The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD
The Japanese Zelda Twitter page has continued to update us on Twilight Princess HD via Malo’s messages during the week.
Many of the messages include comments and character artwork/designs from when the original game was being developed.
You can find translations of the content of the various messages below:
“…It’s Malo. It’s the first time I’ve seen someone being able to transform into a wolf without having to see the moon… So with sharpened senses, he can look at things that normally couldn’t be seen, track with scents, and even put up a barrier to attack (referring to the shadow circle)… Isn’t that surpassing the boundary of a wolf…?”
“…It’s Malo. This is Midna, the gal who is profusely well-informed about the Twilight Realm. Seems like there were various kinds of designs until her appearance became like this. Speaking of which, her name seems to come from midnight… “shadow” = “night” is simple, isn’t it.”
“…It’s Malo. Hey you… Are you frightened by Ilia? She’s normally kind, but when she’s mad she’s very scary indeed… such Ilia used to be naughty in the past… You see, she put things like a fairy sticker on her forehead… But when you look at it closer, it feels rather eerie.”
“…It’s Malo. The name of this guy who looks like a **men Ri**r (censored Kamen Rider) is… “Bamboo Shoot-type Final Battle Weapon Zant No.1″… ah it’s wrong isn’t it… anyway, he’s an evil character indeed… and on top of that [he’s based on] a bamboo shoot… That’s uncool…”
【トワプリHD】…マロだ。今日は村にデザイナーとやらが特別講義をしに来ている…なるほど、器用なもんだ…気が向いたら、ウチの店の看板もリニューアルしてくれ。 pic.twitter.com/1Sfq7qEkAH
— ゼルダの伝説 (@ZeldaOfficialJP) January 29, 2016
“…It’s Malo. Today a so-called designer comes to the village to hold a special lecture… I see, he’s a dextrous guy… If I feel like it, I’ll ask him to renew the signboard for my shop.”
Later in the week, Nintendo released a new Story Trailer and some pieces of artwork (via GameReactor) for the game, which you can find below.
GameXplain also made a video comparing the Story Trailer footage with footage from the Wii and GameCube versions of the, which you can find below:
The latest issue of GamesMaster magazine also touches upon some game improvements in a short article with a few comments from Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma.
The magazine reveals that Epona handles better and Link has increased mobility while swimming. Aonuma also said that “Looking back now, getting the controls for both land and water just right has proven to be a big challenge throughout the series”.
GamesMaster also touches upon another change related to treasure chests in Twilight Princess HD:
“In the original, if your wallet was full and you opened a chest that contained Rupees, the Rupees would remain in the chest and its lid would close. The problem here being that in previous games players used open chests to know they’d visited a location, and this change meant they could no longer do that. Aonuma and his team considered this and reimplemented chests that remain open after you interact with them.”
Hyrule Warriors Legends
Apparently Hyrule Warriors Legends does not have an option to reset save data, which seems to be causing some problems to players who want to sell their copies to the used games market. There are good news on this front however, as the official Hyrule Warriors Legends Japanese Twitter account acknowledged that you can’t clear save data, but the developers would like to implement this as soon as possible. It should be added in as an option via an update sometime in the near future.
We also have word from Media Create that Hyrule Warriors Legends moved 54,479 copies in its first week in Japan, while Dengeki’s data says Hyrule Warriors Legends sold 55,694 copies during that time. That said, the game has sold through 60 percent of its initial shipment, which means it’s doing rather well, since Hyrule Warriors on the Wii U originally sold 69,090 copies in its first week, going through 57.33 percent of its initial shipment.
Finally, you can take a look at the video below by NintenDaan, showcasing the contents of the Hyrule Warriors Legends Treasure Box that released in Japan.
Pokémon 20th Anniversary
The Pokemon YouTube page has recently uploaded the official commercial for the series’ 20th anniversary set to air during the Super Bowl. A 30-second version of the same ad will be shown at the beginning of the third quarter of Super Bowl 50 on Sunday, February 7.
The ad below, which was shot in Rio de Janeiro, promotes the franchise in general as supposed to specific products. It “celebrates the millions of Pokemon fans around the world, encourages them to enjoy the Pokémon references hidden in the ad and Train On”.
You can find the ad below:
Alex Ogloza has done a video where he goes over the various references found in the ad, which you can find below. He did miss what seems to be a Koffing painted in a wall at around 0:12, behind the running boy.
