While I wasn't very active during
March, I'm planning to work more extensively on this blog in the
future and so I thought I would only be fair to tell you my plans for
the future of this blog.
First of all there will be a regular
stream of content with set upload days.
Each Wednesday I'll post a new
thoughtpiece. These always were the centerpiece of this blog and I
plan on extending on that. The topics will range from actual events
all the way to the history of video games. Of course this still is a
mostly Nintendo centric blog, and that won't change, so I'll try keep
a connection between Nintendo and the actual topic.
As an example what these posts will be
about, tomorrow I'll take a look a the aspect of difficulty in video
games. In light of the Star Fox News from last week this hopefully
will make an interesting read for you.
Each Friday there will be a write up of
the Nintendo news from this week.
These are the two fix points of content
you can look forward to each week from now on. There is still room
for other weekly ideas, but for now I'm concentrating on these two.
But of course that's not all. There will still be other content on
this blog, that won't release weekly.
Write Ups of important events (for
example E3, Nintendo Investor Meetings, Nintendo Direct, etc.)
Trailer Watch: An in depth look at big
new Trailers and the details the hide.
Of course Reviews are also a part of
this blog and I will keep it that way. However, because I'm not made
out of money, I can't get every single Nintendo game there is and so
I'll mostly concentrate on the big Wii-U titles. As for why there is
no Review of Pokken Tournament and Twilight Princess HD. I already
own Twilight Princess for the GameCube, and what I've seen from the
HD Remaster didn't warrant a second purchase and I'm just not a fan
of fighting games, so no Pokken Tournament for me. The next review
will be Star Fox Zero and I'll try to get it online withing 3 days of
the release.
So these are the things you can look
forward to from now on on this blog. I hope you'll enjoy the more
steady stream of content.
So we got a Nintendo direct yesterday.
Hurray! And it was... ok. It was nothing that blew me away (For that
I would have needed footage of Zelda U), but it was a solid direct
with some new announcements, some deeper insights and some surprises.
Let's start of with the big hitter Star
Fox Zero. It looks great. The artstyle reminds me of The Wonderful
101, one of my favourite Wii-U games, so I can't complain about that.
And the action looks really intense. However it also looks like an
updated version of Star Fox 64, which already was a updated version
of Star Fox of SNES. Although Miyamoto says that there is a new
story, this shows his lack of ambition in that department. While
there was never a huge focus on Stories in Nintendo games a little
bit more variation in that department wouldn't hurt. Still gameplay
wise the game looks top notch. Especially the branching paths should
add a lot of replay value. The only thing missing now is a good 4
against 4 mulitplayer.
Also Amiibo Support has been confirmed.
Touchign a Fox Amiibo will give your Airwing the looks from the SNES
classic and change the music to fit that change. It's purely cosmetic
and as such I don't mind it.
Star Fox Guard seems like an enjoyable
little game and I'll definitely try it out. It's not enough to be its
own game, but as a download title it fits perfectly.
Next up was Splatoon and surprise, it
will receive more content. This is great, but please fix the map
rotation and replace it with a Mario Kart 8 like selection. You have
enough maps to do that now.
Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games
doesn't really interest me, but it looks like an enjoyable party
game. A big selection of playable characters, fun looking sports...
There is nothing wrong with this iteration of the series, and I'm
sure it will sell well. Also the HD graphics look really good.
Mario Maker also gets new content. Yay!
The addition of spike pillars, but more importantly key, key doors
and pink coins, will allow you to create even more devious levels.
After seeing some of the puzzle levels already created for Mario
Maker I can only dread what will await us on March 9th
when the update hits.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE already wins
the title for most convoluted name in 2016. This game is breathing
Japan with every pixel on screen. The whole Idol theme isn't
something we Europeans can relate to, but I'd like to give it a
chance. I haven't tried a Persona or Shin Megami Tensei Game so far,
but only heard good about them, so I think this could be the perfect
opportunity to get into these kind of games. The decision to keep the
original Japanese voice acting and only provide subtitles will make
purists happy, and was probably done because of the less then stellar
sales figures in Japan. Still it's miles better than only having an
english dub, like with Fire Emblem: Fates. Speaking of Fire Emblem,
let's hope that the censorship happy guys at Nintendo will spare
Tokyo Mirage Sessions#FE. Their recent track record doesn't fill me
with confidence, so I will keep this game on my radar but remain
cautious.
