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TalkBack / Re: Nintendo Downloads - March 14, 2013
« on: March 14, 2013, 05:23:39 PM »What is the release date for the Chasing Aurora demo?
It's available now. The game's half price at the moment, too.
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It's available now. The game's half price at the moment, too.
52
TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - March 14, 2013
« on: March 14, 2013, 02:49:18 PM »Mega Man 3 and a HarmoKnight demo aside, most everything else comes out next Tuesday.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33557
Today's Nintendo Downloads ask us to look forward to...the future. Well, maybe the past, too. Is 200X some weird past of the future? Or maybe the future past...Anyways, the reason is the eShop's two biggest releases are actually coming out next week. Lego City: Undercover is due out March 18, and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is coming on March 19 for the 3DS and Wii U. Not only that, Need for Speed Most Wanted (Wii U) and The Croods: Prehistoric Party! (3DS, Wii U) are due March 19, as well! Mega Man 3 is out today on the 3DS though, and warps players back, forward, or sideways to 200X. If demos are the flavor you savor, HarmoKnight for the 3DS and Chasing Aurora on the Wii U are both available. And did you think I forgot DSiWare? Of course not! Goony and Forgotten Legions are ripe for the picking. One last thing! Ketzal's Corridors is on sale for $4.99!
Wii U eShop Retail Releases
Lego City: Undercover - $49.99 (March 18)
Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - $59.99 (March 19)
The Croods: Prehistoric Party! - $39.99 (March 19)
Need for Speed Most Wanted - $59.99 (March 19)
3DS eShop Retail Releases:
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/game/27710 ">Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate - $39.99 (March 19)
The Croods: Prehistoric Party! - $29.99 (March 19)
Reel Fishing Paradise 3D - $19.99
Wii U eShop Demos
3DS eShop Demos:
3DS Virtual Console:
Reading the plot synopsis for Mega Man 3, I'm pretty relieved that Dr. Wily has seen the Light, as in Dr. Light. Just one look and he knew that being a good guy could be pretty baller. So the doctors unite, and rope in Mega Man to gather the parts to build a monstrous, peacekeeping robot. A gesture that says, "Sorry, MM, but you're just not good enough." Rude of Dr. Light, for sure, but the guy already sends his homemade son into battle, so it's hardly unexpected. To cope, Mega Man brings along his dog, Rush, who transforms into a ton of stuff and is likely the coolest dog ever. Also, in his continued efforts to validate himself to his "father", Mega Man slides along the ground now. I'm sure Light will notice.
DSiWare Games:
Forgotten Legions - $4.99 / 500 Points
Ready to command an army? How about...from the side? That's a pretty big wrench I threw in there, but Forgotten Legions is indeed a side-scrolling affair. It's also a strategy game! Quick, put your brain together now that I've scrambled it to pieces. Lead your army to victory across 30 missions! Perform well, and ensure your legion is not forgotten.
Prepare to guide a blobby thing down a randomly generated road, you Goony Bard! Steer our green protagonist away from any oncoming hazards, because one slip up and it's game over. Design your own courses and share them with friends through the magic of QR codes. Or, race against your friend and become known worldwide as the Goony king.
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TalkBack / Pikachu Edition 3DS XL Coming to North America March 24
« on: March 14, 2013, 09:51:43 AM »Electrical shocks from the device are completely intentional...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33559
It's official, the Pikachu Edition 3DS XL is coming to North America on March 24, releasing alongside Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity, and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon.
The unit has a yellow, Pikachu emblazoned outer-shell, and is white on the inside. It comes with a 4GB SD card, and carries an MSRP of $199.99.
The announcement also confirms our own Neal Ronaghan's 2013 predictions, heard in episode 67 of the Connectivity podcast. Congratulations, Neal! The unit was previously released in Japan and Europe last year.
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TalkBack / Zelda Entries Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages to Hit 3DS eShop Before Summer
« on: March 13, 2013, 08:44:01 PM »If only the Harp of Ages was real...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33547
Eiji Aonuma, producer of the Legend of Zelda series, remarked on the Miiverse that Game Boy Color titles Oracle of Ages and Oracle of Seasons will be available on the 3DS eShop "before Summer".
The message is found in the Legend of Zelda Miiverse community, where Aonuma notes that while the two GBC games have already been released in Japan, "Our plan is to release these two games in other territories some time before summer!"
The titles originally released in 2001, and while built for the GBC, they contained unlockable content when played on the Game Boy Advance. The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is the more puzzle focused of the two, and puts the Wand of Time in Link's hands, a tool he uses to travel through time. Oracle of Seasons placed its focus on action, and allowed players to change the weather conditions, altering Link's surroundings.Originally planned as a trilogy, the third title was to be a remake of the original Legend of Zelda.
Both entries were a joint effort between Nintendo and a subsidiary of Capcom named Flagship. Hidemaro Fujibayashi was the director of the games, and would later serve the same role on Skyward Sword.
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TalkBack / Harvest Moon Creator's Project Happiness Becomes Hometown Story
« on: March 13, 2013, 02:16:45 PM »His harvests may have ended, but Yasuhiro Wada is back in shop form.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33546
Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada's 3DS game Project Happiness has been given its official title: Hometown Story.
The game, according to a Famitsu preview translated by Gematsu, has players running a shop in a small town. A fairy assists the player in his duties, and as the shop grows with success, its clientele expands. Players can befriend these shoppers, and at game's end, can choose one of seven wishes to make some of them very happy.
In addition to Wada, Hometown Story features character designs by Atsuko Nishida, an artist whose work you will find in the Pokémon series. Nobuo Uematsu, the iconic composer whose past work includes the Final Fantasy series and The Last Story, is providing music for the game.
The game comes from Toybox Inc., which Wada formed alongside Tomio Kanazawa, a former producer at Marvelous Entertainment. After 15 years developing Harvest Moon games, Wada left Marvelous in 2010 and became Chief Executive Officer at Grasshopper Manufacture (the studio behind No More Heroes and Liberation Maiden), a position he walked away from the following year. Toybox was formed shortly thereafter. Toybox doesn't function as a development studio, but instead collaborates with developers to bring their creations to life.
Hometown Story is scheduled to release in 2013. Natsume will assume publishing duties in North America, with Rising Star Games bringing it to Europe.
