9 Shows Nintendo Needs to Make

In last week's post, it was announced that Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima was going to start 2016 by doing five key objectives in order to branch out the company and make even more money. One of these objectives was to start making more anime and shows that could feature Nintendo stars. This is huge news. I remember watching the Super Mario and Legend of Zelda cartoons during the 80s-90s. They occasionally did make shows based on the other characters like Kirby and Donkey Kong, but now it seems that they are going to be invested in making more shows with more characters. Here's a list of shows that hopefully Nintendo might make or probably some ideas that sound just as good.

Detective Pikachu

The Detective Pikachu trailer came out this week and it was glorious. You're not only a Pikachu, but you're a Pikachu that talks with a weirdly adult male voice. There is comedy gold in this as well as potential to make this something more than just a video game. Detective Pikachu already has a little Detective Conan feel to it but that's a good thing already and would be a greater thing if they make a show to tie with the game coming out in the near future.

The Cat Mario & Cat Peach TV Show

I know there's a show online on the Nintendo UK channel, but  maybe it is time to move it to another format? The possibilities they could do with the Cat Mario and Cat Peach is huge. Along with games facts, which they give in their episodes, they can also do skits, jokes and probably play cartoons in the middle. Almost a revival of the Super Mario Super Show with Captain Lou. They could even play some of the old Mario and Zelda cartoons if they get the rights from them. Hopefully we'll include Kitsune Luigi and Tanooki Toad.

Wacky Mario Kart Races

For those who aren't old enough to remember. Wacky Races was an awesome show. You had Yogi and other Hanna Barbara characters race along on weird and funny track full of comedy and suspense guessing who will win the race. Since the Mario Kart games are almost the same thing, why not make a cartoon series to showcase the wackiness of the games. This would probably mean that Bowser Jr. will probably be the Muttly of the show.

Koopalings Series

I'm a Koopalings fan and I'm proud of that. They have been used in Nintendo games recently after a hiatus since Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga. Ever wonder what they did during that hiatus? A cartoon series could be an explanation of what they've been up to and what they do in-between helping Bowser take over the Mushroom Kingdom and kidnapping Peach. It could explain why they're not related to Bowser anymore too.

Zelda Anime

I know people were excited about the possibility of a live action Legend of Zelda series being on Netflix only to be saddened by it being a false rumor. While I don't exactly think that a live action Zelda could ever work. The story could wind up be poorly written fanfic and game pandering, going Once Upon a Time bad quickly. An anime or at least an adaptation based on the manga series could work however. The story is already there and I feel it could do more justice to the series than a live action Zelda series ever could. Just add a great animation team like the people behind the Marvel Anime series and it could be solid.

Animal Crossing Series

For those who loved the Animal Forest anime movie would probably love the idea of an Animal Crossing series. The idea could be to do everything in the movie but better and hopefully including more things in the game that couldn't fit into the movie.

Wario Series

A Wario series is kinda long overdue. you have Wario which gets into the most bizarre adventures in his own video games. Add that along with the zany characters of the Warioware games and you'll have a pretty awesome cartoon series.

Captain Toad

When we first introduced to Captain Toad we loved the little guy. We loved how adorable he looked navigating on the giant 3D puzzle grabbing stars. We loved him even more when he got his own game. We'll probably love him even more if he got his on cartoon. It could be him discovering places and going on adventures finding treasure, not just stars. Each episode could even start like Uncle Traveling Matt from Fraggle Rock with Toad or Toadette receiving postcards from Captain Toad himself.

Metroid Anime

I feel that a Metroid show was is way overdue. Even during the height of Nintendo's popularity there should've been a Metroid cartoon. It would be moreso like the idea I have for the manga Zelda anime except it would be have original stories instead of it being adapted by the Metroid manga series. I think anime Samus would look awesome.

What video games do you think Nintendo should make into shows?

Nintendo's 2016 Plans: A 1-Up or A Game Over?