Finally we're getting the Paper Mario
Game I predicted for last E3, and many fans aren't to happy about it.
Maybe because, according to them, it looks like Sticker Star 2. I
can't share this resentment, because I have never truly played a
Paper Mario game. So as an outsider to the series the game looks
rather appealing to me. I really like the cardboard look of the
environment, although it clashes a little with the flat paper
characters. The colour feature, if used well, will bring an exciting
new layer to puzzle solving and combat. About the fear of a Sticker
Star 2 I would advise everyone to remain calm and wait for new
information about the game. From this one and a half minute trailer
however, I would say that this game looks promising.
Oh and can we talk about how that Shy
Guy straight up murdered the Toad in the trailer by draining his very
life essence?
After that we got some information on
My Nintendo, which we already knew and release dates for Animal
Crossing Amiibo before finally heading to...
Hyrule Warriors Legends. I still think
that this game is mostly a cash grab and that a full fledged Cartoon
Hyrule Warriors with characters from Handheld Zeldas and Wind Waker
would have been better, but at least they are providing some new
content. I can't approve the download code that unlocks all new
characters and stages for the Wii-U Version. Why can't owner of the
Wii-U Version download that content from the e-shop? Why do we have
to buy a completely new game? A game which runs horrible on the
regular 3DS and is practically a New 3DS exclusive?
Also there is a season pass, but the
season pass for the Wii-U original was ok, so I don't mind.
And to end this small rant on a high
note. Yay we're getting Medley for free on both versions of the game.
Ok first. Shibatas Yokai Dance was
amazing. Also this game, which is currently replacing Pokemon as the
King of Japan, will probably won't do that here, because it's to its
very core Japanese.
Disney Art Academy: Skip!
And now let's talk about the biggest
thing of the Direct. Metroid Prime: Federation Force isn't cancelled.
I personally don't hate Federation Force. I don't even dislike it. In
fact I think it looks like a fun and enjoyable game. But it comes at
the completely wrong time. If it wouldn't bear the Metroid Name all
would be good. It wouldn't draw the huge attention it does now, but
much more people would approach it level-headed. The game itself
looks like a fun co-operative shooter with RPG elements. I'm sure it
will be a ton of fun with a group of friends. The only complaint I
can objectively find about this game is it's artstyle. The chibi
characters just seem out of place in such an environment, and Metriod
Prime: Hunters already showed a better artstyle on the old DS.
But now let's talk about the biggest
problem of the game. That it bears the Metroid Name, even though it's
only a spinoff. It releases at a time, when the last real Metroid was
already six years ago, and even this wasn't received all too well by
the fanbase. Federation Force releasing this spring with a true
Metriod Prime 4 on Wii-u coming later this year wouldn't be a
problem. Spinoff games are there to complement the main series and
offer a fresh look and new perspective on the world. They are not
suited to replace a main game, if the series is on a long hiatus.
Many fans are just bitter about the fact that this is probably the
only Metroid Game they'll get in 8-10 years. And I completely
understand that.
And yet it would have been so simple.
Release Metroid Prime 4 on Wii-U and a classic 2D Metroid in the
spirit of Super Metroid on the 3DS. Everybody's happy.
After
that we got a look at some third party, or to tell the truth, indie
games coming to Wii-U. I'll probably take a look at Lost Reavers. It
looks like it could be fun with some friends and even if not, as a
Free to play title nothing of value if lost.
Yeah I
already talked enough about Fire Emblem fates and why I won't buy it.
As
someone who hasn't played Dragon Quest nor Monster Hunter I can't say
much about these games, apart from that I'm happy for fans that
they'll get them.
