Wii Olympics

Written by pikaby

No, it's got nothing to do with Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, but a real tournament event for Wii players to test their skills. And Nintendo themselves are hosting it! Not that anyone else has ever wanted to, even though the console has some competition potential...

Proving that even though the E3 show has all been about gamers' games, Nintendo still isn't loosening its grip on the casual audience, since the tourney games are....brace yourself...Mario Kart Wii, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Hula Hoop from Wii Fit, and Bowling, Basketball from Wii Sports Resort.

Why would anybody want to be competitive in WSR Basketball? It's crap. Their other choices are fine though, but I really, really want to see a Smash Bros. Brawl tourney go on! Why isn't there any love for the beat-em-up? If they can do Mario Kart Wii, they can do Brawl.

Wii Olympics

Jett Rocket is released!

Written by pikaby

One of our mod team has got his hands on it, so we'll probably see a review from him sooner or later.



And from the looks of early gameplay videos by people who have played it already, the similarities to Mario Galaxy just don't stop. The graphics are pretty much Galaxy standard, which is really, really surprising for a Wiiware game, and when you start a level you're treated to the same style of fly-by of the stage you're in with the camera zooming in to the main objective. Just like....guess what....Mario Galaxy.

Jett Rocket's a platformer, like Mario Galaxy. He has three hearts, just like Mario in Mario Galaxy. The only thing really that separates the two is the less charismatic character you control in this game, but hey, how many Mario-caliber mascots do you get in 20 years time?

Many are hyping this up to be the Wiiware game of the year. Let's see what happens when the critic scores start pouring in for Jett Rocket. One to look out for. And it's on the shop now for 1000 Wii Points.

Jett Rocket is released!

The State of the Videogame Industry

Written by pikaby

I had to feature this one. I have really, really strong feelings about games like these- all realistic, all involve shooting, and all are.....derivative of one another. I don't see a single one of them that has any basic differences from each other aside from graphics and story. And yet all of them are hailed as the only games worth playing. Is this how the industry will self-destruct in the end?

Take my word for it. Look at the three pictures. Do you see three games, or just one?

The State of the Videogame Industry

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 27, 2010

Written by pikaby

Two series of flipnotes this week. Which one will it be today?

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 27, 2010

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 4

Written by pikaby


Hot on the heels of the last update I made yesterday comes another flurry of Pokemon related news, with eight new Pokemon shown! How was this shown? Well, the previous video cut off at the middle. This is the remaining part and combines with the first one to make a whole. Watch!

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 4

Mario Kart saves boy's eyesight

Written by pikaby

Okay, now this is nice.

A British youth overcame what is called "lazy eye syndrome" thanks to a doctor's prescription of Mario Kart DS, restoring his right eye from "near blindness" to a 250 percent improvement.


At age 5, Ben Michaels was diagnosed with ambylopia in his right eye, which results in a steady decline in vision in that eyeball. Untreated he would have gone completely blind in it. His doctor, however, told Ben to play Mario Kart DS with an eye patch, which trained the "lazy" one to work harder and thus to improve.

Ben was actually prescribed to play games to cure his eyesight? And after all those times mom tells us to stop playing games because it ruins eyesight. Rather ironic, isn't it?

Source: Kotaku

Mario Kart saves boy's eyesight

Pokemon Black/White Japanese Release Date!

Written by pikaby


Speculation has it pinpointed at the end of the year. The most recent Pokemon Sunday video says 'not so'. Also a ton of new Black/White stuff in this blog post, so click to read all of it!

Pokemon Black/White Japanese Release Date!

Zelda: Skyward Sword ranks high on the hype meter

Written by pikaby

This I got off GoNintendo.

2 million page views for the new Zelda game at IGN, firmly placing it in first.

But then...

As much as people wanted to see the new Zelda, more people walked away wanting to buy Kirby and Donkey Kong instead. Contradiction?

Zelda: Skyward Sword ranks high on the hype meter

DSi XL pulls ahead in Japan's Weekly Sales

Written by pikaby

The Japanese weekly sales charts from June 14 to 20 saw the DSi XL (or rather, LL as it's known over there) pull off a rare stunt as it dominated the hardware charts, pulling ahead of even the regular DSi and the leader for the past few months, the PSP. What happened? Part of it was because of the three new colors for the DSi LL, and also because they are now priced 2000 yen cheaper. Yep, there was a price cut.

New DS color for cheap. Which Japanese person could resist?

• 1. DSi LL: 30,183 (11,138)
• 2. PSP: 20,929 (21,662)
• 3. Wii: 19,045 (20,588)
• 4. DSi: 18,214 (10,172)
• 5. PS3: 17,175 (17,676)
• 6. DS Lite: 5,126 (3,108)
• 7. Xbox 360: 2,060 (3,225)
• 8. PS2: 1,568 (1,291)
• 9. PSP go: 837 (718)

As for software, Super Mario Galaxy 2 fever continues throughout the world (though not as fervent as the slightly blander New Super Mario Bros. Wii. THIS should get all the attention dammit) and reclaims the first position from newly released Xenoblade (yep, it's out in Japan now. Want? Yeah, me neither. Okay, maybe). Ghost Trick also made a good first impression, debuting in second. And Tomodachi Collection doesn't die. Ever.

• 1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo, Wii): 53,000 (572,000)
• 2. Ghost Trick (Capcom, DS): 24,000
• 3. Painting Classroom DS (Nintendo, DS): 21,000
• 4. Xenoblade (Nintendo, Wii): 21,000 (104,000)
• 5. Grand Theft Auto Episodes From Liberty City (Take-Two, PS3): 21,000 (85,000)
• 6. Tamagotchi no Pichi Pichi Omisecchi (Namco Bandai, DS): 17,000
• 7. Winning Eleven 2010 Aoki Samurai no Chousen (Konami, PS3): 16,000 (122,000)
• 8. Tomodachi Collection (Nintendo, DS): 14,000 (3,277,000)
• 9. Winning Eleven 2010 Aoki Samurai no Chousen (Konami, PSP): 13,000 (69,000)
• 10. Haku Ouki Jun Souroku (Idea Factory, PS3): 13,00

DSi XL pulls ahead in Japan's Weekly Sales

Donkey Kong theme played out on violin

Written by pikaby



Not just the music, even the game sounds were done on the violin! Most epic thing since game themes were played out on piano. A must-watch.