     Nintendo has had a pretty stellar couple of years. The most stellar was probably their 2015. With a constant release of awesome games, along with awesome DLC and  Amiibos being a huge thing, it would be almost crazy for Nintendo to slow things down. Luckily they aren't.

      The current president of the company, Tatsumi Kimishima, is promising that 2016 will be a big year for Nintendo. He is making some pretty huge promises five to be exact that will help improve the companies sales and content. Right off the bat, he is promising to be very big on smartphone gaming as well as branching into other media like TV and anime. The president is also promising to try new concepts and new ideas instead of sticking to old ones. Nintendo is really thinking outside of the box, the console box.
     Nintendo's theme for 2016 seems to new, which is great. For a company to survive and stay as productive and relevant over the years it is important to always try to come up with new ideas. It keep s things fresh and it keeps people interested. In Nintendo's case, it was needed. Again, most of 2013 through 2015 was them trying to help improve Wii U and 3DS sales. The low sales of the Wii U and the 3DS were a product of using old outdated methods of marketing. Luckily Nintendo understood that and have made improvements and sale improvements were shown.
     There are a couple of things I'm excited for with seeing Nintendo's mission plan for 2016. One is the expansion of games in smartphones. Mobile gaming has not only become a huge trend but it has made itself known to  be a new form of gaming that is here to stay. We've seen this, sadly, with Kim Kardashian Hollywood and the over 200 million dollars it made. It's is a smart move for Nintendo to utilize this. Kimishima has promised that we will see Nintendo characters in mobile games. We sorta was introduced to this with Pokemon Go which is coming out this year, hopefully.
      Another is information about the next console Nintendo is working on, the NX. It is suppose to be the hub of what Nintendo is striving for this year as it is rumored to be connected to the internet, handheld, PCs, and smartphone. We are suppose to get information around E3, but since they seem to be planning on releasing it this year as well we need the information on it now.
      Bottom line it is refreshing and interesting to hear that Nintendo is going to do some big and innovative things that are new and very different. Will it work? There is a huge chance that it will as well as a huge chance that it won't. The good thing however is that Nintendo is gambling big. The 2016 plan is suppose to give them if it is pulled off an extra 100 billion yen. Let's see if that will happen in the end.

How do you think Nintendo's plan will work out in 2016?

Games We're Checking For in 2016

2016 is here and that only means one thing. No, that not that resolution to lose weight or quit smoking, video games. 2015 was kinda ok. We got Fallout 4, Star Wars Battlefront and Bayonetta is finally in Smash Bros. 2016 is looking to be even bigger and better. Here's a list of games we cannot wait to play this here, or at least hope they won't be delayed and we'll actually get to play this year...

Star Fox Zero

It's nice to see that the Star Fox series isn't gone, forgotten, and only relevant in Smash Bros games, sorry F-Zero. we were teased about a new potential Star Fox game all the way back in E3 2013 when Shigeru Miyamoto showed us a small demo in a Nintendo Direct. Star Fox Zero plays a lot like the earlier Star Fox games like Star Fox and Star Fox 64. It also incorporates a bit of mechanics from the cancelled Star Fox 2 for the SNES like the leg Airwing. Miyamoto states that Zero isn't a reboot, but more of an reimagining of the Star Fox 64 game where each mission is more episodic than 64's cinamatic approach.

Yooka-Laylee

We all remember playing Banjo-Kazooie on the N64. We also missed playing it after Rare was bought be Microsoft and haven't done much with the franchise. Yeah we did eventually get Nuts & Bolts but it wasn't the B&K that we weren't used too. Well fortunately Platonic Games, former employees from Rare, has heard your cries. As stated above the gameplay of Yooka Laylee is very reminiscent to Banjo-Kazooie as its your traditional 3D platformer where you will have a ton of things to collect. It even has you transform into various things, like Banjo-Kazooie. When it ended its Kickstarter, it made over three million, so it's an understatement that people are dying to have this game.

