Show Posts

News:

Profile Info

This section allows you to view all posts made by this member. Note that you can only see posts made in areas you currently have access to.

Messages - Kikori

Pages: [1] 2 3 4

Podcast Discussion / Episode 24: NAGOSHI MEETS PUNKS

« on: May 29, 2013, 07:41:34 AM »

Are you locked and loaded for a three hour Famicast? We sure are!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/34350

The magical journey of everything Japanese continues as we are nearing 25 podcasts! None of the numbers matter this month, as three duders in Japan and one guy in Europe (We totally blank on his name!) bring a three hour extreme-a-thon!

We kick off the show with an hour long New Business extravaganza and everything begins, as usual, with the overlord sir, almightly Danny. He has not been playing extremely much this month and mostly did his gaming on the go! Danny starts talking about the baseball game Moero! Pro Yakyū (Bases Loaded) on the Famicom. Does it hold up to the standards of Arc System Works' Arc Style: Baseball!! 3D? Next, he tells us about his adventures with the original Sonic the Hedgehog. SEGA's reprint program launched a 3D version of title... and it is surprisingly fun!

Then the loveable Minoru steps into the fray and talks about his endeavours with From Software titles. He continues his playthrough of Dark Souls and tell us various nuggets from the game. Daan played, as usual, a whole bunch of stuff, which he takes some time to talk about. He kicks things off with more talk of Project X Zone, considering the demo came out last week in Europe. He compares both versions of the titles and he finds himself going through the Japanese version once again! Elsewhere, he is playing Donkey Kong Country Returns, which he certainly gushes about and makes the other members very excited. He ends it all on a bit of a downer, as he didn't think too highly of The Starship Damrey. Why? Just go and listen, okay? Everything will be explained in due course.

Ty closes New Business off with a selection of non-Nintendo releases, because that is how he rolls. He talks about Super Meat Boy, which he finally got around to playing more. He is making some good progress, but has he been enjoying himself? Of course he has! This is also the case with Saints Row The Third, which he got with his new collection of Xbox 360 games. Then he goes off the beating path and talks about Rock of Ages, which frankly not one of us has ever heard of! He ends it off with some fighting talk, because that is how he rolls (Wait, didn't we tell you this before?). He gives more updates from the world of Skullgirls and pumps us up for the latest entry in the Guilty Gear series. That isn't exactly a thing he has played, but come on, give the guy a break!

After this madness, we head into the news bits that mattered this month. We start with the usual sales figures, talk more about the Virtual Console and talk seriously about the new Nintendo 3DS color. Fantasy Life Link, the expansion to the original game, also gets a discussion with all the stuff we know about it! Then it is time to talk CHOKUSETSU to you about the latest Nintendo Direct. Here are some heads-up spoilers: Minoru thinks that Nagoshi is a little punk. For the rest, we talk about more things SEGA and the announcements that are specific to those in Japan... somewhat.

The last two sections are short discussions, which we hope to see some reactions for in the talkback thread. We begin with E3 2013 and the upcoming Nintendo Direct, where details will be revealed about upcoming software. What do think will be shown and what plans does Nintendo have to do to bring the Wii U into more homes? The other discussion is all about the Xbox One reveal and it goes even beyond Daan's skepticism from a few episodes ago. We all know what you think of it, but what do these guys think about Microsoft's next baby? (They don't like it!)

The needs of the many, outweigh the needs of the few. This is why we went through all the struggle of getting this done and getting it more complete than usual. Go forth and enjoy this episode, because the next... is going to be rather different!

Don't forget to send any questions that are Japan related to famicast@nintendoworldreport.com or post on the "Questions for the NWR Japan Crew Thread."

Episode links

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D video
Guilty Gear Xrd Trailer
A Potential Implication of Sega Direct with Nagoshi (Mino's Editorial)

TalkBack / A Potential Implication of Sega Direct with Nagoshi

« on: May 19, 2013, 01:16:54 PM »

With Yakuza 1 & 2 HD hitting Wii U in Japan, could the rest of the franchise follow?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/editorial/34244

The beginning of the Japanese Nintendo Direct on May 17 was quite a surprise. It began with the good old “Seeeeegaaaaaaa” voice as it started out unexpectedly labeled as “Sega Direct,” with the special guest Toshihiro Nagoshi, a Sega CCO. Nagoshi may be best known as the producer of the Super Monkey Ball series, but in Japan he has been the icon and the producer of the Yakuza franchise (Note that real Yakuza executives don’t dress themselves like him; rather they always wear dark suits like Iwata, or a better example may be Yamauchi, nicknamed “Kumicho” (Yakuza Boss) by Japanese gamers). On top of a few other Sega titles, what occupied the majority of the “Sega Direct” segment was Yakuza 1 & 2 HD for Wii U. They showed a new trailer and did a short “Iwata Asks” style interview for several minutes.

