Tag Archives: nintendo

The Captains Speaketh: Nintendo Losing Their Touch

Editor’s Note: We collaborated on this latest Speaketh before Nintendo did their Nintendo Direct not too long ago. However our arguments still stand.
 

So E3 has come and gone, and there are a few things that surprised us, some things that lulled us, and some that made us go “What?” But one thing that seems to have drawn the most confusion is Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS Conferences. Nintendo, like the others played it safe — very safe — during their conferences. However, in their aim to cater to the hardcore audience that they seemed to have lost, they let two games slip by that seemed to cater to just that audience.

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Night-Time Listenings Wrap-Up: Week of 6/18/12

This week Night-Time Listenings moved to Tumblr, leaving Facebook for a second time after a short run. So this week we listened to two tracks from Advance Wars: Days of Ruin. Then we when one step back and listened to a selection from Advance Wars: Dual Strike. We then went further back and listened to some classic Andrew W.K. And Finally, we went even further back to Surf some Buttholes.

If you want to see the music as it goes up (and not wait every Saturday for these wrap-ups), remember to go to our new Tumblr page and follow it. Music for Night-Time Listenings goes up every weekday at 10PM

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With The Wii U On The Way, Why Not Bring Back Silent Scope?

Ever since the reveal of the Wii U last year (and further info this year), I was thinking of what kinds of games would be a good fit for the Wii U and the Tablet Controller (called the Gamepad). After seeing what some of those games were doing with the tablet, I recalled one of those demos doing something akin to showing a bigger picture on the TV and showing a zoomed-in shot on the Gamepad’s screen. Then it hit me: Why not make a make a new Silent Scope game?

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Miyamoto Thinking Of Making An FPS

Reading that title might give you a jolt, and rightly so. The First Person Shooter is the most popular genre this generation, and for Shigeru Miyamoto to want to make one almost goes beyond the philosophy (we think) that he’s established for himself (and probably the entire company). But you know what, this is Miyamoto. Someone can give him a crumpled piece of paper and he’d make a game out of it. All joking aside, in an interview with Kotaku, he states that he would make an FPS that would focus more on exploring the environment, the situation, and the weapon in your hand, and how enemies would react. “Having that 3D space that in theory you are in and being able to look around and explore that—particularly being able to do that in conjunction with another person—is very interesting,” he says, highlighting the exploration advantage that FPS can have (but are woefully underutilized).

Much of what he says can be seen in the Metroid Prime games, which emphasized exploration over action (though that was present, more so in Prime 3). The Elder Scrolls games also come to mind. But probably the one game that really took advantage of the environment was Mirror’s Edge, and it does almost what Metroid Prime does — albeit in a more linear fashion — when it comes to exploration. It’s virtually a platformer. Heck, one of the achievements is an homage to one of Miyamoto’s biggest creations. If Miyamoto wants to make an FPS, let the man make one. Heck, let DICE give him Mirror’s Edge!

…Yes I really want another Mirror’s Edge game.

The Creator of Mario and Zelda Wants to Make a First-Person Shooter [Kotaku]

XSEED Delays The Last Story, But Sweetens The Deal

Click for full image

Before the mayhem of E3, Amazon customers who pre-ordered The Last Story were sent emails informing them that the game would not be released on the expected date. In the email, it stated that “the release date for the video game listed below has been changed by the publisher…” It goes on to state that the estimated release date would be August 6th, which is a little over 5 weeks from the original release date of June 20th. So we’ll have to wait a little longer to enjoy what may be the Wii’s Last Story.

But on the heels of this delay comes some good news. XSEED has revealed that a special Limited Edition will come with all first run copies of the game. The game will come with a 44-page artbook (way more pages that Xenoblade’s), with both the game and artbook coming in a box. If this is the reason for the delay, then I welcome it. I’m a sucker for collector’s items that are standard with the game (like Ar Tonelico, Devil Summoner 2, and Persona 2). I just finished Xenoblade, so I’m more than ready to play this. Not sure if those who pre-ordered have a better chance of getting the artbook, nor if it can be picked up without a pre-order. I’ll update you when I find out.

XSEED shows off The Last Story Limited Edition [Destructoid]

E3 – Nintendo Confirms Fire Emblem Awakening Coming To The U.S.

