Tag: Nintendo DS

Nintendo Reveals American 3DS Launch Lineup

Getting more specific than its generously broad “launch window”, Nintendo of America has announced the day-one launch-lineup for the American release of the Nintendo 3DS. The games include…

Getting more specific than its generously broad “launch window”, Nintendo of America has announced the day-one launch-lineup for the American release of the Nintendo 3DS. The games include:

For those of you that were planning to by the system, which of these games are on your 3DS wish list? For those that are on the fence, do you see any of these games pushing you to buy a 3DS? Those of you not interested in the 3DS, please tell me why you’re reading this story.

What’s Your Favorite Zelda Moment?

25 years ago yesterday, The Legend of Zelda was released in Japan. The game was an instant classic and spawned numerous sequels that have sold millions of copies. It’s arguably the most popular and influential series in adventure games. Similar to how we all discussed our favorite Mario moments for his 25th anniversary, I’d love to hear about your favorite Zelda moments.

As for me, I’m going to go with The Wind Waker knocking it out of the park. So many jaded videogame journalists hated the game’s graphics and unfairly dismissed it based off of its art style. I thought that the art was charming and had no doubt that The Wind Waker would contain classic Zelda gameplay. It also gave me one of my favorite videogame tracks ever (embedded below). I enjoyed watching several of my peers eat crow on this game.

Now it’s your turn. What was your favorite Zelda moment?

Pokemon Black/White Mall Tour Photos

RPadholic bsukenyan was kind enough to send over some photos from the Indianapolis leg of the Pokemon Black/White mall tour. There’s some fun stuff here. Check ’em out, enjoy, and give props to bsukenyan (please)!

RPadholic bsukenyan was kind enough to send over some photos from the Indianapolis leg of the Pokemon Black/White mall tour. There’s some fun stuff here. Check ’em out, enjoy, and give props to bsukenyan (please)!

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This Week’s Videogame Releases

February getting to chilly for you? Then let these hot games warm you up! Bulletstorm has been getting a ton of buzz for its unapologetic action and this Mike “Busta” Capps interview (*snicker*). Killzone 3 is sure to dazzle PS3 action fans. If those action games aren’t for you then perhaps Knights Contract is just what the doctor ordered. I’m personally hoping De Blob 2 does well; the first game was refreshingly original and I hear that the second one is even better. Last but not least is a pair of excellent RPG re-releases for the PSP: Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness and Ys I and II.

Anyone picking up new games this week?

EEDAR’s Jesse Divnich Talks Nintendo 3DS vs. Sony NGP

EEDAR vice president Jesse Divnich was kind enough to chat with me about the upcoming console war between the Nintendo 3DS and the Sony NGP. As the #1 analyst in the videogame business, IMHO, Jesse’s opinion is meaningful and powerful. He also answered one of RPadholic bsukenyan’s excellent questions. Naturally, I threw a playful jab a Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter…but it was all in jest. Check it out (please)!

Perrin Kaplan Talks Nintendo 3DS, Mario, and More

It was excellent catching up with Perrin Kaplan at DICE 2011. Currently the principal at Zebra Partners, Kaplan is the former vice president of Nintendo of America. She gave her thoughts on how Nintendo is doing these days, as well as the Nintendo 3DS. She also shared her favorite Mario moment and told a precious story about Shigeru Miyamoto’s first time at GDC. I also wanted to spotlight some of the cool charity work she does with Saving Great Animals. Check it out (please)!

P.S. It was actually Perrin’s birthday yesterday. I’m sure she’d appreciate any warm wishes you’d like to send her.

This Week’s Videogame Releases

After a dull start, February roars back with several interesting releases. One surprise that a lot of my journalist friends are enjoying is You Don’t Know Jack; it’s just amusing that hardcore gamers are using their powerful consoles to indulge in a trivia game. A storied Atari (via Infogrames via Accolade) driving series makes its return in Test Drive Unlimited 2. Gamers looking for some action-RPG excitement should give Trinity: Souls Of Zill O’ll a look. Lastly, Mario and pals return to get their athletic groove on in Mario Sports Mix.

Any of you picking up new games this week?

Buy Pokemon Black/White Early, Get Special Victini

Gamers that buy Pokemon Black/White early will be able to obtain a new super-rare Pokemon: Victini! This new legendary Pokemon packs psychic and fire powers. Here are the details from Nintendo’s press release:

Consumers who purchase either of the new games between launch and April 10 will be able to receive a special Liberty Pass via Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection (broadband Internet access required), which will enable them to catch the never-before-seen Mythical Pokémon Victini.

Victini — the Victory Pokémon — is the first Pokémon that’s Psychic- and Fire-type and cannot be obtained through normal game play.

The game comes out in early March, so you don’t necessarily have to pre-order to get Victini. I’m psyched to meet Victini. Now I just need to think of a silly name for mine. I’ll probably use some pun-ridden form of martini. Any suggestions?

Nintendo 3DS eShop Delayed Until May: Deal Breaker?

At a recent financial results briefing, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata confirmed that the Nintendo 3DS eShop will not launch until May 2011. Numerous videogame pundits have criticized Nintendo for not having the online service ready for the 3DS’ launch. Here’s an excerpt from the briefing:

I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of our scheduled system updates of the hardware in detail. The first system update is scheduled for late May, at almost the same time around the world. Upon this update, you will be able to use some features including:

  • Nintendo eShop,
  • Transfer of Nintendo DSiWare from Nintendo DSi to Nintendo 3DS, and
  • Internet Browser.

Does the delay change your 3DS purchasing decision? Are you going to wait until the eShop is ready or are you going buy a 3DS on launch day? Does the delay reinforce Nintendo’s shaky Internet reputation in your mind? Or is the company wisely waiting until it gets things right before it launches the service?

Source

NGP Developer Buzz: id, Q Entertainment, and Kojima Productions

John Carmack (id Software) posted an interesting tweet on the Sony NGP that said, “Low level APIs will allow the Sony NGP to perform about a generation beyond smart phones with comparable specs.” The tweet reminded me of several Twitter and AIM conversations I had with friends in Japan about the NGP. Contacts at Kojima Productions and Q Entertainment told me that their respective companies are psyched to work on the NGP. One of the reasons both contacts cited is that development will be easy and powerful. Both pointed out that working on the NGP will be much easier than working on the PS3.

Sure it’s early and developers are excited to finally be able to talk about NGP development, but there appears to be something here. A lot of developers struggled in the early days of the PlayStation 3. It took many developers a long time before they could harness the considerable power of the PS3. The early buzz on the NGP is that it will be easy to work with from the get-go. It will be interesting to see what the first generation of NGP games will look like as a whole.

Will the NGP’s purported ease of development combined with Sony’s superior third-party relations give it a better and more diverse catalog than the 3DS? I’m excited to see how it all plays out!