Discussing Everything #8 today
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Discussing Everything | 0 comments
It’s almost that time again! We’ll be hosting another Discussing Everything today. Come join us at 4 PM ET / 1 PM PT to talk about Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha Sapphire. There will probably be some news to discuss as well!
More: top
The Top 6 DSiWare Titles
Posted on 10 years ago by Patrick(@Patricklous) in DS, DSiWare, Features, Reader Poll | 3 Comments
The big (only?) selling point of the DSi was the existence of DSiWare, a collection of downloadable games available for purchase. From cheap, simple titles like Pyoro and other re-released WarioWare games to larger titles that were a bit too niche for a retail release like Wayforward’s Mighty Flip Champs, there was a fair bit worth playing on the service, so I thought it was worth highlighting the best it has to offer – or at least the games you readers claimed to be the best. I personally have minimal experience with DSiWare, only discovering a handful of games through the 3DS eShop, which is why other editors, namely Austin, are giving me a hand in writing this up.
I had initially planned to do all these lists as a “top 10” since it’s the tenth anniversary of the Nintendo DS, but since the DSi has only been out for six years let’s streamline things a bit. Yes, that’s the reason that only six games are on it and not because there were only a few entries that completely dominated the poll.
More: best of ds, Cave Story, dsiware, flipnote studio, highlight, nintendo ds, photo dojo, shantae, top
[Giveaway] Tetrobot & Co.
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Site updates | 34 Comments
Update: Max has now passed along the winners! Congratulations to amtom, Adrian Brown, and Granpapá Oso. We’ll be in touch shortly with your codes.
Another week, another giveaway! This time around, we have three Tetrobot & Co. codes to hand out (thanks Max Criden!). Unfortunately, this is for North American Wii U owners only.
For the Tetrobot & Co. giveaway, we’d like you to talk about your favorite unusual uses of technology in a game or your favorite puzzle games. We’ll give extra consideration to those who put a little effort into their submissions. It’s only fair, right? Feel free to link to screenshots, videos, or even soundtrack samples!
We’ll let the Tetrobot & Co. giveaway run through Thursday. Winners will be announced soon after.
Miyamoto shares more on the Pikmin Short Movies, confirms Pikmin 3DS theme
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 5 Comments
Shigeru Miyamoto was interviewed over on the Pikmin Miiverse community yesterday and talked quite a bit about the Pikmin Short Movies. While there weren’t any major revelations, he did share some interesting things – including news about a Pikmin 3DS theme.
Here are some excerpts:
On Pikmin being individuals…
Actually, the Pikmin in the game move in a way that is every bit as individual as those in the movies, it’s just that you can’t control them directly, only lead them. And because they’re so small, and there are so many of them, it’s hard to tell what each individual is doing. That is why I wanted to create these Short Movies that focused only on the Pikmin.
On conveying the concept of “affinity” with the shorts…
…the concept of “affinity” was something I really wanted to communicate, so I’m very happy to hear you say that. When I was working on the games, I found this feeling of affinity to build up quite naturally, and even in my normal life I was thinking, “I wonder what would happen if there were Pikmin here?” or “I wonder what this would look like from a Pikmin’s point of view?” Those little ideas became doodles, and that was the beginning of the PIKMIN Short Movies.
On what’s easier: game or movie production…
Game production, I think! But it’s not really that game production is easier, it’s more that movies and games are so fundamentally different that the areas where you must focus your energy are also completely different. For that reason, the easier process to me is the one I’m the most used to, which is game production.
To put it simply, the difference is that with animations and other such visual media the consumer is a viewer, whereas in games the consumer is a player, so they are created from two different mindsets. Being able to make games is no guarantee you’d be any good at making animations, and vice versa. This is another thing the experience of making these movies has taught me!
On the sound for movies versus a video game…
This probably overlaps with what I just said, but games are created for people to play, and if a game is outside the range of the player’s expectations, it creates a kind of wall or a distance between them and the game world. In a film, every frame must be constructed to communicate something to the viewers, and to achieve this purpose, scenes are sometimes intentionally exaggerated or even made absurd.