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TalkBack / Need For Speed: Most Wanted Preview
« on: March 12, 2013, 11:00:06 AM »The city of Fairhaven welcomes U.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/preview/33532
It's been nearly 10 years since the efforts of Criterion Games last graced Nintendo hardware. Burnout 2: Point of Impact released on the GameCube in 2003, and despite a slew of great racers reaching it and successive consoles in the years that followed, few were as technically daring as Criterion’s work. Thankfully, the streak ends later this month when EA and Criterion bring Need for Speed Most Wanted to the Wii U.
Unlike most games, Most Wanted’s races don’t run along linear, independent tracks. Instead, its events take place across the fictional city of Fairhaven. Every road, alley, and bridge is just another path to the finish line. Of course, what’s the benefit of having the keys to the city if you can’t tool around at your own leisure? In Most Wanted, there’s no need to enter race after race—exploring the city is just as encouraged. The game includes 41 vehicles you can commandeer, the majority of which are strewn about the fair city, hidden in plain sight. Each car carries its own set of optional challenges and races. By completing these, you unlock modifications for the vehicle, allowing you to build a car suitable for each situation. Criterion doesn’t care for pulling players out of the world it’s created. With that in mind, Most Wanted lets you go online, find races, and make modifications in real time with the GamePad’s D-pad with a feature deemed EasyDrive. You can access each feature with a few taps, never slowing down the onscreen action.
When players enter Fairhaven, their objective is clear: to become the most notorious driver in the city. Unfortunately, much like No More Heroes’ Travis Touchdown, they encounter a few “obstacles” along the way. 10 elite racers compose the Blacklist, and after earning enough experience (known as Speed Points) from the game’s various races and challenges, the option to take on these drivers opens up. By defeating those on the Blacklist, players unlock some of the game’s best vehicles for their own use.
Online, Most Wanted becomes another beast altogether. Players can go up against up to seven other players, and take part in the challenges and races thrown your way. Meeting points are arranged by the host, and players tear their way across the city to get there first. Only when the drivers arrive do they learn the objective, which can run the gamut from catching the most airtime off a ramp, to a King of the Hill-style event where one must hold his ground while others attempt to turn his car into scrap metal.
The Wii U’s iteration of Need for Speed Most Wanted includes a variety of additions and improvements over other console versions. Criterion has noted that following the original release of Most Wanted last October, it focused its attention on making the game the best it can be on Wii U. Criterion's Alex Ward told GamesRadar that simply porting the title over would “be a crime."
Due to the Wii U's extra memory, Most Wanted makes use of the improved textures used in the PC, and also provides a better draw distance.
Most Wanted supports Off-TV Play, but Criterion is also making use of the GamePad in the title's Co-Driver mode, internally referred to as "Father and Son" mode. Here, the player with the GamePad can provide a helping hand to a second player (who can play with the Wii Remote, Wii Remote and Nunchuk, or Pro Controller). Criterion likens the GamePad to a driver's ed car, as it can serve as a second set of brakes, gas, etc. However, the GamePad can also provide boost, spin-out or remove pursuing police cars, change the time of day, alter the appearance of the car, provide the vehicle the other player wants to drive, manipulate traffic, and display a map of Fairhaven and its various collectables.
Ward says the studio’s aim with Most Wanted on the Wii U was "bringing people together and sharing the game experience."
Miiverse is implemented as well, and works hand in hand with Criterion's Autolog, a service created by Criterion to share details among the Most Wanted community. After completing a race or achieving a noteworthy goal, the game suggests posting the info to the Miiverse, and displays any related comments from your friends. Autolog also tracks your best times, recommends new friends to race with, and provides the records of your friends’ races and challenges. Miiverse and Autolog seem to complement each other well, and should help create a stronger sense of community among Most Wanted owners.
Need for Speed Most Wanted is expected to release March 19 in North America and March 21 in Europe.
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TalkBack / Level-5 Files US Trademarks for Possible Guild02 Titles
« on: March 11, 2013, 04:39:04 PM »Big bugs and spooky ships may find a home in the west.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33531
Level-5 has filed two trademarks in the US that appear to be localized titles of games that appear in their upcoming Guild02 series.
The trademarked titles are Bugs vs Tanks (likely Keiji Inafune's Insect Tank) and The Starship Damrey.
Insect Tank puts players in control of a miniature tank during World War II, pitting them against giant insects. The Starship Demrey is in development at Level-5, with Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Abiko at the helm. The two have previously worked together on sound novel games for Spike Chunsoft.The Starship Demrey puts you in the shoes of an amnesiac who is unaware of their surroundings. Media and story is being withheld from the public so as to keep the game's revelations a surprise.
Notably absent from the trademarks is Monsters Come Out on Friday, the third Guild02 title. Developed by Kazu Ayabe, it stars a young boy named Sota who lives in a small Japanese town that becomes overrun with giant monsters and heroes each Friday. The period and setting is typical of Ayabe's work, his previous work for Millennium Games was the My Summer Vacation series, which took place in rural areas during the 1970s and 80s.
While a lack of a trademark for Monsters Come Out on Friday seems troubling, TinyCartridge.com points out that Guild01 title Aero Porter did not receive one either, and released in North America regardless.
All three titles will be released on Japan's eShop (Guild01 was originally a retail release before its games were released on the eShop). No announcements have been made for a release in North America or Europe.
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Podcast Discussion / Episode 76: Tyler the Fortress
« on: March 09, 2013, 02:59:26 PM »Neal put us all into a video game! Hurray!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/connectivity/33524
It's dangerous to go alone, so take this episode of Connectivity with you. It'll keep you warm and safe on the long journey to your next class, or whatever.
We've got two wonderful segments for you this week. First up is a roundtable segment on Etrian Odyssey 4: Legend of the Titan. After that, Andrew and Nick break down a slew of games coming out soon in Australia.
Our mailbag needs questions, and you can help by submitting them here. We'd also love it if you would rate and review the show in iTunes.
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TalkBack / Monster Games Developing Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
« on: March 07, 2013, 10:31:00 AM »Perhaps not the most EXCITE-ing news.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33513/monster-games-developing-donkey-kong-country-returns-3d
Monster Games, the studio behind ExciteBots and ExciteTruck, is developing Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D for the 3DS.
This news comes from the Australian Classification Board, which labels Monster Games as the game's 'author.'
Monster Games last project was Pilotwings Resort for the 2011 launch of the 3DS in North America. Previously the studio had worked with Nintendo on Excitebots: Trick Racing, Excite Truck, and Excitebike: World Rally.
Donkey Kong Country Returns was originally developed by Retro Studios, previously known for their work on the Metroid Prime trilogy. It was released in November of 2010, and was a critical and commercial success.
