Welcome to Nintendo, Cloud and Linkle

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Well tonight I had an entry already prepared for everyone, but no sooner I came home, Nintendo decided to explode all over my dashboard. To be frank with you, I don’t even know where to begin.
Honestly, my brain is still recovering from the mind explosion that is Cloud coming to Super Smash Bros Brawl 4.

No, it is not a mod, no it is not a prank, it is, in fact, incredibly real. It’s about as real as you and me and my brain is still in shock because not only do we get Cloud but we also get a Midgar level, summons (including Bahamut), and a Chocobo costume for our Mii. There will be a Nintendo Direct in December to further explain when Cloud, the new level, and the new costume will appear in our Wii U and 3DS versions of Super Smash Bros Brawl 4.

The second thing that I’m still recovering from is the fact that Lady Link (aka Linkle) is now an official character in the Legend of Zelda world. Linkle was a rumored character initially spawned by designs for the iconic swordsman, Link. But now we have her complete with blonde braids and a smile that can even make Ganondorf smirk. She will be playable on the 3DS version of Hyrule Warriors.

Speaking of Legend of Zelda, Twilight Princess will be receiving an HD remake for the Wii U on March 4^th, 2016. Twilight Princess was already incredible with its graphics and plot, but for an HD remake? It’s going to look even more visually stunning. Along with the new look, Twilight Princess will also receive amiibo capability and a new amiibo based off of Link’s wolf form.

Lastly, remember how the 90s started to return? Well, the 90s are about to come full circle. Starting February 27th, 2016 Pokemon Red, Blue, and Yellow will be available for the Nintendo 2DS and 3DS. It will feature wifi attributes so you don’t have to go hunting for your cable link to actually trade Pokemon. This means you get to relieve your favorite childhood memories of picking your very first starter, fighting Team Rocket, and constantly being defeated by Lance and his overpowered Dragonites.

I don’t know about you, fellow readers, but I need to lie down. My head is still spinning from all of this wonderful news.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, subscribe, comment, and critique.

So tell me, how are you handling all of this awesome news?

Game Over: Satoru Iwata

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

What does it mean to lose an iconic piece of your childhood? Someone who crafted so amazingly crafted games that brought everyone together. Games like Pokemon Stadium, Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, Super Mario Bros, Super Smash Brothers Melee, Earthbound, and so many others. How can you say goodbye to the very man who wove your childhood together with these classic games and transformed you into the person you are today?

Well, it’s not easy, but most goodbyes never are. On July 11, 2015 Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo, passed away due to a bile duct growth. The bile duct has affected Iwata before, causing him to miss conventions like E3 2014, and to endure surgery to remove a tumor in his bile duct. However, it wasn’t enough; the bile duct growth grew immensely within the year and ultimately took his life at the young age of fifty five. No symptoms were detected prior to the notice of the growth when his doctors examined it only months ago.

Iwata was known for his work with electronic gaming devices from Nintendo and even as far back as his childhood. Born on December 6^th, 1959 in Sapporo, Japan, Iwata took an immediate liking to video games. He liked them so much so that he produced electronic games during his high school years.  These games were nothing more than simple number games on a calculator, but they were enough to entertain his classmates. Knowing what it took to make others smile by means of electronic gaming, Iwata pursued a computer science major at the Tokyo Institute of Technology. During his time at college, Iwata freelanced for HAL Laboratory, a game production company that collaborated with Nintendo, and was an unpaid intern at Commodore Japan working with various software and technical development.

Once Iwata graduated from the Tokyo Institute of Technology, he proceeded to join HAL Laboratory as the company coordinator of software production in 1983. Some projects he worked on were Balloon Fight, a few Kirby games, and Earthbound. Iwata was promoted to president of the company ten years later when HAL Laboratory declared bankruptcy.  In this position, Iwata helped the company get back on its feet and stabilized its finances. From there on, he assisted in developing Pokemon Gold and Silver, Pokemon Stadium, and even helped found Creatures, Inc.

