The Tanooki

Nintendo Shop Update – May 17, 2012

Jason Leavey — Fri, 18 May 2012 18:53:28 +0000

This week’s Nintendo Download doesn’t only bring new games, it also marks the first time Nintendo has released a game patch to fix one of their first-party 3DS software titles.

Specifically, the patch fixes a bug found in a couple of courses in Mario Kart 7, which let players cheat by taking advantage of a major shortcut — and that’s just not cool! Those looking to capitalize on the news of these awesome shortcuts are a tad too late, since downloading the patch is mandatory prior to taking part in any future MK7 online matches.

Other updates this week include games like Kirby’s Block Ball, a demo of Rayman Origins, and a trailer for the new 3D film, Men in Black 3. For a complete rundown of this week’s new releases, check out the official press release below.

Nintendo eShop
Mario Kart™ 7 update now available – Visit the Nintendo eShop to download the update for Mario Kart 7. This update is required for online multiplayer mode. For more information, visithttp://mariokart7.nintendo.com/announcement. (For Nintendo 3DS™)

Nintendo Video™
Men in Black™ 3 in 3D (available May 18 at 6 a.m. PT) – They’re back! Men in Black hit Nintendo Video this week with the trailer for the latest installment in this epic franchise. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Nintendo eShop
Kirby’s Block Ball™ – Kirby™ takes center stage in this frenzied, block-clearing free-for-all. Use the paddles on all four sides of the screen to bounce Kirby around and destroy the blocks and enemies. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Nintendo eShop
Rayman® Origins (demo version) – Meet the new crazy. Rayman Origins is a comic adventure set in a lush world with more than 60 levels, teeming with secrets and crazy enemies. Taking advantage of the StreetPass™ feature, you can share your progression, number of collectibles, time played, unlocked achievements and avatar with others. A demo version is now available in the Nintendo eShop. (For Nintendo 3DS)

Also new this week:
• Chronicles of Vampires: The Awakening (Nintendo eShop / Nintendo DSiWare™)

NintendoPR

Price cuts for DSi and DSi XL coming this month

Jason Leavey — Thu, 10 May 2012 13:03:48 +0000

Less than a month before Nintendo’s E3 festivities — a show that will undoubtedly focus solely on the Wii U and 3DS — the company has decided to drop the price of their DSi and DSi XL handhelds. Starting May 20, the DSi will now retail for $99.99, while the DSi XL will sell for $129.99. Currently, the XL model was still selling for $169.99, the same price as the Nintendo 3DS.

With price cuts in effect, both are a great value for anyone looking to get into portable gaming on limited funds. Now if only we can get some DS software price cut announcements!

If you’ve held off on picking up one of Nintendo’s last-gen handhelds, will the price cut be enough to make you grab one?

Sony offering PS Vita in white, thankfully before labor day

Jason Leavey — Tue, 08 May 2012 16:50:35 +0000

Those who have held off on picking up one of Sony’s PS Vita handhelds may be intrigued by today’s announcement of a new color offering. This summer, a Crystal White shade will launch in Japan, giving players a crisp and clean color option to the standard black.

The white variant will be available on June 28 for the standard price as the current model. No word yet if this bad boy is coming stateside, but we can surely hope.

It is odd that no matter what, if a console launches in black, we beg for it to release in white. If it launches in white, we beg for a black version. Why are we so hard to please?!

GameInformer

Nintendo Confirms E3 Conference Date And Time

Will Thompson — Tue, 01 May 2012 22:23:53 +0000

Nintendo of America has recently sent out its invitations for its E3 press conference. We can confirm that the event at this years E3 will be on June 5th at 9am PST. Save the date and time because you know Nintendo is going to drop some big bob-ombs at this years E3. Is there anything you’re looking forward to seeing or hearing about at E3? What do you think is going to be Nintendo’s big reveals at E3 this year?

Be sure to let us know in the comments so we can be sure to be on the look out for that and provide you with updates during this years show.

Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS coming on May 20th

Christian Ponte — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 20:00:12 +0000

To match the colors of the lilacs and hyacinth — no need to look those up, they’re purple flowers — this spring, Nintendo is launching the new Midnight Purple Nintendo 3DS in North America for the usual $169.99 this May 20th. That’s the same day you’ll be able to buy Mario Tennis Open for the first time.

While I don’t normally go for the purple systems (I went with the Jet Black GameCube and Glacier Game Boy Advance), this new 3DS does seem like a nice complement to the existing available options. Who’s picking this baby up?

Show Press Release (205 More Words)

Nintendo offering software as both physical and download for Wii U, 3DS

Jason Leavey — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:11:47 +0000

As part of the company’s financial briefing, Nintendo of Japan announced some exciting new details about their upcoming Wii U console. Nintendo has confirmed that software titles will appear both as physical copies available at retailers, and as downloadable. Consumers will also have the option with 3DS titles, such as this summer’s New Super Mario Bros. 2, which will be in stores, and available as an eShop download. To me, this clearly proves the company’s major shift in focusing toward the once neglected online presence of their consoles.

Nintendo also noted that while this year’s E3 will focus on Wii U hardware and software, pricing and release date information will be saved for a later date. This doesn’t come as a huge surprise, as the company typically wants all focus to be on products only during their media showing. It’s hard to hear all these details and not want more, but I’ll do my best to be patient a few more weeks.

Nintendo.co.jp

New firmware update for 3DS available now, adds folders

Jason Leavey — Wed, 25 Apr 2012 15:57:11 +0000

A new firmware update has been released by Nintendo for their 3DS handheld. Unfortunately for those expecting something a bit more substantial in terms of added features, the only thing this update brings forth is folder support.

Now you’ll be able to throw all of your downloaded applications (up to 60 of them) in different folders, a great way to organize and keep track of your content. While at first this may seem like a minor upgrade, it really will make your life easier. After all, between Virtual Consoles games, eShop original titles, game demos, and other content, it’s easy to forget just what you have downloaded on your homescreen — I downloaded Pushmo weeks ago and still haven’t played it because I forgot it existed.

The new software update is available now to download.

[Image: Engadget]

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 launching on iOS devices tomorrow

Jason Leavey — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:38:18 +0000

One of the greatest arcade classics from my youth is coming to iOS devices starting tomorrow. Capcom has announced that Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will arrive on the Apple App Store for iPhone and iPod touch devices.

The game stays true to the classic arcade version, featuring an insane 56-character roster presented in that old school tag-team fighting style you know and love. It was only a matter of time before the game went mobile, seeing a multi-console re-release the past few years. I’ve never been a huge fan of fighting games on a mobile touch-screen device, but the opportunity to unleash the power of Chun-Li’s spinning bird kick in the palm of my hand is likely an offer I can’t refuse.

Marvel Vs. Capcom 2 will be available April 25, while pricing has not yet been confirmed.

Dancers in Etrian Odyssey IV are not a Joke

Will Thompson — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 15:29:26 +0000

Atlus Japan recently uploaded a short clip to show off one of the games new classes, Dancer. This class is an extremely unique balance of offense and defense as they have a wide array of attacks and party healing abilities. What is shown off in this video is the Dancer’s sword dance, which is a barrage of relentless attacks. Of course you have to use up a turn to start dancing before you can begin your reign of destruction.

Another unique ability that the Dancers posses which is not shown in this video is that they can recover party HP. Another dance allows them to go around healing the other characters. While this is only one new class that was included from three unique classes that were announced. This one looks pretty dangerous and solid to me.

If you have dabbled with the Etrian Odyssey series before, which classes did you use in your adventure, and what are your thoughts on the series?

Next Call of Duty to be revealed May 1st

Ryan Shotwell — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 02:18:18 +0000

The official Call of Duty website has been updated with a teaser for the next entry in the series. Recently, rumors have been flying across the web containing leaked multiplayer details and a possible title of “Black Ops 2“.

The next Call of Duty will be revealed during the May 1st basketball playoff game on TNT. Be sure to check back here for more details next week after the reveal.

Call of Duty

Mario returns to 3DS with New adventure this August

Jason Leavey — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 14:16:11 +0000

Looks like there is no end in sight to the stellar first-party offerings of Nintendo games for the 3DS. Just months before E3, Nintendo decided to reveal a new game, starring a familiar face. New Super Mario Bros. 2 will continue Mario’s sidescrolling adventures, for the first time on the 3D handheld.

The game is said to include Mario, Luigi, and other Mushroom Kingdom favorites. While only a select few screenshots have been released so far, it’s clear the Raccoon suit does return — and yes, with flying capabilities! Naturally we’re all praying for a Tanooki suit appearance too.

For the traditional Mario fans, this game will not disappoint. You can look forward to the New sequel, coming this August in North America.

NintendoPR

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir launches across North America

Christian Ponte — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 18:00:24 +0000

It’s Friday the 13th, and you know what that means: Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir launches for the Nintendo 3DS!

The Fatal Frame spin-off comes with a 16-page “diary of faces” augmented reality book for use with the title, containing things such as movies of the past, emerging evil spirits, and other interactive experiences. You can watch a short video above inspired by the game and this AR book to get a snapshot of what to expect!

Show Press Release (436 More Words)

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir Brings Supernatural Thrills to Nintendo 3DS

New Hand-Held Horror Game Delivers Fright-Filled Fun with 3D Environments and a 16-Page Augmented-Reality Book That Brings Ghostly Spirits to Life

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– There’s no escaping the scary essence of Friday the 13^th as Nintendo unleashes an extraordinary new experience in horror-themed entertainment. Launching today exclusively for the Nintendo 3DS system, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir invites horror fans to immerse themselves in a chilling hand-held adventure. The game’s 3D visuals and augmented-reality features help unravel the mysterious tale of a girl named Maya who’s been trapped in a haunted house and cursed by a malevolent woman in black. As players strive to rescue Maya, ghostly images are intermingled with real-world environments to create a visceral, personalized experience they won’t soon forget.

Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir comes with the “diary of faces,” a 16-page augmented-reality book that transforms the Nintendo 3DS system into the Camera Obscura. When the “diary of faces” is viewed through the lens of the system’s built-in camera, it allows players to discover unique experiences that not only advance the game’s storyline but also add eerie interactive elements. For example, some pages contain movies that reveal past events that occurred in the haunted house where Maya is trapped, while others cause evil spirits to seemingly emerge from the book and into players’ own real-world surroundings.

“Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir literally takes hand-held horror games into a new dimension,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With the augmented-reality features of Nintendo 3DS, horror fans can not only enjoy a captivating ghost story, they’ll also be drawn deeper into the action as the lines between reality and the game world blur in unique ways.”

In addition to the main Story Mode, Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir includes additional modes that highlight the built-in 3D photo capabilities of Nintendo 3DS. Spirit Photography mode enhances everyday pictures with haunting visions, while Spirit Check reveals spirits haunting you and your friends. In Spirit Challenge mode, faces of your photographed friends mystically appear on evil spirits in the game, and challenge players to battle against them.

A third mode called Cursed Pages offers additional game content featuring supernatural twists. For instances, players can confront strange masks that are haunted by a boy’s spirit or complete memory challenges to identify and dispel an evil doll spirit.

Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

For more information about Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, visit http://spiritcamera.nintendo.com. You can also view a spooky live-action short inspired by the game on YouTube at http://youtu.be/HgDp4U4iJzQ.

New Xbox 360 chrome controllers

Ryan Shotwell — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 19:56:03 +0000

Larry Hyrb, Xbox Live’s Major Nelson, announced that the Xbox 360 will be adding three brand new chrome controllers. They are available in red, silver, and blue and have the transforming D-pad. One of these new controllers will set you back around $54.99 and will not be available until mid-May.

Personally, I am partial to the blue one, but the red looks cool too. Which one do you like best?

MajorNelson.com

For now, Resident Evil 6 not Wii U-bound

Christian Ponte — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 18:00:23 +0000

With Resident Evil 6 recently bumped up to a multiplatform launch on October 2nd, fans have been wondering about a potential Wii U version of the game given that Nintendo’s new console is on track to launch around the same time.

According to producer Hiroyuki Kobayashi, the game “will not be available at this time on the Wii U.” It’s not an outright denial that the game will make it to the platform in the future — after all, Nintendo tends to launch new hardware in late November/early December (depending on region), and a Wii U version would require more development time to make use of the controller’s touchscreen.

Whatever the case, only the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 will be hosting zombies on October 2nd until further notice.

Aussie-Nintendo

Celebrate the 1 year 3DS anniversary with Reggie Fils-Aime’s Mii!

Holly Green — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 23:40:25 +0000

Today is the one year anniversary of the 3DS! I know because SpotPass told me so. SpotPass also dropped a VIP guest onto my 3DS with the announcement, Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime! Get him in all his gold pants glory by checking your SpotPass notifications or just entering your Mii Plaza.