Fire Emblem Echoes’ Japanese launch is still a few weeks away, but the game has somehow managed to leak. Fans are already pouring through all of its files and contents to see what secrets Nintendo packed in.

One interesting discovery concerns amiibo functionality. As previously mentioned, Fire Emblem figures from the Smash Bros. line can be used to summon an Illusory Hero of that character during battle. The Corrin amiibo is included even though Nintendo has yet to say when it will be in stores.

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Former Nintendo exec Ken Lobb on GoldenEye 007’s rail shooter origins, Klobb gun, more

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 13 Comments

Ken Lobb might not be a name everyone is familiar with, but he had a major impact on Nintendo back in the day. As a former executive at Nintendo of America, he influenced both software and hardware.

The N64 megahit GoldenEye 007 was one game Lobb was involved with. In a lengthy interview with Game Informer this month, Lobb discussed the game in-depth starting with its origins up through release.

GoldenEye 007 started out with “a tiny team at Rare,” Lobb said. Speaking about why this happened, he explained:

“Let’s just say, the ‘bigs,’ or the more experienced Rare developers were busy. They also weren’t super thrilled about making a game with a license. The license had come from Japan, from Mr. [Hiroshi] Yamauchi. He started the negotiations for it. Tim and Chris had agreed to take on the project. But the people making Donkey Kong, Banjo, Killer Instinct – they’re all busy. So, Martin Hollis and a little group of people began working on it.
They worked in barns at the time. Rare was called the Manor Farmhouse. It was this beautiful old farmhouse with a bunch of developers in it, and all these barns that were converted into development spaces. One was for Banjo, one was Killer Instinct, the smallest one had Martin Hollis, David Doak, and the whole team behind GoldenEye. I was visiting Rare a lot, once every 8 to 10 weeks to work on Killer Instinct 2. Actually, the end of Killer Instinct and into Killer Instinct 2, while they were making GoldenEye. I developed a friendship with Martin. That had a couple, shall we say, interesting impacts…”

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HAL Laboratory developed various parts of Switch

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 20 Comments

HAL Laboratory isn’t traditionally associated with working directly on Nintendo hardware. Fans are likely more aware of the company for having worked on the Kirby and Smash Bros. franchises, among many other titles.

For Switch though, HAL was directly involved with the hardware’s creation. They developed the following parts of the system:

– Web browser component
– Mii library
– Game development environments
– Game development tools

The Web browser components are used for following parts:

– Connect Switch to a Nintendo Account
– eShop
– Posting screenshots to SNS
– And more

Those who are in the photo below are the actual staffers who joined in during development. 32 people in total are pictured.

Source

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[Let’s Talk] What are you playing? – April 2017

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Let's Talk | 55 Comments

A new month is here! We’ve just entered April, so that means we want to know what you’ve been playing.

Have you started up something entirely new for the month? Still playing Zelda: Breath of the Wild? Or maybe you’ve moved on to something else on Switch like Snake Pass. Whatever the case, let us know in the comments below!

Highlights from last week’s topic: Splatoon 2 Global Testfire impressions

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[Review] Snake Pass

Posted on 7 years ago by Jakob Vujovic(@jakovujo) in Reviews, Switch eShop | 15 Comments

System: Switch (eShop)
Release date: March 28, 2017
Developer: Sumo Digital
Publisher Sumo Digital

There are a lot of short tips that cycle through the brief loading screens of Snake Pass. The most helpful was perhaps the most obvious: “Remember, think like a snake.” I wouldn’t be entirely satisfied categorizing this as a physics-based puzzle game. Calling it a platformer is closer, but you can’t jump. Stick this game into any established category and you’ll find that its slithery nature slips right back out. Snake Pass is, mechanically speaking, a sort of deconstruction of the 3D platformer. It’s not quite like anything I’ve ever played.

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Nintendo reveals brand new Humpback Pump Track stage for Splatoon 2

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 7 Comments

At the ESL Go4Splatoon Europe Grand Final today, Nintendo revealed a brand new stage for Splatoon 2. Producer Hisashi Nogami appeared in a video and briefly introduced Humpback Pump Track.

Humpback Pump Track “is based on an indoor BMX track,” Nogami explained. It also “has a lot of curvy ups and downs.”

Here’s a close look:

A new stage for #Splatoon2 was just announced during the @ESLSplatoon Europe Grand Final!
Introducing Humpback Pump Track. pic.twitter.com/t6IonB4Rpg
— Nintendo of Europe (@NintendoEurope) April 1, 2017

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Free DLC revealed for Super Bomberman R

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 22 Comments

Downloadable content is on the way to Super Bomberman R. Better yet, what Konami has in store will be free.

Konami gave a first tease of the Super Bomberman R DLC during a Game Theory live stream earlier tonight. It should encompass new stages and characters at the very least.

The following teaser was shown:

Konami didn’t provide a timetable for the DLC nor specifics about its contents. An official announcement should be made within the next few days.

Thanks to Antonino for the tip.

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Nintendo Download (3/30/17, Europe) – Metal Slug, Go! Go! Kokopolo 3D, Urban Trial Freestyle 2, more

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Switch eShop, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Switch Download

ACA NeoGeo Metal Slug – €6.99 / £6.29
Snake Pass – €19.99 / £15.99

Wii U Download

Cube Life: Pixel Action Heroes – €6.99 / £6.29
Mutant Alien Moles of the Dead – €2.99 / £2.58
Pic-a-Pix Colour – €5.00 / £4.50

Wii U DLC

Minecraft: Wii U Edition – Power Rangers Skin Pack – €2.99 / £2.39
Minecraft: Wii U Edition – Mini Game Masters Skin Pack – €1.99 / £1.59
Pic-a-Pix Colour – Small Puzzles 1 – €1.99 / £1.99
Pic-a-Pix Colour – Mixed Puzzles 1 – €1.99 / £1.99
Pic-a-Pix Colour – Large Puzzles 1 – €1.99 / £1.99
Pic-a-Pix Colour – Giant Puzzles 1 – €1.99 / £1.99

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Nintendo Download (3/30/17, North America) – Metal Slug, Pikmin 2, more

Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Switch eShop, Wii U eShop | 20 Comments

This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows: