I Loved Fire Emblem: Awakening, But I Still Couldn’t Overlook This Huge Problem
Thursday, 25th April 2013Posted in Industry
Tags: 3ds, controversy, Fire Emblem, fire emblem awakening, nintendo, relationships, RPG, support, tactical
Written by: R Bryant Francis
The Fire Emblem series first waves in America after two of its iconic heroes, Roy and Marth, first appeared in Super Smash Bros. Melee back in 2001, with a proper entry landing in North America in 2003. While the series is primarily known for its medieval fantasy strategy elements and story-based focus, Fire Emblem Awakening on the 3DS has one of the side mechanics of the series–its unit support system, to the foreground of both the gameplay and narrative elements of the story.
For those not familiar with the support system, it basically works like this–characters who stand near each other in battle can develop relationships, ranking from C to S. Depending on how high a unit’s relationship with another character is, it can influence that character’s outcome at the end of the game and make them stronger in battle. In older titles, characters could gain S rank support with 1 character of any gender, representing romance if it was between two characters of opposite genders, and long-lasting friendship if it was with a same-gendered character. In Awakening, S-ranked support is reserved strictly for marriage. Continue reading “I Loved Fire Emblem: Awakening, But I Still Couldn’t Overlook This Huge Problem” »
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo Hits The Nintendo eShop
Thursday, 21st February 2013Posted in Industry
Tags: 2013, 3ds, available, demo, demos, eShop, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, players, wii
Written by: Craig Hunter
There are now Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate demos available as free downloads in the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and the 3DS. The long awaited demo will feature two quests and allow players to choose from a number of different weapon load outs (via GT).
The demo will feature two quests, one for beginners and one for seasoned veterans. Along with the twelve different weapon choices the demos will pit the players up against two of Ultimate’s monsters. Continue reading “Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Demo Hits The Nintendo eShop” »
New Mario and Luigi RPG Proves that Luigi Can Never Come Out on Top
Thursday, 14th February 2013Posted in Preview
Tags: 3ds, Dream Team, footage, game, gameplay, Luigi, Mario, new, nintendo, RPG
Written by: Craig Hunter
A New entry in the Mario and Luigi series has been announced by Nintendo during its Direct presentation today. The game is called Mario and Luigi: Dream Team and it will be coming to the 3DS this summer.
Wearing a signature Luigi hat, Satoru Iwata dubbed 2013 “The Year of Luigi” during the presentation.
Check out the screenshots and gameplay footage below (via Kotaku).
Continue reading “New Mario and Luigi RPG Proves that Luigi Can Never Come Out on Top” »
Weak Wii U Sales Cause Nintendo To Lower Sales Forecast
Wednesday, 30th January 2013Posted in Industry
Tags: 2013, 3ds, march, million, nintendo, sales, sold, wii
Written by: Craig Hunter
Disappointing Wii U and 3DS sales have caused Nintendo to revise its sales forecast (via WSJ).
In the last report Nintendo planned they would sell 5.5 million Wii U systems between the November launch and March 31, 2013. It also expected the Nintendo 3DS to sell 17.5 million units between April1, 2012 and March 31, 2013.
This marks the second time the company has lowered its 3DS forecast. Originally Nintendo planned to sell 18.5 million by March 1st, then it went down to 17.5 million and now 15 million.
Continue reading “Weak Wii U Sales Cause Nintendo To Lower Sales Forecast” »
Here’s The Latest On Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Other Wii U Arrivals
Thursday, 17th January 2013Posted in Preview
Tags: 3ds, capcom, Monster Hunter, nintendo, North America, Tri, ultimate, wii u
Written by: Craig Hunter
Fans of the popular RPG series Monster Hunter, can finally breathe freely as Nintendo and Capcom put a North American release date on Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate.
MH3U is an expanded version of Monster Hunter Tri which released in North America on April 20, 2010. This expanded, HD-skinned version of the game features a new storyline and new monsters including the flagship monster Brachydios along with rare subspecies of some monsters we already know like Lagiacrus, Ceadeus and Jhen Mohran.
