Pokkén Tournament
Since Pokkén Tournament released on March 18, the week was full of news and details regarding this title.
A patch was made available at launch, bringing the game up to version 1.1. It takes 370MB of space and is required to access online play.
Upon the game’s release, it was discovered that if you happen to leave an online match before it finishes, you’ll receive a penalty.
When you first use Pokkén Tournament’s online mode, Nia mentions that leaving during the middle of a match is rude, and that you’ll be given a penalty if you do so.
The penalty she mentions turned out to be that players will lose some PokéGold, the in-game currency used to buy cosmetic costumization items.
In addition to online multiplayer, local LAN multiplayer is also possible by using one of the following configurations:
| Route A | Route B | Route C |
| 2 Wii Us 2 Pieces of Software 2 TVs* 2 Wii U LAN Adapters 1 Straight LAN Cable 1 Router |
2 Wii Us 2 Pieces of Software 2 TVs* 1 Wireless Router |
2 Wii Us 2 Pieces of Software 2 TVs* 2 Wii U LAN Adapters 1 Crossover LAN Cable |
| * Can be substituted for the Wii U GamePad display | ||
Routes A and B just need you to set the Internet options on the Wii U to Wired and Wireless respectively.
For Route C, there are some extra steps to take however:
– Set both Wii Us up to connect via Wired Connection;
– When the test fails, cancel out but save the connection;
– Go into the settings for the connection and change the IP to 192.168.000.001 (or 192.168.000.002 on the second Wii U), Subnet Mask to 255.255.255.000 and Default Gateway to 192.168.000.050;
– For the DNS settings, set it as “Do not automatically obtain”;
– Set Primary DNS to 1.0.0.0;
– Save the settings.
Also note that to activate LAN battle, you have to hold down L, R & down on the d-pad on the title screen.
With the release of the game, Europe and North America got a new trailer for it. Here they are:
A demo for Pokkén Tournament was also released together with the game on March 18th, at least in Europe.
You can find some footage below:
Nintendo UK continued uploading its Countdown Clash series of videos, which you can find below. This week’s matches featured Chandelure vs Gengar and Garchomp vs Blaziken. Just one final match missing next week!
Nintendo also posted some videos and photos showcasing the Pokkén Tournament Early Access Competition, more specifically the Finals, which you can find below:
Photo 1
In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, fans gather at Nintendo NY to watch the Pokkén Tournament Early Access Competition finals on March 17, 2016.Photo 2
In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, Kai T., 15 of Orange County competes at the Pokkén Tournament Early Access Competition finals at Nintendo NY on March 17, 2016.Photo 3
In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, professional video gamers Justin Wong and Justin Flynn coach and cheer for competitors in the Pokkén Tournament Early Access Competition finals at Nintendo NY on March 17, 2016.Photo 4
In this photo provided by Nintendo of America, JC Rodrigo presents the Pokkén Tournament Early Access Competition winner Jeffrey Frias with his reward: a chance to compete at the 2016 Pokémon U.S. National Championships in Columbus, Ohio, in July 2016. Contestants competed at Nintendo NY on March 17, 2016.
The Japanese Youtube Account for Pokémon also uploaded two new videos showing off pokémon moves for Garchomp, Suicune, Mewtwo and Shadow Mewtwo. Take a look at them:
https://youtu.be/i2kbvYznrMQ
https://youtu.be/9mxv1zyCuoo
Finally, in this week’s Nintendo Minute, Kit and Krysta also took some time to play and show off Pokkén Tournament. You can watch the episode below:
Pokémon GO
During SXSW in Texas, John Hanke of Niantic Lab held a panel on augmented reality in gaming, where he has apparently shown a first look at Pokémon GO, which you can see in the footage below. In it, a trainer and Ivysaur are shown on top of Google Maps, until the trainer starts a “battle” with the Ivysaur by using augmented reality with the camera. The trainer then attempts to catch Ivysaur by flicking a Pokéball and Master Ball at it. The footage also shows some sort of Crystals in a status screen, which don’t currently have a known use. Furthermore, symbols can be seen in the map which look like the Pokémon Gym and Pokémon Center symbols from recent main series games, and Hanke mentions a Pokédex by the end of the footage. (You might want to raise your volume to hear what he’s saying and listen to the sounds)
Here’s the footage in question:
Pokémon 20th Anniversary
Famitsu published sales numbers of the Pokémon series as a whole on March 17, and as of February 29th, 2016, worldwide sales for mainline Pokémon games have surpassed 200 million. More than 201 million copies of main series games have been sold.
