“Nintendo were often quite envious of us”, says former Rare staffer
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 35 Comments
Back in the day, Rare was one of Nintendo’s top studios. The company really came into its own during the N64 era. Rare ended up creating Banjo-Kazooie, Conker’s Bad Fur Day, GoldenEye 007, and plenty of other prominent titles.
Perhaps it was due to Rare’s success that Nintendo was a bit jealous of the studio. Former staffer and Nyamyam co-founder Phil Tossell has said that “Nintendo were often quite envious of us.”
Tossell told RetroGamer this month, “I got the feeling they thought our games were technically and artistically superior to theirs.” He also spoke about a rumor in which Nintendo recreated all of the textures in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time after seeing what Rare had done with Banjo-Kazooie since Rare’s title “looked better”.
Tossell’s comments came about when asked if Nintendo ever shared code with Rare considering the Big N had a large stake in the company. He said:
No, we never had the Zelda engine or any code they did! We did see an early version of Zelda and that was a big influence on Dinosaur Planet, though. Nintendo were often quite envious of us. I got the feeling they thought our games were technically and artistically superior to theirs. Miyamoto would visit regularly and I heard a rumor they redid all of the textures on Zelda after they’d seen our work on Banjo-Kazooie because our game looked better!
Thanks to joclo for the tip.
More: Phil Tossell, Rare, top
Pikmin 3 – Fortress of Festivity DLC footage
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
Project NEMO was intended to be Hasbro’s Nintendo-killer
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments
Way back in the day, Hasbro was working on its own gaming console known as “Project NEMO” – later known as Control-Vision. Ken Melville, who was involved with the hardware, told IGN that the company intended to “create a ‘Nintendo-killer’ that could be sold for under $100.”
Hasbro’s chief executive Stephen Hassenfeld held a ‘Name NEMO’ contest amongst the various staffers at the time. There was one rule, though: the ‘N’ had to stand for ‘Nintendo.’
Night Driver, Missile Command and Space Invaders programmer Rob Fulop – another person involved with Project NEMO – explained to IGN that Hasbro “needed a cool-sounding phrase that NEMO would be the acronym for. People were assigned to generate as many sayings as possible made up of the four letters.” Fulop created the winning entry.
“I am proud to say that I won. My winning entry was ‘Nintendo Ends Mid-October.’”
Updated Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze boxart may reveal fourth playable character
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 22 Comments
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze includes four playable characters. Thus far, we know of three: Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, and Dixie Kong.
An updated version of Tropical Freeze’s boxart – discovered on Amazon – may reveal the fourth playable character. Who is it? Head past the break for the image.
UK software sales (Week ending 11/30) – Wii U/3DS charts
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments
The latest Wii U/3DS-specific UK software sales are as follows:
Wii U
1. Super Mario 3D World – Nintendo
2. New Super Luigi U – Nintendo
3. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
4. Rayman Legends – Ubisoft
5. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
6. Nintendo Land – Nintendo
7. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – Nintendo
8. LEGO City: Undercover – Nintendo
9. Disney Infinity – Disney Interactive
10. Just Dance 2014 – Ubisoft
3DS
1. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – Nintendo
2. Pokemon X – Nintendo
3. Pokemon Y – Nintendo
4. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo
5. Animal Crossing: New Leaf – Nintendo
6. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask – Nintendo
7. Luigi’s Mansion 2 – Nintendo
8. LEGO Marvel Super Heroes – Warner Bros. Interactive
9. LEGO City Undercover: The Chase Begins – Nintendo
10. New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Nintendo
Source: Chart-Track
More: Chart-Track, sales, top, UK
Renegade Kid – Mutant Mudds 3DS update coming next year, Treasurenauts in Q1 2014, Cult County, Mutant Mudds 2 news, teases for new games
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News | 1 Comment
Renegade Kid co-founder Jools Watsham has posted a new update on his blog outlining the studio’s development plans. Mutant Mudds (3DS), Treasurenauts, Cult County, Mutant Mudds 2 were all covered in the post. Additionally, Watsham teased two new titles, one of which has been confirmed for 3DS and will be announced in January.
Rather than rounding up the news in bullet point form, it’d probably be best to share the blog post entirely. You can find it after the break or on Watsham’s page here.
Batman: Arkham Origins – Initiation DLC out tomorrow, trailer
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
The Batman: Arkham Origins – Initiation DLC launches tomorrow for $6.99 / £5.49.
Here’s the DLC’s official overview:
Tomorrow, Dec. 3, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment will be releasing the Initiation Challenge Map Add-On for Batman™: Arkham Origins on the PlayStation®Network, Xbox LIVE online entertainment network from Microsoft, Steam and Nintendo eShop for $6.99. The Initiation Add-On focuses on Bruce Wayne before he donned his cowl, and introduces a new challenge campaign with four unique challenge maps and two original skins – Initiation Bruce Wayne and Vigilante Bruce Wayne. Players who have purchased the Batman: Arkham Origins Season Pass and are connected to the Internet will have instant access to the content.
