Pokemon is entering its 6th generation and shows no signs of slowing down. It is only now that a core Pokemon game is entering full 3D models and environments instead of sprits and it looks fantastic. At E3 Nintendo released some new information for all the Pokemon trainers itching to become a Pokemon Master once again.  There are a few new battle modes: First there are Sky Battles, where Pokemon who can fly will fight in the air during the battle. This will be exclusive to only Pokemon who can fly or have a Levitate ability. There is also now a new encounter called Horde Battle. In this battle, you could encounter a horde of up to 5 Pokemon at once and have to fight them all simultaneously. So for every one attack your Pokemon does, the whole pack will get to attack one after another. These seem like interesting wrinkles to the already proven battle system. You can check out a glimpse of the new battle systems in this trailer.

The game will take place in the Kalos Region based off France. Lumiose City, a city within this region, is based on real life Paris. A few new modes of transportation has been shown off such as roller blading and riding certain Pokemon through the cities. And a brand new Pokemon type has been revealed as the Fairy type. Fairy type Pokemon are super effective against Dragon types. Some old Pokemon will be Fairy types such as Jigglypuff and new Pokemon will appear as this type, such as a new Eevee evolution Sylveon. A new system called Pokemon-Amie lets you bond with your Pokemon to build trust by feeding, petting, and playing with your Pokemon. It sort of looks like Nintendogs and adds a bit to your training strategy.

And perhaps the most excited news for Pokefans has to be the new system called the Player Search System. This allows players to connect to other players more easily with three tiers of player; Passersby, Acquaintances, and Friends. If you play Pokemon near someone else who had the game they will show up in your Passerby list. By interacting with them you can upgrade them to Acquaintances and then if you choose to, add them as Friends. Also by using the Player Search System, or PSS, you can trade and battle with people all over the world instead of having to connect through a cable. More on PSS will be revealed later on. As a long time Pokemon fan, I am most excited about the PSS, streamlining trading and battling with people sounds great. With every piece of news delivered, Pokemon seems to be taking strides in the right direction and I can’t wait to get my hands on it. Pokemon X and Y released world wide on October 12.

E3 had only been going for a day, and yet, it felt like we were all overwhelmed by the sheer number of announcements from both Sony and Microsoft, and while the internet argued (and still is) over which one did better, we were witness to the last of the Big 3; Nintendo.

And just like the previous 2, a slew of announcements were made, but really most of it were things we had already expected, plus some eShop titles.

In any case, for those who missed it, here is the rundown, first, for Wii U:

Super Mario 3D World – For the first time a 3D Mario title with multiplayer capabilities, it will be developed by the same team that worked on Super Mario 3D Land for the 3DS, it will allow for use of 4 characters which include Mario, Luigi, Toad, and for the first time in over 2 decades; Princess Peach, a new Power-Up: the Cat Costume was revealed, seemingly adding some new level of gameplay with it. Scheduled to launch this December.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – The only real surprise this E3 for Nintendo was this game, marking the return of character Dixie Kong, Retro Studios takes on this series once more, attempting to bring more Donkey Kong the Wii U, with an improved graphical look, this game is set to be released this November.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD – An improved version of the original 2002 hit for the GameCube, bringing new items such as the Tingle Bottle, which allows to send messages to Miiverse by using a bottle and dropping it in the ocean, also faster sailing mechanics. Scheduled to launch this October.

Mario Kart 8 – Apparently ditching the silly titles for good, this new game adds a new gameplay element with anti-gravity, and marks the return of bikes to the series, will have great online integrated to Miiverse. Available Spring 2014.

The Wonderful 101 – Created by Platinum Games, this title focuses on combat between Wonder-Red, and the group of heroes working for him, using them to attack enemies while looking and sounding like a classic superhero comic book. Launching September 15.

Bayonetta 2 – Also developed by Platinum Games, showing the main character’s new look as well as some combat, looking as chaotic as ever. Game launching 2014.

“X” by Monolift Soft – Aiming to be an open world title, and adding the ability to control humanoid robots, this title that is being developed with Xenoblade experiences to mind, seems to aim for a higher bar than that title. Available 2014.

Wii Party U – A party game, involving different tabletop games, this Mario-partyesque game will launch this October.

Wii Fit U – Just what it sounds like, set to be released this December.
Nintendo 3DS:

Pokemon X Version and Y Version – For Nintendo 3DS, the biggest news is about Pokemon, that will release this October, the game has revealed the already speculated Fairy type, which will become the 18th type in the series.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – (Not shown on the stream) A nice throwback title to the prequel of A Link to the Past, in this title, Link will be able to travel along the walls, allowing for different tactics to puzzles. Out this holiday season.