I’m noticing a pattern here. Nintendo makes a conference, and announces the good stuff after the conference is over. First was Project P-100, which James, Anthony and I think looks really cool. And now comes this. I’ve never played a Fire Emblem game (which I should be), but this comes as great news for fans who were dreading the game not coming over after Nintendo’s staunch reluctance to bring over JRPGs after the whole OpRainfall debacle. It still boggles the mind why Nintendo would not announce this during the presentation. Do they think it’s not worth announcing something they think is niche when it actually has quite a few fans? Something strange is brewing in Nintendo Land and I’m not sure how to feel about their awkward focus on things.

But hey. We got a new Fire Emblem coming out. So that’s some major good news there.

Fire Emblem: Awakening Will be Coming to American 3DS Systems [Kotaku]

E3 2012 Nintendo 3DS Press Conference

It’s not over yet. Nintendo announced during their initial presentation that since there wouldn’t be enough time to show plans for both the Wii U and 3DS, there will be a separate presentation for the Nintendo 3DS at E3. And so, here we are again for one more Liveblog on the Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo showed a little bit of what was in store for the 3Ds at the initial press conference, be this one coming up will be the real deal.

Liveblog and Press Conference start at 9PM EDT.

E3 2012 Nintendo 3DS Press Conference

*Note: Since we’re using the free version of CoverItLive, some readers might be blocked due to reader limit. Fret not as the conversation will be copy/pasted below when the conference it over.

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E3: Project P-100 Trailer

Project P-100 seems to be what happens when Platinum Games meets Pikmin! The company’s title in progress has players rounding up civilians and turning them into…well, pretty much anything they need in order to defeat the giant robots invading town. From the gameplay above, we can see citizens being used as fists, guns, and swords in order to combat the invaders. But they also play an important role in navigating levels, as we see them turning into climbable ladders, hands that can pull and push objects, and even planes you can fly with. On top of that, there appears to be four player co-op added into the mix!

This definitely looks like a game to watch out for, which makes it all the more odd that this wasn’t shown during Nintendo’s E3 press conference. If Nintendo was willing to show off more games like these, rather than games that we already know about, I think their conference would have had a much warmer reception.

E3 2012 Nintendo Press Conference Liveblog

Last year Nintendo revealed their next console, the Wii U, which garnered mixed reactions from many a gamer. Rumors have circulated over the specs of the console. Some developers have said that the console is just as powerful as the 360 and PS3. Other have said it even more powerful than both. Then come the leaked picture of the updated Wii U Tablet Controller. On the games side, we got Xenoblade! And we’re getting The Last Story later this month courtesy of XSEED. What of the fate of Pandora’s Tower? What will Pikmin 3 look like? Will there be a Starfox game by Platinum Games? Will there be a crossover of Starfox and Metroid by Retro Studios? All will be known today.

Liveblog and Press Conference start at 12 Noon EDT.

E3 2012 Nintendo Press Conference

*Note: Since we’re using the free version of CoverItLive, some readers might be blocked due to reader limit. Fret not as the conversation will be copy/pasted below when the conference it over.

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Would You Pay $375 For Super Mario Land 2?

Answer: No. But a woman in Vancouver selling the game on Craigslist believes you should. Super Mario Land 2 was originally released on the Game Boy on November 2, 1992, and re-released on the 3DS Virtual Console on September 29, 2011. Being that this was the sequel to the highly praised 18-million seller Super Mario Land, people snatched up the sequel in no time, selling 12 million units since launch. I mean, this was Mario on-the-go. Who didn’t want this back then? The unnamed woman claims that the game is rare and that it justifies the $375 price point. She also cites that she saw vendors on Amazon selling the game for that much. What she failed to notice is that Amazon sellers however tend to sell things at ultra inflated prices, like the Wii Lens Cleaners going for upwards of $30 when Nintendo themselves sold it for $10.  After a couple of Youtubers found out about this, she lowered the price to $250, which is still way too high for the game. And this is just the cartridge she’s selling. No box, no manual, no extra paper that Nintendo tends to put in their boxes. Just the cart. If this game was rare, 1)It would not have sold so many when it was released, and 2)Nintendo would’ve had limited production run of the game (which it certainly wouldn’t do for a Mario game). Atlus games are rare. Nintendo games – especially Mario games – are not.

