Monthly Archives: March 2016
Marvel’s Heroes Choose Their Sides for Civil War 2
Marvel is currently gearing up for Civil War II, and they've started releasing a new series of teaser images that hint as to what role various heroes will play in the conflict. As a new superhuman emerges who can predict future disasters before they happen, the Avengers will be divided over the question of whether criminals can be held accountable for crimes before they're committed and whether the future can, or should, be altered. The tagline for this Civil War sequel is "Protect the future. Change the future."
5 Big Questions About Star Fox Zero Answered
Star Fox Zero re-emerged today after an unfortunate delay knocked the game into a spring 2016 release and rocked Nintendo’s holiday lineup. It’s been awhile, but Nintendo finally has a new flight plan for Fox McCloud and company. Lauded video game designer and Star Fox Zero producer Shigeru Miyamoto met with IGN last month to chat about the improvements made to his shoot ‘em up sequel. Watch our conversation below so you can get a quick recap of what’s new.
Now let’s talk about the changes Nintendo made to Star Fox Zero and what it’s like to play the most recent version. I decided to answer five big questions about what I saw, so please read on for detailed impressions. Do you have a question I missed about Star Fox Zero? Leave it in the comments section and I’ll do my best to answer you.
Why Federation Force Deserves the Metroid Prime Name
Metroid Prime: Federation Force received a negative reception from series’ fans back at E3 2015 but, in all fairness, Nintendo didn’t show us the game proper. Instead, the game maker focused on Blast Ball, a 3v3 multiplayer sport diversion that bore no resemblance to the labyrinthine, atmosphere settings of the Metroid universe. While it’s true that this co-op driven approach is a departure from the traditional adventures of the Galaxy’s favorite Bounty Hunter Samus Aran, what I recently played of Federation Force itself taps into the right stuff, effectively remixing Metroid Prime’s first-person formula into a fairly fun shooter for up to four friends.
The riding-around-inside-of-mechs concept of Federation Force is the same, but this a much better game. Each soldier takes a seat inside of a power suit, but don’t underestimate these chibi-fied troops. The suits pack some interesting features that help them stand on a par with Samus. Even on the 3DS, Federation Force has a snappy control setup of the Metroid Prime games.
Kirby: Planet Robobot Announced for 3DS
During its Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo announced Kirby: Planet Robobot, a new game for 3DS coming on June 10.
Planet Robobot includes a new robot suit for Kirby, plus Team Kirby Clash, a four-player multiplayer mode where players can collect tablets to unlock team moves.
Players can scan amiibos for special unlocks, including the Fire ability for scanning Mario, the Sword ability for scanning Link, and a mysterious “Smash Bros” ability for scanning Kirby.
A new line of Kirby amiibos was also revealed.
Stay tuned to IGN for more news from the Nintendo Direct.
Andrew is IGN’s executive editor of news and wants a new Pacific Rim-style film starring Kirby. You can find him rambling about Persona and cute animals on Twitter.
Monster Hunter X Headed West
During a Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo confirmed that Monster Hunter X is headed West under a new title, Monster Hunter Generations.
Generations will launch on 3DS this summer. Players with a save file from monster Hunter 4 Ultimate will be able to unlock extra bonus content.
Players will also be able to get Marth from Fire Emblem.
For anyone who doesn’t already own Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate, the game will be on sale for $19.99 on the 3DS eShop starting today at 3:00pm Pacific Time. The sale will last for 48 hours.
Monster Hunter X was released in Japan in November 2015 and more than 3 million copies were shipped.
Hyrule Warriors Legends Season Pass Announced
During a Nintendo Direct presentation today, Nintendo announced a Season Pass for Hyrule Warriors Legends on 3DS.
The Season Pass will include four content drops total.
Anyone who buys the season pass will also receive an exclusive bonus costume for Ganondorf.
A new character is heading to #HyruleWarriorsLegends as DLC: Medli from #Zelda The Wind Waker! #NintendoDirectNA pic.twitter.com/2eMVeNACaJ
SNES Games Headed to New 3DS Virtual Console
During a Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo announced a new collection of Super Nintendo games headed to Virtual Console exclusively on the New 3DS.
Nine games in total were announced for this upgraded set of Super Nintendo games, which will include a “Perfect Pixel mode” to play games at their original resolution.
The first set of games will launch today and includes:
- Pilotwings
- Super Mario World
- F-Zero
On March 24th:
- Super Mario Kart
- EarthBound
- Donkey Kong Country
Finally, on April 14th:
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past
Paper Mario: Color Splash Announced for Wii U
During its Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo revealed a new Paper Mario game headed to Wii U: Paper Mario: Color Splash.
Color Splash sees Mario on Prism Island, which has been drained of its color. Mario will use his paint hammer to restore color to the island, including one example shown in the Direct that featured reanimating some colorless Toads.
Paper Mario: Color Splash will launch on Wii U in 2016.
Color Splash follows Paper Mario’s debut in the Mario & Luigi series on 3DS earlier this year, Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. You can find out what we thought of that pairing in our Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam review.
Mario Maker, Splatoon Updates Coming This Month
During a Nintendo Direct today, Nintendo revealed new updates headed to Super Mario Maker and Splatoon.
On March 9, players can look forward to new items for Super Mario Maker. By shaking a Thwomp in the level editor, players can place Skewers from Super Mario World within levels. Players will also be able to unlock keys (by shaking P Switches) and locked doors (by shaking regular doors) to create locked areas of levels that players will have to open to progress.
Some changes will also come to online play, and new mystery mushroom outfits (including The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker’s Tetra) will be unlockable.
The day before the Mario Maker update, on March 8, Splatoon players will have a new free update that adds improvements to gear abilities, adjustments to ranked battle matchmaking, and updates to Splatfest. In the future, players can look for a two-part update that will add new weapon sets, including the Wasabi Splattershot, Fresh Squiffer, and Berry Splattershot Pro. The first update will arrive in April.
Mario & Sonic 2016 Wii U Release Date Announced
Nintendo announced during a Nintendo Direct today that Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will come to Wii U on June 24, 2016.
The game will feature the return of its wide cast of Mario & Sonic characters participating in Olympic events, as well as the debut of rugby, a first-time sport for the series.
The news follow’s January’s announcement that Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will come to 3DS on March 18th.
Stay tuned to IGN for more updates from the Nintendo Direct.
Andrew is IGN’s executive editor of news and has never played rugby. You can find him rambling about Spelunky and cute animals on Twitter.