Month: December 2015

New Tales, God Eater to get international release

Posted on by astyahla

This past Monday, Namco Bandai announced several games for worldwide release, the most notable of which are “Tales of Berseria” and two installments from the “God Eater” series.

“Tales of Berseria” is a prequel to “Tales of Zestiria.” It takes place in a world known as the Wasteland. Unlike “Zestiria” you are not restricted to a single continent, but the central continent is said to eventually become Glenwood, the setting of “Zestiria.” Despite this, the world is very different from how it is in “Zestiria”  While the location names and terms are different, there are some undeniable connections. For example, a major plot point is an ailment known as Goma Disease, which turns people into monsters known as Goma. Some victims turn feral but others retain their personality and intelligence, similarly to the Hellions from “Zestiria.”

The main plot revolves around a young woman named Velvet Crow, the first woman in the Tales Series to have the main character role to herself. Velvet used to be a very kind and gentle person, but a traumatic experience changed her to become hateful and filled with barely contained rage. Said incident also caused a mutation in her left hand, causing it to sprout claws when not kept bandaged. She will also be accompanied by a boy named Laphicet, who is said to be the “light” to Velvet’s “darkness.”

“Berseria” keeps the seamless transition between exploration and battle, but the battle system is further refined from “Zestiria.” You may now assign artes to each of the four face buttons. The attacks you use will even change based upon which order the buttons are pressed.

“Tales of Berseria” is being developed for both Playstation 3 and Playstation 4, as well PC. The game is set to be released in Japan sometime in 2016, while release dates for the rest of the world have not been announced. However, the PS3 version of the game will not be released outside of Japan.

Namco Bandai also announced that “God Eater Resurrection” and “God Eater 2 Rage Burst” will be be released worldwide in Summer 2016 for PS4, PS Vita, and PC. The series takes place in a post-apocalyptic world in which creatures known as the Aragami have consumed most of Earth’s biosphere, leaving remnants of humanity as the last of the worlds life. The Aragami, being cell clusters that take on the traits of what they eat, are immune to conventional weaponry. In response, the Fenrir Corporation has formed a group known as the God Eaters, who wield weapons known as God Arcs that are effective against Aragami, to act as humanity’s last stand.

The original “God Eater” was released in Japan for the Playstation Portable in 2010, before its updated re-release, “God Eater: Burst” got an international release in 2011. The North American version of the game was renamed “Gods Eater Burst” in order to avoid offending followers of monotheistic religions, despite actual deicide not being part of the game. This version of the game introduced an additional storyline following the original game’s ending. “God Eater Resurrection” is a remake of “Burst” introducing elements from later games and an additional story to connect the game to “God Eater 2.”

“God Eater 2” was released for PSP in 2013, but did not make it out of Japan. Like the first game, it got an updated re-release called “God Eater 2 Rage Burst,” this time for PS4 and Vita. Like “Burst,” this is the first version of “God Eater 2” to be released outside of Japan. The story revolves around a new special forces team of God Eaters known as Blood as they continue to struggle against the Aragami.

While “Resurrection” and “Rage Burst” are not going to arrive until Summer 2016, international gamers will still get a taste of the latter, as two of its characters, Ciel Alencon and Nana Kouzuki, will appear in “Project X Zone 2” for Nintendo 3DS.

Review: Pokemon Picross

Posted on by astyahla

System: 3DS

ESRB: E

Players: 1

This was my first time playing Picross. This puzzle game involves using clues to find out which squares on a grid to fill in to reveal a picture. Said clues are numbers on the left side of each row and the top of each column. Each number shows how many consecutive squares need to be filled in before leaving a gap at least one square long.

This gameplay has been in place ever since “Mario’s Picross” was released for the Game Boy. The latest game in the series “Pokemon Picross” uses similar gameplay, but all of the picture subjects are Pokemon. While the gameplay is sound and easy to get addicted to (the sign of a successful puzzle game), the game does not lend itself well to a free-to-start structure.

The puzzles start out simple enough with 10×10 grids. For those looking for more of a challenge, the game also offers larger grids such as 15×10. This size of grid is usually reserved for legendary Pokemon or otherwise stronger specimens. No matter what, the game stayed challenging without feeling unfair. While there are times where you have several viable moves and it is hard to choose which one you should take, that “a-ha” moment where you make a breakthrough and get on a roll is always satisfying.

