Ark

This was my first Metroid and I found the actual exploration needed to get here tougher. Was on Easy though.

Years later on Wii U, I tried a “<15% of items” challenge run and won despite not being able to spam missiles for days. It actually wasn’t as tough as Ridley’s prior fight.

I think it’s one of those “keep your cool” bosses. There’s plenty room for error but if you act hastily without grasping the flow of the room, you’re probably doomed once you hit the lava. Mother Brain has very basic patterns (donuts aside).

That said, I am not above using Save States and rewinds (particularly in older games where there is no save feature).

To anyone worried:

These games are very easy to play in Japanese.

Translation would’ve been great, but the controls and progression are made obvious through visual tutorials and expressive character sprites. They are easy, fun games despite the lack of ENG dialogue. I was able to beat all of these like 18 years ago. My friend I loaned them to was able to do the same (including some 100% runs I believe).

Your one possible issue might be that the games have a multiple choice quiz later, but you can bruteforce guess the dialogue easily (there aren’t many options or questions and no real punishment for failure). If you’re really stuck, guides exist but I doubt you’d need them until the slightly more complex Starfy 4 on DS. Just dive in and enjoy!

If you like Kirby, there’s a non-zero chance you’d like Starfy. Not exactly the same, but there are similarities.

By Sonic standards, these are the best figures in many years.

In one month, it’s en route to be the best selling 3D title. It beat most 2D games and most spin-offs. It has a real shot at beating most of the original Mega Drive games (minus port sales).

@Porky
“Lyn's popularity soared through Fire Emblem Heroes, a mobile gacha game”

You mean the game where, before launch, Nintendo held a global popularity contest and Lyn came out as the #1 most popular Fire Emblem character? The only one who held a candle to her was Ike, who was split between two games and appeared as a Smash character twice.

That’s not to say her popularity never increased due to Heroes, but you might have this situation backwards.

Thanks for posting this. I bought the first Vestaria on Steam but wasn't in the loop about when II would be officially translated. I was interested in these games because they are from the creator of a prolific Nintendo franchise that I love. They play very similarly and there's a lot of interesting history.

Likewise, if Miyamoto or Aonuma leave Nintendo and release a game for PS6, I hope that NL will cover the story in some capacity.

If they didn’t include it, there would be a DiamondDust Rebellion.

@HedgehogEngine

What final numbers would make BDSP successful in the context of remakes? Or disappointments? Numbers please.

I ask because remakes always sell less than a system’s preceding main title. Typically by 5-6M.

Specific example: DP sold 18M with around 40M DS users at launch. HGSS did 13M with over 100M users at launch. Both are in the top 10 games on the most successful handheld.

Trains in space? Finally. I’ve waited for a game where you can

See the constellation ride across the sky ~

@AndyC_MK84
Many factory jobs have a lack of variety and take 8+ hours a day, possibly for over 20 years. There can be smaller tasks within them, but these are often minor variations like waiting for a different item to come down a conveyor belt. Creativity in society is built on top of repetitive mundanity. Or is the point that he should make more money in the process? Let me know your metrics.

Even if you argue the level is the same every time, his attention isn't 100% focused on the game. The Twitch channel structure and interactions with human beings provides that variety you seek.

The most obvious skill would be that he's learned level design skills replicable in game development. You not liking a goal does not alter the definition of the word, or that after accomplishing it his goal would remain online for all to see and hear his story.

Interesting how many see: "man spends 3353 hours alone in a dark room"

instead of: "man spends 2 hours a day working towards a goal, learning skills, making friends, demonstrating unflinching dedication, and building up a potentially monetizable brand...while also living a normal life and accomplishing things within society".

Most people spend that same time aimlessly looking at information on a screen without any structure or long-term gain.

The article is called "Why Sword And Shield's Pokémon Purge Will Benefit Everyone". It's 1700 words. Sounds like a unique perspective with space to back up its points. Neat!

