Category: Game Releases

Nintendo spotlights Xenoblade Chronicles 2 before its launch on Dec. 1

In just a few weeks, Nintendo Switch owners will leave the familiar behind and enter the fantastical world of Alrest – a world full of living lands known as Titans and the fabled paradise of Elysium. To get fans ready for the Dec. 1 launch of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game, Nintendo presented a deep dive into elements of the massive game, including the vast environments, battle system and characters. This special Nintendo Direct presentation also revealed upcoming paid DLC, a fun cross-promotion with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, as well as free DLC available to download on launch day that will allow players to also play the game with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

“With Xenoblade Chronicles 2, we are giving fans yet another engaging adventure that can only be found on Nintendo Switch,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “This sequel is perfect for playing at home or while traveling during the busy holiday season.”

To view the Nintendo Direct video in its entirety, visit http://xenobladechronicles2.nintendo.com/direct/.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 is next in the series following the original acclaimed RPG that launched for Wii in 2012. This sequel features new characters and worlds, with an expanded battle system that will still feel familiar to fans of the first game. In Xenoblade Chronicles 2, Blades are artificial lifeforms that bond with Drivers to lend them their weapons and powers in battle. Main character Rex is a Driver and Pyra is a Blade. To help familiarize fans with main character Rex before the game launches, a new Side Quest will be available via a free update in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild game for both Nintendo Switch and Wii U systems, in which players will be able to obtain a Rex costume starting on Nov. 9.

In and out of battle, Blades have a wide array of support abilities. While adventuring, these abilities might increase the number of items that can be collected, open up new paths to explore or initiate other special effects. When players fight alongside their chosen Blade, they might trigger effects that protect the Driver, strengthen attacks and so forth. Abilities differ from Blade to Blade, so selecting different Blades adds to the strategy of battle.

Blades are just one form of life that players will encounter while journeying on the backs of the mighty Titans. In the vast world of Alrest, players will discover both peaceful and aggressive wildlife of all shapes and sizes wandering among giant plains, winding caverns, frozen kingdoms, scorched earth and sandy beaches. If players manage to defeat certain Unique Beasts, a tombstone will be left behind to commemorate the creature and allow players to relive those battles for additional rewards.

While traveling the massive world of Alrest, players will run into shining spots called Collection Points – which give players the opportunity to pick up valuable items or dive under the clouds to salvage hard-to-find treasures – or special landmarks that players can transport to at any time. Alrest is also teeming with bustling cities. From shopping districts to residential quarters, each Titan has its own unique layout and atmosphere.

Fans who want to expand their epic adventure can pre-purchase an Expansion Pass for the game in Nintendo eShop beginning today or pre-order it from select retailers shortly at a suggested retail price of $29.99. With this pass, players can enjoy DLC as it releases between the launch of the game and fall 2018, starting with quests and support items, and eventually including a challenge Battle Mode where they can face powerful enemies. This DLC will even include an additional adventure with a new side story set in the world of Elysium. Details about individual elements of the Expansion Pass will be released in the future.

Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will launch exclusively for the Nintendo Switch system on Dec. 1 at a suggested retail price of $59.99. The same day, the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Edition Nintendo Switch Pro Controller will launch at a suggested retail price of $74.99. Launch day will also see the release of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Special Edition. This special version includes the game, a beautifully illustrated hardbound art book filled with 220 pages of concept designs and artwork of the characters, landscapes and objects from the game, a sound-selection CD of many of the game’s memorable music tracks, and a special metal case containing the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 game card at a suggested retail price of $99.99. Players who prefer the digital version can pre-purchase the game from Nintendo eShop now, either standalone or as a bundle with the Expansion Pass.

For more information about Xenoblade Chronicles 2, visit http://xenobladechronicles2.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/.

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Celebrate the launch of Sonic Forces with Sonic the Hedgehog My Nintendo rewards!

Sonic Forces arrives on Nintendo Switch today. My Nintendo is celebrating the occasion with Sonic the Hedgehog rewards, including wallpapers, a Nintendo 3DS theme, and 50% discounts on some of Sonic’s greatest hits!  Redeem your points now and get set to go fast with Sonic on 11/7.

