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8 CommentsTake a closer look at Pokémon Sun and Moon's new monsters
Five more Pokémon have joined the series' cast of 722, thanks to this morning's reveal of Pokémon Sun and Moon's starters and, more mysteriously, the legendaries on the boxes' covers. Stateside, we got a trailer that briefly showed off the fire, water and grass-types that trainers will have to choose from on Nov. 18, when the Nintendo 3DS games launch. (Japanese fans were treated to an even longer look at the Generation 7 Pokémon titles.)
Picking a starter Pokémon might be the most important decision a trainer makes in-game. But how does one choose? Helpfully, The Pokémon Company has since updated the games' website with deeper descriptions of the three newbies. With the increased information, we're here to help players start building their team of Pokémon so they can be ready when the...
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90 CommentsMeet Pokémon Sun and Moon's starters in new trailer before November's launch (update)
Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will launch Nov. 18, The Pokémon Company confirmed. After series producer Junichi Masuda teased the news late last week, the studio debuted the trailer above — which also gives a first look at gameplay and its starter Pokémon through the official Pokémon YouTube channel.
The three starter Pokémon keep to the usual grass, fire and water-type trio. This time around, trainers will have a choice between Rowlet, a grass/flying-type owl, Litten, a fiery kitten and Popplio, a water-type seal.
Also seen in the video is a brief look at gameplay, along with the games' cover stars. While these Pokémon don't yet have names, it's not hard to imagine the lion- and bat-esque monsters being Sun and Moon's legendaries.
The Nintendo 3DS games, out this holiday season, were...
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May 2, 2016
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8 CommentsFirst Pokémon Sun and Moon info is coming next week
New information about Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon will be revealed on May 10, producer Junichi Masuda confirmed. The reveal is planned for 8 a.m. PT., and Masuda's teasing that it's "big news to everyone in the world."
Several official Pokémon Twitter accounts retweeted Masuda's announcement, including the North American one. In a blog post, Masuda neglected to say whether the news would come in the form of a livestream and offered no further hints.
Regardless, it's the first time fans will learn more about Pokémon Sun and Pokémon Moon since they were announced for a worldwide holiday release. The Pokémon Company revealed the logos and release date for the Nintendo 3DS games in February, after a trademark application hinted that they were the next titles in the franchise.
In April,...
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11 CommentsNintendo pulls indie hit from eShop after homebrew exploit detailed
VVVVVV, indie developer Terry Cavanagh's tough retro platformer, is no longer for sale on the Nintendo eShop. The 3DS game was recently removed after a hacker detailed an exploit that allows players to access homebrew software.
Trying to buy the digital download on the eShop leads to a dead end, despite the fact that Nintendo's website continues to list VVVVVV for purchase. Nintendo removed the game as soon as a day after the exploit was released, according to Wololo.net.
Cavanagh himself tweeted about the exploit devised for his game. "That's unexpected!" he wrote before linking to the instructions on how to install the hack. He later said in a tweet that the exploit was "not really a big deal because it's not a 'primary' exploit — as in you still need another game or something."
W...
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5 CommentsNintendo Humble Bundle expands with three more games
Nintendo's second Humble Bundle went live a week ago, and as is Humble Bundle's custom, the companies expanded the package today with three additional games: Nano Assault EX on Nintendo 3DS, and Swords and Soldiers 2 and Runbow on Wii U.
Any buyer who pays more than the average price — $9.74 as of this writing — will receive those titles in addition to the six games that the bundle launched with. This also applies to people who have already bought the bundle, as long as they paid more than the average at the time of purchase.
A representative for Humble Bundle told Polygon that the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle topped $1 million in revenue yesterday, May 2. The spokesperson said that the promotion has already surpassed Nintendo's first Humble Bundle, the Humble Nindie Bundle...
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7 CommentsSpecial Pokémon legendaries are up for download throughout May
This month, The Pokémon Company is holding three separate legendary Pokémon in-game download promotions, according to fansite Serebii. Over the course of May, players will have the chance to grab a rare form of Zygarde and special versions of Xerneas and Yveltal in their Nintendo 3DS games.
From now until May 8, dragon/ground-type Zygarde is available as a mystery gift download over Nintendo Network. The level 100 monster comes in its standard "50 percent forme," one of several transformations it can undergo. The other four "formes" Zygarde changes into were first revealed in September and will debut in the Pokémon XY & Z anime, something that's hinted at in the Pokémon's in-game bio.