• Paragraph 1-3 introduce the issue and mention the community reaction. Good summary.
  P4-5 criticise some of the online gut reaction. Fair.
• P6-9 say Pokemon should be removed for competitive reasons. P 10's about the card game's competitive scene. That's nice, but how does this benefit everybody when these changes target a small number of players? Most are uninterested or have a passing interest in competitive play. Maybe the author explains later.
• Nope. P11 says SwSh's visuals are improved over previous games and further criticises online fans. Kind of a basic expectation since every gen has done it (including ones on the same hardware). Not a strong argument...
• P12 says innovation in Pokemon is good. Agreed! Unfortunately, it doesn't explain why these specific innovations come at such a high cost. It cites Sun and Moon as innovative, despite them featuring 800+ Pokemon. Changes in game design vision don't inherently cost more, so an explanation would have helped.
• P13-16 go back into the fan reaction and talk about the loss of features. Makes for a more balanced piece but does not help the author's primary case.
• P17-19 talk about bad marketing and communication from the company and poor actions from the fans. Kind of beating a dead horse now and not strengthening the only arguments related to the title.

So...where's the argument that supports Why Sword And Shield's Pokémon Purge Will Benefit Everyone? The article is more about discussing the community's gut reaction. The few arguments it provides (game balance and graphics) are the same as Masuda's, just reworded.

@KingBowser86
Can’t speak for others but I found your original assertion baffling. You kept responding with the same stance in the face of criticism so it became a discussion.

“You also cannot go backwards and say that FF as a series is "Nintendo" and then dismiss Cloud in the same breath because that, too, is a look-back and the same logic.”

If you read my post, you’ll see I said Cloud was on Nintendo 15 years ago, not that Final Fantasy is a “Nintendo” series.

You’ll also find my post said Cloud, like Final Fantasy, has always been “Square Enix” above any particular console manufacturer. He, like the series, is open to appearing on countless platforms (be that PC, Nintendo, Sony, or Mobile). I provided evidence for that claim. You did not address it beyond rhetoric or misinterpretation. Like I said, you’re likely viewing this through the lens of regional (NA/EU) marketing.

@KingBowser86
If Cloud is the goalpost, he's been on Nintendo since like 2004. Theatrhythm and Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories had him years before Smash 4.

He was also in many mobile games and VII's PC port near the PS1 game's launch. Cloud probably resembles a "Sony" character to you because of lucrative North American and European marketing/publishing deals (which occurred after Square already self-published in Japan in 1997 IIRC), but perception is not reality.

On one hand, this is just a free rewards program that doesn't need to exist. On the other, isn't its purpose for Nintendo to encourage additional purchases from frequent customers? Because I own every single one of these games and will not be doing so despite having money to burn.

During this service's lifespan, little else than Zelda Picross has even been up for consideration. And as luck would have it, that game was an exclusive benefit reminiscent of Club Nintendo. That's not to say I wouldn't buy any discounted games ever - I am missing many first party digital Nintendo releases - but My Nintendo's selection has left me...wanting.

As in, I'm wanting a reason to even log into my account again (at which point the coins will probably have expired).

Despite having completed a living Alolan Pokedex and much more, I did not link my game. Wasn't aware it was required.

Now that I do know, I'll continue doing absolutely nothing. Not a huge fan of the Festival Plaza.

@TingLz
I don't particularly care one way or the one, but this has definitely been going on for years with Nintendo's core franchises. Here's some I remember:

2005 - 1337 Hammer Bros in Mario & Luigi
2007 - 90% of Francis' dialogue from Super Paper Mario / Pokemon Diamond and Pearl's "a winner is you" and "all your base are belong to us"
2013 - A number of villagers in Animal Crossing New Leaf, the trainers in Pokemon X/Y saying lines like "over 9000"
2014 - "One does not simply" in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire
2015 - Splatoon's DJ Octavio

Heck, they even incorporate memes into marketing now. Fatal Frame, a serious game, was advertised with "Spoopy" in the title of a video.

@LordofMentos
Nothing would change. You can marry one specific female as a female if you pick the Hoshido route, marry one specific male as a male if you pick Nohr, or marry either one in Invisible Kingdom...just like normal. The Limited Edition version in Japan (which features all three routes for one price) works just like that, allowing you to pick between three routes in Chapter 6 whenever you start a new file.

