A Wild Update on Pokémon Shuffle Appears

Thanks but I'll stay with Battle Trozei.

Not at all a pokemon fan, but as one that totally doesn't get the freemium, p2win, etc practices that have come along with the advent of mobile gaming, it doesn't surprise me nintendo is taking the plunge. As usual when people wish for Nintnedo to be like other big gaming companies, be careful what you wish for. I'd hate to have to pay $15 a month to play mario kart online.

Sooo... technically, that means 48 hearts per day, which can be traded into a maximum of 6-8 gems per day (the conversion rates make no sense), one of which is required to play a single round/map, AND can be converted into 45.000 -55.000 coins to buy support items (which have no specific pricing yet)... yeah, no.
Just to get the amount of in-game currenncy you normally get for free in a span of 24 hours, you'd have to pay roughly 5$ - not worth it.

@ferrers405 Same here. One price for the full game.

Knew it, this game is nothing more than typical smartphone microtransaction-heavy trash. I really hope most people avoid this.

"Hearts can be bought using an in-game currency called gems. Gems can either be received via StreetPass or bought in the store,"

What the hell? Nintendo is still using StreetPass as a gimmick? This why StreetPass shouldn't have never became a thing in America. Anything StreetPass only works in Japan because 9/10 they're going to carry their 3DSes in groups. America doesn't work like that. Most everybody (at least in my state) don't have a 3DS but there children do. You know, the people that don't even help you in the StreetPass games. Also, there is no way in hell am I'm going to pay $1.00 for about 20 minutes of gameplay.

"Hearts will regenerate over time, and it's believed that it'll take roughly thirty minutes for one to regenerate."

I think GameFreak don't know the diffrence between a phone and a handheld. They should have learned from Puzzle and Dragons. Instead of making a crappy free-to-play and slapping Mario on it like it phone version, it a full game without pay-to-win gameplay. That would only work on a mobile phone, not a handheld. It should have at least been 5 minutes, but no GameFreak is all of a sudden money hungry even though they make millons off of Pokemon and thought it was a good idea to break the gameplay every 5 levels.
Is it just me or is GameFreak is getting worse and worse everyday because of Pokemon?

@Chaozrush21 I honestly think it was Nintendo's choice for it to be pay to win, after all the investors have been trying to force them into smartphone tactics for a while now.

I hope nobody downloads this solely because I and many others don't want to see Nintendo go down the route of "MICROTRANSACTIONS, GET YA MICROTRANSACTIONS HERE! JUST $1 FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF GAMEPLAY! FUN FUN FUN!"... And especially GameFreak, who, might I add, COULD most likely be putting the effort it took to develop this into the development of a new download-only Pulseman for 3DS.... But what do I know? I'm just some NintendoLife commenter. (...And a massive fan of Pulseman)

I wish that they had released a complete paid version in addition to the free-to-play microtransaction-laden version. The most off-putting thing about this game is if I do find myself enjoying it, that I can only pay for minutes at a time unless I'm willing to cough up cash.

@sillygostly It seems to basically be Free2Play Pokémon Link Battle, which is (I believe) under £8 on the 3DS eShop, so I'd advise that personally.

As long Nintendo's full retail games don't go down this path and maintain their quality, I don't really care if these mini Free to Play games come out. If you don't like them don't download them...

Sure, the Pokemon brand has been tainted with these bad random games, but they still make decent full retail games annually.

I don't see the fuss.

The entire game is playable for free. You only pay if you want to speed it up.

shrugs

Seems like a solid first attempt to me.

@DroothR Sure they may not be any fuss now but if people download the game and buy the Micro-transactions then Nintendo will just keep doing it because people are buying them.

@SlicingScyther: It recycles the engine/graphics of Pokémon Link/Trozei Battle, but the gameplay is different.

@Chaozrush21 @SlicingScyther Pokemon Shuffle is being developed by Genius Sonority, not Game Freak. And I'm pretty sure Pokemon with microtransactions was not their idea, but Nintendo's.

@SilentHunter382

Yes, that's how business works though.

@SilentHunter382 That wouldn't be the end of the world. People that choose to play this for free will likely have the option to play any future microtransaction games for free as well. It's not like this is some major release we've been waiting a year for and they sprung the pay-to-play system on us last minute. It's a small, hopefully fun game that we didn't even know about a month ago.

*cough, couldn't you just mess with the system clock.

@C-Olimar Woops, sorry about that, but I still feel that it is tainting the Pokémon brand, and Nintendo overall. As if this turns out to be a success they might see it as a viable business model (which, to be honest, it really is, although it just feels like... I dunno, exploitative.) They know children will download this, and they know that children will pay a lot of money to keep playing... At this point I really don't like the way the industry is going in general.

