Posted on 9 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in 3DS, Features, Game of the Month, GameCube, Wii | 17 Comments

The last time I played through Xenoblade Chronicles was just after its European release in 2011, so I’ll let the other staff writers with fresher memories of it handle the actual game of the month. Instead, I’d like to take a not-so-brief look back at the history of the game’s developer, Monolith Soft, and the games they developed prior to Xenoblade. There are plenty of recurring themes, gameplay elements and staff involved, so let’s see how almost a decade of developing RPGs shaped this robot-slaying, god-climbing adventure.

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More: Baten Kaitos, highlight, Monolith Soft, Project X Zone, top, Xenoblade, Xenosaga

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Screenshots | 1 Comment

Wee Man Studios has shared the first official screenshots as well as new details about Lifespeed with Nintendo Everything.

For those who haven’t heard of Lifespeed previously, it’s a futuristic flying racing game for 3DS. It’ll come with 11 playable characters, online leaderboards, and a story mode.

Speaking of the story mode, we have new information on that front. We’re told that cut-scenes happen after almost every race, and there’s even a bit of story that plays our during races themselves. The latter is on the subtle-side, so you’ll have to be careful not to miss it. There are also two alternative endings to the comic book storyline. What you’re able to see will depend on your actions on the race track.

Characters in Lifespeed come from different planets, have their own backstory, and personal rivalries. Personalities are reflected in their statistics, style of racing, and their communications during races. Wee Man Studios hopes that, in the future, they can weave in characters not featured in the story currently as well as introduce brand new characters.

Finally, we have some information about Lifespeed’s weapons. Players fly through rings in order to obtain power-ups and weapon pickups. By flying through a multiplier ring, you’ll receive a big speed increase for a short period of time. You also fly through a weapons ring to obtain a weapon, which include lasers, missiles, mines.

Players can only hold one weapon at a time in Lifespeed. Weapons need to be targeted at the enemy and will only work effectively if you get a strong lock on. Wee Man Studios says that using the weapons locking system effectively is something you’ll need to develop in order to be good at battling in Lifespeed.

Oh, and one more tidbit: it’s possible to perform a starfox-esq barrel roll using the shoulder buttons.

Lifespeed launches on the 3DS eShop this summer. View some screenshots below.

More: highlight, indie, Lifespeed, top, Wee Man Studios

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 33 Comments

Let’s Talk #11: How are you liking Splatoon?

Splatoon launched in North America and Europe on May 29. That means it’s been out for exactly one week! Given that, I wanted this week’s Let’s Talk topic to be focused entirely on that game, as well as your impressions.

The nice thing about Splatoon is that it’ll likely be fresh in your memory for at least the next few months. Nintendo has already released new weapons and a multiplayer map even though it’s only been out for a few days. The Inkbrush just came out roughly an hour ago!

So let’s get this Splatoon train rolling. Let us know how you’re liking (or not liking!) Splatoon in the comments below. Have you had a chance to complete the single-player campaign? What do you think of the different multiplayer maps? Any thoughts you have are welcome here!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Do you prefer playing alone or with others?

LordDisco

I honestly like playing solo the most. Don’t get me wrong, I do love playing with my friends and family when the timing is right, but amongst those people, there are only 4 that I can think of that value video games like I do. It is with those people that I enjoy multiplayer with the most, but because I live in Japan and 3 of those 4 friends live in North America, I definitely mostly play alone, which is FINE BY ME.

For me, playing video games is a lot like reading a book. If the game is good, it usually introduces itself well, gets you immersed into the game world, and eventually sucks you in until the end. The nice thing with video games is that they don’t necessarily need a story in order to fulfill this, which is pretty awesome and unique. A game like Pushmo, which has very little story, can still suck you in with a great introduction to the game, puzzles, and world.

I also work extremely long and difficult hours, so when I have down time, I usually just sit down and play. Again, like a book, I love to be pulled away from my reality and enjoy time in a make-believe world of sorts. It’s nice to escape reality and enjoy the fantasy of what video games can offer. Escaping that reality with friends is nice, but mostly, I just like playing alone.

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Both. But if I play local multiplayer, it’d have to be with people I have good chemistry with. It’s annoying when some people get competitive and childish instead of enjoying the moment of playing video games with a mate

More: highlight, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Giveaway, Wii U eShop | 61 Comments

Update: Apologies for the slight delay in announcing our winner. A family member of mine has been in the hospital over the past few days, so to say things have been crazy here lately would be an understatement.

With that out of the way, let’s announce our winner. Congratulations to Kyoko! Your code will be sent out soon.