What makes “Pokemon Picross” different is that once you solve a puzzle for the first time, you can add that Pokemon to your party to add abilities to help you out with the puzzle. For example, you can see which rows and columns you can definitely make a move on, reveal the squares in a specific area, or add a a temporary auto-correct to the puzzle. While none of these on their own are game breakers, they help nudge you in the right direction. Unfortunately, you can only use Pokemon if they are the same size as the grid for the puzzle you are solving. It is too easy to become reliant on their abilities and then be unable to use them due to such an arbitrary requirement. Also you need to wait a long time before you can use some abilities again.

One of the biggest things that holds the game back is its free-to-start structure. You only have a limited amount of energy available and it depletes every time you fill in a square. If you are not paying attention, you can find yourself out of moves when you are on a roll and be forced to end your play session and wait about an hour to get that energy back. While you can use in-game currency known as Picrites to instantly recharge, the game gives them to you for free at a glacial pace. To make matters worse, you need to spend Picrites to unlock new areas of the game, increase your maximum energy, instantly make abilities usable again and unlock more slots in your party. The fact that the puzzles are not randomized does not help, so unless you are willing to purchase more Picrites using real money, you are forced to replay puzzles to complete more challenges and earn achievements, or do rudimentary daily training puzzles. In other words, you will hit a wall eventually.

Fortunately, there is a spending limit to keep you from buying more than a total of 5000 Picrites, after which free Picrites will be given to you at a much faster pace. This will take about $30 dollars, which is about the price of a full 3DS game, so it does not feel like an eternal money sink. In addition, the final energy upgrade gives you unlimited energy, making mistakes less costly.

Overall, “Pokemon Picross” is a solid puzzle game that is ultimately ill suited to a free-to-start format. Once you get past the paywall, you will have fun with these brainteasers.

Score 7/10

Corrin and Bayonetta coming to Smash Bros., Cloud now available

Posted on by astyahla

Yesterday’s “Super Smash Bros.” Direct revealed that Corrin from “Fire Emblem Fates” and Bayonetta from the action game of the same name will be the final two DLC characters for “Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U.” Previously announced character Cloud from “Final Fantasy VII” was released on the Nintendo eShop shortly after the presentation.

The presentation began with the reveal of Corrin, “Fire Emblem Fates'” Avatar. While the character is shown as a boy by default, the female version is also available as a palette swap. Armed with the sword Omega Yato, Corrin relies heavily on his ability to transform into a dragon, with most attacks involving a partial transformation. His neutral special attack, Dragon Fang Shot, has his hand change into a dragon’s face to fire a ball of water at the foe to stun them, then bite them if they are close enough. The attack can also be charged. Corrin’s side special, Dragon Lunge, causes him to jump, then lash out and pin the foe to the stage. He can hold it as long is the button is held and then follow up with a forward or backward kick, a jump, or just cancel out of the move. The up special, Dragon Ascent, has Corrin sprout wings and rise upward, striking anyone in his path. Corrin make a complete transformation for his down special, Counter Surge. Unlike his fellow “Fire Emblem” fighters in “Smash Bros.,” Corrin blasts away the offending party with a blast of water instead of simply slashing at them. As a result, Counter Surge, has high launch power, making a botched attack on Corrin very risky. Finally, Corrin’s Final Smash is Torrential Roar. For this attack, Corrin transforms and anyone standing next to him as a dragon gets attacked with a torrent of water.

While Corrin does not have his own stage, those who download him will also get two songs for the existing “Fire Emblem” stages, Coliseum and Castle Siege, in the Wii U version, while the 3DS version will get two extra trophies of “Fates” characters Ryoma and Xander.  Corrin is planned for a February 2016 release. He will cost $4.99 to be downloaded for a single system, or $5.99 for both systems.

Next, the presentation talked about Cloud’s fighting style. Like Little Mac, Cloud has a Limit Gauge that builds up as he takes and deals damage. Unlike Little Mac, the gauge is not visible unless you use Cloud’s down special move, Limit Charge. As the name suggests, the move allows you to manually charge the Limit Gauge, but you are left wide open. Once the meter is filled, Cloud’s Limit Break will activate, bringing an overall increase in performance and powered up special moves, which are derived from Cloud’s Limit Breaks from “Final Fantasy VII.” His neutral special is Blade Beam. It is normally a standard projectile, but with a Limit Break, the beam hits multiple times and has heightened launch power. For Cloud’s side special, Cross Slash, you have to press the special move button several times to slash out a Japanese character as a combo. It is similar to Marth’s Dancing Sword, but the damage and launch power is increased during a Limit Break. The up special, Climhazzard, has Cloud leap into the air, sword first. Press the button again to come crashing down, so you should only press it once when trying to get back to the stage. During a Limit Break, the move travels higher than normal. In addition, Cloud’s down special changes to Finishing Touch when the Limit Break is active. It is a spin attack that only does one point of damage, but has killer launch power. Obviously, Cloud’s Final Smash is Omnislash. After dashing forward, Cloud takes the opponent he hits into the air and slashes them repeatedly before slamming them back the ground, where they will likely bounce off the stage. Cosmetically, Cloud can be played in his original outfit from “Final Fantasy VII” or his outfit from the film “Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children.”

