Tag: DS

Professor Layton Puzzle Master Passes Away At 90

by Matt Rodriguez

Akira Tago, “puzzle master” of the Professor Layton series has passed away due to interstitial pneumonia on March 6, at the age of 90.  He is credited of being the “puzzle master” in every Layton game, as well as responsible for the best-selling quiz book, “Atama no Taiso” (Brain Exercises in 1966).  According to Eurogamer in 2014, the entire Professor Layton series is inspired by Tago’s work.

Professor Layton is the beloved Nintendo exclusive puzzle franchise developed by Level-5, that follows a professor from London into some of the most daring mysteries of his world.  The mysteries are solved in Sherlock fashion, using point and click mechanics to unveil secrets, and frequently solving puzzles for villagers, major characters, and even boss battles.  There was even a rare crossover game called “Professor Layton vs. Phoenix Wright” pitting Level-5’s and Capcom’s iconic puzzle characters into a clash of wit with each other.

Our hats, are off to you, Akira Tago!  You were a true gentleman in every sense of the word, and we know that Professor Layton won’t be the same without you.  Rest in Peace.

Source: IGN

 

Nintendo Says Goodnight To Wii & DS Online Services

by Shane O'Hare

You read that title correct. Nintendo is putting to bed some of the online services for the DS, DSi and Wii. A very solemn press release was posted on their site.

As of May 20th, 2014, the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service will be discontinued and it will no longer be possible to use online features of Nintendo DS/DSi and Wii software such as online play, matchmaking and leaderboards.

On their list of canceled services, they put the good news first.

The following services are not affected by the termination, and will continue to be available after May 20th:

Internet Channel
Nintendo DS Browser
Nintendo DSi Browser
Nintendo DSi Shop
Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection Pay & Play
Wii Shop Channel
YouTube

 

Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games will not be affected but it will not be possible to use online features of Wii software played in Wii Mode on Wii U, and of Nintendo DS games played on Nintendo 3DS family systems.

For a full list of the recently departed titles and services, head on over to the Obituary HERE. Some notable deaths are:

Animal Crossing Wii & DS
Mario Kart Wii
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
ALL of the Pokemon DS games

There is speculation that you will still be able to trade last generation Pokemon with the Poke Bank, but that has not been confirmed.

This announcement comes on the tail of some troubling financial murmurs from Nintendo. I myself see this departure from their last gen online market, as a means to cut the fat and focus on their current WiiU and 3DS services. Let’s hope this isn’t a sign of more coming trouble from the video game giant.

Deal Alert: ‘The Legend Of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition’ Is Currently FREE For 3DS!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Briefly: So Nintendo goes through a very tough financial year, and they’re still giving us things to be thankful for.

The big N has brought The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition back to the 3DS eShop, and it’s totally free for the next four days. That’s right! From now, until Sunday, February 2, at 11:59 p.m. (PST), you can jump on your 3DS and download the game at no cost.

I wasn’t a GBA owner back when Four Swords first launched, so I’ve missed out on the game until now. I can’t wait to grab a few 3DS-owning friends to play through it with!

Here’s what Nintendo had to say about the promotion:

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is GameSpot’s 2013 game of the year! We want to celebrate all things Hyrulian, so for a limited time we’re offering The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition for FREE!

 

Just go to Nintendo eShop on your Nintendo 3DS or 2DS from Thursday, Jan. 30, at 9 AM (PST) until Sunday, Feb. 2, at 11:59 PM (PST) to download this awesome adventure. Grab it while you can: when the offer ends, it might be a while before you see the game again in Nintendo eShop.

 

The offer will be gone in a flash, but don’t hang up your Master Sword just yet—the celebrations will continue with the release of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, available for purchase on Nintendo eShop for Wii U, and a special Art Academy SketchPad event in Miiverse!

Now, let’s all show our thanks by going out and picking up a Wii U, okay?

Assemble for the Lego Marvel Super Heroes PC Demo

by MoreLikeAndy

Over the weekend of NYCC 2013, Marvel announced that the playable demo for Lego Marvel Super Heroes will be available later this week for Xbox 360 and PS3. If you’re impatient, like I am, you can head on over to the official homepage at Lego to download a PC trial version right now!

In the demo, you can expect to see heroes such as The Hulk and Iron Man take it to the villains Sandman and Abomination. Demos are suppose to give you a good idea if you’ll end up liking the game enough to purchase when it releases. When Lego Marvel Super Heroes launches on October 22, 2013 for every current-gen system with the PS4 and Xbox One version following in November, you won’t need a demo to tell you that this will be a game you’ll want to play.

Source [Eurogamer]

Lego Marvel Super Heroes

‘Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons, Oracle Of Ages’ Launch May 30th, On Sale For Limited Time!

by Derek Kraneveldt

First announced back in February, the highly anticipated (at least by me) rerelease of both The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages is less than two weeks away! Both titles will launch on the 3DS eShop on May 30th (as we learned back in April), and during today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo revealed a special deal for early adopters.

The regular price of each title is $5.99, but from May 30th to June 20th, each game will cost you a cool $4.99. Watch the trailer for the rerelease below, and let us know if you’ll be picking these up!

‘Zelda: Oracle Of Seasons, Oracle Of Ages’ On North American eShop This May!

by Derek Kraneveldt

Back in February, Nintendo announced the digital rerelease of the acclaimed portable Zelda adventures, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons, and The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages. The Capcom developed Game Boy Color titles originally released in 2001 to much fanfare, and while Japan only at first, Nintendo assured fans that the rerelease would eventually be hitting North American consoles too.

We now know just when we’ll be able to jump back into Holodrum and Labrynna, and it’s just over a month away. Mark your calendars: May 30th is the day you’ll be able to relive these amazing adventures.

I couldn’t be more excited, how about you?

Today’s Nintendo Direct presentation featured plenty of other great news too. Look for more coverage coming later today!

‘The World Ends With You’ Returns… To iOS?

by Josh Jackson

Eariler this week, we reported that a new teaser site from Square Enix seemed to be hinting at something related to the DS cult classic, The World Ends With You. While the website is still counting down, it seems like Square accidentally let the cat out of the bag, and the big secret was apparently something we never expected… Or wanted.

Thanks to a listing on the Japanese iTunes store, an album titled, “The World Ends With You- Crossover”, listed remixed tunes from the original and additional songs from the Kingdom Hearts 3D soundtrack which are set for an apparent iOS remake. The listing was taken down, but not before some crafty Japanese took screenshots of the page.

 

Oops!

 

But is that all there is to the story? Since the leak, Brian Gray, (@brilingual,) one of the translators for TWEWY, tweeted the following:

“before everyone decides that the #twewy coundown is over, they might want to wait for the countdown to be over”.

The countdown is still going, so we won’t know for sure if this is all there is to the story until the clock hits zero. It’s pretty strange that we seem to keep getting iOS releases when most gamers seem to prefer them on their gaming consoles. I understand that everyone and their mothers have iPhones and iPads  at this point, but that larger install base doesn’t mean everyone is going to care. Especially when games like Final Fantasy Mega Man are iOS exclusive, especially the latter where its fans have been begging for a release and expected it on an actual gaming platform.

Is it too late to hope for a sequel? And not for my phone or tablet? Pretty please Square?

SOURCE: operationrainfall.com

Capture the Elusive Darkrai Until June 10th!

by Josh Jackson

Darkrai, the hard to find Nightmare Pokemon from the Diamond and Pearl generation, is currently obtainable in Black and White versions. By simply going into your main menu and downloading it through mystery gift, this powerful creature can be a dream come true in any trainer’s team.

Why should you care? This dark type monster isn’t associated with nightmares for nothing. And no, it’s not just because of its emo bangs covering up one eye. Its special ability automatically reduces its opponent’s health every turn the foe is asleep. Adding in its wide variety of special type dark attacks, and this hidden beast will become a challenge for almost any oppenent, especially against the usually domanant psychic types.

Make sure to catch this rare Pokemon before June 10th. These special creatures only tend to show up once every few years, (unless you’re a Game Sharking cheater that is!) And the best part is you’ll have it a few months before the release of Black and White 2, so you can dominate your friends while they’re fiddling around with their brand new Tepigs. In other words, Darkrai is for winners. You’re a winner, aren’t you?

Nintendo Reveals New Features to Conquer in Pokémon Conquest

by Jonathan

I’ve played zero Pokemon in over 10 years so I think I’ll just let the Nintendo press release speak for me in this instant. I know that this new Pokemon title is a bit of a curiosity… but aren’t they all? The fans seem to all have their favorites. Are there any that have been unanimous duds (but still probably sold a jillion ka-zillion copies)?

Anyway, here’s Nintendo:

Following last month’s announcement of Pokémon Conquest, Nintendo has revealed even more details about the new features available in the game, which launches for the Nintendo DS family of systems on June 18. Players can look forward to exploring the Ransei region and interacting with Pokémon in an entirely new way as they take on the role of a young Warlord who is linked with a Pokémon. Together they must set out to recruit Warrior allies to strengthen their growing kingdom. Developed by TECMO KOEI GAMES Co., Ltd., the game can also be played on the Nintendo 3DS system in 2D mode.

New information includes the following:

Story: To save the Ransei region from Nobunaga, a powerful Warlord who is trying to take over Ransei, players must conquer different kingdoms to strengthen and grow their own kingdom. There are 17 kingdoms in total to conquer. Conquering all 17 kingdoms and ultimately uniting the kingdom will awaken the Legendary Pokémon and save the land from destruction. Story mode is organized by episodes. Players unlock episodes as they progress and each episode features a different playable Warlord and victory conditions.

Army Mechanics: Players can grow their army by recruiting defeated Warlords and their Pokémon. After a kingdom is conquered, players will also have access to the kingdom facilities such as training grounds, shops to buy items and mines for money. Players can also strengthen their army by linking with Pokémon. Warlords can have various linked Pokémon and switch between them before battle to strategically prepare for the type of battle they are about to engage in.

Battle Mechanics: Players will encounter a wide range of battlefields as they progress through the game. Each of the 17 kingdoms has a different type-themed battlefield. For example, in the fire-themed kingdom of Ignis, players can battle around lava flows, lava beds and fire spouts. Strategically using water-type Pokémon to navigate through this battlefield will help players conquer this kingdom. Additionally, players can use the kingdom training grounds to train their army or find wild Pokémon and link with them. After battling with a Warlord, the game automatically registers them. Using the built-in local wireless features of Nintendo DS, players can use their registered armies to battle with friends who also own the game.

Warlords and Pokémon: Each Warlord has a special ability that can change the tide of battle. For example, Warlord Oichi has the ability to heal all the Pokémon in a player’s army. Also, like Pokémon, Warlords have types that will determine how well they link to particular Pokémon. Some Warlords will have the ability to choose from and link with several different kinds of Pokémon.

For more information about Pokémon Conquest, visit http://www.pokemon.com.

Really? A Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Ambition Crossover?!

by Steven Kunz

I have heard a lot of interesting crossovers during my time as a gamer: Kingdom Hearts, Super Smash Brothers, and Marvel vs. Capcom to name a few, and I’ve enjoyed many of these crossovers whenever I came across them, though I was never seriously invested in any of them to warrant dedicated gameplay. Most of these crossovers warranted at least a cursory examination depending on how out-of-place they were, or how the developers came up with a way to unite two completely different franchises, though there usually was an element tying them together that made sense, whether it’d be story-setting, similar game mechanics, or artistic aesthetic.

When I first heard about Pokemon and Nobunaga’s Amibition having a crossover, I was dumbstruck because these two franchises are extremely different to me.  Pokemon is a family-friendly RPG series where you capture monsters to become a Pokemon Master while Nobunaga’s Ambition is a RPG series in which you choose one of many feudal warlords of Japan in order to conquer and unify the country under a single ruler. How in the world would you take these two franchises with two completely different themes and settings and combine them into a coherent story with gameplay?

Analyzing one of the trailers, it looks like you choose one warlord with a specific Pokemon, and you attack your opponent’s Pokemon in a tactics-based RPG combat setting, similar to Final Fantasy Tactics advance, and you proceed to conquer your other opponents in their story, whether each warlord has their individual story, or you’re playing the same story with each warlord offering their own unique dialogue to situations in the game. The game does certainly look interesting to at least check out, though whether it is good or not, or even if the game will even see an international release, remains to be seen.

Source: http://venturebeat.com/2012/03/24/pokemon-nobunagas-ambition-crossover-is-a-real-thing/

Hulu Plus coming to the Nintendo 3DS!

by Steven Kunz

The Nintendo 3DS is becoming more of a media device, which seems to be an indication of where future video game platforms are moving towards. In terms of Nintendo platforms, the Wii has Netflix streaming and Hulu Plus has recently become available as a free app for the system. (Each one requires a subscription to use, although you can stream on multiple devices once you are a subscriber to Netflix or Hulu Plus) The 3DS also has Netflix and Nintendo Video which downloads 3D video clips from different partners like CollegeHumor, 3Net, and Variety. By the end of this year, the 3DS will have Hulu as another media app available for download

Hulu Plus is currently being developed as an app for the Nintendo 3DS, and is slated to be available sometime before the end of the year. While other platforms have an app for Hulu Plus, I wonder if the 3DS app will just be for streaming content, or will it take advantage of the 3DS’ Streetpass and Spotpass capability?

If I might be allowed to speculate, I would say that the 3DS app should focus on streaming, but allow access to exclusive content for 3DS users with the Spotpass updates and Streetpass feature, regardless of whether they pay for a subscription. This way, not only will it give potential users another reason to subscribe, but it keeps you accessing the app consistently, which is really important in the longevity of Hulu Plus’ 3DS integration in my opinion.

At this time, there is no other information other than it’s announcement, so I guess we will have to wait and see. Either way, good to see the 3DS becoming versatile in delivering content to it’s users.

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/02/16/hulu-plus-wii/