This announcement appears to have drawn cool reactions from gamers online. It is true that Yakuza is a pretty big franchise—at least in Japan—selling more than 6,000,000 copies worldwide. But Yakuza 1 & 2 are originally PS2 titles, and their HD remaster was already released for the PS3 last year. Why did Nintendo make a fuss over the game? Let us look at this news from another perspective.

The release of a Yakuza title, whatever it is, is also a surprise from a Sony gamers’ perspective, as well as a Nintendo gamers’. Yakuza has been PlayStation exclusive throughout its history. Sega made as many as 10 titles (including an HD remaster and 2 portable titles) since the franchise's start in 2005, and all only for Sony platforms. Given that this franchise ostensibly targets adult gamers, it was totally unexpected that it is going to come to a Nintendo platform.

Yakuza 1 & 2 HD for Wii U reminds me of a specific Japan-exclusive Wii title: Monster Hunter G. Like the first two Yakuza games Monster Hunter G was also originally released for PS2, and was ported to a Nintendo console more than 4 years later (in this case, Monster Hunter G was ported to the Nintendo Wii). At that time, Monster Hunter was already huge and PS exclusive, which is somewhat similar to what Yakuza is now. Monster Hunter G sold well for a 4-year-old PS2 port, and more importantly, it served to introduce this series to Nintendo gamers, paving the way for releasing Monster Hunter 3, which is by far the best selling third party title on Wii in Japan. At that time the Monster Hunter Freedom series for PSP was more popular, but since Nintendo and Capcom announced Monster Hunter 3G for the 3DS the Monster Hunter franchise has been no longer a series for PlayStation; now it flourishes mainly on Nintendo platforms in Japan, and recently in the West.

Obviously, whether the announcement of Yakuza 1 & 2 HD for Wii U means a similar platform transition process depends on if the next Yakuza is Nintendo platform exclusive. I think it is not unlikely. At the end of Sega Direct Iwata said to Nagoshi, “I hope I’ll see you in Iwata Asks next time.” The Iwata Asks interviews cover only Nintendo platform exclusive titles (the only exception is E.X. Troopers, which is on 3DS and PS3, and is a new IP, not a franchise long established on PS platforms). “Yes, I’m looking forward to it,” replied Nagoshi.

Podcast Discussion / Episode 23: GAME CAT

« on: April 30, 2013, 06:55:33 AM »

A healthy dose of cats and vidya games come together nicely to create the latest episode of the Famicast.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/34061

Brace yourselves for another monthly dose of the Famicast! As usual, the guys have been playing a healthy array of games across all different platforms. But don’t worry! There’s definitely some Nintendo stuff sprinkled into the mix!

Minoru kicks off new business by sharing his love (?) of first person dungeon crawling RPGs and even talks about an old Playstation 1 classic from From Software (the guys that brought you Demon and Dark Souls). Next up, Ty tells us what’s going on in the world of fighting games in Japan and even discovers that there are at least a couple of gamers in Japan that like Mortal Kombat! Daan, who is always hip to the latest Nintendo releases, let’s us all know about Pokémon Rumble U, Tomodachi Collection and shares a little bit more about Game & Wario. That leaves Danny to wrap up new business with a sad tale regarding Dragon Quest VII which leads into much happier talk about The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX. 2D superiority, anyone?

News. There is tons and tons of Japan related news that happened over the month of April, and then of course, on top of that, the Nintendo Direct just added more glorious information to the pile. The guys break down and discuss things like NFC card usage for the Wii U and Pokémon Rumble U, Club Nintendo exclusive DSiWare games that you can’t even get on a DSi, upcoming exclusive Japanese 3DS titles, cats and more!

So grab small glass of warm sake, some dried squid, a cat and get ready to hear the latest from Japan!

Of course, send any and all questions Japan related to famicast@nintendoworldreport.com or post on the "Questions for the NWR Japan Crew Thread."

p.s. Be sure to check out the end of the episode for a special announcement regarding Famicast 25 from Danny!

