Author: Mdp4life

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Message from Director Takahashi

Hi, this is Tetsuya Takahashi, executive director of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 which finally made it safely to launch!

Young-Adult Fiction & Boy Meets Girl
The basic story of this game revolves around a feeling similar to a novel told in first-person. While many countries and factions appear in the game, information such as scheming between countries or political sagas have been omitted from the narrative as much as possible because this information is not directly available to the protagonist, Rex. We wanted to create a story that follows his perspective.

Once this axis has been determined, we next worked on what direction the story would take. While we considered a story with many actors that involves a lot of interpersonal conflict, in which you can’t even trust your allies, we thought that now and then it would also be nice to have a story where you can trust your allies to watch your back without any reservations. This is the direction we took for this story.

Even so, an old guy like me born in the Showa era can’t possibly write a modern story, and it’d come across as awkward if I tried. So I gave up and decided to just accept the challenge with my outdated Showa sensibilities. I felt that, even if the tone is Showa and the plot points that players feel are sympathetic or moving may differ between cultures, the core of human emotion should not differ that much between regions and time periods. Because we’re all Homo sapiens. And in that sense, I can say that the story direction is the same as that for Xenoblade Chronicles.

For those who are already playing the game, you might have noticed that Rex’s catchphrase is “Let’s go!” As these words suggest, he will always keep moving forward. And he won’t turn back to the past. His characterization is probably due to the fact that I was born and raised in the Showa era. This is just the reminiscence of an old man, but I felt that it was a good thing that we always looked forward in the past. Even if there were individual differences in how well your life turned out, we had the hope of achieving a bright future so long as we worked hard for it. Of course the world around us was still gloomy, but society flourished because we could avoid looking at it. That is why we all worked hard and kept looking forward. The world feels more constrained now, even with all this information flying about. We’re forced to observe the dismal world around us regardless of whether we want to or not. Corny old words like “hope” aren’t popular in the current times. But I thought, wouldn’t it be better to have a character like Rex precisely because we live in such an era?

Rex is a salvager. While he has some physical prowess due to his occupation, he’s not a hero’s son or the prince of a major country. He’s just a normal kid that you might find anywhere. Of course, he’s not in the military either, so he won’t be leading armies or fighting courageously against legions. His reasons for fighting are very personal, and it’s because he’s fighting for a single girl (and their friends). There are limits to what one boy can do even if he acquires supernatural abilities. But if a boy were to race to his limits for the sake of a single girl, what kind of future would await them? And even if I can fight for myself (to some degree), can I fight for someone else? These thoughts are collected within Rex, and this is what I mean by the themes of young-adult fiction and boy-meets-girl. This is the basic concept behind the game, and the root theme throughout the story. While most people probably expect many buried hints and hidden information from the Xeno series, the story for this installment is a lot simpler and straightforward, and covers more well-worn territory. And that’s because this is Rex’s story.

The Climbing Down Game
The Titans offer a wide variety of scenery. While map design and the level design for those maps is something that Monolith Soft excels at, we have changed some of the designs for this installment compared to our previous games. While players found enjoyment in climbing up mountains in Xenoblade Chronicles X, the gameplay for this installment can be summarized as climbing down them. There are sort-of pathways that lead downward at many locations. Even if it first appears that you can’t climb down a certain location, there may be routes where you can walk across girders or fences, or hop across boulders to get to a new location.

However, in this installment, it’s dangerous if you fall from a high place, so make sure to think carefully about whether you can make it before you resolve yourself to make jumps. In the locations you descend to, you might find some adventure waiting for you, such as landmarks or Secret Areas, super strong unique monsters, unexpected rare items or quest objectives.

Rare Blades
While there are a fair number of Rare Blades, encountering them is completely random. Although it’s interesting to wonder who you will encounter, some players may also become anxious about whether they will actually meet one. I will make a firm statement. You will definitely (probably…if you’re lucky?) always encounter every single Rare Blade. (I found the last Rare Blade at 220 hours of playtime. There are still many things to do in the game at this point.)

