[Feature] What would Mario Kart look like if it was “Nintendo Kart” from the beginning?
Posted on 9 years ago by Kirara Koneko(@KiraraKoneko) in Features, Game of the Month | 15 Comments
Author: Kirara
Mario Kart as a franchise has been around for a long time– twenty-three years to be exact. Although that seems like awhile, it really isn’t for a series from Nintendo; they have a history of creating franchises that are able to stand the test of time. In 1992 when Mario Kart had its debut on the Super Nintendo, it was dubbed Super Mario Kart. Fast forward twenty-three years and we now have Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, and after five games for home consoles – three on portable, and even three in the arcade released in Japan – I think it is safe to say that Mario Kart has been a successful franchise. But what if it wasn’t Mario Kart? What if, instead of basing the game initially on the Mario series, it was simply Nintendo Kart or even Smash Kart? Is that something that would have seen as much notoriety then as it could today?
More: highlight, Mario Kart, top
[Interview] Legend of Kay Anniversary dev on the decision to remake the game, improvements, and more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Interviews, Wii U | 11 Comments
The news of Legend of Kay’s revival was unexpected, to say the least. It originally launched for the PlayStation 2 back in 2005, and ended up as more of a niche platformer for the console. Yet now the game is back in a remastered format for Wii U and a few other platforms, thanks to Nordic Games and developer Kaiko.
Nordic recently announced that Legend of Kay Anniversary is slated for spring. With the title’s launch coming sooner rather than later, we caught up with Kaiko’s Peter Thierolf for an interview. We asked Thierolf about why Legend of Kay is returning after so many years, what sort of improvements are being implemented, how it will play on Wii U, and more.
Read on below for our full interview.
[Let’s Talk] Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk, Wii U | 13 Comments
Let’s Talk #5: Your thoughts on Mario Kart 8’s new DLC and 200cc mode
Mario Kart 8’s second wave of DLC has finally arrived. Players now have access to eight additional courses, three new characters, and four more vehicles. Plus, let’s not forget the new 200cc mode that can be obtained through the latest update! Given all of the new content that Mario Kart 8 has added, it seems like the perfect topic for this week’s Let’s Talk.
Unlike previous Let’s Talks, I don’t have much to say about this one… yet! That’s largely in part because I just haven’t had any time to give the new DLC a go yet. I’m hoping to change that sometime this weekend. That being said, I absolutely love the courses in this latest DLC batch. Ribbon Road might be my favorite based on what I’ve seen due to all of the little details.
How many of you have gone hands-on with the new DLC? What’s your favorite track? How are you liking the new characters? Have you tried out 200cc yet? Would you be interested in seeing even more Mario Kart 8 DLC? Sound off in the comments below!
Last week’s topic: The future of 3D Mario games (highlights)
Vigilante_blade
I personally want a Super Mario 64 more open game. While I think there is some merit in Super Mario Galaxy, (apart from the Wiimote controls), I quickly grew bored of the extremely linear level design. Besides, I think it’s been a while since we had a 64-style Mario game.
sonicfan1373
I think we need a balance between linearity and exploration. I think that is one of the things Super Mario Sunshine did well, at least conceptually. Much of the shine collecting occurred in a walled garden setting, whereas there were also linear courses (albeit they were somewhat dull).
I would not mind something like that in future Mario games, having exploration based worlds where you collect stars by completing missions, collection red coins, searching for hidden coins or star parts, and competing in races but also having these worlds connect to more linear courses that really test your platforming, though unlike Sunshine’s somewhat dull courses these could be more like courses from Super Mario 3D Land/World or Galaxy.
FrostedFireFly
I don’t want another Galaxy game because I think the Galaxy mechanic would lose it’s wonder after a 3rd game. I’d still buy it if they made one though, but I’d prefer they didn’t.
I don’t want another 3D World either though… The games felt fun, but extremely underwhelming, making it not really feel like a main Mario game in the series. A sequel to Sunshine would be nice but if possible, I want a completely new Single Player experience using a newer mechanic for the overall game perhaps.
I doubt it’d happen, but I’d like a new 3D Mario game that mixes it’s elements with the Super Mario RPG game back on the Snes… Yeah I guess you could say I just want a new Super Mario RPG but imagine jumping around like you can in Galaxy in actual inhabited Mario places. Have you seen the villages used in the background for Mario Kart 8 tracks!? Why can’t we explore a world like THAT in video games???