Continue reading “Here’s The Latest On Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate and Other Wii U Arrivals” »
These Are Your New Pokemon Games
Tuesday, 8th January 2013Posted in Preview
Tags: 3ds, franchise, game, new, pokemon
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Last night’s Nintendo Direct kicked off 2013 on the 3DS with the announcement of the return of one of Nintendo’s biggest franchises. Mobile gamers, rejoice: Pokemon is back, and it’s getting a major upgrade.
The greatest franchise of the handheld generation will be returning on October 13th in the form Pokemon X and Pokemon Y on the Nintendo 3DS, the first two titles in the main Pokemon franchise not named after a color. (Don’t worry, we couldn’t ever forget about the incredible Pokemon Snap) Continue reading “These Are Your New Pokemon Games” »
Nintendo: 1.2 Million Hardware Units Sold Last Weekend, Wii U Sold Out
Monday, 26th November 2012Posted in Industry
Tags: 1 million, 3ds, DS, hardware, nintendo, Reggie Fils-Aime, wii, wii u
Written by: Craig Hunter
Nintendo has confirmed to CNET that it sold over one million hardware units over this past weekend.
CNET spoke with Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime in a phone interview today where he reveled the impressive sales numbers. Fils-Aime also said that along with those impressive numbers the Wii U is “essentially sold out.”
Fils-Aime said that Nintendo sold over 1 million devices last weekend. Internal sales data from Nintendo showed sales reaching over 1.2 million units last weekend, a number that included Wii U, Wii, 3DS and DS. Continue reading “Nintendo: 1.2 Million Hardware Units Sold Last Weekend, Wii U Sold Out” »
Brand New Super Mario Bros 2. This Summer
Monday, 23rd April 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: 2012, 3ds, August, japan, Kirby, Mario, nintendo, North America, summer, Super Mario Bros 2
Written by: Craig Hunter
Follow @jordankahn
It looks like the new Mario game Nintendo teased us with earlier this year is coming to fruition in the form of New Super Mario Bros 2. The Nintendo press release confirmed the new title will be coming to the 3DS in both North America and Japan this summer.
The New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be a brand new adventure in the series continuing the tradition of side scrolling Mario games. Of course the title will feature Mario and Luigi, but it will also include “loads of other favorite characters from the popular Mario series.”
Launching across North America this August, players can expect a game that was Continue reading “Brand New Super Mario Bros 2. This Summer” »
Miyamoto Wants To Return Link To The Past In New Zelda
Thursday, 12th April 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: 3ds, Edge, Eiji Aonuma, Koichi Kawamoto, Link To The Past, remake, Shigeru Miyamoto, SNES, Zelda
Written by: Craig Hunter
Follow @jordankahn
For a while now it has been generally known that Shigeru Miyamoto is intent on creating a new Zelda title in the vein of the SNES classic, A Link To The Past. More recently when the legendary game designer was asked about this new Zelda game, he said that he has a more ambitious approach in mind. Originally it was rumoured that A Link To The Past would simply be ported and enhanced for the Nintendo 3DS, although now it may be much more…
In a recent interview with Edge (via IGN), Miyamoto gave us a little more insight into his plans: Continue reading “Miyamoto Wants To Return Link To The Past In New Zelda” »
Nintendo’s Silver Lining: The 3DS Kicks A$$ All Over Europe
Wednesday, 8th February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: 3ds, console, economy, gaming, nintendo, sales
Written by: Jeff Nau
With all the crap people have been giving Nintendo this year, a sliver of silver lining emerged yesterday with some hopeful economic news: Nintendo’s 3DS sales have all but broken every console sales record in Europe.
This means a total of over 15 million units of the hand held system in about 3 months were sold, solidifying 3DS’ status as Nintendo’s best-selling gaming system on the continent.