No Man's Sky

No Man's Sky is simply beautiful and stunning. The game pretty much involves you exploring different planets in search for material and lifeforms.You are dealt with an enormous sandbox of planets and star systems to explore all which seems to be individual and running independently in real time. As almost as the universe you are exploring in the game, the possibilities of what you can do in this game is endless.

Legend of Zelda Wii U

There is not much that can be said about this game as Nintendo has been pretty much hush about it. All we know is that the thing of the new Zelda game is all about exploration. Zelda Wii U is pretty much going back to the roots of the original Legend of Zelda game where the its just you exploring a large Hyrule map, except this time the map is much, much larger. Zelda Wii U gives us what is possibly the largest map of Hyrule in the series ever.

Doom

It's been awhile since we had a new game in the Doom franchise. A matter of fact almost twelve years. The game has been in development ever since 2008. Years went by and people got worried that the game was probably cancelled. The folks at iD decided to start everything from scratch in 2011 and that is how we got this. They've seem to have gone back to the basics and there is nothing wrong with that at all. It plays like old Doom and looks like new Doom. What's more to ask?

Uncharted 4

If you're new to the Uncharted series it is basically you, as Nathan Drake, going through exciting levels where everything is action packed and there are always surprises at every turn. Nathan's almost like an Indiana Jones, that steals. This time around Drake has been out of the thief business for three years. He is now getting back into the business after his long lost brother suddenly shows up. It is supposedly the last Uncharted series Naughty Dog will be working on so if that isn't a reason to buy I don't know what is.

Cuphead

I'm pretty much excited about this myself. Cuphead gives us a return of the shoot em' up genre. It's pretty as well with the classic 1930s cartoon animation. Seriously, it's like Mickey Mouse meets Contra.

Final Fantasy XV

Believe it or not, we've been waiting for this game for so long. The current and fifteenth installment of the series was once suppose to be Final Fantasy Versus XIII, which we thought we would never get after many postponements from Square Enix. Well we can now have a sigh of relief as it is now here and it is definitely will be releasing in 2016. Like Zelda Wii U, XV will be all about exploration. You and your party will be traveling across a huge map full of destinations and secrets that you will find and explore. What's different than the other series is that artistically the world you are in is a mixture of our world and the fantasy world, meaning that you'll be able to see giant admantoise  as you're driving down a highway and will actually encounter goblins, a staple enemy of the series, in caves. We were able to play a demo earlier and it was ok. Can't wait to play the whole thing in its entirety.

The Last Guardian

After years of postponement and tears of hope we have our prayers answered. Not much has been heard of this game for so long, we even thought that this game would be quietly cancelled, until it was recently revealed at E3 in 2015. The game has been in development hell since 2007. Helmed by director Fumito Ueda, Guardian will look and play just like popular and well renowned games Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. You're a boy who has to navigate and solve puzzles through a giant ruin with this giant dog-chicken creature.

Dark Souls III

Unlike a lot of these games listed, we weren't really waiting for years or a long period of time to finally get to play Dark Souls. That doesn't mean that people have not been clamoring for another game in the series. Being the fourth installment Dark Souls III pretty much plays like its predecessor II, which I don't know how good that is being so damn hard. What's new to the series is a new gaming feature Ready Stance in which you can deal more damage to an enemy as well as faster combat gameplay. So if you like the last Dark Souls game, or just like dying over and over again I think you would love this.

What games are you looking forward to playing the 2016?

Metal Gear Solid: Will The Franchise Be Solid Without Hideo Kojima?