It's not that the Hoshido game "disables" you from having same-sex relations with the male character; the male literally won't even join your team because he is aligned with the opposite nation and you will instead fight him.

And technically if you buy Hoshido as DLC for the Nohr game, you can get the other character you don't initially have access to (so long as you start a new file or buy it at the turning point in Chapter 6).

TL;DR: There's no reason this would impact anything.

@Kaze_Memaryu
"he just insults Nintendo through baseless assumptions - that's anything, but definitely not befitting for a representative for a big company"

Except that he doesn't - skip to 35 minutes and 45 seconds into the interview from which this "quote" originated for the full context. He never claimed to know anything about amiibos in the slightest. If you still believe he's slagging Nintendo, let alone even addressing amiibos or their situation in the slightest, I'm interested in your reasoning.

This man's reputation is being marred entirely by the way websites are reporting him. He states his company's policy and, if anything, went out of his way to avoid mentioning amiibos or Nintendo's practices.

This article's headline is a blatant misrepresentation of an executive's statement. The alleged "choice words" presented as being a quote here are heavily paraphrased - never actually occurring during the entire 44 minute interview from which they originated. For the full context and evidence, fast forward to 35 minutes and 45 seconds in and give it a listen..

All of Vignocchi's comments during the question pertained directly to the Disney Infinity line of products and to claim that him stating company policy somehow equates to branding a competitor as "irresponsible" or "rude" borders on slander. Vignocchi was not addressing the amiibo situation and, in fact, there was a transition in the interview into the potential popularity of Disney Infinity's new line that negated the need to even do so. In order for his comments to even be perceived as being applicable to Nintendo in the first place, he would have had to state or at least imply that Nintendo deliberately creates shortages, which was, of course, never said nor implied.

I would surmise NintendoLife merely skimmed the Destructoid article and wrote this piece with no ill intentions, but I feel this is worth bringing to light in the interest of debunking fiction presented as fact.

@Geonjaha
I'm fairly neutral on this subject given the vagueness of existing statistics and heavy bias surrounding the topic in both directions. However...
"They know better than anyone else whether piracy is benefitting them or not, and they're trying to stop pirating of their system"
One in favour of the argument that piracy increases sales could justify Nintendo's actions as maintaining its public image to appease third party concerns. If Nintendo made no efforts to curtail piracy, this would not reflect well on the company in all circles (what with the amount of publishers and developers that spoke out on the issue last generation).

Its action or lack of action in that regard cannot be used as evidence to support either side, I feel, as there is still ample reason for a company that "knows" piracy is worthwhile not to wholly embrace it. By designing architecture strong enough to keep activity at bay for the early portion of a generation and then appearing to combat piracy for the remainder (however poorly that may be done), it can reap the benefits of both groups with far lesser repercussions. This option represents the least risk, in fact.

@3DSLUIGI
Do VC games still have a file size restriction? I thought all size issues were abolished with the advent of the eShop. It seems silly since Nintendo's own NES games have increased significantly in size since the Wii.

Aside from that, I'm inclined to believe Sega could get Dreamcast games on Wii U fairly easily given the numerous DC games on both the 360 and PS3...if not forced to implement many actual VC features and allowed to use the occasional modified PC version, of course. I doubt Saturn games, however, given the difficulty required to emulate the system's awkward architecture even to this day.

@ALEC_EIFFEL
Robin is also listed as "UPDATE" despite being a new character. If you look at the character page on the mobile site, the Lucina banner shown displays "newcomer" in a manner similar to all the others. Lastly, when you click on Lucina from the desktop version, "newcomer" also becomes displayed. It's likely just because they've never had back to back newcomers with not enough veterans in between and they want it to be aesthetically pleasing. There's nothing to imply that she's a skin that I can see and some have noted differences in her attack animations.

I see no reason why Chrom would be playable when he has been confirmed to be part of Robin's Final Smash. It would be rather redundant. Logic dictates that if Chrom were playable, Lucina would not have gotten a page since there was ample opportunity to give him an introduction in the Fire Emblem-heavy trailer.

