Week of: 6/13/16 – 6/19/16
Nintendo Spot is basically the major Nintendo news that blasts onto the internet and such, be it leaks or actual news, you’ll hear it from me. I, Sol, will be tackling it as soon as I can, so come here each day to see what has come out into the open!
Sunday, June 19th
If you’d like to have 45 minutes of pure Breath of the Wild goodness, here you have it! With commentary from Nate Bihldorff and Bill Trinen from Nintendo Treehouse. Sure, there’s lots we get to see during this, but there is one other thing. Through this, we find that Aonuma actually provided all the footage for the major trailer we saw that announced The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. That’s really funny to think that the first time we ever saw this game, it was being played the top dog behind it and we were none the wiser!
A lot goes on during this particular week for Nintendo, even apart from E3! For instance, Pokkén Tournament just had their Dreamhack championship rounds streamed live for the world to see. This is but one of many more tournaments coming in for Pokkén Tournament as the summer continues. You know, EVO approaches us which also has some more Pokkén Tournament goodness coming our way towards the end of this summer. There’s a lot in store!
Normally I do not report of Japanese-exclusive affairs, but simply because I think the Splatfest topics are quite interesting worldwide, I think this is newsworthy. As our Splatfest was announced, Japan wrapped up theirs. Pitted against each other were flavors of Meiji candy, Kinoko No Yama (Mushroom Mountain) and Takenoko No Sato (Bamboo Shoot Village). Well, who won? With a score of 351 opposed to 349, Takenoko No Sato won!
Saturday, June 18th
If you have little faith in the Zelda team for Breath of the Wild, I’d implore you to gain some after hearing this. Miyamoto has apparently mentioned that members of Monolith Soft are contributing to a team of nearly 100 members on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. If you are unaware what this means, Monolith Soft is the company behind the expansive and critically acclaimed Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X titles. Those both are open-world games, just like Breath of the Wild! I’m sure you see where I’m going with this!
The next Splatfest has commenced! Yes, Splatoon users get excited, as this ones pits Early Birds against Night Owls. It will begin on June 24th, so get your weapons ready; maybe you should even get a little practice in. Do you like to rise up early or skulk around during the night? Usually, I’d side with Marie; however, I love to wake up really early like Callie does. I’m Team Early Bird all the way, baby! So, which one are you on?
Firstly,Pokémon GO has been announced to come in July, people! Secondly, the is big news for those of you around Europe who are excited about Pokémon GO. If you are planning on getting the added accessory that serves as both an easier way to play the game and get notifications for Pokémon GO, the Pokémon GO Plus is now available for pre-order on the Nintendo UK site. It costs £34.99 and if you’d like to go get it for pre-order, click here.
Friday, June 17th
The first isn’t exactly Nintendo news but certainly is associated with Nintendo. So, Platinum Games is a company that has been blowing up these past few years with some of their key games of course being both of the Bayonetta titles. However, another one of their acclaimed games was Okami. In a recent interview with Hideki Kamiya, the co-founder of Platinum Games, he let in the community on some hope for both series. He teased us by saying he has ideas in the works for both a third Bayonetta game and another Okami title. Within the interview, it seems next to no one knew of this as Kamiya’s PR people were shocked to hear that he had some plans possibly going into action. You should check it out in full!
Yoshi’s great and so is the DidYouKnowGaming channel, so why not combine the two? If you click above, you’ll hear a slew of interesting facts on the Yoshi series you may not have heard before. Also, this video is narrated by Jimmy Whetzel! Watch it, all of you!
To cap off today, let’s hit home. Literally! Mario Party Star Rush has scarcely been covered, it feels like, despite the game coming so soon. Well, that’s all about to change. If you’ve yet to see it already, H-J here on MarioPartyLegacy did a full analysis on what we’ve got on the game thus far. There’s a lot in there so surely won’t regret checking it out to get a full taste on what is going on in there. Here’s the article for you all!
Thursday, June 16th
With Breath of the Wild and E3 drawing to a close, we’ve gotten a slight mention of the possible future the Zelda series may take. Shigeru Miyamoto mentioned in a recent interview with Gamer Rant something quite interesting about an idea he had for a game involving Sheik as the protagonist. “Within the development team, too, there have been talks about how it might be cool to have a game that features Sheik as a protagonist. It’s having maybe a Zelda spin-off with Sheik as a protagonist, for example, I don’t think that’s an impossibility,” he said. I mean, we’ve seen Sheik taken center stage as a character in Hyrule Warriors and is a series staple to Super Smash Bros., too. The appeal of a ninja-like character has been around for quite some time, and Sheik certainly fills that role. Would you want a game like that?
