Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Let's Talk | 12 Comments

Short site update I want to sneak in here: we still have a comic coming this weekend, and it should be up tomorrow. Don’s been very busy, but he’s working extremely hard. We appreciate your patience!

It took a few months, but we finally saw the first gameplay trailer for Pokemon Sun/Moon this week. The world was shown, the mascots and boxarts were unveiled, a release date was announced, and… we have a first look at the new starter Pokemon! They are Rowlen, Litten, and Popplio.

What’s everyone making of Pokemon Sun/Moon thus far? Have you already decided on the starter you’ll be going with? Since we’ve seen the legendaries, do you have a better idea about which version you’ll be buying (or both)? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – May 2016

Read More

More: highlight, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 32 Comments

Splatoon has sold very well in all regions, but its performance in Japan is particularly impressive. The game is actually the most-successful IP console launch since the Wii series of games (Wii Sports, etc.).

Splatoon is sitting at around 1,357,000 copies sold in Japan. Wii U itself has moved around 3,165,000 units. By the time Wii U is phased out, the tie-in ratio could end up at 50 percent.

Thanks to Jake for the tip.

Source

More: Japan, sales, Splatoon, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 40 Comments

Last month, Game Informer published an overview of sorts for the Fire Emblem series. The magazine looked back at the franchise’s early days leading up to Fire Emblem Fates. There are some interesting developer comments as well.

Fire Emblem wasn’t introduced overseas until the GBA era. It was actually Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami who had the idea of bringing it west, and he approached developer Intelligent Systems about his plan.

Yamagami said:

“Intelligent Systems was worried at first about whether it’d sell or not, but given the series’ support in Japan, I felt sure that audiences elsewhere would connect with it as well, and that’s how development began.”

Read More

More: Fire Emblem, Fire Emblem Fates, Fire Emblem: Awakening, Hitoshi Yamagami, interview, Kouhei Maeda, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Rumors, Switch | 106 Comments

What we’ve heard thus far about NX – both officially and unofficially – has been about Nintendo’s upcoming console plans. But yesterday, prominent technology news site SemiAccurate published a report with claims pertaining to an NX handheld.

A subscription is required to read SemiAccurate’s full piece. However, we do have a couple of tidbits from the article.

Here’s one excerpt:

It’s new console time again and SemiAccurate brings you news of Nintendo’s NX silicon. If you recall our past guesses were pretty spot on and this time should be the same. You might also recall we made some pretty surprising calls on the console silicon front too, and this one will probably make most of you pick your jaw off the floor.

SemiAccurate goes on to say that the Tegra chip is being implemented in the NX handheld. After losing out on gaming contracts this generation, the Nvidia team was told to secure a console win or “go home.” Nintendo apparently made off well, which has SemiAccurate questioning if this is actually “win” at all for Nvidia. In fact, Nvidia is rumored to be taking a loss with the Nintendo deal after support, software, etc.

It goes without saying, but always take these reports and speculation with a grain of salt.

Source

More: top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Rumors, Wii U | 12 Comments

Disney delivered some surprising news about its gaming business this past week. Disney Infinity is now no more, and Disney Interactive is no longer publishing titles.

Kotaku has now spoken with two sources about the situation, and has rumored details about scrapped plans pertaining to new Disney Infinity figures, Disney Infinity 4.0, and why the series was cancelled. You can find some of the information below, with even more at the source link.

– Numerous new level packs were planned
– One of these was based on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story
– Would have been accompanied by a new line of 12-inch figures
– Disney Infinity 4.0 would have been released next year
– This would have intertwined the adventures of characters from Star Wars, Marvel, Disney in a Toy Box story mode
– Plans for 12-inch figures: Buzz Lightyear, Elsa, Hulk, Hulkbuster, Jack Skellington, Darth Vader
– These figures were slated for this fall
– Each would have been $45, more detail, lit up, act differently in-game
– Ninja Theory was working on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story content
– Studio Gobo was working on the upcoming Disney film Moana
– Disney Infinity 4.0 material planned for Cars 3, Star Wars VIII, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Coco, Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Thor: Ragnarok
– Unconfirmed plans that Disney had a plan to salvage things by having a deal with Hasbro to help with the manufacturing of toys
– Issues with figure shortages with the first game, then overproducing figures after that
– Also had to deal with competition in the toys-to-life space and balance collaborating with the other Disney-owned stakeholders Marvel and LucasFilm that led to overreach
– Yondu figure was apparently a flop
– Unexpected competition from Star Wars: Battlefront, the latter of which was successful with kids

Source

More: Avalanche Software, Disney Infinity, Disney Interactive, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 44 Comments

NPD Group has released a listing of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of April 2016. The results can be found below.