Links for the episode:

Midwood2004 (Mortal Kombat character art and random Japanese fact site)
Nintendo Prepaid AR Card Video

TalkBack / New Etrian Odyssey Is Coming to Japan in June

« on: March 29, 2013, 10:17:17 AM »

New game is heavier on story and features voice acting.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33629

A new entry in the Etrian Odyssey series will be released as early as June, revealed Famitsu. Contrary to previous rumors, the game titled Shin Sekaiju no Meikyu: Millennium no Shojo (New Etrian Odyssey: The Girl of Millennium) is not a remake of the original Etrian Odyssey, though it is set in the same universe.

Based on the Famitsu article, the new game's mechanics are no different from Etrian Odyssey 4. Aside from the fact that kanji is now supported in notes and character names, it appears to have the same grid-based mapping scheme, turn-based battle system, character development system, and mission-and-quest structure of story progression. Also, the art style looks unchanged and the character designer (Yuji Himukai), the enemy designer (Makoto Nagasawa), and music composer (Yuzo Koshiro) are the same as those of Etrian Odyssey 4.

The most notable difference from the previous entries seems to be the introduction of personalities and stories for the party members, who are five young people as always. These elements will be introduced to provide a breath of fresh air for the series, whose concept is remaining unchanged, according to Shigeo Komori, the director of Etrian Odyssey II, III, and this latest entry in the series.

The story starts with the main character's encounter with an amnesiac girl in an unknown relic. They form your party with the other three members, who are met later. (Note: there is a possibly story-spoiling English sentence under the logo: "When calamity covers the city of Etria and the people cry in deep despair, a maiden crosses over a millennium and restores hope.") Unlike the previous entries, the party seems fixed, and each member has a unique personality, voice, default job (that can be changed later) and, accordingly, role in battle. There seems to be a lot of chatting among the party members along the way.

For those readers who have played Etrian Odyssey 4, the classes of the five members are as follows. There is a medic, the amnesiac girl will play a role similar to sniper, an alchemist in the rear row looks like an equivalent of a rune master, a paladin strongly resembles a fortress, and the main character uses a lance in the front row. Their jobs can be changed later.

New Etrian Odyssey: The Girl of Millennium is going to come out June 27 in Japan and will be priced at 6279 yen. No western release has been announced.

Podcast Discussion / Episode 22: NOMI-CLAP

« on: March 29, 2013, 07:00:36 AM »

There is no party like the ones filled with games!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/33648

While the Famicast comes closer and closer to a magic number, the four lovely folks continue their gaming quest and discuss the latest stuff!

Daan kicks New Business off with Monsters Come Out on Friday (Kaiju ga Deru Kinyōbi), which is the first game in the new Guild02 series of games. Surprisingly enough, the Dutchy doesn't seem too pleased with it. You will have to tune in to figure out why! He doesn't end on that sour tone though, as he talks about Mansion Percussion. Oh boy, someone is being a negative nancy around here. Luckily, it isn't all bad though, as he really enjoyed playing through Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate. Ty follows Daan up by talking about XCom: Enemy Unknown. Why? Because strategy games. He also talks briefly about Lollipop Chainsaw, which is he finds brilliant. Did you really expect anything else?

After that bombshell, Minoru brings more crazyness to the table with Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. Did he enjoy Platinum's take on this franchise or was it a bust in his eyes? At the very least, he makes some comparisons to Vanquish, which is the good stuff. Danny wraps it all up with more Dragon Quest VII, which he has been enjoying even more the past month. He also talks short about the Dragon Quest X beta, which has been nightmare to download for some. Finally, he wraps it up with the second game in the Guild02 series, which is Bugs vs. Tanks (Mushikera Sensha). Can Inafune's bug destroying game be any fun? Daan and him discuss the game quite deeply and it seems like they certainly got something out of it. For the full scoop, be sure to read Danny's impressions.

After the usual short break, the guys discuss various news bits from the past month. They talk about the usual Media Create Sales, which is followed up by digital retail games and a couple of new bundles. They are also discuss the Chotto Nintendo Direct conferences from March, which were all about Tomodachi Collection and Flipnote Studio 3D. We end the news off by talking about gashapons and a certain new Pokémon game, which we are sure has no impact what so ever. Really...honest.