Considering the massive amounts of coverage on Pokémon Sun and Moon, I wouldn’t expect an analysis coming from GameXplain any time soon. However, they did release what I’d called a “mini-analysis” with the inclusion of 10 details that were hidden in plain sight during the demonstration of the 3DS title. For instance, did you notice that all the trainers such as the Lass and Preschooler trainers have idle animations during breaks in the battle. As do you! If you’d like to see the other nine details they noticed, watch the video!
It has come to my attention there seems to be good news for those disgruntled with the current future of the Paper Mario. In an interview with Risa Tabata, the associate director on Paper Mario: Color Splash, the question of whether or not a remastering for an older Paper Mario title like Thousand Year Door was brought up. In response, she mentioned that if there were a lot of feedback there would be “something to think about.” Sure, this is no guarantee; I wouldn’t take it as such. However, there is definitely a large backing for that game. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a whole petition starting up and everything. Are you looking forward to Color Splash? Or are you more a fan of the older Paper Mario titles? Or… are you in both camps?
Wednesday, June 15th
Nintendo has actually announced a new IP for the Nintendo 3DS. This game is called Ever Oasis! It is an RPG that takes place in the desert where you play as a Seedling that is trying to develop an oasis. There are even dungeons! Various tribes taken on different animalistic forms, even my favorite, owls! Ever Oasis is actually being created to the team that did Majora’s Mask on the 3DS: GREZZO Co., Ltd. There’s a lot to this game but if you’d like to see more, check out the trailer here.
Shockingly, we have a boatload of details on Mario Party Star Rush. Of course, covering Mario news usually isn’t my place, so if you’d like to check out more on the game, I’ve supplied links for all the separate articles we’ve published. For boxart and character art, click this! But, if you are looking for a bunch of screenshots of the game, click this!
I’d hate to give just a video and leave, but that’s pretty much all I can do for this! Nintendo and some of the key players who are constructing Pokémon GO sat down and displayed their upcoming mobile game to us. There’s a lot to it, but if you watch it, I’m sure you’ll agree that the game is shaping up nicely. This video comes from Nintendo Everything, too, but there is something else I should mention. Supposedly, Pokémon GO will be compatible with future Pokémon games! Would this mean Pokémon Sun and Moon?
There are a few more details that have come out for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. For instance, Ganon certainly is coming back. In fact, we’ve learned that Link has been resurrected after 100 years as Ganon has taken over Hyrule again. There isn’t too much to the story that we’ve learned thus far. However, if you don’t care about the story, that’s fine! This game seems to truly be taking “play the game your way” to heart. You can actually boot up the game and face the final boss right off, if you’d like. Speedrunners will love that, I bet! However, that may make speedrunning the game all the LESS fun, right? Whatever.
Rhythm Heaven Megamix has suddenly been announced for the states, guys! Actually, it sort of just snuck up on us. It is already available on the eShop for the 3DS and only costs $29.99. If you haven’t experienced a Rhythm Heaven game, there is also a demo out. Feel the groove, guys; I’m a huge fan of rhythm games.
To wrap up today with a neat little bow, there is another Paper Mario: Color Splash trailer out. It seems that Pyropuff from Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker will be appearing in the game. Not only that, but if Morton Koopa is any clue, the Koopalings will be making their paper appearance. I hope this means actual character this time around, right? Never mind that, don’t forget that the game is coming October 7th. That’s right around the corner! This game does certainly LOOK pretty!
Tuesday, June 14th
Let’s get the doozy out of the way first. So, Zelda Next-Gen has now been announced formally as The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. It will be coming to both the NX and Wii U simultaneously… whenever that is.