Cloud also comes with the stage, Midgar. It is the starting location of “Final Fantasy VII. While the layout is similar to Battlefield, Midgar has Summon Materia floating around. When some one touches it, one of four summons will attack the stage. Ifrit unleashes flames to move the stage, either tilting it or moving part of it off screen. Ramuh electrifies the smaller platforms which hurts anyone who stands on them but the summoner. Leviathan will flood the stage, sweeping anyone who falls in off the side of the screen in a similar manner to the stage Jungle Japes. The difference is that any resulting K.O.s count as points for the summoner. Odin cuts the stage in half with Zantetsuken. Staying true to the “Final Fantasy” series, any one who stands in the way of Odin’s blade is immediately knocked out. The stage eventually repairs itself, but any one in-between the halves of the stage when they come back together gets crushed, counting as a K.O. for the summoner. Finally , Bahamut ZERO unleashes its Tera Flare, which takes the form of a giant laser that focuses on a specific part of the stage. Anyone who gets caught in it will suffer heavy damage.

Cloud and the Midgar stage are available together for $5.99 for a single system or $6.99 for both systems.

Finally, Nintendo revealed that Bayonetta was the winner of the Smash Ballot due to being the most requested character the developers could realistically put in the game and get the rights to. One of the last Umbra Witches, Bayonetta has a very combo-heavy play style, similar to her home game. For example, holding the button after any of her attacks will have her follow up with shots from any of her four guns. The bullets do not stop the opponent. Even with out the shots, all of her attacks hit the opponent multiple times. Meanwhile, Bayonetta’s neutral special is Bullet Climax, a barrage of bullets fired from the guns either in her hands or on her heels. This attack can be charged for more damage. Her side special changes depending on if she is in the air or not. On the ground, Bayonetta performs a Heel Slide, a sliding kick followed up with a launching kick if the button is held down. Hold down the button even further to shoot. If Bayonetta is in the air, the move becomes the Afterburner Kick, a diagonal upward midair kick that can be performed twice in a row or changed into a diving kick. The up special is the Witch Twist, which is a spiraling upward attack that hits multiple times. It does not go very high on its own, but Bayonetta is not left helpless afterwards and can even use a second Witch Twist if she uses a double jump. Bayonetta’s down special is Witch Time. It works like a counter. If she times it right, Bayonetta will dodge the attack and slow down the offending enemy. The effect lasts longer the more damage the enemy has accumulated, and the move becomes less effective the more frequently it is used. If Witch Time is activated too late, Bayonetta instead uses Bat Within, which turns her into a swarm of bats to get out of the way and reduce damage. Bayonetta’s Final Smash is Infernal Climax. Upon activation, Bayonetta applies Witch Time to the entire stage and must attack enemies as quickly as possible to fill the Climax Gauge. If you are successful, Bayonetta will summon the demon Gomorrah to attack everyone she hit. All victims will accumulate a large amount of damage and, if they exceed 100%, are instantly knocked out. Anyone with less than 100% damage will be sent flying.

Bayonetta also comes with her own stage, the Umbra Clock Tower. This recreates the opening scene from “Bayonetta” It starts out flat with the fighters battling each other on free falling debris from a clock tower, but other fragments will drift by, adding additional platforms. During a brief trip through Purgatorio, you can see angels in the background such as Inspired and Fortitudo. Bayonetta and the Umbra Clock Tower will be available in February 2016 for $5.99 for a single system, or $6.99 for both systems.

New Pokemon revealed for Gen VI

Posted on by astyahla

Nintendo officially revealed the Pokemon Volcanion to the world today. While this is the first time Nintendo officially acknowledges the existence of this Pokemon, it was previously seen by data mining “Pokemon X and Y.”

Volcanion is stated to be the Steam Pokemon and is a Fire and Water-type.  While this sounds like a paradox, steam is the result of water being boiled. In addition, volcanoes also produce large amounts of water vapor when they erupt.

Beyond typing, Volcanion possesses the ability Water Absorb, which renders the user immune to Water-type attacks and restores its health by a quarter of its maximum. Furthermore, Volcanion can use a unique move called Steam Eruption. This powerful move does a large amount of damage and has a chance to burn the target, casting them to lose health each turn and reducing the attack stat until treated.

Like Diancie and Hoopa before it, Volcanion cannot be obtained through normal gameplay in “Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire.” Rather it must be obtained through a special event. Nintendo has not announced how to obtain it yet.

In the meantime, North American players can currently obtain Hoopa by bringing their 3DS and a copy of either “X,” “Y,” “Omega Ruby” or “Alpha Sapphire” to any McDonalds restaurant until December 23. Meanwhile, players in Portugal and Belgium may get Hoopa at Fnac stores until Jan. 10, 2016, while it is also available in Denmark and Sweden at Webhallen stores until January 31.  In addition, moviegoers who see the movie “Hoopa and the Clash of Ages” in South Korea will be given a serial code to be entered into any Generation IV Pokemon game to get both Hoopa and Arceus. The codes will be usable starting December 23 and the end date is unknown

Final Super Smash Bros. presentation scheduled

Posted on by astyahla

Nintendo announced the “Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U” Final Video Presentation will be streamed Tuesday Dec. 15 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time. This event was teased at the end of the November 11 Nintendo Direct.

The presentation can be watched on Nintendo’s web site in the Nintendo Direct section. “Smash Bros.” director Masahiro Sakurai will host the event and will discuss the details behind the upcoming DLC character, Cloud, along with other, currently unknown, information.

I believe that the other information Sakurai will talk about will include the results of the Smash Ballot, a poll regarding which characters players want to see in the game. The winner would definitely be added to the roster as DLC. The poll opened last June and continued until early October.

Personally, I have several characters I would like to see in the game. First and foremost is Lloyd Irving from “Tales of Symphonia.” The game was originally released for the Gamecube and the battle system already seems like it would lend itself to “Smash Bros.” well. Other characters I hope to see include an Inkling from “Splatoon,” Isaac from “Golden Sun,” Chibi-Robo from the series of the same name, and Wonder Red from “The Wonderful 101.

Minecraft is coming to Wii U this month

Posted on by astyahla

After much speculation and teasing, Mojang will bring their hit game “Minecraft” to Wii U. 4J Studios, the company behind the Xbox 36o version, will be in charge of the Wii U version.

A Wii U version of “Minecraft” has long been speculated, but the idea was seemingly killed when Marcus “Notch” Persson, the game’s original creator, said Mojang had no plans for a Wii U release. Things went further against the Wii U’s favor when it was announced that Microsoft had bought out Mojang. However, Telltale’s “Minecraft: Story Mode” was announced for release on Wii U, despite the original game’s absence. Fortunately, Nintendo and Mojang announced the Wii U version of “Minecraft” on December 7.

What make the Wii U version stand out is the use of off-TV play on the gamepad. In addition, the game will be available for $29.99, the same price as the Xbox One and Playstation 4 versions, and come with six DLC packs.

Battle and Beasts Skin Pack

Battle and Beasts Skin Pack 2

Natural Texture Pack

City Texture Pack

Fantasy Texture Pack

Festive Mash-Up Pack

In addition, 16 DLC packs will be available for purchase on launch day.

Festive Skin Pack

The Simpsons Skin Pack

Doctor Who Skins Volume 1

Doctor Who Skins Volume 2

Star Wars Classic Skin Pack

Star Wars Rebels Skin Pack

Star Wars Prequel Skin Pack

Mass Effect Mash-Up Pack

Skyrim Mash-Up Pack

Plastic Texture Pack

Candy Texture Pack

Cartoon Texture Pack

Steampunk Texture Pack

Pattern Texture Pack

Greek Mythology Mash-Up Pack

Halloween 2015 Mash-Up Pack

“Minecraft” will be released exclusively on the Nintendo eShop on December 17.

Winners and reveals abound at The Game Awards 2015

Posted on by astyahla

The Game Awards 2015 took place on December 3, and several games were honored at the event. Most notably, “The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt” won Game of the Year, out of a field of five nominees, including “Bloodborne,” “Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain,” “Fallout 4” and “Super Mario Maker.” In addition, “The Witcher’s” developer, CD Projekt Red, won the award for Developer of the Year.