It has also been announced that a brand new figure of Red will be unveiled at the Wonder Festival in Japan during the week. The figure has been teased using the image below:
When it comes to the 3DS Virtual Console version on the Red, Blue, Green and Yellow games, it has been made known that Restore Points aren’t supported. However, the games will all allow for wireless trading and battling through the Cable Club counter at Pokémon Centers. This action was probably taken so players couldn’t easily clone rare Pokémon.
Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo
Previously teased back in 2013 during an NHK show featuring The Pokémon Company president Tsunekazu Ishihara, Detective Pikachu was then referred to as a title under development that would star Pikachu in a detective role.
That same project has finally resurfaced again as Detective Pikachu: Birth of a New Duo, and is already coming out in Japan next week, on February 3rd. It is developed by Creatures and will be released as a 3DS eShop game only, with pricing set at 1,500 yen (1,200 yen between January 27 and February 29), and takes up 800MB of space (6,400 blocks). It is said to star a “smug, talking, loveable, detective Pikachu”.
You can find the translated announcement trailer below:
The game is being described as a puzzle solving “cinematic adventure game” by the official site and Nintendo’s site listing, and is a single player game with no online or communication features. Detective Pikachu features a story set in Rhyme City, a place where people and Pokemon live together. A young boy named Tim Goodman comes to this city to fulfill a certain objective. While there, Tim and Pikachu have an unexpected encounter, and a new story develops from there.
Gameplay revolves around exploring Rhyme City as the protagonist Tim Goodman and his partner, the titular Detective Pikachu. Tim is able to interview humans to solve mysteries, while Pikachu interviews Pokémon. The player can also look around specific spots for evidence a la Ace Attorney. Pikachu will sometimes notice details and offer hints or advice in addition to this. The game also features quick-time events, such as having to push a button to catch Pikachu as he falls down from a tree. These do not seem to affect how players progress through the game, but slightly change how some scenes play out.
The official website has also unveiled numerous details about the characters and world. Pikachu, for example, is able to talk but, because of this, cannot use any Pokémon moves and isn’t very fast. He also enjoys coffee and asks Tim to invite attractive women for tea, even though he’s weak around them. Other new characters are also introduced, such as Mike Baker, the head of the detective agency, or Amanda Blackstone, the director’s assistant. There’s also Amelia Kristi, a new Assistant Director at a TV Station, Meiko Okamoto, a TV Director, and Pablo Milan, the owner of the High Hat Cafe.
You can find several screenshots in the gallery below, showcasing some of these characters and gameplay features.
Pokkén Tournament
Bandai Namco has released a new Pokkén Tournament trailer featuring Chandelure. Check it out below, followed by some gameplay footage of the character.
Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon
The Play Nintendo YouTube account has uploaded yet another funny video for Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon, this time “The Jellicent Show: Pokemon Friendship”. Check it out below:
Fire Emblem Fates
In the original Japanese release of Fire Emblem Fates, there was a skinship feature within My Castle’s My Room, which allowed players to stroke other characters’ faces on the 3DS’ lower screen as a way for the Avatar to build bonds with them. For the western release of the game, Nintendo has decided to remove this particular element.
Early in the week, Kotaku confirmed with the company that the skinship feature has been completely removed, since one representative from Nintendo explained it in a statement while also defending the original intent of the Japanese version:
“Yes, that is the case [that petting isn’t in the English version]. You might have heard somewhat misinterpreted or exaggerated information about the Japanese original game, but even in the Japanese original version, we have not included any features which are considered inappropriate in Japan.”
This was later re-confirmed by other sources during the week, such as Polygon.
I guess that as long as they replace this feature with something else that helps you raise supports and find a way to keep some of the somewhat important/cryptic quotes in the game, such as Anna’s A Rank quote, everything will be ok.
Here’s a video example of the skinship feature so you know what all the fuss is about:
https://youtu.be/OfwVwJP25Bk
Meanwhile, Nintendo has updated the official North American website with a complete schedule of the upcoming DLC and some footage from various features in the game, which you can find below.
Below you can also find two new commercials and lots of new footage from the 3DS RPG Presentation event held in the previous week.
https://youtu.be/XCYZnKrum2I
https://youtu.be/7l09e1zeDDI
Genei Ibun Roku #FE
Nintendo Everything translated another part of the Nintendo Dream Interview with the Genei Ibun Roku #FE staff, which includes comments from producer Hitoshi Yamagami (Nintendo), director Kaori Ando (Nintendo), producer Shinjiro Takata (Atlus), director Eiji Ishida (Atlus), chief director Wataru Hirata (Atlus) and art director Fumitaka Yano (Atlus).