375 BUCKS FOR MARIO LAND 2!!!!!!!!!! [Playalives, via AlphaOmegaSin]

Retro Weekends – Bubble Bobble

In prehistoric times, there were dinosaurs that blew bubbles at toy robots… at least, this is what Taito wanted you to believe. The dinosaurs Bub and Bob became the mascots for Taito, and this was the game that started it all. Combining puzzle elements and action gameplay, Bubble Bobble made its rounds across many platforms and charmed audiences with its bright colors and steady challenge. This weekend, NES MAY gets caught in a bubble. Continue reading

New Fan Campaign Started To Localize Project X Zone

I’ve covered quite a bit regarding Project X Zone. With every article I’ve written about the game, in the back of my mind there’s always that looming fear that the game won’t be released here. It’s even more nerve wracking given the fact that its prequel, Namco X Capcom for the PS2, never got released outside of Japan. So the chances of the game coming out in the U.S. and Europe are slim. You might think, “Oh no biggie, I’ll just import it.” Unfortunately Nintendo region-locked the 3DS, so the only way you can play the game is to import the game AND and Japanese 3DS (which ain’t cheap). Hackers have yet to really crack open the 3DS (only going as far as enabling flash carts that play original DS games). So the only hope there is to play the game is to localize it.

So in light of all this, a fan campaign has started to convince the powers that be at Namco, Capcom, and SEGA to release the game worldwide. The campaign is called Project X Zone Localization Community, or 100,000 Strong to Localize Project X Zone (a nod to the MML3 campaign). Their goal is to get 100,000 Likes to show collab trio that there is demand for the game outside of Japan and that it should be released. So far since starting the campaign on April 15 and as of this writing, they’ve reached 744 Likes. Might be small, but the public told that to the Mega Man Legends 3 campaign, and look what happened. Same goes for Operation Rainfall and hey, I’m playing Xenoblade right now! I’ve gone ahead and liked it, and if you want to see Project X Zone released, you should join in too. Spread the word!

PXZ Localization Community Facebook Page

[via AlphaOmegaSin]

What Machine Gun Robot Girlfriend Is Pit Reffering To?

Having not played Kid Icarus Uprising (no 3DS yet), I’m somewhat aware of the jokes and references this game makes. But this is one that could be a stretch. The video above suggests that Pit’s referring to Curly Brace, the female robot you meet in Cave Story who also happens to have a gun. Of course, since this is videogames we’re talking about here, there are plenty of machine gun robot girlfriends to be had. I for one would pick KOS-MOS, who very much fits the bill of machine gun robot. Not sure about the girlfriend part (Virgin Mary and all).

[via TinyCartridge]

Monolithsoft developing Project X Zone, Die Hard Arcade Represented (Along With Others)

Shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise considering that Monolithsoft, the developers of Xenoblade, were also the developers of Namco X Capcom. Famitsu also divulged some info on some of the battle systems in place for Project X Zone. Like its predecessor, battles are a mix of Strategy RPG and action. You move units around on a grid and engage enemies. Here, the battles then switch to a 2D perspective where you use the control pad and “A” Button to execute moves. You’re encouraged to use different abilities and use them all in one shot. You build up a meter at the bottom to unleash special moves. It’s shared amongst all party members, so use it wisely.

Along with this news, more characters have been revealed for Project X Zone. First on the Capcom side, Morrigan has been added to the Darkstalkers team. Chun-Li joins Ryu and Ken for the Street Fighter team. On The SEGA side, Erika and Gemini join the Sakura Wars team. This makes it the biggest team so far. And holy crap, is that John McClane from Die Hard Arcade!? Well kinda. In Japan (where it was made and first came out), it was called Dynamite Deka, and the guy was named Bruno. You can read up on that here. Finally on the Namco Bandai side, the Valkyrie from The Adventures of the Valkyrie joins alone. And finally Haken and Kaguya from Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endeless Frontier join the fray.

Project X Zone is slated for release on the 3DS some time this year. Character art after the break.

Monolith Software Confirmed as Project X Zone’s Developer [Andriasang, via Gamezone]

Project X Zone Official Website

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Is There A New Star Fox Game Coming Out? Ask Platinum Games.

The man behind Kid Icarus Uprising and the Smash Bros. series was caught entering Platinum Games offices not too long ago. No one knows for certain what exactly he was doing in there. All he did do was share a picture of Platinum Games’ sign. Noting out of the ordinary. But why am I bringing up Star Fox? Well back in 2010, Platinum’s Hideki Kamiya, the creator of Bayonetta, said in a twitter post that he wanted “someone from Nintendo to come to Platinum, point a gun and say, ‘You people make the the new Star Fox game.'” Kamiya is still as Platinum, and Sakurai is from Nintendo. Nothing has come of this, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens. Maybe E3 perhaps?

Smash Bros. Masahiro Sakurai Caught Sneaking Into Platinum Games [Andriasang, via My Nintendo News]