Beyond all of the awards, several developers made announcements that evening. First of all, Telltale, known for their episodic adventure games, showed a trailer for their three-episode spinoff of “The Walking Dead” titled “Michonne.” We can expect more zombies and some very gritty situations. “Michonne Episode 1” is scheduled for release sometime in February 2016. In more Telltale news, the company’s next game will be based on Batman. Aside from a Noir-style teaser and a 2016 release date, no information was given.

Warner Bros. Interactive also showed a trailer for “Mortal Kombat X’s” Kombat Pack 2. This set of DLC will include four more characters. The first two characters are Leatherface, from “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” and a Xenomorph from “Alien,” continuing the trend of horror movie villains gracing the franchise. Previous examples include Freddy Kruger from “A Nightmare on Elm Street” in the previous “Mortal Kombat,” Jason Voorhees from “Friday the 13th” and the Predator. The latter two were part of the previous Kombat Pack. The last two characters to be added are Bo’ Rai Cho, a master of drunken martial arts, and new character Tri-Borg who seems to be a combination of preexisting characters Cyrax, Sektor, and Smoke. The release date for this DLC is unknown.

The latest new virtual reality game, Rock Band VR was shown at The Game Awards, courtesy of Harmonix and Oculus. Aside from a brief teaser featuring the band Dragonforce, no information was given, not even a release date.

On a less pleasant note, “Metal Gear” creator Hideo Kojima was legally prohibited from attending the show by Konami, despite “The Phantom Pain” winning the award for Best Action/Adventure Game. Instead, Kiefer Sutherland, the voice actor for Big Boss, accepted the award on his behalf. Host Geoff Keighley explained that Kojima had every intention of attending but was told by a lawyer representing Konami that he would not be able to travel to attend the show. This confirms rumors that Kojima is still employed by Konami and the publisher is screwing him over.

A list of nominees in each category is given below. Winners are written in bold.

Game of the Year

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Bloodborne

Fallout 4

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Super Mario Maker

 

Developer of the Year

CD Projekt Red

Bethesda Game Studios

FromSoftware

Kojima Productions

Nintendo

 

Best Independent Game

Rocket League

Axiom Verge

Her Story

Ori and the Blind Forrest

Undertale

 

Best Mobile/Handheld Game

Lara Croft: GO

Downwell

Fallout Shelter

Monster Hunter 4: Ultimate

Pac-Man 256

 

Best Narrative

Her Story

Life is Strange

Tales From the Borderlands

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Until Dawn

 

Best Art Direction

Ori and the Blind Forrest

Batman: Arkham Knight

Bloodborne

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

Best Score/Soundtrack

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Fallout 4

Halo 5: Guardians

Ori and the Blind Forrest

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

 

Best Performance

Viva Seifert (Her Story)

Ashly Burch as Chloe Price (Life is Strange)

Camilla Luddington as Lara Croft (Rise of the Tomb Raider)

Doug Cockle as Geralt (The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt)

Mark Hamil as The Joker (Batman: Arkham Knight)

 

Games for Change Award

Life is Strange

Cibele

Her Story

Sunset

Undertale

 

Best Shooter

Splatoon

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Destiny: The Taken King

Halo 5: Guardians

Star Wars: Battlefront

 

Best Action/Adventure Game

Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain

Assassins Creed: Syndicate

Batman: Arkham Knight

Ori and the Blind Forrest

Rise of the Tomb Raider

 

Best Role-Playing Game

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt

Bloodborne

Fallout 4

Pillars of Eternity

Undertale

 

Best Fighting Game

Mortal Kombat X

Guilty Gear Xrd-SIGN-

Rise of Incarnates

Rising Thunder

 

Best Family Game

Super Mario Maker

Disney Infinity 3.0

Lego Dimensions

Skylanders: SuperChargers

Splatoon

 

Best Sports/Racing Game

Rocket League

FIFA 16

Forza Motorsport 6

NBA 2k16

Pro Evolution Soccer 2016

 

Best Multiplayer

Splatoon

Call of Duty: Black Ops 3

Destiny: The Taken King

Halo 5: Guardians

Rocket League

 

Most Anticipated Game

No Man’s Sky

Horizon Zero Dawn

Quantum Break

The Last Guardian

Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End

 

eSports Player of the Year

Kenny “KennyS” Schrub

Lee “Faker” Sang-heyok

Olof “olofmeister” Dager

Peter “ppd”Dager

Syed Sumail “Suma1L” Hassan

 

eSports Team of the Year

Optic Gaming

Evil Geniuses

Fnatic

SK Team T1 Team SoloMid

 

eSports Game of the Year

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare

Dota 2

Hearthstone

League of Legends

 

