Nintendo 2016 Annual Report
Nintendo’s 2016 Annual Report has now been published online by the company.
If you are interested in checking it out, you can find it over here.
The report doens’t mention anything new, but it provides a recap of some information.
Here are a few highlights:
– Net sales: U.S.$4,464 (millions of dollars)
– Operating income (loss): 290 (millions of dollars)
– Number of employees: 5,064 (633 temporary)
– 3DS global hardware sales: 6.79 million
– Wii U global hardware sales: 3.26 million
– 3DS global software sales: 48.52 million
– Wii U global software sales: 27.36 million
– Reginald Fils-Aime and Satoru Shibata are now Executive Officers of Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe respectively
There’s also a single note about NX, reiterating its March 2017 release:
Nintendo is also devoted to the development of a gaming platform codenamed “NX” with a brand-new concept, which will be launched in March 2017 globally.
Pokémon Sun & Moon
The Pokémon Company has recently revealed new information about Pokémon Sun & Moon. You can find the new trailers, artwork, and an overview of what was revealed below:
Introducing new Alola region Pokémon and brand-new gameplay features in upcoming Pokémon games
London, United Kingdom—19 July 2016— The Pokémon Company International announced new features and Pokémon which will be appearing in the much anticipated video games Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, available exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems.Introducing new Pokémon:Name: Wimpod
Type: Bug/Water
Wimpod is the Turn Tail Pokémon. This Pokémon is a cowardly scavenger which eats or stores anything that’s been dropped in the sea, so it’s highly valued across the Alola region as a cleaner of the sea. Wimpod has the new Ability Wimp Out, which causes this Pokémon to run away or swap out for another Pokémon when its HP drops below half in battle.Name: Bounsweet
Type: Grass
Fruit Pokémon Bounsweet gives off a delicious aroma. This aroma has a calming effect on humans, so many people across Alola let them live inside their homes as an air freshener.Name: Comfey
Type: Fairy
Comfey, the Posy Picker Pokémon, picks flowers to carry around. Comfey uses its soothing aroma to help treat people and Pokémon at Pokémon Centers and hospitals.Name: Mudsdale
Type: Ground
Mudsdale is the Draft Horse Pokémon, possessing incredible power and endurance. Its legs are coated in protective mud, and its kick can destroy a car in a single blow. Mudsdale can have the Ability Stamina, a new Ability which raises a Pokémon’s Defense by one when it’s hit by an attack.Name: Bewear
Type: Normal/Fighting
Bewear is the Strong Arm Pokémon that must never be approached carelessly. With its stout and highly developed arms and legs, Bewear loves to give crushing bear hugs which will split anything in two.Name: Mimikyu
Type: Ghost/Fairy
As the Disguise Pokémon, Mimikyu lives its life constantly covered by its cloth. Mimikyu’s Disguise Ability allows it to escape danger from an enemy’s attack one time, changing its appearance afterward.New features are coming to the Pokémon Global Link, a website which connects players around the world who are enjoying the Pokémon series. The Pokémon Global Link will be ending its current Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y service. It will be updated to make it compatible with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon and to introduce Friendly Competitions, a new function which allows players to become competition hosts and hold their own original competitions, where they can set the regulations. Two types of Friendly Competition will be available, Online and Live.
· Online Competitions—These are competitions which are played over the internet. Players will be matched with an opponent and compete against each other for the best rating. These competitions can be open to Pokémon Trainers all over the world, or they can be set to only allow pre-approved Trainers to enter.
· Live Competitions—These competitions allow players to host a competition and play together with friends and other Trainers who are in the same space. The Digital Player ID that contains competition regulations is generated as a QR Code, and by scanning the QR code into a 3DS system, participants can join and battle according to the set regulations.
Also announced is the new Hyper Training function which can be used to increase Pokémon’s power. Traditionally, Pokémon grow stronger by raising their levels and increasing their base stats. However, such power is still affected by the individual strengths innate to each Pokémon. Hyper Training allows Pokémon that have grown to Lv. 100 to increase their individual strengths, which has not been possible in previous Pokémon games. You can now make your Lv. 100 Pokémon even stronger. Hyper Training is done by Mr. Hyper, a new character who can be found somewhere in the Alola region. By using Bottle Caps, a new item obtainable in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, players will be able to carry out Hyper Training on their Pokémon. The Mythical Pokémon Magearna, planned for distribution in Europe later, will be distributed with a Bottle Cap held item.