While there are initially few opportunities to get Core Crystals, you’ll get more of them than you’d ever want later on (laugh). Although there are three types of Core Crystals: Common, Rare, and Legendary. Common and Rare Core Crystals can be maxed out by just playing the game normally. Even the valuable Legendary Core Crystals will be dropped in abundance if you Launch a unique monster of level 100 or greater and then Smash them down.

In addition, while most of the common Blades that you can get with epics are 4-star, the combination of stats and skills is completely random, so you might find a Blade that is even stronger than a Rare Blade. Therefore, we encourage you to use resonance as much as possible.

The Driver stats are also low in the beginning, so it’s enough to just resonate with Common Core Crystals instead of forcing your characters to use Rare or Legendary Core Crystals. In addition, the “Unnamed Core Crystal” that Gramps gives you at the start will always contain a Wind-element Blade with Knuckle Claws, so note that there’s no point in trying to reroll this item.

Enjoy playing!

For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit the official site.

My Nintendo™ is celebrating with a special December calendar and wallpapers featuring imagery from the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game. Redeem your points for these rewards today!

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Explore a massive new world in the clouds and collect powerful living weapons

Humanity’s last hope is in your hands. Join Rex, the powerful Pyra, and a diverse cast of misfits and heroes as they search for the fabled paradise of Elysium. As they search the world of Alrest, they’ll face a mysterious group called the Torna who have their own nefarious plans.

The Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game is a Japanese-style RPG with a deep combat system centered around living weapons called Blades. Blades are artificial beings with tremendous power–there are many different Blade designs to find so there’s always a new surprise around the corner.

Features:

• Explore the massive titans, colossal beasts that roam the clouds. Entire civilizations live atop these titans and you will travel to diverse locations – from sprawling plains to lush forests. There is no rest in Alrest!
• Collect Blades, powerful living weapons that bond with special individuals called Drivers. There are many Blades to find in Alrest (including special rare Blades) so keep your eyes open.
• Master a deep combat system that includes powerful combos, attack chains, and special abilities called Arts.
• Level up your character with new gear and abilities. Grow the bond between Blades and Drivers to access even more skills.
• Purchase the Expansion Pass to gain access to special downloadable content throughout 2018. Content includes helpful items, new quests, a rare Blade, a challenge mode, and a brand-new story!

If you would like to purchase the digital version of the game or Expansion Pass, please visit https://xenobladechronicles2.nintendo.com

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Super Mario Cereal from Kellogg’s makes breakfast a playful experience

With Super Mario™ Cereal, Nintendo and Kellogg’s® have teamed up to take fans on a breakfast odyssey that will continue long after the cereal box is empty. In addition to collectible Super Mario Odyssey™ box art, each Super Mario Cereal box functions as an amiibo™ accessory, making breakfast a more playful experience.

“This powered-up partnership with Kellogg’s is another exciting way for us to expand the Nintendo brand in unique and creative ways,” said Tom Prata, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives. “We are always looking for new opportunities to bring smiles to people of all ages, and this is a fun way to kick off the day.”

The limited-edition cereal box will begin hitting store shelves across the U.S. as early as Dec. 11. Those playing the Super Mario Odyssey game can tap the cereal box on the Nintendo Switch™ system, like you would an amiibo, to receive gold coins or a heart in the game. Even the cereal itself has a Super Mario twist, with colorful power-up marshmallows and a blast of mixed berry flavor in every box.

“We are thrilled to pack so much fun into one box of cereal,” said Brad Schwan, Senior Director of Morning Foods Marketing. “The package adds value and excitement for fans, with marshmallow shapes in the cereal inspired by Super Mario power-ups to tie the theme together.”

For more information about Kellogg’s, visit https://www.kelloggs.com.

Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/switch/.

Get games with Gold Points, just in time for the holidays!