If you add in the various spin-off games, the number of Pokémon games sold so far rises to 279 million.
It was also mentioned in an interview in this latest issue of Famitsu that The Pokémon Company has plans to open more Pokémon Center stores in Japan and other countries. No specific locations were mentioned though.
Furthermore, Japanese outlet Inside Games recently published a lengthy interview with Pokemon CEO and president Tsunekazu Ishihara, where he talks about the current status and future of the series (including Pokémon GO), and reflects about the franchise in general and its past. Ishihara went in-depth about how the game series started and the importance of the Link Cable which helped boost its popularity, and the process of bringing the franchise overseas and re-naming Pokemon, among other interesting topics.
Nintendo Everything has translated this interview, which you can find over here.
Finally, Katsuhiro Harada and Masaki Hoshino, two of the Bandai Namco developers who worked on Pokkén Tournament, have shared some words about Pokémon in the new couple of celebration videos for the series’ 20th anniversary. You might be surprised to find that Hoshino is a really hardcore Pokémon player too. You can find them below:
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker has received another patch, bringing the game up to Version 1.41, which takes 362MB of free space. Once again, in this one “Adjustments have been made to make for a more pleasant gaming experience”.
After investigating, players have found that the P-Switch’s hitbox has been modified, meaning it’s now more difficult to jump off it. Some players aren’t even sure if this was an intentional change or a glitch. This creates some problems, since now players have created courses around jumping on both the old P-Switch hitbox and the new P-Switch hitbox, so we will have to wait and see which ones stick around or get deleted.
Keiichi1996 attempts to show the difference in the video below:
Besides the update patch, Nintendo has announced two new mystery mushroom costumes for Super Mario Maker.
The first costume is for Toadette (in her Treasure Tracker version), while the second one is for Yuu Ayasaki (in her anime incarnation) the voice actress for Mary O./Mashiko, who was also previously involved with Daigasso Band Brothers P in Japan too.
You can find a look at the costumes and courses below.
“Toadette: Treasure Tracker”
“Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker is back with another special course, and this time it’s the Captain’s treasure-hunting partner Toadette who’s taking center stage! Do you have what it takes to doge giant skewers, collect the pink coins, and make it to the bounty of golden treasure at the end of the course?”
“Yuu Ayasaki’s Big Adventure”
Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
Nintendo UK has recently released an overview trailer for the 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic games. You can find it below, followed by some gameplay footage too.
Hyrule Warriors Legends
Nintendo UK has released a ton of info on the DLC/Season Pass for the upcoming Hyrule Warriors Legends.
From March 24th onwards, players can order the Season Pass in two forms, one in which you get all the DLC for the 3DS version of the game, and another where you get it for both the 3DS and Wii U versions. Starting this Summer, players can also get the Season Pass for just the Wii U version.
The first pack, the “Master Wind Waker” pack will be made available in Late Spring and will only be available for the 3DS game. It provides 16 new costumes for “My Fairy” mode and a new Adventure map. It will cost £1.79/€1,99.
The second pack, “Link’s Awakening”, arrives in the Summer, for both versions. It will add a new playable character and a new weapon for Linkle. The 3DS version will also get a new Adventure Map and more costumes for My Fairy. It will cost £6.29/€6,99 for the 3DS version, £4.49/€4,99 for the Wii U version, or £8.09/€8,99 for both.