@sillygostly Oh, sorry about that, in that case it seems like an unfair move to not give us a paid version.

stupid micro transactions, ( i think if Nintendo wants to go this route, they should also offer a version that sells for a fixed price, and that's all one would shell out)

Those prices to me sounds quite fair compared to what most games on mobile do. Still I have no intention to pay for temporary play time, I'll try the game and see if the "free-pace" leave it enough enjoyable, else I have battleLink/Trozei to fix the itch for PokemonPuzzleMatching.

I think it'll be fine. It's one of those things I'll just play once a day for a long period of time, like Animal Crossing.

I'll certainly download it and if I enjoy it will more than likely spend a few £/¥ on it!

I get Streetpass Hits almost daily here in the UK Mostly from local hotspots that I purposely walk passed if I'm nearby!

nope nope nope

So much for people swearing that they'd never go this route. Right. Well.. Here we are... lol.

Why do so many of you complain when you don't have to pay money for it and its just a puzzle game it might not even be that fun I know I am going to get it mainly because its free but also to try it after all a good game takes time to play and you want to take the time to enjoy the game. Isn't that how games used to be before people went speed run crazy.

Why, are they making such a BIG DEAL out of it. Is it because It's Nintendo? Other companies do it worse then this.

The roots of gaming came from this. Worse actually. When Donkey Kong was first released not only did you have to pay a quarter for each play, you also had to travel to get there.

To me this micro transaction is no different except one can play for free with patients.

Wow iOS and android

The only F2P game from Nintendo I'm looking forward to right now is that Collectable Badge Center game. I'm really hoping that with the N3DS finally out in all territories, maybe we can expect that in the immediate future?

@DTFaux I certainly hope so.

@C-Olimar Didn't really know that, it still bad for Pokemon to even go near this direction.

It's such a sham that Genius Sonority is working on a bunch of spinoff Pokemon games that no one seems to care about when they could (Or rather should.) be working on the long overdue sequel to Pokemon Colosseum/XD...

Hey is free, why not? got tired of tetris and dr. mario and I wouldn't pay for a pokemon product (not a fan)

But I agree, everybody, including Nintendo fanboys wanted Nintendo to be like other third parties and here it is. No reason to complain now.

@SlicingScyther Ooor you could download it, leave it running for an hour, and then give it a terrible rating. That's what I'll do, at least, though not because of microtrans, but because the game in general sucks.

@ColdingLight After this game they will probably work on the localization of Denpa Men FREE, so forget about a Pokémon Colosseum/XD sequel.
Or just wait until 2016.

Yeah, totally hoping most people avoid this like the plague. The last thing we need is Nintendo pulling the pay to play card and it actually working. Let the garbage, shovelware phone games stay on the app store.

@minotaurgamer people want them to be like Sony in the way they handle third parties. Not actually like third parties themselves. I've never seen anyone say Nintendo should be more like EA or Popcap.

So the micro transactions is to make the game optionally easier or quicker to play right away, there's an alternative no cash way to get gems, and the game is free?

I can only imagine the same people complaining about this also complained about sleep points in Bravery Default and similar to that game many people will still play it. That is the will of the Internet.

Hey, Nintendo...

How about...

No?

I wanna say burn this trash, but with a bit of self restraint, it may be like the Streetpass Mii Plaza games. Over time, the number of street passes I recieve has steadily increased although many are from local relays but I've passed a number of Yokels multiples of times as well. The Streetpass Plaza games are currently impossible to blow through in one massive burst. Over time you are rewarded with play coins up to ten per day, which you can spend on additional content or bonuses in game. Save up large stockpiles of play coins, and it is possible to "blast though" at least partway through the games before running out. I've really enjoyed playing the Streetpass games (all six of them) on an almost daily basis.

Going back to these "Microtransactions". The awesome Streetpass game would become the very abomination of mobile microtransactions people are decrying, if Nintendo updated the game to allow the user to purchase spare play coins, say ten play coins for a dollar. Responsible and self restraining players would get the same level of enjoyment in Streetpass Mii Plaza without spending a single dime, yet people with addictive personality disorder or compulsive gambling tendancies, would likely siphon huge amounts of money trying to beat the games in lengthy sittings. In the industry, such consumers are known as "whales" with 1% of the userbase contributing 99% of the revenue.

Firstly, buying extra play coins would simultaneously cheapen the experience of going out and walking the DS and earning streetpasses and playing the game as intended in bite-size chunks, sapping much of the "thrill" out of tagging other users, earning achievements, collecting tickets and exchanging them for hats, by paying your way through the game.