A new trailer showcasing all the new features and Pokémon in action can be found here: https://youtu.be/SCK14PRQlJ4
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will launch in Europe on 23 November, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. For more information, please visit Pokemon.co.uk/SunMoon .
Hyper Training Maximizes a Pokémon’s Power
In Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, you can draw forth a Pokémon’s power to its utmost limit with Hyper Training.
Pokémon grow stronger by raising their levels and increasing their base stats. However, their power is still affected by the individual strengths innate to each Pokémon. Now, with Hyper Training, Pokémon that have grown to Lv. 100 will be able to increase their individual strengths, which has never been possible before.
With Hyper Training, you can increase the strength of the Lv. 100 Pokémon you’ve been adventuring with!
Bottle Caps: The Key to Hyper Training
Hyper Training is done by Mr. Hyper—a man who loves to collect Bottle Caps. He can be found somewhere in the Alola region. If you bring him Bottle Caps, which you can obtain in Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, you’ll be able to improve your Pokémon’s stats with Hyper Training.
Magearna Holds a Bottle Cap
The Magearna you’ll be able to get will be holding a Bottle Cap, a precious item needed for Hyper Training. With a Bottle Cap, you can perform Hyper Training on any Pokémon. Get Magearna on your team and try out Hyper Training for yourself!
More Fun at the Pokémon Global Link
With the release of Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon, the Pokémon Global Link—the website that connects Pokémon players around the world—will end its current Pokémon Omega Ruby, Pokémon Alpha Sapphire, Pokémon X, and Pokémon Y service and will be updated to work with Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon. New functions added in the update will let you enjoy Pokémon battles even more! For more information about the PGL update and the new features, check out the Pokémon Global Link (www.pokemon-gl.com).
Host Your Own Friendly Competitions
On the new PGL, you’ll be able to compete in official Online Competitions as in the past, but now there’s more! A new Friendly Competition feature has been constructed that will allow you to become a competition host yourself and host original competitions where you set the regulations. Friendly Competitions allow you to hold competitions in two different styles. Recruit your friends and enjoy climactic battles!
Online Competitions
In these Internet competitions, you’ll battle other participants you’ve been matched with and compete for the best rating. These competitions can be open to Pokémon Trainers all around the world, or they can be set to only allow pre-approved Trainers to enter. When the number of participants exceeds a certain number, Pokémon ranking will also be calculated, just as in official Online Competitions.
Live Competitions
Live Competitions allow you to host a competition where you gather together with friends and others in the same space. The Digital Player ID that contains the regulations will be created as a QR Code, and by scanning in that QR Code, participants will be able to battle according to the competition’s regulations.
It’s also interesting to note that:
– Hyper Training implies you can raise your pokémon’s IVs to their maximum level by exchanging Bottle Caps. Depending on how easy they are to obtain, this can be a game changer for many players.
– The Japanese Site confirms that Magearna will come holding a Silver Bottle Cap, suggesting there are different types of Bottle Caps.
More Pokémon Sun & Moon details will be revealed by The Pokémon Company on August 1. The news will be shared at the following times:
– 10 PM JST
– 6 AM PT
– 9 AM ET
– 2 PM in the UK
– 3 PM in Europe
Besides these announcements, a couple of interesting interviews also popped up during the week.
The first is a four page Famitsu interview with director Shigeru Ohmori and producer Junichi Masuda. They discuss various topics about Pokémon Sun & Moon, such as gameplay changes and improvements, the setting of the games, the new Battle Royal mode, potential linkage with Pokémon GO, and much more. You can read a translation and summary of the interview over here, at Nintendo Everything.
The second interview is by Game Informer, and covers Junichi Masuda’s work on the music of the Pokémon games. In it, he talked about his process for song creation, his favorite tracks, and juggling responsibilities between being a director and a composer, among other things. You can read the interview over here.