The team ends the show with a feature topic and this time, it is all about Nomikai. These Japanese drinking parties may sound like a wild time, but that is because they are. These are possibly the most interesting work related information you will ever hear from Danny and Ty. Also, Daan uses Wikipedia and questions some stuff here and there. Always fun! So what are you waiting for? The party is just getting started!

TalkBack / Re: ZombiU Patch is Now Available in US, Coming Soon Everywhere Else

« on: March 27, 2013, 12:00:19 PM »

Hell ya!

TalkBack / Re: Japan's eShop Requires Publishers Be Owned by Japanese Majority

« on: February 28, 2013, 09:01:01 PM »

Ok guys, give me money to make a publisher.

Podcast Discussion / Episode 21: HOST FAIL

« on: February 27, 2013, 06:47:42 AM »

When PlayStation and Nintendo clash with one another, you get the 21st episode of favorite Pod from Japan... Something like that.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/33439

The Famicast train keeps on trucking as we move on to February and experience a slow month in games for once. That doesn't stop the crew though, as the full regular crew discusses some fun stuff.

Our overlord Danny kicks New Business off with Dragon Quest VII. The good sir has barely experienced Dragon Quest in the past, but goes knees deep in this new Nintendo 3DS remake. He talks about his experiences and wonders why he hasn't tried one before. Also, he talks about Layton chocolates, because that is a real thing in Japan. Ty got a motherload of English Xbox 360 games and the first game he sank some time into was Spec Ops: The Line. The game may sound like a generic first person shooter, but after talking about it, some of us certainly got interested in a copy. After that, the master of swag talks about the Japanese release of Skullgirls, which got him all kinds of excited! Finally, Ty wraps things up with some talk on Skulls of the Shulgon and discovers that it isn't quite so easy.

Minoru kicks in right after Ty and talks about a whole different kind of hard. He has been playing Demon's Souls, which has been released quite a while ago. He talks about the various aspects quite in-depth and explains what keeps him coming back for more. Daan finished the whole trainwreck off with the English release of Fire Emblem: Awakening. He gushes over the game once again and gives the game the strongest recommendation possible. It is truly something else! In terms of ''New'' Business though, the Dutch guy has been playing Culdcept for the 3DS and has been surprisingly enjoying it. With words like Monopoly boards, monsters and card games, he hopes to get some people excited and perhaps he will! You will just have to listen to find out!

After a short break, the crew goes through quite a lot of news and start things with the latest Media Create sales figures. Instead of gushing over the 3DS success, they have a brief discussion about the Wii U and what should be done to turn it around. Speaking of Nintendo, they talk about the recent Nintendo Direct conferences, which has been mostly 3DS focused. They talked about Luigi Special briefly, however more discussions are to follow with the third party Direct.

This Famicast goes into a big finale, as we talk about the PlayStation Meeting 2013. We go over the various announcements, our thoughts on the hardware and what we expect of it in the months to come. There is a whole chunk of Pod to enjoy, so we will shut up and let you listen. Fun drinking game: Take a shot every time Danny says something wrong!

TalkBack / Guild 02 Will Be eShop Exclusive in Japan

« on: February 21, 2013, 05:03:22 AM »

The next wave of unique games is coming.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33395

Guild 02, consisting of three games, will be exclusively released in the Nintendo 3DS eShop and sold separately, President Iwata reported in today’s Nintendo Direct. Guild 02 is the second installment of the Guild series, whose first installment, Guild 01, was originally as a retail package consisting of four games (and the demo of Time Travelers) in Japan. Later, all four games were released digitally on the eShop in there, while three of the four titles (minus Rental Bukiya de Omasse) were released in the West.

Uchusen Damrei-go (Spacecraft Damrei, originally called Alone), is a 3D first-person suspense adventure by Takemura Abiko and Kazuya Asano. The protagonist has amnesia, which is often the case with Japanese games, but this game goes even further. Just like the protagonist, you will know nothing at first. The game will start with no goal or control instructions given. Players will have to grope literally everything to get out of the ship.

Mushikera Sensha (Wormy Tank), which is reminiscent of the Earth Defence Force series and Tank! Tank! Tank!, is a survival panic action game being created by Keiji Inafune. Players will be put in control of tiny tanks and fight against insects to survive. Kaiju ga Deru Kinyōbi (Fridays Monsters Appear), by Kazu Ayabe, will simulate the life of a boy Sota, living in fictional 1970’s Japan where Monsters appear and an Ultraman-like hero battles with them.

