Furukawa is taking Kimishima’s place as President of Nintendo in a few short months. But what does this mean for the company? Mr. F. has some big plans to earn more money, but the methods in which he wants to do so seem questionable at least. Let’s dive in!
“Exit the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Mobile
Mario Kart Tour – Coming to Mobile!
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
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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.”
Heads-Up: Two Button Crew Edition!
Slightly self-indulgent? Never!
#593 – Buckle up and prepare for some inside jokes! Today we’re playing Heads-Up: Two Button Crew Edition in the app’s Create Your Own Deck mode. Simeon and Scott challenge each other to recall words from Nintendo and TBC lexicons. Can they reach each other’s minds? And more importantly… can you keep up?
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Apps that Switch Needs Now!
OH MAN, we forgot to say Miitomo!
#590 – Nintendo has been sliding by unchallenged in a few areas with their new Switch console. Why? I think we give them a pass because the system is fun to play and the games are so stellar. But there are some things they definitely need to answer for, such as Virtual Console, voice chat, friends codes, and today’s topic: apps. Where’s our Netflix? Twitch? Come on! It’s an HD portable screen, let’s make use of it for goodness sake.
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
Best Podcasts for Nintendo Fans
You simply MUST be a podcast listener, we implore you!
#586 – Podcasts are magical. Why? Because fandoms thrive in the format. Where you might not have many real life friends to discuss your favorite shows, games, and topics with, there is ALWAYS a podcast for you to listen to. That’s especially true for the Nintendo community, with an abundance of professional and hobby shows to choose from. We’ve gathered the best suggestions, so get ready to subscribe and thank us later!
“Escape the Premises” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
What You Get from Being TBC’s Patron!
We launched our very own Patreon page!
For almost two years, we’ve been making Nintendo discussion and gameplay videos every single weekday. It’s hard to believe we’ve been going for this long!
Well, it’s time to kick things up a notch and we need your help to make it happen. With a bit more support on our page, we’ll be starting the Two Button Crew podcast! And that’s only the beginning.
Giveaway
USA Residents: Back our page at the $5 tier (or higher) by March 31st to be entered to win one of these three prizes!
Credits
Get your name in the credits of all of our videos for only $1 a month!
Votes
For $3 a month, you become involved in the planning of our show’s content by voting on upcoming videos.
Exclusive Videos
Behind-the-Scenes, bloopers, and bonus videos that won’t be available to the public. $5 per month lands you all these extras!
Tees
You can get your hands (and torsos) on TBC’s exclusive tee shirts, designed and distributed only to our highest tier of Patreon backers. Every 3 months that you support us with $15, you’ll receive an exclusive tee in the mail.
Want to see the first design?
Did I mention that our rewards use stacking tiers? Each reward tier includes the perks of the previous tier!
So hop on over to our Patreon page and join the Crew with your support.
Good luck in the giveaway!
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
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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
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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
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/
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 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.
Pokémon Go Meet-up
Recently I got the opportunity to go to a Pokémon Go meet-up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and let me tell you: it was an absolute blast!
What started out as a Facebook event for a few friends quickly got shared by an astounding amount of people and turned into thousands. The creator of the event had intended it to be 25-30, but the end result was 5,300 going and 7,500 interested. I would easily estimate 6,000 people ended up attending, if not more.
The corner pictured above was standing room only, and was quite a scene to behold. Teams wore clothing and glow-sticks to match their team color and every once in a while trainers would chant their team names.
The best way I can describe it was civilized mayhem. It was awesome.
Everyone was in on Pokémon Go that night. All the local news outlets were there, people made t-shirts and stickers to sell, even the local businesses (if they were smart) were getting in on the action with discounts for hungry or thirsty trainers. Both businesses and trainers were turning almost every Pokéstop into a lure. Everywhere you went Pokémon were popping up constantly. Luckily there are plenty of spots to refill all those Pokéballs you were bound to throw.
The sense of community this game brought out in everyone was a really great thing to behold as well. If a rare Pokémon had spawned, someone would always yell it out so others could join in. I was lucky enough to do it once for a Dratini that had spawned by a bridge, and boy did they come running.
If you have a Pokémon Go meet-up near you I highly recommend you check it out. Plus, the more people playing in a given area, the more chance for a rare Pokémon to spawn! I’m more of an introverted person with people I don’t know, but I had a lot of fun talking to fellow trainers I had only just met. This night will easily be going into my (non-existent) gaming scrapbook.
Haven’t tried Pokémon Go yet? Click here to see Scott and Simeon’s thoughts on the game.
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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Miitomo: What, When, Why
The first batch of news from Nintendo’s investor meeting is a doozy!
Nintendo’s first mobile game was unveiled and delayed in one fell stockholders meeting. Let’s direct the details!
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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Pokemon GO – Gotta Catch ’em All IRL
The Pokemon team is sure doubling down on phones! Hope this game doesn’t disappoint – the hype couldn’t be much higher.
Nintendo is populating the earth with real life Pokemon! Or… something like that.
Shot by Alex Campbell
“Reformat” Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
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