The game was initially announced with the trailer as seen above. Breath of The Wild is very much focused on exploration. Instead of the average five or six temples in previous games, there are over 100 smaller dungeons all over the expansive map Link may explore. These dungeons are formally called the Shrines of Trials; after you best one of them, you can unlock a new ability, get a new item, or get some other perk. Some of these new abilities were shown off in the trailer above. Aonuma, the core Zelda-developer, came out for a long time during E3 to showcase this game. With him, we truly got to see how the environment will affect our hero. Enemies now hoard up in colonies. The climate will change and so will the temperature. Of course, Link may climb up rock faces and interact with his world however the player sees fit. The game truly seems to be focused on living in the wilds, actually. You can eat Food to regain health, and your weapons and shields have durability. Despite the sheer beauty of Link’s new world, there are many secrets within this land. You may have even noticed that the game has some voice acting! Yes, there will be voice acting in the game. However, Link will remain silent as he always does. Also, there will be no partner like Navi or Midna. Link will be going solo, except if you use the Wolf Link amiibo, in which Wolf Link will appear to sniff out treasure and such.
Oh, on the topic of amiibo, look! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild will include a set of amiibo. There is an Archer Link amiibo and a Rider Link amiibo, as well as that giant monster we’ve seen in the original trailer for the game. This monster guy, as named through this amiibo, is called the Guardian. I can’t lie… it looks really cool! Plus, its so BIG! However, we’ve yet to learn what these amiibo will do within Breath of The Wild.
Above is the entire playlist to what we’ve seen to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of The Wild. I’m sure Nintendo will give us more as E3 rages on, and I’ll be sure to cover it. However, if you want to check out all the major footage of this gorgeous game, click above!
I’ll keep this one short as our site has formal articles on these. A new wave of Super Mario amiibo has been revealed and will be coming November 4th. They are: Wario, Waluigi, Daisy, Rosalina, Boo (who holds a secret which you can find in our article), Donkey Kong, and Diddy Kong. You may read our article here! With it, a new Mario Party game was announced. However, details are scarce. If you’d like to see what details we do have on Mario Party: Star Rush, click right here.
Paper Mario Color Splash was even mentioned at E3. So, the game will be coming October 7th. Yes, that’s really all we got on the game. If you’d like to get it for your Wii U, though, now you know when you may!
Capping off today’s earth-shattering news was Pokémon because I love me some Pokémon. During E3, we did indeed get to see the first minutes of Pokémon Sun and Moon. We saw our beginning town and trekked on over to Route 1. There, we met three new Pokémon. So, of course I have to cover them!
Pikipek is our bird Pokémon we get every region akin to Pidgey and Starly. It is a Normal/Flying type and will either have the ability Keen Eye or Skill Link. Skill Link is a rare ability, but it is certainly strange to have it on a Flying-type. This makes me wonder if some new moves will be given to Pikipek’s line. Pikipek can strike 16 times a second with its beak. These strikes are powerful enough to not only drill through hard wood but even shatter stone. The noises made by their blows can signal others. Some of these signals have been identified as warning signals and greetings among allies. Pikipek Trainers have grown to recognize them as well. These Pokémon drill holes in trees and store food in the holes. They also like small, glittering objects and will tuck them away in their food stores, too. It’s often said, “Something lost, something missed, check inside the Pikipek nest.” Pikipek will attack distant opponents by zipping seeds at them. These shots have enough strength to embed the seeds in tree trunks.
Next is Yungoos. Yungoos is the rodent Pokémon we get each region. Think back to Patrat or Bunnelby. Yungoose is a Normal-type with either the ability Stakeout or Strong Jaw. Stakeout is a completely new ability! Stakeout permits the holder to deal double damage to any Pokémon that switches in mid-battle. Yungoos is a big eater that is never satisfied. The majority of its long body is given over to its stomach, and its digestion is swift, so it’s always hungry. It has strong fangs, so it can crush and consume the hardest of objects. Each Yungoos chooses its own particular route for searching out prey. It stalks along this route searching for food until it’s exhausted, at which point it drops and sleeps wherever it may be. It’s thought that these Pokémon decide their routes based on safety, so that there’s no risk in falling asleep at any time. Yungoos is not a Pokémon that is native to the Alola region. It was brought to the region to help deal with the explosive population of a certain other Pokémon, and now Yungoos are commonly seen around the Alola region.
Lastly, the Pokémon we did not actually see during the E3 demo footage, was Grubbin. Grubbin is a Bug-type and clearly will be our starting Bug Pokémon like Caterpie, Wurmple, or Scatterbug. It comes with the ability Swarm. Grubbin relies on its sturdy jaw as a weapon in battle and as a tool for burrowing through the earth. Grubbin loves electricity, which is why it can be found near power plants and substations. By wrapping tree branches in the sticky threads that it spews from its mouth, Grubbin can swing around like an actor on suspension wires! So, I believe that Grubbin’s love of absorbing electricity will likely result in having a Bug/Electric evolution for it!