Secondly, this microtransaction system would feed the addictions of compulsive gamers who feel driven to spend needless money for playcoins in order to get that instant gratification. I see this as a somewhat immoral if profitable business venture, by feeding off the addictions of consumers who have a serious gaming problem.

Thirdly, seeing Nintendo being seen a family friendly company, I feel that there could be serious repercussions from a PR perspective, if kids are given access to a 3DS with an unlocked eShop account, and spends thousands of real world currency to their parents credit card. We have seen this effect time and again with Andoid and iOS where Goggle/Apple have been forced to refund thusands of dollars to customers due to "unauthorized" transactions when mobile devices placed in the hands of minors, who may not be able to grasp the difference between in game and real world currencies. Nintendo is already teetering on the edge of losing market share or relavence in gaming communities. A microtransactions related SNAFU could easily topple the last market stronghold Nintendo shares as a family-oriented gaming company.

As a result of all things, irregardless of whatever investors are trying to shoehorn Nintendo into doing, the microtransactions bandwagon is a slippery slope to trod on. I have no problem with a one-time fee for permanent unlock. Free-to-play games are fine if you give us 25% of the game for free with a nominal fee to unlock the rest. Downloadable content is fine as well provided it's a one-and-done unlock fee. Paying real world cash for in-game consumables aka microtransacions, is where I draw the line.

The arcade analogy where you pay per play is not valid here, because you are essentially renting commercial grade entertainment equipment at a venue, bar, arcade, whatever. I'm of the school of thought that when you buy a console, you own it. Buy a game, digital or retail, and you have exclusive and unlimited useage of said game. It is yours to play for as much as you want. With the microtransactions BS, it's like you don't even get to keep the game, but are renting it, as in the arecade analogy. With one huge exception: the arcade machine is owned by the operator.

My games console is owned by ME. Why is it even remotely fair, that I should be charged for unlimited usage of a games console that I retain full ownership of? That is BS. Nintendo, I am disappoint. I will not download any microtransaction based game on my system because it is basically you renting out hardware and software that I should retain full rights and privleges to use. I even played the little haggle minigames in Rusty's Super Sluggers because I though I was getting a deal on the games and the story and minigames were cute and fun. Little did I know you were fielding a test market for future microtransactions-based F2P games. Nintendo, I'm not your "whale." I will refuse to download and play future F2P microtransaction based titles to show my disapproval, but I will gladly continue to buy "one and done" games and DLC. I can only hope others join me in my stance.......

Throws up

Hmm. If you are accustomed to mobile gaming, you might be okay with this. It's all about the balance. Many people are all about avoiding paying anything for these types of games and finding the best way to do that is part of the game. I don't particularly enjoy that usually, but it can work and here's why:
Whales
Some people have money to burn and are happy to throw hundreds of dollars at a game like this. It's something a business can't ignore. Ever see the stats on Candy Crush? Players bought $1.3 billion of IAP in 2014 in just that game alone (yes, that's billion with a "b"). You can play that game for free and many people do and are happy never paying a cent.

In short, Nintendo should try this. I just hope it quickly adjusts to keep as many happy as possible.

I will be downloading this but won't be paying for extras. I love puzzle games and Pokemon.

@BLPs The thing is, I am severe ADHD and do have addictive tendancies. As an example: It's one thing if I blow through 150 play coins that I've amassed over several weeks to beef up my Army in Warrior's way so I can blow through the next country with relative ease. Currently I'm playing the game as intended by the developer. If I miss out on some uber cool hat because I spent all my Plaza tickets on stupid lame ones, so be it. It's only a game. My play coins and street passes will slowly replenish. Street passes are preferable because you can use them in all games where as play coins are only usable in just one game at a time. So I make my rounds and often wait until I have more than 6 or 7 street passes queued up before I replay the games so I can maximize my Mii Force potential.

Fact is short of manipulating the date/time on the 3DS (which will totally screw up your pedometer and play records) or using a spare 3DS to earn "dummy" streetpasses, there's no real way to cheat the system. Were Nintendo to allow users to "buy" extra play coins to progress further in the game, instead of naturally allowing them to accrue or seek out street passes, either through relays or in the wild, at some point I would find myself in a situation where I just had to get the next stage or redeem that fancy new Mii hat. Instead of being forced to put the game away and try again later, it would be a very real temptation to me to spend the 99 cents here or there to get that extra perk.

As it stands, I've spent a grand total of $15 on the Streetpass Mii Plaza expansion pack and have thoroughly enjoyed it. That amount is fixed. I'll never have to spend additional money to continue playing it, unless Nintendo releases an additional one-and-done DLC pack in the future. I've spent a good deal of money on games over the years, probably more than most but all of it I have permanent access to enjoy at my leisure. If I ever get short on money, I'll just enjoy the stuff I have.