In 2000, Iwata received Hiroshi Yamauchi’s blessing to take over Nintendo as president and Iwata immediately took the position while acting as a counselor at HAL Laboratory. Yamauchi was the president of Nintendo and retiring when he gave Iwata the offer. Nintendo wasn’t doing so well during this period, even with the release of the Gamecube. Iwata sought out to fix this by making games and game consoles that would appeal to everyone. Iwata had taken the Gameboy and transformed it into the DS and even pushed for the development of the Wii; both consoles proved highly successful for the company.  Iwata even helped Nintendo to increase its public relations with fans everywhere by branching out into social media and creating Nintendo Direct and Iwata Asks. These two Internet series allowed fans to understand what was happening with the company, game releases, and different promotions.  He also worked on different Mario series, Legend of Zelda games, and the Animal Crossing franchise.

By far, I believe Iwata’s greatest feat would have to be him cutting his salary in half just to keep Nintendo afloat in the world against competitors like Sony and Microsoft. Nintendo’s finances had terribly dropped in 2009, but with this man’s sliced salary, it was able to rise and take the world by storm once more. For a man to do such a wondrous action takes initiative, devotion, loyalty, and strength.  It’s not a common situation when a man lays his own hard earned money on the line just to see his company succeed. In a way, it’s like a parent raising their child by selflessly sacrificing luxuries and paychecks just to see them grow in life.

Satoru Iwata will be a man missed not only by gamers and Nintendo, but by other gaming companies like Sega. Some game companies refused to post anything on their social media in respect to Iwata’s sudden death. To even add to the man’s tragic farewell, a rainbow appeared over the Nintendo Headquarters with many saying that it was Iwata riding the Rainbow Road to Heaven.

As a gamer and admirer of Iwata’s works and noble feats, I will terribly miss the man who crafted my childhood of spending hours in front of the television and Gameboy, training my Pokemon to take on the Elite Four, battling my friends in Super Smash Bros Melee, and having possibly, the best time of my life. Farewell Satoru Iwata, you will be sorely missed by many and eternally remembered as the man who did so much and understood what it meant to be a gamer. Thank you for understanding and not only creating some of the best memories from my childhood, but a part of who I am.

Thank you for reading tonight’s entry. If you enjoyed it, feel free to share, comment, subscribe, and critique.

So tell me, what’s your favorite Nintendo game?

E3 2014: Get Ready to Play

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

E3 has blown our minds away this year and frankly, mine is somewhere in the Milky Way. With so much information on games, it’s made gamers pumped and geeks like myself, excited. So let’s get down to business and see what E3 has given us this year:

• A new Starfox game is in the works.

• The indie game, Destiny is a game like no other in which you play as an origami bird and fish. Your goal is to get these two together by matching patterns in various levels. This game will be released for the Playstation 4 sometime this year.

• Far Cry 4 exploded in E3, revealing settings and the new villain. We’ve also been shown screenshots and concept art.

• Dragon Age: Inquisition will be debuting on the PC, as well as older and newer systems on October 7^th, 2014. For this game we have seen characters that would be in our parties and the environment we would play in.

• Pac Man as well as the classic game screen have joined Super Smash Bros Brawl for Wii U and 2DS and 3DS. Lady Palutena will be stepping up to fight as well. You can also include your own Mii in the Brawl and customize him or her to how you please.

• Ubisoft refuses to make a female assassin a protagonist and has given us a glimpse of their new game: Assassin’s Creed: Unity. In this game there will be a four player co-op, giving you the chance to play with your friends. It will be available for the PC, Playstation 4, and Xbox One on October 28^th.

• A new Legend of Zelda game will be released next year on the Wii U. This September, Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Warriors will premiere on the Wii U in which you can play as multiple characters such as Princess Zelda, Impa, Midna, Link, and many others. 

