Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Let's Talk | 44 Comments

Let’s Talk #9: What is your favorite Nintendo franchise?

Nintendo has created a ton of franchises over the years. We’ve seen IPs like Mario, Zelda, Metroid, Kirby, Star Fox, Kid Icarus… just to name a few. There are so many series out there that it’s tough to choose a favorite. But that’s exactly what I’m asking of you this week!

This week’s Let’s Talk is very simple. I want to have a discussion about our favorite franchises. What’s your favorite? Why do you enjoy it so much? I’m curious about your absolute favorite series, but you can name a few runner-ups as well. Sound off in the comments! You’ll find a few thoughts from me and highlights from last week’s Let’s Talk down below.

Choosing a favorite Nintendo franchise is incredibly difficult since Nintendo has a bunch of well-known and great series to choose from. At the end of the day though, I’d probably have to go with Zelda. I’ve previously talked about how Ocarina of Time truly jump-started my interest in gaming, and my experience with it is a big reason why Nintendo Everything exists today!

There’s a lot to love in Zelda. The epic adventures. The variety of art styles. The different types of gameplay. For me, there’s very little that beats riding Epona across Hyrule.

I do want to mention that I have a ton of love for other Nintendo franchises. If I were to rank them, Zelda would be first, followed by Mario, and then Metroid. Mario… well, not much explanation is needed there! It’s an absolutely classic franchise that can resonate with just about anyone. I started with the Metroid series late – Metroid Fusion was my first experience with the franchise. But I never looked back, and have loved both the 2D and 3D entries.

Highlights from last week’s topic: Your thoughts on Splatoon

Exy

I had my worries in the past that they’re not doing as much as they should to promote it, but they should be credited for identifying their internet fanbase and getting to them where it counts. Tumblr in particular is big on the game’s aesthetic and characters, and they’re actually using their Vine account for the first time since 2013 solely to promote this game. Before last month, they had only two Vines, both half-heartedly promoting the Wii U, but now there’s a good amount of videos on it all dedicated to Splatoon. They’re really going all out on the internet front getting this game known. Pity about those American television commercials though…

timfletcher1983

I’ve read a lot of complaints about the game pad being necessary to play online. I have to admit, I was a little concerned too, given I use the Pro Controllers almost exclusively with the relevant games that support it. However, the gyro + analogue stick controls of the game pad were absolutely, surprisingly comfortable when playing for 1 hour during the Splatoon Global Testfire. I gave it a good go, then turned motion control off to see how I’d fare with the typical analogue stick controls, but I have to say I preferred the gyro + analogue combo; it seems far more accurate.

I wonder though how this might fare for longer periods of playing. No doubt, the game pad may get a little heavy over time, and I still had a lot of tweaking (and skill development) to feel like I had the hang of it 100%. Nonetheless, I was super pleasantly surprised – two hands on the game pad make for some seriously accurate and timely aiming – much more than those one handed Wii remote motion aiming days.

Ant M.

I for one am REALLY excited for this game after getting my hands on it. It’s a new spin on a genre that DESPERATELY needed one & a polished one at that. That game feels SO good! Everything about it feels fluid and works together to make you feel immersed in the gameplay from the controls down to the sound design.

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

In Famitsu’s most recent issue, the magazine caught up with Ambrella director Norio Matsumura and president Muneaki Ozawa. The two sides chatted all about the free-to-play 3DS game Pokemon Rumble World.

One of the most notable questions Famitsu asks is why the team decided to try out the F2P model. Matsumura noted that it actually happened thanks to a suggestion from Pokemon president Tsunekazu Ishihara.

Matsumura said:

Mr. Ishihara (the president of the Pokemon Company) suggested: “Let’s try out F2P.” Personally I think that refreshing controls and the nature of continuously returning to the game are concepts which suit free games very well, so I thought there was a chance of success. However, many members of the staff are against F2P games…

Matsumura continued on his comments by talking about how development didn’t progress without some resistance:

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 5 Comments

Unity 5 was revealed back in March. When the announcement was made, we learned that it would run on a number of platforms, including Wii U. However, Unity followed up at the time by noting that it was unsure when Wii U would actually be receiving support for the new engine.

A development source speaking with Nintendo Everything has now confirmed that Unity 5 is starting to make its way to Wii U. A beta build based off of Unity 5.0.1 was just recently distributed, so teams can begin working with the upgraded technology.

Unfortunately, it’s sounding like it will be awhile before we actually begin seeing the first Unity 5 games released on the eShop. The information we received indicates that developers who intend on submitting titles before fall are being told to stick with Unity 4.3, as 5.0 is not currently master submittable.

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

The amiibo situation has been out of control almost since launch. Nintendo hasn’t been shipping enough figures for a number of characters, and scalpers have been taking advantage of the situation to drive up the prices on sites like eBay.

Based on a rumored internal email stemming from GAME, it seems that Nintendo is starting to crack down on things. Apparently, Nintendo UK has sent new rules to major retailers, and the company is now actively enforcing the 1 amiibo per customer rule forcibly. That means consumers are only able to purchase one unit of each character. It’s all being done in attempt to cut down on the reselling market.