And now
for the last part of the direct. A completely new announcement. And
the picture above these letters already spoiled it. Kirby: Planet
Robobot. On first, and second, glance it falls under the ''More of
the same category'' of games, but with the excellent Kirby: Triple
Deluxe as it's predecessor I don't mind. It provides everything you'd
expect from a classical Kirby platformer. New Abilities and a new
main gimmick. While it were the Ultra Abilities in Return to
Dreamland and the Hypernova in Triple Deluxe, this time it's the
Mecha Suit, which can also use different abilities. And to be honest
this looks like a lot of pure simple minded fun. There will also be a
group of new Amiibo, and I'm ok with their integration. The game is
compatible with every Amiibo, which will give you power ups depending
on the Amiibo you use. For example Link gives you the sword ability
of Kirby. The special Kirby Amiibo will also give you an ability, but
on top also a costume. Met Knight awards you with the sword ability
and his look. These are completely cosmetic changes and I'm ok with
that.
And
like every other Kirby game there is a second mode, which looks like
even more fun than the main game. This time you and up to three other
players can band together in an RPG style battle mode.
All in
all this was a good direct. It provided a healthy dose of everything,
gave us some new announcements and further insight into upcoming
titles. With a small tease of Zelda U at the end this would've even
been a great direct. But for now I'm pretty happy.
So what
are your thoughts about the direct? Did it meet your expectations?
Were you disappointed?
And as
always
thanks
for reading
Source of all Pictures: Nintendo Direct 03.03.2016
While the Pokemon direct yesterday was
pretty disappointing we at least got the announcement of two new
mainline games. At the end of the year we'll once again travel into
the world of Pokemon with the seventh generation Sun/Moon.
While I'm no hardcore Pokemon by any
means, I haven't skipped a generation and I'm looking forward to
these new games. Even though I could have waited another year for the
seventh generation, and would have been happy with just a Pokemon Z,
this development makes sense in the light of the series 20th
anniversary.
But what exactly do we know about
Pokemon Sun/Moon? Sadly next to nothing. The direct didn't show any
trailer or something like that, but we at least got four pictures of
concept art out of it, so let's take a look at them.
The first picture shows us that this
time Pokemon will be strong integrated into everyday life and not
just get used for battling. This is something we already have seen
plenty of times in the Anime series, but in the games it had never
been reflected. So with this new generation we may see Pokemon doing
a wide array of everyday jobs.
Next up is, what looks like, a new
Pokemon Center design. There is not much to say about this, but I
really like the look of it.
Next up are several pictures that give
us a glimpse in the architecture of the new region. I can't nail it
down precisely, but the picture on the left gives me a tropical vibe
with its Palm trees and warm, blue sky. Could the next region be
inspired by the Caribbean?
Lastly we also got a glimpse at the
first Pokemon from the seventh generation. It was only a early
wireframe model, but it's pretty clear that this is the standard bird
Pokemon, which you'll encounter early in the game. Every generation
had it, every generation will have it.
And that's all that there is to Pokemon
Sun and Moon so far. I'm looking forward to the game. What was your
reaction?
Today Fire Emblem: Fates releases in
North America. Here in Europe we still have to wait for even an
official release date, but at least we got Bravely Second till then.
However I won't be getting the newest Fire Emblem when it finally
arrives in Europe. Fates development was accompanied by controversies
left and right. First the announcement that the game would be split
into two different versions. And now the whole censorship debacle.
I personally am against any form of
censorship. I think that the creators vision shouldn't be changed or
diminished in any way. Even if some people find parts of the game
offensive. I was upset about the Censorship in Xenoblade Chronicles X
and Fatal Frame, but this time it reached a level, where I can no
longer accept the decision. For anyone wondering, here is a list of
the things that where removed or changed in Fire Emblem: Fates
international release.
The Skinship feature, which
allowed you to touch your Wife/Husband (kind of like PokeMonAmi) was
removed completely.
Compared to the Japanese versions
3196 audio files, the NA version only has 1208.
Swimsuits were completely removed
as a clothing option.