Their release dates or prices for these titles have yet to be announced.

TalkBack / Shaun the Sheep Came to Japanese eShop

« on: February 21, 2013, 04:16:30 AM »

Nintendo starts to sell movies in eShop.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33392

Shaun the Sheep, an animation series which was broadcast in 3D via Nintendo Video on the Japanese 3DS, came to Japanese eShop after today’s Nintendo Direct. As of today, Volume 1 to 3, each of which contains 3 stories, are available, and in total, 5 volumes are planned to be released. Volume 1 is priced at 100 yen; other volumes are 200 yen each.

TalkBack / Valentine's Day in My Village

« on: February 16, 2013, 05:00:04 AM »

Animal Crossing has players experience their own stories, such as this one.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/blog/33352

As many of you know, Animal Crossing: New Leaf has special events on annual holidays, such as New Year’s Day, Christmas, etc. During these days, you’ll see something special occur in your village. This blog post shares a cool experience I had while playing the game.

Thursday was Valentine’s Day. In Japan, Valentine’s Day is celebrated quite differently from how it is in the West. It’s the day of chocolate and love, when females give confectionery to men they love (a custom some say was conspired by a sweets company decades ago). On that day, many Japanese guys are nervous in a unique way about whether they will get chocolate or not. Me? I didn't go out at all, aside from in my virtual village.

Looking forward to getting chocolate in my village, I started up Animal Crossing: New Leaf. It always begins with Shizue, a female shih tzu and my secretary, under the spotlight. On special days, she tells you about the events. This time, she announced that today is Valentine’s Day, so she made sweets for a special person. I was a little disappointed that seemingly I wasn’t that special person. My day broke; my mind ached. I went out in front of my house and saw a pop-up from the mail box, telling me that I had a letter. I got two letters, one from Mom, and one from Shizue, both of them in the form of parcels. What Mom sent me was something forgettable, while the attached letter was, as always, in the form of tanka (traditional Japanese poetry with a particular metrical structure). The letter ends with "Happy Valentine’s Day! From Mom." Just like Valentine’s Day presents from my real mother, this was embarrassing. The other present from Shizue was just what I wanted, a chocolate cake. Her letter said that she tried making a Valentine’s Day cake for her dear mayor, Minoru. Feeling so good, I went for a walk around my village with the cake.

To get chocolate from more gals, I deliberately spoke to female villagers. Since I had not played the game since February 3, which is another special annual occasion in Japan (Setsubun), they all said something along the lines of "Long time no see!" No matter how many times I talked to them, they did not give me chocolate, possibly because I am not intimate enough with them. Despite this, Jasmine, a polite yet pretty female cat, asked me if it was OK to come to my house. This was the first time a female character wanted to visit my house! God, my room isn’t well organized, nor does it have any particular theme! Anyway, I escorted her to my home.

Soon after I entered, I tried laying down on my bed; she ignored my come-on. Was that a little premature? Then I decided to talk with her first to build a rapport. She acted distant, commenting on my pieces of furniture one by one. Meanwhile, she said she wanted to see my other room on the second floor. I was hesitant since it only has a few pieces of purple furniture, which look kind of indecent. But I led her there, ascending the stairs. Again, she just commented on the interior, and sooner or later she said that she had to go. I stayed home; she went out, without leaving any chocolate.

After walking around a little bit and buying a Venetian-style leaf mask (which you can see in the image at the top), I stopped at my village’s café. I thought it would be nice to have Shizue’s chocolate cake along with a cup of coffee. I took a seat at the bar; the proprietor, Brewster, solemnly poured brown liquid into a cup and served it. It was not until I took a sip that I noticed it isn't the usual bitter coffee, but in fact sweet hot chocolate! Interrupting my surprise, Brewster said to me, "Happy … Valentine’s Day!", soothing my broken heart with the flavor of cocoa.

TalkBack / Another Nintendo Direct Coming to Japan Next Week

« on: February 14, 2013, 01:38:00 PM »

Nintendo's preemptive or counterattack against PS4?

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33305

An additional Japanese Nintendo Direct will take place next week, President Iwata announced at the end of today's Japanese Nintendo Direct.

The broadcast will focus on third-party 3DS games. The exact date and time will be announced via the official Nintendo twitter account. No broadcasts have been announced for other regions.