Trending Gamer

Greg Miller

Total Biscuit

Christopher “MonteCristo” Mykles

Markiplier

PewDieDie

 

Best Fan Creation

Portal Stories: Mel

GTA V – Targets

Real GTA

Super Mario Maker e-Reader Levels

Twitch Plays Dark Souls

What Nintendo needs to do with the NX

Posted on by astyahla

It is no secret that Nintendo is working on another system. They announced the system, codenamed NX, back in March 2015, but did not give any details. Since then, it has been said that more information will be given in 2016. While rumors have been flying around, Nintendo has stayed quiet regarding the system.

One popular assumption is that the NX will be be a new home console. However, this should be taken with a grain of salt. With the lack of information, it is also entirely possible that the NX will be a new handheld. What ever the case, there are several things that Nintendo should do in order to avoid falling behind like they did with the Wii U.

Match the graphics of the system’s contemporaries

Ever since the jump to 3D graphics, Nintendo consoles have had a reputation for having less powerful graphics than their competitors. This did not seem like a problem to me at first, but it became more noticeable as third-parties started by passing the Wii and Wii U  for multi platform games. When the ports of said games did arrive they were vastly inferior to the other versions. For example, “Watch Dogs” was released for the Wii U six months after the other versions and not only were the graphics inferior, but there were a lot of frame rate problems that ruined the game. Meanwhile, “Batman Arkham Origins” was released on the Wii U at the same time as the other systems, but lacked the online multiplayer (given it was panned, it may have been for the best) and the “Cold, Cold Heart” DLC.

If the Wii U were as powerful as the PS4 and Xbox One, we might have gotten Wii U versions of big games such as “Assassin’s Creed Syndicate” or”Fallout 4.” While I won’t hold my breath on it actually happening, Nintendo needs to have a more powerful system.

Embrace a more mature audience

Many people say Nintendo is for kids and with their adherence to staple franchises like “Mario”, “Pokemon,”and “Kirby”they are not doing much to contest that image. However, they have been willing to publish M-rated titles, with last year’s “Bayonetta 2” being a good example. If they were more willing to push the realm of mature content, they might attract more third party support and win back some of their former longtime supporters like Capcom or Square Enix.

Enough with the gimmicky controllers

Let’s face it. The Wii and the Wii U stand out in the gaming industry for their unique controllers. The Wii Remote and Nunchuck brought motion control to the masses. The Wii U Gamepad featured a second screen and could be used as the main screen when someone else is using the TV. But in the end, no one but Nintendo themselves seemed to know how to use these gimmicks to make good games. Even so, the Gamepad barely has any reason to be used. Personally, unless the game specifically requires the Gamepad, I tended to gravitate toward the Pro controller, a standard controller, instead. Therefore, Nintendo should stop trying to force these gimmicks on us and just give the NX a standard controller. If there is a unique feature that requires a specialized controller, then Nintendo should also include a standard controller with the console from the start.

Improved online features

While the Wii U’s online landscape was an improvement over the Wii’s, there is still a ways to go before Nintendo has caught up with the competition. Miiverse is an interesting idea, but there needs to be a method of direct messaging between players rather than just another social network. Once direct communication is possible, Nintendo needs a way to arrange for friends to play together online right from the console. Furthermore, while the eShop is fine, Nintendo needs to tie digital purchases to user accounts rather than the systems they were made on. That way, if you need to replace your system, you can easily get back your downloaded content without having to repurchase it. We have Nintendo Network accounts that are shared between the Wii U and 3DS. Why isn’t this implemented yet? Here’s hoping this change is made before the NX is released.

New Nintendo account system launches in Japan

Posted on by astyahla

Nintendo launched its new account system, My Nintendo, in Japan. This service will serve as a successor to their previous customer loyalty program, Club Nintendo.

My Nintendo will keep track of online purchases on Wii U and 3DS and grant members points that can redeem for digital content, physical merchandise and discount coupons. The service will also allow you to transfer data between consoles and mobile devices. This implies that Nintendo’s upcoming mobile apps will be connected to their usual console games.

In addition to connecting to pre-existing Nintendo Network IDs, My Nintendo will also be able to link to users’ social media accounts, with Facebook, Twitter and Google Plus being confirmed to be supported so far.

It has been confirmed that the service will be available worldwide, but there is no word on a Western release date.