Intelligent Systems News Articles
Friday3rd Jul 2015
News Fire Emblem Fates Birthright Edition Is The Popular Choice In Japan
Which path would you choose?
We know Fire Emblem Fates will be released in Europe and North America sometime in 2016, but that doesn't stop us from enjoying the action in Japan, where the game is already available. Fire Emblem: If - as it is known in Japan – has sold incredibly well, with the Special Edition Bundle being so much in demand that a...
Wednesday1st Jul 2015
News Fire Emblem Fates Storms to Number One in Japan
Beats equivalent launch sales of Awakening
The Japanese Media Create charts have brought positive news for Nintendo of late, and that continues this week with the arrival of the latest blockbuster from Intelligent Systems. Fire Emblem Fates - known as Fire Emblem: If in Japan - has launched in Nintendo's homeland and performed rather well. There...
Wednesday24th Jun 2015
News Fire Emblem Fates Will Allow Same-Sex Marriages
Nintendo wants its games to "reflect the diversity" of its audience
Nintendo has confirmed that Fire Emblem Fates will be the first title in the long-running strategy series to feature same-sex marriages. In Fire Emblem: Awakening, it was possible to marry characters you had formed a strong bond with, but it was only possible to wed members of the...
Friday19th Jun 2015
News Fresh Details Emerge For Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem
Music is my radar
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem - AKA Genei Ibun Roku #FE - was shown off in a brief and almost incomprehensible video during Nintendo's E3 Digital Event which left fans none the wiser as to what kind of experience this crossover will provide. Thankfully, GameSpot has been talking to the team behind the game to get a better idea...
Tuesday16th Jun 2015
News The New 3DS Fire Emblem Will Be Called Fire Emblem Fates In The West
Final title announced during E3 event
Nintendo has revealed the final Western title for the new 3DS Fire Emblem during its Digital Event at E3. Fire Emblem Fates is the final name - in Japan, it is known as Fire Emblem If. Both titles reflect the fact that this is one of the most open-ended instalments in the series yet, offering two different...
Friday22nd May 2015
News An Impressive 1.79 Million Players Have Crossed Swords With Fire Emblem: Awakening
...as of December 2014
Fire Emblem has traditionally struggled to make much of an impact in the West - we didn't even get to experience the franchise until the days of the Game Boy Advance - but it would appear that the turn-based series has finally caught the attention of players outside of Japan. A new promotional page has just gone live in Japan...
Wednesday20th May 2015
News Code Name S.T.E.A.M. Fails to Chart in Week of Poor Sales in Japan
Xenoblade Chronicles X clears 100,000 sales
In recent weeks there have been some decent game and hardware sales in Japan, so a tumble was always on the agenda. Even with that in mind, it's nevertheless been a rather lousy week of sales for Japanese retailers according to the latest Media Create results. Kicking off with the software charts, Final...
Tuesday19th May 2015
News Fire Emblem If Changes The Traditional Weapons Triangle
Remember to breathe...
Some ideas are so integral to series franchises that to change them can seem blasphemous; yet that doesn't stop Nintendo and affiliates from doing what they feel is right. It's often tweaking core mechanics in rather subtle ways, such as the will-he-won't-he triple jump appearing and disappearing from modern Mario games, and...
Friday15th May 2015
News Famitsu Reveals Some Fresh Details on Fire Emblem If
New 'Phoenix Mode' will be an even easier, third difficulty option
It's rather hard to believe, but Fire Emblem If will be releasing in Japan on 25th June. This is made all the more surprising because relatively little is known about the game at this point. Here's a quick breakdown of what we do know so far: The story will follow the war between a...
Thursday14th May 2015
News Fullblox Is Available To Download On The European 3DS eShop Right Now
Hot on the trail of the Japanese release
Nintendo has announced that Fullblox is available to download on the European 3DS eShop from today. The game - which is the latest in a series of titles which includes Pullblox and Fallblox - features the rotund Mallo as he attempts to solve a wide range of puzzles. The unique thing about this offering -...
