One of Nintendo’s biggest—and we mean BIGGEST—franchises is coming to an iPhone or Android near you. This is only one of many news stories that Simeon and Scott are here to discuss today, because the world of Nintendo news never seems to slow down. We talk Metroid Prime 4, SteamWorld series, and much, much more.
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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DeNA
The Simple Reason Miitomo Failed Scott’s Thoughts
As both a Nintendo fan, and an Apple fan, seeing Miyamoto walk onstage during an iPhone keynote was pretty incredible.
I was on board with the Big N’s foray into mobile gaming from the outset.
Now, three games and a weird social sim later, the partnership with DeNA has proved to be an interesting one.
Development on these iPhone and Android games is sure taking longer than anyone expected, with the set of 5 games from the DeNA partnership still incomplete after multiple delays.
Miitomo turned out as a fun take on social media and online interaction, but was nowhere near snappy enough to have staying power. Social apps are all about long feeds and quick interactions. When tapping Like (or “Yeah” – whatever Nintendo is calling it) takes 15 seconds, it discourages users from coming back.
They’re mobile efforts are bogged down by long loading times, and assets that live on servers rather than the user’s device.
This is not how mobile gaming is supposed to be, and it’s certainly not how social media is supposed to be.
Instant startup followed by a few quick wins. That’s all we usually have time for on our phones.
If there is more time, I’m likely to turn on my Switch instead.
Lessons for Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Scott’s Thoughts
1. If I earn something, just give it to me. Don’t tell me I earned it, then explain how I have to tap through menus to retrieve my reward. Just give it to me.
2. Crafting is not the best thing since sliced bread. Just because Minecraft was super popular doesn’t mean everything needs to be crafted from now on.
3. Simplify the exchange rates. I don’t want to pay real money for leaf tickets to buy a mining pass to collect gold in order to exchange that for bells so that I can use the bells to purchase digital furniture. The expression is “cut out the middleman,” not “let’s create an army of middlemen.”
Splatoon 2: Impressions So Far…
Team Mar or Team Ina?
#559 – Splatoon 2 launched last weekend and it’s been a whirlwind of fun! While the sequel isn’t unlike its predecessor, there’s nothing wrong with that. It perfects some of the mechanics while adding extra modes! In this episode, Scott covers some general impressions while playing the first level of campaign mode and then taking it to Turf Wars. Are you team Pearl or Team Marina? (Nevermind, don’t even bother answering that.)
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Fire Emblem Heroes Impressions & Gameplay
Fire Emblem – gotta catch ’em all! With… your magical bow… that summons heroes from out of space and time…?
Fire Emblem has landed on mobile phones! Doesn’t this seem like such a short time after Super Mario Run? We’re already heading back to the App Store for another Nintendo game. But this time it’s not just for a single transaction, no, Nintendo wants you to bolster your team of Heroes by buying orbs. Can the game be played without spending money, or are you in for a world of hurt against the higher level enemies? Is the game enjoyable with its smaller maps and accessible storyline? Ryan and Scott are here today to talk all about it!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Ultimate Super Mario Run Challenge
Scott is now taking eSports sponsorship requests… Anyone?
There are three levels in Super Mario Run that can only be unlocked by collecting each and every secret coin of a certain color. These are the three warp pipe levels of yore, and today, Scott will attempt to beat them. Luigi is his character of choice for his high jumps, and each hidden coin must be retrieved before he is allowed to progress to the next secret level. This is the height of challenge in Nintendo’s newest mobile game, so wish him luck and lend him your strength as he attempts the Ultimate Super Mario Run Challenge.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Fire Emblem Direct News
Fire Emblem Switch, coming 2018. Just thought you’d like to know.
If the Switch Presentation wasn’t enough Nintendo news for you, you’re in luck. We were graced with an additional live stream, this time focusing wholly on the Fire Emblem series of games. In this themed Nintendo Direct, 4 Fire Emblem games were revealed, 3 of which launch this year! Just insanity. We discuss each and every reveal along with how we feel about the upcoming FE titles. Watch our reactions and then sound off in the comments – which Fire Emblem game are you most looking forward to?
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Super Mario Run Impressions
It’s all about them special coins, yo.
Super Mario Run landed on the Apple iPhone and iPad App Store, and hopefully will make its way to Android before too long. It’s not quite the “endless runner” that some people have incorrectly labeled it, but instead is quite the interesting PUZZLE-platformer. This little mobile gem has given us more of a challenge and more enjoyment than we expected, so we’ll break down the whole experience for you in the video to help you decide if the $10 purchase price is worth it.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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What We Want: Animal Crossing Mobile
Well Simeon certainly isn’t in the #AC4LIFE club, now is he?!
Animal Crossing is heading to iPhone and Android before March of 2017, so we better hurry up and get our last minute requests into Nintendo so they can direct the shape of the game! Hah, just kidding. But it would be really nice to see the features that we discuss make it into the final DeNA game. Also, will there be a new Animal Crossing Switch game to accompany the launch of Nintendo’s new hardware? Time will tell!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Nintendo Stole the Show with Super Mario Run
Scott was accidently holding on to the bus and eating a sandwich at the same time, and he was NOT playing Super Mario Run. Amateur.
Nintendo took Apple’s stage at the iPhone 7 event and unveiled Super Mario Run! Here are ALL of our impressions.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Nintendo is Juggling Too Much
As someone who has been a Nintendo fan since I was old enough to hold a controller, I have never seen the company attempting to juggle so many different projects at the same time.
With Nintendo dabbling in so many areas, is it only a matter of time until they start dropping the ball?
Let’s take a moment and examine everything that Nintendo has on their plate, so we can determine if they’ve bitten off more than they can chew:
- Wii U
- 3DS
- NX
- Amiibo
- Mobile Games
- Apparel
- Frozen Yogurt (no really – I’m serious)
- Kids’ events in malls (It’s true)
- Theme Park
- Films
- Nintendo Directs
- NES Classic Edition
- Rebranding
- MORE THINGS that we don’t even know about!
It makes me anxious just thinking about all of the things that Nintendo management must deal with on a regular basis, and each and every one of those projects comes with their own set of challenges: public relations, marketing, quality assurance, customer service, and more.
Wisely, Nintendo is not embarking on all of these endeavors alone. With the help of other established companies like DeNA, VANS, and Universal Studios, Nintendo is only shouldering a partial load for some of these projects. Still…
The load adds up quickly.
How many different ways can Nintendo’s attention be split before their products begin to suffer?
We’ve already begun to see the affects of an unfocused Nintendo, I’m afraid. The publisher was banking on a hit success with the Wii U, but the console performed below expectations, causing Nintendo to focus on attaining cash flow through additional means. The key to this extra revenue? Intellectual Property (or IP). Nintendo has invested in their character for decades, and finally decided that the time to cash in… is now.
Nintendo’s famous stable of characters can now be seen in places previously untouched by the company: mobile games, figurine toys, and more.
Is this a bad thing? No. But does it mean that we will get fewer software releases? Inevitably, it must. You’ve felt it on the Wii U and 3DS for the past couple of years.
Can we fault Nintendo for outsourcing some of these projects, like with DeNA and VANS?
Perhaps.
The risk with partnerships is the very integrity of your brand.
There are more companies trying to turn a profit with Nintendo’s own IP now than ever before, and Nintendo has less control over them.
Remember when 5th Cell was given permission to add Mario characters to their Scribblenauts game? It was called Scribblenauts Unlimited, because you could modify whatever nouns you wanted with any adjectives you would like.
Except for the Mario characters.
Angry sweater? Check. Loose goose? Check. Green Mario? No go.
Nintendo’s IP used to be sacred, but now it’s plastered on tie-dye, Hawaiian VANS apparel with abandon.
Nintendo can make money through video games, theme parks, apparel and frozen yogurt… but they shouldn’t have done it all at once, with plummeting hardware sales.
The NX should have been priority 1, it should have been unveiled at E3, because it should be on store shelves this Holiday.
Pokemon Go Review (Ver. 1)
This game is slightly a big deal.
You didn’t think we would miss doing an episode on the biggest cultural phenomenon since What Does the Fox Say, did you? We are here to talk all things Pokemon, Go, Niantic, Gyms, Servers, and more.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Pokemon Go: Hype or No Hype?
All aboard the hype train! TOOT TOOT!
We got to see a little more of the upcoming Pokemon GO at E3! Are you team hype, or team gripe?
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Miitomo: Was it Worth the Hype?
I apologize for any rude comments from Scott.
Nintendo’s new free-to-play app, Miitomo, just dropped! Is it all they cracked it up to be?
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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