Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 19 Comments

Well before the release of Super Mario Maker, there was some confusion as to whether or not the game would feature unique physics for the different game styles. It wasn’t entirely clear if Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. U would all play like they originally did.

This is something that was pretty much assumed with so many people getting their hands on Super Mario Maker, but we can now officially say that all game styles are based on New Super Mario Bros. U. And in an interview with EDGE in its latest issue, well-known Mario developer Takashi Tezuka explained why Nintendo went in that direction.

Tezuka said:

“In the end we used the New Super Mario Bros. U system for all of the game styles. There was quite a lot of discussion about this within the team. Staff who had strong attachment to the original games expressed a strong desire to see implemented the same system they remembered. However, when players who are used to the modern Mario physics tried playing with the old physics, they found it much more difficult than they remembered. The original Super Mario Bros would only scroll to the right, so we tentatively made it so that it doesn’t scroll left in this game style. However, many people on the team complained that it was less fun to play. Still, we have left in some unique aspects to each game style, like how you can carry shells from Super Mario Bros 3 onwards, but you can’t throw them upwards until Super Mario World, and you can only wall-jump in New Super Mario Bros. U.”

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Videos | 7 Comments

Who would play Link in a live action movie based on The Legend of Zelda? What about the casting for a new Super Mario Bros. film? Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka were asked about these questions in an interview with MTV.

As for feature length films in general, Miyamoto once again expressed openness to the idea. After discussing the Pikmin short movies that can be seen on both Wii U and 3DS, he said: “A feature length film? It’s definitely a secret! I can’t make any comments right now but we’ll see.”

Check out the full interview with Miyamoto and Tezuka below.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 3 Comments

Last month’s issue of Japanese magazine Nintendo Dream features an interview with producers Hisashi Nogami and Aya Kyogoku. Throughout the discussion, Nogami and Kyogoku touched on such topics as how the game to be and how it became a spin-off, the decision to focus on house creation, and more.

Our translation of the two developers’ comments is now in. Read up on what they shared with Nintendo Dream below.

ND: What was the original starting point of the project?

Nogami: Although many customers have accepted Animal Crossing, these games have an aspect that you can do anything and if you don’t decide to do something by yourself, the game won’t progress. Therefore I guess it is a title that divides people.

ND: You say that while New Leaf has sold more than 4 million copies [in Japan]!

Everyone: (laughs)

Kyogoku: I’m truly grateful that so many people have played the game, but I also think that there are people who think that the gameplay doesn’t suit them or they don’t understand what the game is about.

Nogami: So when it came time to create the next Animal Crossing, it turned out as a spin-off that focuses on an element of the Animal Crossing instead of being a traditional game.

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More: Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer, Aya Kyogoku, Hisashi Nogami, interview, Nintendo Dream, top

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | 3 Comments

This week, Famitsu has an interview with Pokemon president and CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. Ishihara touched on Pokemon Shuffle, Pokken Tournament, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, and a bit about the future – including an extremely brief NX name-drop.

Regarding Pokemon Shuffle, Ishihara reconfirmed that the game has reached five million downloads. The title, which just recently hit smart devices, was originally intended to be released from the start on smartphones and 3DS. The 3DS demographic is more around those at middle school while smartphones users are geared more toward adults. The main message they wanted to convey is that the app can be cleared from the start with no charges.

Pokken Tournament came about from a desire to see more realistic Pokemon movements. Even though it’s made by the Tekken team, it has a different flavor and feel than that series and it does not necessarily appeal to a different demographic. Ishihara points out that it’s easy to understand fighting games, and its systems are straightforward and simple to pick up on.

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More: Famitsu, interview, Pokemon, Pokemon Shuffle, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, Pokken Tournament, top, Tsunekazu Ishihara

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 9 Comments

Xenoblade Chronicles X features something known as “Skells”. These mechs allow players to take to the sky and fly across the vast world. You won’t have access to Skells right away, however. They are made available later in the game after players receiving a license.

This month’s issue of Game Informer has a few comments from Monolith Soft executive director Tetsuya Takahashi. Takahashi told the magazine why Skells aren’t handed out at the start, explaining:

“The main reason we didn’t want players to have the Skell from the beginning of the game is that we wanted them to have the opportunity to fully explore the world on foot first. The world starts to feel quiet a bit different once you have the Skell, especially once you experience different layers of the world vertically.”