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is scheduled for release this Summer.
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TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - March 7, 2013
« on: March 07, 2013, 11:11:52 AM »The 3DS eShop is giving your wallet that come hither stare...
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33506
Today's release schedule is pretty bonkers. The 3DS eShop is so jumpin' with content, I just don't know where to start. It's an embarrassment of riches, quite honestly. How long can I talk about the games before I actually get to them? Not much longer. ATV Wild Ride 3D, Kersploosh!, and Nano Assault EX all hit the 3DS eShop today. Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D makes the jump from retail to the eShop, Wrecking Crew is out for the Virtual Console, and Sakura Samurai is on sale for $4.99. All that, and the Wii gets a Virtual Console release in the form of King of Fighters 98.
3DS eShop Retail Releases:
Monster High: Skulltimate Roller Maze - $29.99 (Available March 13)
Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D - $19.99
3DS eShop Demos:
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity
3DS eShop Games:
Renegade Kid continues their fascination with mud in ATV Wild Ride 3D, an eShop remake of their 2011 DS game. Yet again Jools Watsham has you putting the hurt on wet soil, but this time with the aid of a motor vehicle. Sling mud against three other racers across 24 tracks, online or off. Will your efforts end the tyranny of mud forever? Well, Mutant Mudds 2 has already been announced, so not likely. Read my review for our final thoughts on the matter!
I see you there, staring at that rock, eyes darting back and forth between it and the well in the distance. You want to toss that poor, defenceless rock, don't you? Have you even stopped to think of what comes next? Sure, your life moves on; you get married, have some kids, settle down. But what about that rock? Kersploosh! is going to open your eyes, son. Steer a rock as it tears down a hazard laden well. Watch out for those wooden planks! Don't hit that pizza! What's your prize IF you hit the bottom? A watery grave...and maybe a high score to StreetPass. Still, real jerk move. Read Daan's review to see if you've got the stones.
Not long now until Nano Assault EX stops being a video game and instead becomes reality. Hand sanitizers are creating super germs, and we're all just Outbreak monkeys waiting to happen. Who do we turn to? Really tiny pilots of really tiny ships! Shoot viruses in the face in this updated, eShop-exclusive take on 2012's Nano Assault. Steer your ship along disgusting virus clusters and shoot anything that moves. Got a Circle Pad Pro? Then turn this dual-stick shooter into an actual dual-stick shooter. Like leaderboards? EX has got you covered. Want to check that leaderboard and not worry about the game locking up? This is the version to get.
3DS Virtual Console:
What do you call a Mario game where he is unable to jump and carries a huge hammer? Wrecking Crew, my friends! Now, you can fool yourself into thinking the timing of this release has nothing to do with Wreck-It Ralph hitting store shelves, or you can join me in this crazy conspiracy theory of mine! In Wrecking Crew, Mario destroys things. Are the bad guys really just upset owners of the items you're destroying? Who has time to worry about that, you've got ladders to smash!
Wii Virtual Console:
King of Fighters 98 - 900 Points
The fifth installment of the King of Fighters series, 98 eschews a story in favour of bringing you a wide cast of characters. The lack of a story means dead fan-favourites have returned. Advance and Extra fighting styles return, and a loss in a match earns players a handicap in the next. Don't settle for being a prince, fight to be the king!
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TalkBack / ATV Wild Ride 3D Review
« on: March 06, 2013, 08:51:24 PM »Fun, but not without a few quad-ities.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/review/33505
Since Mario Kart 7’s release in late 2011, there's been no answer for the Blue Shell blues. Nothing is wrong with the available kart racers, but more variety in the genre is something I cry out for. Luckily, my hunger pangs for arcade racing were heard all the way down in Austin, Texas. Renegade Kid, the studio behind Mutant Mudds, has crafted a fun racer in ATV Wild Ride 3D, even if you still feel a few bumps along the way.
Released on the eShop, ATV Wild Ride 3D is a reworking of a late-to-market DS title. Players choose from a batch of riders, pick out the ATV that suits them best, and it's off to the races. You don’t have to worry about modifications, or stress over the type of brake pedal to equip or gasoline to fill up on. ATV Wild Ride 3D keeps things simple, a boon for anyone looking for a pick-up-and-play racer, and a great fit for a handheld
The controls are simple and executed well in game, with several different layouts made available. You use the A button to accelerate, B to brake, X to boost, and perform tricks with L and R button and a direction on the Circle or D-pad. Shorter tricks are assigned to L, those slightly longer to R, and those most difficult requiring a simultaneous press of both. Successful tricks yield Nitro; the more difficult the trick, the more of this boost you earn. Players can also increase the breadth of their jump by holding down on the Circle pad and pushing up at the summit of the jump. In practice, the game plays wonderfully, with the controls’ simplicity allowing you to perform admirably in an instant. Your concern won’t fall on them, but solely on taking the top spot.
The game’s single-player component is split into several categories: World Tour, Quick Race, Freestyle, and Time Trial. World Tour places you in six tournaments, each composed of four events. For each tournament, players participate against three other racers in two races, an elimination event (in which those in last place are thrown out after each lap), and a freestyle event (in which ranking is based off the points earned from tricks). Your placing in each event adds to determine your ranking in the tournament, which in turn unlocks new riders and vehicles.
While blending these events adds variety, Freestyle is a notable weak point. With the mode’s focus on tricks, placement in each race becomes worthless. When facing off against AI-controlled riders who perform ample tricks with ease, winning requires landing your own tricks. However, putting four tires on the ground isn't exactly necessary—I was often able to fling myself off ramps into the abyss to earn enough points to insure a first-place finish. Tricks complete when the animation does, and with three other riders barreling for that top spot, haphazardly earning everything you can becomes commonplace. The excitement of just barely nailing a trick is gone, and its absence lessens any entertainment value. The purpose of the track disappears when all you’re looking for is the next hill to throw yourself over.
Importantly, Wild Ride's racing is its strongest quality. The hills and valleys of each track reward risky behaviour, and provide many opportunities to earn Nitro. Turns can come quickly, requiring swift thinking and a good knowledge of the road ahead. Even so, the track design seems lacking on a technical level. Arrow signs that warn of upcoming turns aren’t a physical presence in the world, and you can pass through them. Since these signs appear as barriers on the edge of the track, it’s discouraging when you just pass through one, often into the void. Some jumps can be just as painful, sending you out of bounds just for driving over them at normal speed. While you could chalk up these instances to unfamiliarity with the courses, the computer-controlled racers often make the same error. If the AI can’t properly drive these courses, I’d argue that some changes should have been made.
