3rd Party News Roundup May 29 2016 Feature

May 23 to 29 3rd Party News Roundup

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice

Capcom shared some more information on Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Spirit of Justice during the week. In this update, the company talks about the “Revisualization” system, returning from Dual Destinies.

Here are the details, courtesy of Gematsu:

– When the courtroom battle reaches its final stage and it seems you need another step to fully grasp hold of the truth, a “Revisualization” is triggered to reach a decisive conclusion
– This will allow you to review the facts revealed in the court up until that point
– Then you can seek out a route that leads to the truth while organizing events, and select said route using logical reasoning
– It’s possible to continue to review the facts any number of times to reach the truth, even if you make an error

You can also find the screenshots related to this updated in the gallery below:

Mega Man

DHX Media and Dentsu Entertainment USA have reached a global deal to develop, co-produce, distribute and jointly manage licensing for the new Mega Man animated series, set to debut next year to coincide with the franchise’s 30th anniversary. In a recent announcement, the first piece of promo material has been revealed alongside new details.

Here’s the official artwork and overview:

mega-man-animated-series-1Aimed at kids 6 to 9, as well as their parents who grew up loving the videogames, the animated series will feature exciting new technologies and robots, as well as the introduction of Mega Man’s alter-ego, Aki Light, a normal, upbeat, schoolboy robot. When activated, his skin re-forms – in a flurry of computer code and visual pyrotechnics – into a suit of impenetrable nanocore armor, including the iconic Mega Buster arm cannon and helmet. Beloved characters, like Rush, will return – while new characters, like Mega Mini, will make their debut!

The new animated Mega Man series will follow Aki Light – a normal, upbeat, and above all optimistic young school-aged robot living in Silicon City. He soon learns that deep within his programming are secret protocols that allow him to transform – giving him nanocore armor, a Mega Buster, and the iconic helmet to turn him into a superhero – Mega Man!

Promising exciting new technologies and new robots, the series will follow the adventures and trials of Aki Light – a.k.a. Mega Man – as he faces off against threats to Silicon City, while trying to keep his superhero identity a secret and maintain a normal robot schoolkid life.

Monster Hunter Generations

Capcom has recently published the first of several localization blogs for Monster Hunter Generations. You can read it over here.

According to this, the localization planning began in December 2014. Capcom also discusses why it changed the “Monster Hunter X” name to “Monster Hunter Generations”, which is rather interesting. Take a look:

We started planning the localization for Monster Hunter Generations back in December 2014, as development on MH4U was winding down. We began having meetings with the development team to get an idea of the overall scope of the game, how much text there would be, what kind of time frame we had to work with, etc., so we could start mapping out our schedule. In the midst of all that, our first official request came from the producer. Our mission: localize the game’s title! We were given the following conditions for coming up with the international title:

1) Needs to match the game content

2) Must be clear that it is not a numbered entry in the series

3) Needs to be understandable in North American and European regions without translation

As I’m sure you know by now, the official Japanese title for the game is Monster Hunter X. I don’t know about you, but when I first saw this, I read it as “Monster Hunter 10.” I knew that couldn’t be right, so my second guess was the letter “X” (as in Mega Man X). Of course, I learned soon after that it was pronounced “cross,” to symbolize the crossing of both the returning and new elements in the Monster Hunter series. But given the conditions above, we couldn’t leave the title as is. We threw ideas back and forth and consulted with our friends at Capcom USA and Capcom Europe to see what would work best for both regions. Suggestions such as “Monster Hunter Tribute” and “Monster Hunter Unity” came up, but in the end we felt that Monster Hunter Generations summed up the game nicely, as it encompasses content from various games in Monster Hunter history.

Furthermore, German Nintendo outlet ntower recently spoke with Ryozo Tsujimoto and Shintaro Kojima from Capcom about Monster Hunter Generations. The interview is in German, but the website summed up the most important points in English.

Due to this interview, we now know that the west is getting some exclusive DLC (such as the Fire Emblem and Okami costumes) in place of some downloadable content that won’t be making it over. Other details were also shared, such as how there are no plans to bring the series back to Nintendo home consoles for now.

Here’s the full piece:

1. The development for Monster Hunter Generations started at the same time as the development for Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate. It is sort of a festival title for the 10th anniversary of the series.

2. It was intentional not to introduce new weapons to Monster Hunter Generations in order to focus on the existing weapons and develop their systems even more. Therefore the four hunter styles have been created. Those styles cover a wide variety of playstyles for the player to discover.

Those styles also alter the gameplay approach of the game. While you were stuck at a quest in a former title you might have changed your weapon or armor and tried again. This time you can try out the new styles and stick to your weapon and armor at first.

3. Tsujimoto likes the combination of hammer and arial-stlye the most. Kojima likes the striker-style.

4. The prowler-mode is appealing to beginners to the series as well as veterans. The prowlers have a simplified gameplay system, as they do not have a stamina gauge and can run around as long as they want. They even don’t need items to gather resources. In order to balance that out they don’t do as much damage as the hunters and can not use hunter items. Though they have got a certain amount of support skills which heal yourself or your party for instance.

5. The new Monster Hunter title will feature four new main monsters, Glavenus, Astalos, Mizutsune and Gammoth. This is because the developers wanted to go bigger this time in order to celebrate the “festival-title”.

6. The Glavenus is on the 3DS packshot because he is the main of the four main monsters. There were other packshots with the other main monsters too, those are now used as artwork.

7. There is a new item for sword and shield players. You can put it on the tip of your sword in order to aquire different effects.

8. Unfortunately there will be no amiibo function because of limited time.

9. In order to right problems it will be not possible to deliver some DLC costumes to the west. In order to compensate that, there will be costumes that are exclusive to the west. The announced Fire Emblem and Ōkami costumes are actually exclusive to the west.

10. There are currently no plans in bringing the series back to a Nintendo home console.

11. There has definitely been an uprise of popularity for the Monster Hunter series in the west due to wireless multiplayer and the passionate fanbase.

12. There is information about the coming DLCs that Tsujimoto wants to talk about but is not able at the moment. Kojima assures the gamers once again, that Monster Hunter Generations is a full featured title that will please beginners as well as veterans to the series.

Finally, we have a recording of the latest livestream dedicated to showcasing Monster Hunter Generations. Give it a watch below:

Monster Hunter Stories

Capcom recently announced at a press conference that Monster Hunter Stories, the 3DS Monster Hunter spinoff, will be releasing in Japan on October 8th.

The company will also be releasing three brand-new amiibo alongside the game. Two of these are of the protagonist riding the One-Eyed Rathalos, whith one amiibo for each gender, while the third is of the player’s partner, Nabiru. These amiibo will grant players unique monsters in-game. Furthermore, Capcom plans to release a second set of amiibo later this year after release, around Winter time.

There are also two special costumes for Nabiru, with a Rathalos costume coming in limited versions of the game, and a Dinovaldo costume unlocked by having Monster Hunter Generations save data on your 3DS. This save data will also unlock a one-hand sword for the protagonist.

Moreover, Capcom showed off two costumes, one for the protagonist based on popular musician DAIGO, and the other for Nabiru based on Sanrio character Pompomporin.

The official site will also update on June 2nd, so there may be more new information in the near future. There is still no word of a western release however.

You can find a recording of the press conference mentioned above below, which was recently uploaded by the channel for V Jump magazine. You can also find the new trailer, screenshots, and a first look at the amiibo after that.

Besides all of that, Monster Hunter Stories is said to have a presence at the upcoming episode of Capcom TV, which will be shown at the following times on June 1:

– 3:30 AM PT
– 6:30 AM ET
– 11:30 AM in the UK
– 12:30 AM in Europe

You can watch it below, when it airs:

https://youtu.be/cnAcy-y8KXM

Finally, Capcom also revealed that the anime Monster Hunter Stories: Ride On will start airing on October 8, every Sunday at 8:30 AM on Fuji TV. Curiously, it’s been 10 years since Fuji TV last had a new anime slot.

The main character is named Ryuto, who rides a Rathalos. He has childhood friends Cheval and Lilia, both of them riding on a Rathian.

Ryuto is a boy who lives in a Riders village located at a corner of the world of Hunters. In contrast to Hunters who hunt monsters for their living, Riders form bonds with monsters and live together with them. Riders also own Bond Stone which awakens hidden abilities in monsters they’ve formed a bond with.

The 12-year old Ryuto, who is cheerful, vigorous and full of curiosity, has a dream of becoming the best Rider in the world. He goes on an adventure to the outside world. Accompanying him in his adventure are his childhood friends Cheval who is kind, Lilia who is full of intellectual curiosity, and Nabiru who is a frivolous felyne.

Ryuto and the rest of the group will meet new monsters and friends, create bonds with them, fight together against obstructing monsters, and face threats and mysteries that engulf the world. This will be a story of grand adventure that can be enjoyed by parents and children alike and make them moved.

Confirmed voice actors:

Ryuto – Mutsumi Tamura
Nabiru – M・A・O

Confirmed staff:

Director – Mitsuru Hongo (known for World Trigger)
Series Composition – Natsuko Takahashi (Oremonogatari)
Character Designer – Takuya Saito (Macross Zero)
Animation Production Studio – David Production (JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure)

You can watch the anime trailer below:

Dragon Ball: Fusions

The official Dragon Ball: Fusions website was recently updated, and gives us a proper look at the boxart as well as the New 3DS bundle.

dragon-ball-fusions-new-3dsThe New 3DS package will release alongside Dragon Ball: Fusions on August 4 in Japan. It will come with special cover plates, a copy of the title, and a code to download a 3DS theme. Additionally, it’ll contain a serial number to unlock Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku from the beginning, and a battle card to use Gohanks EX in Dragon Ball Heroes, which are first-print bonuses for the standard release as well.

Bandai Namco also released the first trailer and commercial for the game, plus several new screenshots and artwork via Famitsu. You can find it all below:

https://youtu.be/JbcS8SwEvsw

One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum

A scan from this month’s issue of V Jump recently revealed the existence of One Piece: Great Pirate Colosseum for 3DS. ShonenGamez has now put up a translated version of the scan, which you can find below.

one-piece-great-pirate-col-scanThe teaser website is also open now, and you can access it here. There are some screenshots included on the site, which you can see in the screenshot below.

one-piece-great-pirate-colosseumMy Hero Academia: Battle for All

Bandai Namco has released another character trailer for My Hero Academia: Battle for All, this time focusing on Tomura Shigaraki, one of the main villains of  the series. You can watch the video below:

https://youtu.be/xUaNDN_q6Mk

Taiko Drum Master: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure

Bandai Namco has released a new batch of Taiko Drum Master: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure screenshots. They show various gameplay elements that have been covered recently, including the collaborations with Kirby and Ace Attorney, among other things. Check them out in the gallery below:

Teddy Together

Nintendo recently announced it will be bringing Bandai Namco’s Kuma Tomo to Europe and Australasia as Teddy Together. The game is aimed at young children, and will be released on July 1st.

You can read the press release below for more details, and take a look at some artwork in the gallery that follows.

What child hasn’t dreamed of their favourite toy coming to life? That’s exactly what happens in Teddy Together, a new game joining the ever-growing catalogue of kid-favourite games like nintendogs + cats available on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, which includes the entry-level Nintendo 2DS system. Ideal for parents to play together with their young children as they’re developing their reading and interpersonal skills, Teddy Together will be available from 1st July.

The story begins when a teddy bear is delivered to the player’s house, along with a mysterious key. The magic starts when Teddy springs to life and starts to speak to the player! Children can give Teddy a name and enter their own name, creating an instant personal connection between the two new friends. From this point on, the tale of Teddy Together advances a bit each day as children learn more about the teddy’s purpose and the mysterious key, making it an ideal interactive bedtime story that parents and their young children can enjoy together.

This inquisitive little bear is particularly interested in learning more about friendship, and often asks the player questions like, “What do you do for fun?”, “How do you make friends?”, and “What’s your favourite food?”. Teddy will remember those answers and bring them up in conversation later on, forging a unique relationship between Teddy and the player, as the answers are always just between them*. Teddy’s cute reactions and encouraging personality are sure to bring a smile to any child’s face, which might even help them grow in confidence and self-esteem. Players can also introduce Teddy to their friends, who can give answers that Teddy will remember and even mention later on.

Teddy loves to eat too, so children can play fun minigames via the Touch Screen to prepare a range of meals, then feed Teddy. But be careful: sometimes the food will be too hot, and the player will have to blow into the microphone to cool it down! Teddy can be a bit of a messy eater at times, so a little light cleaning might be needed after a meal. Don’t worry: Teddy also loves to take baths, so is never dirty for long! Players can dress their teddy up too, with a big range of tops, hats, shoes, accessories and more, plus different fur colours to unlock too, making each player’s bear even more unique to them. Clothes, special lollies that unlock new fur colours, and seeds that can be planted in the garden are all purchased using coins, which are earned through playing or by tapping a compatible amiibo figure once a day.

The unique simulation game Teddy Together lets young children make friends with a teddy bear that comes to life, talking and asking questions to learn more about friendship. The game will be available for Nintendo 3DS family systems, including Nintendo 2DS which plays all Nintendo 3DS games in 2D, from 1st July 2016.

Etrian Odyssey V

Another two class trailers for Etrian Odyssey V were released during the week. This time the focus goes to the Shaman and Hound classes. You can find the videos below:

Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse

The North American website for Shin Megami Tensei IV Apocalypse is now open. You can access it over here for information about the RPG, and a bunch of screenshots that give us a first look at the localization.

A new update from Atlus was also issued during the week, containing a new trailer and overview of the game’s story.

Here are the details:

The story of Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse is one of human pawns being shuffled across a chessboard by the higher deities. One lone Hunter, the game’s protagonist, meets an early demise and through a pact with a lesser god, is brought back to life in exchange for his pledge of servitude. From there, the protagonist allies with other Hunters in the ruins of post-apocalyptic Tokyo beginning a plot that crosses over with the events of the original Shin Megami Tensei IV.

We also got a look at the armor you get when you pre-order the game at various retailers:

The GSEB Power Suit is a bold red and black jumpsuit that will strike fear in the hearts of demons, and should effectively hide wounds sustained in battle!

The Prime Suit is a packaging-themed jumpsuit that lets demons know that their lives will be ended swiftly and without any hassle!

The sharp yellow, blue, and khaki colors of the Retail Hero jumpsuit are perfect for those who opt for a more professional demon-hunting look.

shin-megami-tensei-iv-apoc-costumesZero Time Dilemma

Zero Time Dilemma is getting closer to release in Japan, and with that in mind Famitsu has shared another update on the game in its latest issue. The magazine provides some new details while recapping previously-known information. Beware though, because some of these might be considered a bit spoilery.

Without further delay, here’s the information:

Reintroduction of two non-team characters

Gab is an old male dog who lives together with the nine people in the facility. Because it can go through small airducts that humans cannot, it becomes an important existence that connects the three teams. The tube on its necklace can be inserted with paper, so Team C used it to send messages (which Junpei calls “Gab Letters”) to plan communications with other teams.

Zero is the mastermind who enacts the “Dicision Game” on the nine people. He wears a mask and processes his voice so that nobody can know his true identity. He never shows himself in person, and he watches and speaks with the nine people through monitors.

“Dicision” Game

One of the main parts in Zero Time Dilemma is the “Dicision” moment, in which the player is given important selections within a time limit. Will the characters protect themselves and sacrifice other teams, or will someone sacrifice himself/herself so that someone else can be saved? Will the results from your selection be as you expected? Which are the correct ones and the wrong ones? There are many scenes with multiple results, so the player will need to think thoroughly while considering the effect the decision will have in the story.

For example, Team D is trapped in a waste disposal room, and Fi gets trapped inside an incinerator, while Sigma is being held against a chair with a gun set up behind his head. The incinerator will activate unless its door is unlocked when the gun trigger is pulled within a few seconds. The gun has a 50-50 chance between shooting a blank or a live bullet. Depending on how Diana reacts to the “Do you pull the trigger?” question, the following outcomes will occur.