In this part, the developers give us an in-depth explanation on how they decided which setting to use as the backdrop for the game’s story and how the team determined which characters from the Fire Emblem series should be included.
You can find the translated interview over here.
Splatoon
As previously announced, on January 30th, Nintendo held a Splatoon concert in Chiba, Japan, during Niconico Tokaigi 2016, in celebration of the game having sold 1 million copies in the country. Select pieces of the soundtrack were played next to the Squid Sisters’ performance on stage. Below, you can find a trailer with some footage from the rehearsals and then an english translated video containing the full performance by the band and Callie and Marie at the event (with special thanks to Takomaster87).
On Sunday January 31, the finals for Splatoon Koshien 2016 were held in Japan and, as the tournament came to an end, producer Hisashi Nogami came on stage to deliver a short speech.
Here’s a rough translation of what he said during the speech, slightly altered from Sol64’s translation in the videos comments to make more sense:
The first time Splatoon was ever played in Japan was at Tokaigi a year ago.
A year later, holding an event as big as this, was only made possible thanks to everyone here, those who unfortunately couldn’t attend, and everyone watching the live stream.
To everyone who supported us, thank you very much!
We hope to continue hosting these events for Splatoon fans.
Splatoon only became this big thanks to all the players, so we would like to do something for all the supporters to show our appreciation.
Although we’ve announced that the release of new content will end in January, we are starting to think if we can do something more.
But, please wait a little bit more!
We appreciate your continued support for Splatoon and the Squid Research Lab!
You can watch his emotional speech in the video below. It really shows how thankful he is.
https://youtu.be/H8HnPAOxhHQ
As Nogami hinted at the possibility of some extra final content for Splatoon in Japan, @NWPlayer1234 seems to have unearthed evidence of the possible existence of new amiibo figures. Code for “AmiiboIdolA” and “AmiiboIdolB” has been found within Splatoon’s files, next to “AmiiboModelF”, “AmiiboModelM” and “AmiiboModelS”, which are used for the Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy and Inkling Squid amiibos respectively. These two new pieces of code were likely included in the game’s most recent update. Given the names, one would think that they might be referencing the Squid Sisters, and considering the recent concert and the relevance of Callie and Marie in the game, it wouldn’t be that surprising to see two new amiibos for both of them. However, there’s no more information regarding that, so we will have to wait for an official announcement from Nintendo.
Finally, we have the results of the 10th European Splatfest, which you can find below:
Europe (10th Splatfest) – Barbarian vs. Ninja
– Votes – 23% / 77%
– Wins – 59% / 41%
– Final Results – 377 / 323 – Barbarian Wins
New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward
Nintendo recently shared on Twitter that New Style Boutique 2: Fashion Forward will be getting the Splatoon clothes pack on January 28. Check it out in the image below:
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
It has now been announced that the last DLC content for Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS, featuring Corrin and Bayonetta, will be launching on February 3rd for North America and February 4th for all other regions.
You can also find some new screenshots starring these two characters in the gallery below:
Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer
A new Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer event has just hit Japan.
Players will be able to connect their games online between February 1 at 9 AM and February 29 at 11:59 PM to receive a request from Maddie. She’ll ask you to make a house with a stationary theme for her. If you take on her request, original items based on Kokuyo products will be added to the catalog.
Here’s a list of the new items:
– Campus Closet
– Dot Liner
– Neo Critz Chair
– Campus Bed
– Kadokeshi Sofa
– Junior Pencil Partitioning Screen
– Triangles Table
– Hosomi Clock
– Campus Wallpaper
– Campus Carpet
– Campus Rug
Nintendo hasn’t announced a similar event for overseas players yet.
Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam
Nintendo recently held a new “Miiverse Miiting” interview with the Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam developers.
In it, they discuss various topics, such as why Paper Luigi isn’t featured in the game and why there is a lack of original characters.
You can find the full interview below in screenshot format.
Mini Mario & Friends amiibo Challenge
Mini Mario & Friends amiibo Challenge is now available to Japanese players who purchase an amiibo figure and download the game on Wii U and 3DS using the code they receive.
That said, you can find some footage from both versions in the videos below, recorded by NintenDaan.
Shigesato Itoi on the Mother series
Late last year, Nintendo Dream attended an event for the Mother series that was held in Japan, and spoke with well-known designer Shigesato Itoi.
