Nintendo's CEO Satoru Iwata dies at 55

Satoru Iwata underwent surgery last year for his cancer and had resumed his duties after a brief period of recovery. Iwata was a highly revered figure in the Japanese gaming scene, he was considered the leading figure behind some of Nintendo's most popular devices since he joined the company in 2000. Most recently, he led Nintendo into the rapidly growing mobile gaming sector.

Iwata's main focus was marketing consoles to a non gamer audience and successfully launched the Nintendo DS and two years later the Wii which was branded with "Even your Grandma can play this." He was known for being a gamer first and CEO second.

Mr Iwata started out as a programmer in a Nintendo subsidiary in the 1980s and became president of Nintendo in 2002.

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Aisha Anime ^_^

Review: Fantasy Life

Publisher: Nintendo
Developer: Level 5
Genre: Adventure, RPG
Players: 3

Release Date:
27th Dec 2012 (JPN)
24th Oct 2014 (USA)
26th Sep 2014 (UK/EU)

The best way to describe Fantasy Life is a real time action RPG from level-5. This came was supposed to come out 2009 in Japan but was delayed and kept in development till 27th December, 2012. This mean't they had to enhance the specifications for DSi to 3DS quality. 

Playing Fantasy life is a different experience from a JRPG and resembles Animal Crossing but with more story and depth to the game - also the online capabilities differ greatly. Missing out the art and CGI counterparts of the Japanese RPG the game has a lot of big Japanese names involved.  In addition to Level-5, legendary character artist Yoshitaka Amano (Art of Final Fantasy) and Nobuo Uematsu (Final Fantasy composer). Most notably, Fantasy Life is the final game developed by Brownie Brown — before changing name to 1-UP Studios  a company that favoured by most JRPG fans’. 

The game is set in a medieval setting, where among a dragon threatening the land, you work with a a new race called 'Plushies' (not cuddly toys apparently)  to expand your skills as an adventurer. In addition to gaining XP and earning 'Dosh' (the in-game money) for vanquishing monsters and cows, each Life has its own series of tasks which make you a wholesome character.

When enough stars are earned, the player ranks up in the Life they are currently living and gaining access to new skills, presents (awarded by a butterfly) or recipes that also mostly remain usable when a character switches Lives which is key to the game's point. You can pick the job of a warrior, seamstress, farmer, carpenter, blacksmith, mage and more - the full experience of Fantasy Life lies in developing your craft 

The gameplay isn't especially difficult and great for new RPG gamers and retro, button presses are used to attack and likewise to use skills. I chose seamstress/tailor as my first life and to complete clothes tasks i simple moved left or right and press 'A' consecutively within a time limit. 

Fantasy Life is more of a customisation game and you don't heavily rely on numbers and statistics. Super cute Gear can be attained from Nintendo codes which they post up on twitter regularly.  

Part of the main story you complete your skill tasks to obtain 'Bliss' which unlock special prizes, part of the main plot was stumbling across a talking butterfly 'Flutter' she is the one who measures your bliss and awards you prizes from pets to more space in your inventory and I highly recommend making your bag bigger - as you end up picking up lots of items to trade.

Fantasy Life’s art has a hand drawn cartoon which works well with the 3D There is a minor visual issue with the perspective, which is midway between a top-down and a side view — combined with the relatively low resolution of the 3DS — means that details lose high definition but I am happy to enjoy the environment art.

There are rarely any cinematic moments in the game which is a shame, any there are used to advance the game's story. The game ios light hearted and has lots of humorous one liners in the game and lovable characters. 

It should also be noted, though its level of attraction will vary, that this isn't an exclusively single-player adventure. Fantasy Life’s multi-player allows players to get together locally or on-line in groups of up to three and accomplish the same tasks and challenges as in single-player mode (although it is not possible to advance the main story in multi-player). With the variety of Lives to live and the range of tasks to perform, any trip to any kingdom with just about anyone is sure to be productive in some way — and you might just get the right help to finally defeat that challenge monster that’s spent far too long in your Life list.

On-line facilities include  StreetPass to have new friends enter your land carrying gifts which you can only obtain after talking to them several times (they are in different areas of the game). Link mode also allows you to send your on-line friends messages (both group-wide and private) whilst not playing the game together.

Final Thoughts

Fantasy Life is a break from Animal Crossing, doing mini games and tasks which has some plot to follow kept me more engaged than I expected. Learning new aspects such as capturing mercenaries and handing them in for bounty. I recommend you choose a fighting type to begin with or else collect money gets a bit challenging. The art is charming coupled with a great soundtrack to make a Westernise RPG with anew concept making the game playable more than once.

7/10 

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@aisha_anime

~Aisha Anime~

NEW ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON LEGACY + amiibo SKINS

Real-life aircrafts have been colorfully coated with charming Nintendo character skins for the ACE COMBAT ASSAULT HORIZON LEGACY + flight simulator game on the Nintendo 3DSTM and New Nintendo 3DSTM/New Nintendo 3DSTM XL! A close collaboration between Ace Combat and Nintendo brings to fans visually delightful aerial combat as they will be able to cut through the skies while flaunting fresh paint to represent their favorite Nintendo characters like Donkey Kong, Zelda, Captain Falcon, Samus ... and even PAC-MAN!

Starting February 13th, Ace Combat pilots will be able to place their amiiboTM on the New Nintendo 3DS/New Nintendo 3DS XL to unlock exclusive aircraft skins tied to the same amiiboTM character, and today BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe has revealed new screenshots of the various character skins waiting to be unlocked when the game launches on February 2015!

Not only will each aircraft be able to visually feature character-themed skins, but the character will also determine parameter settings for the aircraft. The iconic Mario will be tied to the F-22, which is one of the most famous and powerful aircrafts in modern time and is well-balanced for both aerial and ground attacks. Mario’s eternal rival, Bowser, will be collaborated with the A-10A, which is most powerful aircraft for ground attack. Durability and offensive power will be increased to shape Bowser’s aircraft into a formidable aerial tank!

Maintain radio contact:

·         Release date: February 13th, 2015

·         BANDAI NAMCO Games Europe official website: www.BandaiNamcoGames.eu

·         Facebook: www.facebook.com/AceCombat

Club Nintendo is Closing in September!

Nintendo announced some shocking news today that Club Nintendo is to close on September 30th, 2015. Following this date, club members will not be able to access their account, earn Stars or spend any Stars earned from registered products.

This facility is famed for the many errors in codes and the website timing out and not being the most user friendly, however when you actually get the website to work you can end up with some nice exclusive merchandise in exchange for your buying Nintendo products and games.

There are a lot of technicalities to games being purchased between now and September as ther last date to register or use points will be April 20th. Stars will continue to be included with Nintendo titles until April 1, after which registration cards will be removed. Then from April 20, Nintendo will discontinue the registration of digital products purchased through the Nintendo eShop. If you've bought any digital games recently, be sure to complete the survey in your Club Nintendo account and earn any associated Stars before this date.

Stars included with physical products can still be registered and redeemed until September 30. Stars will not be included with the New Nintendo 3DS and New Nintendo 3DS XL (and were not with the Ambassador 3DS) releasing in Europe next month.

Don't rush to spend all your stars at once, though: Nintendo says that it will "keep adding more (items to the Stars Catalogue) over the coming months, so there's plenty to spend your Stars on before September 30th 2015". SO hopefully none of your stars will be wasted.

Club Nintendo first launched in 2002 and let fans register Nintendo products to earn Stars, a form of currency used to purchase exclusive rewards.

However do not despair a new programme to replace Club Nintendo will launch later this year, Nintendo says.

Those who sign up to the new programme during the launch period will be able to download 3DS illustration app Flipnote Studio 3D free of charge. Nothing has been announced officially about the new scheme yet

Monster Hunter Community Event with Ryozo Tsujimoto

Anyone who is a fanatic about Monster Hunter can tell you how loyal company Capcom is to their fans. Apart from sponsored events around London offering never before seen previews, help from the experts and chances to win exclusive merchendise. Their latest community event, held at the Capcom Europe offices in London offered even more to long-time fans of the franchise.

Upon entering the fabulous reception we were greeted by the zombie mascot and Jake who escorted us to the hustle and bustle of 120 gamers getting there streetpass on. After a few competitions for Japan-exclusive plushie meat  (vacuum sealed for freshness) , people were left to their own devices to mingle with other fans, play co op quests on big screen or on the 3DS’s.

It hadn’t been made clear what was going on but all the gamers were so engrossed in their quests it didn’t matter. I inquired to the plan of events and was pleased to find out that the Executive producer of monster hunter Mr. Ryozo Tsujimoto would be joining us!

After much suspense, he entered and we all made an orderly queue, people brought along their Monster Hunter art books, games, DS consoles to get signed and Ryozo san was more than happy to oblige. After everyone’s trinkets got signed we all gathered to have group photos, and there were a lot of us to squeeze in.  With Ryozo san being so kind to get photos with everyone, he bid us a farewell. We then grilled the Capcom representative for information on the new Monster Hunter and then were left to our own devices.

A great opportunities to catch up with fellow online hunters! Hopefully Capcom will arrange more community events in the future as this was spectacular with a great turnout!

Article originally written for Parallax Play.

Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity Review

Pokemon Mystery Dungeon Axew is a RPG style video game following the perspective of the Pokemon rather than the trainer. The games features the Pokemon navigating through a randomly generated dungeons using turn-based moves, trademark of Mystery Dungeon games.

These games are based in dungeons, where a floor map is randomly generated. In the dungeons, players fight other Pokémon while obtaining items, and finding steps to the next floor. Similar to Ertian Odessey and Guided Fate Paradox, this is not a style of RPG I like but I appreciated the animation and story.

At the beginning you choose a Pokemon to be Pikachu, Oshawott, Tepig, Snivy, or Axew, then you chose another Pokemon to be your sidekick. The game really utilises the 3DS' capabilities instead of the usual 2D sprites.

The story begins with you waking up as a Pokemon (of your choice) you bump into your partner (of your choice) and you run a farm together, I mean piece of land and it's all very romantic and you have to hire other Pokemon to make your land liveable and it means you have to go to the Mystery Dungeons to get gems and chase mean Pokemon. There are moral dilemmas in this game, Pokemon love to rob you. They add lots of popular Pokemon into the story and you pretty much have an easy ride.

The game also uses the 3DS' camera and sensors for the players to find round objects and turn them into portals, I haven't quite mastered it, it has to be obviously round, so checking people on the train is not advisable. The portals aka Magnagates need to be unlocked, and act as gateways to new dungeons.

The game features both free and paid downloadable content, in the form of additional dungeons. You can also go to the official site and play mini-games to unlock passwords to receive special items in the game too. The game has changed from its predecessors and is a great stand alone game to buy, people new to Pokemon can pick it up and play. It has an easy to use interface though walking through the dungons is a bit sluggish for my liking.

If your a Pokemon fan and enjoy more focus on them this would be a game to get, because of the difficulty. It's aimed at a younger audience, though that isn't to say you wouldn't find a challenge in the dungeons. The story is simple with comical conversations and lots of trait Pokemon behaviours. You can really appreciate the lush backgrounds and 3D Pokemon going about their day in the game. this is more for people who like more action than story.

Gamerdisco ft IGN: 6th March

Gamerdisco is becoming a regular hang out for me and my gaming buddies. Free entry into a den of games, friendly atmosphere, drinking and prizes.

About Gamerdisco:

From the team who brought you Nintendisco comes the new monthly club night 'GamerDisco' with only a name change everything else equally as Geek Fest. A truly social video gaming event for those who would like to play solitary. Get up and and make an event of it with multi-screen projected gaming from old skool Nintendo. GamerDisco at Book Club provides an adult space for arcade lovers and fans of video games.

This time there was a queue outside the entrance to the light-bulb en-clustered domain. Seems I'm not the only regular attending and it's true, the majority of people attending  are part of a community.

The variety of attendees span from amateur noobs, to tourney pros looking for practice or to score prizes. Last time one of my friends came 2nd in the Street Fighter tourney and won a steam code for Jet Set Radio (courtesy of IGN). Playable games were: Marvel Vs Capcom 3, Mario Kart, Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom and Streetfighter x Tekken.

The music has changed vastly due to DJ 'Jet Set' Rory playing some pop tunes in 8-bit forms: Riding Dirty, Goldigga and Pokemon Remix, which the audience and even staff were bopping to.

The only disappointment to the night was the lack of Ultimate Marvel vs Capcom 3 'till late into the night and no Tekken at all. I am hoping there will be a bit more variety next time and perhaps more games previews, as at the last event they had another room dedicated to All Stars Battle Royale which was a real crowd pleaser.

Overall a great night out for students, people on a budget or people who need to let off some steam.