Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 38 Comments

Nintendo’s famous plumber simply goes by the name Mario. But did you know that he has a last name as well?

During Japan’s 30th anniversary Super Mario Bros. event this past weekend, Shigeru Miyamoto apparently stated that Mario’s full name is “Mario Mario”. As for Luigi, he’s “Luigi Mario”. It’s sort of like someone named Yamada Yamada having a brother named Itou Yamada.

This news is actually somewhat surprising despite what was shown in the 1993 Super Mario Bros. movie. Here’s what Miyamoto told Game Informer about Mario and Luigi’s names back in 2012:

“This is an old story, but Hollywood did a film version of the Mario Bros. many years back. There was a scene in the script where they needed a last name for the characters. Somebody suggested that, because they were the Mario Bros., their last name should be Mario. So, they made him “Mario Mario.” I heard this and laughed rather loudly. Of course, this was ultimately included in the film. Based on the film, that’s [how] their names ended up. But, just like Mickey Mouse doesn’t really have a last name, Mario is really just Mario and Luigi is really just Luigi.”

There’s definitely been some debate as to whether or not Mario has a last name since there have been contradictory comments floating around over the years. I suppose this is what we have to go by now!

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 50 Comments

Nintendo announced Tatsumi Kimishima as its new president earlier today. In a followup piece from Japanese outlet Nikkei, Kimishima shared a few comments through an interview. Nikkei also provides the following information about him:

– Personality is described as “soft and friendly”
– According to the Nikkei, Kimishima predicted Wii U’s failure when it was introduced by warning it was too similar to the original Wii
– Despite his business background, he is quoted as saying it’s wrong to lead a gaming company on numbers alone
– The Nikkei claims Kimishima wasn’t Iwata’s favorite choice
– Nintendo was first looking for somebody younger but didn’t have the personnel
– The article also suggests the troika was a rushed decision because the holiday season, where Nintendo makes 50%+ of sales, is near
– Accordingly, Kimishima is quoted as saying one task for him will be to develop the next group leadership structure for Nintendo

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 35 Comments

Further information from Nikkei’s interview with new Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima has come in.

While speaking with the publication, Kimishima said Satoru Iwata did not give him instructions about how to run the company. He also said that he’s been elected for one year, and he’s unsure what will come next. However, he’s not against having company outsiders lead Nintendo one day.

Kimishima also noted that plans have not changed regarding Nintendo’s smartphone and IP-related initiatives. The main task now is to develop new businesses.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in General Nintendo, News | 26 Comments

Today, Nintendo appointed Tatsumi Kimishima as its new president. We now have some quotes from Kimishima himself, via Japanese paper The Nikkei and Dr. Serkan Toto on Twitter.

Kimishima said that there won’t be changes to the basic strategy set up by former president Satoru Iwata. The challenge, according to Kimishima, now lies in identifying new projects and cultivating the right human resources to reach Nintendo-like profits again.

The Nikkei also quotes representative director Genyo Takeda as saying that the aim is to establish a future-proof group leadership system inside Nintendo.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U Download

Year Walk – €6.99 / £6.29 / CHF 9.80

Wii U Virtual Console

Mario vs. Donkey Kong (GBA) – €6.99 / £6.29 / CHF 9.80

Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2: March of the Minis (DS) – €9.99 / £8.99 / CHF 14.00

Tecmo Bowl (NES) – €4.99 / £3.49 / CHF 7.00

3DS DLC

SENRAN KAGURA 2: Deep Crimson: Hipster – €4.99 / £4.49 / CHF 7.00

3DS Demo

Fantasy Pirates

3DS Themes

Pokémon: Dancing Pikachu! – €2.49 / £2.29 / CHF 3.50

Pokémon: Pikachu’s Cry! – €2.49 / £2.29 / CHF 3.50

Pikachu Set: Dance & Cry – €3.99 / £3.59 / CHF 5.60 – includes both of the above themes, available until October 31st

Pokémon 151: Mewtwo – €1.99 / £1.79 / CHF 2.80

eShop Sales

Wii U

Fit Music for Wii U – €12.90 / £11.90 / CHF 18.90 until 15/10/2015. Regular price €29.90 / £24.90 / CHF 38.90

Blocky Bot – €1.29 / £0.94 / CHF 1.29 until 01/10/2015. Regular price €2.69 / £1.89 / CHF 2.69

Paper Monsters Recut – €3.19 / £2.69 / CHF 3.99 until 01/10/2015. Regular price €6.49 / £5.49 / CHF 7.99

Luv Me Buddies Wonderland – €12.90 / £11.90 / CHF 18.90 until 15/10/2015. Regular price €29.90 / £24.90 / CHF 38.90

Bombing Bastards – €4.99 / £4.49 / CHF 7.49 until 24/09/2015. Regular price €6.99 / £5.99 / CHF 9.99

Spot The Differences: Party! – €2.99 / £2.69 / CHF 4.20 until 24/09/2015. Regular price €5.00 / £4.49 / CHF 7.00

Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition – €3.19 / £2.87 / CHF 4.48 until 24/09/2015. Regular price €7.99 / £7.19 / CHF 11.20

3DS

Another World – 20th Anniversary Edition – €3.19 / £2.87 / CHF 4.48 until 24/09/2015. Regular price €7.99 / £7.19 / CHF 11.20

GLORY OF GENERALS – €6.99 / £5.59 / CHF 8.40 until 08/10/2015. Regular price €9.99 / £7.99 / CHF 12.00

Quell Reflect – €2.99 / £2.39 / CHF 3.50 until 08/10/2015. Regular price €3.99 / £3.19 / CHF 4.70

Swords & Soldiers 3D – €5.19 / £4.19 / CHF 6.20 until 08/10/2015. Regular price €6.99 / £5.59 / CHF 8.30

Fractured Soul – €1.99 / £1.79 / CHF 2.80 until 01/10/2015. Regular price €7.99 / £7.19 / CHF 11.20

Talking Phrasebook – 7 Languages – €2.99 / £2.69 / CHF 4.19 until 24/09/2015. Regular price €4.99 / £4.49 / CHF 6.99

Source: Nintendo PR

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 114 Comments

Let’s Talk #23: Have you picked up Super Mario Maker?