During the interview, Itoi discussed various topics including Mother 3’s development (which involved cancelling the project on the Nintendo 64 before moving onto the Game Boy Advance), the series in general, the fans, and mcuh more.
Nintendo Everything has recently launched a complete translation of this Nintendo Dream piece, which you can over here, if you are interested in learning more about the series and the man behind it.
Kit and Krysta on why they started Nintendo Minute
Kit and Krysta, the hosts of Nintendo Minute, are often asked by fans why they started the show and how it came about. The two of them recently addressed this matter in a post on Nintendo’s new Tumblr page. Nintendo Minute started airing back in the middle of 2013 and will be celebrating its third anniversary in May.
Here’s the conversation between the two:
Kit: Today we’re going to cover a question that we get fairly frequently from Nintendo Minute viewers, which is “how the heck did the two of you get started doing this thing anyway?”
Krysta: I sometimes ask myself the same question but I think the number one reason (at least for me) is we started Nintendo Minute because of one thing and one thing only; we love Nintendo games and we wanted to share that with you guys!
Kit: Yes, I feel very lucky that throughout my life I’ve been able to have friends around me who are also into games, and that I can talk to about games, because let’s be honest, it’s what we’re constantly thinking about. At the same time, I know there are people out there who may not be in the same position. You and I have had these sorts of discussions ever since we started at Nintendo, so it felt natural to translate them to video and share with everyone else. It’s also been a fun way to document my journey with facial hair! Please look forward to my Viking beard braid in 2017.
Krysta: We’re incredibly lucky to work at a company that really cultivates this type of environment and really encourages us to share our passion with all of you. And yes, it’s weird to see how different we look through the years. And there’s one more thing I want to bring up. We’re definitely not making these videos because we think we’re, like, game playing geniuses or something. But one thing for me that I’ve always believed in, is that you don’t have to be awesome at games to love them. In fact, I think I really suck at most games but it doesn’t make them any less fun for me to play them.
Kit: Our failed dreams of eSports glory aside, Nintendo Minute has really brought us closer to the Nintendo fan community, whether it’s meeting people at events or reading comments (we read them all!). I love how there’s such a circular relationship.
Krysta: Well now I think you’re scaring them…
Kit: This post is too cordial…I…I…don’t know what to do next.
Unity now available for use with the New 3DS
It was recently announced at Unite Tokyo that the Unity engine is now available to be fullly used with the New 3DS. And just like on the Wii U, Unity comes free of charge on the New 3DS as well.
Unity has already been working with developers to port some of their games to the New 3DS. A good example of this is Wind Up Knight 2, which went on sale towards the end of last year in Japan.
Unity actually supports the original 3DS as well, but with a reduced amount of features. According to them, it’s possible to “generate ROM images which are compatible with the original 3DS, and there are certainly some types of game which will run perfectly well on it, but for the majority of games we strongly recommend targeting the New Nintendo 3DS for maximum gorgeousness”.
This might finally create a small push for more New 3DS exclusive games in the near future, giving better support to the portable. I just hope it’s not too little to late, considering the imminent approach of the NX.
NX Rumours
More rumors about the NX continue to come and go.
This time, analyst and consultant Dr. Serkan Toto claimed on Twitter that Bandai Namco is supposedly working on a number of titles for the upcoming NX system, including Super Smash Bros. which will apparently be a launch game.
Given that Smash Bros. just came released on the Wii U and 3DS a little over a year ago, an enhanced port would be a more logical possibility at this point than an entirely new entry.
Toto isn’t sure about any dates however. In terms of where the information comes from, he seems to be connected to a number of industry sources, but we will have to wait and see if this speculation will turn out being true in the end.
Meanwhile, during the conference call for its Q4 2015 financial results, Macronix International declared that the company will be providing memory slots for the NX. One report from the event suggests that the platform will be launching later this year.
Here’s a translation of an article found on Yahoo’s site coming from this NeoGAF thread:
Prestigious Japanese videogame console maker Nintendo will launch a new console called NX this year. General Manager of Macronix, CY Lu, said Macronix will provide products for NX and that Macronix has considerable expectations to NX.
In the afternoon, Macronix had held an online conference for investors. As Nintendo is going to launch new console NX this year, investors concern about if Macronix, which have a long-term cooperative relationship with Nintendo, is still part of NX’s supply chain.
CY Lu said Macronix will supply memory slots for NX, and that the company has considerable expectation to NX.
Even though CY Lu declined to comment whether the supplied products are ROM, he said he expects ROM sales this year will be exceptional.