1. Dark Souls III (PS4, Xbox One)
2. Ratchet & Clank (PS4)
3. MLB 16: The Show (PS4, PS3)
4. Tom Clancy’s The Division (PS4, Xbox One, PC)
5. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3, PC)
6. Minecraft (Xbox One, 360, PS4, PS3)
7. Quantum Break (Xbox One)
8. Call of Duty: Black Ops III (Xbox One, PS4, 360, PS3, PC)
9. NBA 2K16 (PS4, Xbox One, 360, PS3)
10. Star Fox: Zero (Wii U)

Note: see this post for some insight into the individual chart (which doesn’t combine platforms). Star Fox Zero is higher there, and Bravely Second also makes that list.

Source

More: NPD, sales, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 16 Comments

We’ll have NPD’s official list of the top ten best-selling games in the U.S. for the month of April in a bit. However, some preliminary information has arrived just a tad early.

GamesBeat reports that Star Fox Zero and Bravely Second were among April’s best-sellers. The two came in at the fifth and ninth spots respectively on the individual chart. This is different from NPD’s overall top 10 (we’ll have that shortly), which combines platforms and other items such as special editions. In that list though, Star Fox Zero does appear at the tenth spot.

Source

More: NPD, sales, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 4 Comments

Update 2: Now available for pre-order at GameStop here.

Update: While North America’s system will be blue, the one for Europe is red:

Monster Hunter Generations will launch in North America and Europe on July 15, Capcom has revealed. The game will be accompanied by a special New 3DS XL, pictured above. Capcom also says that a demo will be available this summer.

Read up on today’s full announcement after the break. We also have a new trailer below.

Read More

More: Capcom, Monster Hunter Generations, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments

Shin’en is gearing up to release a new update for FAST Racing Neo, which goes by the name “Vertigo”. We should be seeing it on May 18.

What does the update entail? Here’s the overview straight from Shin’en:

Online: Improved stability
Online: You can now choose a preferred speed league
General: Mini Map for all tracks available while playing
General: Improved loading speed for many tracks (especially from external USB devices)

Source

More: FAST Racing Neo, indie, Shin'en, title update, top

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U Download

8Bit Hero – $4.99
Color Symphony 2 – $9.99
Queen’s Garden – $6.99
Super Meat Boy – $11.20
Tachyon Project – $9.99

Wii U Virtual Console

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass – $9.99

3DS Retail

Disney Art Academy – $29.99 (available Friday)

3DS Download

WordsUp! Academy – $2.99

3DS Demo

Witch & Hero 2

DLC

Minecraft: Wii U Edition – Super Mario Mash-Up Pack – After downloading this free update, players who own the Minecraft: Wii U Edition digital game, which launched last December, will have immediate access to new skins, a Super Mario-themed pre-made world and a set of Super Mario-themed music and item textures. All this new content is inspired by games in the iconic Super Mario series, such as Super Mario World, Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine.

Fire Emblem Fates – New DLC Map – II: Realms Collide – The youths of Nohr must assist a wild dragon. Part 2 of Heirs of Fate is now available for $1.99.

Fire Emblem Fates – Map Pack 2 DLC – Across dimensions, other versions of the Hoshidan and Nohrian children are under attack. Born and raised in the Deeprealms, these fledgling warriors must now rise up to save themselves and their parents as they unravel the mystery of their adversaries. In this six-map series, units leveled up in the main game cannot lend support. Devise a strategy using a fresh team and reap the rewards, but only if all of your units survive. You can receive all six maps as they are released by purchasing Map Pack 2 for only $7.99.

3DS Themes

Pokémon Radiant Collection
Pokémon Red and Blue
Pokémon: Here Comes Ash-Greninja

eShop Sales

Wii U / 3DS

– 99 Moves (Wii U), Soccer Up 3D (Nintendo 3DS) and more from EnjoyUp Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 2.
– 3D Game Collection (Nintendo 3DS), Island Flight Simulator (Wii U) and more games from JoinDots are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 19.
– Word Search by POWGI (Wii U and Nintendo 3DS) is 25 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $5.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 19.

Wii U

– Tap Tap Arcade, Blok Drop U and more games from RCMADIAX are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 30.
– Midnight is 50 percent off (reduced from $1.99 to 99 cents) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 2.
– Jewel Quest is 20 percent off (reduced from $4.99 to $3.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 1.

3DS

– Toys vs. Monsters, Fantasy Pirates and more from EnjoyUp Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 5.
– My Pets is 60 percent off (reduced from $24.99 to $9.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 5.
– 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, AiRace Speed and more from Qubic Games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 2.
– Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 18.

Source: Nintendo PR

More: Nintendo Download, top, Virtual Console