TalkBack / Re: Brain Age: Concentration Training - Day 2: My Working Memory is Unemployed

« on: February 05, 2013, 12:08:35 AM »

Yeah, I heard Osaka and Tokyo are the top 2 cities in terms of the pedestrians walking speed!

Podcast Discussion / Episode 20: JOURNEY TO JAPAN

« on: January 27, 2013, 08:16:14 PM »

Have you ever wanted to journey to the Land of the Rising Sun? The guys talk about that and more in this month's episode!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/33149

The new year has begun and that can only mean one thing: Brand new episodes from the Famicast crew for you to listen to. Minoru is back this month, which means the crew is jam packed once more, with four people maintaining the fort known as the Pod.

Ty opens New Business with more talk about UFO catchers and the really crazy prizes he won in all of those. He also went to Comiket, which is this fun convention in his area and he goes in-depth about the stuff he has seen there. Finally, we wraps up with some Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3. Why? Because fighting games. Minoru steps in the fray after Ty has said swag just a couple times more and talks to us about his experiences with ZombiU. Was it a fun experience for him or is he on other side of the spectrum? On his trusty 3D handheld though, he has been playing 3D Space Harrier, which is simply one of the best versions of the game. Together with Daan, they gush over the game like there is no tomorrow and find room to make Danny feel impressed.

Speaking of Daan, he is next as been playing some weird stuff here and there. He talks about the recent releases of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge and SiNG Party, which were released on his side of the world. He explains why the Japanese action game is fun, and why the western developed singing game makes him scratch his head. He also goes on another Arc System Works quest and plays their newest eShop releases: Blayzbloo and Kunio-Kun. Danny follows up the other D with some Xenoblade, as he discovers the full depth of the title. While Ty and Daan have given their short impressions of The Walking Dead in a previous episode, Danny talks a little bit about it on its own. It must be noted though that he played the iOS version, which is possibly the best way to play the game.

This month's Life in Japan segment tackles a topic that might be on some of your minds - coming to Japan. Matt Walker and James Charlton join Danny and Ty for the segment and talk about how they ended up coming to and living in the Land of the Rising Sun. These personal stories are by no means the definitive way to come to the country, but are definitely some avenues that interested parties can look into if they are serious about coming to Japan.

In the news, some more 3DS retail games came to Japan to populate the Nintendo eShop even more. We also talk about Professor Layton games and chocolates, which are some of the best things ever. All of this and more, on the first Famicast of 2013! Famicast a go-go, baby!

Links for the episode:
3D Space Harrier M2 Interview (Japanese)
A Game Developer's Take on Japan: The Myths and the Reality
Japanmanship: The Ultimate Guide to Working in Video Game Development in Japan
New Super Mario Bros. U – Synchronized Platforming

TalkBack / Two Zelda Titles Are Coming to Wii U

« on: January 23, 2013, 08:01:13 AM »

An HD remake of Wind Waker and a "brand-new" title are in development.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/33103

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker, originally released for the GameCube in 2002, is being developed for Wii U with HD graphics, announced Eiji Aonuma, the producer of recent Zelda titles, in today's Nintendo Direct on January 23. This HD version will support Off-TV Play and will receive tweaks to its gameplay. The game is scheduled to release fall 2013.

Also, a brand-new Zelda title is under development for Wii U and coming sometime after Wind Waker HD, Aonuma revealed. This time around, he decided not to go into detail. Instead, he suggested it will be quite different from previous titles, and made its development concepts clear: rethinking Zelda’s structure, such as having to make progress alongside a scenario, beating dungeons one by one in a predetermined order, and playing alone.

These are aimed at modernizing Zelda (i.e., remaking in the style that is attractive to current gamers). He confessed that they have tackled a similar challenge in the development of Skyward Sword, but could not change the linear structure.

TalkBack / Re: Cake Ninja 2 Review Mini

« on: December 31, 2012, 12:41:41 PM »

And you see lots of cakes in the Angry Bird clone again.

TalkBack / Re: Cake Ninja 2 Review Mini

« on: December 31, 2012, 12:34:50 PM »

There is an Angry Bird clone for 3DS. It's a retail game at 5040 yen ($58)!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ULzphRKItHg

Podcast Discussion / Re: Episode 316: Ninjabread Opus

« on: December 03, 2012, 07:15:34 AM »

Clarification: Warawara of Warawara Plaza and warawara used for trolling are etymologically unrelated. The latter comes from the root of the verb meaning "laugh".

