Nintendo Direct 13/09/18: Extremely Not-so-live Impressions

Wow! This one really fell through the cracks. From last September the 13th's Nintendo Direct, the coldest takes on Luigi's Mansion and Nintendo Switch Online; the hottest Katamari, Switch Pro Controller, and Splatoon trailer burns. Oh yeah, it's a spicy one!

• 00:01 - Pegi 18? Okay! Maybe finally some Bayonetta 3 here. (It's going to a Devil's Third Definitive Edition, isn't it? I just know it!)

• 00:25 - Aah! Full disclosure: I did see the title of this pop up beforehand. I'm just wondering which platform. Surely not 3DS. Just let it go, Nintendo.
• 00:33 - I hate to be down on this, but man, I'd be so much more excited for another Luigi's Mansion if I hadn't just put a bunch of time into Luigi's Mansion 2. I'm on to the third mansion at the moment, and it's just.. not really doing it for me. I feel like they took the relatively light puzzle-solving component of the first game and ratcheted it up to breaking point, cramming the game to the brim with irritating puzzles that always seemed to based on some obtuse action that never seems even remotely apparent. Maybe I'm just dumb. :D

• 00:37 - Well, this certainly looks like a Switch game anyway. Liking the Art Deco look here.

• 00:43 - Gah! That ghost looks unnervingly like Luigi, and it's freaking me out!

• 00:48 - Okay, next year and on the Switch. Hoping this one at least makes the puzzles more fun. Possibly reading too much into production art here, but I'm guessing from the size of that mansion that there won't be other mansions this time around. Could we we a see a return of a more open, Luigi's Mansion 1 style mansion, instead of LM2's missions too? Hope so!

• 00:55 - Hmm, Takahashi returning from E3's Direct? It really looked like they'd kind of settled on Koizumi for helming these, but I guess they're still kind of in experimentation mode.

• 01:23 - Boooooo! No, let's not.

• 01:33 - Wow, Kirby's Epic Yarn: there's a blast from the past. A really fun little game - don't get me wrong - but come on, why not a HD remaster on a platform it might actually sell on, Nintendo? I swear, it's getting harder and harder to understand their continued support for the 3DS with each passing Direct.

• 02:35 - Bowser Jr.!? Guessing this must be another Mario & Luigi port. Maybe Mario Sunshine? Nah, no way!

• 02:39 - Oh right, Bowser's Inside Story! I guess this isn't out yet. Ask me anything about the 3DS's 2019 release schedule.
• 02:55 - Go on Bowser Jr.'s journey? Finally!

• 03:50 - Yikes, that's even more unsettling than the Luigi ghost from earlier. (Edit: And this was before I even knew he was called Gooigi. *shudder*) Yeah, won't be picking up Luigi's Mansion again on the 3DS, though I expect I'd be having more fun replaying that than I'm having with 2 right now.

• 04:23 - Oh right! Wow, I forgot the New 3DS even had amiibo support. Speaking of which, I really need to grab the last of the Mario collection ones. That Luigi one: pretty sharp. Still no Luigi's Mansion amiibos though, even with TWO compatible games on the horizon! Hmm, yeah, after the new Smash Bros. ones, I have a feeling that Nintendo are getting out of amiibo business. *sigh* So many cool Zelda side characters that we'll never get.

• 04:46 - Wow, that bootleg Ecto-1 is blatant.
• 05:22 - No, I really don't know why, Voice-over Guy.

• 05:25 - Yeah, Voice-over Guy, I think I'm going to go and continue to ignore every aspect of the Yo-Kai Watch franchise. I's been working out pretty well for me so far.
• 05:31 - Oh, who could have possibly forgotten about the Moon Crew update? I mean, really.