I haven’t seen the email myself, but this information comes from the trustworthy information-leaker Liam Robertson. Assuming it’s true, it’s nice to see Nintendo finally looking to address some of amiibo’s issues.

Source

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 13 Comments

This month’s issue of EDGE has a short interview with the developers behind Yoshi’s Woolly World. The magazine spoke with Nintendo producer Takashi Tezuka as well as executive producer Etsunobu Ebisu from Good-Feel. Given the unique style featured in Yoshi’s Woolly World, the discussion focused on the game’s visuals.

Tezuka first spoke about Yoshi’s Woolly World’s art style in general:

We’ve always felt that Yoshi deserves to have a handcrafted feel to the graphics, and we’ve strived to bring this into games like Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story. With those previous titles, it was just that – an aesthetic – and didn’t really have much influence on the gameplay itself.

Tezuka also specifically explained the decision to use wool in the title, and how the graphics impact the gameplay:

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Images | 5 Comments

A poster has come in showing off Dragon Quest VIII for 3DS. Along with the promotional image, you’ll find a few screenshots from the handheld remake below.

Source

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Giveaway, Wii U eShop | 50 Comments

Update: We have a winner! Congratulations to gabopr75. We’ll be sending your code shortly!

Our latest giveaway is Nihilumbra, a new Wii U eShop title that just came out this past week. To enter, simply leave a comment below telling us about your favorite moody game.

Please note that this giveaway is only open to those with North American Wii U systems. Also, we only have one code, so be sure to come up with the best response you have! We’ll announce a winner on Thursday.

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 4 Comments

An official page for the Fire Emblem If theme song just recently opened. In a brief introduction for the series, it’s revealed that sales of Awakening have climbed to 1.79 million units. That’s a worldwide figure as of December 2014.

The fully translated overview states:

Fire Emblem – Nintendo’s SRPG series that has been beloved by fans for 25 years. The most recent entry, Fire Emblem Awakening, sold 1.79 million copies worldwide (as of December 2014), and now, this world-beloved series’ latest entry, “Fire Emblem if”, will be released to celebrate the 25th anniversary.

Fire Emblem: Awakening originally launched in Japan in April 2012. The North American release took place in February 2013, with Europe getting the game a couple of months later.

Source

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 7 Comments

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

Wii U Download

Swords & Soldiers II – $19.99
Blocky Bot – $1.99
Journey of a Special Average Balloon – $1.49
Shapes of Gray – $6.99
Stone Shire – $7.99
Vector Assault – $4.99

Wii U Demo

Shiny The Firefly

Wii U Virtual Console

Mega Man Zero 2 – $7.99
SUPER E.D.F. Earth Defense Force – $7.99

3DS Retail

Puzzle & Dragons Z + Puzzle & Dragons Super Mario Bros. Edition – $29.99 (available Friday)

3DS Download

Samurai Defender – $3.99

3DS Themes

Swapnote: Nikki and Friends

eShop Sales

Wii U/3DS

– SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton’s Robotic Revenge on Wii U and Nintendo 3DS is 50 percent off until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 28.

Wii U

– Bombing Bastards is 28 percent off (reduced from $6.99 to $4.99) beginning at 9 a.m. PT on May 25 until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 1.
– Master Reboot is 50 percent off (reduced from $14.99 to $7.49) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 18.
– Shiny the Firefly is 30 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $6.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 20.

3DS

– Retro City Rampage: DX is 50 percent off (reduced from $9.99 to $4.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 28.
– SpongeBob HeroPants is 33 percent off (reduced from $29.99 to $19.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 28.
– Yumi’s Odd Odyssey, Harvest Moon 3D: A New Beginning and more Natsume games are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on May 31.
– Hello Kitty Picnic with Sanrio Friends and Hello Kitty and Sanrio Friends 3D Racing from Majesco are on sale beginning at 9 a.m. PT on May 25 until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 1.
– I Love My Little Boy and I Love My Little Girl from BigBen Interactive are 40 percent off (reduced from $24.99 to $14.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 4.
– 3D MahJongg, Gardenscapes and other games from Joindots are on sale until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 4.
– Battleminer is 50 percent off (reduced from $7.99 to $3.99) until 8:59 a.m. PT on June 18.

Source: Nintendo PR

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Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 12 Comments

Update: We now have confirmation that Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon is heading to Europe in early 2016. Fall 2015 in Japan.

Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon is coming to 3DS, The Pokemon Company and Nintendo have announced. The game will be released in winter 2015 in North America.

Only a few details about Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon have surfaced thus far. In the announcement, it’s stated that the title will feature “even greater, randomly created dungeons that change each time they enter.” Additionally, “players will battle alongside Legendary and Mythical Pokemon to save the world in a sweeping tale of adventure and mystery.”

It was also confirmed today that over 13 million copies of the Pokemon Mystery Dungeon series have been sold worldwide.

Source: Nintendo PR

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