Pokkén Tournament
Bandai Namco has released a new batch of official screenshots showing off Darkrai in the arcade version of Pokkén Tournament. You can find them in the following gallery:
Some more footage or the character in action is also available online. You can find it below:
Pokémon GO
Version 1.0.3 / 0.29.3 of Pokémon GO is now available. The official patch notes say that minor text fixes have been implemented.
The game is also now available in France and Japan. To celebrate, Niantic’s John Hanke and Game Freak’s Junichi Masuda have shared a few words in video form. You can watch it below, but keep in mind that only Hanke’s part of the message is in english, since the video is directed at Japan.
At the same time, Nintendo also issued a notice on its investor’s website about its forecast in response to Pokémon GO’s success. Basically, things are staying the same from now. You can read the full message below.
Niantic, Inc., a U.S.-based company, has begun to distribute the “Pokémon GO” application for smart devices in Japan today.
This mobile game application is developed and distributed by Niantic, Inc. The Pokémon Company, which is an affiliated company of Nintendo Co., Ltd. (the “Company”), holds the ownership rights to Pokémon. The Pokémon Company is going to receive a licensing fee as well as compensation for collaboration in the development and operations of the application.
The Company owns 32% of the voting power of The Pokémon Company. The Pokémon Company is the Company’s affiliated company, accounted for by using the equity method. Because of this accounting scheme, the income reflected on the Company’s consolidated business results is limited.
Also, a peripheral device for use with the application, “Pokémon GO Plus,” which will be produced and distributed by the Company, is scheduled for release. All of the above are reflected in the financial forecast ending March 31, 2017 as set forth on April 27, 2016.
Taking the current situation into consideration, the Company is not modifying the consolidated financial forecast for now. The Company will make a timely disclosure when the Company needs to modify its financial forecasts.
During the weekend, Niantic CEO John Hanke revealed the different Team Leaders for Pokémon GO at San Diego Comic-Con 2016.
They are as follows:
– Team Valor: Candela
– Team Mystic: Blanche
– Team Instinct: Spark
It has also been announced that Niantic has stopped accepting requests for new gyms and PokéStops in Pokémon GO. Furthermore, there is now a form with which people can request gyms and stops to be removed from the game, which can be accessed here.
Meanwhile, data miners have been researching Pokémon GO, and have found some previously-unknown information about the game by looking through its various files.
Here’s a rundown from Pokémon Fortress:
– The Trainer Level Cap is 40.
– Egg’s cap at Level 20, so if you get an Egg at Level 37 it’ll still hatch at the same quality as if you were level 20.
– Wild Pokemon cap at Level 30, meaning after Level 30 everyone will find the same max CP Pokemon and it’ll be a matter of spending the candy and stardust to upgrade them to your level’s cap based on their CP arc.
– There is an achievement/badge rank above gold.
– Curveballs and Accurate Throws (Nice, Great, Etc) have been confirmed as helping with the capture chance of a Pokeball throw.
– There may be future Incubators that reduce the amount of kilometers needed before they hatch. (There is an incubator called “distance” in the code)
– Moves have an Accuracy and a Critical Hit Rate.
– Each unique Pokemon has it’s own Capture and Flee rate.
– Move Damage may go up with Trainer Level.
– Pokemon do become harder to catch as you level up.
– Mewtwo, Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno are Legendary.
– Mew is Mythic.
– Farfetch’d is out there… somewhere. As is Ditto.
– The Charge Meter is filled 0.5 for each 1 HP of damage dealt. This means a super effective move that does more damage will charge the special attack faster – that is actually really important to know.
– To level from 39 to 40 takes five million experience, and going from 1 to 40 takes twenty million.
– Pokemon have a base Attack, Defense and Stamina (HP) – thus they do not have a Attack and Special Attack stat like in the 3DS games.
– Dragonite has the strongest base attack for non-legends, at 250.
– Mewtwo has a base attack of 284.
– Moltres has the highest base attack of the three legendary birds.
– Articuno has the highest base defense of the three.
– Zapdos is almost as high as Moltres in base attack but is likely lower due to Type Advantage.
– Pokemon have an evolution modifier AND a HP modifier when they evolve both CP and HP go up a set multiplier.
– Defending Pokemon at a Gym attack every 1.5 seconds.
– The Master Ball is in the game, no clue where it is found.