From May 11 to May 17, a shiny Xerneas will be available to download. The following week, from May...
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26 CommentsMighty No. 9 finally launches on June 21, creator says
Mighty No. 9 has a new launch date: June 21.
The "spiritual successor" to Mega Man has "gone gold," creator Keiji Inafune said, putting Mighty No. 9 on course to launch for Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on that date in North America and Asia. It will launch worldwide on those platforms on June 24. Deep Silver is publishing the game on consoles.
The versions for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita will follow at a later date, Inafune said.
Inafune acknowledged it has been nearly three years since the project was initially and enthusiastically crowdfunded by thousands of Mega Man fans and apologized for the repeated delays to Mighty No. 9's launch.
"This is a project where everyone's passions were combined in order to create something very...
Culture
8 CommentsRe-animated Smash Bros. Melee intro is a delightful video for a Sunday afternoon
A team of 30 animators spent the better part of a year remaking the original Super Smash Bros. Melee opening, and here at last is their video. It's a virtuoso, shot-for-shot remake of the title sequence, all done with varying styles and motifs. It's wonderful.
Anyone with fond memories of this GameCube classic — goodness, the thing is 15 years old this December — will appreciate the stylish takes on such familiar scenes. For purposes of comparison, here is the original:
All of the animators are listed in a credit sequence at the end of the video at top. But they really deserve to be broken out by name, so here you go. The names are listed in the order of their appearance. Take a bow, folks.
Ryan Hobbs
Pat Paradis
Lisa Yin
Brian Blanchard
Scott Lewis
Adam Peerbaye
Y...
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16 CommentsPokémon ports on 3DS Virtual Console a nostalgic success with 1.5M downloads
Pokémon Red, Pokémon Blue, Pokémon Green and Pokémon Yellow have been downloaded from Nintendo 3DS eShop over 1.5 million times worldwide, Nintendo said. In the company's fiscal year presentation, president Tatsumi Kimishima detailed how the Virtual Console re-releases have fared since their February launch.
The Game Boy games hit 3DS Virtual Console on Feb. 27, 20 years after their original release. Kimishima noted that while the figure reflects worldwide sales, North American Pokémon fans have been particularly zealous.
"More than half of these downloads came from the American market," he said, according to Nintendo's transcript from the financial briefing. "Since the start of the calendar year, Pokémon has been the subject of much attention in America, and sales are showing a...
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7 CommentsNintendo of America to sell its majority stake in Seattle Mariners
Nintendo of America will sell its majority stake in the Seattle Mariners baseball franchise, ending nearly a quarter century of ownership and an administration that saved the team from relocation in the 1990s.
Nintendo of America will retain a 10 percent stake in the team while selling the rest of its shares to the other members of the limited partnership that make up the Mariners' ownership group, the company announced in a news release this afternoon.
The sale means Howard Lincoln, the former chairman of Nintendo of America, will step down as the Mariners chairman and CEO.
"From the first day of our involvement nearly 24 years ago, Nintendo has had two goals for its investment in the Mariners," said Howard Lincoln. "First, we wanted to assure the permanence of the team in this...
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61 CommentsNintendo 3DS emulator adds HD support, makes portable games look spectacular
Citra, an in-development emulator that plays Nintendo 3DS games, recently added high-definition resolution support and the results are pretty amazing: Games like Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7 and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds look incredible in HD.
Nintendo 3DS games typically run at 400 by 240 resolution (and double that to render stereoscopic 3D images). Citra's creators released images of various 3DS games running at 1600 by 900 resolution on the emulator's website, showing off just how well some 3DS games scale up.
Here are a few highlights:
The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D
Kirby Triple Deluxe
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Mario Kart 7
The Citra...
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6 CommentsSplatoon, Animal Crossing were Nintendo's biggest hits over the past 12 months
Seven new titles sold more than one million copies for Nintendo over its last fiscal year, the company reported today, with Splatoon and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer leading the way on Wii U and 3DS, respectively.
On Wii U, Splatoon sold 4.27 million copies since its launch in May 2015. Super Mario Maker, which launched in September, sold 3.52 million, and Yoshi's Woolly World sold 1.37 million after its summer release.
On Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer moved 3.04 million copies following its summer/early fall release. Fire Emblem Fates has sold 1.84 million copies since its June launch. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, which launched in September and November, sold 1.22 million copies, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes at 1.14 million after...
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24 CommentsNintendo's second Humble Bundle is live, and this one isn't restricted to North America
When the Humble Bundle organization teamed up with Nintendo for a pay-what-you-want batch of indie games last May, it was the first time that console games had ever been available in a Humble Bundle. It was also the first time Nintendo participated in a Humble Bundle.
Today, the two companies launched a new group of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games: the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle. It's designed to address some of the most notable complaints about Nintendo's first Humble Bundle.
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Nintendo gets a Humble Bundle and it's all indies
"With Nintendo's help, we've aimed to craft a bundle that will have the widest appeal possible," said John Graham, co-founder and chief operating officer of Humble Bundle, in an email interview.
The...
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4 CommentsPlaying Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE and Kirby: Planet Robobot at PAX East 2016
This June,Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE hits Wii U and Kirby Planet Robobot arrives on Nintendo 3DS. We went hands-on with both at PAX East 2016, and found two games perfect for Nintendo systems and fans.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE
Announced in 2013 as Genei Ibun Roku #FE, developer Atlus' Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE (pronounced "sharp FE," in case you're wondering) has always been a mashup of two popular Japanese role-playing game series: Fire Emblem and Shin Megami Tensei. It wraps those two franchises in a story that frames its heroes as Japanese pop stars, a decision that has a profound effect on the game's aesthetic.
Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE takes place in modern-day Tokyo, where an evil force has crossed dimensions to invade. Your characters -- a few at first and then many later --...
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8 CommentsMonster Hunter Generations tips its cap to Okami's 10-year anniversary
It's really been 10 years since Okami launched — April 20, 2006 on PlayStation 2 and PS3, then two years later on Wii. To mark the anniversary, Capcom's Monster Hunter Generations will feature an Amaterasu costume/skin when the Nintendo 3DS game launches in the West this summer.
The costume is for a Felyne, which Monster Hunter Generations allows you to play as through its Prowler mode. So you're a dude playing a cat disguised as a dog.
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3 CommentsRiver City: Tokyo Rumble for 3DS is heading West
Natsume will release River City: Tokyo Rumble on Nintendo 3DS stateside later this year, the publisher revealed on Twitter. Tokyo Rumble will be the first 3DS release to make it overseas in the Kunio-kun series, best known for games like Crash 'n the Boys: Street Challenge and River City Ransom.
The game, developed by Arc System Works, will be playable at E3 2016, Natsume confirmed; further release details will also be announced then. Tokyo Rumble is a port of Nekketsu Kouha Kunio-Kun SP, a side-scrolling beat-em-up that came out in Japan back in 2013. It employs retro-style 2D sprites á la the older entries, making it a familiar experience for fans of the 30-year-old series. Watch the trailer above for an introduction to 2013's original Japanese release.
In honor of that anniversary,...
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9 CommentsMetroid Prime: Federation Force heads to 3DS this August
Nintendo will release Metroid Prime: Federation Force, the Nintendo 3DS Metroid spinoff that gives players control of a Galactic Federation marine, on Aug. 19, the company announced today. The game was previously expected to launch during a "late spring 2016" window.
Federation Force is a single-player and cooperative game in which up to four players can embark on missions and battle Metroid Prime's Space Pirates. Players can customize their Galactic Federation mech to focus on offense or defense in the fight against Space Pirates. They can also engage in three-on-three action in Metroid Prime: Blast Ball, the competitive multiplayer sci-fi sport that was revealed during last year's Nintendo World Championships at E3.
For a longer look at Metroid Prime: Federation Force, which has...
Culture
6 CommentsHere are all 494 Pokémon encounters in Diamond and Pearl
The significance of this compilation may be a bit subtle, even to Pokémon fans. But Pokemon Diamond and Pearl, which launched in 2006 on the Nintendo DS, was the last edition of the game to have encounter animations for the Pokémon bestiary. Later editions of the game did not use these encounter animations.
So this compilation by Master of Hyrule, is an archival resource, of all battle encounter animations for the 494 Pokémon extant as of Diamond and Pearl (with their battle cries). We've featured MoH's work before — such as this collection of all the faeries in The Legend of Zelda.
Master of Hyrule said this took "tons of hours. A few days to do." The least you can do is watch for a few minutes, right?
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