Nintendo Digital Event 2015: Not-so-live Impressions

Goodness knows why, but I've given all the main Nintendo Directs the not-so-live treatment so far this year. Here comes the big one though and I think a few predictions are in order first. Given the frankly ridiculous amount of time I've spent mulling these over this time round, I'm feeling pretty confident about my picks this year:

1. Boom! Animal Crossing! I think the leaked amiibos make this pretty much a slam dunk, but still.
2. A Mario 3D World sequel. I'm leaning more towards Wii U than 3DS with this one, but either way I think they'll put one more of these out this gen before they put this sub franchise to bed. A Wii U one makes more sense because it's in more dire need of games, and they should be able to turn around a Mario Galaxy 2 style sequel relatively quickly.
3. Pre-made levels for Mario Maker. I think they're going to be providing some pre-made, playable levels for Mario Maker. Probably some on-disc and downloadable ones after that. Possibly some made by some game design celebrities.
4. A Zelda surprise teaser. there's no way they're going to let E3 pass without showing the Wii U Zelda in some form, right?
5. Lego Dimensions - Nintendo have a rare opportunity to showcase a new 3rd party Wii U game here, one that should crossover with their audience quite nicely. I'd imagine here's where we'll see the big Lego Dimensions showcase and I bet they'll have some exclusive amiibo based content for the Wii U.
6. I'm going to say that we'll see Retro's next project here. I'm not necessarily expecting Metroid. It could well be be Star Fox.
7. Starfox amiibos, of course. I'm guessing one for each team member and an arwing.
8. And speaking of Star Fox, I hate to be a downer here, but I'm predicting they'll have made some major mistake with that game that will end up spoiling everything.
9. While I'm on a negative tip, I really don't think we'll see any more 3DS games specifically for the New 3DS here. New 3DS owners can't be making up a very big segment of the market right now and I can't remember Nintendo making any great effort to support the DSi with retail exclusives. (DSiware was slightly different case).
10. Another Kirby game for the 3DS. It feels about time. 
11. And finally, some kind of Mario sports game, besides the Olympics one they've already announced. After the success they've almost certainly been having selling DLC for Smash and Mario Kart, I expect a new Mario Tennis or Golf if only as a venue to sell some more.

I'll be bummed if all they do is fulfil my predictions here, so hopefully they have a few surprises up their sleeves. I doubt they can outdo Sony conference, but hey, here's hoping.

Let's get started!

• 00:00 - Well, this looks like the right video. (Trawling through YouTube in the thick of E3 while trying to avoid spoilers is a perilous affair.) Here goes!
• 00:14 - Wait, is that a muppet?
• 00:17 - If not, Disney are furiously pounding out a cease and desist notice as we speak.
• 00:25 - Muppet Iwata. What the fuck

• 00:34 - Yep.

• 01:00 - I was expecting the Reggie puppet to be terrifying. This doesn't disappoint. :D
• 01:01 - Ugh.
• 01:23 - Oh no! Where's Miyamoto?
• 01:24 - There he is! Oh hey, just noticed the Starfox shirt. Please be good, please be good...
• 01:28 - Just letting the bizarre wash over me. 

• 01:35 - Is it just me, or is there something about the way they twist their heads as they move that makes these things creepy as shit. 

•  02:05 - And speaking of creepy, Now I'm imagining Miyamoto in a fur suit. Wow, that's... that's a disturbing image.

• 02:47 - Thank goodness! Our Nintendo executive fur pile nightmare is over. Now these guys I can get behind. (Not like that though.)
• 03:03 - I really want plush Peppy and Falco amiibos now. I'm sorry! I can't help it any more!
• 03:13 - Here we go!

• 03:29 - Looks nice. This looks like Star Fox 64 Corneria though. Hopefully this isn't just a remake of Star Fox 64 though.
• 03:52 - Ooh, some Starfox 2 stuff. Liking the music a lot too.
• 04:10 - I really hope all this gamepad stuff is optional though. Holding it up and moving it around to aim was what I took from last year. I don't see how that wouldn't be awful.
• 04:30 - No sign of on-foot missions yet thank goodness. Maybe this is finally it: the Starfox 64 sequel; the game that was all anyone ever wanted.
• 04:37 - Star Fox Zero. Holiday 2015. Colour me cautiously optimistic. I wonder who's developing though.

• 04:53 - It's Shiggy. Huh. I wonder if this being developed in-house after all.
• 05:07 - Whoah. So Starfox was inspired by Thunderbirds. Crazy.
• 05:26 - Yeah Pigma! Again, this looks really nice.
• 06:15 - Man, Miyamoto just dropping revelations here. I would have never guessed the in-game arches were inspired by a Japanese shrine.
• 08:21 - Oh shit! A wild Starfox 2 mention appears. Any chance of VC revival, I wonder? Got to say, I not liking all this talk of the gamepad screen. If you end up having to spend a bunch of time looking at that rather than at the TV, that's going to be a real let down.
• 08:29 - Heh. "Didn't make it out" is an interesting way of putting things. :D Yeah, doesn't look like Star Fox 2 is due for the Earthbound Beginnings type treatment any time soon.
• 08:37 - Landmaster! (Damn you, Sakurai!) Yeah, I don't mind the Landmaster. (At least in Star Fox) The submarine I could probably do without though.