With Adventures of Pip’s North American launch slated for Thursday, we’re celebrating with a quick giveaway. We have one code to provide to a lucky winner (thanks Max Criden!).

In the title, Pip undergoes crucial transformations and evolutions. Excluding Pokemon (since that’d be too easy!), we want to read about your favorite physical transformation that a character goes through in a game. Just leave a comment below with your thoughts.

Our giveaway will run through Thursday evening. Note that the code can only be redeemed on a North American Wii U console.

By the way, in case you missed it, Dennis played through nearly an hour of Adventures of Pip over the weekend. You can watch our live stream archive below.

More: highlight, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Just a Chat, Videos | 4 Comments

No Friday Just a Chat this week, so the discussion Daan and I held a couple of days ago comes in handy! Giving this a quick bump for those who missed it.

It’s only been a few days since the last Just a Chat, but Daan and I thought it’d be appropriate to hold another discussion in light of the big Nintendo news that’s come in over the past couple of days. There were actually two new Nintendo Directs to chat about! And that means talk relating to the new Chibi-Robo, Monster Hunter games, Bravely Second for the west, and much more.

Stuff:

Brian’s Twitter
Daan’s Twitter

More: highlight, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale is coming to North America, XSEED confirmed today. The game is slated for launch in winter 2015.

Check out an official overview of Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale below. A few screenshots are attached as well.

A new game based on the Japanese PopoloCrois Story comic book series, and a new entry in the wildly successful Bokujo Monogatari farming and life simulation series, now known as STORY OF SEASONS in the West, Return to PopoloCrois: A STORY OF SEASONS Fairytale features both classically-styled turn-based combat and towns full of lively and interesting NPCs who contribute to a heartwarming narrative about friendship, forgiveness and the bounty of the earth that veterans and newcomers alike to either franchise can enjoy equally. Ample farming and life simulation elements are also on offer in this comprehensive crossover, including real-time crop-raising, bug-catching, rock-quarrying, item synthesis, and relationship forging. Players can collect over 600 items and undertake nearly 100 quests throughout the game, supplementing its 25+ hour main story with nearly unlimited potential for replayability. StreetPass™ features are also present, allowing players to connect with one another and earn bonus items through treasure-hunting.

Source: XSEED PR

More: marvelous, PoPoLoCrois Farm Story, Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, top, XSEED Games

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Screenshots, Wii U | 35 Comments

Nintendo has released a handful of screenshots from Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS showing the new Splatoon Mii costume for Mii Fighter (Gunner). Additionally, we have images of the Miiverse stage from the Wii U version as well. Find the full set of screenshots below.

More: DLC, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 19 Comments

Nintendo has announced that Lucas is coming to Super Smash Bros. Wii U/3DS on June 14. He’ll be available for purchase starting at 11 AM ET / 8 AM PT.

Nintendo confirmed via Twitter today:

Additionally, the Japanese Smash Bros. Twitter account states that the Miiverse stage on Wii U and Splatoon costumes for Mii Fighter should be releasing on the same day:

More: DLC, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U/3DS, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Action Henk is making its way to Wii U, RageSquid and Curve Digital announced today. Previously, the game launched on PC, Mac, and Linux.

Here’s the official overview:

Run, jump and butt-slide into the glorious toy-filled world of Action Henk! Become a master of momentum and defy physics as you race against a band of ragged 90s action figures to once and for all prove that Action Henk is the fastest of them all!

With over 70 tracks all set in different environments, 5 playable characters, dedicated grappling hook levels, a whole host of medals to beat, and a full-fledged level editor, Action Henk is coming to PlayStation 3, 4, Vita, Xbox One and Wii U this summer!

You can check out a trailer for Action Henk below.

More: Curve Digital, indie, RageSquid, top

Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 36 Comments

Update: Bumped to the top. Also wanted to throw in that Splatoon has seen one of the highest sell-through rates for any game in Japan. There could be more, but we’re only aware of two titles with a sell-through rate of 97 percent. Those are Pokemon Diamond (97.12 percent) and Gundam True Odyssey (97.2 percent). Splatoon outperformed both of these titles.

During its first week in Japan, Splatoon sold 145,000 copies. Media Create has now shared a follow-up report on the game’s sales as well as related amiibo.

In terms of the best opening weeks on Wii U, Splatoon is only behind the Mario series and Super Smash Bros. Media Create points out that this is a favorable start for a brand new title.

We previously heard earlier in the week that the game was selling through roughly 90 percent of its stock. However, Media Create reveals that the percentage actually finished at 97.33 percent, with a lot of stores being sold out since release date.

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More: Japan, Media Create, sales, Splatoon, top