• Bayonetta 2 for the Wii U will come with the first Bayonetta game and include tons of Nintendo costumes you can dress the sexy heroine in.

• Professor Layton vs Phoenix Wright will be released August 29^th, 2014 for the 3DS.

• Yoshi and Toad get their own games for the Wii U. Yoshi’s game will be Yoshi’s Woolly World, a game similar to Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Toad’s game will be Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker in which you treasure hunt in various levels.

• Speaking of Mario related games, Mario Maker is a game that will allow you to build your own levels. It’ll be premiering on the Wii U in the future.

• Little Big Planet 3 is getting a new game for the Playstation 4 this November. Sackboy is no longer alone; his friends Toggle, Oddsock, and Swoop are joining him to fight off the villain, Newton.

• Splatoon is a multi-shooter paint ball game that's sweeping the Nintendo world by storm. It will be released in 2015 for the Wii U. 

• Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light will be getting a sequel entitled Lara Croft and the Temple of Osiris. This will be an Egyptian adventure where you fight alongside the gods Horus and Isis. There is no release date at the time, but it will be available for PC, Xbox One, and the Playstation 4.

These games have fellow gamers and geeks filled to the brim with elation. It’s only a matter of time before we can purchase them and when we do, it will start a new journey that will create tons of gaming memories.

Are you excited to play these games in the future? What one are you dying to get your hands on?

Nintendo's News for the Gaming World

Good evening everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

With E3 just around the corner, Nintendo has tons of surprises in store. E3 is basically a gamer convention where companies like Sony, Nintendo, and other game industries show off their latest projects. One of Nintendo’s main features for E3 is that once again there will be no press conference. Instead, there will be a constant live stream entitled the Nintendo Treehouse.

Another treat Nintendo has for us gamers is the latest Fatal Frame game for the Wii U. While this is a Japan release only game, we can only hope that it will come to America. Fatal Frame is a game where you shoot pictures of ghosts, aka an occupation that any Ghostbuster or ghost hunter would love to have.

Another interesting game on the horizon is the latest Phoenix Wright game. As opposed to being set in modern times, it will be sent back in time to hundreds of years ago in the Meiji era of Japan. This game will focus on the ancestor of the titular character, as well as the ancestors of many other characters in the franchise.

For all the Pokemon lovers, there will be a new game released entitled Pokemon Art Academy. In this game, you draw Pokemon. Any Pokemon from Gen One to Gen Six are at your artistic mercy. For now it’s only a Japan release, but it may come to the United States.

Lastly, Mario Kart 8 has been mostly featured throughout Nintendo News. However, today we’ve received some good news and some strange news. The good news is that your vehicle comes with antigravity technology which allows the wheels to spin sideways and provides a spin boost if you run into other characters or just feel like spinning. There is also a new feature called Mario Kart TV (MKTV), where you can view your past races, and upload them to Youtube. This is the first time that one of Nintendo’s games as ever connected to a social site. The final piece of good news is that we now have a full cast of characters for the game, including Baby Rosalina.

pidgi.net

Look at those cute little cheeks! 

 As for the odd news for Mario Kart 8, it’s a character that for some unknown reason has been added. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Pink Gold Peach.

mariowiki.com

Look at that cold, unfeeling girly stare!

You may leave your confused remarks and concerns in the comments section. Also, feel free to follow me and as always feedback is welcomed. One final question of the night though:

What are you looking forward to in the future of gaming?

Let's Get Ready to Brawl!

Good afternoon everyone and welcome to The Magical Mystery Blog.

Just three days ago Nintendo hit us with news so spectacular it caused gamers everywhere to explode with emotions. Nintendo gave gamers everywhere something they’ve been waiting for: the Nintendo Direct update of Super Smash Bros Brawl 4.

Super Smash Bros Brawl 4 is a fighting game in which you go against classic Nintendo characters such as Mario, Link, Samus, Kirby, and Pikachu. So far, there have been three installations of the game: the original Super Smash Bros for the Nintendo 64, Super Smash Bros Melee for the Gamecube, and the most recent title, Super Smash Bros Brawl for the Wii.

Here’s what Nintendo Direct has informed us about Super Smash Bros Brawl 4:

• Super Smash Bros Brawl 4 for the 3DS (and 2DS) will be released in the Summer. The Wii U version will be released in the Winter. Both platforms will have their differences, but keep the same character selection roster. The 3DS version will have specific mode entitled Smash Run which is a multiplayer timed mission to defeat enemies, gain power ups, and fight each other. 

• Charizard and Greninja are now playable characters, replacing Pokemon Trainer, Mewtwo, and Jigglypuff. However, we still have Pikachu and Lucario, who is able to change into his Mega Evolution form. Lucario has also received a power boost in his Aura Attack, but if you overcharge him, it will lead to his downfall. Charizard’s final smash appears to him transforming into his Mega Evolution form. Greninja’s final smash looks like he’ll be using the move Extremespeed.  Speaking of Pokemon, there will now be two Pokeballs: a Master Ball containing a legendary Pokemon and a regular Pokeball containing basic Pokemon to temporarily aid you in battle. 

• Marth, Yoshi, Diddy Kong, Donkey Kong, Link, Toon Link, Sonic, Peach, Pikmin and Olimar, Bowser, Pit, and Starfox are also returning to the game. Olimir can now only summon three Pikmin which appear in a specific color order: red, yellow, blue, white, and purple. Olimar’s new recovery move features a winged Pikmin carrying him back to the platform. However, the more Pikmin you have, the heavier the weight will be. Pit has lost his mechanical glide, but has been given more power. His final smash has been replaced with a bow and arrow attack entitled the Three Sacred Treasures. 

• Characters that change form are now two separate characters. So now Shiek and Zelda are two separate, playable characters; just like Zero Suit Samus and Suited up Samus. Because of this, Shiek and Zelda have received new moves. Shiek has gained the recovery move Bouncing Fish and an attack called Burst Grenade, where she tosses a grenade at an opponent. Zelda has obtained the move Phantom Slash, where she summons a Phantom Hyrulian soldier to defend her. Be careful though, this summon can easily be reflected. Samus has also gotten an upgrade: she now wears electric yellow heels that help her from falling and allow her to perform quicker kick moves.

• There will be boss battles, featuring villains like Ridley from Metroid, Yellow Devil from Mega Man 3, and many others.

• All stages will now have a Final Destination platform option. There have been some new stages leaked such as the Living Room from Nintendogs, the Elite Four lairs of the latest Pokemon games, 3D Land, Rainbow Road, Tortimer’s Island, and many others.

• There is a new feature entitled Custom Move Sets, which can only be activated when playing online with friends. It allows you to customize your moves in combat. While much wasn’t discussed of this concept, it was noted that it will be explained more in depth in the future.

• There are new assist trophies and items such as the Beetle from Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the Orc Club, Fairy in a Bottle, the X Bomb from Kid Icarus Uprising, the Steel Diver Submarine Machine Gun, and a ton of others.

• While both editions of Super Smash Bros Brawl 4 allow online gameplay, the creators have added two new modes. These modes are For Fun and For Glory and can only be used when playing anonymously. For Fun, you can choose your stage (excluding Final Destination), include all of the items, only fight in smash battles, and only victories are recorded. For Glory, you only fight on the Final Destination stage, have no items, and both your defeats and triumphs are recorded.

This is all the Nintendo Direct has given us and honestly, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been so long since we’ve heard anything from them regarding Super Smash Bros Brawl 4 and this is a wonderful field of news.

As always feel free to comment and reblog, and feedback and followers are welcomed. Before you leave this blog, I have a question for you:

What are you most excited to see in Super Smash Bros Brawl 4?