NO: Diana doesn’t pull the trigger.
– Fi dies, getting burned in the incinerator. However, Fi doesn’t feel any panic or resentment against Diana as they talk for the last time.

YES: Diana does pull the trigger.
– 50% chance of a live bullet: Sigma instantly killed. Fi is rescued, however she becomes very enraged towards Diana for becoming a murderer.
– 50% chance of firing a blank: Nobody dies. In this best scenario, Fi, who normally doesn’t show her emotions, has an emotion overflow when Sigma is safe and alright.

Quest Part

This part introduces a scenario for Team D where they enter the Transporter Room and are tasked by Zero to solve the mystery of the transporter and activate this device from an otherworldly civilization.

The scenario starts with a couple of pictured cards on player’s possession. These cards need to be placed on a blue board in specific ways. Later on there’s a hint that “There are ‘two’ ways to interpret numbers in this civilization”, and a 3D printer that prints 10-sided reels. Following this, there is a mysterious handlebar that must be attached with a number of these reels in a very specific positioning.

Some quests have exploration systems, but some others are completely focused on solving riddles, and these latter quests have a high volume of gimmicks.

Story introduction for Team C

Junpei and Akane are reunited after a long time since the events of the first game Nine Hours, Nine Persons, Nine Doors. The two used to be connected with strong bonds, but ever since getting assigned to Team C in this game, they always have conflicting opinions. The team leader Carlos is also often getting pressured with crucial decisions (that may affect the other two)…

Carlos: A hot-blooded manly firefighter who is brimming with a sense of justice. He has a younger sister with a terminal illness who he deeply cares for, and vows to get out of this facility to return to her.

Junpei: Akane’s childhood friend. After the incident the year before, he entered the underground community to find Akane who was missing. Currently he has a rough, wild mind.

Akane: In contrast to her neat looks, she’s actually a sharp and able person who is skilled in wiles. She leads a secret society that wishes for a peaceful future.

Besides this, we have a couple of news related to Zero Time Dilemma’s pre-order bonuses.

Aksys Games showed off the bonus watch at MomoCon, which you can see below. Aksys also stated that the watch will be available for purchase at a later date.

zero-time-dilemma-pre-order-watchMoreover, Aksys Games also confirmed at its MomoCon panel that the Zero Time Dilemma “Kyokugen Dasshutsu (Zero Escape)” Premium Booklet will be available at some point in the west. The specifics will be shared at a later date.

For those of you that have forgotten about it, it’s a 48-page booklet, with a prequel written by the series’ creator, Kotaro Uchikoshi. Additionally, illustrations from character designer Rui Tomono, a summary of the previous games, background design, and a booklet-original “mystery” will be included.

Mighty No. 9

Mighty No. 9 publisher Deep Silver has prepared a new trailer for the game ahead of its launch next month. You can watch the new video below:

Apparently, the trailer wasn’t very well received by followers of the project or Inti Creates CEO Takuya Aizu, for that matter. Aizu recently put up a message on his Twitter page reacting to the trailer. Perhaps Deep Silver should have consulted with Inti Creates, as they were behind the project’s development and don’t seem pleased either.

mighty-no-9-tweetBesides this, you can also find some gameplay footage of Mighty No. 9 in the videos below:

Puzzle & Dragons X

Puzzle & Dragons X was recently featured at GungHo Festival 2016, and there were some news about a couple of collaborations, a versus mode, and more.

The first new Puzzle & Dragons X collaboration is with Taiko Drum Master: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure. In Puzzle & Dragons X, players will be able to make friends with Don-chan and Tamazo X Don-chan. And in Taiko Drum Master: Dokodon! Mystery Adventure, free music from Puzzle & Dragons X will be offered at launch while also including Tamazo X Don-chan in Adventure Mode.

Monster Hunter Stories will also be getting a collaboration with Puzzle & Dragons X. Rathalos and Nargacuga are being included as bosses, and it will be possible to create Soul Armor for each monster. This will be distributed via a quest on August 10.

