Game Freak on why new features disappear from Pokemon games
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Pokemon games tend to have a habit of introducing new features with each entry, only for them to be abandoned when the next games are introduced. Mega Evolutions and Z-Moves didn’t stick around long, for example. Having Pokemon follow the player as they’re exploring has also never been consistent.
While speaking with Pokemon Sword/Shield director Shigeru Ohmori, Metro decided to ask why this happens. Ohmori had this to say when asked if Dynamax will stick around in the long-term:
More: Game Freak, interview, Pokemon, top
Animal Crossing: New Horizons devs on the decision to start on an island, new features, multiplayer, more
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
This week, Nintendo published a new interview with Animal Crossing: New Horizons producer Hisashi Nogami and director Aya Kyogoku. The two developers discussed why they’re having players start on an island, new features, multiplayer, and more. They even throw some sympathy at Tom Nook.
Here’s the full interview:
Fire Emblem: Three Houses devs on the weapon triangle, what Switch allows that wasn’t possible on 3DS, playtime length, amiibo support
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
With Toshiyuki Kusakihara and Genki Yokota appearing at Japan Expo, a few outlets have shared interviews with the Fire Emblem: Three Houses developers. Jeuxvideo was one site that was able to speak with them and commented on the future of the weapon triangle, taking full advantage of Switch, the amount of time to complete the game, and amiibo support.
Below are those excerpts, courtesy of Serenes Forest:
Fire Emblem: Three Houses devs on how the work was split by Intelligent Systems and Koei Tecmo
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Koei Tecmo is working on Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but it sounds like the game was mostly done by Intelligent Systems. Nintendo director Genki Yokota told VG247 that Intelligent Systems was primarily responsible for the main plot, the game system, ideas, and gameplay mechanics. Meanwhile, Koei Tecmo assisted on the programming side of things.
Intelligent Systems director Toshiyuki Kusakihara said that Three Houses “wouldn’t have been possible” without Koei Tecmo’s help. Yokota was more optimistic, but said that not having Koei Tecmo would have required much more development time.
Fire Emblem: Three Houses director unsure why Awakening was so successful
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments
It’s been well-documented just how important Fire Emblem Awakening was to the series. If that game hadn’t been successful, the franchise could have been in jeopardy. Thankfully, all went well, and Fire Emblem Awakening even achieved huge popularity in the west.
In an interview with VG247, Fire Emblem: Three Houses director at Intelligent Systems Toshiyuki Kusakihara was asked about what made Awakening so successful. Funnily enough, he’s completely unsure. Kusakihara said that the team “didn’t make any change to our philosophy to make Awakening be liked outside of Japan” and doesn’t know “why it’s so popular.”
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath still planned for Switch, creator teases big Switch plans for 2019
Posted on 4 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Oddworld: Stranger’s Wrath was announced for Switch last September, but then sort of disappeared. We haven’t heard anything about its status since then.
Fortunately, the port is still in the works. And on top of that, it sounds like some very big news about the series overall could be announced in the near future.
Atelier sales on Switch catching up with PS4 in the west
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Switch is really the first time that Koei Tecmo and Gust’s Atelier series has been prominent on a Nintendo console. Atelier Lydie & Suelle got things started, followed by the Atelier Arland trilogy, Atelier Lulua, and the upcoming Atelier Ryza. Despite the franchise not really being associated with Nintendo platforms until this generation, the IP seems to be gaining some traction on Switch.
In an interview with GamesBeat, Gust’s associate head of development Keisuke Kikuchi said that Switch sales are “catching up with the PS4 version due to constant growth”. However, Steam “dominates sales” in Asia. Japan is where Atelier sells the most on the whole. Kikuchi also mentioned in the interview that the console versions of Atelier “have almost had the same performance throughout the years, but the best-selling title overall would definitely be Atelier Sophie: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book.”
More: Atelier, Gust, interview, Keisuke Kikuchi, Koei Tecmo, sales
Game Freak feels that Dynamaxing will let every Pokemon shine in battle
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Pokemon Sword and Pokemon Shield are introducing a new Dynamax feature. With it, Pokemon can become huge during battle, and also receive a big power boost. Trainers can only Dynamax their Pokemon once per battle, and after three turns, they return to their normal state.
Pokemon Sword/Shield director Shigeru Ohmori had a bit to say about Dynamaxing in an interview with Kotaku. In his view, the feature will allow for “every Pokemon to shine in battle.”
Nintendo on how long Super Mario Maker 2 has been in the works, Koopa Troopa Car origins, more
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Nintendo has shared a new interview with legendary game developer Takashi Tezuka all about Super Mario Maker 2. Tezuka was asked about a few different topics, including when discussions about the sequel started, how the Koopa Troopa Car came to be, and more.
Below is the full discussion:
More: interview, Super Mario Maker 2, top
[Interview] Trials of Mana devs on the remake, Collection of Mana and localization challenges, series’ future, more
Posted on 5 years ago by Oni Dino(@Oni_Dino) in Interviews, Switch | 0 comments
E3 2019 was a fantastic time for Mana fans. Not only was Collection of Mana finally announced for the west, but Trials of Mana was also revealed to be getting a full 3D remake.
At the show, we were treated to a behind-closed-doors gameplay demo, and also met with a few of the game’s developers: producers Shinichi Tatsuke and Masaru Oyamada as well as project assistant Kohei Kuroda. Tatsuke and Oyamada answered a number of our questions about how the Trials of Mana remake came to be, how difficult it was localizing the original game for Collection of Mana, what the future looks like for the series, and more.