Offline, the game is as addictive as you allow it to be. If chasing scores and clearing the fastest time is everything to you, there's a healthy amount of potential for that. However, the game still only has so much to offer. While it boasts 24 tracks, each is just a different take on a core set of six. The game’s unlockables aren’t going to keep you coming back, as a successful run through the entirety of the World Tour nets you all the bikes and riders it has to offer. The computer-controlled opponents don't keep things interesting either, often bunching up against troublesome turns and never learning from their mistakes.
Online play is where Wild Ride comes alive, though. Knowing the ins and outs of each track is crucial when up against friends and the unknown. Skill is most important, and since you earn ATVs with maxed-out attributes early, there's no reason for non-competitive play. In my online races, I never dealt with issues of lag, or dropped players and races. Expect to do a bit of communicating to set up races with friends, though. Ongoing races aren’t visible as a lobby, and the host needs to back out to the matchmaking process to usher in other friends or contestants. Hardly the end of the world, but still a roadblock to quick play. Along with the races, the game has an online leaderboard that tracks players worldwide. While the leaderboard is simple and doesn’t track much beyond your wins, it remains useful.
One peripheral part of the game I found not to my tastes was the soundtrack. All the music is performed by a single band (Swift Justice and the Hired Goons) and appears to be of the punk rock variety. While it would be unfair of me to say this is “bad” music, I found it repetitive, and eventually turned it off altogether.
ATV Wild Ride 3D is a nice change of pace from the other racers available on the 3DS. It places an emphasis on player skill and knowledge, and provides a playing field balanced to encourage learning. Its rough edges occasionally create a wilder experience than intended, but in the face of these blemishes, the game still stands as a worthwhile experience.
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TalkBack / Strategic Writing: An Interview with Casey Loe on the Life and Times of Strategy Guides
« on: March 06, 2013, 11:07:10 AM »A chat with the man who made getting Biggoron's Sword a whole lot easier.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/interview/33491
As long as there are games, there'll be folks needing help. No shame in that, none at all.
We haven't quite mastered the art of the perfect game (though some have come close). Until we do, folks like Casey Loe exist to serve as a guiding light.
Loe is a Renaissance man of video games. He served as a writer at GameFan Magazine and Nintendo Power, worked for 8-4, Ltd. as a translator for entries in Namco Bandai's Tales series, and currently co-hosts Warning! A Huge Podcast alongside Shidoshi and Nick Rox (both former writers at GameFan Magazine). But the body of work that interests me most is his strategy guide writing. He's helped thousands with his guides, be it making the most out of your herbs in Resident Evil 2, or making your PAL card key hot in Metal Gear Solid.
But there's still a lot we don't know about this side of the industry. So naturally, we looked to Loe for some insight.
Casey Loe (pictured above) has written a wealth of strategy guides, including Final Fantasy VII, Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, Devil May Cry, Shenmue, and Super Mario Sunshine.
Nintendo World Report (NWR): Where did your interest in strategy guides begin?
Casey Loe (CL): Do you remember that book that had maps and strategies for all the early NES games, which at one point was a pack-in with the NES itself? I couldn't afford an NES, but I borrowed that book from a friend and would read it almost daily, fantasizing about playing those games. Pretty pathetic, I know. Years later, my first strategy guide was the one that came packed in with Phantasy Star II, which I liked but found incomplete. So I made my own Phantasy Star II strategy guide, xeroxed it, and sold it for $2 over pre-Internet online services like Prodigy and CompuServe.
NWR: What was your big break into the industry?
CL: When I was a writer at GameFan Magazine, an editor named Matthew Taylor pitched the idea of publishing strategy guides. He ended up writing one for Mortal Kombat III, I think, and it sold way better than anyone expected. But when our bosses wouldn't give him a cut of the profits, he quit to start Versus Books. Final Fantasy VII had just come out in Japan and I was fanatical about it, so we agreed that I'd write and design an FFVII strategy guide as the company's first book. It was a huge hit, and I ended up being the company's main in-house writer until it collapsed several years later.
NWR: By the time the guide is complete, how many times have you played through the game?
CL: It depends. Ideally just twice—once as a normal player, to get a feel for the scope of the game and what sorts of coverage would be useful, and then once more to grab the screenshots and write all the data. (That second pass can take hundreds of hours as you have to test basically every possible thing you can do in the game and play each section multiple times, so it sort of counts as multiple playthroughs.) If the budget allows for multiple writers, the second person usually plays through it a lot more than that in order to find secrets and test theories and stuff.
NWR: Are you able to enjoy a game you're writing a guide for, or does the work behind the process make it far too difficult?
CL: Writing a strategy guide is a great way to destroy one's enjoyment of a game, but I've encountered a few games that were so good I'm still able to enjoy them: Final Fantasy VII and the Zelda games come to mind. I wasn't so lucky with Pokémon—even glancing at art from those games gives me PTSD flashbacks.
NWR: What kind of relationship do you have with the developer of the game? Are there ever occurrences where you can provide suggestions for the localized version?
CL: This varies dramatically. Some developers want to be deeply involved, others want nothing to do with the process. Typically, the more involved they want to be, the more of a nightmare it is for us—developers can be hypersensitive about the way their work is presented. On the other hand, when a game is good and you get to be one of the first people to play it, the developers can be very eager to hear feedback and may make balance tweaks or remove exploits based on what we find. My best experience working with a developer was Gearbox, on the Borderlands guide—nearly everyone on the development team contributed little tips and tricks and easter eggs and was really passionate about the book being good.
The worst experiences usually involve Japanese developers. In Japan, most major games release with an "Adventure Guide" that only covers the first half or so of the game, and then the real strategy guide comes out a month or two later. Not understanding that that business model doesn't work in the West, the developers often embargo discussion of certain content until long after the game's release—so if you ever see a strategy guide that has glaring omissions like not covering the game's final section or post-game content, that's probably the reason.
NWR: A lot of your work is done with Japanese-developed games. Is that lead time between its native release and the Western release all you have to write the guide?
CL: Usually, yes. But if the game is a simultaneous or near-simultaneous release the publisher will usually find a way to get you earlier access.
NWR: Is there ever concern that things may be changed in the localized version, or is your work based off that version of the game?