Furthermore, GungHo Online Entertainment provided a first look at Puzzle & Dragons X’s versus mode, which is accessible at the Dragon Coliseum. The main objective of the mode is to deplete your opponent’s health. Battles are carried out by choosing skills and then playing a puzzle. The game determines the amount of damage for both players, and the person who has the higher attack amount can damage their opponent.

The video below contains footage of the various collaborations and the versus mode, as well as a trailer for the upcoming anime series, alongside a commercial for the title itself. It also shows some gameplay that ties into the new toy line.

Battle of Elemental REBOOST

Two new videos for Battle of Elemental REBOOST have been recently released, which focus on the playable rival characters Sils and Renzasilt. You can check them out below:

DJMax Encore

At MCM Comic Con, Rising Star Games had an unannounced DJMax Encore game for 3DS playable at its booth.

The DJMax series, which features rhythm gameplay, started over a decade ago. Like other games in the genre, players need to press buttons at the right moment as music plays.

Parallax Play speculates that DJMax Encore could be based on DJMax Portable 2 / DJMax Portable Hot Tunes given its menu and interface design. The site notes that the gameplay is similar to that of DJMax Portable 2, as you play songs in 4 Button, 5 Button, or 6 Button modes with the d-pad and A/B/X/Y buttons. The background animations for the various tracks play on the top screen, and the notes scroll on the touchscreen.

You can find some photos of the booth display below:

Infinite Dunamis

The 3DS eShop RPG Infinite Dunamis was made available in Europe on May 26 and will soon be reaching North America as well. You can find a new trailer for it below:

Puzzle Labyrinth

Circle Entertainment recently confirmed that Puzzle Labyrinth is launching in North America on June 9, in addition to Europe. An introduction video was also released, which you can watch below:

Yooka-Laylee

A new pair of characters have been introduced for Yooka-Laylee via the project’s Kickstarter page. This time, we are show “the hapless, multi-limbed scientist Dr. Puzz and her traitorous former colleague Dr. Quack”.

You can take a look and read about both of them below.

fc179f34ade613be20beb5ff4591c580_original6cba3ed3b9d423f74afc899fa685e70c_original

In Yooka-Laylee, Dr. Quack is a ruthless, exosuit-wearing fowl, who’s making the best of a bad situation under the corporate rule of Capital B. The good doctor wasn’t always this unpleasant, but the ruthless takeover of his Quack Corp organisation has persuaded Quack to concoct all manner of crude inventions to satisfy the demands of his new boss – and the shareholders, of course.

Quack’s sweet, naive prodigy, Dr. Puzz proved far more morally rigid than her former colleague, breaking ties with Quack Corp as soon as the exosuits started stirring – and taking her own inventions with her. The tentacled technician – designed by Ed ‘Mumbo Jumbo’ Bryan – is the gateway to all of Yooka-Laylee’s wild and wonderful transformations, which we’ll be revealing in the near future.

Besides that, EDGE magazine featured Yooka-Laylee on a few pages this month. It talks about developer Playtonic and the game itself.

One point brought up early on in the feature is that Yooka-Laylee felt “almost unrecognizable from the footage that convinced so many to part with their money”. The two main characters are essentially the same. However, EDGE says that “their world is a very pleasant surprise – significantly more substantial than we’d anticipated, with a scale and a level of detail belying the size of the team making it”.

Yooka-Laylee takes plenty of cues from the 3D platformers of old on the N64. Just like with Rare’s classic games, this one will feature spoken gibberish for the characters, which took director Chris Sutherland and composer Grant Kirkhope some time to remember how to come up with these sounds. Sutherland also noted that the team “spent a lot of time trying to figure out the timing and iterating regularly until it sounded just right”.

EDGE then covers collectibles in the game. According to the piece, each one will have a tangible benefit. Here’s a list of the different collectibles shared in the magazine:

– Ghosts can be found in each world. One hides, another attacks you, and a more elusive spirit requires you to chase and catch it.
– 200 quills scattered across the world, spread across race circuits and along vast, undulating minecart tracks.
– Tokens unlock the eight multiplayer arcade games hosted by Rextro, which can be found in the main menu and support up to 4 players.
– Tonics are RPG-style modifiers that also act as in-game accomplishments. For example: reduce power consumption of Yooka’s role, which could be attached to something like killing 100 enemies.
– There’s a pickup which triggers a transformation exclusive to that particular world.

