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Nintendo has prepared a new 3DS firmware update. Version 9.6.0-24, which is needed in order to access the eShop, can be downloaded now.

Today’s update does a few things. First, Nintendo has added a Home Menu Layout setting, which lets users save/load up to eight layouts of the Home Menu with different theme and software icon arrangements.

amiibo settings have also been added for regular 3DS owners (non-New 3DS). Nintendo reconfirms that a peripheral will be released later this year to make use of its figures.

Lastly, additional categories have been added to the Theme Shop under “View More”, and system stability/usability has been improved.

You can find today’s full update notes below.

Several website previews went live for Splatoon earlier today, including ones from IGN and GameSpot. We’ve rounded up information from their reports below.

– As previously mentioned, players customize a squidling and use ink as a weapon
– Can toss it on your rivals or mark your territory in 8-player multiplayer battles
– Swim in it to travel faster and refill ink to spray more color
– Use currency obtained in multiplayer to unlock more weapon sets and special gear
– Splat Roller: roller brush lays down a soothing coat of friendly ink; can flick out a deadly spread, too
– .52 Gal features a grenade launcher-like design that sprays out heavy ink blobs at a lower rate of fire than some of the other weapons, with a much higher damage rate
– Inkzooka and Killer Wail are powerful special weapons
– The weapons you unlock come in three-piece sets
– There’s one primary, a grenade type, and a special weapon
– If you switch over to the Uzi-like Splattershot Jr., you’re also switching over to Splatter Bombs as a sub weapon and a shield as your special
– Single-player design is similar in setup to a stage in Super Mario Galaxy
– Each stage strings together floating islands that focus on building specific skills
– Each stage has a squid launching sequence
– Story: follows Cap’n Cuttlefish, an odd-looking war hero who wants you to collect recover the stolen Zapfish from the dastardly Octarians
– Learn about the fundamentals of shooting, swimming, jumping, speeding through ink tubes, or even using valves of gushing color in combat in the first few levels
– Fight grunt-like Octotroopers, squarish Octostamps, and speedy Octolings
– Each one has a distinct method of fighting and personality on the battlefield
– Splat Zones: one of the objective games you’ll find under Splatoon’s Ranked Battles
– This has players capturing and holding a single zone until a 100-point timer runs down to zero
– Teams need to work together to press and hold the highlighted zone and keep out rivals
– Ranked Battles won’t unlock until a portion of the player base reaches level 10
– Ranked matches separate the player pool by specific letter ranks that range from top tier A+ to C-
– Ex: A rank players won’t play with a C rank squad
– Ranks are independent of the player leveling system, which unlocks new equipment sets
– Rather than strategize via direct communication, Nintendo suggests that players use the bird’s eye view of the map that’s displayed on the GamePad to locate their teammates
– Fighting to kill in single-player, which is different from multiplayer
– Single-player has sponge platforms that grow when hit with ink

Source 1, Source 2

I’m not usually one to post tidbits coming from Nintendo representatives, in large part because they don’t always know what they’re talking about. However, some interesting information has surfaced from “D” over on NeoGAF, who spoke with a rep while at GameStop.

Below is a quick summary:

– West Coast port strike directly affected amiibo shipments
– Nintendo still has amiibo from January/February on shipping crates that haven’t been unloaded
– Amiibo for the newer wave (King Dedede, Sonic, etc.) were delivered by air
– This costs a lot of money, and Nintendo doesn’t intend to keep on doing that
– There will be a restock of older waves, especially for rare characters such as Wii Fit Trainer
– Nintendo only made so many since they thought there wouldn’t be much demand for some franchises with obscure characters
– Nintendo has been receiving a ton of emails from people that can’t find/are looking for these rare characters, and they are trying to do what they can to get them out there but due to the port strike
– A lot of those characters are still on the ships
– You should keep checking store for some of the older characters to appear
– amiibo for the upcoming wave (Ness, Charizard, etc.) are having their release dates and pre-orders held at due to the port strike and because Nintendo wants to make sure the situation with the strike will not affect shipments again
– Nintendo also wants to gauge the market for demand, which will determine how many to produce
– Once most of the cargo gets offloaded and the situation improves, Nintendo will talk to retailers about stock, and an announcement will be made
– Majora’s Mask New 3DS XL is gone
– It was truly a limited edition release
– There is no stock anywhere in any warehouse, and there are no plans for a restock
– Retailers were apparently informed about 6 months before the Majora’s Mask New 3DS XL release and ordered accordingly
– The rep didn’t know anything about a release date or Nintendo Direct for the remaining Mario Kart 8 or Mewtwo DLC
– Nintendo Directs are somewhat random in nature, and the rep doesn’t really get any sort of heads up
– If Nintendo wants to show gameplay of something, then the Directs are the only way they’ll do it

We can’t officially confirm that the information above is valid. It definitely sounds spot on though!

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There has been plenty of talk and a fair amount of speculation about Splatoon possibly receiving voice chat support. Unfortunately, however, the title won’t make use of the feature at all. GameXplain has confirmed with Nintendo that Splatoon will not offer any sort of voice chat support.

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Nintendo will add Ranked Battles to Splatoon following the game’s launch in May, the company has confirmed.

As for what Ranked Battles entail, they’re entirely about objective gametypes. Players will need to have obtained level 10 in online Turf Wars – which was first shown at E3 2014 – in order to participate.

According to a Nintendo representative:

“Once you reach level 10, you’ll be able to play Ranked Battles. However, we’ll be watching the global progress of how many people reach level 10 and, once that’s hit a certain threshold, we’ll turn that on for everyone to play.”

Regarding the decision, Nintendo feels that Turf War will provide players will enough experience with Splatoon’s core mechanics. Nintendo is also emphasizing that these skills are necessary to succeed in Ranked Battles.

Ranked Battles will use a dynamic leveling system that matches players of similar skill levels in online battles. Letter grades are implemented, beginning with C-, and is independent of the player’s overall level.

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TIME has put up another round of quotes from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata. There is plenty of additional mobile talk (such as how he isn’t a fan of the term “free-to-play”), but other topics were discussed as well. Iwata commented on the Wii U’s launch price, how Shigeru Miyamoto’s involvement with the New 3DS led to the inclusion of super-stable 3D, how the characters in Smash Bros. are technically toys, amiibo, and rumors about Netflix’s live-action Zelda series (which are apparently inaccurate).

We’ve rounded up Iwata’s comments below. If you’re interested in checking out TIME’s original report, head on over to this link.

This weeks UK software sales are as follows:

Individual Formats

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All Formats

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Source: Chart-Trak

This weeks Wii U/3DS specific UK software sales are as follows:

Wii U

1. Mario Part 10 – Nintendo

2. Mario Kart 8 – Nintendo

3. Super Smash Bros. – Nintendo

4. Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker – Nintendo

5. Super Mario 3D World – Nintendo

6. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo

7. Hyrule Warriors – Nintendo

8. FIFA 13 – EA Sports

9. Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Traveller’s Tales

10. Disney Infinity 2.0 – Avalanche Software

3DS

1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask – Nintendo

2. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate – Capcom

3. Tomodachi Life – Nintendo

4. Super Smash Bros. – Nintendo

5. Pokemon Omega Ruby – Nintendo

6. Pokemon Alpha Sapphire – Nintendo

7. Pokemon Y – Nintendo

8. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Wolrds – Nintendo

9. Super Mario Bros. 2 – Nintendo

10. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo

Source: Chart-Track


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