CL: This happens all the time! Fortunately, it's mostly just minor text changes as the game goes through the editing process, but we've had cases where some element of the game's on-screen interface changed and the developer insisted we re-grab every screenshot in the entire guide because of it. Ugh.
NWR: When it comes to writing the guide, how do you manage to be so thorough? Are you in contact with the developer or publisher to ensure you have everything covered?
CL: This varies a lot too. If the game's out in Japan, we may be able to refer to Japanese strategy guides or at least Japanese fan-made strategy wikis. If it's not, we try to get design documents from the developers, which works out sometimes but are harder to get than you'd think. It's really surprising how often developers don't even have basic data like an updated list of all the items or enemies they put into their game! (Or at least, that's what they tell us.) When worst comes to worst, we just have to throw a bunch of guys at the project, desperately scouring the game for data.
The Warning! A Huge Podcast logo, created by Hori-Pooh and Nick Rox, featuring Casey Loe in the center.
NWR: What do you feel is the difference between your work and the guides that appear on sites like GameFAQs?
CL: There are a lot of advantages to a printed strategy guide. It's out there with complete information on the day the game ships, it has photographs and maps and illustrations in addition to text, and in most cases the content has been reviewed by the developer to make sure it's accurate. And to me, there's a big difference between flipping through a book on your lap as you play a game and doing keyword searches on a FAQ on your laptop—but I might just be old-fashioned that way.
NWR: An interesting term I heard to describe the guides you've written is "conversational." Is this important to you, having a less rigid set of instructions?
CL: That's very important to me. I don't want to be some jerk telling the reader what to do, I want to be their friend on the sofa who's already played through the game and is happy to have someone to share the experience with. That means explaining to the player what their options are, giving my personal opinions about those options, getting a little excited when they get a new item or ability that's legitimately useful, and commiserating with them when the game gets difficult or annoying. (And of course, trying to avoid spoilers.) I hate it when guides are written in an emotionless and authoritarian voice. Why would anyone want to share their leisure time with someone like that?
NWR: Are there any genres you would flat out refuse to write? Any examples of games you've turned down?
CL: I usually turn down books that are focused on competitive multiplayer, since I don't enjoy that type of game and don't think I understand what that audience wants to hear. If I could, I'd turn down all the multiplayer-focused games, since the logistics of getting a large group together to play it regularly are daunting, and the writer always ends up looking like an idiot when the developer rebalances the game while the book is at the printer. But since no one else wants to do those books either, sometimes we all have to take one for the team.
NWR: What has been the easiest and hardest guide to write?
CL: Pokémon books claim both these prizes, I think. Major Pokémon releases are excruciatingly difficult to do, even when all the information is already out there in Japan, because the games are designed for hundreds of hours of play, and there are two versions of each game, and they're full of extremely random events. Wasting an entire day running back and forth through grass to find a Pokémon who may or may not appear 1% of the time feels absolutely awful. Everything Pokémon related also goes through an extremely stringent licensor review process that can be infuriating. I still have a page from the first Nintendo Power Pokémon book I wrote displayed on my refrigerator that is so covered in editor corrections and licensor-mandated cuts that it looks like a redacted CIA document.
But once you get through that first Pokémon book, there's the more detailed Pokédex (which the licensor doesn't allow publishers to release until a few months after the game's release), the Colosseum spin-offs, the third game in the generation that changes almost nothing... Those are so easy to write that they almost make the first games worth doing.
NWR: Based on your work on Pokémon games, is it required of you to 'catch 'em all' for the sake of the guide?
CL: Yeah, usually someone on the team has to. Fortunately, at Versus Books I was able to rely on production assistants who have no other duties but to play the game constantly, and when I did books for Nintendo Power we had access to game testers who had already 100%-ed the game for other reasons.
NWR: Your guides have tended to be of the "unofficial" variety (i.e. not published directly by Nintendo, Square Enix, etc.). What are the benefits and drawbacks of these types of guides versus the official ones?
CL: You might be confusing two issues here... I haven't done an unofficial guide in over 15 years (and neither has anyone else, as far as I'm aware). Virtually all strategy guides on the market are official now—the guide publisher pays the game publisher a royalty to use their name and logo, and in most cases the game publisher provides access to the game and reviews the book's content. When Versus Books got started, we'd write unofficial books based on the import or arcade versions of a game, and then make up a fake logo, hire someone to draw cover art that was evocative of the game but not from the game, and sell it out without permission from anyone. This was a legal gray area, and we did end up getting sued over the Final Fantasy VII book. I don't know if the legal issues regarding unofficial books were ever definitively settled, but it was a shaky way to do business, so I don't think any major publisher does unofficial books these days.
If by "unofficial" you just mean not published directly by the game publisher, I think Nintendo was the only company who ever actually published their own strategy guides. (And they stopped when they sold off Nintendo Power—putting me out of a job, as I was doing a lot of their books at that time). Working at the company that's making the game is great because you get better access to the game and assets, but not so great because you have to follow very strict rules and a very rigorous review process.
NWR: What Nintendo Power guides have you written?
CL: I did Metroid Prime Hunters, New Super Mario Bros., Final Fantasy IV Advance, and a ton of Pokémon books that all blur together.
NWR:What are the differences between writing a Nintendo Power guide compared to Versus?
CL: Versus Books, especially at the beginning, was me working at home in a bathrobe at 2 am, doing everything from writing to shot-grabbing to layout myself, and doing pretty much whatever I wanted with the projects. Working at Nintendo Power involved me putting on pants (the horror), commuting an office from 9 to 5, working with a team of professional designers and editors, and having to get everything approved by multiple layers of Nintendo bureaucracy. It was a very different world.
NWR: Where do you feel the strategy guide market stands now? Can it compete against online resources? Where should it go to remain a viable product?
CL: There's no doubt that the growth of online resources have done heavy damage to the strategy guide industry. Only the top tier of games get strategy guides now, and only one guide per game—not like the olden days when four companies could do a Dino Crisis guide and all make money at it. We've forever lost the segment of consumers who used to habitually buy a book with their game just in case they got stuck, or just for the little section of secrets in the back. We'll never get them back—if you're looking for a few specific pieces of information, there's no way a $20 book can compete with a free Google search. Now, there are still plenty of people who want to use a book more actively as they play, and I think we're still doing well with that audience; I don't know of any advertising-supported online sources that are putting thousands of dollars into each game to make maps and take high-res images and hire multiple professional writers to spend months writing their content.