Yoshi’s New Island – (Not shown on the stream) Offering a variety of art styles, Yoshi returns in his 3rd adventure for the Nintendo 3DS. Out this holiday season.

Mario & Luigi: Dream Team – The 4th game in the Mario and Luigi series, this will add the ability to jump into Luigi’s dreams, game out August 11.

Outside of those, there were also quite a few third party tittles glossed over, here are the tittles that you may have missed:

Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag – Ubisoft – Wii U – Oct. 29
Batman: Arkham Origins – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Wii U – Oct. 25
Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Nintendo 3DS – Oct. 25
Deus Ex: Human Revolution -Director’s Cut – Square Enix, Inc. – Wii U – 2013
Disney Infinity – Disney Interactive – Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS – Aug. 18 (still making titles for the Wii?)
Disney’s Planes – Disney Interactive – Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo DS – Aug. 6 (DS too?)
Just Dance 2014 – Ubisoft – Wii U, Wii – Oct. 8
Rayman Legends – Ubisoft – Wii U – Sept. 3
Scribblenauts Unmasked: A DC Comics Adventure – Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment – Wii U Nintendo 3DS – Fall 2013
Shin Megami Tensei IV – ATLUS (Index Digital Media, Inc.) – Nintendo 3DS – July 16
Skylanders SWAP Force – Activision Publishing – Wii U, Wii, Nintendo 3DS – Oct. 13
Sonic Lost World – SEGA – Wii U, Nintendo 3DS – Holiday 2013
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell Blacklist – Ubisoft – Wii U – Aug. 20
Watch Dogs – Ubisoft – Wii U – Nov. 19

As well as some eShop releases coming soon.

Finally we have special article for one of the best games announced to Nintendo. Super Smash Bros on Wii U and 3DS. Click here to read all about it!

Well hope nobody was disappointed.  Ericyo and I, are very excited for some of these upcoming games and had a great time working to bring you, the audience, as much information on Nintendo as possible. We will continue to do so in the future.

Source

Today, Nintendo aired their conference online, aimed towards both the gamers and the media, the conference was rather short, and rather unimpressive in comparison to Sony, but it did end not with a bang, but with an explosion.

After the smoke cleared, we got a first look on Super Smash Bros, set to be released for both Wii U and 3DS next year, showing some minor gameplay along with 2 newcomers to the series: Megaman, and Animal Crossing villager.

Trailer suggests a cel-shaded look for the 3DS version, while the Wii U seems to have character more akin the original Wii version, differences haven’t been really pinpointed, but we will keep you informed as we receive more information.

The game is set to be released next year, with no specified term.

Animal Crossing: New Leaf is nearly upon us North American gamers, and as such, many of us are already thinking of things such as the name of our town, the clothes we’ll wear, and even the flag we will design to show the uniqueness of our town.

However, the first thing you have to do when you are set to arrive in the town, is answer Rover’s questions.

These are simple questions that to many, don’t actually hold any importance, but they are more than you would think.

Your character’s face will be changed according to your responses, there are a total of 12 different outcomes for your characters, and here they are, shown for each gender.

  Click the picture to enlarge.

And the 2nd row…

And the last 4…

With this, you can choose the way your character’s face will look in the game, use of this list is up to the player, making your experience a controlled one right from the get-go, give it a try tomorrow, when the game is finally released.

Source

First Appeared on The Legend of Lorie

Rhinos, gorillas, and chimps, oh my! Donkey Kong Country Returns is back but now in 3D. If you missed out on Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Nintendo Wii system then this is the perfect opportunity to experience this classic platformer. Nintendo has made some small changes and added some extra features that will have old fans and new fans going bananas for this refreshing port.

If you are not familiar with the original Donkey Kong Country which released on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1994, then no problem. New fans of the Donkey Kong Country series can “swing” right into this game without previous knowledge of it’s older counterpart. Old fans, however, you are in for a real treat. The story begins when Donkey and Diddy Kong’s stash of bananas is stolen and all of their jungle friends are hypnotized. Of course, this infuriates the duo so their mission is to retrieve all of their bananas by overcoming the craziest and most challenging stages and bring peace to Kong Country.

Use your 3DS controls to ground smash, roll, jump, and vine swing to collect all your bananas. This might sound like an easy task but the developers of Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D made sure it was not.  A  “new mode” has been added to the Nintendo 3DS port that was not available on the Nintendo Wii version. In this mode, developers did try to make playing DKCR 3D a little less difficult than it’s predecessors. By adding in an inventory of items like a green balloon that can save you from a fall and making DK’s life bar a little longer, gamers will be relieved to find out that the game eased up just a little on it’s difficulty. Don’t let this by any means fool you into thinking this game isn’t difficult. There have been many times where I have almost thrown my cute, blue 3DS XL out the window in sheer rage from falling off a cliff just a slight bit away from the end of the level.

Donkey Kong would be nothing without his trusty little sidekick, Diddy Kong. Just like in the previous Donkey Kong Country titles, Diddy acts as a sort of “extra life” if you pick him up out of a barrel. Diddy also acts as nifty “power up” that allows Donkey Kong to hover while jumping. Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D features a very frustrating multi-player mode. Be forewarned, Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is already incredibly difficult but adding on a secondary player who takes the role of Diddy is even tougher. If you’re willing to take on the local multi-player challenge, the second player will need to have his own copy of the game.

The music in Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is fantastic. The developers have brought on the same soundtrack from the original Donkey Kong Country game and revamped it. Old fans will adore the rebooted soundtrack and new fans will find themselves bobbing their heads to the catchy tunes. Just be careful not to bob too much, you might miss that jump over the lava! Besides lava flooded levels, there are other treacherous stages for Donkey and Diddy to overcome and the great thing about the port is that 4 new stages have been added that were not available in Donkey Kong Country Returns on the Nintendo Wii.

Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D looks exquisite in 3D. I almost feel like Nintendo should have originally made the reboot of the Donkey Kong Country series exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS instead of releasing it on the Nintendo Wii and then porting it years later. From hopping on enemies that appear to fly at you in the screen, shooting out of barrels, or riding rickety train carts; the game is truly the best in 3D. Of course if your eyes get tired there is always the option of turning the 3D down or completely off but then you might be missing out on a unique experience. Some levels are just better in 3D like a level where Donkey and Diddy must evade crashing waves on a dark beach. In 3D, this level is amplified and really pulls you into the world of Kong Country while playing. One of the downsides, however, is one slight turn of your handheld and your 3D experience will be slightly skewed causing Donkey and Diddy to fall to their death after trying to make a close shot from a barrel.

Although most people groaned about a Donkey Kong Country Returns port, Nintendo and developers managed to make Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D a unique experience for new and old players of the Donkey Kong Country franchise. With stunning 3D graphics, a catchy soundtrack, a new mode to alleviate the frustrations of the modern day gamer, and 4 new levels; Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D is a game that fans of platformers will truly enjoy.

Hello everyone and welcome to another GovPancakes game review. Today I will be reviewing one of my personal favorites, Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate or MH3U for short.

The world of Monster Hunter is full of excitement and danger. The whole series puts you, a regular human against all kinds of monsters that are similar to prehistoric dinosaurs. The main concept of the game is to defeat a monster and you carve parts from it and make new weapons and armor, even items as well.

The story for this version starts as you, the new hunter in town, arrives to Moga Village. A village that’s pretty small and on the coast of this island. This place has plenty of resources for you to use on your journey. Item Shop, you can meet up with the traveling ships and trade items, you have a farm you have access to, and also a smithy to make your new weapons. Now the story itself is pretty dull, your just a hunter that is trying to live then the village gets attacked and you of course have to save it. For old MH fans they all know, for new fans don’t look forward to anything deep.

NOW here is the plus to the game. The game play. The gameplay is ASTOUNDING! There are 12 to choose from and they all have their own play style and advantages and weaknesses. There are 9 melee classes, Long Sword (my favorite), Great Sword, Sword and Shield, Dual Blades, Lance, GunLance, Switch Axe, Hammer, and the Hunting Horn. Along with three long ranged classes, The Light Bow Gun, Heavy Bow Gun, and the Bow. Though there are plenty choices every weapon can be used to take down every monster.

Weapons, Armor and Items come from gathering, buying or hunting. You can buy items but you can also gather them from certain areas or farm them, so it gives you the option to do both. That is the main excitement of the game. Making whatever you want! Defeating this enormous monster and being able to make a weapon out of it! If a enemy has really high defense the armor you make will have the same. If the enemy can shoot fire you can make a weapon that causes explosions when you contact a enemy!

The quest get kind of repetitive BUT the downside to that is they get more dynamic as you go. You start fighting chump monsters and eventually you get to higher classed monsters who get a serious upgrade after awhile, and you may even have to fight 2 or more at once. Another good thing is throughout the story you gain access to two small helpers who cast buffs or heal you or even fight with you depending on how you set them up. You can also play multiplayer locally on 3DS and WiiU but the WiiU has online as well. So your not alone.

All in all Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate is an amazing experience that everyone should at least try. If you get a group of people to play with you it is probably one of the best multiplayer experiences ever, but also a good solo game as well. Graphics pretty nice, music is kind of bland except fighting bosses, but the game play is astounding. Amazing experience to the old hunters and the new ones as well.

Ever wanted to play some of the games that are shown at E3? Well, you now have the opportunity to do so, for Nintendo that is. Best Buy and Nintendo have teamed up to bring some of those Nintendo games to North America, 89 in the United States and 21 in Canada. The games will be playable 4-8 p.m. local time on Wednesday, June 12, and 1-5 p.m. local time on Saturday, June 15.

It’s also good to note that participating Best Buy stores will be offering “Luigi Loot” as well as some exclusive Wii U offers.

The following Best Buy locations in the following U.S. cities are scheduled to participate:

Alabama
Birmingham
Huntsville

Arkansas
Fort Smith
North Little Rock

Arizona
Phoenix

California
Culver City
Elk Grove
Emeryville
San Jose
Tracy
Visalia

Colorado
Denver

Connecticut
Manchester

Delaware
Wilmington

Florida
Brandon
Fort Myers
Gainesville
Kissimmee
Miami
Pensacola

Georgia
Augusta
Duluth
Savannah
Smyrna

Iowa
Cedar Rapids
West Des Moines

Illinois
Bloomington
Schaumburg

Indiana
Greenwood

Kansas
Overland Park
Wichita

Kentucky
Florence
Lexington
Louisville

Louisiana
Harvey

Massachusetts
Cambridge
Dedham
Worcester

Maryland
Frederick
Glen Burnie
Wheaton

Michigan
Ann Arbor
Flint
Grand Rapids
Rochester Hills

Minnesota
Eden Prairie

Missouri
St. Louis

North Carolina
Cary
Fayetteville
Pineville
Winston-Salem

New Jersey
Iselin
West Paterson
Woodbury

New York
Albany
Amherst
Long Island City
Syracuse
Valley Stream
West Nyack

Ohio
Fairborn
North Olmsted
Reynoldsburg
Toledo

Oklahoma
Oklahoma City

Oregon
Portland

Pennsylvania
Erie
King of Prussia
Pittsburgh
Reading
Whitehall

South Carolina
Greenville
North Charleston

Tennessee
Brentwood
Knoxville
Memphis

Texas
Arlington
Austin
Houston
McAllen
The Woodlands
Tyler

Utah
Sandy

Virginia
Charlottesville
Glen Allen
Virginia Beach

Vermont
Williston

Washington
Lynnwood

Wisconsin
Greenfield

I think this is a great play on Nintendo’s part. Let’s see how successful this will be.

Source: Best Buy & Nintendo PR

It’s been a long time since we have seen a new physical item become available on Club Nintendo. Nintendo has released the Super Mario Accessory Box. It’s big enough to hold a Nintendo Wii, some controllers and a few nun chucks as well. Great for keeping all you Nintendo items in one in area!

“Organize your games and accessories in style with a little help from Mario™ and friends. This sturdy canvas box features a fun Super Mario Bros.™ themed print in bright green and tan. Hurry—there’s a limited quantity available.

Dimensions:
11 (W) x 7 (D) x 5.5 (H)”

For 700 coins the Super Mario Accessory Box can be yours!

Personally I’m still not sure about getting it at that price. If I do, I will do both an unboxing and review on it! Hurry though, these are limited that is according the Nintendo Facebook.

“New Club Nintendo reward! Check out the Super Mario Accessory Box and organize your games and accessories in style. Limited quantity available, so hurry!“

Source: Club Nintendo

First Appeared on The Legend of Lorie

Fire Emblem Awakening is a game that you do not want to miss out on. If you own a Nintendo 3DS, then you need to give this game a chance and if you don’t own a Nintendo 3DS… well, this game is reason enough alone to go out and purchase one. If you are new to the Fire Emblem series, don’t worry, you do not need to play the past Fire Emblem games to be able to jump right into this one. The Fire Emblem series has always centered on being strategy based. Think of this game as chess but the “chess pieces” have fancy abilities and in Fire Emblem: Awakening, can develop relationships with each other. In the beginning of the game, you are able to almost completely customize your character. You are able to change your characters voice, hair, and other features. This is just the first step where Nintendo traps you into feeling almost attached to the characters. As you play the game (with the character you made) you are able to make choices that affect your entire gameplay. Do you want to add your level 3 Mage to the front lines in the off chance that you might be able to level her? There are plenty of things to think about before making a move in this game.

In Fire Emblem Awakening, if one of your party members dies (unless you are not playing classic mode) they are gone for good. You can’t use magical revive spells or “Phoenix Down” like items… they are ultimately gone for the entire game which also means that party member that the character you made who fought next to you in numerous battles who you also became close to and got know is gone for the entire game. For example, I was really fond of the Pegasus Knight, Sumia., however, she was incredibly weak in the beginning of the game. I took my chances though in hopes that I could sneak in a few levels to get her beefy but unfortunately an archer came along and well…. Goodbye Sumia! Losing a party member would not be so bad but developing relationships and friendships in Fire Emblem: Awakening is what makes the game so great. Before my Sumia died, my main character had just gained relationship B with her. I witnessed a heartwarming cut scene involving her and my character. Besides growing slightly attached to Sumia, I had also developed better attack strategies involving her and my character. In Fire Emblem Awakening, when a character gains a relationship rank (C, B, A, or S) it also benefits the characters in battle. When they are next to each other on the battlefield, the chance increases that the character will defend their friend or attack right after.  This battle system in the game is fairly easy to get used to and it also gives the player more incentive to spend time pairing characters in battle to witness fun cut scenes or just get their characters in a quirky romance.

Besides the fun battle system, Fire Emblem Awakening features a neat class system. Almost all of your characters will start out as either a first class or even a secondary class if you obtain a new party member towards the end of the game. Obtaining a certain level like level ten for instance grants you the ability to change your class (if you are still using a primary class) to a secondary or master class. For example, everyone starts out with Chrom who is initially a “Lord” class. When he obtains level ten with the use of a “master seal”, you will be able to change Chrom’s class to a “Great Lord” which not only boosts party member’s stats but in Fire Emblem Awakening, it also adds the ability to use an extra weapon that could not be used as a “Lord” class. Besides being able to change party member’s to their “ultimate class”, with an item called a “secondary seal” players can also change their character’s class to another primary class completely. For instance, Panne is a Taguel that uses a Beaststone. Taguels cannot be promoted to a master class, however, if the player wants to change Panne to a different class then it can be done with a “secondary seal”. Panne can then change from a Taguel to a Mage or an Archer. Weapons in the Fire Emblem Awakening are just as customizable as your party mechanics. With the ability to customize stats on most weapons, your options are endless in this game to play as you want with the party and weapons that you want.

The gameplay in Fire Emblem Awakening was very satisfying. Nintendo continues to pump out very cheap downloadable content maps for the game so even if you finish the main story, you can still play additional maps ranging from $2.50 to $5.00. If you do not want to dish out any extra money then you can challenge yourself after finishing the game by restarting the game on a harder difficulty. The story is touching and focuses a lot of friendship and teamwork as you learn from using the battle system.

Visually this game is absolutely gorgeous and it was completely meant to be played in 3D. I switched back and forth between 3D and no 3D and found myself wanting to experience the game more in 3D. The music was also very catchy. This game is very aesthetically pleasing and it really proves that the 3D on the 3DS is not a gimmick but incorporates the player into the world of Fire Emblem Awakening.

Fire Emblem Awakening is truly a game that you donot want to miss out on. If you are fond of role-playing games, games that involve strategy, or want to play a game that looks perfect in 3D then this is the game for you. With beautiful graphics, music, and fantastic characters that you will fall in love with, this game was a wonderful experience and I can honestly say it is the best Nintendo 3DS game I have played thus far.

Max Factory’s Link and Samus Figmas are coming to the states.  They have officially opened up pre orders for the figures. Excitement is starting to build up for these figures.

Big Bad Toy Store the two figurines priced at $49.99. Pre-order the Link one here and Samus one here. There’s also the PVC statue of Samus in her Zero Suit for $100, located here.
It’s also good to know that recently Gamestop is now taking pre orders as well. You can pre-order the Link figurine here, Samus figurine here, and Zero Suit Samus one here.

All three products will only be sold online. A tentative October 30 release date is listed.

Source: Big Bad Toy Store, Gamestop