Unnecessary character name changes
Skill/Class names were changed for
no reason, some of them being long running series staples (Pegasus
Knight is now Sky Knight)
Forcing Memes into Localization.
Character confession scenes have
been shortened.
Localization changes the character
of some people completely. (Effie for example)
No dual Audio, although Fire
Emblem: Awakening provided English and Japanese Audio.
Subpar dub quality
These are the information I got so far,
about what has been altered during the localization process. Now I
think that localization should never alter a game in any way and stay
as close to the source material as possible.
Now some people may say that these are
only small changes, and who gives a damn if swimsuit outfits are
removed, but I strongly disagree. Not only because I like to
experience a game, just like the creators intended it, but also
because this sets a dangerous precedent. In Fatal Frame we at least
got new costumes instead of the censored lingerie outfits. (And the
Zero Suit outfit for Yuri is hotter anyway.) This time the swimsuits
are gone without any form of compensation. I may go deeper into
Nintendo, Censorship and why I can't agree with the practice in a
future blog post, but for now I'll keep it short.
With Fire Emblem: Fates the
localization team at Nintendo of America tempered with the game too
much and reached a level, where I personally can no longer agree with
it. As a result of that I won't be buying any version of the game,
and I would advise anyone, who likes to enjoy games just as the
creators envisioned them, to do the same. And if you don't want to
deny yourself the experience of playing the newest Fire Emblem then
maybe try looking for a used copy.
Yesterday Nintendo held their investors
meeting for the third quarter of the current fiscal year. So let's
talk about that.
Overall it got us some pretty good
news. Well not so great for the company itself, because Nintendo
failed to meet it's goals, but the news about MyNintendo are quite
interesting. But let's start with the boring numbers first.
Overall Nintendo managed to generate
221.5 billion Yen (1.7 billion €) in revenue and a profit of 29.1
billion Yen (220 Million €). This is lower than they projected, but
a profit is still a profit. So there is that.
3DS:
The 3DS keeps selling rather well,
thanks to the Japanese market and the vigor the New 3DS brought.
In the last three months of 2015 3.6 Million 3DS consoles were sold,
thanks greatly to the immense success of Monster Hunter X in Japan.
Still the decline of the console is more then obvious. After five
years on the market the 3DS still sells decent, but far from great.
It's yearly sales are down in each territory and most, if not all, of
Nintendos heavy hitters for the console have already been released.
This also becomes clear, when listening to Nintendos future plans for
their handheld. Re-emphasizing the appeal of evergreen titles is a
clear indication that the 3DS is on it's way out. If he get's
replaced this year or next is still up to debate, but I'm fairly
certain that it will be sooner than later.
Also here's a list of Nintendo
published games, that sold the best on the system:
PokemonX/Y 14.46 Million
Mario Kart 7 13.03 Million
Pokemon Omega Ruby/Alpha
Saphire 11.46 Million
Super Mario 3D Land 10.63
Million
New Super Mario Bros. 2 10.04
Million
Animal Crossing: New Leaf 9.86
Million
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo
3DS 7.92 Million
Tomodachi Life 4.89 Million
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon 4.75
Million
nintendogs+cats 3.96 Million
Wii-U:
Nintendos struggling home console is,
as always, a place of deep shadows, with several rays of light
breaking through. While Nintendo once again failed to meet their
hardware sales expectations, they managed to exceed them with
Splatoon. The colorful shooter is the sensation of 2015. This and
Super Mario Maker have been the main driving force in an otherwise
pretty barren year. There weren't many words on the future of the
console, only the usual talk of supporting the system until the
customers are satisfied. So nothing excitingly new on this front.
