DenFamiNicoGamer was recently given the opportunity to speak with Super Smash Bros. Ultimate director Masahiro Sakurai. At one point of the discussion, Sakurai revealed that he wasn’t directly involved with character balancing for this game.

Siliconera translated the relevant portion of the interview. Here’s what Sakurai said on the subject:

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Game Freak wanted Pokemon: Let’s Go’s visuals to be acceptable for parents, not scary

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

Pokemon: Let’s Go, Pikachu and Pokemon: Let’s Go, Eevee director Junichi Masuda has commented on the game’s visuals.

According to Masuda, the team wanted to make the graphics approachable – especially for parents. He explained that he “didn’t want to make it a game that would cause parents to feel mistrustful of our games.” Game Freak also “didn’t want it to look scary.” This is partially why the team went about making character proportions “look a bit childish”.

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Megaton Musashi Jump Festa 2019 trailer (off-screen)

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Switch, Videos | 0 comments

Megaton Mushashi, Level-5’s next big cross-media franchise, finally reappeared as promised at Jump Festa 2019 with a new trailer. We do have the video below, though currently in an off-screen format. We’ll post a direct-feed version once it becomes available.

https://twitter.com/brotherrrs/status/1076300524796862464

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Dragon Quest XI S debut trailer, launches 2019

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

Square Enix delivered the biggest update yet on the Switch version of Dragon Quest XI – known as Dragon Quest XI S – during a stage show at Jump Festa 2019 today.

First up, here’s the first trailer for Dragon Quest XI S:

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Sakurai clarifies why he left HAL Laboratory, doesn’t feel “stuck in a rut doing similar things”

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Masahiro Sakurai started out at HAL Laboratory where he directed several Kirby games. About a decade later, he left the company and now operates on more of a freelance basis.

Sakurai spoke with EDGE this month about a variety of topics, including why he left HAL. He noted that it had nothing to do with losing interest in creating Kirby games. As far as Smash Bros. goes, he says it lets him make “something with more value and wide-reaching effects.” Sakurai added that he doesn’t feel like he’s “stuck in a rut doing similar things.”

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Nintendo still believes Switch will reach 100 million in software sales, but less sure on 20 million hardware target

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments

Japanese publication Kyoto Shimbun recently spoke with Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa. During the discussion, Furukawa mentioned that Switch and its games have done well so far this holiday season. Also, the company still expects to hit 100 million units in software sales by March 2019.

From April to September alone, Switch software sales were around 42 million. The rapid release of titles helped for the increased demand this holiday season. Smash Bros. Ultimate, Super Mario Party, and Pokemon: Let’s Go have all proven popular.

Furukawa also briefly addressed Nintendo’s current goal of selling 20 million Switch consoles sold this fiscal year. He did acknowledge that it’s not an easy goal to meet, and it can’t be predicted how the new year will go. However, Furukawa hopes that the Switch’s playstyle and its portability will keep attracting people, and Nintendo will continue to release new titles.

Source

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Square Enix’s Masashi Takahashi wants to do more Octopath Traveler, Bravely series, and a new series

Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments

Famitsu caught up with a bunch of different developers in its latest issue this week to reflect on 2018 and look forward to the future. Octopath Traveler producers Tomoya Asano and Masashi Takahashi were among those who participated.

Asano started out by teasing that Square Enix Business Division 11 “is moving forward with the development of several games.” Meanwhile, Takahashi has expressed interest in doing more with Bravely, Octopath Traveler, and an entirely new series.