– The Legendary Pokemon do have a spawn rate, but they have no capture rate
– STAB is present in the game, giving a 25% Bonus to an attack move. STAB stands for “Same Type Attack Bonus” and means if a Grass Pokemon uses a Grass move it will hit harder than if a Ground Pokemon used the same Grass move. This is a big deal confirmation.
On the business side of things, McDonalds has announced that they’re collaborating with Pokémon GO in Japan. The fast food restaurant announced its exclusive partnership that has all 2,900 restaurants showing up in the game’s app. About 400 of the restaurants are Gyms, while the other 2,500 are PokeStops.
According to Sensor Tower‘s data, Pokémon GO has now been downloaded over 30 million times worldwide across iOS and Android, and earned more than $35 million in net revenue. The game also sees “more daily average usage than the world’s most established apps in the process”. Pokémon GO is the fastest mobile game to reach 10 million downloads worldwide, having done so in just a week. It beat out Supercell’s Clash Royale by two days and Candy Crush Jelly Saga, which did so in twelve days.
The app also has officially surpassed 50 million installs on Android, and currently sits somewhere between that and 100 million downloads.
According to GameStop CEO Paul Raines, Pokémon GO is having positive effects on their store sales too, as you can see in the video below:
Moreover, in the UK, Pokémon is getting a huge sales boost on 3DS thanks to Pokémon GO too. GfK numbers from two weeks ago show a 145% increase in combined sales of previous Pokémon titles on Nintendo’s handheld.
MCV shares the following data about the Pokémon title sales:
Top selling Pokemon games for week ending July 16 (sales increase %)
1. Pokémon Alpha Sapphire – 148%
2. Pokémon Omega Ruby – 148%
3. Pokémon X – 238%
4. Pokémon Y – 188%
5. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon – 65%
These five games in total –148%
Pokémon Total – 145%
MCV also heard from licensing sources that Nintendo has raised projections for Sun and Moon.
If that wasn’t enough, sales of the Pokémon Trading Card Game are up by 100% too, which MCV notes might be partially due to Pokemon’s 20th anniversary as well.
Ben Hogg, marketing manager at the Pokémon Trading Card Game supplier Esdevium, said:
“We’ve not seen the same excitement around the brand since the original UK launch in the 1990s. TCG sales are up around eight times the level we saw back in 2012 and over 100 per cent year-on-year from 2015.”
“We are excited about Pokémon Go and the effect it could have on the TCG. The high profile launch has certainly generated plenty of additional interest in Pokémon from our retailers. It is hard to say if it will lead to some good extra sales or if it will be a catalyst for further huge growth. But we are confident the effect will be positive, just how positive we do not yet know.”
The senior buyer of one of the UK’s biggest games outlets also told MCV that:
“Although Pokémon Go will probably tail-off a bit, we do expect the franchise to be one of the most talked about this Christmas. It will have a positive impact on the 3DS, toys and cards, too.”
Pokémon Live-Action Movie
Last week, Legendary Pictures announced they have secured the movie rights to Pokémon, according to Hollywood Reporter. Additionally, the first film to be produced will be “Detective Pikachu”.
No specifics about the project have been shared yet, however, we know that it will be a live-action movie, and there are plans to begin production next year.
Toho will handle distribution of Detective Pikachu in Japan, and Universal Pictures will be in charge for the overseas release.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Shigeru Miyamoto and Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma have once again spoken with EDGE about the reasons for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s delay at E3 last month. The main reason we heard about before was difficulty in implementing the physics engine, but Aonuma has now mentioned how development itself ran into some issues.
He explained:
“We have these milestones during development. I play the game, then give staff my comments, my advice on what direction they should be heading in. At one of the milestones, the game was fantastic. There were so many great elements. But at the next milestone, that was all gone.
I’d made a lot of comments about what they needed to add, but I never told them what I thought was good about the game at that milestone. So they added stuff that I’d recommended, but they also added some other elements they thought would work well – and that ended up breaking all the good parts of the previous build. I learned that, when it’s good, I have to say so. If I’d managed that we’ll, maybe development wouldn’t have extended quite so much.”