The third pack is based on both Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks and will arrive in the Fall. It will contain a new playable character and a new weapon for Toon Link in both versions, and the 3DS version will get 15 more My Fairy costumes and a new Adventure Map. It will cost £6.29/€6,99 for the 3DS version, £4.49/€4,99 for the Wii U version, or £8.09/€8,99 for both.
The fourth and final pack is the “Link Between Worlds” pack, which is set to release in the Winter. Both the Wii U and 3DS versions will get two new playable characters, while the 3DS version will get 15 My Fairy costumes and an Adventure Map too. Like the previous two packs, it will cost £6.29/€6,99 for the 3DS version, £4.49/€4,99 for the Wii U version, or £8.09/€8,99 for both.
The Season Passes will cost £13.49/€14,99 for the 3DS version, £8.99/€9,99 for the Wii U, and £15.29/€16,99 for both. Not only do these save a nice amount of money over buying each pack individually, they also come with a Wind Waker costume for Ganondorf.
In addition to all of these packs described above, there will also be a Legends Character pack for the Wii U, priced at £10.79/€11.99. It will release in the Summer and contain all of the characters from Legends, as well as Ganondorf’s Trident weapon. The site notes that this is not included in either Season Pass. Also, while Toon Link and Linkle are downloadable through other DLC packs, they will only be able to use the weapons that come in those packs on the Wii U if they are unlocked through the Legends Character pack or via codes from Hyrule Warriors Legends.
Additionally, Medli from the Wind Waker will be made a free download for both versions of the game. She will release alongside the “Master Wind Waker” pack.
The princing for the North American region will be as follows:
Master Wind Waker Pack (DLC Pack 1), 3DS only
3DS – $0.99 USD / $1.39 CDN
Link’s Awakening Pack (DLC Pack 2)
3DS – $6.99 USD / $9.89 CDN
Wii U – $4.99 USD / $7.09 CDN
Wii U / 3DS – $9.99 USD / $14.09 CDN
Phantom Hourglass & Spirit Tracks Pack (DLC Pack 3)
3DS – $6.99 USD / $9.89 CDN
Wii U – $4.99 USD / $7.09 CDN
Wii U / 3DS – $9.99 USD / $14.09 CDN
A Link Between Worlds Pack (DLC Pack 4, November 2016)
3DS – $6.99 USD / $9.89 CDN
Wii U – $4.99 USD / $7.09 CDN
Wii U / 3DS – $9.99 USD / $14.09 CDN
Season Pass
3DS – $14.99 USD / – $21.19 CDN
Wii U – $9.99 USD / $14.09 CDN
Wii U / 3DS – $19.99 USD / $28.19 CDN
Legends Character Pack (Wii U only, separate from season pass)
Wii U – $12.99 USD / $18.39 CDN
And the schedule and prices for the Japanese version are these:
DLC packs
– Master Wind Waker Pack (DLC Pack 1) – out in May, for 370 yen on 3DS.
– Legends Character Pack – out in July, for 1,852 yen on Wii U.
– Link’s Awakening Pack (DLC Pack 2) – out in July, for 926 yen on 3DS, 741 yen on Wii U, and 1,111 yen for the 3DS/Wii U combo.
– Phantom Hourglass and Spirit Tracks Pack (DLC Pack 3) – out in September, for 926 yen on 3DS, 741 yen on Wii U, and 1,111 yen for the 3DS/Wii U combo.
– A Link Between Worlds Pack (DLC Pack 4) – out in November, for 926 yen on 3DS, 741 yen on Wii U, and 1,111 yen for the 3DS/Wii U combo.
Season Pass
– Wii U standalone – out in July, for 1,389 yen. Requires 1GB of free space.
– 3DS standalone – out in March 25, for 2,315 yen.
– 3DS and Wii U combo – out in March 25, for 2,778 yen.
Note that Medli is also coming for free in both versions alongside The Master Wind Waker Pack (DLC Pack 1) in May, which will be accompanied by Hyrule Warriors version 1.9.0 on Wii U.