We also got the full details on Magearna. We already knew it was a Steel/Fairy type, but what we didn’t know is what its ability, Soul-Heart, does. Magearna’s Ability is the Soul-Heart Ability, a new Ability that no previous Pokémon has had. Soul-Heart has the effect of raising Magearna’s Sp. Atk by 1 each time another Pokémon in the area faints. This is a new Ability—one that can be put to good use in battle. Magearna is a Mythical Pokémon that was created by a scientist of uncommon genius 500 years ago. Magearna has the power to perceive the emotions, thoughts, and feelings of other Pokémon. If a Pokémon is injured, Magearna will feel the other’s pain and suffering and will try as hard as it can to save that Pokémon. Magearna’s real body is the spherical construction in its chest called the Soul-Heart, created by a scientist who gathered the life energy from Pokémon. Magearna has the ability to transform itself into the appearance of a Poké Ball! It does so when it sleeps, and apparently also when it’s sad. Also, it appears Magearna will be available to get through scanning a QR Code for Pokémon Sun and Moon. Check back for more details on that!
Lastly, you can see the demonstration they displayed during E3. Masuda and Ohmori, key players in developing these games, helped show off what is inside these new titles for the Pokémon series. There were a lot of little details inside this trailer. For instance, Popplio learns Disarming Voice at level 7 which reminds me when we saw a Fennekin use Confusion during the early days of Pokémon X and Y’s initial announcement. This means Popplio will likely evolve into a Water/Fairy Pokémon or perhaps a Water/Psychic Pokémon. The “phases” that have Lunala and Solgaleo turn very bright during the use of their signature moves has official been called the Full Moon phase and Radiant Sun phase. Since “phase” is not capitalized and both Pokémon do not seem to keep this form for an actual turn, I’m nearly 100% sure that these are just decorative changes. There was also confirmation that there is a Legendary Pokémon guarding each of the four islands of Alola. So, a Legendary quartet, I guess! One of them may be named Tapu Koko, or something similar to that effect, and it guards your home island. I believe Tapu Koko is actually a title for the Pokémon and is not the official name for it. We’ll probably see more on it when we play the games! Finally, there is a new feature shown off at the end of the video. Battle Royale! Basically, it involves four players, each with a party of three, send out one Pokémon at a time. Thus, four Pokémon are battling each other instead of two! When a player’s party is completely knocked out, the match is over! Did I mention all of this is online?
Monday, June 13th
So, E3 has officially kicked off! Despite Nintendo pretty much promising us that all we would see from them is Zelda, we did get a little something else today. Nintendo has shown off a whole slew of Indie Game Trailers during YouTube’s Live E3 footage today. Some of them include Severed, a game made for both Wii U and 3DS and developed by those who made Guacamelee, and Runbow Deluxe and Runbow Pocket Deluxe for Wii U and New 3DS systems respectively. If you would like to check out these trailers and more, see Nintendo’s YouTube channel.
Stardew Valley, a game somewhat similar to games like Harvest Moon and Animal Crossing, has an official announcement regarding releases to video game consoles. Yes, it seems that Stardew Valley will be heading to Wii U, Playstation 4, and Xbox One at the end of this year. I thought it would be nice to cover this considering many YouTube creators I’ve followed have spoken nothing but great things on this game. I think that I may nab this game up when it does come to Wii U, now!
To cap off today’s news, I’ve figured I should mention that Just Dance 2017 was announced for the Wii, Wii U, and NX systems. The game will have over 40 songs initially with 200 other songs available for the games on-demand services called Just Dance Unlimited. Those who get the special Gold Edition version of the game will have Just Dance Unlimited available with the first three months they have the game and is already available for pre-order. The tracklist we’ve seen thus far is down below.
“Sorry” – Justin Bieber
“DADDY” – Psy Ft. CL of 2NE1
“Cheap Thrills” – Sia Ft. Sean Paul
“Lean On” – Major Lazer Ft. MØ & DJ Snake
“Worth It” – Fifth Harmony Ft. Kid Ink
“Don’t Stop Me Now” – Queen
“PoPiPo” – Hatsune Miku
“Radical” – Dyro & Dannic
“El Tiki” – Maluma
“September” – Equinox Stars
“What Is Love” – Ultraclub 90
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