I think the only way to grow the industry is to tap into a new market of people who are looking for a companion piece to a game that meant a lot to them, and I think we can appeal to this audience with features like concept art galleries, better design, developer interviews, that sort of thing. The recent rise in hardcover collector's editions is the industry's attempt to win over these people, and some of these books really are great. But others aren't—when sales are declining, it's hard for publishers to justify raising their budgets in order to do better quality work, but I think that's what needs to happen.
63
TalkBack / Re: WayForward Employees Leave to Form Yacht Club Games
« on: March 06, 2013, 10:28:57 AM »What's going to happen to WayForward?
I wouldn't worry. Yacht Club Games has made efforts to point out what games they have produced, and there are notable absences. Just speculation of course, but there's no mention of Mighty Switch Force or Flip Champs, Adventure Time and Aliens Infestation. They may have been deliberate omissions! but WF is likely still a very healthy studio.
64
TalkBack / UPDATED: WayForward Employees Leave to Form Yacht Club Games
« on: March 06, 2013, 09:59:35 AM »The A Boy and His Blob director has made a new home for himself. UPDATE: Studio confirms who made the jump from WayForward.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33499
UPDATE: Sean Velasco has informed us of the employees that compose Yacht Club Games; Ian Flood (lead/gameplay programmer), Lee McDole (lead/gameplay programmer), Erin Pellon (concept/illustration), Sean Velasco (designer/creative director), Nick Wozniak (technical art, animation) David D'Angelo (gameplay programmer).
As well, while they cannot confirm their upcoming announcement will release on the Wii U or 3DS, Velasco says the studio is "actively pursuing development on Nintendo Platforms!"
Several WayForward veterans have left the company to form a studio of their own under the name of Yacht Club Games.
The announcement came to us from Sean Velasco, a former-Designer/Director at WayForward. Velasco served as the director of games like A Boy and His Blob and Double Dragon Neon.
As stated on their website, Yacht Club Games' goal is to make "really awesome original games that fuse modern and retro sensibilities." Collectively, employees of the studio have worked on Contra 4, A Boy and His Blob, Double Dragon Neon, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Mighty Milky Way, Thor: God of Thunder, and Bloodrayne Betrayal.
While we wait for comment from the studio regarding its staff, we can confirm that Lee McDole, a lead programmer at WayForward, is an employee. Also, Ian Flood, Gameplay programmer at WayForward, is on board at Yacht Club Games.
Yacht Club Games will be making a product announcement in the coming days. While only speculation, the companies official Twitter account is following accounts for Android Developers, Steam (a PC video game digital distribution service), Apple iOS, Ouya (an Android-based home console), and Google Developers.
If interested, readers can visit http://yachtclubgames.com, friend them on Facebook, or follow them them on Twitter @YachtClubGames. Yacht Club Games will be at PAX East to meet fans and press.
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Podcast Discussion / Episode 75: Present Podcast of Melodic Offworlder
« on: March 02, 2013, 11:46:17 PM »The Connectibites get into the groove of Runner 2.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/connectivity/33479
Stay awhile and listen, to this week's episode of Connectivity. Settle down around our nice digital fire and indulge your ears in two wonderful segments. First off, Scott & Zach go through some listener mail and answer your questions. They talk about gaming in the hospital, the lack of a "killer app" for Wii U, and more.
In the other half of the show, Tyler joins Scott & Zach for some in-depth discussion of Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien.
Stick around after the show for a bonus segment where Scott gets more delicious information fromthe brain of NWR's resident rocket scientist, Jonny Metts.
Please don't forget to rate and review our show on iTunes, and please fill our mailbag up by submitting your questions and thoughts here.
66
TalkBack / Runner 2 Patch Racing, Kicking, Jumping To Wii U; Brings Leaderboard and Online Fixes
« on: March 01, 2013, 06:16:39 PM »As for those nasty lockups Gaijin Games is working on it.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33474
A patch for BIT.TRIP Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien is in the works, Gaijin Games' Alex Neuse announced.
The patch does the following:
-Makes it so the game does not appear to hang on the screen where it asks if you'd like to log in.
-Leaderboards will now only save with your highest score (not your most recent).
-Fixes false score reporting for in-game rewards.
-If an Internet connection is lost during play, players can reconnect under the leaderboards menu.
-Fixes an issue in the settings menu that resets your settings when you enter the menu.
-The mini-leaderboard at the beginning of the race will no longer falsely display an offline message.
Neuse says that the studio is attempting to fix the system lockups players are experiencing when shutting off the console during play, or attempting to exit the game via the Home button. However, these issues did not occur in their development consoles, so this is likely an issue affecting retail Wii U units.
There is no schedule given as to when the patch will arrive.
67
TalkBack / Re: Must Be This Japanese to Play: Renegade Kid, Gaijin Games, Shin'en, and More Speak Out on Publis
« on: March 01, 2013, 07:47:10 AM »The title of this article sounded really exciting, but with the possible exception of Watsham none of these developers seem to really care about the topic, lol. They certainly don't seem to be 'speaking out'.
Regardless if the content "excites" you or not, these are voices that need to be heard. The answers may seem not bothered by the regulation, but it doesn't make this work any less important.
Jools Watsham may seem like the only outlier, but his point on profit sharing is very poignant. These are indie devs, and every penny counts. Sharing the profits is a huge gamble, and many publishers want their risk rewarded before anyone else's.
If you oppose the term 'speak out', I don't see the negative connotation. One can speak out as a supporter or critic.
68
TalkBack / Must Be This Japanese to Play: Renegade Kid, Gaijin Games, Shin'en, and More Speak Out on Publishing in Japan's eShop
« on: March 01, 2013, 07:04:41 AM »The process to bring a Western game to Japan is harder than you think.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/feature/33467
In light of the news that a release on the Japanese eShop requires the publisher to be owned by a Japanese majority, we reached out to several independent developers to learn how they feel about the regulation.
Shin'en, whose deal with Arc System Works brought about this news, is positive on the matter. Soon they'll see Nano Assault Neo reaching Japan's eShop. "We already published a few other titles in Japan before," says Shin'en's Manfred Linzner, "and don't see it as a problem. If your title is interesting enough then you won't have problems finding a Japanese publisher. We already got a few calls from different Japanese publishers in the past."
While certainly a rewarding affair for Shin'en, Jools Watsham of Renegade Kid doesn't view the regulation as kindly. With North America and Europe not placing the same regulations on its publishers, Watsham is unclear why Nintendo is doing so in Japan.