• 08:46 - The gyro wing, which totally isn't a drone.
• 08:54 - What!? Was that a ROB coming out of the gyro wing?

• 08:58 - That's a cool-looking boss.
• 09:16 - "Not a remake" Thank you, based Miyamoto.
• 09:53 - That logo does look cool. Kind of Street Fighter-ish.
• 10:09 - Oh, hey Reggie. Say, what's that blue feather doing on your jacket?

• 10:15 - Ha! We do like to have fun here at NOA.
• 10:17 - Yeah, that opening was deeply distressing.
• 10:27 - That theme was.. hot sweaty yiffing.
• 11:27 - Guess we're ramping up Mario Maker here. Yeesh, the Wii U NES emulator looks horrible.
• 11:58 - "Who knows. Maybe even I'll be playing." But no, seriously, I definitely won't be playing.
• 12:12 - New amiibo. HYPE! HYPE! HYPE! HYPE!
• 12:27 - Calling it: here's the full-blown amiibo Skylanders-type  game I predicted last year. :D
• 12:37 - Wha? Vicarious Visions. Googlekata suggests they're the Skylanders devs. Are they doing an amiibo tie-in with this year's one?

• 13:14 - Yep. Donkey Kong coming to Skylanders this year. Looks more like a Skylanders figure than an amiibo though. Haven't messed with any kind of Skylanders yet. I'll probablly pick up a bunch of stuff once Activision runs the franchise into the ground and the firesales start. Just like Guitar Hero. :D
• 13:47 - This is some late Gamecube EA-style business here. (An unprecedented partnership, if you will.) I imagine it'll have a similar effect on the sales of Skylanders as it did on the sales of SSX: On Tour and NBA Street V3 on GC: not much.
• 14:14 - Oh, the figures are amiibos too. Nah, no sale; not into these ones.
• 15:38 - Weird that they didn't have some kind of Starfox tie-in though if vehicles are the big thing in this year's Skylanders. Anyway...
• 15:47 - This puppet stuff isn't doing it for me at all this year. It's certainly no Iwata/Reggie smash brawl. Than again, wasn't last year the Robot Chicken stuff too? Ugh.

• 15:56 - Huh? I guess they're adding Zelda stuff to Mario Maker. Makes sense, I guess.
• 16:04 - Or not. Zelda Triforce Heroes.
• 16:08 - Sounds like a Four Swords follow-up maybe.

• 16:12 - Yep, looks like it. On 3DS.
• 16:15 - There are totally going to be DLC outfits in this, aren't there.
• 17:37 - For a second there I thought this was going to be New 3DS exclusive. My prediction stands!
• 18:51 - Yeah, I'm never going to play this. I can't really say I ever found the ea of multiplayer Zelda especially appealing. Plus, local handheld multiplayer: just not happening.

• 20:10 - They're really leaning into the outfit stuff here. No way they're not pushing DLC for this one. DeNaaaaaaaaaaa!
• 20:37 - Oh, there is online multiplayer. Still not for me, I think.
• 21:19 - Ah, the 3DS Hyrule Warriors.

• 21:43 - That King of Red Lions attack looks rad! I'll bet it's no fun to use though. Looks like the crappy spinner lunge forward attack. (Stupid spinner. Man, what a complete disappointment that was. :D)
• 22:20 - Wait, are we getting another Wii U Hyrule Warriors here?
• 22:31 - Nope. More Hyrule Warriors Legends. Disappointing to see that this is (mostly) just a downport with a few new bits of content. Was anyone really crying out for this?
• 23:36 - Well, we're at about the halfway point now. Starting to get the impression tat this point hat this year's going to be a bit of a let down.
• 23:55 - Another 3DS game. (Come on, guys. Where's the Wii U love?)

• 24:03 - What?! This is a Metroid Prime game? Oh boy, judging by teh kiddy look of those galactic federation guys, I sense people on the internet are going to be pissssssed at this. :D
• 24:07 - Another 3DS multiplayer game. No, after eight years of no Metroid Prime, this is exactly the type of revival I was hoping for. Thanks Nintendo. Now I'm pissed at this. :D
• 24:33 - So was that Blast Ball thing they showed at the Nintendo World Championships just a prototype for the Blast Ball mode in this? Available 2016. Yeah, hmm. I don't know about this one.