Following its reveal at E3 2014 over a year ago, Super Mario Maker has finally arrived around the world. This is a pretty big release for Wii U. It may very well be Nintendo’s biggest game as a whole this year as well.

Even though Super Mario Maker is a Mario game, it’s quite different than what we’re used to. Nintendo has finally given players the tools to make their own levels. Making things even better, Super Mario Maker offers quite a bit of online functionality so that levels can be played and exchanged with others.

With all of that out of the way, how many of you picked up Super Mario Maker? What do you think of it so far? Are there any changes or additions you’d like to see in future updates? Let us know about your initial play impressions of the game in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: What are you playing? – September 2015

Stuart

I’m playing Phoenix Wright Ace Attourney Dual Destinies,I barely started and I already got 15 hours of gameplay! lol! Let’s finish before Ace Attourney 6 come out.

On my Wii U,Metroid Prime Trilogy all-the-way,note that I’ve never played any of the Prime games,just a little bit of the first one,so it’s been a whole new expirience for me,and now I see why hey call these games “masterpieces”.

Lord Drieg

Been mostly hunting in Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. Managed to attain Hunter Rank 5 so now I’m a little closer to getting Samus’ armor. Also I’ve been trying to solo that Akantor for Link’s Sword. So frustrating!! Other than that, Smash on 3DS, and Shovel Knight to celebrate the amiibo announcement! (So good!) I’ve been wanting to get LBX, so spread some love and if you would, tell me about the game. I’ve been craving a new Medabots/Custom Robo style game and this looks like my fix!

JUr

I found Bayonetta 1 & 2 with a discount, so I’m playing these, they’re truly awesome games and alternating with the evergreen Smash or Splatoon… Also, ready to play a lot of Mario Maker, principally by downloading these awesome courses that you highlight!

TheDonRob

I have been playing a ton of The Binding of Isaac Rebirth. I tried The Binding of Isaac when it first came out on PC, but I guess it just didn’t really take. However, I really really like the Wii U port. Been playing too much, wife is actually getting a bit mad lol. Other than that I have been playing Pokemon Y and Pokemon Shuffle Mobile because I have a Pokemon addition.

Edit: Also, last night I just downloaded Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move. Was kind of hesitant of it being a spin off and all. But surprisingly enough it is pretty darn fun. I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and cute mario themed puzzler.

Sam

I have been playing a TON of Little Battlers Experience: LBX since it released. I just really like the combat and customizing mechanics

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos | 5 Comments

In honor of the 30th anniversary of Super Mario Bros., Nintendo of America added a “special interview” video to its YouTube channel today. Along with some talk about making the original Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Maker, the opening and closing portions also show a young Shigeru Miyamoto! You can watch the full video below.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 10 Comments

Twitter user “NWPlayer123” has been data mining Super Mario Maker and has come across some interesting discoveries. Strangely, the game features art and images of beta elements in Splatoon. It seems as though the two titles run on similar builds, which is why Splatoon content was found within Super Mario Maker.

You can get a look at the various beta images above. We’re able to see things such as what seems to be a beta version of Splatoon’s Gas Mask, the original Suction Bomb, and more.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 21 Comments

Nintendo has previously spoken about how a part of Super Mario Maker’s origins stemmed from wanting to create a new Mario Paint. This was a desire held by longtime developer Takashi Tezuka.

During the 30th anniversary Mario concert in Japan today, Tezuka reiterated that he wanted to create a Mario Paint title for Wii U. However, Shigeru Miyamoto pushed Tezuka to make “something grander”. That ultimately led to the creation of Super Mario Maker.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Mobile, News | 20 Comments

DeNA West CEO Shintaro Asako thinks that there’s a big opportunity for Nintendo’s upcoming mobile games to reach a huge number of people. In an interview with alistdaily, Asako expressed his belief that “at least 150 or 200 million people” will try out these offerings when they’re ready for launch.

Asako told the site:

“Hundreds of millions of people have bought Nintendo consoles. Those are people who decided to spend a minimum of $200 just to get access to Nintendo IP. That number is already twice as big as the Candy Crush total user base. Not only that, every single person buying Nintendo devices spends an average of about $100 per year on software. So I have no question that when Nintendo’s mobile games come out, at least 150 or 200 million people will try it. These people are super core Nintendo fans who used to spending $150 to $250 just to access the content. Let’s say only 10% end up playing, and then those users pay $3 a month, that’s still perhaps a $60 million dollar a month game.”

alistdaily also asked about the marketing strategy he thinks will be necessary for Nintendo’s mobile games. Regarding this, Asako said:

“We know Nintendo IP is powerful, but we need to let people know the game is coming out. From that perspective I think mass marketing makes sense for Nintendo games. Usually you have more on digital marketing and later on the mass marketing kicks in, because you don’t want to start mass marketing until you’ve evaluated LTV (long-term value), because otherwise you might be wasting money. When you have strong IP like Nintendo you can kind of predict what kind of installs you can get, so to reach the level of mass-marketing isn’t that much of a risk.”

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