Set high in the Paektu-San Mountains of North Korea, the Initiation Add-On follows a young Bruce Wayne as he faces his ultimate test. Players will embark upon a series of challenge maps that test their martial arts training across exotic locales, including a bamboo forest and a mountain top monastery. Fans will face fresh enemies along with an epic final test to prove their worthiness to Bruce’s greatest and most pitiless teacher, Kirigi.
More: Batman: Arkham Origins, DLC, top
Nintendo Download (12/5/13, Europe)
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, DSiWare, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment
This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U Retail
Scribblenauts Unlimited – €49.99 / £39.99
Wii U DLC
Pikmin 3 AOC All-New Mission Stages 12-15 x2 – €4.99 / £4.49
A pack of additional stages for Pikmin 3 Mission mode. Four stages each for “Collect Treasure!” and “Battle Enemies!” with four completely new maps, from a sandy beach to a strange factory. Additional stages can be played in the order of your choice.
3DS Retail
Bravely Default – €44.99 / £39.99
Scribblenauts Unlimited – €39.99 / £34.99
Monster High 13 Wishes – €29.99 / £24.99
Disney Frozen: Olaf’s Quest – €29.99 / £24.99
3DS Download
YouTube – free
3D Altered Beast – €4.99 / £4.49
3D Sonic The Hedgehog – €4.99 / £4.49
Fishdom H2O: Hidden Odyssey – €4.99 / £4.49
3DS VC
Double Dragon – €4.99 / £4.49
3DS DLC
Bravely Default SP Drink – €0.99 / £0.89 (€0.50 / £0.50 for the first purchase)
Bravely Second is a powerful system in Bravely Default that enables the player to freeze time during a battle. Attacks during Bravely Second use Sleep Points that can be accrued when players leave their Nintendo 3DS in Sleep Mode, or through purchasing an SP Drink from Nintendo eShop, which allows the player to recover 3 Sleep Points immediately after the Drink has been used.
DSiWare
Hooked on Bass Fishing – €4.99 / £4.49 / 500 points
Special Offers
Luxor – €5.99 / £5.39 until Dec. 19 (regularly €11.99 / £10.79)
Secret Mysteries in London – €5.99 / £5.39 until Dec. 19 (regularly €11.99 / £10.79)
Jewel Quest 4 Heritage – €5.99 / £5.39 until Dec. 19 (regularly €11.99 / £10.79)
4 Elements – €5.99 / £5.39 until Dec. 19 (regularly €11.99 / £10.79)
Permanent Price Reduction
Fun! Fun! Minigolf Touch! – €2.99 / £2.50 (was €4.99 / £4.49)
Source: Nintendo PR
More: Europe, Nintendo Download, top
UK software sales (Week ending 11/30)
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments
This week’s UK software sales are as follows:
Individual formats
| LW | TW | Title | Format | Label | Publisher | |||
| – |  | 1 | KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL | PS4 | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| 13 |  | 2 | FIFA 14 | PS4 | EA SPORTS | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 3 |  | 3 | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | XB360 | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| – | | 4 | BATTLEFIELD 4 | PS4 | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 36 | | 5 | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | PS4 | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| 17 | | 6 | ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | PS4 | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 9 | | 7 | FIFA 14 | XB360 | EA SPORTS | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 7 |  | 8 | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | PS3 | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| 1 | | 9 | FIFA 14 | XB ONE | EA SPORTS | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 16 | | 10 | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | XB360 | ROCKSTAR | TAKE 2 | ||
| – | | 11 | NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS | PS4 | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 18 | | 12 | BATTLEFIELD 4 | XB360 | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 23 | | 13 | JUST DANCE 2014 | WII | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 12 | | 14 | MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION | XB360 | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 21 | | 15 | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | PS3 | ROCKSTAR | TAKE 2 | ||
| 19 | | 16 | FIFA 14 | PS3 | EA SPORTS | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 5 | | 17 | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | XB ONE | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| – | | 18 | KNACK | PS4 | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| 11 | | 19 | LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | XB360 | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| – | | 20 | SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD | WII U | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 15 | | 21 | ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | XB360 | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 2 | | 22 | FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 | XB ONE | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 25 | | 23 | BATTLEFIELD 4 | PS3 | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| – | | 24 | LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | PS4 | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 34 | | 25 | BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | XB360 | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 4 | | 26 | BATTLEFIELD 4 | XB ONE | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 8 | | 27 | THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK BETWEEN WORLDS | 3DS | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 6 | | 28 | DEAD RISING 3 | XB ONE | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 22 | | 29 | ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | PS3 | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 28 | | 30 | SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE | WII | SKYLANDERS | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| – | | 31 | BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | PS3 | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 20 | | 32 | LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | PS3 | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 30 | | 33 | FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 | PC | SEGA | SEGA | ||