I worked together with the sound directors from the Pikmin games to create the sound. For the background music and so on, we have a library from the three Pikmin games, so I listened to all of that for the first time in a long time.
On how you can hear sounds when pressing the A button while watching the shorts on 3DS…
Of course I used what I considered to be the right sound for the job in the movies, but I thought I’d add a tiny bit of interactivity here for the viewer!
This hidden feature is only available on the Nintendo 3DS version, but then the Wii U version has those beautiful big-screen visuals, so I don’t think you’re losing out, whichever one you pick!
Final words from Miyamoto…
Now I feel like I’m writing my will or something! Anyway… For a long time I’ve been of the opinion that if a game world is in sync with your personal experiences, it will be more fun to play. By seeing the movies and playing the game like you have, MariChan, I think you can get a deeper level of enjoyment out of the game. For that reason, we’ve created a demo of Pikmin 3! The game now has new control options that make it easier to play, so please enjoy the movies and the game together!
View the gallery below for storyboards, opening art, and a look at the bulletin board that hangs on the wall in Olimar’s room in the first movie.
You’ll also find a photo of a new Pikmin 3DS theme. Miyamoto confirmed that the theme will be releasing next week.
More: 3DS themes, Pikmin, Shigeru Miyamoto, top
Will Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D eliminate loading between areas in Clock Town?
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Rumors | 6 Comments
The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D is making a number of improvements to the original game. Nintendo hasn’t detailed all of the changes, but we’re aware of things like enhanced visuals, an improved boss battle, and the inclusion of fishing. Another improvement may concern the handling of Clock Town.
Those who played Zelda: Majora’s Mask on the N64 are well aware of the different sections of Clock Town. There’s North, South, East, and West areas. Each time you head into a new section of the town, you’re presented with a brief loading period.
For Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D, these loading sections may have been eliminated entirely for a more streamlined experience. Check out the shot below:
Rayman’s Barbara, Globox are also trophies in Smash Bros. Wii U
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 25 Comments
Somewhat surprisingly, there’s more than one Rayman trophy in Super Smash Bros. for Wii U. Along with Rayman himself, you can also nab Barbara and Globox. Quite the representation for Ubisoft there!
More: Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, top
Nintendo says there are no plans for paid Smash Bros. DLC beyond Mewtwo at the moment
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 4 Comments
Mewtwo will be available to Super Smash Bros. players on Wii U and 3DS next spring so long as they have both versions. Additionally, the character will be sold as paid DLC at some point in the future.
Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai said earlier this week that there are no plans currently to release DLC other than Mewtwo. Nintendo is now echoing similar comments.
A representative told GameSpot:
“Mewtwo will be made available to purchase as add-on content in the future, and is also available as part of the Super Smash Bros. Club Nintendo promotion, which offers consumers different ways to obtain this content. There are no other plans regarding paid add-on content at this stage.”
GameStop posts “Karissa The Destroyer” video, explains how the publicity stunt was done
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Videos, Wii U | 6 Comments
Earlier this month, one GameStop location over on the West Coast held a Super Smash Bros. for Wii U preview event. That’s when the story of “Karissa The Destroyer” began. Karissa was thought to have taken down several top Smash Bros. players, but we quickly learned that the entire thing was likely staged.
We now have definitive proof that the event was nothing more than a stunt done by GameStop. I won’t spoil the “secret” of how the store managed to pull it off – just watch the video below!
More: GameStop, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, top
Nintendo DS is now 10 years old
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, News | 2 Comments
November tends to be a pretty historic month for Nintendo, as that’s when many of the company’s systems launched. That includes the DS, which originally arrived on November 21, 2004 in North America. Can you believe it’s been ten years since then?!
More: top
Hyrule Warriors – Twilight Princess pack details + screenshots
Posted on 10 years ago by Jarop(@gamrah) in News, Screenshots, Wii U | 11 Comments
The Twilight Princess pack is coming to all territories on November 27th. Midna, the Dominion Rod and the new Adventure mode map will all be available for 500 yen each (prices for other territories TBA) and the costumes will be 200 yen.