@NintendoLife, @Damo
Tomonobu Itagaki was typed incorrectly as "Tomonubu Itagaki" three times in this article (headline, main story, and tag). Minor errors are always inevitable, but I believe this industry figure warrants a correction (particularly in the case of the tag since there is an existing one with the correct spelling).

@Kaze_Memaryu
That would be because Marth is considered the closest thing the Fire Emblem series has to a "face" (minus Anna, who rarely fights and has never been a main character). He was the first lord in the first game of the series and has been prominently featured in sequels, remakes, and other time periods entirely. Of all the main "lord" characters, he is the most commonly featured.

Adding onto this, Roy was removed from Brawl while Marth stayed. Many people felt this was because Marth was a significant character whereas Roy was basically promotional material for the upcoming Fire Emblem 6. Presumably Ike is staying because he was such a popular character in Brawl and he has been a main(-ish) character in multiple games. Since Chrom has only been in one game, he is more comparable to Roy than Marth or Ike at this point. Chrom is certainly relevant nonetheless, seeing how Awakening is the most current game and brought greater recognition to the series overseas.

I think @JohnRedcorn nailed it. Nintendo simply has to make use of its IPs on smartphones to bolster their main business, not make them the focus. Remember the abundance of little mini-games Nintendo used to produce for PC that would advertise upcoming games? I recall playing this one Mario Party 4 game that showcased the features of the real game was reasonably fun in its own right. Something like that would go down reasonably well as a free app with ads on top.

There's also the lucrative market of those who have no real intention of ever picking up a Nintendo console (or any) based on their gaming habits but would certainly play a Nintendo title if it became popular on the store. These people can still be a source of income. The recent Pokemon Trozei on 3DS, for instance, would have gone down very well as a cheap mobile puzzle game instead of a possibly overpriced 3DS one. Alternatively, they could have some skilled indies produce new IPs with the Nintendo name on them aimed solely at the mobile market.

It's also worth considering that, despite the popular misconception that "Nintendo is for kids", Nintendo's core demographic has been shifting upwards in age. Nintendo needs to reach new generations of children with its IPs and children are increasingly using smartphones. Kids can become part of the primary income (consumer of home console) or secondary (consumer of only mobile titles). There are plenty of buds in the mobile garden that Nintendo could be watering and they would grow into Nintendo-owned (or at least Nintendo-interested) trees.

There would be some initial, inevitable shock towards Nintendo "making games for smartphones", but Nintendo did manage to release an official, paid Pokemon app and few blinked (though admittedly the price tag probably played a part in that...). I think the biggest problem with this approach is that it would have to be handled somewhat delicately in certain aspects, but once the initial shock is through, you've got consistent advertisements for their main products+ad revenue, extra income that wouldn't have ever been available before, and the occasional Nintendo fan looking to double dip. As Reggie would say, Nintendo simply has to make the distinction between bite-sized meals and full meals.

@Crunc
This as well. Regardless of one's opinion on the actual "value" of achievements, they instill a sense of brand loyalty to those who do enjoy them. Owners of multiple platforms looking to buy a multiplatform game may gravitate towards the one they use most and, even if that isn't always Nintendo's, adopting such a system has minimal negative effects so long as it's optional (like virtually all of them are anyway).

@Flugen
I think you've just inadvertently proven Barely_Able's point. Most of the cheap games in that link that are below the Wii U VC's cost are licensed titles that most likely won't be released anyway. The ones that are official Nintendo far surpass what you'll be paying for the digital equivalents. Fire Emblem Sacred Stones, for instance, is a whopping 69,90 €. Even many of the licensed games and eligible third party titles there noticeably surpass 20 €.

My personal favorite:

@Tasuki
Perhaps it's for the several millions of Wii owners that do not own a Wii U. Super Metroid will only be 30 cents on the Wii U's Virtual Console and this will be part of a limited promotion.

Purchasing through Club Nintendo also removes the need to use a credit card or pre-paid card (although I suspect most would be able to scrape together 30 cents if they even occasionally purchase downloadable games).

Heh, I purchased my XL back at launch but didn't register it...until today. I guess it pays to hoard codes. Platinum status for 2014 (and possibly 2015) is still a go.

