Spike Chunsoft shows interest in NX, talks Kenka Bancho 6, Mystery Dungeon, future
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 31 Comments
In the latest issue of Famitsu, the magazine has an interview with Spike Chunsoft president and CEO Mitsutoshi Sakurai. Spike Chunsoft handles the Zero Escape series, and is perhaps best known for its work on the Danganronpa franchise.
Sakurai spoke about a number of topics, including the company’s interest in NX. You can find various quotes from the interview below.
More: Famitsu, interview, Mitsutoshi Sakurai, Spike Chunsoft, top
Shin’en on FAST Racing Neo – locations, difficulty, controls, Easter eggs, and more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 15 Comments
Nintendo UK recently put up an interview with Martin Sauter from Shin’en. As you would expect, the discussion was entirely about FAST Racing Neo. Sauter commented on a number of topics, including the locations in the game, difficulty, controls, Easter eggs, and more.
You can find a number of excerpts from the interview below. The full piece is located here.
More: FAST Racing Neo, indie, interview, Martin Sauter, Shin'en
Miyamoto and Tezuka on the evolution of Mario, protective of the character
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment
This month’s issue of GamesTM has an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka. The two developers talked about all things Mario, including the evolution of the character’s design.
Tezuka shared the following when asked about Mario’s appearance and how Nintendo has resisted the urge to modernize him:
“I do think it’s changed a bit… For example, in Mario 3 we made him a little cuter. And perhaps with the Tanooki tail and the cape we definitely added items and features so that there’s more variety in Mario’s actions.”
Miyamoto shared a few words on the subject of evolving Mario as well. He also stated that Nintendo keeps Mario close to the vest, and doesn’t allow other teams to develop the core titles since the company wants to be control of the character and his abilities.
“In terms of the 3D Mario performance, it has evolved, but we have always been consistent in trying to be cautious in terms of when you do a B-dash, how far he can jump or how many blocks he can break. We have made it a little bit simpler for players as it’s evolved, because there are more complicated things that we’re asking the players to do. In the original Mario when you’re stopped he can’t do B-dash, but you can do it now with more recent games. So we have made it a little bit simpler and tweaked it throughout the years. In terms of Mario games we definitely don’t have other teams develop it, because we do want to control it and manage those features.”
More: interview, Mario, Shigeru Miyamoto, Takashi Tezuka, top
Tezuka on why Super Mario Maker doesn’t have all content unlocked right away
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 27 Comments
Not all of Super Mario Maker’s content is available to players as soon as they boot up the game. Basically, you need to play around with the level editor for about 15 minutes before new tools and items are added.
In the latest issue of EDGE, Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka spoke about Super Mario Maker’s unlock system. He told the magazine:
“This decision was part of our basic policy. We wanted the rewards to increase as you became more familiar with the game and to look forward to what would unlock the next day,” he says. “From our testing, we learned that if too much was available all at once then many players weren’t sure what they should do and didn’t have as much fun with the game. However, I do understand the feeling of wanting to unlock things earlier.”
Nintendo did end up changing Super Mario Maker’s unlock system right before launch. Previously, players would need to wait several days to unlock all of the game’s content.
More: interview, Super Mario Maker, Takashi Tezuka, top
Why Super Mario Maker uses New Super Mario Bros. U physics for all game styles
Posted on 9 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.”
More: interview, Super Mario Maker, Takashi Tezuka, top
Miyamoto and Tezuka talk theoretical live action Zelda and Mario movie casting, still open to feature length films
Posted on 9 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.
More: interview, Mario, movie, The Legend of Zelda, top
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer devs – spin-off origins, decision to focus on house creation, more
Posted on 9 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.
Pokemon CEO talks Pokemon Shuffle, Pokken Tournament, Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, future
Posted on 9 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.
Takahashi on why players aren’t given access to Xenoblade Chronicles X’s Skells right away
Posted on 9 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.
Video: Nintendo’s Damon Baker interviews Oddworld Inhabitants about Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty
Posted on 9 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.
