Splatfest

Splatoon held it's first European/Oceanian Splatfest over the weekend. Splatfest involves everyone choosing a team based on whichever 'thing' you like best; this weekend's choices were Rock music or Pop music, and then you duke it out in Turf Wars for 24 hours and see who comes out on top! So, what went down?

Uneven Teams and Communication Errors

In many multiplayer games, it's still possible to seize a victory even if you have a smaller team...but not so in Splatoon. If you lack the full quota of players you may as well quit out because you'll be in for a 3 minute pasting at the hands of your adversaries, and it's just not fun for either team involved.

This became a real problem during Splatfest as it was clear after a few games there just weren't enough Pop fans to make up the numbers (at least that was the impression I got). This either meant you were battling against fewer opponents (or more opponents), or the server played you off against another group from the same team as yours (which is just as annoying as there's no incentive).

There was also a number of communication errors which booted everyone out of a number of matches, which I must admit has rarely ever happened to me since the game launched.

PAR-TAY!!!

The Ink-lings sure know how to throw a party as Splatoon's hubworld was plunged into darkness for the Splatfest, and everyone was treated to a neon musical performance by the Squid Sisters (Splatoon's resident music stars). Every match was accompanied by fully voiced rocking tunes, it truly felt a like celebration and really livened up the atmosphere.

The Prizes Stink!

The whole point of Splatfest was to earn 'Spiky Shellfish', which you can use to modify your equipment. They'll either add another attribute slot to your existing equipment, or randomise your existing attributes if you already have the maximum four attributes for each piece of kit.

The only problem I had is that anyone who picked up the game at launch most likely have the maximum number of attribute slots filled on each piece of their gear (making the shellfish pointless). Of course you can randomise your existing attributes, but randomise doesn't always mean better. I'm aware that some Ink-lings may want to improve a particular piece of gear they like, but there seems to be a better equivalent for every single piece of kit in Splatoon (again, making the shellfish pointless).

It would have been much better if Nintendo had thrown in some unique equipment for everyone to win, thus raising the stakes and making the Splatfest a must-play event. Come on Nintendo, let me win a FLUDD that fires ink!

Global Test Fire

Well this took longer than expected but here's my Splatoon blog! The Splatoon Direct didn't reveal much we didn't already know, if you've been following the splatoon Facebook page that is. The Global Test Fire event however, allowed everyone to play Splatoon's Turf Wars mode for three hours, so what went down?

Turf wars

Splatoons main multiplayer mode is simple; 2 teams of 4 players compete to cover as much ground as possible with their ink before the enemy does. Defeating enemies offers no points, but your characters special abilities will charge much faster, which is imperative if you wish to gain the upper hand. The nature of Turf Wars encourages you to explore the map, making age-old pastimes like camping redundant as you won't benefit your team. Turf Wars is fast, fun and refreshing in what has been a stale genre in recent years.

Setting the Stage

Nintendo offered 2 maps to play during the global test fire, Walleye Warehouse and Saltspay Rig.

Walleye Warehouse has lots of maze like corridors with an open area in the middle, encouraging mayhem between the two teams as they battle for turf. There's also an upper level to allow for sneak attacks and the opportunity to claim a little extra turf that may just give the edge to victory. The only problem with Walleye Warehouse is that when one team takes the upper hand and forces the opposing team back toward their own base, turning the tables is almost impossible.

Saltspray Rig is a collection of walkways and platforms in the shape of a squid. The two teams start on opposite tentacles and work their way towards the head. It's a great map as there's opportunities for sniping, but make sure to watch your step as you can fall from the stage and into the sea.

Weapons

Splatoon has 4 weapons to choose from, each with their own secondary weapon and special ability. First the Splattershot JR; a small automatic weapon useful for scouting and defending an area from opposing forces. Along with this comes some powerful grenades and a bubble shield which can be shared to allies upon contact.

Next the Splattershot, another automatic which feels more like the default weapon (much more balanced). This comes bundled with water bombs (ink-bombs?) as a secondary weapon, and your special ability allows you to throw flurries of ink-bombs for about ten seconds.

The Splat Charger is a rifle that covers quite a bit of ground when claiming turf, but I found it incredibly tricky use, especially in close combat situations. Splat Charger users also come equipped with the same grenades as the Splattershot JR and you can throw flurries of them as your special ability.

Finally we have the Splat Roller, which is turning out to be a controversial weapon in Splatoon because it's hideously unbalanced but great fun to use.  You can claim great swathes of turf by rolling it along the ground or flinging it to claim vertical turf. It's really a melee weapon so you've got get in close to defeat your enemies, but once you do they go down instantly. The secondary weapon is a suction bomb however, I couldn't see much difference between this and the grenade. The special ability allows you summon an immense speaker that blasts some funky tunes, and throwing ink into the sound wave allows you cover huge areas of turf and defeat enemies.

All in all Splatoon is shaping up to be a brilliant shooter and a must-have title for the Wii U. There's still a few things to tweak as we slowly make our way towards launch, the Splat Roller in particular, but with free DLC, tons of unlockables, and not to mention the single player campaign; Splatoon is going to have you hooked for a LONG time.

The Global Test Fire is happening again on May 23rd, hope to see you on the battlefield!

Free Hat! Free Hat! Free Hat!

I wish they'd announced this before I pre-ordered Splatoon from Nintendo.

For those who pre-order Nintendo's colourful shoot em up from Game, you'll receive this sweet inkling hat! It doesn't mention if they have any different sizes, so hopefully it'll be one size fits all. And even if it's not you can always get a handmade one from etsy. :P

There's also going to be a Splatoon themed Nintendo Direct tomorrow at 3pm (UK time). I'll be at work so I won't catch it straight away, but I'll see if I can get a blog up about it on Friday. 

amiibo Touch & Play

amiibo Touch & Play is a free piece of software for Wii U, allowing you to unlock NES and SNES demos by scanning your amiibo figures. Each demo is random and is not based on the character you scan, for instance we scanned a Yoshi amiibo and unlocked the Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past.

The demos allow you to play a total of nine scenes from different sections of a game for a total of 3 minutes a scene. The peculiar thing is that Nintendo have allowed access to the final stages of a game, I was able start Super Mario World from the Valley of Bowser?!

amiibo Touch & Play is great for those who have invested in Nintendo's world conquering toys, enabling you to further your collecting addiction by chucking in these demos. It's a good idea for those who haven't played these classic titles before, but since I already own most of the original cartridges it's kind of wasted on me. If they throw in some GBA demos however, that'll be awesome.

Happy Birthday

It's one year to the day since I posted my first blog. 

\ ^_^ /

We've come a long way since that first post, and while there's been some stops and starts, I've had a blast putting the blog together and I'm looking forward to doing so much more over the next year. I'm currently busy working to restart the YouTube channel, hopefully sooner rather than later, and I'm also going to be updating my Soundcloud. :) The epic clear out is still going on but soon we'll have our studio space, and once it's ready everything should start to move a lot faster (I hope).  

On the gaming front I'm currently addicted to Super Smash Bros on Wii U, and I'm determined to collect every trophy in the game (I have 355 at the moment... only 364 to go). Meanwhile my 3DS has been commandeered by my wife to play Xenoblade Chronicles 3D... perhaps we'll have a little interview/review blog all about it. :P

I finally caved and pre-ordered Splatoon. I chose the bundle with the girl amiibo so I can look dashing in my school outfit. Only 25 more sleeps and the mayhem can begin!!!

And finally we must remember that it's May 4th; Star Wars Day! I have been working on a blog about the upcoming Star Wars Battlefront, originally how I was so looking forward to playing it. After much research however, it's looking like EA may have strayed to the dark side. More on that this week.

Mewtwo returns and amiibo woes

It's a been a while, so what's been happening?

Mewtwo Strikes Back!

Last week the Mewtwo download codes finally arrived for those who picked up both the Wii U and 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros. Mewtwo is just like I remembered him back in the days of Super Smash Bros Melee, but now of course he has a final smash!

If you manage to outwit your opponents and nab the smash ball thingy; Mewtwo will transform into his Mega Evolution and blast his opponents with a devastating orb of energy (awesome). My characters of choice have usually been Bowser or Little Mac, but Mewtwo is slowly making his way into the fold.

No Squiddy amiibo for me :(

I left pre-ordering Splatoon a little too late and all of the Squiddy amiibo bundles are sold out. I'm holding out for another batch to appear on the Nintendo store, but if it gets to the final week and there's no joy then I'll grab a different bundle.

I must admit I'm pretty stoked for Splatoon finally arriving next month as it's shaping up to be one of the biggest releases of the year. The Wii U has been starved of an online shooter, but now prayers have been answered and Wii U owners are being treated to one of the most unique shooters I've seen in a long time.

Studio Progress

We've been clearing out some more stuff and you can finally see the floor, check out the photo! I'm hopeful the room will be cleared by June, but I may be holding off getting new kit until November...to coincide with the release of Star Wars Battelfront. :P

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer

Speaking of Star Wars; I was dreading the upcoming film was going to be terrible however, the latest trailer has done it's job and I'm bloody excited. Drop whatever you're doing now and watch it if you haven't done so already!

A Quick Studio Update and Nintendo Direct

The new studio space seems to be on course for the June deadline, a lot of space will be cleared this month to make way for new furniture and kit. The only thing putting the deadline in jeopardy is the last Nintendo Direct. It was a non-stop roller-coaster of excitement as Nintendo pulled out all of the stops by announcing a huge variety of new releases, updates and more! Here's some of the highlights...

Super Smash Bros: Mewtwo and Lucas join the battle!

Mewtwo was a force to be reckoned with back on Super Smash Bros Melee for the Gamecube, and now he makes his long awaited return to the Super Smash Bros series this April! Mewtwo will arrive on April 28th for a fee, but if you registered both the Wii U and 3DS versions on Club Nintendo by March 31st; you'll receive a download code on April 15th.

Not only that but Lucas from Mother 3 will be making his way to Super Smash Bros on Wii U and 3DS in June! No price has been mentioned, so here's hoping Lucas will be part of a free update.

Super Smash Bros goes to the polls

Another huge announcement was the Super Smash Bros Fighter Ballot; where you can vote for a Nintendo character to appear in Super Smash Bros for Wii U and 3DS. Peppy Hare gets my vote, do a barrel roll!

New Amiibo waves in the Super Smash Bros series

May 29th- Charizard, Pac-Man, Wario, Jigglypuff, Greninja, Ness, Robin and Lucina

July- Dark Pitt and Lady Palutena

September- Bowser Jr, Dr Mario, Ganondorf, Zero-Suit Samus and Captain Olimar (YAAAAAAAY)

Amiibo's for Mewtwo and Lucas are also in works. ^_^

Super Mario Bros 30th Anniversary and Mario Maker

This year will mark the 30th anniversary of the release of Super Mario Bros, so to celebrate Nintendo are releasing Mario Maker; a game that will allow you create your own Super Mario Bros levels.

You can choose themes from a variety of Super Mario Bros games including Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World and New Super Mario Bros Wii U. Not only that, but you can upload your created levels for everyone to enjoy.

Yoshi's Wooly World and New Yoshi Amiibo

Yoshi will be making his return in Yoshi's Wooly World, a platform game where the entire world is made out of yarn and wool. It's a quirky idea that's already been used with Kirby however, Nintendo will also be releasing special Yoshi amiibo's alongside Yoshi's Wooly World. They're so cute!!!

Octodad and Don't Starve?

It's certainly been a long time coming but it's also a pleasant surprise. Octodad Dadliest Catch and Don't Starve will both be making their way to Nintendo eShop very soon.

Octodad sees you play as an Octopus trying to make his way in the human world and not reveal to everyone that he is in fact an octopus. This means you have to carefully guide Octodad through a variety of levels without smashing everything up or making a fool of yourself.