Xenoblade Chronicles X executive director on HD development and more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 4 Comments
Xenoblade Chronicles X is finally coming to Japan next week. With the game’s release so close, Joshin Web was able to ask director Tetsuya Takahashi about the Wii U game. We’ve now translated a few notable quotes.
One question has Takahashi being asked about Xenoblade Chronicles X’s development. In turn, he discusses the challenges working on an HD title for the first time.
He said:
An open world is a single phrase, but it wasn’t a simple thing to realize. As you know, it was our first HD title. The environment for development was drastically different compared to anything we had done before when it comes to distributing resources or formulating workloads. You can’t expect things to get done in a day and it finally took form as a result of many adjustments. There were many hardships, but it was worth the trouble as the gameplay turned out to be pleasant, even if I say so myself!
amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits also launching next week in North America
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments
amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits came to Japan earlier this week. We recently found out that the app is coming to Europe next week, and we can now say the same for North America.
Nintendo will launch amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits through the North American Wii U eShop on April 30. You can find a brief overview below.
amiibo tap: Nintendo’s Greatest Bits (confirmed for April 30): Download the game from the Nintendo eShop for Wii U, then tap any amiibo to your Wii U GamePad. You’ll unlock a random playable three-minute scene from a classic NES or Super NES game. It’s a cool way to extend the playability of amiibo. Here’s the game page: http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/FHXK5fELXvygJ9ALk2bqyATmG-iDm07q
Source: Nintendo PR
Update: Treehouse presentation – Xenoblade Chronicles X video showcase – full recording
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 5 Comments
Update: Bumped to the top. Added in the Treehouse presentation below. It’s after the break due to auto-play.
Nintendo has now uploaded the full recording of today’s Xenoblade Chronicles X video showcase. Watch it below.
More: Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade Chronicles X
Xenoblade Chronicles X Nintendo Direct and Treehouse presentation live stream
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Videos, Wii U | 9 Comments
Technically this isn’t a Nintendo Direct, as Nintendo calls it a “video showcase”. In any case, we’ll go with that to make things easier.
Today’s Xenoblade Chronicles X broadcast will kick off at 2 PM ET / 11 AM PT / 7 PM in the UK / 8 PM in Europe. Don’t forget to stick around after it ends for an additional Treehouse presentation.
You can watch all of today’s Xenoblade Chronicles X goodness below. I’m not planning a live blog since the information will largely be rehash of what we’ve already covered extensively, but if we hear anything about something like a release date, it will be on the site immediately.
More: Monolith Soft, top, Xenoblade Chronicles X
BoxBoy! director on how the project began, would consider multiplayer for a sequel, more
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 4 Comments
Nintendo Life just put up an interview with BoxBoy! director Yasuhiro Mukae. Among the topics covered include the game’s conception, multiplayer, and more.
We’ve picked out a few excerpts from the interview below. You can read up on the full Q&A here.
More: BOXBOY!, HAL Laboratory, interview, top, Yasuhiro Mukae
Complete translation of Sakurai’s latest Famitsu column about Smash Bros. DLC
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 10 Comments
Source Gaming has put together a complete translation of Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai’s latest column in Famitsu. As we mentioned last night, this new piece is entirely about downloadable content. Read on below for the translation.
In the Users’ Eye section of this magazine, “Sm4sh for 3DS” was the top scoring game of 2014 with an average of 9.58! Personally, I’ve never seen such high marks before, and I would like to thank you for your incredible support.
As I have mentioned in this column, Smash is made up of the incredible hard work and sacrifice of myself and others. I, too, acknowledge, that developing the Smash games is the best way to satisfy the most players worldwide.
Natsume on the VC process, Pocky & Rocky SNES games unlikely, Medabots hope, no remakes
Posted on 9 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 14 Comments
A new Q&A from Natsume sheds some light on things including the Virtual Console, Medabots, and remakes.
First up, here’s what was shared about the process of getting a game onto the Virtual Console:
The titles for Virtual Console are handled by Nintendo. The publisher and Nintendo discuss which classic titles would be a good fit and have the best potential to sell. Once a title is agreed upon, Nintendo and the publisher work together to bring that title to the designated system, with Nintendo doing the bulk of the work.
Speaking of the Virtual Console, another fan asked if we’ll ever see the two Pocky & Rocky SNES games (which would hit Wii U if they were to happen). Sadly, Natsume isn’t expecting any of the company’s other SNES games on the Virtual Console because “Nintendo’s interest has moved onto other classic systems.”
At this point, it’s unlikely we’ll see any other Natsume SNES games coming to the Virtual Console, as Nintendo’s interest has moved onto other classic systems.