With the F2P business model, that temptation, "oh, it's just 99c here or there," could very well end up costing me hundreds of dollars in the end on what should have been a $5 game. The whole "pay to win" concept will cheapen my enjoyment of said game, then I'll feel guilty and mad at myself for paying so much.

It's easy for some to say "oh I just won't pay" and enjoy what they've got. But for others, it will become a problem. So I've never been sucked into one of those "pay to play" schemes, but I know that would potentially be a weakness for me. So I've made a commitment not to download such titles.

Rusty's All Star Sluggers taught me that I can't just say "no." I had to play through the whole story, and while haggling was fun and the story was charming, I'm still sinking real money into cheap throwaway minigames that are fun for like 30-40 minutes then get really boring. And you have to haggle and eventually buy every single minigame to finish the story. At least I can keep the minigames I've purchased.

I do not gamble, because I have a strong mathmatics foundation and I know that every single game in the casino is rigged so that the house always wins slightly more than it pays out. I bet one dollar at a casino, played the slots, walked out with $4.10. Cashed out while I was ahead and never went back.

Games are fun, new, retro, whatever, I love to collect games and I love to play them. Nintendo especially but I collect other systems as well. Yet I have confidence when I spend money on a game, retro or new, that it's mine to keep and play as little or as much as I want. I support developers of new games and help preserve old classics, because by patronizing businesses that deal them, it helps to keep these little pieces of gaming nostalgia in circulation and out of landfills.

But I have to draw the line at in game consumables. They aren't tangible; they aren't even tied to my console or NNID like digital or DLC content. You buy the consumable, you use it and it's gone. I have to commit not to download these titles, because the temptation to repeatedly spend money on consumables is always there.

Sorry for the long rant, but I cannot support this type of business model. I will not be anybody's "whale."

According to an email I received from Nintendo last Wednesday Feb 11 it is indeed due out Feb 18 (US).

Which is weird b/c that's a Wed and the store updates on Thursday.

"Nintendo used Microtransaction!"

It's not very effective... hopefully.

I was actually eager to try this until you said that you use a heart regardless of whether or not you lose the level. That kills the whole thing for me. I've had lots of fun with similar mobile games, and I actually like being limited because it prevents me from playing it for hours. This is just too far though.

@BLPs LOL I collect Amiibos too! But I tend to pick and choose. I have little interest in the third party chars but I wanna collect all the Smash series Mario chars, but not the Mario Party lineup except for Toad. The MP Duplicates I can do without. And Kirby and Yoshi series. I got Zelda and Link but Toon Link is derpy looking so I'll pass, but I'd definitely get a Dr Mario if they come out with one. Also got DK, Diddy, Kirby (Meta Knight and Dedede still on reserve at Best Buy) Samus. Got my Rosetta & Chiko import from Japan too! Upcoming Amiibo on my radar: Wario, Zero Suit, Duck Hunt Dog.

But the Fire Emblems, Kid Icarus, Xenoblade, etc I don't care about collecting at all. And I unbox everything and use them. Good thing I'm a selective collector as I've had to fight over far fewer Amiibo than most people. I even ordered the Choco mini figs for Daisy and Waluigi as substitutes since they'll almost certainly not be getting Amiibos even though they are half the size and don't really match. Yeah I'm wierd like that. Gotta have Amiibo figures that don't even exist!

Also dealing with compulsive habbits... I spend more time posting online about video games than I do actually playing them. But playing them brings me so much more joy... Why I never joined Facebook? I don't agree with their privacy policy but also don't wanna get sucked into that addictive cesspool...

I agree gotta know your limits and stay within budget. I'm also a sucker for anything new homebrew release on retro consoles...

MICROTRANSACTIONS, GET YA MICROTRANSACTIONS HERE! JUST $1 FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES OF GAMEPLAY!

Thats better than many arcade games.

@StarDust4Ever

In Rusty you do NOT have to buy all minigames to complete the story.

I will download this to try it but I wont pay a dime for it. I have many games so I dont need to rush anything.

"leading some to feel like Nintendo is greedily trying to take advantage of the popularity of the Pokémon franchise."

Video games are a business. When will people realize this?

Challenge Accepted...

MEGASUPERAB used MATCH STUFF!

UPDATE ON POKEMON SHUFFLE fainted!

LOL I don't hate Pokemon or anything.

Edit: Changed LOLA to LOL. Gosh dang it auto-correct!

@Chaozrush21 It's called "You have the features, use them!".

Personally I'm gonna play the game, not spend any money, and enjoy it and hope nintendo can take their money from someone else's wallet.

Not sure whats so bad about this.

Sounds like it will be pretty easy to play it without paying anything at all.