Don't Starve is a survival game where the objective is...don't starve. You have to guide your character through a world filled with monsters as you try to scavenge, farm and fight your way to survive. Also each purchase of Don't Starve will net you two copies of the game, so you can send one to a friend and survive together online.

This is only a handful of the many big announcements Nintendo made, so if you haven't watched the latest Nintendo Direct just click this link. ^_^

Games on Club Nintendo Europe???

Club Nintendo Europe's Stars Catalog has been expanded with downloadable Wii U, 3DS, Virtual Console titles.

While downloadable games have been a staple on Club Nintendo US for some time, Europe has never been able to exchange stars for games. Here's some of the titles available at the time of writing...

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the. Past

Advance Wars

Chibi Robo Let's Go Photo

Pullblox World
Super Mario World

While it's great to finally see these games added to the Stars Catalog, hopefully there will still be more exclusive items on the way such as soundtracks and other merchandise.

Are you going spend the last of your stars on some games, or hold out for something else?  

It's Finally Here!

After nearly 3 months of waiting the Super Smash Bros. Soundtrack has finally arrived!

This double CD set contains a selection of 72 songs from the 3DS and Wii U versions of Super Smash Bros. In order to get the soundtrack you had to register both versions of the game on Club Nintendo by 31st January 2015.

Best track? In my opinion... Gerudo Valley from the Legend of Zelda. I'm going to play that on loop until the disk wears out. :P

Looks like a Zora, Swims like a Goron

What on earth is going on with the swimming mechanics in Majora's Mask 3D? I heard some stories that they weren't as good as the Nintendo 64 version, but I can barely control the bloody thing on 3DS.

The camera seems to wander wherever it likes when swimming underwater, if it was directly fixed behind Link there wouldn't be a problem, but it's like the cameraman forgot his flippers and is struggling to keep up. 

The extra joystick on the New 3DS doesn't even help. I'm already holding my thumb down on the A button to make Link swim; so I have to do some impressive thumb/finger gymnastics just to reach the joystick to have minor control over the camera. I have no idea if it's any better on the previous 3DS.

When I thought things couldn't get any worse, along came a mini game where you have to swim through numerous rings in a certain order. Oh joy. And just to make sure you're having the most hideously agonising time imaginable; all the rings have been rendered as solid objects rather than markers to simply pass through. So unless you pass through the ring's centre with reasonable accuracy Link glitches into it, until he's spat out, leaving you to slowly maneuver your way back for another go.

And another thing; why are the vertical controls for swimming inverted?! Link's meant to have transformed into some kind of fish/man hybrid, not an aeroplane!

Maybe I'm being too negative but I'm nowhere near finishing this segment of the game, so I have at least another 1-2 hours of this to go. Best get the coffee on. 

Skull Kid Figurine Unboxing

                                     

According to The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, the world needed to be saved in 72 hours. Well, this figurine took 2 weeks to arrive so it's a good job there isn't an angry moon crashing toward us.

The figurine however, is finally here so let's take a closer look!

The figurine comes packaged in a very plain white box, as Nintendo seem to package all of their figurines/trophies/toys, but it would have been nice to see some graphics on the box to liven things up. Once opened you'll find the figurine in a plastic cover which is easy to remove. 

The figurine itself is beautifully detailed but it seems quite fragile. It's made of plastic and upon closer inspection there's a been slight break on part of the Skull Kid's hat, which is a bit of a shame, so my advice is to take care and handle this figurine as little as possible.

                               

The base has the Majora's Mask logo across it, but the figurine can't be removed from the base.

All in all the figurine is great, with the detail on the mask being exceptionally well done, and it was an unexpected bonus, so I'm really pleased. ^_^

Now I leave you with a view of the rear.

What about AR Cards?

I've owned a 3DS for a couple of years and I've never tried the Augmented Reality cards...until now. :P

There's a pack of 6 AR cards bundled with every 3DS, each depicting a famous Nintendo character. Once scanned with the 3DS camera, the character will appear as if it's in the room; it's a nice feature that has been strangely under-used.

