Fire Emblem was always a bit of a mystery to me. Apart from a few a characters that had appeared in various Smash Bros. games, this strategy RPG (think chess meets Final Fantasy) was a Nintendo series I had squarely ignored.
And then, back in early 2013, Nintendo released its latest game in the series, Fire Emblem: Awakening. Suddenly, it seemed like every podcast and gaming site was talking about the 3DS game. After two years, I finally purchased this game during this year's E3 sale on the eShop when it dropped to a rare, low price of $27.99.
So, was it worth all the the hype?
Any long-term gamer who was paying attention to the Wii's launch back in 2006 likely had one very specific feature call to them amid the hype surrounding motion control, blue ocean strategies, and a console promising a "revolution"—the Virtual Console.
And yet, as with so many of Nintendo's innovations, strange policies and limitations have, over time, turned this selling point into a pain point.
This morning's Super Smash Bros. for Wii U & 3DS livestream on Twitch had a lot of news (some of which had leaked), but I'm most excited about some of the awesome-looking amiibo announced. Before we get into that, though, let's talk about some of the other news.
Every gamer has embarrassing blind spots—games they know they should have played but ignored for one reason or another. For me, the Mega Man series has always seemed like something I would love but never quite clicked.
Recently, I've set out to remedy that.
In a surprise move this week, Nintendo stealth-released Stretchmo, the third game in the Pushmo/Crashmo series on 3DS, without any advance notice and with a "free to start" purchasing model.
While it's great to see Nintendo continue to support a really inventive, newer series, I'm more interested in the way they released Stretchmo and what it means for Nintendo's future.
Nintendo, as promised in their recent Nintendo Direct video, released the latest update to StreetPass Mii Plaza this week (4.16.2015) that includes two new games, a set of free updates, and the ability to purchase a set of paid enhancements. Let's dive into all the details!
The 3DS eShop has gradually become host to a growing library of smaller, download-only games that help balance some of the larger retail releases. Those bigger games may help sell systems, but it's titles like Boxboy!, developed by HAL Laboratories (of Kirby fame), that give 3DS owners plenty to do in-between tentpole releases.
Click through to the post for the full review.
You've now doubt heard the news: Nintendo is finally going to (co-)develop games for smart devices (and, apparently Windows PCs?) and they have confirmed the development of their next gaming system, code-named the "NX." Big changes for the house of Mario.
Let's dig into the theories, implications, and wild guesses.
Last month, Nintendo released the latest iteration of its 3DS handheld console series, the clumsily-named "New Nintendo 3DS XL." I've had mine for about a week and a half (after stewing for a few weeks about not getting the limited Majora's Mask edition), and I think I'm ready to share some impressions of the device and whether or not it's worth your cash to upgrade from an existing model or join in as a first-time 3DS owner.
Special edition consoles and handhelds. Limited run games. Pre-order bonus figurines. Rare amiibo figures. The list of Nintendo offerings that are supply-constrained (usually artificially) could go on and on, ironically.
Well, here we are: the end of another year. 2014 is just about wrapped up, so I wanted to write one last post to reflect on the highs and lows of this year in gaming from my perspective.
Other sites have covered the biggest news stories, the best & worst games of the year, and every other kind of list imaginable. So, rather than retread tired ground, I'll just provide my take on what I played, what I liked, and what really captured my attention.
Ever since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D got remastered for Nintendo's portable 3DS, fans have been asking the company (and series creator Shigeru Miyamoto) if they would consider giving the same treatment to its much stranger, almost cult-classic-status sequel, Majora's Mask.
Well, it may have taken over three years, but Nintendo announced today that The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D is headed to 3DS (and 2DS and New 3DS) systems in Spring 2015.
In what's apparently a week full of themes hitting handheld consoles for the first time, Nintendo has released their latest OS update that brings support for custom themes (as well as a few other bells and whistles).
Here's a photographic roundup of what you can expect when you update!
Like many other Club Nintendo members who achieved Platinum status last year, I recently received an email with four special codes to download an early copy of the Super Smash Bros. for 3DS demo (the extra codes are for your friends). This demo will be available to everyone on September 19, but I took some video to give you a sneak peek!
San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC) is happening this weekend, and Nintendo has a major presence at the show and on the twitch streaming service. They're hosting all kinds of contests during convention and live-streaming it all on twitch as part of Nintendo Challenge Live. While the upcoming Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for 3DS have been the main focus of many of the tournaments and match-ups, what really caught my eye was a clever competitive round of NES Remix 2.