The list of Wii-U Million sellers got
expanded though:
Mario Kart 8 7.24 Million
New Super Mario Bros. U 5.08
Million
Nintendo Land 5.02 Million
Super Mario 3D World 4.63
Million
Super Smash Bros. for Wii
U 4.61 Million
Splatoon 4.06 Million
Super Mario Maker 3.34 Million
New Super Luigi U 2.42 Million
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind
Waker HD 1.69 Million
Mario Party 10 1.65 Million
Amiibo:
Amiibo keeps on proving that it's an
unstoppable juggernaut. 31 Million of them have been sold so far,
since release at the end of 2014. And with already over 80 different
Amiibos and 25 compatible game it doesn't seem like the train will
slow down in the near future. With the struggling Wii-U, the
declining sales of the 3DS and the research and development costs of
the NX, it's pretty clear that Amiibo is the main thing keeping the
company afloat at this time. This also means, that we will see even
more Amiibos and Amiibo compatible games. If this a good or bad thing
remains to be seen, but for now you shouldn't count on an Amiiob free
future.
Download Sales:
Download sales have increased over the
last year and remain a growing part of Nintendos business. While the
raw numbers may not sound all to interesting, this and MyNintendo
give us a first glance of Nintendos digital plans for the future and
I think it's safe to say that the NX will have a much bigger hard
drive than the Wii-U.
Quality of Life:
Nintendo Presidint Tatsumi Kimishima
confirmed that currently the company doesn't plan to release their
efforts in the field, because they don't live up to Nintendos quality
standards. This seems to prove rumors, that QoL was mostly a
initiative of former Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, right. While
Kimishima made clear that this doesn't mean the end of the initiative
and they are still going to work on it, it's pretty sure that we
won't hear anything from this in the near future. For reference, the
work on the Wii Vitality Sensor was also never officially
discontinued.
Theme Park Initiative:
The cooperation with Universal
Themeparks, to build Nintendo themed attractions, has been expanded
to include Japan.
MyNintendo:
Nintendo finally unveiled their new
membership service and it's mostly what one could expect. There are
several key points encompassing this new program. The ''Just for
you'' service offers players, who have played certain games,
personalized recommendations for future purchases, along with a
''Just for you'' discount. Members will also offered a ''Birthday
Special Discount.'' The goal here is to increase the satisfaction of
consumers, and to me it sounds like a very good idea.
Another key feature of the service is
already in place. The ability to purchase software titles with your
smart phone or on Nintendos Website, and the automatic download of
the game directly afterward.
There will also a new point programm,
which will, in Nintendos words, serve as bridge between smart devices
and their dedicated video game devices. These new points come in two
versions:
Platinum Points: Earned when
playing smart device apps, visiting the eShop or wen certain
conditions are met. These points can be exchanged for digital
content and maybe more in the future.
Gold Points: Earned for digital
purchases of Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games. These can be used to
purchase ''coupons'', which will offer discounts for further online
purchases. Pretty much like the ''Deluxe Digital Promotion'' for the
Wii U.
These are the core features that
Nintendo has planned for the release of MyNintendo, which is
scheduled for March 2016. But of course they plan to add features,
like an unified friends list, cloud saves and even discounts for
retail games in the future.
Right now MyNintendo sounds like an
extended Club Nintendo, but hopefully sooner than later it should be
a full fledged membership service. One could criticize that features
like cloud saves aren't available at the start, and one would be
right to do so, but at least it shows the dedication of Nintendo to
step up it's digital game. At least the membership is free.
Miitomo:
Nintendos first smart phone app will
release alongside of MyNintendo and aims to transform the
communication between friends and strangers alike into a form of
play. In true Nintendo fashion it aims to be something ''that has
never been done before.''
All in all I'm still not a big fan of
Nintendos smart phone endeavors, but at least they are doing it their
way instead of simply copying Candy Crush. As a positive point, you
don't have to register for a MyNintendo account to play Nintendos
smart phone apps.
NX:
Nothing...
All in all it was a interesting
Investors meeting. We got some new information about Nintendos
digital plans and MyNintendo sounds like a good replacement for Club
Nintendo. Maybe some of you are disappointed because we got no
information about the NX or a new game, but an investors meeting is
definitely not the place for such things. This is a more number
driven event, that allows us a brief glance into Nintendos corporate
structure and plans for the near future. I don't expect to hear
anything about the NX before e3 in June.