This holiday season, My Nintendo users can now redeem Gold Points for some of the hottest indie games on Nintendo platforms. For a limited time, you can redeem points to download select Nintendo 3DS and Wii U titles from our talented independent developers. Users will receive a download code that is redeemed in Nintendo eShop. Get it with Gold Points!

Toki Tori 3D (Nintendo 3DS) 20 Gold Points
The gameplay in Toki Tori is a blend of two genres. While it looks like a platform game, it’s a puzzle game at heart. To progress through the game, players will have to look and plan ahead carefully while using items such as the Telewarp, Freeze-o-Matic and InstantRock™. Additional tools are gradually introduced as the player progresses through the game’s 80+ levels covering five worlds.

Retro City Rampage: DX (Nintendo 3DS) 80 Gold Points
Rampage the open-world, steal cars and run missions — all while jumping on civilians for coins and outrunning the law with power-ups! This send-up to ’80s and ’90s video games and pop-culture includes both a full Story Mode of open-world adventure as well as an Arcade Mode for quick pick-up-and-play action. If that’s not enough, it also packs an interactive city full of shops, minigames, customizations, collectibles, special guest stars, and more.

Tengami (Wii U) 80 Gold Points
Tengami is an atmospheric adventure game set inside a Japanese pop-up book. Fold and slide the beautifully crafted paper world to solve puzzles and discover secrets. Discover the wonders of a folding world — go on a serene journey through Japan of ancient fairy tales brought to life through striking visuals, gameplay and haunting music. Experience dark forests, abandoned shrines and tranquil mountain waterfalls as you seek to uncover the secret behind the lone dying cherry tree.

XType Plus (Wii U) (Nintendo 3DS) 30 Gold Points
Take the pilot seat of the XType attack ship and defeat an ever growing enemy force in this uncompromising Shoot’em’Up. XType Plus combines classic arcade action with a modern look and feel. The procedurally generated boss battles always provide a new challenge. Each time you defeat a boss, the next one will come back even bigger and meaner. You have to evade hundreds of bullets, lasers and rockets while taking out the enemy part by part.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Main character design – part 1

Hi, everyone. My name is Masatsugu Saito. I am in charge of main character design for Xenoblade Chronicles 2. I have been given the opportunity to write about main character design, and would like to discuss the thought process that went into these characters, broken down across a few posts.

I first heard about plans for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 around February 2015. First, I structured an outline of the characters by reading director Tetsuya Takahashi’s plot. Then I participated in screenplay conferences with Tetsuya Takahashi, Yuichiro Takeda, and Kazuho Hyodo to start expanding on my character drawings. Rex and the other characters seemed very lively in the screenplay and plot. Their emotions were very clear, and every word they said was very moving.

It was at this point that I decided the characters should be modeled simply and clearly. One way of doing this was with a design that emphasized their eyes. Putting emphasis on their eyes allows a variety of emotions to be expressed during cut scenes, and makes it easier to see the character’s expressions, even when they are far away.

I also gave the characters some obvious color coding to make them easy to locate from afar in fields that are packed with detail. Rex is blue, for example, while Pyra is red, and so on.

The development team requested that the characters each have something that would blow in the wind (e.g., a cape or scarf) to express the atmosphere of the field. I wasn’t able to do this for a few of the characters (including Rex, Dromarch, and Tora). For these characters, the subtle movement of their hair or other features helps give a sense of the air around them.

One request that I made was that each character have their personality reflected in how they walk. I think their personalities come through quite well. Especially Poppi, who you can easily tell is artificial. The other characters also have some slight differences in how they walk and run, which is something I’d like you to look out for while you play.

Next time I will go into more detail about designing Rex and the other main characters.

For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit the official site.

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Fire Emblem Heroes: a whole new story + more events in the latest update

To celebrate the 2.0.0 update for the Fire Emblem™ Heroes game, from 11/27/17 at 11:00 pm to 12/12/17 at 10:59pm PT, you can get Orbs up to 10 times from a Log-In Bonus! These Orbs can be obtained from your Present List.