Wednesday13th May 2015
News Nintendo Reveals Pushmo: Hippa Land For 3DS eShop, Out Now In Japan
Sample the game for free, and pay to unlock more
Intelligent Systems’ Pushmo series for the 3DS eShop has been well received since the original game – known as Pullblox in Europe – was first released on the 3DS eShop in 2011. Since then, fans of Mallo and company have seen the release of the 2012 sequel Crashmo – Fallblox in Europe – and...
Thursday30th Apr 2015
News Fire Emblem If Box Art Confirms amiibo Support and 15 Years and Up Age Rating
Now we just need to find Fire Emblem amiibo in stock...
Fire Emblem If is already shaping up to be one of the most intriguing entries in the popular series to date. Though it's not due in the West until 2016, it's raising eyebrows with its approach to two separate retail releases + DLC for its Summer release in Japan, which will be combined through...
News Nintendo Celebrates Japanese Launch Of Fire Emblem If With Themed Cover Plate & Bundle
Another week, another cover plate
Since the launch of the New Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo has allowed users to accessorise their system with a wide selection of cover plate offerings. This trend won’t be stopping any time soon, with the latest cover plate reveal celebrating the upcoming Japanese launch of Fire Emblem If. The special Fire Emblem If...
Wednesday29th Apr 2015
News Fire Emblem's Two Versions Will Offer Very Different Challenges
More difficult "Black Kingdom" edition aimed at veterans of the series
The next entry in the Fire Emblem series - dubbed Fire Emblem If in Japan - is coming in two different packages: White Kingdom and Black Kingdom. While it's tempting to assume that these two versions boast only subtle differences, Intelligent Systems' Masahiro Higuchi and...
Wednesday22nd Apr 2015
News Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem’s Character Designer Speaks Of New Challenge
Toi8 Tackles New Crossover
World renowned character designer, toi8, takes to Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem's Official Blog to share a little more about himself. We all know and love him for his work on hack//The Movie and Chain Chronicle movie, but did you know that working for Nintendo has been a huge dream of his? "As part of the generation...
Thursday9th Apr 2015
Video This Is How Much Faster Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. Is After The New Update
No more waiting
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is the latest title from esteemed developer Intelligent Systems, and offers plenty for fans of turn-based strategy: an eye-catching Steampunk art style, Fire Emblem amiibo support and President Abraham Lincoln. What more could you possibly want, right? Unfortunately not everything in life can be perfect, and in...
Wednesday8th Apr 2015
News Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. Update Goes Live to Speed Things Up
Full steam ahead
Code Name S.T.E.A.M., the new IP from Intelligent Systems, certainly has a number of strengths. A downside, however, has been the amount of time players spend observing the action - often without much of a good view - waiting for the enemy AI to move. You could make a coffee in the break between moves - oh, alright, we're...
Monday6th Apr 2015
Gallery Gaze Upon Fire Emblem Cipher, the New Card Game Unlikely to Escape Japan
Sweet, sweet artwork
It's a common refrain to say that Nintendo releases the 'coolest' stuff in Japan, but there are a number of reasons why that's said an awful lot. Perhaps there's something in the statement, if this lovely card game is anything to go by. Fire Emblem Cipher is due in Japan this summer, no doubt to coincide with the arrival of...
Saturday4th Apr 2015
News New Fire Emblem on 3DS Takes Shape as Two Separate Releases in Japan
Western details for 2016 release unclear
We think it's fair to say that, at the moment, the Fire Emblem series is in the position to go from strength to strength, following the success of Fire Emblem: Awakening. Intelligent Systems and Nintendo SPD continue to impress their Fire Emblem fans, and with a new addition to the series on the horizon Fire...
Video WarioWare Touched! Arrives On Wii U Virtual Console
We check out Wario DS mayhem on the Wii U
The WarioWare series is an excellent detour into the absolutely mad world of Wario and his friends, so it's great to see this DS game released on Wii U Virtual Console. We thought we'd show you how great this game is via the medium of video. Watch and enjoy! Like this video? Subscribe to our channel...