@Aviator
It wasn't a complaint so much as a mutal disagreement. Price is rarely a barrier to my enjoyment of a game unless it is upwards of $150. If the iOS version has all the retail content at an equal price (with good stability) I would buy it there since my device is always with me. Those with a passing interest or less care for Sega/Sonic fan-service will likely get much better bang for their bucks on the App Store.

As @ThePillowGolem said, the stability is something to actually take issue with. Even after the most recent update, it crashes every few courses and is generally slow on my device (something I don't care for in a racing game). Sega could easily turn this all around for the sequel, though.

True, the Wii U version isn't looking terribly special at the moment. I'll probably pick it up on Vita or PS3 for consistency.

If the iOS game is anything like the original, though, it will have a fraction of the characters, stages, and modes as well as questionable stability. I've seen no indication that the iOS sequel will improve or worsen things, so I won't pass judgement yet. Theoretically, I am more interested in the immediate gratification offered by the PS3/Wii U/360/Vita versions rather than waiting for updates that still offer inferior content.

Really, I'm happy to pay top dollar to get everything instead of just the core experience. I also feel compelled to support the company's retail efforts given the current financial situation.

Beyond the obvious "you control liquids" mechanic, I'm not sure why this is being compared to Fluidity...much less how one could be 'inferior'.

@ejamer
@CaPPa
Not only is Fortune Street over 15 years old, it's not a Nintendo property. Rather, Square-Enix owns the series. To the few who want to make the argument that "Fortune Street" is not "Itadaki Street", there exists another Fortune Street game on iOS. It wasn't a matter of having Mario characters in the game that disqualified it either. Hope that clarifies.

I should also clarify that games like PokéPark are not considered new IPs despite featuring different gameplay. They are widely regarded as spin-offs of existing properties.

One solution is to buy a pre-paid MasterCard credit card to use on the eShop. I'm not sure if this is an option for other areas of the world, but I'd like to think that there are similar equivalents elsewhere. It's not any better or worse than a traditional eShop card, I believe. I haven't seen a single eShop card here in Canada yet.

Of course, I'd like to think that they could get these cards out there and make them as common as MS Points, or PSN cash. How are your customers supposed to easily purchase your merchandise if it's too confusing or difficult to get currency?

I think this is just a scare tactic. You could use flashcards out of the box since before it even launched in Europe and America. They haven't tried to fight it at all, but this is probably because hackers haven't made any major progress being able to run 3DS games. The DSi was updated for anti-piracy after the 3DS was released, but 3DS wasn't. It almost seems like a truce (or they're bringing out something very big).

Nintendo doesn't want you to pirate, because they want the money (and understandably so). It would be counter-productive to brick the system of someone who is desperately waiting to pirate Super Mario 3DS when you could stop hackers briefly and increase sales a tad. They would pnly be shrinking their own userbase, which is dangerous right now. Some pirates don't buy games at all, but some actually do or will buy them if anxious. You're not 'losing' tons of money, so long as you continue to counteract and make it a huge pain to pirate things. They've been very lax concerning piracy, but who knows. Putting down $40 is easier than $290.

I think we'll find out once hackers get something major running. I doubt Nintendo will make the first move unless truly needed.

There exist devices that allow one to remove save data and back it up on the computer, then inject save data back inside the cart. They can't take ROMs, so no piracy if you're wondering.

Essentially, these devices make this issue meaningless unless it spreads to other consoles or you don't feel like investing in potentially sketchy Chinese hardware. I might pick up one of these data removers (depending on the legality, I'm not sure where these things lie), simply because it's nice to have backups of game data.

I think Nintendo would have been better off taking a PSP-like approach where save data is concerned, allowing it to be imported and exported at will instead of storing everything on the cartridge.

The eShop still hasn't "started" in my mind, so I'm okay with this. I'm sure we'll see a few more weeks (perhaps a month or two) of these sorts of releases until we finally get some new content on the store or multiple VC games.

Things sure are looking lonely on the Wii front, though...

@Ryno
You haven't heard of... the infamous tale? An epic story of three legendary games and betrayal?

Also check out this and this

Hmmm...can't say I'm disappointed since I have other games and consoles to play, but looks like we might have to wait a while on eShop games.

So far we've got one free app that doesn't appeal to/isn't useful for everyone. The rest of the content on the store is old or ported. No actual new games as of yet.

@18 golephish
1. ExciteBike will only cost money for those who didn't download it for free in the first month, similar to the Wii Internet Channel (Nintendo later gave people their money back for that though).

2. Since 3DS supports DSi Ware, it's possible that Four Swords will work. There's no confirmation though, so we'll have to wait for that.

@43
Yes, but I mean how is one supposed to know that it's part of the plot? It gives off more of a sidequest vibe. There are other characters who seek items that come after Yoshi, which are unobtainable until getting Yoshi, thus potentially confusing the player.

This game was one of my all-time favorites, but I do disagree with one point in particular: "the game certainly didn't need any tweaking".

The game actually explained a lot for something of its time period, even containing a hint system (though you still have to wander around a fair bit), but how is one to know that you need to get Yoshi from a vending machine, spawning a mini-quest in order to advance the plot? I don't believe Ulrira mentions this at all. There are minor instances throughout the game where bits of extra dialog would go a long way.

The DX version also removes the ability to skip conversations. While that's inoffensive in theory, it appears that every time you touch a rock or the "weird objects", you have to read the text, so skipping would be useful here. What's far more annoying, though, is that you can only carry two items at once. It's forgivable since it was on a system with four buttons total, but Link's Awakening would benefit from a bottom screen inventory. Far too much time is spent fiddling around with items, especially when you have to use Pegasus boots+Roc's Cape.

Lastly, save issues and not-so-infrequent game crashes have been experienced, such as when I jumped on a fish in the fifth dungeon and the 3DS practically blew up (had to force-power down). I don't mind the glitches for nostalgia's sake, but it appears this port has its own kinks to work out?

I'm not saying the game needed updates for a $6 port, of course, but if there is a Zelda that deserves a remake, it's this one. I'd love to see Link's Awakening "remastered".

Mickeymac has the right idea. It seems that the so-called casuals buy a lot of the same games, but "hardcore" gamers, while less plentiful, buy a obscene amounts games in comparison. If they can somehow manage to appeal to both, they'll be in terrific shape.

Saw this coming, makes sense given the popularity. The real question is whether they'll have the patience to localize the 100 hour post-game RPG. It'll be a while until we get Mask of Miracles for 3DS, though.

@NintyFan
Is it really jumping the gun if the incentive to buy the game is gone? A portable version of the game with pretty graphics isn't enough to sell some people when the game is available right now for $10 (and on a console that's cheaper than a 3DS).

Does it make any sense to pay $40 and spend 20 hours trying to get the feature you wanted? Many people have played through OoT at least 3 times so I doubt they would want to play the same game they already know. If it was Master Quest from the get-go, which not everyone has experienced, with new visuals, it might warrant a purchase.

@Henmii
Yes, people to who use flashcards and don't own another DS. Although, I doubt they really care since they've already countered Nintendo's measures. Could this update be more pointless? Unless there's more than just security measures, but I highly doubt it.

Great news for Europeans, but wasn't this reported not too long ago? Or is it now official-er? Not that I'm complaining, but just confused.

It has been confirmed to kill flashcart support, and I suspect that's all it does. It's probably just to keep hackers busy before the 3DS May update comes out with the inevitable flashcard support removal, and to make sure the DSi has one last piracy purge before it bites the dust.

I do find it amusing how the 3DS is very flashcard compatible but the DSi isn't.

I've already got my Japanese Victini, but it never hurts to own two. xD If I recall correctly, the Japanese version launched with Victini as well, or it showed up a few weeks later. Without spoiling anything, there's a bit more to capturing Victini than just going to an island and catching the Pokemon effortlessly. It was a fun event.

It's a nice idea, although you could only ever share the videos between different 3DS systems. Were you to upload them, they'd lose the whole 3D effect or look weird. Not to mention it would definitely drain serious battery life while recording, especially if they did an online 3D chat. o__o