Games Rated:

Nintendo Holiday Sweepstakes

Have you signed up for the My Nintendo rewards program yet? If so, you can enter the Nintendo Holiday Sweepstakes, exclusively for My Nintendo members.

Be sure to enter the Nintendo Holiday Sweepstakes, exclusively for My Nintendo members.

Choose your five most-wanted gifts for a chance to win a prize pack that’ll make your holidays bright. Head to the Nintendo Holiday Gift Guide to get started!

Not a My Nintendo member? It’s easy—and free—to join. https://my.nintendo.com/

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  Void where prohibited. Open to legal residents of the US (incl. DC) and Canada (excluding Quebec), 13 years or older.  Promotion begins 9:00 AM PT on 11/01/17 and ends 8:59 AM PT on 11/20/17.  To enter, vote for your top 5 Nintendo products as stated in Official Rules.  Eight winners will each receive one prize package (ARV US $259.97–496.98). For Official Rules, visit https://happyholidays.nintendo.com/My-Nintendo-Holiday-Sweepstakes-2017/

Sponsor: Nintendo of America Inc.

Team Rainbow Rocket, Legendary Pokémon and more revealed for Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon

The Pokémon Company International and Nintendo today announced exciting new information for the upcoming games Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, the greatest villainous organization in history appears! It’s Team Rainbow Rocket—made up of the bosses from past titles in the Pokémon series! The boss of this new organization is none other than Giovanni, who was also the boss of the villainous organization known as Team Rocket in Pokémon Red and Pokémon Blue, the first games in the Pokémon series. Giovanni has gathered all of the bosses from the villainous teams of the past Pokémon games, like Ghetsis of Team Plasma and Lysandre of Team Flare, and recruited them for Team Rainbow Rocket. What Giovanni and his allies are doing in the Alola region has yet to be revealed, but players must prepare themselves to square off against this group of the greatest villains in Pokémon history!

When players travel through an Ultra Wormhole in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, they will encounter not only Ultra Beasts but Legendary Pokémon as well, like Mewtwo, Ho-Oh and Lugia! Some of these Legendary Pokémon will differ between Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon. If players explore both games or trade with other players, they can obtain all of the Legendary Pokémon that have appeared in previous Pokémon series games!

The Battle Agency is a new facility in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon where players can easily rent powerful Pokémon for battling. When players don sunglasses and become an agent at this facility, they can take part in Single Battles using rental Pokémon. They’ll have three such Pokémon to command as they try to defeat the three Pokémon in their opponent’s team. The goal: try to win their way to being the best of all the agents! As players progress through battles, they can receive cool items such as Gold Bottle Caps. The variety of Pokémon that can be rented for these battles increases as players mingle with other players locally or on the internet. By connecting with strong Trainers, players will be able to rent powerful Pokémon to use in battle.

In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon, players will be able to collect stickers called Totem Stickers, which are located all around the Alola region. Players will be able to get huge totem-like Pokémon for their teams based on how many stickers they have collected. The totem-like Pokémon that players can obtain differ based on whether they are playing Pokémon Ultra Sun or Pokémon Ultra Moon.

Finally, it was revealed that the QR Scanner will return in Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon. Players will be able to use the Island Scan to encounter Pokémon that did not appear in Pokémon Sun or Pokémon Moon, such as Charmander, Grovyle, Greninja and more.

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon will launch on November 17, 2017, exclusively on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems. For more details about today’s announcement, please visit www.pokemon.com/ultrasunmoon.

You can check out the trailer for this announcement here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BXhtZHn3vDc

Game Rated:

Mild Cartoon Violence

Nintendo turns Black Friday into Legendary Friday

With Black Friday quickly approaching, Nintendo is offering a variety of products to make holiday shopping a little bit easier and a lot more fun for everyone. These deals include two items that will make it easier for people of all ages and interests to get in on the fun and adventure of The Legend of Zelda series this holiday season.