Xenoblade Chronicles X still has a few months to go before it reaches the west. The overseas release is scheduled for December 4.

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

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Nintendo has published its fourth indie interview coming from PAX Prime 2015. In the latest one, the company’s Damon Baker talks with Oddworld Inhabitants about Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty. Check it out below.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 21 Comments

Hyrule Warriors Legends will have stereoscopic 3D support – sort of. In an interview with 4Gamer, producer Yosuke Hayashi confirmed that the game will only make use of 3D on the New 3DS.

Naturally, the 3DS is not as powerful as the Wii U. Koei Tecmo worked hard to balance the enemy count, and displaying as many enemies as possible on screen was important. The New 3DS gave Hyrule Warriors Legends that extra boost to make stereoscopic 3D possible.

Hayashi also talked about things we’ve heard in the past: the 3DS version of Hyrule Warriors came about due to fan interest, more characters are coming, amiibo will be supported, DLC characters from the Wii U version will be immediately available on 3DS, and DLC is possible. We’ll also mention that a code will be included with all copies of the game so that players can unlock Toon Link, Tetra, and the King of Hyrule in the Wii U version.

Koei Tecmo is nearly done with the development of Hyrule Warriors Legends, and they’re currently working on polishing things. That makes sense, as the game is launching on January 21 in Japan.

More: interview, Koei Tecmo, Omega Force, Team Ninja, top, Yosuke Hayashi

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

Nintendo has published its second indie interview from PAX Prime 2015. This time around, the company’s Damon Baker interviews GalaxyTrail about Freedom Planet. We have the video below.

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 2 Comments

Destructoid was recently able to give Project X Zone 2 a spin, and has now shared some hands-on gameplay impressions. While checking the game out, the site was able to chat with series producer Kensuke Tsukanaka.

Tsukanaka stated that the opening animation of Project X Zone 2 will feature every playable hero. Additionally, the video will be just over two minutes of length.

Tsukanaka added:

“We’re aiming to look for new fans with an even bigger cast. We want people to see a new character and ask ‘what game is this from?’ We want them to become even more involved with the industry as a whole.”

In Project X Zone 2, Monolith Soft is giving more effort to the original animation. Fans can count on more artwork than before in and out of combat.

As for how the collaboration between Bandai Namco, Capcom, and SEGA is possible, Tsukanaka mentioned that “all of us have a mutual respect for each other. We’ve also collaborated for years with one another, so it wasn’t too much of a stretch to create this project. The rivalry still exists, but it’s a friendly one.”

Source

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Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 5 Comments

Game Informer recently caught up with Super Mario Maker director Yosuke Oshino and senior director Yoshikazu Yamashita. While speaking with the site, the two developers shared tips to help players improve their levels.

One of the first tips from Oshino and Yamashita is to play through a bunch of courses:

“I’d advise you to play through a lot of courses. Play the 10-Mario Challenge and Course World, and if you find a course you like (I’d recommend a shorter one first), save it and try messing around with it. As you learn how the courses you like were made, and how they can be changed to make them better (or worse), I think you’ll gradually build up a toolbox of ideas on how to build courses.” – Yamashita

“It might also be a good idea to look at what kind of courses people are making with the 10-Mario Challenge, or to go on Course World and check out the world rankings to see how people on there make their courses and get all those favorites.” – Oshino

Oshino also discussed the importance of keeping your target audience in mind:

“I think it’s important that you think about who you want playing your course, and how you want him or her to play it. Think about a course length they’d prefer, and what kinds of enemies or course elements they’d like. I also think people like courses which have that, ‘Let’s try that one more time,’ element to them without being unfair, no matter if they’re easy or difficult.” – Oshino

Also from Oshino, experimenting with different combinations is encouraged:

“[W]hen you combine multiple parts together, you’ll suddenly open up a great deal more opportunities. I found a new way to combine parts myself just the other day. I think players might just invent new ways to combine parts that not even we thought of, too.” – Oshino

“I like the ‘generational change’ of putting Bowser on the back of a large Bowser Jr. (i.e., when you combine Bowser Jr. with a Mushroom), or taking the Queen (high-heeled) Goomba’s Shoe you get by shaking a regular Goomba’s Shoe and adding wings to it to make a Para-Queen Goomba’s Shoe.” – Oshino

Game Informer has a couple of additional tips from the Super Mario Maker developers here.

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