During their E3 2012 Conference, Nintendo announced they will be holding a second conference tomorrow which focuses solely on the Nintendo 3DS console and new titles that will be heading to the platform.
Tomorrows Nintendo 3DS Conference is scheduled to take place 6.00pm PDT for the United States and 11.00am EST for Australia. You will able to stream the event live on Nintendo’s official website here.
With the severe lack of the 3DS at Nintendo’s main conference, it’s good to see that Nintendo will be giving their handheld console some time to shine tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a new Zelda for the 3DS or anything to do with Captain Falcon.
Fans of the both the Super Mario RPG titles and Paper Mario titles alike will have something to be excited about this holiday season! While the Nintendo Conference of E3 2012 focused primarily on releases and gameplay details of Nintendo’s soon to be released Wii U console, a small segment of the presentation time was also devoted to handheld titles on the 3DS. This year, BOTH of the Mario brothers got to share the spotlight. And while avid followers of E3 would have already known about Luigi’s Mansion 2 from 2011’s E3, Mario also managed to snag the limelight back on himself with the announcement of Paper Mario – Sticker Star for the 3DS.
The presentation featured a small gameplay tutorial of the upcoming title where some of the game mechanics were introduced. Described as the “shoebox diorama art style”, the game clearly seeks to capitalise on Paper Mario’s unique graphic style. As the title of the game suggests, this particular entry into the series will feature a strong gameplay mechanic intertwined around the use of stickers on the paper landscape. Not only can these stickers be used to complete puzzles and challenges on the overworld map, but they also come in handy in combat too! As we were all shown, stickers can be obtained from either the standard “?” block, or obtained simply by tearing them off pre-existing locations in the world. Yay for vandalism!
Are you dead tired after streaming all those E3 2012 conferences? I’m sure you are. We all need a break, and while some of the trailers shown this year have been very eye candy, it’s still a fair bit of work to take it all in and keep up with all the gaming news and trailers. So take a step back and enjoy some Dead or Alive 5 goodness.
I just reported a gameplay trailer for Dead or Alive 5 that was revealed at E3 2012, but following this announcement is a lovely rendered image of the iconic ninja goddess from the Dead or Alive series, Kasumi, sporting her refined Dead or Alive 5 design.
Here we see her wearing a lovely pink bikini with little white polka dots, Kasumi seems to be enjoying herself on the beach as she is all wet and I’m sure, very wild. So sit back, and enjoy this lovely ray of sunshine before you get caught up in all the hectic and fast paced E3 gaming coverage again. Enjoy!
What did we all think of the E3 2012 Nintendo conference? apart from some big first party announcements (Pikimin 3 YAY!) it’s pretty clear that unlike the original Wii and the Gamecube before it, Wii U seems to have a very strong third part developer support. Numerous third party Wii U titles were revealed at E3 2012, one of which is NamcoBandai’s multiplayer tank shooter, appropriately titled, Tank! Tank! Tank!.
The reveal trailer shows off a ton of gameplay, and provides a pretty good indication of what we can expect from this title. Players take control of tanks to take on alien creatures, the game has big explosions, impressive real time environmental damage, and some truly behemoth bosses.
Do we have a trailer for Tank! Tank! Tank! embed for your viewing pleasure?
Nintendo fans should be quite used to the Iwata Asks video series by now. In Nintendo’s latest E3 2012 edition, Iwata posed questions to Katsuya Eguchi, the man behind Animal Crossing and Wii Sports, who is also now the lead software producer for the Wii U.
Iwata poses some interesting questions to Eguchi to pry out further details on the Wii U console’s software capabilities and what kind of gameplay experiences we can expect from it. He touches on a variety of topics and goes in depth on the Nintendo Land game in particular.
You can check out the E3 2012 edition of Iwata Asks below, which focuses entirely on the Wii U software features. Be sure to let us know what you think in the comments section.
It seems that Ken hasn’t fully exercised his inhuman rage as TecmoKoei has revealed that their Fist of the North Star video game is getting a sequel, titled Fist of the North Star Ken’s Rage 2, which they suggest is a working title.
The trailer share bv TecmoKoei is a rather short teaser trailer showing off a random selection of computer generated cut scenes with a badass rock music track playing in the background. It doesn’t provide much indication as to what this new game will look like, but fans can expect a similar style of gameplay as the previous entry. The game has a working title of Fist of the North Star Musou 2 in Japan, and so players can expect the brutal and action packed gameplay that characterises the Musuo series. Of course, fans can expect the pure manly rage that characterises The Fist of North Star franchise.
The second beta weekend event is nearing launch, but players are guessing what has changed or wondering what will be new. Hopefully, I can shed some light on some of the upcoming features as well as the minor tweaks we will see in the next event.
Practical Adjustments
One of the more important tweaks concerns the amazing fighting format of World vs. World (WvW). So what has changed? Amongst the four maps that divides the massive conquest, a new mini-dungeon has been added to the center map. This dungeon will surely add to the intensity of battle as new environmental elements have been included to unleash devastation on unwary foes. I would probably steer clear of the tunnels just in case a giant worm or an army of moles decides to attack. Be cautioned adventurers, the new mini-dungeon will also house a quite literal “Dark Room”.
Combat received a small adjustment of its own as players will now feel ‘impact’. While the developmental team is trying to make combat more intense, they have incorporated a “sense of hitting” to the gameplay which provides subtle camera movements. Additionally, players can expect more precise combat timing and a crisper sound effect.
Visual appeal is important to gamers as well, and a few alterations have been made in this sector. Utilizing player feedback falls into place immediately in the UI development. For one the mini-map has been changed to a square and moved to the lower right section of the screen. Players can in turn adjust the size of this map in a simple manner to provide a personalized experience. Instead of leaving the dodge meter to the right of the player’s health, the meter has been wrapped around the health granting the player a smaller obstacle in the line of sight. UI Art Lead Vicki Ebberts had this to say about the art direction:
“Little adjustments, like making the map resizable or wrapping the dodge meter around the top of the health bubble, may not seem like a big deal at first, but over the course of many hours spent playing a game, you start to appreciate a well-designed interface.”
In the previous beta, players could experience a plethora of skills upon achieving higher levels. While this was an interesting way to experiment new skills almost immediately, the design team developed a tiered system for acquiring skills. This system adjusts the plethora of skills available and develops a hierarchy of customization to attain new abilities. Adding tiers for skills will increase the addictive qualities of skill development and provide many chances to build an unique character.
The Gem Store has been overhauled by The Black Lion Trading Company! Okay, so this may not be a minor adjustment, but I can certainly express my excitement for this one. Guild Wars 2 devs are excited to announce that the design and useability of this feature are pleasantly favorable. Items range from the decorative dyes and costumes to items that could rain insanity on a town for hours. Such an item would be the appropriately named “Box of Fun”. Players will be able to drop this box amongst the rest of the congregation and upon touching feel the adverse effects it holds. Participating in this beta will allot you a free 500 gems to spend on your heart’s desire!
What’s New?
For those that have achieved level 35 or higher, a new explorable dungeon lies in your adventuring grasp. The Ascalonian Catacombs house three separate paths that dictate a near inescapable experience. I have a sneaking suspicion that all three routes are equally devastating with dragons, demons, and undead! (Oh, MY!) That is only a guess though.
Perhaps you have not attained level 35 and are interested in leveling on rolling hills scattered with pines. Gendarran Fields will be open for those that wish new adventures just outside of Lion’s Arch. While you are slaying the wild beasts that roam, do your civil duty and kill any ruthless bandit gang that crosses your path – filthy thieves tooks me watering can.
Completely new to game is an alter known as the Mystic Forge. The forge itself contains a powerful djinn known as Zommoros who hails from the distant land of Elona. While the djinn is imprisoned in the forge, Zommoros will kindly take any salvageable item you may have to offer. In return Zommoros will provide a gift of a random nature. Should provide some excitement for all the useless weapons and armor I pick up.
World vs. World might provide some large scale tactics; however, a new automated PVP tournament will be implemented for smaller groups. Each tournament will consist of eight teams of five players that will face off in successive three-round single elimination matches. Those lucky or skilled enough to win the tournament rounds will be able to plunder a chest full of loot.
Closing Comments
All I can muster from the previous tweaks and installments is a big two thumbs up – way up there! I cannot wait see what this beta brings, and I’m guessing over one million testers will stand in unison expressing how epic this game is.
Join millions of others on Friday, June 8th, at noon PDT (GMT-7) until Sunday, June 10th, at 11:59 p.m. PDT (GMT-7) for the epic beta weekend #2.
Although the international release of the newest Pokemon spinnoff title is only 3 weeks away, Nintendo have revealed a new trailer at E3 to build the hype for this particular title even more. Unlike the other more “childish” spinoffs of the Pokemon series, like the Mystery Dungeon and Ranger series, Conquest appeals itself far more to the older hardcore Pokemon fans, myself included. The trailer has highlighted how the game will feature a combination of the classic Pokemon turn based battling that we already know and love with the gameplay mechanic of turn based strategy. If you’re a fan of games such as Fire Emblem or Final Fantasy Tactics, then this title is sure to appeal. Introducing the brand new Ransei region for players to explore and spanning across all 5 generations of Pokemon mainstream games, this will surely be one of the most eagerly awaited DS title releases this year. Pokemon Conquest is set to be released between June 18-21 2012 internationally.
Check out the trailer for yourself below! (Courtesy of Nintendo)
The recently announced PlayStation Vita exclusive, Soul Sacrifice, has just received its very first gameplay trailer, available for your viewing pleasure. This upcoming action title is brought to you by Keiji Inafune, best known as the mind behind the Mega Man series. Keiji Inafune has long parted ways with Capcom and has moved on to pursue other things, Soul Sacrifice looks to be an ambitious undertaking by him.
The trailer shows off a lot of computer generated cut scenes, but also has short clips of the actual gameplay, demonstrating the game’s combat system and in-game visuals. It all looks very impressive and brutal, you can check out this trailer below.
The latest trailer for TecmoKoei’s upcoming fighting game, Dead or Alive 5, has just been unleashed. This new trailer shows off several of the characters that will be in the game in action, they include Kokoro, Hitomi, Zack, Lei Fang, Ryu Hayabusa, and also Virtua Fighter’s legendary fighter, Akira.
The trailer shows off a fair bit of the gameplay and some new stages in action, needless to say it all looks very fast and frantic, showing off some impressive visuals. The trailer ends with a little cutscene where Zack is at a gym observing someone who he initially believes to be Tina, of course Tina later shows up to prove otherwise. The person Zack was observing turned out to be none other than Sarah Bryant, from the Virtua Fighter series, and she will be joining fellow Virtua Fighter cohort, Akira, to take on the fighters of Dead or Alive.