There's also some additional AR cards bundled with Kid Icarus Uprising, so I decided to check these out and to be honest they're not bad. You need KI: Uprising in order to use them but the artwork is fantastic and when they're scanned the characters look great. And if you put two opposite each other they're meant to battle, but mine just seem to get into an awkward dance off.

You could pick up KI: Uprising booster packs to add to your card collection, there's apparently 412 cards in total, but I haven't clapped eyes on a booster pack in shops for a good while and naturally certain cards command high prices.

I'm wondering if Nintendo will produce any more AR cards, as it seems strange they only bundled a small pack with the system and made a Kid Icarus range, but not for any other franchise. I imagine a Pokemon AR card series or even an Animal Crossing series would fare amazingly well, then again with the launch of amiibos it's pretty doubtful Nintendo will bring out any more.

What do you guys think? Do you want to see more AR cards or are you happy with the new amiibos? Let me know in the comments.

Majora's Mask First Impressions

It's strange to think that to sell Nintendo's (sort of) New 3DS they bundle it with a 15 year old game. Sure, fans were pleading with Nintendo to re-release Majora's Mask, but is it the must have title/console seller Nintendo hopes it will be?

Well Majora's Mask has undergone a complete graphical overhaul, it looks incredibly sharp and the world of Termina looks wonderful, right down to the smallest detail. The characters have also been re-modelled and look indistinguishable from their Nintendo 64 counterparts.

The music of the Legend of Zelda series has always been a focal point, and MM is no different. You'll feel overwhelmed at the sheer volume of music present in the game, and it sounds brilliant in this remake.

I've mentioned before that I didn't play MM the first time around, so when the 3DS edition was announced I tried the GameCube port of the Nintendo 64 original. The save system in the port was a little confusing; with certain saves only lasting until I turned the game back on, and this coupled with a faulty memory card didn't help matters. Luckily every save point in the 3DS version is a definite save point, so no losing progress unnecessarily, and it certainly helps the games transition from the home console to the handheld platform.

The controls are very straight forward, MM is very easy to just pick up and play. The only frustration is that your inventory is only accessible via touch screen/stylus, and it really disrupts the flow of gameplay. So keep your stylus drawn at all times cowboy cos you're gonna to need it.

Majora's Mask was a stand out for the series thanks to it's foreboding undertones, which has been the subject of some great gaming theories, so it may be a draw for those looking for something different from the franchise. Plus Majora's Mask is chock full of unlockables and side-quests to keep you going for months, so I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Nintendo Anime Channel

Nintendo has released a new anime-on-demand streaming service exclusively for 3DS (but strangely not the Wii U). 

It's completely free and surprisingly stable, I was able to watch a couple of cartoons with no sign of lag or any other problems.

There's a handful of episodes available at the moment with Inazuma Eleven, Kirby: Right Back At Ya!!!, and Pokemon Advance.

I'm hoping Nintendo will release more of their back catalog when they expand the channel, some earlier Pokemon series would be pretty sweet. Right now though; the Nintendo Anime Channel is off to a great start but what shows would you like to see? Let me know in the comments. 

Happy Nintendo 3DS Day

The New 3DS console lineup was released today alongside Majora's Mask, Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate and Ace Combat. So I thought I'd put together my Top 3 3DS games.

1. Super Smash Bros.

The perfect title to have on the go. There's just so much to unlock (characters, trophies, levels) the controls are excellent and local multiplayer is amazing (forget the online multiplayer though - plagued by lag).

2. Animal Crossing: New Leaf

In stark contrast to Super Smash Bros. we have Animal Crossing: New Leaf. A peaceful game where you play as the Mayor of your own town and you get to customise pretty much everything about it. It's not as demanding as previous entries to the series (thank goodness), but AC:NL is seriously addictive, you have been warned.

3. Kid Icarus: Uprising

A brilliantly dynamic shoot 'em up with stunning visuals and a heap of weapons to unlock. The best part though is the dialogue between the characters as it's wonderfully scripted and well voiced. Some found difficulty with KI: Uprising because of it's unusual control scheme; you hold the console with one hand and tap the screen with your stylus to shoot, I can imagine it's difficult for smaller hands but for a big kid like me I didn't have a problem. There's a bundle available with a stand which should make things more comfortable.

Can't Mask the Excitement

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D Special Edition arrived one day early...YAY!!! So let's take a look at the extra goodies on offer:

• SteelBook
• Double Sided Poster
• Majora's Mask Pin Badge

Steelbook Case

I don't own any SteelBook's but this is pretty nice. A lovely detailed image of Majora's Mask on the front, Skull Kid on the Back, and what appears to be an image of a map on the inlay. It's beautifully presented but I'm unlikely to use it as the game comes in its original packaging alongside the SteelBook, one for the collectors I guess.

Double Sided Poster

I'll let the pictures do most of the talking, but this is printed on very high quality paper and looks fantastic. I might get it framed and pop it on the wall.

Majora's Mask Pin Badge

I take back what I said in November because this pin badge is absolutely gorgeous. It comes in a great little presentation box, the engraving is incredibly detailed and it's been polished to the nth degree. Seriously, a lot of care and attention has been put into this.

Well, enough blogging about it because now I'm going to play it. Catch you guys tomorrow. ^_^

Free Skull Kid Figurine?!

Nintendo sent me an email and apparently I'm eligible for a free Skull Kid figurine! ... as long as they have the stock, of course.

If you buy any New 3DS console, including the Ambassador Edition, with The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask 3D, you'll be able to qualify.

If you already have the console and the game on pre-order from Nintendo's UK store; you'll receive the Skull Kid figurine at the same time or a few days after it's been delivered.

If you're planning to get the console and the game from Nintendo's UK Store, you'll need to order them before Saturday 28th February 2015.

And if you've pre-ordered the console and the game from somewhere other than Nintendo's UK store, you'll have to register everything on Club Nintendo by Saturday 28th February 2015.

Now if only I had somewhere to put this thing...

Yoshi Controllers

I had no idea what to ramble on about tonight, so I thought I would show you my wife's Yoshi controllers. ^_^

The Yoshi Wii Remote Plus comes with the green protective cover and the green & orange strap in the photo. The back of the controller is coloured Yoshi green, whereas the B button is orange. I think this was released alongside a Princess Peach controller, but the Yoshi one seemed near impossible to find, but luckily Nintendo restocked in time for Christmas. 

This Yoshi Wired Fight Pad from PDP is intended for use with Super Smash Bros, but it can be used as a Classic Controller for Virtual Console games and other compatible software. I was a little skeptical of this controller myself, as the promotional photos didn't make it look like the controller was built to last. First hand though it seems pretty robust, soon we'll put it through its paces with a Super Smash Fest.

Metroid Prime Trilogy on Wii U

The Metroid Prime Trilogy was digitally re-released on Wii U today at the reduced price of £8.99, an absolute steal considering the original Wii release can command high prices.

When Metroid Prime was first unveiled I must admit I wasn't too keen on it, probably because I was addicted to Halo: Combat Evolved, but as the trilogy is often praised for its quality I've always wanted to give it another try.

It would have been nice if the trilogy had been re-released in high definition, as the visuals look incredibly blurred, and maybe Nintendo could have included support for the Gamepad or the Classic Controller (I can't say I'm a fan of the Wii Remote/Nunchuck combo for FPS's). At this price though I can't complain too much for 3 games in one, just remember the deal ends on 5th Feb 2015!

It's Been A Long Night...

                            

After yesterday's surprise addition to Club Nintendo's Stars Catalogue (which has already sold out), I thought it would be best to prepare for any more incoming goodies and get these points registered. Especially since it took ages for the points to appear on my account yesterday, most likely due to site traffic. 

By the way Nintendo; when you bring out your new system, please don't make us fill in a survey every time we register a game. （；＿；）