Nintendo Direct (UK) 01.04.15: Not-so-live Impressions

It's Thursday, April 02. It's well after midnight. Let's see how far I can get into this before I fall asleep, hopefully not from boredom. :D

• 00:00 - Ooh, Pegi 18? What they could be showing off now to warrant that? Devil's Third maybe. 
• 00:11 - Straight into Smash Bros. So, I've seen something about DLC after glancing at GAF by accident. Before they announce it, I'm busting out my heavily Mario Kart 8 inspired, but rock-solid prediction of two DLC packs, each with one new character and about three new/returning stages. And one of the characters is the Ice Climbers. Boom!
• 00:15 - That looks like Lucario.

 

• 00:16 - No, it's Mewtwo. Man, if this is the only DLC they're showing off here, I'm going to be disappointed. Already have a code for him (her?) on the way after buying both versions of the game just to get the soundtrack. (Damn it, Nintendo).
• 00:46 - I have to say though: I don't get the appeal of Mewtwo at all. Granted, I've seen very little of the show and none of the movies, but just look at how dumb that thing looks.
• 01:33 - I don't know, Iwata. I'm having a hard time believing that this took that long to rehash a character from from Melee and Brawl.

 

• 01:41 - Wait, €3.99 for just a character. That's a fair bit of an escalation from the DLC pricing we've from Nintendo up to now. (DeNA's toxic influence already seeping in. The end is nigh!!!!)
• 02:22 - Yeesh, they're going in and rebalancing Smash Bros.. I don't think you realise the wrath you may end up unleashing on message boards across the Internet, Nintendo. I think you have no idea. And could you really not share custom stages up until now? I don't know why I'm surprised. :D

 

• 02:37 - Cat costumes in Smash Bros. Finally.
• 02:38 - Zelda costumes in Smash Bros. Finally.
• 02:44 - Oh, these are for Miis. Well, like I keep saying: fuck Miis. :D (I know. The hypocrisy level's off the charts. :D)

 

• 02:55 - Smash Bros. for Wii U: your exclusive home for Mega Man content in 2015.

 

• 02:59 - Wait! Fucking what?! These aren't free? DeNAaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! 
• 03:11 - Okay, more new content: single use items. Maxim tomatoes only ten cents. Bumpers forty-nine cents a pair.

 

• 03:38 - No, it's Lucas. Wait, was Lucas not in already? As you can can tell, I've played both versions of Smash Bros. extensively. (Yeah, I don't know. Smash Bros. has always been more appealing to me for the fan service than the gameplay. With the story mode gone and the amount of stuff returning from the previous games this time, I think I might be done after this one.)
• 04:48 - We've heard the request and decided to offer Lucas... for the low, low price of €3.99.
• 04:58 - Well, that sure wasn't a "for free". :D I wonder if people are going to go for these at four euros a pop. Man, this really isn't the type of DLC offering I was hoping for for Smash Bros.. Not too surprised that the characters are already established ones, but I really expected them to throw in a few old stages at least and offer a nice, value pack of content like the did with MK8. I guess they're still trying things out.

 

• 05:10 - Fucking Paper Mario!! Put Paper Mario in the game damn it!
• 05:39 - :D Oh, Iwata, you're loving that *directly* thing more and more as time goes on. Welp, definitely voting for Paper Mario, but I expect it'll do about as much good as me asking for Ash songs in the Rock Band. This ballot's going to be nothing but an endless stream of Ridley and freakin' Geno.
• 05:59 - If anyone legitimately votes for Cat Mario, know this: I will hunt you down.
• 06:27 - I'm actually legitimately excited for amiibos now. I know. I have a sickness. (Damn you, scalpers. Still looking for Toad at a reasonable price. Why didn't I pre-order? Gah!)

 

• 06:34 - Nah, nothing for me either this time. I'd like a Gannondorf one, not the Smash Bros. version though.

 

• 06:40 - Ooh, Olimar. Yeah! Gimme, gimmee!
• 06:58 - Touch & Play - this is the amiibo demo thing that surfaced a few weeks ago.

 

• 08:01 - Please tell me Iwata didn't just reference Forest Gump. :D This is kind of an odd system though tbh. Wouldn't it make more sense to have the amiibo unlock a game from the series it belongs to? Then again, Pinball and stuff don't have amiibos, I guess. Yet.

 

• 08:34 - That may have been the coolest Nintendo logo treatment ever. So, I guess this is Mario Maker?
• 09:23 - Yep. That was pretty awesome. No Mario 2 tile set though by the looks of things.
• 10:45 - "...but why would anyone want to switch to that" Okay, NSMBU had probably the best art direction of that series, but still...
• 11:30 - "Please look forward to the Super Mario All-stars rom, now on a Wii U disc!"
• 11:56 - Shibata now. Looks like it's Yoshi Wolly World time. Oh yeah!

 

• 12:22 - Squeeeeeeeee!

 

• 13:18 - Oh my god! This wolly Yoshi amiibo may be all I've ever wanted out of life.
• 14:05 - June 06. Damn it. I need that bundle. I need that bundle now!
• 14:08 - Welp, on to Splatoon.

 

• 14:50 - Been sold on this since E3 so I'm kind of zoning out here. interested to try out the single player too though.

 

• 16:02 - Meh, not feeling these amiibos. I think the Splatoon characters look neat in-game, but these look like licensed figures for some crappy early 00's-ish cartoon.
• 16:53 - That squid one though...

Okay, I'm checking out here for the night here. Really want to keep going, I'm riding on a Yoshi amiibo high, but I guess I better get at least a few hours sleep. Society demands it!

And I'm back! I'd like to say I was dreaming wollen Yoshis last night, Actually, I was in sort of horror movie where everyone was getting killed off by this 2D red and white guy with a wheezy laugh, which I guess makes me the last girl.  Anyway...

 

• 17:24 - Affordable Space Adventures. Looks decidedly indie, not sure if it's new or not. The name has a familiar ring to it at least.
• 17:34 - Stealth? Managing systems? Yeah, I think I'm out. :D
• 18:21 - Oh, Swords & Soldiers II. I should probably get around to playing the original at some point.
• 19:02 - Man, Shibata's seems to be having a hard time with the script today. Well, more than usual any way.

 

• 19:19 - Boom! Finally some N64 and DS Virtual Console games.
• 19:27 - Okay, I'll probably pony up some cash for Mario Kart DS. Haven't played it, but it's pretty good apparently. Wonder how it's going to look blown up on a big screen though. Can't imagine they're doing any kind of upscaling, *sigh* as usual.

 

• 19:42 - Wow! :D Yeah, that's not how I'll be playing them any way. Come on, could we at least have a DS Lite border?
• 19:56 - "The leader of the bunch." - Ugh, Garry Glitter? No, wait. It's Donkey Kong.

Animal Crossing Patterns

(Originally posted on JiliK's Stuff)

I remember reading about AC back before I had gotten a Cube and I was just blown away by the idea it - real time world with all kinds of stuff to do and NES games to unlock just sounded incredible. It took quite a while, but I finally gotten my hands on it recently and while there maybe isn't as much stuff to do as I'd like, it's still a great game and as addictive as crack.

One of the things you can dabble while not raising money to pay back that bloodsucker, Nook is to design patterns that you can put on your clothes, umbrella etc. Here are a few dodgy ones I've done, screen capped for your enjoyment. Click on the patterns below to enlarge them.

Black/Blue

A real hit with the animals in my village, this is based on the colour scheme from my old web site. And look at the genius of the name, it's black and blue with a white slash through it. Genius, I tell you!

Splatter

A little disturbing maybe, but it's also pretty funny to see some animals wandering around town with blood spattered clothes on. Not as funny as making them say "biatch" at the end of each sentence though.

Union Jack

Not very original, but perfect for that Geri Halliwell look.

Trippy

What do you mean it doesn't make you think you're having a psychedelic experience?

Rainbow

This one's pretty crappy. It's kind of a 70's look with rainbow coloured stripes against a beige background.

Non-Copyright-Infringing Block Pattern

Ooh, exclusive content. :D Made this one around September 07 so it didn't make the cut for the original version of this. Looked pretty cool on a shirt in-game, but man, the more I look at it here, the more those cut-off blocks on the left and the too-long straight piece on the right are bothering me. *sigh* I probably need to get out more. :D