Tag Archive

GameCube Classic Luigi’s Mansion Being Remade For 3DS


Posted on March 15, 2018 by Rae Michelle Richards

Revealed during last week’s Nintendo Direct presentation, the classic GameCube launch title Luigi’s Mansion is being remade for the Nintendo 3DS. It has been 17 years since Mario’s brother strapped on the Poltergust 3000 vacuum cleaner in a bid to clean up the mansion of spirits in order to free Mario.

This remake will feature the same levels and gameplay that made the original such an odd but delightful departure from the series formula. It also has some really cool 90s era Nintendo throwbacks like the “Game Boy Horror” used by Professor E-Gad resembling the design of the Gameboy Color, right down to the font.

Luigi’s Mansion should feel right at home using the parallax 3D effect of the Nintendo 3DS given that the original had support for older stereoscopic 3D technology and was even tested on an official Nintendo branded LCD screen that never saw an official commercial release. As such the stereoscopic 3D effect can only be enabled by the use of hacking devices like the GameShark as it was never intended to be used by the end user.

It is not yet known if an external developer is handling the GameCube to 3DS transition for the game. In 2013 Next Level Games released a sequel to the 2001 title on the 3DS titled Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.


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Monster Hunter Stories | Review


Posted on October 5, 2017 by Meghan Kass

“When a monster strikes, the fearful hide, but the brave? They ride” So goes what should be the motto of all Hunters, young and old. Long time fans of the beloved Capcom franchise, Monster Hunter, might have been fearful at the idea  of the spin-off “Monster Hunter Stories” when first discovered it would be a fairly large departure from the typical Monster Hunter game they have all come to know and love, but what of those who were brave and gave this Monster a ride? Was “Monster Hunter Stories” a pleasant addition? Or was this a bad egg? A closer look at the game will help you judge if this game is a ride worth taking.

“Monster Hunter Stories” has a completely different gameplay from previous titles. Instead of the real time combat usually associated with Monster Hunter games, Stories offers turn based combat instead. When the players comes against a monster or adversary, you pick from a selection of attacks. You can pick from power, speed or technical attacks and if you are successful in head to head combats with the enemy via a rock, paper, scissors type game you will raise your kinship points and be able to ride your monster and perform a special attack. If you chose to ride without performing a special attack immediately, you can further raise your kinship points and perform an even stronger special attack. Occasionally during battle there is also QTE type events where you must win at butting heads against your opponent by repeatedly tapping the A button. Another event is the air showdown where you press L and R to win and finally we have breath blast that require you to rotate the circle pad quickly. Doing this gains you extra damage and points for your Kinship meter. This may be a compete departure from past Monster Hunter combat but it is a unique, fun and easy going experience.

 

Another element of gameplay that is new to Monster Hunter is the element of collecting and hatching eggs. Throughout your adventures as a monster rider, you will locate monster nests. These nests contain an assortment of eggs for you to chose from. These eggs can contain herbivore or carnivore monsters and if you collect them, you can hatch them and build up your monster team. Some sub-quests also require particular types of eggs. As with many RPGs, there is a multitude of sidequests you can go on and jobs you can undertake. From collecting the dropped loot from certain monsters, to types of eggs, to specific crafting material there is always something that needs to be done in between main story quests.

The story is cute, even if it is fairly standard for a JRPG. You are a green horn rider and of course, you are now ready to leave your village and see the world. You get caught up in major world changing events and conflict happens within your social circle. It is clear that story was less of a priority than world building and gameplay, but it works for this game. This game aims for easy going fun and it hits the mark. The only minor issue was for non New3DS users, players might have some performance issues, but nothing game breaking as far as my understanding goes. Draw distance has also been a bit of an issue, as even I had the occasional NPC or enemy seemingly sneak up on me as I get closer.

Overall, if you are a fan of cute JRPGs or the Monster Hunter world, this game should be given a chance. It has charm, fun and a sweetness to it that is executed wonderfully. This game could have been a disaster if put into hands that clearly didn’t have a love for the world of Monster Hunter, but luckily the creators of this game showed care and respect for Monster Hunter while putting their own spin on it for a new ride that need not be feared.

 


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Miitopia | Review


Posted on August 18, 2017 by Meghan Kass

Since the beginning of story telling, tales have been told about brave warriors combating and defeating the forces of evil. From Greek myths to comic book heroes, the concept of heroes banding together has been done in many different ways, inspiring the audience’s imagination and creating fantasies of themselves as one of those brave heroes. As video games grew and matured as a medium, people could now go from simply hearing, seeing or reading stories of brave heroes to playing the brave hero and feeling closer and closer to that feeling of saving the world from evil. Now, it is up to you to create and cast the warriors and even the great evil with your Miis with Nintendo’s newest game, Miitopia.

Miitopia is all about the fun of putting your friends or favorite characters from fiction into the roles of the damsels, kings and warriors and seeing them all interact. Are you mad at someone at work or school? Let them take the role of the Dark Lord and let out your aggression through your Mii. Want to see if your one true pairing from your favorite TV show will make it? This game allows you to play it out and see if a relationship build. This game’s main appeal is its whimsical, humorous atmosphere and customization. I spent hours amused doing quests for some of my favorite actors, characters and friends and seeing how my friend’s Miis interacted. It is charming, cute and endearing and a great use of the Mii system. I also enjoyed seeing how  creative the Miis on the Mii network were. Some were sculpted beautifully and really represented their character well. It also makes interesting use of amiibos by allowing for different items to customize your Mii character with. If you have your Tomodachi save files, you can also transfer character data to this game.

The actual gameplay of Miitopia is simple enough. You obtain a quest, watch your character walk through different locations and if you encounter an enemy sent by the Dark Lord you must defeat them in a turn based style combat. Your goal is to rescue innocent people’s faces from the Dark Lord and return the world to how it was before the Dark Lord caused mischief. It is simple to learn and very light hearted. Your relationship with your fellow party members affects the battle in different ways as well. If you are fighting with a party member, they might inconvenience you out of spite and the better your relationship with your party, the more bonuses you get and the more help they offer. You build these relationships in battle, on the road through random events or at the inns you find where you can also eat and buy new gear.

This is also the issue with Miitopia. It is very repetitive and can get a little tiresome after the first few hours. The ability to learn other classes and abilities keeps the game from being so boring I wanted to stop, but there still is not much to the actual gameplay. Unless you like customization and the novelty of seeing an avatar of your friends or favorite characters in funny situations, this game probably will not have enough to keep you interested for long. The abilities aren’t any more unique from other RPGs and the story is not very nuanced or original either.

Overall, this is a whimsical game with a lot of fun to offer as far as customization and silly situations, but beyond that, there is not much more to it. Have some laughs, see if you can make your favorite characters fall in love and defeat the evil Dark Lord, if this sounds appealing then you will want to pick this game up, but maybe wait for a sale.


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New Pokemon Sun & Moon Leak Show Off New Pokemon Forms & Team Leaders


Posted on August 10, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo is set to unveil new details for the upcoming Nintendo 3DS Exclusive Pokemon: Sun & Moon this Friday but leakers have other plans for the company’s announcements. Just 24 hours after scans of an early copy of Japanese gaming magazine CoroCoro appeared online spoiling some of the fun, clips & screen grabs from the upcoming Pokemon Sun & Moon trailer appeared online.

Here’s what has leaked so far:

  • A new water type Pokemon called Wishiwashi which has both solo & school forms. The school form is actually several discrete combined WishiWashi that form one giant fish – kinda like a PokeFish version of Voltron.
  • Giant cuddle monster Raichu gets a brand new form thanks to its surfing capable variation which also comes with a new Psychic / Electric type combination.
  • Morelull is a new fairy/grass type Pokemon whose aesthetic is best described as one big purple umbrella and two smaller ones.
  • Who is going to oppose the teenage protagonist this time around? It looks like Team Skull will be our adversaries in this brand new Pokemon adventure and one of their new members, Plumeria is described as “Team Skull’s big sister” as well as a “Team Skull Admin”.

Pokemon Sun & Moon will be released on November 18th. Check out screengrabs from this 4chan/Neogaf leak below:

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[Source]

 


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May The 4th Be With This New LEGO Star Wars Trailer


Posted on May 4, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Today is May 4th, otherwise known as Star Wars Day – an officially recognized day of celebration for a certain particular science fiction franchise set in a galaxy far far away. Traveler’s Tales and Warner Bros Interactive Entertainment have released a brand new trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens that reveals new details about levels and the details of events set between Return of the Jedi and The Force Awakens.

Adventure Mode will allow players to experience six tales that have gone unexplored until now. After watching TFA did you wonder how Han Solo & Chewbacca got a hold of the Rathtars?  Or just how C-3PO got that Big Boss looking red arm? Then look no further than the Adventures Mode for these answers and more!

According to WBIE’s press-release here is a list of all 6 included adventures:

  • Rathtar Hunting – Follows Han Solo and Chewbacca’s voyage to capture the ravenous Rathtars.
  • Lor San Tekka’s Return – Uncovers secrets behind Lor San Tekka’s journey to the Jakku Village.
  • Poe to the Rescue – Details Poe Dameron’s daring rescue mission to save Admiral Ackbar.
  • Crimson Corsair– Explores how the notorious Outer Rim pirate, the Crimson Corsair, foiled the plans of the First Order.
  • Trouble Over Taul– Follows the events leading up C-3PO’s acquisition of his new red arm.
  • Ottegan Assault– Reveals a puzzle piece to how the Resistance and the First Order find Lor San Tekka on Jakku.

Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens features several actors from TFA reprising their roles for the LEGO game adaptation.  Daisy Ridley returns as Rey, Adam Driver reprises his role as Kylo Ren, veteran princess and hair bun wearer Carrie Fischer makes a comeback as Leia Organa and Harrison Ford shoots first as the renowned bounty hunter Han Solo. There are many other actors from TFA and original trilogy who make appearances in Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens as well!

Check out the new trailer below, the full game will be released on June 28th 2016.

[youtube id=”FiMF7WPeqgs”]


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Natsume Bringing River City: Tokyo Rumble To The Nintendo 3DS


Posted on April 25, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Developer Arc System Works and publisher Natsume will once again transport players to the world of River City with their upcoming release River City: Tokyo Rumble due out later this year. Building off of the classic NES side-scrolling brawler River City Ransom, Tokyo Rumble follows high school student Kunio and his friends as they attempt to defend the city from gang who wish ill will to the citizens of Tokyo.

River City: Tokyo Rumble will not only allow players to take on the role of Kunio and his friends but also those of previous heroes from other entries in the River City franchise. Players will be able to unlock new stages, characters and BGM as they progress – either alone or locally through wi-fi & download play.

Natsume will be showcasing River City: Tokyo Brawl at this year’s E3 which takes place from June 14th – 16th. Broken Joystick’s own Fionna Fox and myself will be on location in Los Angeles to bring you video, news and more directly from the show-floor. If you’re interested in more coverage of River City: Tokyo Rumble why not leave a comment!

 

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New Nintendo Direct Later Today, Covers 3DS & Wii-U


Posted on March 3, 2016 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo will be holding a surprise Nintendo Direct video presentation later today that will focus on titles for the Nintendo 3DS and Nintendo Wii U. They have stated that this presentation will include titles for both platforms that are due out by the end of the summer but will not include any information on the companies’ plans for mobile phones or their upcoming Nintendo NX Console.

Things kick off later today at 5PM EST / 3PM MST / 10 PM GMT and will be broadcast on the official Nintendo sites for North America, Europe and Japan.

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What do you think Nintendo will announce? We already know that Pokemon Moon & Pokemon Sun are slated for release in Winter 2016 so any new details on those two titles is unlikely. Perhaps Ninty will surprise everyone with a few often requested Virtual Console releases? With Nintendo it is really anyone’s guess.

Here are a few titles that are currently scheduled for the first half of 2016 from Nintendo:

Metroid Prime: Federation Force (3DS)
Star Fox Zero (Wii U)
Bravely Second (3DS) / Published By Square Enix
Hyrule Warriors: Legends (3DS)

[Source]


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Upcoming Dragon Ball RPG for 3DS, Dragon Ball: Project Fusion


Posted on January 18, 2016 by Broken Joysticks

Some news from 2chan.net , a popular Japanese image board, there seems to be a new Dragon Ball 3DS RPG on the horizon!
Namely Dragon Ball:Project Fusion. The images show Broly and Goku at the end pose of a fusion dance, so where this could go is anyone’s guess.
As far as I can tell the main focus of the game will of course be on various fusions, likely one’s we’ve yet to see.

Honestly, it looks pretty cool. Dragon Ball fans are certainly no stranger to Dragon Ball “what if” stories, and this will probably be no different.
There’s not a whole lot that has been leaked as of yet. They did detail on 2016 release in Japan. No information yet as to the price.

Source: 2chan.net


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Nintendo Unveils The Miiverse’s Top 3 Games For Wii U / 3DS


Posted on December 20, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Nintendo has unveiled the most popular games as measured via traffic on their Miiverse social media website / Wii U application.  This year didn’t feature the two big marquee releases for Wii U – Star Fox: Zero and The Legend of Zelda Wii U, as both of those games got delayed into 2016. However, it was strong year nonetheless for both platforms with releases including the surprise hit Splatoon, the ever inventive Mario Maker, monsters causing mayhem in Monster Hunter 5 on Nintendo 3DS among other great titles.

So which games made the top 3 per platform? I won’t leave you in suspense… according to Nintendo the top 3 choices according to fans on Miiverse where:

Wii U

  1. Splatoon
  2. Super Mario Maker
  3. Xenoblade Chrincles X

3DS

  1. The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D
  2. The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes
  3. Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate

Did any of these top six games surprise you? For me, it’s not shocking to see Xenoblade in the top 3 for Wii U even though the game has only been out for under two weeks. Fans have been anticipating its release ever since it was revealed several E3s ago. I also really enjoyed the fresh kicks that Splatoon introduced over the summer – with its focus on team based objectives rather than traditional KDR it was a refreshing take on the established Team Death Match formula.  Now that I think about it, my family ended up purchasing almost all of these games…

Did your favorite Nintendo titles make the cut? Check out the graphics Nintendo shared on Miiverse below:

Miiverse1

Miiverse2

[Source]


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Comcept Unloads A Barrage of Mighty Number 9 Screenshots


Posted on December 17, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Mighty Number 9

Comcept the developer behind the Kickstarted Mega Man spiritual successor Mighty Number 9 has released a whole set of brand new screenshots for your viewing pleasure. We’ve got an entire gallery containing all of the high-rez colorful screnshots at the bottom of this post.

Mighty Number 9 was originally revealed back in September 2013 and reached its funding goal only after 2 days. With gameplay that is reminiscent of Keiji Inafune’s former Capcom creation, long time platform veterans and those familiar with his other works should have no problem jumping right into protagonist Beck’s shoes.  This past August the project was delayed from a September 2015 release into February of next year for most versions of Mighty Number 9. It will be released on Windows PC, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, OSX, Linux. Wii U and at a later date PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.


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Shovel Knight Amiibo To Be Released January 8th In North America


Posted on December 8, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Yacht Club Game’s Shovel Knight will make his amiibo debut on January 8th in North America and December 11th in Europe the developers have announced via their blog. The reason for the almost month long gap between launches in the two territories stems from an issue with the figure’s production. Rather than only ship a limited supply to North America for Christmas Nintendo & Yacht Club Games have decided to post-pone the figures release.