| 32 | | 34 | TOMB RAIDER | XB360 | SQUARE ENIX | SQUARE ENIX EUROPE | ||
| 10 | | 35 | RYSE: SON OF ROME | XB ONE | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 33 | | 36 | HALO 4 | XB360 | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 26 | | 37 | POKEMON X | 3DS | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 27 | | 38 | POKEMON Y | 3DS | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 29 | | 39 | SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE | XB360 | SKYLANDERS | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| – | | 40 | MARIO KART 7 | 3DS | NINTENDO | NINTENDO |
All formats
| LW | TW | Title | Developer | Label | Publisher | |||
| 2 | | 1 | CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS | INFINITY WARD | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| 1 | | 2 | FIFA 14 | EA CANADA | EA SPORTS | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 3 | | 3 | BATTLEFIELD 4 | DIGITAL ILLUSIONS | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| – | | 4 | KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL | GUERRILLA GAMES | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| 4 | | 5 | ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG | UBISOFT (MONTREAL) | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 6 | | 6 | LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES | TRAVELLER’S TALES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 8 | | 7 | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | ROCKSTAR NORTH | ROCKSTAR | TAKE 2 | ||
| 13 | | 8 | NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS | GHOST GAMES | EA GAMES | ELECTRONIC ARTS | ||
| 14 | | 9 | JUST DANCE 2014 | UBISOFT (FRANCE) | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 16 | | 10 | BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS | WB GAMES MONTREAL | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 12 | | 11 | SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE | BEENOX | SKYLANDERS | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| 11 | | 12 | MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION | 4J STUDIOS | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| – | | 13 | KNACK | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| – | | 14 | SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 5 | | 15 | FORZA MOTORSPORT 5 | TURN 10 STUDIOS | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 15 | | 16 | DISNEY INFINITY | AVALANCHE SOFTWARE | DISNEY INFINITY | DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS | ||
| 9 | | 17 | THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK BETWEEN WORLDS | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 7 | | 18 | DEAD RISING 3 | CAPCOM VANCOUVER | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 19 | | 19 | TOMB RAIDER | CRYSTAL DYNAMICS | SQUARE ENIX | SQUARE ENIX EUROPE | ||
| 22 | | 20 | FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014 | SPORTS INTERACTIVE | SEGA | SEGA | ||
| 28 | | 21 | ANGRY BIRDS STAR WARS | ROVIO | ACTIVISION | ACTIVISION BLIZZARD | ||
| 17 | | 22 | WWE 2K14 | YUKE’S | 2K SPORTS | TAKE 2 | ||
| 38 | | 23 | RAYMAN LEGENDS | UBISOFT (FRANCE) | UBISOFT | UBISOFT | ||
| 10 | | 24 | RYSE: SON OF ROME | CRYTEK | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| 25 | | 25 | HALO 4 | 343 INDUSTRIES | MICROSOFT | MICROSOFT | ||
| – | | 26 | NBA 2K14 | VISUAL CONCEPTS | 2K SPORTS | TAKE 2 | ||
| 20 | | 27 | POKEMON X | GAME FREAK | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 21 | | 28 | POKEMON Y | GAME FREAK | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 39 | | 29 | MARIO KART 7 | RETRO STUDIOS / NINTENDO | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 24 | | 30 | LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES | TRAVELLER’S TALES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 23 | | 31 | ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 34 | | 32 | F1 2013 | CODEMASTERS BIRMINGHAM | CODEMASTERS | CODEMASTERS | ||
| – | | 33 | THE LAST OF US | NAUGHTY DOG | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| 32 | | 34 | SAINTS ROW IV | DEEP SILVER VOLITION | DEEP SILVER | KOCH MEDIA | ||
| 18 | | 35 | PROFESSOR LAYTON AND THE AZRAN LEGACY | LEVEL 5 | NINTENDO | NINTENDO | ||
| 33 | | 36 | LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS | TRAVELLER’S TALES | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 26 | | 37 | TEARAWAY | MEDIA MOLECULE | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | SONY COMPUTER ENT. | ||
| – | | 38 | INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE ED. | HIGH VOLTAGE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE | ||
| 40 | | 39 | MOSHI MONSTERS: KATSUMA UNLEASHED | SUMO DIGITAL | MIND CANDY | MIND CANDY | ||
| – | | 40 | TOM CLANCY’S SPLINTER CELL: BLACKLIST | UBISOFT (TORONTO) | UBISOFT | UBISOFT |
More: Chart-Track, sales, top, UK
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U screenshot (12/2/13)
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U | 1 Comment
Along with today’s screenshot, Sakurai passed along the following message on Miiverse:
Turnips are used in the Villager’s up-air and down-air attacks. Perhaps because the turnip prices fluctuate depending on the day’s market, the number of turnips that appear changes every time. How cute.