EDGE also mentions how you can transform the world itself:

At first, your impact is relatively small: spitting out a Splash Berry to feed a raincloud sees it generate a waterfall that fills a dry riverbed, opening up new areas to explore. Choose a Frost Berry instead, and the river will freeze over, giving you access to a harder race across a slippier surface. But while you can move onto the next area once you’ve collected enough Pagies – the equivalent to Banjo-Kazooie’s Jiggies – you can also spend them on expanding the environment. This bolts on a huge extra chunk of level furniture, with a towering monument that dwarfs what was there before (and which begs to be scaled), and opens up a broader range of activities, this time set at a higher difficulty to test the platforming pluck of more thorough explorers.

A few other tidbits are also shared, like:

– You can regain health by collecting butterflies, or refill the power meter by eating butterflies.
– A New Game+ mode will be included where all moves are unlocked from the beginning.
– Players can spend Quills to extend Yooka and Laylee’s move sets. For example, the sonar shot for Laylee, which fires translucent waves and triggers invisible platforms, allowing you to reach a previously inaccessible temple area.
– When you unlock a new world, Trowzer will give you a new power as a way of thanking you for letting him expand his business.
– Challenges won’t be repeated across the different worlds. The team wants to constantly surprise players.
– The challenge ramps up in the second world, which has a wintry theme.

Of course, EDGE’s article has more bits of information, including new screenshots, and comments from the development team, among other things. So you might want to pick up the full issue over here.

Minecraft: Wii U Edition

Nintendo has confirmed that Minecraft: Wii U Edition will be distributed as a physical product in Japan as well. The physical version is now scheduled for release on June 23 in the Japanese region. Pricing is set at 3,888 yen.

Besides that, next month all Minecraft users on consoles will have access to a new mini-game called “Battle”. The free DLC allows players to battle each other in a deathmatch, and comes as the first of various mini-games currently planned for release in the near future. Additional maps for “Battle” will be available in the future for $2.99 each.

Here’s an official overview and some footage of the mini-game:

Battle pits players against one another in a fight for survival, as they race to snatch weapons and resources from chests, dance over each arena’s unique perils and stave off hunger pangs. We’ve made the mini game specifically with console players and couch-based competition in mind: it supports up to four players in splitscreen and eight players online, either by invitation or using the in-game matchmaking system. We wanted it to be super-accessible and fast-paced, so we’ve tried to keep the focus on rapid tactical thinking and combat: there’s no need to craft anything here, and you can loot inventories and equip armour with the tap of a button.

LEGO Marvel’s Avengers

Warner Bros. Entertainment has now released the Spider-Man Character Pack for LEGO Marvel’s Avengers. The free DLC adds six Spider-Man characters, which are as follows:

Spider-Man (Marvel’s Captain America: Civil War)
Spider-Man (Peter Parker)
Spider-Man (Mile Morales)
Spider-Girl
Iron Spider
Scarlet Spider

Here’s a trailer for the DLC in question:LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Warner Bros. Entertainment has released a new LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens character vignette for Finn, one of the newest heroes to join the Resistance in the fight against the First Order. It also features original dialogue from actor John Boyega who plays the character in the movie. Check it out below:

The Book of Unwritten Tales

The Book of Unwritten Tales 2 will be coming to Wii U early next month. You can take a look at the video below for nearly an hour of footage from the game, courtesy of NintenDaan.

Shadow of the Eternals

Eternal Darkness creator Denis Dyack recently stated on his new YouTube channel show known as “The Quantum Tunnel” that Shadow of the Eternals is still alive. He also noted that he believes “extremely unethical” games journalism caused the project to lose out on crowdfunding a few years ago.

You can hear what he has to say in the video below (I set it to start on that part):

Virtual Console

Below you can find trailers for a couple of games that were recently released in the Japanese Wii U eShop for the Virtual Console.

Sonic Advance 3 (GBA, SEGA)

Gradius 2 (MSX, Konami)