TalkBack / Re: Iwata Apologizes for the Shortage of Animal Crossing

« on: December 01, 2012, 11:53:46 PM »

Or most casual gamers just don't know the existence of eShop...
To me it's weird that so many people wants a physical copy of Animal Crossing, which is perfect for digital purchase.

TalkBack / Re: Iwata Apologizes for the Shortage of Animal Crossing

« on: December 01, 2012, 08:14:52 PM »

Good point. Many people just don't know that.
Some others, like me, want a plastic download card as the only physical symbol of the game.
Besides, download cards are a little cheaper.

TalkBack / Iwata Apologizes for the Shortage of Animal Crossing

« on: December 01, 2012, 06:31:57 PM »

Special memory cards caused the short supply.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32665

It is not uncommon for Japanese companies to apologize for supply shortages of their hot-selling product (they sometimes even stop selling such a product), but it may be unprecedented to publish a movie where the president apologizes for it.

Nintendo recently issued a document and movie online that apologize and explain to customers the reason for the shortage of retail copies of Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which has been outselling every other game in Japan, including Call of Duty: Black Ops II, since it was released on November 8.

The document is pretty short and formulaic. After an apology, it briefly explains the reason for the shortage is that the game is selling more than they expected, and special memory cards used for the game are of small availability and cannot be resupplied soon. It concludes by asking customers wanting Animal Crossing to wait for a while.

The video, featuring Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata, is about nine minutes long and similar to a Nintendo Direct "Mini." Iwata, in his ordinary dark three-piece suit, speaks to the viewer (however, in this serious video, the polygonal head did not show up), explaining the situation in detail. As you may expect if you have played Animal Crossing on GameCube, New Leaf also requires a large save space for recording the data of houses and their interior and the entire village. For this reason, a retail copy of New Leaf, unlike all the other 3DS games, contains a memory chip called SLC-NAND, which enables the game to record a large amount of data quickly. SLC-NAND is not a major type of NAND and its supply is, therefore, limited. Nintendo arranged for SLC-NAND and its controller chip well in advance, but New Leaf has been selling much better than expected, making them in short supply even though Nintendo got them before the original appointed date. Iwata is afraid that this situation will not improve soon because it generally takes months to obtain newly ordered semiconductors and they cannot use memory, which would be otherwise used for other 3DS games (for the reason mentioned above).

In the latter half of the video, Iwata explains some ways to obtain a digital copy of New Leaf, including buying a download card (which are also in short supply), and through the 3DS XL bundle pack, which starts shipping in mid-December.

Finally, Iwata reassured those Animal Crossing fans who have not gotten the game yet that special items scheduled to be digitally distributed for a limited period will be made available again after the shortage is solved, as will special items available in the convenience store 7-Eleven.

Podcast Discussion / Episode 18: BRAVELY DIRECT

« on: November 30, 2012, 05:35:55 PM »

In this time bending episode, everything ends in flux!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/famicast/32637

A brand new console is almost upon us, but who cares about that?! This month is still mostly Nintendo 3DS focused in new business, as we bring you impressions for various titles. Minoru, Daan and Danny have all been playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf and everyone seems to have their own take on it! How will Minoru enjoy it as a newcomer to the series? Can Daan rekindle his love for the series and has Danny found new interest for Animal Crossing at all? You might as well go and listen to find out!

Elsewhere, Ty got his hands on a shiny new Nintendo 3DS XL, which he gladly tells us about. He even got a game for it! Ty also talks a little bit about Skullgirls and its upcoming Arcade release in Japan. He comes full circle with The Walking Dead, which is certainly not the cheeriest of games. After this, Daan and Danny discuss both Fallblox (Hiku Otsu) and E.X. Troopers, which are some high quality titles for the system. Daan ends it off with Paper Mario: Sticker Star, though he kind of leaves us on a cliffhanger. Who doesn't leave us on hanging on a cliff is Danny, who has been struggling through Assassin's Creed III. Did he get this stabby stabby fix? After we figured that one out, it turns out Danny fell into a plothole (possibly in an Animus, though not confirmed) and comes across Matt. They start gushing Bravely Default, but afterwards fate strips the two apart.