That’s not all. A double EXP and SP event will also take place from 11/27/17 at 11:00pm to 12/4/17 at 10:59pm PT!

Key features of version 2.0.0:

Book II of the Main Story Has Begun

The saga of the Fire Emblem Heroes game moves on to the next chapter. Meet Fjorm: Princess of Ice and learn more about her special abilities. Then, get her to join your team as an ally by clearing Chapter 1: Part 5 of Book II.

Legendary Heroes and Blessings Have Been Added

Legendary Heroes – Heroes with new abilities – have been added. Fjorm: Princess of Ice is one of them, but you’ll have the chance to obtain others, too!

Legendary Heroes have one of four legendary elements, including Water, Wind, Earth, and Fire, that resonate with the corresponding Blessing to give Heroes strength. Blessings can give a variety of stat bonuses, depending upon the element.

Read the in-game messages for more information.

Level Up Your Skills with the Weapon Refinery

Strengthen the weapon skills of your Heroes!

After clearing Chapter 13, Diabolical Bloodline, in the main story and then clearing the Intermission chapter The Rite of Blades, Weapon Refinery can be found under Advanced Growth.

Existing weapon skills can now be refined into high-level weapon skills, and some weapons can even be strengthened with special effects, like increasing a Hero’s stats or other abilities.

Other Changes

• High-level Skills for Staves
• Cooldown Lowered on Some Special Skills
• Barracks Get Bigger
• Arena Scores Have Been Adjusted
• Arena Assault Rankings Have Been Adjusted
• My Nintendo Rewards Have Been Added
• Various Other Improvements

Learn more about these updates and events, and more about the game at the official site.

Game Rated:

Fantasy Violence
Suggestive Themes
Partial Nudity
Digital Purchases

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Behind Yasunori Mitsuda’s music

Hello, I’m Yasunori Mitsuda. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 was the biggest and most challenging project I have ever worked on. It consisted of a number of processes, including composing (needless to say), acting as a coordinator (for recording sessions), a producer (managing budgets) and working as a sound director, managing schedules, proofreading every composer’s scores, finaliziing/brushing up the scores and printing them all out, looking at the sound controls for Nintendo Switch, etc. I was careful especially in choosing the musicians, and in being efficient in recording sessions as much as possible. Another point to highlight was that musicians from all over the world were involved, such as a chorus from Slovakia, an orchestra from Japan, vocal songs sung by Ms. Jen Bird, who came all the way from England, and finally the Irish chorus group ANÚNA. One of ANÚNA’s performances is featured in this music video.

All kinds of genres of music were made, so I am sure that the game will not bore you no matter how long you play it.

I was invited by the director [Tetsuya] Takahashi (Taka-san) to be involved in the project of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 back on December 9th 2014, which I was very excited about. Three months later, we held a meeting to discuss the direction of the music, and the sound that Taka-san required. Then after a few more months – when the direction and the amount of music were all set – we held another meeting including ACE and [Kenji] Hiramatsu-san to decide who would write for what. Although generally we divided the music equally, I think the decision was made rather smoothly, considering that we wanted the fans to be satisfied, and we did not want to ruin the image that was already set by the first Xenoblade Chronicles. Each composer was in touch directly with Taka-san to communicate about the music they were working on. For some of the demos, I had phone calls from Taka-san, asking for my opinion on the music in question. Then we’d usually have the same thought and agree on something like, “Yeah, maybe that’s not right.” When Taka-san turns down a demo, he tells the composer exactly what is required in a clear way. He does so by putting himself into the composer’s position, and choosing the words he uses wisely, which makes it easy to make any necessary amendments. Another thing is, when I work with Taka-san I always want to bring in some new musicians or music on board, and for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 I wanted to work with the Irish chorus group ANÚNA. I thought that with ANÚNA, having their distinctive sound, it would be possible to express the mystical and majestic sound which fits well with Xenoblade Chronicles 2 . Surprisingly, ANÚNA were planning on coming to Japan for a different project, so I soon asked for their schedule for a recording session. This was an absolute miracle! The vocal pieces, which ANÚNA sings, are all important town songs, where the lyrics are written by Taka-san himself. Perhaps you may understand the game fully once you understand the meaning of the words…