Thursday2nd Apr 2015
News Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. Update Will Speed Up Enemy Turns, More Stock Of Marth amiibo Promised
Fast forward
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. is an excellent strategy title for the 3DS, but it's really handicapped by the slowness of enemy turns. Waiting for your opponent to move their units is a real drag, and makes the game hard to enjoy to its fullest. Thankfully, Nintendo is aware of this issue and during yesterday's Nintendo Direct confirmed that a...
News The New 3DS Fire Emblem Will Force You To Pick A Side
Hoshido or Nohr - which will you choose?
During today's Nintendo Direct more footage of the latest Fire Emblem title was shown, and although the game doesn't have a final title yet, we're starting to get a better picture of what this fresh instalment is all about. Unlike Fire Emblem: Awakening, you won't be assuming the role of a off-screen...
Friday13th Mar 2015
Live Watch Wil Wheaton and Nintendo Show Off Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. on Twitch
A Presidential visit
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M is out in North America today, bringing the latest new IP from Intelligent Systems to the 3DS family. Its brand of over-the-shoulder real-time strategy is certainly a fresh approach, and the steampunk alternative history certainly proved a hit with our reviewer. Nintendo of America's scooped some handy...
Friday6th Mar 2015
News Nintendo Confirms Wil Wheaton as Voice Actor for Abraham Lincoln in Code Name S.T.E.A.M.
From Ensign to President
Nintendo doesn't often hire celebrities to be voice actors in its games - in fact, fully voiced dialogue simply isn't particularly common in the big N's titles. Kid Icarus: Uprising was a recent exception, along with the likes of Metroid: Other M, but we're normally just treated to occasional catch phrases and gibberish...
Monday16th Feb 2015
News A Fire Emblem 25th Anniversary Symphony Concert is Coming to Japan
No news on a western tour, yet
As you may remember, we reported about a week ago on the upcoming Legend of Zelda Symphony of the Goddesses: Master Quest tour line-up. Promising orchestral covers of a plethora of music pieces spanning the series' rich history, the symphonic experience is something to look forward to for many fans of the franchise...
Thursday29th Jan 2015
News Code Name S.T.E.A.M Demo Available Now on the 3DS eShop
It's got some heat
Update: This demo is also available on the North American 3DS eShop. Original Article: Code Name S.T.E.A.M may be a while away from release in Europe - it's due on 15th May - yet Nintendo has thrown up a surprise by releasing a 3DS eShop demo for the title in today's download update. It's fairly substantial in terms of its...
Friday23rd Jan 2015
Rumour Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. Demo To Be Distributed Via Gamestop Stores
Steamy windows
Intelligent Systems' latest 3DS effort - Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. - is shaping up rather nicely, and will almost certainly be on the wish list of many a seasoned tactical RPG player. The game launches in March in North America and May in Europe, and if rumours are to be believed it would appear that Nintendo is working with retailer...
Tuesday20th Jan 2015
News The New Fire Emblem For 3DS May Be Arriving Sooner Than Expected
Update: Nintendo Australia issues an update dropping '2015' window
Update: It appears Nintendo Australia made an error with the listed 3DS release dates and has now sent out an updated version of the newsletter. The 3DS section now reads, "Games coming for Nintendo 3DS" rather than the existing header which indicated a 2015 launch for all titles...
Wednesday14th Jan 2015
News A New Fire Emblem Game Is Marching Towards The 3DS
From the same team behind Fire Emblem: Awakening
During today's Nintendo Direct it was confirmed that the 3DS family of systems is getting a new entry in the beloved Fire Emblem series, created by the same core team at Intelligent Systems which brought us the sublime Fire Emblem: Awakening. An entirely new story is on offer, but this time around...
Wednesday7th Jan 2015
News This Fan-Made Facelift Of The Original Paper Mario On The Nintendo 64 Looks Stunning
Five years in the making
For those of you who weren't particularly fond of more recent entries in the Paper Mario series, perhaps an unofficial re-textured version of the original game released on the Nintendo 64 in 2000 might be of interest. A game design student at Zurich University of the Arts, who goes by the handle Nelde, has been chipping...