Donkey Kong theme played out on violin

Pokemon Jirachi Event

Written by pikaby

Got Pokemon HeartGold/SoulSilver, or anyone of the Sinnoh region Pokemon games? Starting from June 26th, you can download that special Jirachi off the Wi-Fi Mystery Gift function. That's the one used to unlock the special Pokewalker course, Night Sky's Edge, in HG/SS. It's already given out to Japanese players ages ago. Took them long enough to get it here. Wonder if it's holding the Liechi Berry, like it did before?

Pokemon Jirachi Event

Ninokuni PS3 Trailer

Written by pikaby

Hey, I didn't know they were both different games, this and the DS version. This means you could get both versions if you wanted to. Both are set in the same world, though I can see both stories connecting with each other. The PS3 version's even given a separate title from the DS one.

And it's one of the sweetest, most charming thing I've seen on PS3. The characters and monsters move fluidly, there's no need for animated cutscenes anymore. It's like you're playing a living, breathing cutscene! I sense a big seller in this PS3 version. But what of the DS one? I bet the PS3 won't have a packed-in spellbook.

Anyway, here's the trailer.

Ninokuni PS3 Trailer

Nintendo 5-Star Posting Contest is OVER!

Written by pikaby

And our annual ritual of insanity over the forums has ended! Take a look at who won and who actually joined! One thing's for sure- it's the biggest and best posting contest the site has ever had. And I have everyone to thank for that so, thank you all! You guys did well!

The results can be found here, along with the list of winners.

http://z6.invisionfree.com/N5S/index.php?showtopic=1371

Congratulations to the winners, and many thanks to all that joined in the fun! It sure was great with all of you around.

But the summer's early and the party's young! Summer's only just begun, so expect a whole lot more fun activities as the Nintendo 5-Star SummerCon continues!

Nintendo 5-Star Posting Contest is OVER!

Adults spend more time playing a Wii than X360/PS3

Written by pikaby

Wait, what?

"The share of play on Wii…is higher than its share of ownership. Not only is purchase intent effectively that of the PS3 and Xbox 360 combined, but this shows that as many people plan on buying a Wii…as the 360…iPhone…iPod and iPod touch put together." - Reggie Fils-Aime

I got this off GoNintendo. Seems this research was done by a third party. Even I was surprised. I thought people would gear more towards the mature shooting games and such. But I guess those are only limited to the crazy jackasses on gaming websites and forums. (none in ours though. I keep them in line)

Adults spend more time playing a Wii than X360/PS3

Iwata blames boring games for industry slump

Written by pikaby

This was on a portion of a VentureBeat interview with Mr. Iwata.

I cannot say that the recession has no effect on the sales of video games. My belief is we should not blame the bad economy for the cause of slow sales of video games. The slow sales must be due to the lack of great software that everyone wants to buy. We have not shown off the great attractions of whatever we are selling. This is not the problem of Nintendo alone, but the entire video game industry. After all, something that is really fresh can make our industry grow. The important thing we have to tackle is making attractive games and marketing them well toward the end of this year. I think the whole industry should be more cautious about how we act and how the general public perceives us. In the past, the formula was to make the computer graphics more gorgeous. It used to fit the taste of the majority of the gaming audience, but it doesn’t work so well in this day and age. It’s more difficult for us to come up with something new and different and show people how different we are. The whole industry has to recognize that. Looking at the product line-ups this year, these titles might have been big hits three years ago. But now this year, they are not selling that much. In other words, people get tired of games more quickly than they did before. When you look at our 3D games concept, we recognize it will not be eternally appealing. However, it’s not a shallow concept that can be forgotten as a momentary fad.

There's our president of Nintendo, standing up for originality like him and his company has always done. The way I see it if it weren't for the Wii and all those games that aren't based on shooting people's heads off, come the 09 recession the industry would have been done for. Every 1 in 3 games on the PS3 and X360 are shooter games. Don't people have anything else better to do? That's no longer creating new ideas.

You can read the full interview here.

Iwata blames boring games for industry slump

First Person Tetris

Written by pikaby



No really, a first person Tetris game, where YOU are the piece falling down! Includes all flipping motions, and rules remain the same. Guaranteed to make you nauseous in ten minutes or your money back.

Try it out here

http://firstpersontetris.com/

First Person Tetris

Epic Mickey Wiimote holder and Nunchuk

Written by pikaby

These are....beautiful! The plastic material is high quality stuff too. It's a Wiimote charging station and a Nunchuk shell, fashioned like a paintbrush from the game. Sweet! These are manufactured by Performance Designed Products, and finally make third party peripherals actually desirable. DO WANT.

Epic Mickey Wiimote holder and Nunchuk

Ninokuni: The Another Platform

Written by pikaby

The latest Famitsu confirms the enigma surrounding the final bit of the original Ninokuni trailer (for the DS). 'For DS and Another Platform'. Well, shown on top in big shiny letters....there's our Another Platform- the PS3. Well wasn't that unexpected.

If the anime cutscenes looked nice on DS, just imagine what they'd be like in full HD! Man, I can't wait to see this without silly video codecs (Level-5 uses mobiclip, I think. Or ActImagine) getting in the way!

Ninokuni: The Another Platform

Nintendo- Get Up and Get Playing

Written by pikaby





Two commercials in Nintendo's new Wii ad campaign. For all the 'gamer's stuff' they show at E3 this year, they're still not adverse to tell their newly acquired casual gamers about the new Wii bundle with the same kinds of Wii ads they've been running for four years now. The purpose of these are to either get them to buy the new Wii bundle or to compete for attention with PS Move and Kinect. Why Nintendo has anything to worry about from these two is a mystery.

Nintendo- Get Up and Get Playing

The most annoying typo I make on this blog

Written by pikaby

Or any forum/website in the world for that matter...

NIntendo

Seriously, when I ever start typing fast I forget that I keep my index finger on the Shift button for like five milliseconds longer than it should, and then the I in 'NIntendo'.....****, I did it again (no really, it wasn't on purpose that time) gets capitalized. So excuse me if you see the namesake of our blog typed out in this manner, it only means I forgot to proofread it properly before publishing stuff in a haste.

The most annoying typo I make on this blog

Nintendo "Not Satisfied" With its Online

Written by pikaby

"I think that his decision on whether or not to include online functionality with New Super Mario Bros. Wii was based on the idea that the true value of that product was going to be determined not by online functionality, but on how compelling and unique the experience would be for two, three or four people to be able to play that game together in the same room. Of course, I have heard commentary that people feel that Nintendo's online functionality is behind the others or is lacking in some ways."

"And I can say that we are not currently satisfied with the online efforts that we have made so far, and we are working at ways to improve those. On the other hand, I do not think that online functionality is something that we should be devoting resources to for every single product."

 And there we go, the reason why there was no online mode in NSMBWii. Because Shigsy decided ultimately against it. It's probably also the reason why there wasn't any online mode in Mario Galaxy 2 (even if SMG2 had online it still wouldn't please this retard). On this issue Iwata also said that Nintendo is always considering how to maximize the fun factor of its game with limited resources.

Fine and all (seeing as I didn't really see any point in adding online to everything), but whatever 'online efforts' Nintendo has dabbled in has either been a complete disaster or underwhelming at best (Friend Code system, lack of proper and economical voice chat, Smash Bros. Brawl). If truly Nintendo are doing something to rectify it I'm a happy camper, but for now I'll just link everyone reading this to my Online Fallacy blog post.

Nintendo "Not Satisfied" With its Online

Nintendo 3DS Game Card

Written by pikaby

Look, it's all grey. Exactly the same shape as a DS game card, but holds a lot more in its memory banks. Obviously. And speculations about it being able to lock out piracy has been there for a while too. Even Mr. Iwata said it himself. But I doubt the 3DS will be completely pirate-proof. Heck, I don't know a single console which is pirate-proof.

Nintendo 3DS Game Card

Sony's in trouble in handheld console race

Written by pikaby

"It's an exciting time and you could possibly have two handhelds coming out within months or a year of each other. Sony tried to make the transition with PSPgo, I think that changed some consumers' attitudes, but they need to come back with something on PSP pretty quickly to stay in the game because Nintendo are shit hot at getting these things right. And they always get these things right." - David Reeves, chief operating officer of Capcom Europe/Former Sony bigwig'

Damn right they do. They did it with Game Boy, crushed every last handlheld games machine who even dare challenge it, they did it again with DS in the face of a more graphically powerful competitor, and 3DS will most likely extend their lead even further. Still the undisputed king of all things you can hold in your hand/slide into your pocket and play games on.

Until PSP3D is announced.

Sony's in trouble in handheld console race

Pokefreak's Knighted Name on Warioware D.I.Y

Written by pikaby



Thank you, thank you very much.

Microgame made by CRAZ1ah, victim of insider N5S forum joke is Pokefreak113, and original creator of nickname is me.

Pokefreak's Knighted Name on Warioware D.I.Y

FlingSmash E3 2010 Trailer

Written by pikaby



I never thought this was on the show, I thought it had been buried and forgotten (which would be bad. I was looking forward to FlingSmash). But here it is, and finally, some high-quality footage of the game. Looking good! Too bad it's been delayed to the end of the year, so we'll have to wait a little bit more to get our Motion Plus on.

FlingSmash E3 2010 Trailer

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 20, 2010

Written by pikaby

Ah, hello again! While I was flipping through Flipnote Hatena I discovered the weekly featured flipnote artists section. It piqued my interest, so I thought I'd share. So, which flipnotes will I be featuring today?

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 20, 2010

Taiko no Tatsujin DS 3: More songs revealed

Written by pikaby

The Japan-only rhythm game that comes out for the DS on July 1 will feature 50 songs in its list. That alone is music to fans' ears, but the revealing of which songs made it into the list generates even more excitement(oh, you don't know how stoked I am!). From 22 songs, the list has now expanded to 36 songs, with 6 more hidden away as secrets (and thus prevented from being published in any site ever for spoilerific reasons)

The new songs come from the latest issue of Dengeki.

Since it doesn't allow hotlinking, here's the link to the picture instead. It's pretty blurry, but at least a few people can make out what the words say. Why do the people with the worst quality cameras/recorders always get the scoop first?

Taiko no Tatsujin DS 3: More songs revealed

Pokemon Sunday shows more footage of 5th Gen games

Written by pikaby



Watch and drool, Poke-fans! Although most of whatever's here has already been shown in CoroCoro a week earlier, we never saw them moving, right? (that's Pokemon dedication for you- even the tiniest bit of news gets the internet rumbling). But seriously, the moving footage is far better than you'd expect them to look. It's definitely leagues ahead of what we've ever seen in a Pokemon game so far.

There's a building drenched in honey (believed to be a Pokemon Gym, but I don't want to jump to that conclusion just yet), a vast desert wracked by sandstorms, and then Hiun City is shown with a moving bridge. Lots of battle scenes ensue, with Zorua pitched against Zoroark. That's a bit unfair towards Zorua, to be honest. A new attack learned by their evolution line, Night Burst, looks exactly like a Dark Pulse attack, although I don't know much of the details yet. And you already know that Pokemon animate even when not attacking, right? They still animate in the status screen!

I hope there's no lag in the battle scenes given how much more is going on, but looks like steps have been taken to reduce the amount of time spent in text boxes. Stat reduction and recovery animations still need to be cut down though. Maybe performance issues will be ironed out in the third version, like Platinum did for the 4th gen games.

Pokemon Sunday shows more footage of 5th Gen games

3DS may allow game installs

Written by pikaby

It's a rumor, but an interesting one, reported by business daily Nikkei, which states that the NIntendo 3DS will allow games to be installed onto its hard drive from the cartridge, so gamers can take multiple games on the go without needing to swap cartridges.

What this basically means is that, stuff Pokemon HeartGold into a 3DS, and after the installation, you can take the cartridge out and the 3DS will run the game off its own internal memory. The cart isn't needed anymore. Even save files are managed through the console itself.

I smell lots of exploitation opportunities *looks at gaming pirates*

3DS may allow game installs

Sonic Colors at E3

Written by pikaby


The official trailer above shows nothing but a cinematic, with no elements of gameplay showed anywhere, but demos on the show floor offered a lot of juicy footage of Sonic's new game.

Looks like it's trying to take a page out of Mario Galaxy, atmosphere-wise. There's gameplay videos from GameTrailers of the first stage. What happened to the Green Hill Zone of old?

Sonic Colors at E3

Nintendo 3DS gamer stampede

Written by pikaby


It's four years ago all over again. Seems to be that way every time Nintendo gets a new desirable piece of hardware onto the show floor, and that pattern looks set to continue. Just look at the number of people wating to try out the 3DS for themselves!

Nintendo 3DS gamer stampede

NIntendo 5-Star SummerCon Update 1

Written by pikaby

Think I was going to forget about Nintendo 5-Star's SummerCon after the madness that was E3? Hah, I don't forget things that easily. E3 was only part of the 3 month celebration of all things to do with forums. Currently since the Ranger Guardian Sign contest only got a few entries I'll extend the contest date to the end of June, so if you still haven't drawn a line to symbolize one Pokemon, do it now, and win!

With E3 behind us the forums are going nuts and our Annual Summer Posting Contest is underway at Nintendo 5-Star! The top three guys who post the most messages in a week gets a unique prize of some sort. It's already going crazy, so if you want in now's your chance!

At the same time, Crossburn's Kill Mechachick game and CRAZ1ah's User War (hurt and heal between forum members) have both started, ensuring a grand ol' time for visitors of our Events board. And toadster101's Video Game Survivor is starting to accept submissions, starting today too!

We're making June a crammed, crazy month, so come join us!

NIntendo 5-Star SummerCon Update 1

Zelda Skyward Sword gets swordfighting just right

Written by pikaby

 
You can thank Wii MotionPlus for that. There are actually posters lining the walls of E3 detailing the controls of the game. It's a big reveal. Look! A less fiddly item selection screen, which makes up for the reduced number of assigned buttons. A much easier to use bow and arrow, with a good crosshair, unlike Twilight Princess' comparatively anorexic effort. Precise sword swings with the MotionPlus. It's all good, and already it looks like a better game to be playing than Twilight Princess. I yawned past the TP trailer when it first come out- for some reason this one grabbed my attention more.

Below are the aforementioned posters (image from Kotaku)

And look! Another demo video. I'll leave it to you to check out the fluid, improved build of Skyward Sword then. For once, a Zelda that gets the masses excited. Wait, doesn't every last one of them? Maybe it's just me

Zelda Skyward Sword gets swordfighting just right

Kirby's Epic Yarn gameplay

Written by pikaby


Like Epic Mickey before it, this is one game which I've been wanting to get real gameplay footage of, and Gametrailers delivers. Here's them fighting off that stringy dragon boss in the official trailer.

Kirby's Epic Yarn gameplay

Epic Mickey looks, well, epic

Written by pikaby


Well, not as epic as the first party titles, but given that this was on show and all, there should be demos of the game. And when there's demos there's gameplay footage. How could I resist? I never actually saw Epic Mickey in motion before, so it excites me. I'm sure there are better videos out there but now's not the time to go look for them yet.

Epic Mickey looks, well, epic

Pilotwings revisits an old Resort

Written by pikaby

It's only proper after all...Wait, doesn't this island seem familiar?

Pilotwings revisits an old Resort

Mario Kart 3DS

Written by pikaby

Whew, now that E3 is over and things have calmed down a bit I might just go ahead and recap all the screenshots that were out for the 3DS. Starting off with this new Mario Kart game.

Mario Kart 3DS

Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs and Pokepark: Pikachu's Big Adventure

Written by pikaby

Sure, Pokemon Black and White were no-shows at E3, but we did get two other Pokemon games, which have already been selling in Japan for at least a few months now (Pokepark is seven months old). Hey they were bound to be localized sooner or later.

The Pokepark game I reviewed a while back is now slated for a holiday release. It's definitely not as good as I remembered, but fans should check it out if they want a cute, simple adventure game and the feeling of being able to control Pikachu in real time. Hey, cute fans are easily pleased like that.

The other one has more substance, the third Pokemon Ranger game, Tracks of Light, has been renamed to Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs for the US, and if you've been following for a while, is a personal favorite of mine. Heck, it's the best in the series! Don't worry about not playing the last two, they're not connected story-wise. You have to get this game. Loopy-loop fun ensues with the multiplayer co-op missions. You won't regret it!

Pokemon Ranger: Guardian Signs and Pokepark: Pikachu's Big Adventure

Kid Icarus rises once again

Written by pikaby




In an epic franchise revival, a slightly familiar face pops out in a clear blue sky, before flying off at top speed. 'Sorry to keep you waiting!' he says, in a tone that would make Mr. Cool Hedgehog- that'd be Sonic- jealous. Witness the revival of Kid Icarus, in his new game Kid Icarus Uprising!

Kid Icarus rises once again

Animal Crossing for 3DS

Written by pikaby

Well it wasn't exactly on show floor but there were screenshots of the upcoming Animal Crossing game for the 3DS. So much for that launch game rumor. Check out these shots.






There's no shot of the bottom screen yet, but this is different from the DS AC game, Wild World, in that the action takes place on the top screen instead of the bottom, and your characters look a lot less cute. They're taller and not the chibi figures from before....Darn. Come on, Nintendo! What happened to the cute? Bring it back!

Other than that, there's......not much change for this Animal Crossing. The flowers, neighbors, furniture, even the rocks and flowers look exactly the same. This will have to do some serious upgrading to impress anybody already worn out by the Wild World template.

Animal Crossing for 3DS

Nintendo E3 3DS- The big reveal!

Written by pikaby

And the bombshell of this year's E3 has hit, and what an explosion's it made.

Nintendo E3 3DS- The big reveal!

Okamiden E3 2010 Trailer

Written by pikaby



In essence Okamiden hasn't changed much since we last saw it in Capcom Captivate 2010, but there are a few new bits in the official E3 trailer if you compare the two of them. It's still bound for next year, and it's still going to rock the DS to the core, although it's a bit late already.

Okamiden E3 2010 Trailer

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Written by pikaby

Remember this a year ago? It's finally come to light this E3, like everyone expected. But not quite in a way which everyone expected either.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Mario Sports Mix

Written by pikaby



Four sports, Dodgeball, Volleyball, Hockey and Basketball, all following the same gameplay style as the last one, Basketball. Yep, everything this game has is based on Mario Hoops from the DS. Looks better than it sounds (watch the trailer!), and you can't go wrong with a sports game that has Mario in it. Expect its release to be sometime next year. It's for the Wii, by the way.

Mario Sports Mix

Super Scribblenauts E3 2010 Trailer

Written by pikaby



Looks like this adjective thing is even more flexible than I first thought. I could try testing the limits of the system when the game comes out by this November.

*thinks of all the lame, cliched adjectives I could use to describe this game with*...Never mind.

Super Scribblenauts E3 2010 Trailer

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Written by pikaby


First earth-shattering Wii game at E3.

The long, long wait for all Kirby fans is over! And remember, Nintendo 5-Star was formerly a Kirby fansite, so this is great news for all of us. Wonder what we would have done if we were still Kirby 5-Star? Anyway, Kirby's Epic Yarn, the first game to come out of Sakurai's new workstation, Sora, is not in any way related to the 'Kirby Wii' everyone's been keeping an eye out for 5 years but never came to fruition, but nevermind that now, this is way better. Kirby and the world around him looks so much more adorable in the cloth/thread like graphical style!

Coming Fall 2010 for Wii, which means we'll all finally have another console Kirby platformer (since the N64 days) to cosy up to. Finally. Thank you, Nintendo!

Kirby's Epic Yarn

Nintendo explodes at E3 2010!

Written by pikaby

So many announcements in an hour-long presentation, so little time to cover it all! Having just come back from a comparatively insignificant personal trip (which I wanted to blog about, but screw it first, E3 is more important), Nintendo 5-Star will be booming with discussion about the latest E3 press conference, so come join in at your forums!

Nintendo explodes at E3 2010!

Nintendo's 2010 E3 Press Conference

 Written by toadster101

Newly announced games at the conference:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (Wii)
Kirby's Epic Yarn (Wii)
Donkey Kong Country Returns (Wii)
Mario Sports Mix (Wii)
Kid Icarus: Uprising (3DS)
Nintendogs and Nintencats (3DS)
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D (3DS)

This is just first party games, and who knows? There may be a few more surprises as E3 continues. I'm a bit bummed out by Zelda coming out in 2011, but we have DK and Kirby to look forward to this year, so I'm satisfied. Also, here's announced games for the 3DS with no actual gameplay footage.

Be sure to discuss this issue and more, only on the Nintendo 5 Star Forum.

Nintendo's 2010 E3 Press Conference

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 13, 2010

Written by pikaby

 Another week, another three flipnotes put in the limelight for your entertainment, that's the weekly Flipnote Feature! Which ones will I be showing off today?

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 13, 2010

Conduit 2 to support Wii MotionPlus

Written by pikaby

LONDON & SAN FRANCISCO (10th June, 2010) – SEGA® Europe Ltd. and SEGA® of America, Inc. today announced that Conduit 2™, the latest collaboration with High Voltage Software, will support Wii MotionPlus™ enabling precision control and better tracking. The Conduit series is famed for its detailed control system allowing players to customise and configure their controls, including look sensitivity, turning speed, the dead zone and much more. Conduit 2 will use Wii MotionPlus to create the most responsive control system ever, as well as improved edge tracking and transitions to pointer control.
"Wii MotionPlus is something that the fans have been asking for since it was announced - we looked at it for the original game, took a look at its implementation in other titles, and ultimately felt that we could add to the experience in Conduit 2 by supporting it.” explains Eric Nofsinger, Chief Creative Officer of High Voltage Software.“It's by no means required - gamers will have a great experience without it - but it does offer a level of extra control and adds value to those with the accessory."
Conduit 2 will be playable at SEGA’s booth (#2023) at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo and will be released exclusively for the Wii™ system from Nintendo in Fall 2010.

PR email sent by Sega. MotionPlus? But all you do is handle guns...what will they use it for? Well we know now that the little white cube tacked at the end of the Wiimote is slowly seeing some use.

Conduit 2 to support Wii MotionPlus

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 3

Written by pikaby

Three more from the same issue of CoroCoro. HOLY-

Today's a good day, isn't it? Very nice~

Let's see now, these aren't as lovable as our four friends on the first page, but at least they aren't as ugly looking or over-dependant on 'new evolutions of old Pokemon', as in the Sinnoh generation.

-Top corner is an aggressive Fire-type, Hihidaruma. Ability is Encourage, whatever that is.
-On the right, the first Zebra Pokemon, Shimama, which is....an Electric type? Wow. Its ability is Motor Drive. Like it doesn't look fast enough already. Seen using the new attack Wild Bolt.
-Bottom corner on the left is Meguroco, a Ground/Dark type Crocodile Pokemon.

As if the first scan wasn't enough info! This is amazing. Oh, also, a random battle feature has been added to Wi-fi, and it says here that 'foreign players will join in Spring 2011'. Oh, Pokemon B/W is region free! Rejoice!

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 3

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 2

Written by pikaby

Wow, updates are fast. Thank you, Pokebeach! Click to see it full size.

Now that we've gotten clearer shots, let's look at all four of them:

-'Giaru', the steel-type Gear Pokemon. It's ability uses Plusle/Minun's old ones (read: useless), Plus or Minus. It's using a new attack, Gear Saucer. Does it do damage? I don't know.
-'Munna', a cute Psychic-type Dream Eater Pokemon. Wait, haven't we heard this before? I hope Drowzee isn't related to this thing. And it sure doesn't seem like it. It has either Forewarn or Synchronize as its ability. It floats in the air too! Dreamy.
-Mamepato, the pigeon Pokemon. Gee, the full shot no longer looks like the O RLY owl...Oh well. This should be the typical 'first Flying type Pokemon', and it's got a good ability too. Super Luck, and something new, called 'Pigeon Breast'. What?
-Chiramii, the Chinchilla Pokemon. Cutest of the four. Gen 5 mascot? Ability is either Cute Charm or Technician(competitive potential with this one), and is seen with a new attack, Sweep Slap.

On the bottom, the link-up screen. Hopefully with reduced trading time(multiple trades get very, very cumbersome when you have to wait like 5 minutes for each one). The new Pokedex on the bottom right, and now a clear shot of our Professor Araragi! Well isn't she the least serious professor of the lot.

Is this great or what? I'm spazzing out!

P.S. Pokemon Black/White will be featured in this year's World Hobby Fair in Japan, at which point a brand new video with gameplay footage will be out.

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon! 2

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon!

Written by pikaby

Jesus, as they get leaked bit by bit I'm going to run out of ideas for blog titles. Maybe I'll name the next one 'New Pokemon! 2'. Yeah, I'll do that. And bring back the B/W Pokemon header.

Anyway, early leaked images from CoroCoro, found on Pokebeach.com. Remember they were going to give a big reveal on June 12? Well, it's out in the open now. There should be clearer images a few days later (that'll have to be toadster's job), but for now, take a gander at these!

Pokemon Black/White New Pokemon!

Dragon Quest 9 US Trailer

Written by pikaby


Release on July 11? I...may consider getting it. No guarantees though- it isn't the kind of game I'd go nuts over *puts up flame shield*

Dragon Quest 9 US Trailer

Namco Bandai thinks Wii/DS market has collapsed

Written by pikaby

An excerpt I got over at GoNintendo.


“It’s a tough market. We had a lot of product, and the average quality of a game on DS and Wii is very, very bad. So in the mind of the consumer today, to buy a DS or Wii game is to buy a game that isn’t very good. One of the reasons the DS collapsed is piracy, it is very clear, but also it is a fantastic machine and very easy to develop for. It was possible for three kids in a garage to make a game for it. DS is the most successful platform ever, but all my kids’ friends at school have a DS with an R4. They have 100 games for no money. So yes, the market has collapsed for the DS and Wii.” - Namco Bandai’s VP of sales, marketing and publishing Olivier Comte

Woah, easy there. Every system except the PS3 is wrangling with piracy, even the XBox 360, and the world's current best-selling console, PS2. (it's especially bad for PS2 and GBA here in Malaysia. Pirated games are so rampant that it completely eclipsed any and all genuine games!). So one point down, piracy is not an excuse if the system still does well.

You're right on the shovelware, but it's worse on Wii than it is on DS. Still, as I always like to put it 'if you're willing to dig through the sea of garbage you'll end up with a few gems'. True for Wii, true for DS, true of any console. PS2 had so many pieces of crap I couldn't count them, but there will always be some good games on it. And what of you, NB? Have you made anything worthwhile for the two systems?

Your Japanese division seems to be doing well with their Taiko no Tatsujin DS/Wii sales (which still pops up in the top 30 of Media Create's charts on a regular basis). Why the hate?

Namco Bandai thinks Wii/DS market has collapsed

Rumor: Animal Crossing launch game for 3DS

Written by pikaby

A rumor started by Destructoid, this one. Says Nintendo is using a demo of a new 3D enabled Animal Crossing to attract 3rd party attention to it (the kind that is less likely to churn out terrible games, I hope). Dtoid's reliable sources say that this will be revealed together with the console itself this E3 too. Whatever happened to Mario spearheading every console launch?

It's all just speculation though, but if it turns out to be true, Animal Crossing's got to do way more than just tack on 3D effects to the existing Wild World game to truly capture any attention. City Folk was just a lame cash-in and an excuse to release Nintendo's less than stellar voice chat option (Wii Speak).

Rumor: Animal Crossing launch game for 3DS

Pikachu will get you

Written by pikaby

Oh, great. Another way for the little rat to invade my dreams. Found on Kotaku.

Pikachu will get you

Midnight Blue DSi XL

Written by pikaby

Nintendo of America today announced the addition of a new color scheme for the portable Nintendo DSi XL™ system. Starting July 11, U.S. consumers will be able to purchase the system in midnight blue. Like the original bronze and burgundy versions, the midnight blue Nintendo DSi XL will be available at a suggested retail price of $189.99.
Nintendo DSi XL is the latest iteration of Nintendo’s top-selling family of hand-held game systems. In addition to its two built-in cameras and photo- and sound-manipulation functions, Nintendo DSi XL offers two screens that are 93 percent larger than those on the Nintendo DS™ Lite system.
The system also features pre-loaded software such as Flipnote Studio™, Brain Age™ Express: Math and Brain Age Express: Arts & Letters, as well as Photo Clock and the Nintendo DSi™ Browser. Nintendo DSi XL screens have a wider viewing angle that makes it easier for friends to gather around and share the fun.

PR email, sourced from GoNintendo, and it's packaged with the same DSiWare games (the ones borderlining on 'crap') that came with the original colors. I think it might be that blue DSi LL we saw about last week. Still remember it? That's the blue in the middle.

Midnight Blue DSi XL

EA has seen the 3DS, thinks it's cool

Written by pikaby

What? It seems every last major developer has already seen the machine in one form or another, and all have something positive to say on it. Now it's EA. This was an interview with EA CEO John Riccitiello I found off GoNintendo. The actual interview is in a link on that site though- the important excerpt, the 3DS remark, is here.


IG: On a related matter, I almost sort of separate this out, have you seen Nintendo’s 3DS personally? Have you actually had a chance? Have they given you access?
JR: It’s like one of these things here where with Nintendo where you’ve got to be very careful here because they’ve got a lot to say at E3, and I want to be careful to not accidentally transgress an NDA. I will tell you, I’ve seen it; it’s cool.

I hope it's not the kind of 'cool' remark you can pass on to anything just because it didn't throw a turd at your face. Let's hope it means the 3DS isn't 'average' cool, but actual, real 'cool'.

EA has seen the 3DS, thinks it's cool

The Calm before the Storm

Written by pikaby

Well, by now it should be quite tough to get any bits of the latest gaming news (well, except for the most questionable bits) until E3, which starts in just under a week. Nintendo better prepare something epic to blow everyone away! We all have high expectations and hopes of Nintendo this year. 3DS, Wii Party, Zelda, Vitality Sensor, Pokemon Black/White...the list just goes on.

This will be a quiet week as all the big things are packed away to be shipped to Los Angeles. I'll make sure our coverage of E3 is complete (translated as: get to work, ya lazy mods!)

The Calm before the Storm

WarioWare DIY: Nintendo Week 3

Written by pikaby


Well, Nintendo has officially run out of developers to get free games from. Let's see how long it'll be till they exhaust the entirety of the Nintendo Power editorial board. They're getting half-hearted- this match-em-up game featuring the Nintendo Power team isn't great. The guy in charge of it, Chris Hoffman(a name you probably have heard of more than once) didn't clean up his messy AI before shipping the game. You'll spot the bugs easily, although it is technically still winnable. Oh well.

WarioWare DIY: Nintendo Week 3

3DS codename

Written by pikaby

Well according to what I got from GoNintendo the 3DS is codenamed 'Nintendo CTR' and does not use the Tegra chip from Nvidia. I don't know if it's a bad move on their part, but are they using a more powerful chip? I can't begin to imagine, what with all these rumors floating around.

The FFC board (remember that test board thing a month ago?) should be the real 3DS, which means the top screen is indeed 16:9. Good news then- maybe the 3DS will be powerful enough to handle HD after all. A Japanese company will be in charge of its accelerometers, to counter Apple's own.

I'm getting more and more intrigued. E3 can't come soon enough. It's in a few more days too.

3DS codename

Trauma Team Review

Written by pikaby

Trauma Team may come as a huge change for diehard fans of the ol' frantic surgical action of Trauma Center, but rest easy, it stands out as tense, unique, and in every way a fitting addition to the series.

Trauma Team Review

Japan Weekly Software Sales- May 24 to May 30, 2010

Written by pikaby

Well I don't usually write about these every week except on special occasions. This is one of them.

Japan Weekly Software Sales- May 24 to May 30, 2010

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 6, 2010

Written by pikaby

 

 GAH! I am so busted today. This was supposed to go up yesterday! Stupid me being busy...Anyway, forget about that, enjoy this week's Flipnote Feature! Which ones will I be featuring today?

pikaby's Flipnote Feature! - June 6, 2010

Flipnote Feature- Delayed!

Written by pikaby

Sorry about the Flipnote Feature that was supposed to be published yesterday! I had quite a spot of bother loading up Flipnote Hatena on my PC, and was too busy to even finish writing it! Don't worry, it'll be up today before you guys even know it. For all you Flipnote fans out there, I apologize! I'll make sure the feature isn't late anymore, unless I really have something going on.

Flipnote Feature- Delayed!

Fancy Tetris Blocks for breakfast?

Written by pikaby

Guys should check out Jim's Pancakes website. It has some of the coolest pancake designs ever known to man, and this piccy off Kotaku I found today showed yesterday's recipe- a pancake of the worst Tetris game ever. Not bad, but is that artificial coloring?

Fancy Tetris Blocks for breakfast?

Play Wii campaign

Written by pikaby


With all the casual shovelware by developers wanting to make a quick buck out of the motion controls the Wii has to offer (and to be honest, there are STILL some thick-headed bums who think they can get away with it), it's no surprise that many good quality games are set aside and underappreciated. Nintendo UK brings them all out in a campaign to let people know that there are gems hidden in the sea of crap, if only you look hard enough.

No more beating around the bush. Core gamers are leaving and Nintendo finally stands up and take notice. I agree with a lot of their choices. Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Red Steel 2, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, Little King's Story...all greats that don't see a lot of play by casuals and ignored by core gamers. By far the most 'hardcore' and serious Nintendo has ever gotten this generation, ever since GDC earlier this year. Good effort on their part! Don't worry about me though- I've played half of those games to death already, and not really interested in the remainder (PES 2010? I'm not a sports guy)

Play Wii campaign

Man helps blind gamer beat Zelda

Written by pikaby



Proof that gamers can be honorable and help other fellow gamers in need, even if they haven't met in person. That's what this guy and a bunch of his friends did, constructing a guide for Zelda: Ocarina of Time and how to beat the game using only audio cues. Two years of effort to help a passionate blind gamer finish the greatest N64 game ever made. Now that's what I call a true gamer.

Man helps blind gamer beat Zelda

Professor Layton developer goes global

Written by pikaby

The devs best known for Nintendo DS franchise Professor Layton is planning to set up shop abroad in America outside its own headquarters in Fukuoka, Japan. Previously, for the Layton series, they were developed by Level-5, but as part of a deal with Nintendo, the latter handles all localisation work and sells them overseas outside of Japan. With Level-5 expanding to America it now takes over development of the English version of the series, and thus grabbing some of the money pie Nintendo has been holding from them.

Professor Layton developer goes global

Nintendo 5-Star Forums reaches a new milestone!

Written by pikaby

And we're at forty thousand posts, just barely a year after the forums have been set up, in late July 2009! That's definitely a whole lot better than the last time the six of us tried this website/blog thing out. *high fives entire mod team*

And of course, we couldn't have done it without the support of our fellow forum members, so, thanks! Asiankid, Crossburn, johnny139, and the whole bunch of you who joined in for the SummerCon, you helped make this happen!

Nintendo 5-Star Forums reaches a new milestone!

IGN- 3DS more powerful than Wii

Written by pikaby

Several developers that have experienced 3DS in its current form have reported, off the record, that it has processing capabilities that far exceed the Nintendo Wii and bring the device with abilities that are close to HD consoles such as PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. According to several developer sources, the 3DS device is not using the NVIDIA Tegra mobile chipset, a rumor that's been floating around since 2009. - IGN

Oooookaaaayyy.......3DS, more powerful than a Wii. Hard to believe? Also abilities could mean things like getting Acheivements and having a huge internal hard drive. This isn't what Nintendo usually does, although if it was true it'd be great. What happened to 'casual gamers' already?

IGN- 3DS more powerful than Wii

How would you counter-argue these?

Written by pikaby

When fanboys go wild, they do go wild. I'm not naming anyone, but I picked this out from a degrading Super Mario Galaxy 2 user review. It's so obvious doesn't even know what Mario games stand for and what purpose they serve, he just wants it to be the same style as Call of Duty and have the exact same kind of standard, even though they're worlds apart in terms of gameplay experience.

Below are snippets of the guy's review (score 3.5/10). Remember, no names, so no hate mail to me, please! To gamers out there, how would you respond and counter-argue his review?

How would you counter-argue these?

Dead Space Extraction to be released on PS3, X360?

Written by pikaby

Image from Kotaku

It seemed like only yesterday that Dead Space Extraction was released. I was so looking forward to it....and then I forgot about it. Must be the excitement of playing Pokemon Platinum and Wii Sports Resort at the time. I'm guessing mostly everyone playing a Nintendo system (except for those who actually like shooters and own a Wii at the same time, which isn't the best combination ever) would prefer the same games as me over games like this. On-rails can be fun, but it just wasn't interesting enough for me. Or the rest of the casual gamers club.

Apparently EA Montreal understands that now. It seems more likely that it could be released in full HD on the consoles which the series originally made its debut, which seems fitting, and due to it's on-rails nature, carry a budget price tag. Found on NeoGAF.

Oh well, I was going to buy it when it came out but since the chance already passed by and I'm not really that into shooters, so be it then. PS3 and X360 owners will be happy.

Dead Space Extraction to be released on PS3, X360?

Console Font?

Written by pikaby

Image from Kotaku

Seriously, this is epic. All the gaming controllers/systems used to make a cool-looking font. If I don't have to pay for it I'd gladly download it and use it here as our blog's main font! (imagine that. It'd be all weird-looking, but good)

Console Font?

Wii Machine Gun accessory

Written by pikaby

Yet another gun to yawn past the sales counter and into the garbage...or is it? It wants to appeal to mature gamers, yet there aren't enough of it in this console's audience. It replaces the need for a Wiimote, Nunchuk and Motion Plus set, and synches with the Wii by itself. Well that's a nice touch. Too bad no gun games support Motion Plus yet.

It's not bad, but I couldn't help thinking it's for the wrong system and the wrong kind of gamers- those who think 'looking cool' while playing games isn't really a necessity.

Wii Machine Gun accessory

I got Mario Galaxy 2!

Written by pikaby

My mate toadster101 has already reviewed Mario Galaxy 2 (perfect score too. Just like nearly every other critic..isn't it harder not to give Mario Galaxy 2 a perfect score?) but I got the game late. Except for the trailers and 'transmissions' Nintendo drip-fed me I've kept myself completely spoiler-free from this game, so I'm ready to explore! My first impressions with the game:

I got Mario Galaxy 2!

Nintendo.com to host Live Video of E3 Press Conference

Written by pikaby

An email sent by Nintendo reads:

Are you excited to hear all the news from Nintendo’s E3 Presentation but can’t make it to Los Angeles? Nintendo.com has you covered. The website is setting up a special portal for fans around the world to watch full start-to-finish video coverage of the event.
Nintendo’s E3 Presentation will begin at 9 a.m. Pacific on Tuesday, June 15. Just visit e3.nintendo.com to get a front-row seat to all of Nintendo’s announcements.

 Just like every other games journalist site out there then. Thanks, but I think I'll stick to Gamespot's live coverage. But I'll have to see which live feed has the better view of Reggie's face before I decide.

Nintendo.com to host Live Video of E3 Press Conference

Three Japanese Nintendo game release dates

Written by pikaby

Wii Party – July 8
Fire Emblem: Mystery of the Emblem – Hero of Light and Shadow – July 15
Metroid: Other M – September 2

Wow, Metroid got the shaft in Japan. They get it a whole two days later than us in the US! Not that it matters much when everyone gets to play eventually. It's great that the cutscenes are in complete Japanese rather than just English with JP subtitles.

And Wii Party over there is a reminder never to miss Nintendo's casual games' release dates by a month again (And Kensaku, how I love you). A Wii Party bundle with a white/pink Wiimote is also in the offing, though this isn't confirmed yet. I think I'll just get the game then.

Three Japanese Nintendo game release dates

Love Plus + DSi LL

Written by pikaby

Suddenly the DSi XL is getting all the love today. Three new colors, then I find out about this Love Plus + bundle.

There's three of them, each with a different babe on the front plate of the DSi XL, and all bundled together with Love Plus +. I'm not sure I want to play this though, I can't understand the Japanese obsession with dating sims.

Love Plus + DSi LL