The first time that I came across the Irish chorus group ANÚNA was from one of their albums released in 1996, called “Deep Dead Blue”. Back then I was totally into the music of Northern Europe, including Finland, Ireland, Scotland and the Mediterranean region. Usually world music consists of a land’s distinctive instruments, whereas ANÚNA found their way of expression through the human voice, which can be considered the original musical instrument. The album “Deep Dead Blue” really gave me a huge impression, as the chorus wasn’t like a classical one, nor Gregorian, or Bulgarian… I felt that ANÚNA was a new type of chorus that I’d never heard before. My attention was drawn to the lead singer, Michael McGlynn, and I dreamt about making music with ANÚNA one day. After 20 years, my dream came true through the making of the game Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

We have recorded four pieces in total, one of which will be released with a beautiful music video featuring ANÚNA. The piece is called “Shadow of the Lowlands”, and it played in the Kingdom of Tantal in the game. I am sure that it will give you a strange, mysterious sensation whilst walking around the Kingdom of Tantal. Please enjoy playing the game, as I am sure it will give you a totally new feeling that you have never felt before.

For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit the official site.

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Behind the story development

Hi everyone, nice to meet you! Or perhaps I should be saying thank you for your continued support!

I’m Yuichiro Takeda. I worked as a screenwriter for Xenoblade Chronicles and Xenoblade Chronicles X, and continued in that role for Xenoblade Chronicles 2.

If I were to introduce Xenoblade Chronicles 2 from my perspective as part of the scenario team, I would say that this story has the most Director Tetsuya Takahashi flair to date.

For this script, Director Takahashi provided us with a rich plot right from the start, and Kazuho Hyodo and I split the writing in half. I worked on the even numbered chapters while Mr. Hyodo worked on the odd numbered chapters. At the same time, Director Takahashi was writing the whole story himself. Then, the three of us all came together when we had our scripts. We built the script by leveraging our unique personalities and adding in corrections and revisions from Director Takahashi. This is very similar to the screenplay technique used for movies.

I think that the story of this game will be the ultimate experience for fans of Director Takahashi. But that’s not to say that I was cutting corners on my end! While writing the screenplay, I was able to dive into the world of Alrest thanks to Saito Masatsugu, who kept designing more and more interesting characters.

My personal favorite is the story about Tora and Poppi in chapter 4. I love robots and I feel like this story fully reflects my infatuation with the Nopon. I hope that you all like it too.

Though this is always the case, the screenplay is completed years before the software is released, so by the time I actually get to play it, I embark on the adventure just like every other fan. I can’t wait to explore Alrest with all of you very soon!

For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit the official site.

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is available now for your mobile device!

You can get back to nature in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, the new Animal Crossing mobile game where you can take on the role of campsite manager! Step away from your busy life and into your dream campsite where you’re surrounded by animal friends and the splendor of nature.

In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, every day offers something new! Have fun customizing your camper van, visiting animal friends’ campsites, or exploring the area for new animals to meet.

Learn more about the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp game on the official site.

On My Nintendo, there are Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp missions that you can take on to earn Platinum points to get all sorts of useful in-game items, including Bells and Craft materials! These items may help you build a fantastic campsite. Plus, you can get 50 in-game Leaf Tickets for free as a welcome reward.

Relax and enjoy the simple pleasures of camp life…any time you want!