Once you get your hands on the blue digging hero what can he be used for? Here’s a rundown of everything you can do with your new blue friend once you have him:

Deep Customization with Custom Knight! (Wii U / 3DS Ver of Shovel Knight)

  • Level up to a max level of 50 by finding treasure!
  • Earn relics in an all new way while uncovering all-new relics, abilities, and powers you never thought possible!
  • Customize the look of your Shovel Knight with cool and crazy cosmetic options!
  • Use your Custom Knight seamlessly between Nintendo 3DS and Wii U!

Cooperative Multiplayer (exclusive to Wii U)

  • Join a friend’s Shovel Knight campaign and shovel together!
  • Use your cooperative skills to help each other out along the way!
  • Compete against each other collecting gold and defeating enemies to prove who is the true hero of Shovelry!
  • Play with any combination: two Custom Knights, one Custom Knight/one Classic Knight, or 2 Classic Knights.

Will compatibility for the Shovel Knight Amiibo go beyond the 3DS ports of the game that bears his name sake? Right now we don’t have a definite answer to that question – rumors surfaced last August before the official reveal of the figure suggesting that Shovel Knight may in fact appear in Smash. Nintendo has made no official announcement of Shovel Knight as a playable character in Smash Bros – the last officially announced character was Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII during last month’s Nintendo Direct.

[youtube id=”ZRYWXanFRnw”]

[Source]


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Atlus-O-Ween 2015 Cosplay Contest Voting Now Open


Posted on November 4, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

Atlus USA has opened up the voting period for their Atlus-o-Ween 2015 cosplay contest on their official Facebook page.  Now that they’ve finished collecting all of the entries it is time for the fans to cast their votes by liking their favorite pictures in the Atlus-oWeen 2015 Facebook Album.  Voting ends on 11/11/2015 at 9 AM PT with winners being announced the following Friday, November 13th.

So what’s up for grabs? Here’s a quick look at some of the prizes:

  • Best Overall Costume: A copy of Persona 4: Dancing All Night Premium Crazy Box, A Japane Exclusive PS Vita with a copy of Dancing All Night and a physical copy of the game’s soundtrack.
  • Best Persona 4: Dancing All Night Costume – 1 copy of Persona 4: Dancing All Night Crazy Value Pack.
  • Best of Atlus Us – Persona Q 3DS XL (Japanese) console signed by Shigenori Soejima as well as a copy of Persona Q.
  • Persona Q Prize Pack – Officially licensed Persona 4 tumbler cup and hat.
  • Persona Q T-Shirt – A medium sized Persona Q licensed shirt.

Sounds like there is lots of stuff up for grabs, some of it is exclusive to contest entrants who dressed up and submitted pictures and a few of them (like the shirts) will be given out to random Atlus Facebook Fans.

Head on over to their official contest site for all of the details and regulations.


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Japan To Get A Real Life Pokemon Gym Next Month


Posted on October 21, 2015 by Rae Michelle Richards

The Pokemon Company will be bringing the series’ popular gyms into the real world with the establishment of a real life Pokémon Gym in Osaka, Japan starting on November 19th. This education experience aimed at children will allow them to learn Pokémon training tips, collect in-game rewards for participating. Visitors to the Gym can even have a conversation with a Pokémon, although I am not quite sure how that would work!

There are some really cool images of the exhibit over at Inside Games, who first reported on the new exhibit. These images include a very large life-like Charizard. All of the text in the source article is in Japanese, so be prepared for that!

This Pokemon Gym is quite different from the ones in any of the main series titles, such as 2013’s Pokemon X & Y. There are no trainers to battle and as far as I can tell no badges to collect. Trainers looking for an experience closer to the journeys featured in the games might want to consider either Nintendo’s Pokemon Leagues or Official Tournaments.  Leagues allow trainers to complete Gym Challenges by meeting up weekly with other trainers in their area. Official Tournaments are of course reserved for larger events like New York Comic Con.

[Source]


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