GamrConnect reports games like Super Mario Land 3D and Mario Kart 7 are two big reasons why the system is selling Continue reading “Nintendo’s Silver Lining: The 3DS Kicks A$$ All Over Europe” »
Nintendo Tries Not to Panic, Reveals Damage Control Plans
Thursday, 2nd February 2012Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Offbeat
Tags: 3ds, annual, bit, DLC, games, iwata, Mario, nintendo
Written by: Jeff Nau
With their first annual report loss totaling in at nearly a f*cking BILLION dollars (the very first annual loss since they came into existence), Nintendo wouldn’t seem to be doing so well.
At a meeting yesterday at the company’s Corporate Management Policy Briefing, it was hard to tell who’s more panicked – President Satoru Iwata or the stockholders. Continue reading “Nintendo Tries Not to Panic, Reveals Damage Control Plans” »
How Would 16-Bit Mario React to Real Life?
Thursday, 1st December 2011Posted in Gaming, Offbeat, Online Video
Tags: 3ds, animation, game, Marcus and Hannes Knutsson, Mario
Written by: Jeff Nau
Ever wonder how video-game Mario would navigate the bathtub in your house, or the laundry basket? A slippery staircase? Neither did we, but auteur animators Marcus and Hannes Knutsson have animated a 16-bit Mario caught in the perils of household items.
All the usual suspects (The goombas, the Koopatroopers) are there, and like Mario, made entirely from beads. But it’s nice touches, like how the Knutssons went to extensive lengths to place the piranha plants in actual real-life plant pots, flames come out of stovetop cookers, and have Mario get distracted with a 3DS game starring himself that make it kind of awesome. Continue reading “How Would 16-Bit Mario React to Real Life?” »
Sure, Take Your Time: Kid Icarus 3DS Game Delayed Until 2012
Thursday, 15th September 2011Posted in Gaming, Pop Culture
Tags: 3ds, delay, Kid Icarus, Kid Icarus: Uprsing
Written by: Jeff Nau
Scream with me kids! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Yet another in a long line of those simultaneously disappointing (maybe even crushing depending on how psyched you were) yet hopeful release statements, Nintendo has confirmed the delay of Kid Icarus: Uprising until next year. Continue reading “Sure, Take Your Time: Kid Icarus 3DS Game Delayed Until 2012” »
Nintendo: iOS games “absolutely not under consideration”
Wednesday, 14th September 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Technology
Tags: 3ds, apple, interview, iOS, ipad, iPhone, iwata, nintendo, pokemon, rumors
Written by: Craig Hunter
If you had any doubt that Nintendo wasn’t going to jump on the iOS bandwagon, breaking everything we know the company claims to stand for, president Satoru Iwata officially shot down the rumors in a recent interview with Nikkei (translation via Andriasanq).
When asked about the possibility of Nintendo titles on smartphone platforms, Iwata responded, “This is absolutely not under consideration.” Continue reading “Nintendo: iOS games “absolutely not under consideration”” »
Nintendo confirms right analog stick peripheral for 3DS
Thursday, 8th September 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Technology
Tags: 3ds, analog, circle, nintendo, pad, right, stick
Written by: Craig Hunter
For those of you that checked out Jace’s appearance on The GeekDown Show, you know there’s been plenty discussion (as always) about the future of Nintendo gadgets.
Nintendo has apparently confirmed in an email to CNET the existence of an upcoming right analog stick peripheral for 3DS that appeared in Japanese Famitsu magazine (image above) via Twitter user @South1996.
The accessory will reportedly be named the “Circle Pad” and appears Continue reading “Nintendo confirms right analog stick peripheral for 3DS” »
3DS Hardware Shakeup coming?
Tuesday, 23rd August 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming
Tags: 3ds, games, hardware, new, nintendo, price drop
Written by: R Bryant Francis
First they release the device. Then they forget the games. Then they drop the PRICE of the device. Then they claim that a possible “bug” is a feature. Then they change the entire device and possibly shuffle out that whole 3D gimmick thing in the process. Smoooth Nintendo. Continue reading “3DS Hardware Shakeup coming?” »
Oops: 3DS Removed from Amazon (Temporarily!) Due to Hardware Problems
Monday, 25th July 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Pop Culture
Tags: 3ds, amazon, culture, gadgets, nintendo
Written by: R Bryant Francis
Easy on the eyes?