Game Rated:

Major Splatoon 2 updates add new stages, new modes and new ways to splat

Nintendo continues to roll out additional content for the Splatoon 2 game for the Nintendo Switch system, and is now releasing two free software updates with a ton of new content and a new way to play. The first free update hits on Nov. 23 and adds a new stage for Salmon Run, new gear and new hairstyles for Inklings, as well as many other features, with additional new battle stages rolling out beginning Nov. 24. The second free update will be available mid-December and introduces a frantic new Ranked Battle mode called Clam Blitz, which involves picking up clams around the stage and trying to throw them into your opponent’s basket.

“These free new additions to Splatoon 2 deliver surprises to fans to keep the fun going,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This new content significantly expands the game and provides a great value for players, regardless of whether they purchased it on launch day or have it on their holiday gift lists.”

The two free updates include the following content:

Nov. 23 Update

• Four New Battle Stages: While four new battle stages are coming to Splatoon 2, they won’t all be available immediately after downloading the update. Like with previous additions, the stages will roll out over the subsequent weeks, giving players new surprises as they play throughout the holiday season and beyond. The first new battle stage, MakoMart, will be available to play on Black Friday, Nov. 24, with Shellendorf Institute, Walleye Warehouse and Arowana Mall coming soon. The new MakoMart stage is a giant superstore-style stage, so what better time to play than on Black Friday! Shellendorf Institute is new to the series, while Walleye Warehouse and Arowana Mall are popular stages returning from the original Splatoon game.
• New Salmon Run Stage: Fan-favorite multiplayer mode* Salmon Run is getting a new stage. After downloading the update, Salmonid Smokeyard will be added to the stage rotation. In Salmonid Smokeyard, a wide gap on the beach divides two upper platforms, with fan lifts being the quickest way to traverse the two platforms. Teamwork is required to use the fan lifts effectively.
• New Gear: Approximately 140 pieces of gear are being added to Splatoon 2. These include shoes, headgear and clothes, like a motocross mask, and additional winter clothing (perfect for the cold weather!), as well as returning items from the original Splatoon game.
• New Battle Music: Two new bands have been gaining popularity in Inkopolis! The punk-flavored Bottom Feeders and classically trained avant-garde-style Ink Theory are contributing new songs to the already music-rich game.
• New Hairstyle: When customizing an Inkling, four new hairstyles will be available to choose from – two each for female and male characters.
• Higher Level Caps: Currently, players are maxed out at Level 50. After downloading the update, the new maximum level will be raised to 99. If players talk to Judd when they reach Level 99, they’ll have the option to reset their level display to Level ★1 so they can continue raising their level.
• New amiibo Functionality: Tapping a compatible amiibo figure after the update will let players take and share in-game photos in preset locations in Battle Stages, in addition to being able to take photos in Inkopolis Square. Players can also add fun filters to their images.
• Convenient Gear Swapping: Players that want to change gear between battles in Regular Battle, Ranked Battle and Splatfest Battle (Solo) won’t have to exit to the lobby anymore! After downloading the update, gear can be swapped out without leaving the match room, making it quicker to get back to splatting. For Regular Battle, this also means players can play the next battle with the same players.

Mid-December Update

• Clam Blitz: In Clam Blitz, competing Inklings are tasked with collecting clams scattered around the stage. After one is picked up, the clam follows the player. The objective is to throw the clam into the basket near the opponent’s base. The first team to score 100 points wins! But, of course, this being the fiercely competitive world of Splatoon 2, things are not as easy as they seem. The baskets are protected by a barrier, which much be destroyed first. After collecting 10 clams, the player will earn a Power Clam. These super-powered clams are the key to breaking the barrier, so strategy will definitely be involved in which clams are used to destroy the barrier and which are used to earn points. Not to mention the extra-satisfying opportunity to steal opponents’ clams by splatting them…

Splatoon 2 is now available in stores, for digital purchase on the official website or in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch at a suggested retail price of $59.99. The upcoming software updates are both free and can be downloaded starting on Nov. 23 and in mid-December. For more information about the game, visit http://splatoon.nintendo.com/.

Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/switch/.

*Additional games and systems are required for multiplayer mode, and are sold separately.

Game Rated:

Cartoon Violence