Finally, Nintendo has also released new character and amiibo trailers for Hyrule Warriors Legends. You can watch them below:
Splatoon
During the weekend, Splatoon picked up another win at the 2016 SXSW Gaming Awards. Nintendo’s game was selected as the “Most Promising New Intellectual Property”, beating Bloodborne, Life is Strange, Ori & the Blind Forest, and Undertale.
SXSW shared the news on Twitter yesterday:
Splatoon (@SplatoonJP, @NintendoAmerica) wins Most Promising New Intellectual Property at the #SXSWGaming Awards! pic.twitter.com/GM8PIOlvqB
— SXSW (@sxsw) 20 March 2016
We also have the results from this weeks’ Splatfests in North America and Europe, which you can find below:
North America (12th Splatfest) – Snowman vs. Sandcastle
– Votes – 53% / 47%
– Wins – 48% / 52%
– Final Results – 341 / 359 – Sandcastle Wins
Europe (12th Splatfest) – Hoverboard vs. Jet Pack
– Votes – 51% / 49%
– Wins – 52% / 48%
– Final Results – 363 / 337 – Hoverboard Wins
Kirby: Planet Robobot
This week’s issue of Famitsu has a few pages dedicated to Kirby: Planet Robobot.
Even though most of the information is about things we already covered before, there’s a few new details on the Robobot Armor Modes.
Here’s the rundown:
– Beam Mode: shoots electric balls which become bigger if the energy is charged. The Bouncer Beam attacks enemies while it’s bouncing.
– Fire Mode: Attacks enemies with “Crimson Tail” which spews fire. You can freely change the direction of the fire. You can also attack enemies with fire that spreads on ground.
– Sword Mode: Attacks with Power Beam Sabers that extend from the arms. Other than a combo attack, it also has a wide-range Spinning Attack with both sabers.
– Ice Mode: Attack with cold blizzards. You can freeze enemies into ice blocks, or freeze water pillars to turn them into platforms that can be stepped on.
– Parasol Mode: Its biggest characteristic is the propellers protruding from both shoulders, which can be used to fly or even attack enemies.
Fire Emblem Fates
Nintendo has released the third episode in its “Fire Emblem Fates – A Tale of Two Families” developer video series, this time focusing on the third path, Revelation. You can watch it below:
Super Smash Bros. for 3DS and Wii U
Nintendo has now released another update for Smash Bros., bringing the game up to Version 1.1.5.
The update requires 2,634 blocks (329MB) of free space on an SD card for the 3DS, while the Wii U version takes up 160MB if you downloaded version 1.1.4, or 3.1GB if you haven’t grabbed the previous updates.
Here’s the official patch notes:
– Game balance adjusted
– Adjustments have also been made to make for a more pleasant gaming experience
You can also check out Smashboards for a list of comprehensive changes that each character underwent due to this patch, over here.
Virtual Console Trailers
Below you can find some trailers for games recently released on the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console.
Densetsu no Starfy 2 (GBA)
Game & Watch Gallery 4 (GBA)
Metroid: Other M (Wii)
Amiibo
NintenDaan recently uploaded a new unboxing video showcasing the six new amiibo released on March 18 from the Smash Bros. and Animal Crossing series. Check them out below:
Miitomo
Miitomo, Nintendo’s first mobile app, is now available in Japan. The official iOS page is located here, and the Android page can be found here.
Nintendo also launched a new Nintendo Mobile Youtube channel, where they posted a launch trailer for Miitomo. Check it out:
While Miitomo is still pretty new, data collected by market researcher App Annie indicates that Nintendo’s new release is doing quite well in Japan thus far, since it took the top spot as the country’s most-downloaded social-networking app on iOS devices as of March 18, dethroning LINE, Japan’s most-popular instant messenger.
Nintendo spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa said in a statement:
“We had a good start and have received very positive feedback. Miitomo will continue to evolve.”
Miitomo later surpassed one million users in the first three days of the app in the market.
Hopefully, Nintendo will be able to replicate this success in other countries worldwide.