"Unless you own a Japanese company, you are required to partner with a Japanese company," Watsham tells us. "This results in shared royalties, which is not ideal. Not all developers are willing to go through the hassle of releasing their games in Japan, which reduces the number of games available in that market." Not only does he see this affecting Renegade Kid, Watsham sees the rule as a loss for Japanese gamers. He and those at Renegade Kid are in talks with a publisher to bring their work to Japan.
As far as profits being shared with a publisher, Alex Neuse and Mike Roush of Gaijin Games agree with Watsham, "Depending on sales forecasts, we can see how it might decrease interest in publishing in Japan. For instance, if you didn't think you had a product that would perform well in that market, it might not be as attractive, since as a developer, you'll likely have to work with a publisher, and share some portion of your revenue."
However. Neuse and Roush don't question NCL's decision to regulate what can be sold in Japan, "Our opinion on the rule you talk about is honestly moot. We have no desire to tell others how to do their business, and if they require 51% of publisher's stocks to be Japanese owned, we'll work around that if we want to release in Japan; and will find a publisher who meets that criteria. Do we wish we could self-publish in Japan? Certainly. But we trust that they have their reasons for the above rule, and we will do our best to get our games to eager Japanese fans, whatever it takes." Neuse and Roush state that finding a publisher, no matter the region, is always the same, Gaijin Games seeks out a publisher "who believes in your product and will work together to make your Japanese release the best it can be." Gaijin Games is currently carrying out this process for BIT.TRIP Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien.
As hot a topic as this has become, others aren't concerned at all. Based on the difficulties of localizing Little Inferno, Tomorrow Corporation's Kyle Gabler doesn't intend to release the game in Japan. "I'd be curious why the rule is in place," Gabler tells us, "but don't otherwise have any other opinion about it!"
While not yet released, Two Tribes remains open to the idea of bringing Toki Tori 2 to Japan, "...I think Toki Tori 2 is interesting for the Japanese market," says Shan Poon,"but as I said before we have to find a good publisher first."
Opinions have an interesting range regarding the matter, but more often than not, these independent developers still want as many people to play their games as possible.
If Shin'en's experience with Arc System Works is any indicator, the right publisher can work wonders for your Japanese eShop release. "For us," says Linzner, "it was no obstacle at all. The guys at Arc Systems are real pros and it took us only a few days to create the Japanese version. They translated the text assets and manuals and we did the rest. We got through Nintendo Japan lotcheck quickly and got a release date one week after approval. We plan to bring all of our future WiiU and perhaps even some more 3DS eShop titles to Japan."
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TalkBack / Japan's eShop Requires Publishers Be Owned by Japanese Majority
« on: February 28, 2013, 01:36:07 PM »Find out what's preventing your favourite eShop games from making their way to Japan.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33465
NCL requires publishers of 3DS and Wii U eShop titles to be majority owned by Japanese stockholders.
The news comes from Siliconera's report of Nano Assault Neo being published in Japan by Arc System Works (the studio behind the BlazBlu and Guilty Gear series).
This regulation means many independent studios must find publishing deals with Japanese studios to put their game on that country's eShop.
In speaking with Renegade Kid's Jools Watsham, we can confirm that this report is accurate, and that the studio is in talks with a publisher to release the studio's work in Japan.
Nano Assault Neo marks the first download only title to appear on Japan's Wii U eShop.
We've reached out to several independent developers for their opinion on the matter. We'll report our findings soon.
70
TalkBack / Wii U Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate Patch to Add Off-TV Play, Cross-Region Online Multiplayer
« on: February 28, 2013, 01:13:23 PM »These additions, plus free downloadable quests, coming in April.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33463
The Wii U version of Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate will receive a patch in April that adds Off-TV play and cross-region online multiplayer to the game. The game, originally announced to be region-locked in multiplayer, will now allow players in Europe and North America to hunt together.
Capcom also announced that the game will be supported for several months after its release with a series of free downloadable quests. The game will release in North America March 19, followed shortly by a European release on March 22.
71
TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - February 28, 2013
« on: February 28, 2013, 11:25:39 AM »Bit.Trip Presents...Downloads2: Mirror Fate of Retro Rampaging.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33455
Pretty big turnout for this Downloads party I'm throwing. Coaster Creator 3D is over there in the corner, chatting it up and NOT using a coaster on my new oak table! You'd THINK he'd know better. Easter Eggztravaganza and Mahjong Mysteries - Ancient Athena were unexpected guests, but they're welcome nonetheless. Oh... oh my god. I can't believe who just walked in. Bit.Trip Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien and Retro City Rampage JUST showed up. They're super late, but I can't believe they're actually here! Good thing I busted out the good Doritos for such an occasion.
3DS eShop Demos:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
3DS eShop Sales:
Fractured Soul - $7.99
Wii U eShop Games:
BIT.TRIP Presents...Runner2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien - $14.99
While other Bit.Trip titles arrived after Runner's 2010 WiiWare release, it still felt like an excruciating wait to once again guide Commander Video through these rhythm-injected obstacle courses. If you're not familiar with the game, it's an auto-scrolling platformer where players input commands and prevent Commander Video from goofing up and starting over. Players jump pits, slide under obstacles, and karate kick through barriers. Grabbing stacks of gold increase your score, which can then be compared against your Wii U friends on the game's leaderboards. How good is it? Our own Neal Ronaghan thinks it's 10 out of 10 good, so yeah, it's probably worth your time.
3DS eShop Games:
I hope you came here wanting to know me better, because I'm going to spill. I don't trust man-made structures. I hate buildings, I hate stairs, I sometimes think my bed will fall through the floor. Most of all, I hate roller coasters. Why does Johnny Coastermaker care if I live or die? Coaster Creator 3D let's me breathe a little easier. I'm only dealing with virtual lives, and once my coasted is complete, I can "ride" it from the comfort of my couch. Plus, I can have Miis mill about my theme park, so I can surround myself with friends. It's all very comforting. I'm still not over that bed thing, though.
Mahjong Mysteries - Ancient Athena - $4.99
David, a famous adventurer, needs YOUR help! He's out to solve the mysteries of the Gods of Olympus and needs some assistance. Well, don't get ahead of yourself. All the adventuring stuff he can handle on his own, he's famous for a reason. No, what he needs from you is help with all these mahjong puzzles he's brought along. I assume his interest in them doesn't mean he's any good. So match some tiles and help David on his epic journey!