Later in the interview, Aonuma discusses the change of direction in Breath of the Wild:
“There’s a form of Japanese theatre called kabuki. A kabuki master would say ‘in order to break the mould, you have to know the mould’. Often, when I speak to Mr Miyamoto about a problem, that’s the feedback he’ll give me: ‘You don’t understand the mould here. That’s why it’s no good’.”
“We got a lot of feedback from the people that played Skyward Sword. There were these pockets of worlds that players were able to dive into, but they really wanted to see what was in between those worlds – all the hidden elements they weren’t able to see. I thought that was really natural for Zelda fans, who like to explore, to uncover little secrets. We realised that we needed to make this free, open-air world.”
He also talks about the newfound dynamism in the game’s combat system:
“In the past titles, if a player found a different solution to the on we’d intended, we’d call it a bug. But for this title we created puzzles with multiple solutions. Even battles against enemies have a puzzle element: you can push a rock off a cliff and defeat them that way, or have bees chase them away so you can sneak up and take their weapons. Even if it’s a strong enemy, there are a lot of strategies, and it’s not just about battling.”
Moreover, Aonuma commented on Zelda’s uniqueness:
“Whenever I ask Mr Miyamoto what Zelda is, he says, ‘Well, Zelda’s greatness is that it’s unique’. So we focus on what we weren’t able to do in other games. Of course we play a lot of games. Especially the staff – they play whatever they like. When someone says, ‘hey, I’d really like to put this feature in the game’, someone else may say, ‘no, actually, that’s already been done in another game’. We try not to focus too much on whether it’s already been done. We think, ok, it’s been done before, but how can we implement it in our game and make it our own, unique experience?”
Finally, Aonuma reconfirmed to EDGE that the E3 2014 video was running in real time and in-engine, even though the scene shown was made especially for the trailer. When we saw Link shooting arrows at the Guardian on his horse, jumping off, and firing off one last arrow in mid-air at the enemy in slow motion back then, you couldn’t actually do that in the game.
However, Aonuma “really wanted to put that in the game” and realized his vision following the trailer. It also made the team expand on Breath of the Wild in terms of story. In the end, the trailer ended up as “the basis for the whole game”.
Aonuma’s words in full:
“After creating the trailer, I really wanted to put that in the game. So I ended up making it come true. There’s a lot I learned from that trailer. Once we’d put that element in the game, it made us think: what else can we do with this enemy? How else could we fight it? It expanded to new story ideas as well. The trailer became the basis for the whole game.”
As a side note, Aonuma revealed that Nintendo has told him to make a new IP, while still wanting him to continue with Zelda. He mentioned that he’s interested in the idea “of a game where I can live as a thief”, but didn’t elaborate further on the matter.
Here’s Aonuma’s full comment:
“Actually, Nintendo has been telling me to create a new IP. But then, they’re also telling me to make more Zelda games. I can’t really share much; I’m not sure I’m allowed to say anything. But I really like the idea of a game where I can live as a thief. That’s all I’ll say.”
Metroid Prime: Federation Force
Nintendo recently prepared a new 15-minute mission briefing video for Metroid Prime: Federation Force in anticipation of the upcoming game’s release. You can watch it below:
Besides that, a Metroid Prime: Blast Ball demo was also released on the 3DS eShop. It supports up to six players, has online play, local play, and download play, and takes up 1,563 blocks / 195.375MB of memory. Severs for this special demo will only be up for a certain period of time, so enjoy while it lasts.
Finally, you can find several new pieces of artwork in the gallery below, followed by various gameplay footage from the game and the Blast Ball demo.
Paper Mario: Color Splash
Various news videos containing gameplay footage from Paper Mario: Color Splash have hit the internet. You can find them rounded up below:
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Nintendo has released a new Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE video to highlight the DLC being sold for the game. You can watch it below:
Kirby: Planet Robobot
Nintendo has launched a new Japanese commercial for Kirby: Planet Robobot. You can take a loo at it below:
https://youtu.be/acSlm-sp2QY
Besides that, the official website for the Kirby Cafe is now open. You can access it here.
Kirby fans in Japan will be able to attend the cafe during three different dates. A location in Osaka will be open on August 5, followed by Nagoya on August 24. It will also appear in Tokyo at some point.