It may also not come as a big surprise to you, since the game highly resembles Tomodachi Life, but IGN’s Jose Otero recently confirmed on their Nintendo Voice Chat podcast that Yoshio Sakamoto was behind the app’s development process. He’s had important roles not only in Tomodachi Life, but also the Metroid and Rhythm Heaven series. IGN also asked Nintendo what the team’s size was and how much time it took to develop, but couldn’t get an answer. Nintendo also didn’t talk about the next apps to be released.
Speaking of Tomodachi Life, it has been found that Tomodachi Life QR codes work with the app, meaning you can easily bring over your character. The Mii’s name, voice, appearance, and personality transfer. Your catchphrase also becomes your greeting. You can use the QR code so long as you’ve set “allow copying” on.
Furthermore, TIME recently had an interview with Nintendo of America’s president Reggie Fils-Aime to discuss Miitomo, where Reggie commented on why Miitomo doesn’t have real-time messaging, talked about “long-term” plans for the app, Nintendo’s mobile goals, and much more. You can read the interview over here.
Finally, you can find some footage from Miitomo below, courtesy of TiLMENDOMiNATiON:
My Nintendo
My Nintendo, Nintendo’s new account and service system, has now launched in Japan, on the same day as Miitomo. You can access the official site here, but if you live outside Japan it will only show a teaser page.
Here’s a list of the available rewards as of now:
Miitomo
Mario Suit – 250 Platinum Points – can be redeemed until 5/1
1 game ticket – 85 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 5 times until 4/1
5 game tickets – 420 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 2 times until 4/1
10 game tickets – 250 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time
Discounts
20% off Mario Kart 8 (Wii U) – 950 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
20% off Dr. Luigi (Wii U) – 230 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
20% off New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS) – 750 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
20% off Brain Age: Concentration Training (3DS) – 600 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
40% off Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D (3DS) – 130 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
40% off Ultimate NES Remix (3DS) – 105 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
50% off Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the Move (3DS) – 50 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
40% off New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U) – 160 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
50% off Metroid: Other M (Wii U) – 90 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
50% off Super Mario Galaxy (Wii U) – 90 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
Games
My Nintendo Picross – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (3DS) – 1,000 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 10/1
Super Mario 64 (Wii U) – 120 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 8/1
New Super Luigi U (Wii U) – 240 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 8/1
Pikmin 3 DLC: Battle Enemies! Stages 7-10 (Wii U) – 30 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 8/1
WarioWare: Touched! (3DS) – 1,000 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coins (3DS) – 50 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii U) – 320 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 7/1
Metroid: Fusion (Wii U) – 85 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 8/1
Super Punch-Out!! (Wii U) – 100 Gold Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 8/1
3DS Themes
My Nintendo Theme 1: Mario – 200 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 5/1
My Nintendo Theme 2: Donkey Kong – 200 Platinum Points – can be redeemed 1 time until 5/1
You can get the points mentioned above by completing “Missions”. Here’s a few examples:
It’s also important to note that WarioWare: Touched! is available for the 3DS, not the Wii U, as a DSiWare title, and takes 214 blocks (about 27MB) of free space.
You can also find some footage of My Nintendo Picross – The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess below:
Happy Price Selection
Nintendo has posted several new commercials on its Japanese YouTube page for the new 3DS “Happy Price Selection” releases. You can watch them below:
https://youtu.be/CkNFI6sLWBY
https://youtu.be/OVCGvoOmkcE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaQ8dLjSJvs
https://youtu.be/9BQZ7RkxiWQ
Project Giant Robot
During a recent interview with TIME, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that Project Giant Robot hasn’t yet materialized into a full experience. He told the publication that:
“‘Project Giant Robot’ was something we started as a second project, and unfortunately we haven’t yet decided to turn that into a full game.”
It seems like Nintendo might be having trouble figuring out what to do with the Project Giant Robot idea…
Satoru Iwata honored at 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards
At this years GDC, David Hellman and Raber Umphenour created a touching special animation in honor of the late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata, that was shown at the 2016 Game Developers Choice Awards. You can find it below: