All Articles: 3DS

Nintendo Download: Super Mario 64 + Yoshi’s Island DS on Wii U, Story of Seasons, more

Posted on April 2, 2015 by John Scalzo

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Nintendo 64 and DS games have been added to the Wii U eShop… and it’s about time!

Announced yesterday as part of Nintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Super Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Island DS are both now available to download on the Wii U. And if you’re going to start offering games from a new platform on the Virtual Console, it’s definitely a good idea to start with a pair of critically-acclaimed titles such as these.

More N64 and DS games will follow in the future with WarioWare: Touched! penciled in for April 9 and Donkey Kong 64 for April 16.

But if you’re looking for new releases on the 3DS available this week, there’s a few of those too. First up is Story of Seasons, the next official game in the Harvest Moon series from Marvelous. If you’re wondering about the name change, it’s because the separation of developer Marvelous and former publisher Natsume. Natsume owns the “Harvest Moon” trademark and they weren’t willing to sell it to the developer or new publisher XSEED. Also available is BoxBoy!, a black-and-white puzzle platformer from the creators of the Kirby franchise.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

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Eight-hour, Super Smash Bros-centric stream hitting Twitch on Friday

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Mike Ryan

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Nintendo’s Treehouse branch (get it?) announced that an eight-hour long stream of Super Smash Bros. For 3DS will air this Friday, September 12th at 10:00 AM (Pacific Time). Not only will you get more Smash than you could ever hope for, the Big N is also planning on showcasing several upcoming holiday titles for both the 3DS and the Wii U. Rumor also has it that we will finally get a release date announcement for Super Smash Bros. For Wii U, so keep your fingers crossed for that.

You can view the entire stream on Twitch or Nintendo’s official site.

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Nintendo shows off new 3DS XL models based on an NES controller, Smash Bros, Persona Q

Posted on September 10, 2014 by Mike Ryan

supersmashbros-3dsxlNintendo just announced three new models for the popular 3DS XL. The first is the previously Japan-only and North American-rumored Super Smash Bros. For 3DS model. This version of Nintendo’s handheld, releasing on September 19th, comes in both red and blue and features the game’s fighters on the cover. If you notice, that’s several weeks before the launch of the game so this bundle, which is priced at $199.99, will not include Super Smash Bros. For 3DS.

personaq-3dsxlNext up is the Persona Q Edition, a 3DS XL model based on Atlus’ upcoming game Persona Q: Shadow of the Labrynth. As you can see, the hardware is painted with Persona’s Grimoire tome, and includes character art on the back. This system is set for release on November 25th and is a GameStop-exclusive. Once again, the handheld has been priced at $199.99 and does not include a copy of Persona Q: Shadow of the Labrynth.

nes-3dsxlThe final new 3DS XL model, the NES Edition, is based on the original NES controller. The system’s box itself is decorated to resemble the NES system. The NES Edition is another GameStop exclusive and will be available through the retailer (for $199.99) on October 10th.

“More than 12 million systems in the Nintendo 3DS family have been sold in the U.S. alone,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “These new models give shoppers even more choices during the holiday shopping season. Based on past experience, these special editions likely won’t stay on shelves for very long.

Also, to clear up any potential confusion, these new 3DS XL models are NOT the “New 3DS” systems that Nintendo recently announced for the Japanese market. The Super Smash Bros. Edition, the NES Edition, and the Persona Q Edition are all the same 3DS XL systems that we’ve been playing for over two years.

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Square Enix: “We’d love to bring Dragon Quest X to the West”

Posted on September 8, 2014 by John Scalzo

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Square Enix has expressed interest in bringing Dragon Quest X to western countries ever since the game first launched in Japan in 2012. Originally available for the Wii, Dragon Quest X’s reach has expanded to include versions for the Wii U, PC, and 3DS (which just launched last week). But is Square Enix still interested in trying to bring the game west? The answer is most certainly yes.

Siliconera recently spoke to Yuu Miyake, Dragon Quest X’s Executive Producer, and has response was an enthusiastic, “We’d love to do it!” He further elaborated that cultural differences between Japan and western countries have made this a difficult process:

“In terms of this being an MMO, again, we have to consider the operation and logistics of how to make that feasible,” Miyake elaborated. “We also have to think about it from a business standpoint. With Final Fantasy XI and XIV, it’s a global-scale endeavor. In terms of Dragon Quest, the way it’s perceived in the different countries is very, very different. How it’s perceived in Japan is different than how it’s perceived in the United States.”

Finally, Miyake said that business considerations could further complicate a North American launch for Dragon Quest X as a new data center would have to be constructed to serve a North American playerbase. But with the success of Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, this might not be as large a hurdle for the publisher as it has been in the past.

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New 3DS with second analog stick, more buttons, NFC announced

Posted on September 1, 2014 by John Scalzo

For all the jokes about Nintendo’s conservatism, sometimes they really can surprise you. A Japan-only Nintendo Direct presentation on Friday revealed that the company is working on a “New 3DS” and “New 3DS XL,” which will sport a second analog stick, more buttons, built-in NFC functionality, and more.

Yes, you read that right. Nintendo has grafted three additional buttons onto the New 3DS (a second analog stick and two new trigger buttons up top). The handheld has also been given a power boost, allowing for “Super Stable” 3D play and built-in NFC functionality for Nintendo’s upcoming line of Amiibo figures. A bigger set of screens will also give gamers a better look at the new 3D effects.

To wring every bit of power out of the New 3DS, Nintendo has announced that games designed to run exclusively on the new hardware will be produced. The first such game, a remake of Xenoblade Chronicles, will be available in Japan this October alongside the launch of the New 3DS itself.

So where does that leave 3DS fans in North America and Europe who want to get their hands on this new handheld? They’ll have to wait until 2015 as Nintendo has no plans to release the New 3DS in either territory until next year.

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Rumor: Super Smash Bros. 4 full roster leaked

Posted on August 25, 2014 by John Scalzo

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It looks like someone (possibly from the ESRB or Nintendo themselves) has leaked the full roster of fighters slated to be included in Super Smash Bros. For 3DS. Turn back now if you want to be surprised, but everyone else should plow ahead for yet another reason why the next Smash is going to be a must have.

Ready? Here it comes…

If this leak turns out to true, the Duck Hunt Dog will be a playable character in Super Smash Bros. 4! He’ll be joined by a few other never-before-seen fighters including Bowser Jr. and Shulk from Xenoblade Chronicles. Eight unannounced returning characters round the rumored final roster: Ganondorf, Ness, Star Fox, Falco, Wario, Jigglypuff, Dark Pit, Dr. Mario, and R.O.B. Pictures and video from the leak can be found at Kotaku.

I really want this leak to be true as the inclusion of the Duck Hunt Dog is just amazing (and completely unexpected). Nintendo hasn’t commented on the leak yet (nor do I expect them to), but we’ll all get to try it out for ourselves when Super Smash Bros. For 3DS is released on October 3. Super Smash Bros. For Wii U is slated to follow it into stores someone this Fall.

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Meta Knight officially on the Super Smash Bros. 4 roster

Posted on August 13, 2014 by Mike Ryan

supersmashbros4-metaknightOK Smash fans, you can breathe a sigh of relief – Meta Knight has been officially announced as a playable character for Super Smash Bros. For Wii U and Super Smash Bros. For 3DS. The Kirby anti-hero tops Super Smash Bros. Brawl‘s tier list, and is a favorite among many fans of the Wii outing. Let’s just hope he’s a bit nerfed this time around – he was an absolute beast in the last game.

Super Smash Bros. For 3DS will be released on October 3 with the Wii U version following later in the year.

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Shovel Knight sells 180,000 copies in first month as Yacht Club breaks down budget/sales

Posted on August 6, 2014 by John Scalzo

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When Yacht Club Games created their Kickstarter campaign for Shovel Knight last Spring, they didn’t just set out to create a retro-styled platformer. They also wanted to make the development process more transparent by regularly releasing budget figures and sales numbers.

To that end, the team revealed that their initial budget for Shovel Knight was $1.44 million. So what’s a developer to do when their Kickstarter campaign only brings in $328,000? In Yacht Club’s case, they deferred the salary of their outside composer, split off the Stretch Goals into post-release content, and forgoed paychecks for the last five months of development.

“It was a difficult period, where some of us were awkwardly standing in front of cashiers having our credit cards declined, drawing from any possible savings, and borrowing money from our friends and family,” a Yacht Club team member said.

But it appears to have paid off as the team sold more than 180,000 copies of Shovel Knight during the game’s first month of availability. Amazingly, it’s selling at exactly the same pace on each platform as the 3DS, PC, and Wii U versions all account for about a third of the sales.

With a success on their hands, Yacht Club is ready to embark on creating those promised Stretch Goals. If you’d like to read more about Shovel Knight’s wild ride from Kickstarter darling to beloved game, head over to Yacht Club’s website.

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