The menu includes the following:
Kirby’s Fluffy Pancake
Pop Star Curry with scattered seafood dressing (has bonus – see last paragraph below)
King Dedede’s Super-Healthy Plate (has bonus)Whispy Woods’ Green Greens Plate (has bonus)
Cold Fruit Pasta with Mango rolled in on Kawasaki’s whim (has bonus)
Maxim Tomato’s Full-Recovery Pasta (has bonus)Parfait eaten by Meta Knight at night
Dream Fountain Sparkling Cocktail (non-alcoholic)
Orange Ocean Juice with Yogurt MousseMaxim Tomato’s Cup Soup
Kirby’s Macaron Cookie Choux
Maxim Tomato’s CupcakeInvincible Candy Cupcake
Star Rod Cupcake
And the original goods are the following:
Hand Painted Stacking Mug Cup (Yellow / Blue)
Acrylic Muddler (Candy / Maxim Tomato / Star Rod)
iPhone Case (Kirby and Waddle Dee Yellow / Blue)Canvas Art (Kirby and Waddle Dee / Blue Sky Kirby Cafe)
Maxim Tomato Spandex Cushion and Neck Pillow
Kirby Spandex Cushion and Neck PillowKirby Cafe Original Textile Cotton Tote Bag
Kirby Cafe Original Fake Leather Cotton Flat Tote Bag
Kirby Cafe Original Textile Poach with CharmClear File (Kirby / Blue Sky Kirby Cafe)
Postcard (12 variations)
2.5D Premium Postcard (5 variations)Crystal Magnet (8 variations)
Can Badge (Capsule Toys, 8 variations)
Some of the menu items will have a bonus mark which means it will come with a randomly given 2.5D figure. Customers who buy more than 2,000 yen in the Kirby Cafe Official Shop will also have their items inserted into a Kirby Cafe limited shopper bag (limited amount). You can take a look at both items below:
Star Fox Zero
Last week, Nintendo released “Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins + Training” in the European and North American Wii U eShop. The download features the recent animated short as well as a demo of Star Fox Zero, that takes up 1,677MB of space.
Here’s an overview from the Wii U eShop:
“In this demo, enjoy the full Animated Short Movie – Star Fox Zero: The Battle Begins, then jump into training to prepare for combat! In this white-knuckle space shooter, it’ll take more than luck to master the Arwing jet, the Gyrowing flight drone, and the Landmaster tank!”
Wii U owners can also download the Star Fox Guard Special Demo, which is 1383MB big. A small update file is also included.
The demo includes a few different levels to play through, straight from the introduction. Save data can be carried over to the full version.
Super Mario Maker
Super Mario Maker has received a new update, bringing the game up to version 1.44.
The version 1.44 patch requires 297MB of free space.
The update contains the following:
– Posting a comment while playing a course and after clearing a course it will no longer automatically put a star.
– The requirements for the fly to appear when creating a course has been changed.
– Miscellaneous bug fixes to improve the experience.
Splatoon
Even though the last Splatoon Splatfest involving Callie and Marie is now long over, I decided to post the promotional material Nintendo released during the week just for future reference purposes.
First, Nintendo released a PV dedicated to each of the two Squid Sisters, which you can find below:
The Splatfest itself was held between the Kelp Dome, Moray Towers and Walleye Warehouse stages, which were selected among the top scorers in each region’s poll to decide the stages for the final Splatfest. These were the results of the polls.
When it comes to the Splatfest results, it seems like victory favored Marie over Callie. Here are the results:
Worldwide (Final Splatfest) – Callie vs. Marie
– Votes – 46% / 54%
– Wins – 49% / 51%
– Final Results – 340 / 360 – Marie Wins
To celebrate the history of Splatfests in Japan, Nintendo also posted a video on Youtube, which you can watch below:
Finally, the Splatoon Live in Makuhari CD came out in Japan on July 13, and according to Oricon, the package sold 10,345 copies in its first week, which was also the eighth best-selling album during that period. Pretty good for a video game soundtrack.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf
Nintendo has announced that Animal Crossing: New Leaf is getting a free update this Autumn worldwide, which will let players scan amiibo to unlock more content in game. Apparently, a normal villager card will make that character move in. The Animal Crossing figures are also compatible, and there is a tease of Splatoon content. Two squirrels that look like Callie and Marie can move into town, and there also appear to be furniture and clothing items based on Splatoon and the Squid Sisters. The Splatoon content might be partially associated to the Squid Sisters amiibo.
Here are a few screenshots of what’s to come:
Miitomo
Nintendo continued its promotion of Miitomo in Japan with another commercial launched last week. You can watch it below:
Besides that Miitomo has been updated with more content as usual, including more Miitomo Drop stages, and more Miitomo Shop items. Here’s what was added:
“Fun in the sun! Summertime Style #2”
– Crazy print Hawaiian shirt
– Shirt + pineapple dress
– Woven resort sandals
– Hibiscus lei
“Fun in the sun! Summertime Style #3”
– Tropical glass costume (set)
– Tropical-juice straw (set)
– Hula top (set)
– Hula skirt (set)
“Stealing the beach scene! Vacation Vogue #1”
– Knit bikini bandana (set)
– Knit bikini top (set)
– Knit bikini bottom (set)
– Flotation device
Miitomo Shop Items
– Flaring fashionista hat
– Sheer floral shirt
– Summery skirt w/ gradient
– Sheer striped socks
– One-strap beach sandals
– Surfboard
– Far-future headgear (set)
– Far-future suit (set)
Finally, Miitomo has a new collaboration with the Super Mario series that allows players to obtain in-game T-Shirts with designs based on the characters of that series. You can find out more details about that collaboration over here.
NES Classic Edition
During the week, Nintendo released a new trailer for the NES Classic Edition, inspired by the days of old. Check it out below:
We also have another look at the Nintendo Classic Edition in the form of a video by IGN and some photos by Nintendo Life taken at SDCC 2016. You can find those below:
Virtual Console
Nintendo has released official trailers for Mario Tennis (N64) and Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Sky (DS) for the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console. You can watch them below:
Over the next five weeks, Japan will also be able to purchase more Wii games, with two of them releasing every week. Each one will have a 30% discount available via My Nintendo. The schedule of release is as follows:
July 27: Xenoblade Chronicles, Rhythm Heaven Fever
August 3: Super Paper Mario, Project Zero 2: Wii Edition
August 9: Kirby’s Epic Yarn, New Super Mario Bros. Wii
August 17: Mario Strikers Charged, Mario Super Sluggers
August 24: Wario Land Shake It, Mario Sports Mix
Nintendo Figures
Wonder Festival 2016 Summer recently took place in Japan, and several new Nintendo related figures were on display, and some new ones have also been announced.
These include:
– Link Nendoroid from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
– Corrin Nendoroid from Fire Emblem Fates
– Elise Nendoroid from Fire Emblem Fates
– Meta Knight Nendoroid from Kirby
– Samus Figma from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption
– Corrin Figma from Fire Emblem Fates
– Princess Zelda Figma from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
– Link Figma from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
– Mega Man Nendoroid from Mega Man EXE
– Mega Man: Metal Blade Ver. Nendoroid from Megaman
– Mega Man Nendoroid from Mega Man X
– ARTFX J May with Mudkip figure from Pokémon
– Serena with Fennekin figure from Pokémon
– Red with Pikachu figure from Pokémon
– Mage (A-1 female version) from 7th Dragon III Code: VFD
– Saurai (A-1 female version) from 7th Dragon III Code: VFD
You can take a look at these in the gallery below, and at other announced figures over here.
It was also revealed last month that Medicom will be producing a new Link figure based on his appearance in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild as part of the Real Action Heroes series.
The new Link figure features detailed accessories (a bow, quiver full of regular arrows, one of the special arrows shown in first trailer, a sword, shield, a hooded cloak, and the Sheikah Slate) and interchangeable hands and heads that can be used to customize his appearance. While the figure itself (the head in particular) is made of PVC, the clothes are made from cloth.
It’s not yet known when the figure will be available, but we can expect it to cost 30,240 yen (roughly $285 USD) upon release.
You can take a look at some actual photos of the figure from Dengeki Hobby in the gallery below:
Nintendo Minute
The latest episode of Nintendo Minute is now out, and features Kit and Krysta going over some gaming confessions submitted by the fans. Check it out below: