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Don’t Expect A Lot Of Third-Party Characters In The Next Smash Bros
The people behind Smash Bros. say not to expect a lot of third-party characters in the next incarnation of their fighting game. Mega Man is an exception. While chatting with Smash designer Masahiro Sakurai this morning, I pointed out that fans are very psyched about the Blue Bomber making an appearance in his next game.…
By Jason Schreier Published June 13, 2013 -
No More Tripping In The New Smash Bros
Good news for Smash Bros. fans: there’s no tripping in the newest one. For the uninitiated: Tripping is the colloquial term for those moments in Smash Bros. Brawl when your character runs, stumbles, falls, and is temporarily stunned. Most fans hated it. When I asked my Twitter followers what they’d like to know about the…
By Jason Schreier Published June 13, 2013 -
Here’s Why Sailing Took So Damn Long in Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker
There’s a reason sailing the sea in the GameCube version of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was so slow and tedious. If the boat moved any faster, you’d sail off the edge of the ocean. Flat-Earthers smell a conspiracy! No, really, the GameCube didn’t have the power necessary to render the entirety of…
By Owen Good Published June 13, 2013 -
Nintendo Defends Choice To Have Retro Make a New Donkey Kong Country
Nintendo knows that the choice to have the company’s top-flight development studio in Texas make another Donkey Kong side-scroller was controversial—so controversial, in fact, that Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime actually addressed it in a video yesterday shortly before I asked him about it. The video stands out as one of the few original…
By Stephen Totilo Published June 13, 2013 -
Mario’s Creator Likens Game Ownership to Toy Ownership
It’s clear what Microsoft thinks of game ownership—the Xbox One’s policies don’t communicate much of a belief in it. Sony scored a lot of points on Monday, but to be fair, it was a defense of the status quo. Where does Nintendo come down on the subject? Shigeru Miyamoto, the creative face of the company,…
By Owen Good Published June 13, 2013 -
The Best Moments of Nintendo’s E3 Direct, Mixed With Attack on Titan
If an anime with Nintendo characters existed, the powerful opening theme of Attack on Titan series would be a perfect cover song for it. It sums up Nintendo’s E3 direct rather well. The video, by demoncry54 is similar to one made for the Sony event. I have a strange feeling we won’t see an Xbox…
By Gergo Vas Published June 13, 2013 -
StreetPass Has Problems In The West. Nintendo Is Fixing Them.
At their E3 analyst briefing yesterday, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed the company’s plans to revitalize sales of its handheld 3DS system in the US and Europe by fundamentally changing the way its StreetPass feature works. Currently, StreetPass operates by exchanging game data between 3DS consoles in close proximity to each other. Iwata explained that…
By András Neltz Published June 13, 2013 -
A Very Wonderful Wii U Game
Maybe it’s because it’s a hard game to nail in a single sentence, maybe because it’s Platinum’s “other” Wii U game (after Bayonetta 2), but Wonderful 101 has sadly not gotten the attention it deserves this week. Let’s change that. I mean, what’s there not to love about a game that can channel Viewtiful Joe…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 13, 2013 -
A Glimpse of E3 With Their Own Eyes, Far From the Lights of L.A.
In line for Nintendo’s booth, Terence Polk checked his smartphone and chitchatted about what he’d come to review. “Super Mario 3D World,” he said, because he was skeptical—not because he was thrilled by what he’d seen in Nintendo’s presentation. It was the second day of E3. In Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Polk, 30, is not an…
By Owen Good Published June 12, 2013 -
The Furry New Donkey Kong Yanks A Gimmick From Super Mario Bros. 2
Why is the giant ape of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze for the Wii U so damn fluffy? Why is he fighting Vikings? And why is it borrowing a mechanic from, of all games, Super Mario Bros. 2? Producer Kensuke Tanabe has answers, and in one case he is the answer. You see, one of…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2013 -
Everything We’ve Learned About Pokemon X/Y At E3 In One Handy Video
So much Pokemon X and Pokemon Y news at E3 2013, so little time. Well, not really so little time. I mean, we’ve found time to tell you about the new Fairy type and the three new Pokemon. All that’s left is for you to sit through this five-minute roundtable video and purchase a timeshare.…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2013 -
E3 is a Barrel of Fun for Reggie, Iwata, and Miyamoto
E3 is just one big giant field trip for Nintendo’s Satoru Iwata, Reggie Fils-Aime and—lurking in the background—Shigeru Miyamoto. This image went up on Nintendo’s Facebook page earlier today. The three senior company figures were clowning around with a giant statue promoting Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze. Let’s hope they don’t post a follow-up picture…
By Gergo Vas Published June 12, 2013 -
EA ‘Didn’t Make It Easy’ to Understand Its Wii U Intentions, Says Exec
The boss of Electronic Arts’ games labels admits the company has sent vague, if not conflicting messages about its intentions on the Wii U, but with the BBC he wasn’t going to be more specific about what games, if any, they’d be making for the console in the future. “We didn’t make it easy for…
By Owen Good Published June 12, 2013 -
“The Definitive Mario Kart” Runs At 60 Frames-Per-Second
I’ve poked fun at Nintendo about their “It’s all about the games” mantra from this year’s E3, but it rings true, especially when you’ve got what producer Hideki Konno is calling “the definitive Mario Kart” on your hands. It’s lovable, playable and now immensely share-able, and it runs at a blazing 60 frames-per-second — potentially…
By Mike Fahey Published June 12, 2013 -
Shigeru Miyamoto Says ‘Don’t Attack My Eyes!’
Fear not, the legendary Nintendo game-maker isn’t in any actual danger. He—along with director of product marketing Bill Trinen—are just having a laugh while talking about the new stuff in Pikmin 3 It’s clips like this that make you understand just why Miyamoto is so beloved by people everywhere. While cranky views on Nintendo’s offerings…
By Evan Narcisse Published June 12, 2013 -
The Villager In Smash Bros. Is One Scary Character
The villager character from Animal Crossing got introduced yesterday as a playable character in the new Smash Bros. Let’s be honest: his face is rather psychotic and insane for a brawler game. Even the Team Fortess heavy and spy have to get their acts together after hearing about him. Look at those eyes. They’re just…
By Gergo Vas Published June 12, 2013 -
Your Desktop Might Like This Enormous Wind Waker Art
It’s not just Wind Waker’s graphics that have got the HD treatment. The game’s best piece of key art – a simplified version was seen on the GameCube version’s manual – has been too. For better or worse. Like the game itself, I prefer the GameCube’s more hand-drawn take, but that doesn’t mean I hate…
By Luke Plunkett Published June 12, 2013 -
Don’t Hold Your Breath For Pokemon Red or Blue On Virtual Console
Here’s a mystery: why aren’t the original Pokemon Red and Blue on the virtual console? People love those games, surely they’d throw money at them if they could. But judging from Game Freak’s response to whether or not we could expect those games on the VC, people probably shouldn’t get their hopes up—they’re not coming…
By Patricia Hernandez Published June 11, 2013