DSiWare:
Easter Eggztravaganza - 500 Points / $4.99
There's no law that states "Citizens may only experience the raw thrills of Easter ONCE a year." If there was, I'd want no part of this country anymore, Mr. Easter Scrooge. If you're with me on this, than Easter Eggztravaganza might be for you. Join Sally and Mike on their Easter festivities, and partake in games of spot the difference, jigsaws, hidden object hunts, and more! It just may be eggzactly what you need.
WiiWare:
Retro City Rampage - 1000 Wii Points
This has been a long time coming, folks. Originally started as an NES remake of Grand Theft Auto 3 in 2002, Retro City Rampage is 11 years of work. Take control of The Player as he travels through time to the always-mysterious 20XX. From there, it's homage city as you explore an entire city in this throwback to the days of the NES and the pop culture that surrounded it. Owners of the Wii version also gain access to ROM City Rampage, a version of the main game crafted around the limitations of the NES. Get ready for some flicker.
72
TalkBack / ATV Wild Ride 3D Hitting the 3DS eShop March 5
« on: February 28, 2013, 10:27:43 AM »Renegade Kid sure loves its mud.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33458
The 3DS eShop gets its quad on next week, as Renegade Kid's ATV Wild Ride 3D has been dated for March 5. The arcade styled racer will arrive in North America with a price tag of $7.99.
Originally released as a retail game for the DS, ATV Wild Ride 3D is a remake for the 3DS eShop. The game packs 24 tracks spread across the world, from Canada to Russia. As players make their way around the course, tricks can be performed to earn nitro for some extra speed. Multiplayer is available both online and local.
This marks Renegade Kid's fourth 3DS eShop title. The developer has Mutant Mudds Deluxe coming to the Wii U eShop later this year, with a sequel to Mutant Mudds scheduled to hit the 3DS eShop in 2014.
73
TalkBack / Canadians Snap Up 35,700 Wii Minis Since Launch
« on: February 27, 2013, 11:57:06 AM »Will Wii Mini become the next Canadian staple? Move over, Alanis Morissette!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33451
From its launch through to January 31st, the Wii Mini has sold 35,700 units across Canada.
The information comes from Nintendo of Canada's Communications Manager, Matt Ryan.
When asked of Nintendo of Canada's opinion regarding the reception, Ryan stated that the "Canadian market has reacted positively to the great value the system has to offer, and we are seeing this reflected in the sales numbers."
The Wii Mini released on Canadian store shelves on December 7 of last year, and carried an MSRP of $99.99. It has been announced for release in Europe next month. Ryan went on to say that the sales numbers in Canada play no role in another regions decision to release the console.
The Wii Mini is a redesign of the Wii console, and lacks backwards compatibility with GameCube titles and peripherals, SD card support, and online connectivity.
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TalkBack / LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes Coming to Wii U, GamePad Exclusive Features
« on: February 26, 2013, 03:17:59 PM »Last years LEGO title rebuilt for Wii U, brick by brick.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33444
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes will be brought to the Wii U this Spring, announced Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
New to the Wii U version is the ability to play offline co-op without the split-screen presentation found in last June's versions; one player can use the TV while the other enjoys the game of the GamePad. Off-TV play is also supported, and the GamePad's touch screen shows a map of Gotham City and allows players to choose which DC Super Heroes compose their team.
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes let's players loose in a LEGO version of Batman's Gotham City. The entire city is at your fingertips, but that only means the Joker and a cadre of villains could strike anywhere. With the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern at your disposal. Batman will have just the help he needs.
If it's more LEGO action you crave, Nintendo is releasing LEGO City Undercover for the Wii U on March 18, and its 3DS prequel arrives April 21.
75
TalkBack / Nintendo Downloads - February 21, 2013
« on: February 21, 2013, 11:26:49 AM »This batch of downloads is full of Jaggies!
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33386
So maybe you missed out on Monster Hunter Tri on the Wii. That's fine, we cool. But there's no excuse for missing out on this week's double dose of Monster Hunter loving. With a 3DS and Wii U demo for March's Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, now is your chance to find out what causes riots to break out in Japan. Keeping this demo train going is Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed for the 3DS. Also this week, F-Zero is only 30¢ as part of the Famicom 30th Anniversary Wii U (inhale) Virtual Console Sneak Peek Sale-abration. If you're into handhelds, Viking Invasion 2 is available on the 3DS eShop, and Picdun makes its return to DSiWare with Picdun 2: Witch's Curse.
Wii U eShop Demos:
3DS eShop Demos:
Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed
Wii U Virtual Console:
Originally released as a SNES launch title in 1991, F-Zero is a high-speed, futuristic racer known for punishing difficulty and its heavy use of Mode 7. F-Zero also boasted its own unique set of rules; race placement was important, but so was survival. Each vehicle has a power meter that depletes upon making contact with the track's walls or other racers. When the power meter is gone, so is your chance at winning. Boasting 15 tracks and four selectable vehicles, F-Zero is a fun trip down memory lane for only 30¢, but hurry, the offer only lasts until March 21.
3DS eShop Games:
Viking Invasion 2 - Tower Defense - $7.99
"The Vikings are coming! The Vikings are coming," you shout to your fellow villagers. "They're coming down the river! Defy all odds and build three archery towers before they get here!" You know this fight all too well, in fact, it wasn't too long ago you took the life of many a viking during the DSiWare War of 2009. You're certainly well versed in the art of defending one's land with towers, but the vikings have some new tricks up their wolf-fur sleeves. Perhaps even a god wishes to rain destruction on you!
3DS Virtual Console:
Originally released for the NES in 1992, Yoshi is a match-two puzzler from the fine folks at Game Freak (who went on to create the less-popular Pokémon series of games). Enemies like Bloopers, Goombas, and Boos fall from the top of the screen, creating mish mash of Mario nightmare fuel at the bottom. Don't forget, this was an Ambassador title, so watch out for the free update.
DSiWare games:
Picdun 2: Witch's Curse - $4.99
Dungeons don't have to be as dark and dreary as you'd expect. Sure, Picdun 2's dungeons are still places you wouldn't want to go, but at least there's some creativity going on in their design! A concept brought to life in Go Series! Picdun, players explore the many layers of a dungeon, looking for an exit. As they travel, the game auto maps their travels, and a picture is slowly revealed. Explore every square inch of the dungeon to discover what the disturbing architects have crafted for you. As you explore, monsters will attempt to kill you, so be quick with the stylus and swipe them to death.
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