Nintendo hasn’t had a hot time with the 3DS. First there was the reports that they could damage your eyes. Then there was the Continue reading “Oops: 3DS Removed from Amazon (Temporarily!) Due to Hardware Problems” »
Nintendo’s 3DS and Wii U: Nostalgia is Brilliant Marketing
Thursday, 7th July 2011Posted in Gaming
Tags: 3ds, Kid Icarus, nintendo, wii u, Zelda
Written by: Jeff Nau
I know maybe one guy with a Wii…and a ton of other guys who spend the majority of their time on XBox and PS3 and pretty much every other system but the Wii. Tried playing it a couple times and just couldn’t get the feel for it.
But recent developments at the company have me thinking of coming back:it’s proving to be a very big year (or 2) for Nintendo — who at a recent conference unveiled their new Wii (insert dirty jokes as you see fit), also called the Wii U, as well as plans to open the time travel tunnel further with a slew of classic old SNES/64/NES titles for the 3DS.
Enter 3DS Nintendo classics: Along with the Wii U, the recently-released 3dS handheld will feature a ton of old Nintendo classics, remastered and repackaged (does anyone even remember Excitebike?) along with a bunch of the mid-90s SNES/later system classics. Among the titles coming back from the dead are Zelda: Ocarina of Time, and Star Fox 64, which took up a lot of my time as a lad. Continue reading “Nintendo’s 3DS and Wii U: Nostalgia is Brilliant Marketing” »
Nintendo 3DS: Three Dimensions o’ Speculation
Thursday, 16th June 2011Posted in Blog Archive, Gaming, Pop Culture
Tags: 3ds, nintendo
Written by: Paul Nyhart
Written By Brandon Wolfe
So it was recently confirmed that the 3DS has finally sold one million units in Japan, taking three times as long as the original NDS. Bundled in this news was a statement made by Nintendo’s president revealing that the 3DS sales have been lower than the expected.
The current situation resulted from the fact that the delay of developing Nintendo 3DS software and launching online services, like Nintendo eShop, 3D video services and so forth, occurred simultaneously, so we could not meet people’s high expectations that they had before its launch, and we did not see momentum after the launch.
I think that we’ll be able to show you that as Nintendo eShop and 3D video services come online, and a number of key software titles become available, we’ll be able to regain momentum for this hardware.
Yes Pre-orders did well and the feedback has been pretty decent but will the 3DS be able to gain more momentum, or will it lose ground and go the way of the PSP? The DS has had some good faces the last few years, the most recent one didn’t seem to get enough time on its own.
I’ve observed so many confused people that didn’t quite understand which handheld console was the latest and greatest. I can understand why–we have the DS, DS Lite, DSi, and the DSi XL. What upgrades did we see over the console in the last seven years since its launch? Well a ton of them! Nintendo has always been good about fan service, but are they starting to fizzle their way out of the big picture?
The 3DS is a pretty fascinating piece of gaming, but a large amount of people outside die hard Nintendo camp haven’t really dug it yet. I personally have been a fan for a long time but I haven’t been able to get into the new console. I don’t really enjoy the 3D feature and I think it’s pretty pointless to boot. I have tried the new console out and I ended up turning the 3D feature off in just a few minutes of use. Maybe they have bigger plans that we are not privy to yet, but I hope they have something big in store.
In light of the announcement for the Wii-U (Wii-Plus as I call it), I wonder if they plan on having some nifty interface with the huge “Ipad emulating” controller. Then again, since you won’t even be able to play Blu-Rays, you never know…
I’m trying not to sound like a Nintendo hater but I’m getting pretty worried for the future of the console. Maybe I haven’t heard enough about it but I have to say the Wii-U doesn’t sound like an enormous advancement in the Nintendo Universe. With the lack of Blu-Ray playability; and adding a giant controller as well, it just all seems to be a step backwards to me.
[via Triplebeard]
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