Back in our reality, we head into the news, where the glorious bastards at Nintendo Company Limited have prepared several Nintendo Directs. From Band Brothers to Brain Training, from the infamous Wii U unboxing to discussions about storage solutions, no stone stays untouched. We also discuss the latest Media Create charts, see what is right around the corner and end with a few smaller bits.

In Life in Japan, we get a strange letter from a person from the past. This may totally sound like inception to you, but believe us, we don't make this stuff up! The ghost warns about a grave danger called WaraWara, and wants to us uncover things in depth. Who are we to say no to a challenge? We end off the episode with some listener mail, who asks about the current situation on downloadable games in Japan and around the world. Is the digital revolution close by or is this future safe... for now? Hop into that crazy time traveling car and beware of Wii U, Marty!

TalkBack / 3DS Remake of Space Harrier Coming to Japan

« on: November 23, 2012, 12:36:45 AM »

Get ready!

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32589

Sega recently revealed that 3D Space Harrier, a stereoscopic 3D remake of the beloved shooter on the Nintendo 3DS, is in development.

This remake will be based on the arcade version of Space Harrier, which was originally released in 1985. It will be optimized for the 3DS, with stereoscopic 3D graphics, wide-screen support, and other adjustments. It's release date and price will be announced at a later date. It is unknown whether 3D Space Harrier will be released as a 3D Classics title.

Sega also revealed plans to remake other classic titles for 3DS although no other titles were announced.

TalkBack / Wii U Friend Requests Can Be Sent Through Miiverse

« on: November 07, 2012, 07:53:48 AM »

Also, spoilers? Not on my Miiverse! More details below.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32410

Miiverse, the Wii U's online communication interface, allows players to perform friend requests and exchange private messages, a first for a Nintendo platform. That's right: no more friend codes.

Nintendo made a big switch on its network philosophy with the new system, debuting on November 18 in North America. Formerly, they put a greatest emphasis on safety and each player’s online friend network has been assumed to be based on their existent real-life friend network. On the other hand, Miiverse will be oriented toward an open community, where people will start making friends with each other.

Miiverse also enables players to post and read comments on specific games. Accessed mainly by clicking an icon in the main menu (resembling the 3DS menu), Miiverse can also be accessed from the Warawara Plaza, which will be seen when the system booted. Each game will have different Miiverse features. For example, New Super Mario Bros. U will display other players’ comments and encourage players to post comments. Also, Miiverse enables Nintendo Land to show other players’ Mii and their comments.

Miiverse will inevitably include spoilers. Nintendo Global President Satoru Iwata explained two ways to avoid leaving spoilers public. Firstly, there is a check box that indicates the message about to be posted contains spoiler. If a message is posted with this box checked, the message is masked with a message “This post includes a spoiler” and an open button. Readers still can read such messages if they click the button. Secondly, messages posted on Miiverse will be displayed with three buttons: the “Yeah” button (similar to the “Like” button on Facebook), a spoiler report button, and an ordinary report button. If a certain number of people report a post as a spoiler, the post is masked in the same way.

In general, posts on Miiverse are organized primarily in two ways. First, every Wii U game will support Miiverse and have a community in Miiverse where players can post. When players post, they can choose an expression of their Mii and attach a screenshot to a message, either inputted by an on-screen keyboard or using their stylus or finger on the GamePad touch screen. Readers can reply to the comment.

Also, just like Twitter, players also can browse posts from your friends and those who they follow. Judging from footage, the numbers of friends and those who a player follows seem to be limited up to 100 and 1000 respectively. There is also a notification icon that is exactly the same as one in 3DS main menu. According to the Iwata Asks on the subject, it will notify you of someone else’s “Yeah” to your comment.

TalkBack / Wii U Friend Requests Can Be Sent Through Miiverse

« on: November 07, 2012, 07:53:48 AM »

Also, spoilers? Not on my Miiverse! More details below.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/32410

Miiverse, the Wii U's online communication interface, allows players to perform friend requests and exchange private messages, a first for a Nintendo platform. That's right: no more friend codes.

Pages: [1] 2 3 4

The entire contents of this Web site, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright © 1999 - 2012 NINTENDO WORLD REPORT, LLC. All Rights Reserved. ™ and © for all products, characters, and indicia related thereto which are contained herein are owned by the companies who market or license those products. This Web site is not endorsed, sponsored, nor otherwise affiliated with Nintendo. It has been created for the sole purpose of entertainment and knowledge. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form without consent from NINTENDO WORLD REPORT, LLC is prohibited.