The first is a Link green Nintendo 2DS system with bright orange buttons that comes pre-installed with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D game at a suggested retail price of only $79.99. This is ideal for young people who want to be introduced to one of the best games in The Legend of Zelda series on a durable and accessible portable system. The second is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Explorer’s Edition, a bundle that includes the critically acclaimed and award-winning Nintendo Switch game, a 100-page explorer’s guide and a two-sided map at a suggested retail price of $59.99.* The included guide and map are great for people new to the series, as well as people who haven’t yet had the opportunity to dive into the massive adventure.

But this isn’t all Nintendo is offering on Black Friday. In addition to these legendary deals, many other systems and bundles are currently in stores. These include a Nintendo Switch bundle that comes with the system, a download code for the Super Mario Odyssey game, Mario-themed red Joy-Con controllers and a special carrying case at a suggested retail price of $379.99.

“Between Nintendo Switch, Super NES Classic Edition, all the systems in the Nintendo 3DS family and all of the fun games available for these systems, shoppers will have multiple options for their wish lists this year,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Our Black Friday deals are a great value for people looking to pick up gifts for the Nintendo fans in their lives.”

Other systems and bundles that will be available in stores this holiday include:

• For fans of Mario: A white-and-red Nintendo 2DS system pre-loaded with the New Super Mario Bros. 2 game at a suggested retail price of $79.99 (now available).
• For fans of cool hardware: A white-and-orange New Nintendo 2DS XL system at a suggested retail price of $149.99 (now available).
• For fans of Pokémon: A Poké Ball Edition New Nintendo 2DS XL system at a suggested retail price of $159.99 (launches Nov. 3).
• For fans of exploration: A special edition of Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that includes a sound selection CD, a special metal game case and a 220-page hard-bound art book at a suggested retail price of $99.99. A Nintendo Switch Pro Controller themed around Xenoblade Chronicles 2 will be available at a suggested retail price of $99.99 (both launch Dec. 1).

To check out all the offerings from Nintendo this holiday season, visit Nintendo’s holiday gift guide at https://happyholidays.nintendo.com/.

Remember that Nintendo Switch and the Nintendo 3DS family of systems feature parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/switch/ or http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.

* The Expansion Pass, which is composed of The Master Trials and The Champion’s Ballad DLC, is not included as part of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – Explorer’s Edition.

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Style Savvy: Styling Star launches for Nintendo 3DS on Dec. 25

The newest game in the Style Savvy series is coming exclusively to Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS family of systems this holiday season. In the Style Savvy: Styling Star game, you can manage a boutique, plan makeovers and help your clients become singing superstars.

The much-loved Style Savvy series puts you in the role of a budding fashion mogul. By running your own fashion boutique, you can select the clothes you sell, recommend outfits for your customers and even create some high-class looks that are both fashionable and trendy. You can even customize the look of the boutique itself. If you have an eye for fashion, your styles will be the talk of the town!

In Style Savvy: Styling Star, you can also set your customers up for stardom. For the first time in the series, become a personal stylist for a production studio and make sure your stars-in-the-making look good. The outfits you select for your talented sensations will actually shape their stories, and you can even view the custom outfits you design during some musical performances!

Style Savvy: Styling Star has more than 20,000 in-game items of clothing and accessories to unlock as you play, many of which are new to the series. In addition to the huge number of in-game items you can use to style customers, players can also use compatible amiibo during gameplay to add even more options. All currently available amiibo are compatible with Style Savvy: Styling Star. Some amiibo, including Animal Crossing, Splatoon and Kirby series amiibo, will unlock Nintendo-themed design elements and emblems. Other amiibo will unlock a special design element and emblem.

By increasing your Style Rank through picking out the perfect look that matches your clients’ requests, you can unlock new events and serve as a consultant in other areas of fashion, like makeup, hair and men’s fashion.

A free demo version of Style Savvy: Styling Star is now available in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. Download it and give it a try!

Style Savvy: Styling Star will launch exclusively in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS on Dec. 25. It will also be available for purchase and direct download at Nintendo.com. For more information about the game, visithttps://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/style-savvy-styling-star-3ds.

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