top

Zelda: Tri Force Heroes – Miiverse Miiting part 2 – cut costumes, abandoned icon seller, more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments

The second part of The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes’ Miiverse Miiting has gone live. Director Hiromasa Shikata once again participated in the discussion, but he was also joined by Grezzo’s Mikiharu Oiwa this time around as well.

The new Miiverse Miiting is quite a bit more interesting than the last one. There are comments about the working relationship between Nintendo and Grezzo, concept art for Princess Styla, cut outfit ideas, an abandoned idea for an icon seller that would let you buy extra icons with Rupees, and more. Head past the break for the full talk.

More: Grezzo, Hiromasa Shikata, interview, Miiverse, Mikiharu Oiwa, The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes

Shigesato Itoi on why there won’t be a Mother 4

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 64 Comments

Speaking with Game Watch Impress, Shigesato Itoi commented on why Mother 4 is unlikely to happen. He told the site:

“Among big-time popstars, if they, you know, put out ten albums, around the fourth album, they can’t make very good songs. The albums sell, but everyone at the concerts wants to hear songs from those first three albums. Everyone. I’m glad that video games are not my profession. If it was my job, I would’ve already made 4 and 5.”

“When I made 3, I thought I could do it, so I did it,” Itoi added. He went on to say that 4 is “totally impossible.”

Source, Via

More: interview, Mother 4, Shigesato Itoi, top

Nintendo on Xenoblade Chronicles X marketing, audience for commercials (Latin America)

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 23 Comments

A few days ago, Gamedots published an interview with Dianne Segovia, manager of marketing of Nintendo for Latin America. Reader NutOfDeath was kind enough to send over a couple of translations.

First, Gamedots mentioned that Super Mario Maker and Splatoon received big marketing campaigns. Xenoblade Chronicles X, on the other hand, seems like it hasn’t seen the same sort of attention. Segovia said in response:

“Splatoon was a new IP and we had to start from scratch in terms of introducing it to the public. Mario Maker was a title that served as a celebration of 30 years of Super Mario Bros, and that’s why we had to make a big deal; it was truly a grand celebration, not just any video game launch.
Xenoblade Chronicles X is an RPG, a game for RPG and Xenoblade fans. We didn’t do anything too big because the audience for the game already know it exists and is already attentive of its release.”

Next, specifically talking about Latin American Nintendo, Gamedots asks who the audience is for its commercials. That prompted the following comments:

“It depends on the game. Right now, to promote the Wii U, we’re launching commercials directed towards parents who have young children who don’t know much about the console. They are the target audience right now, and thay’s why sometimes the commercials can seem a bit childish.
Games like Super Mario Maker had two commercials, one for kids and one for adults. This was done so that the adults could be appealed by the nostalgia, and the kids would be attracted to the use of GamePad and other novel elements.
In Splatoon’s case, we used a song for the commerical. The commercial’s design made it look like the game was only for kids.
For situations like these, to attract adults, we bring the game to public spaces so the general public can get to know the game and play it.”

Source

More: Dianne Segovia, interview

Super Mario Maker devs found it a bit tough to implement Yoshi

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 14 Comments

Yoshi’s inclusion in Super Mario Maker partially came about thanks to the involvement of producer Takashi Tezuka. In a recent issue of Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream, Tezuka and director Yosuke Oshino spoke about his appearance in the game:

Oshino: We decided to put in characteristic actions like Raccoon Mario, Caped Mario and Propeller Mario during the first phases of development. But Yoshi had much controversy…
Tezuka: I was a bit pushy in requesting to have Yoshi. There were reasons like being responsible for the Wii U game Yoshi’s Woolly World, wanting to use the Yoshi amiibo, and wanting to have some kind of collaboration as it is also Yoshi’s 25th anniversary.
Oshino: But adding Yoshi was complicated, so we discussed what should we do.

More: interview, Nintendo Dream, Super Mario Maker, Takashi Tezuka, top, Yoshikazu Yamashita, Yosuke Oshino

Nintendo UK on Xenoblade X’s audience and marketing, pleased with Xenoblade 3D’s performance

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in New Nintendo 3DS, News, Wii U | 131 Comments

Nintendo has one more big Wii U game due out in the west this year: Xenoblade Chronicles X. The massive RPG will be released towards the very beginning of next month.

Speaking with MCV, Nintendo UK product manager Gemma Hall sounded off on who Xenoblade Chronicles X is intended for, and how the company will go about marketing the title:

“Xenoblade Chronicles X will speak to anyone who loves epic RPGs, as it has everything you could want from a big sweeping sci-fi adventure, with rich diverse landscapes, deep customization options, a unique battling system, and a host of memorable characters. We are therefore not only targeting it towards fans of the original Xenoblade Chronicles, but to broader JRPG fans looking for their next epic RPG adventure. The game is visually sumptuous and will demand the attention of genre fans.
We will be focusing activity initially around Xenoblade Chronicles fans, and then broadening out to wider RPG fans with a tightly targeted digital campaign. Due to the highly visual nature of this game, we are concentrating on video formats that show off the many stunning facets of the title, including the huge open world, giant alien monsters, and the awesome Skell transformations.
We have a wealth of Wii U games that will be part of our Christmas campaign, including Splatoon and Super Mario Maker. However, Xenoblade Chronicles X is a more serious RPG offering, with stunning graphics and sweeping sci-fi story, and so we expect this to open up the Wii U to the more hardcore RPG audience who won’t want to miss out on this future genre classic.”

More: Gemma Hall, interview, Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade Chronicles 3D, Xenoblade Chronicles X

Yoshi’s Woolly World devs on the different Yoshi designs and Pokemon, lack of Baby Mario, more

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 75 Comments

Game Informer has published a new interview with Yoshi’s Woolly World designer Emi Watanabe and producer Takashi Tezuka. During the discussion, the two touched on the different Yoshi designs (and how the Pokemon amiibo unlock a generic skin), the lack of Baby Mario in the game, and more.

Read on below for some excerpts from the interview. You can read the full Q&A here.

More: Emi Watanabe, Good Feel, interview, Takashi Tezuka, top

Level-5 on the Yo-kai Watch comparisons to Pokemon, sequel’s western launch should be sooner

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 19 Comments

Ever since the original unveiling of Yo-kai Watch, the series has drawn comparisons to Pokemon. Those comparisons are more prevalent than ever now that the franchise is starting to make its way overseas. Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino is fine with this, but feels “there are lots of differences” that set the two apart.

Speaking with GamesBeat, Hino said:

“We don’t really mind the comparison with Pokémon, but there are lots of differences. Yo-Kai Watch doesn’t take place in a fantasy world. The setting is like a real town in Japan, something closer to the user’s own life. It’s very relatable for kids. It’s something they can connect to their own life. We did localize it well, though, to make sure that kind of element carries through to the American version.
Another key point is that this isn’t just for kids, though. It’s for the whole family. We have elements that appeal to mothers and fathers as well, not just their kids. The franchise contains humor that can appeal to both kids and adults.”

Hino also spoke briefly about the localization of the next Yo-kai Watch game. When asked if it’ll take just as long to get Yo-kai Watch 2 in the west, he let out a chuckle and said, “It shouldn’t take that long.”