     This month we have gotten an official confirmation that game developer and producer Hideo Kojima and Konami are splitting up. If you've been somewhere in space for the past year or have been an employee of Konami the writing on the wall has been huge. We got the message that Kojima was planning on moving away from Konami for a while. It was apparent in interviews, the cancellation of Silent Hills, Metal Gear Solid V, both The Phantom Pain and Ground Zeros being Kojima's last titles, Kojima shutting down his studio, and let's not forget an New York Times journalist pretty much spilling the details.
      So apparently Kojima and Konami have already moved on to better things. Kojima is starting a new independent studio with Guillermo Del Toro and Sony and Konami is already staring the ball rolling by looking for a new director for the next Metal Gear Solid game. The problem is can Konami find someone to do the series justice. Can they even find someone who will make the games just as good as Kojima?
      If you are new to the Metal Gear Solid series, you need to know one thing. It is Kojima's child. It is his artist masterpiece. With Kojima's departure you have people worried or whether the series can go on or at least be as good without Kojima being a part of the project.

      Ironically they have done something like this in the past. Konami had made a American only sequel to one of the Metal Gear games in 1990, Snake's Revenge. Kojima had absolutely no involvement in making the game. A matter of fact he didn't even know about it until a developer working on the game told him about it. The game didn't fair well as the company made it by completely taking out everything that worked with the first game and just mad a generic shooter, pretty much like Contra, except not good. Luckily this made Kojima to make a true sequel, Metal Gear 2: Solid Snake for the MSX2 computer.

     I would like to believe that Konami had learned their lesson since then, considering the fact that they made sure Kojima has been involved in every Metal Gear title since then, and this would be the exact time to show it. Will they pull it off? It is a possibility they could or it's a possibility that they won't. One thing is sure is that whatever director they go with it will be tricky and they will have their work cut out for them. Again, it is hard to imagine the series without  Kojima being involved. It's almost like Nintendo without Shigeru Miyamoto or Wes Craven without the Nightmare series. For one thing, we will know that the series will be different. Hopefully it will not be that different. Hopefully a good different.

Characters We Probably Won't See As DLC in Super Smash Bros... Maybe

     It's December which could mean only one thing, no not Christmas, the Super Smash Bros themed Nintendo Direct is almost here. Nintendo announced that for the month of December, there will be a Nintendo Direct dedicated to Super Smash Bros. We could be treated to new characters or new stages for upcoming DLC. Since the recent announcement of Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy VII being added to the roster, you could almost add any popular character to the list, that's ever been on a Nintendo console or handheld, almost. While these characters might be cool to be added, they most likely won't. Goku and Shreik need not apply.


King K. Rool

 

If you don't know King K. Rool was the main antagonist for the Donkey Kong country series as well as Donkey Kong 64. He would torment the Kong family by stealing DK's bananas in the first game and would later on kidnap DK and Diddy in the later sequels. In Donkey Kong 64 he even went so far as to threaten to blow up Donkey Kong's home DK Island. When Rare was purchased by Microsoft that was the last we've seen of K. Rool and his Kremling klan, I mean clan, as the more recent Donkey Kong games moved on to more enemies that DK had to defeat. So, when Smash Bros was released for the 3DS, we were treated with seeing some familiar characters returning, the Kremlings in Smash Run. With the inclusion with Kremlings, it would seem more likely that their ruler would be making a long deserved comeback since Donkey Kong 64, right. Well he did, as a costume for the Mii brawler. Since K. Rool's appearance had been reduced to a costume, it is most likely that he might not be added.

Crash Bandicoot


Yes, the former Sony mascot has been in a couple Nintendo titles. Crash and Mario had an intense rivalry during the late 90s and early millennium as both of them adventured into 3D for the PlayStation and Nintendo 64. His inclusion would have been huge as their rivalry during those times almost as big as Sonic's who is in the game. As with all things popular they become unpopular and the Crash series fizzled out with lower sales. We haven't seen Crash in anything since his last game in 2010 so we most likely won't see him in Smash either.

Banjo-Kazooie


If you were a kid in the early 00s and didn't have Banjo-Kazooie for the N64, your parents didn't love you. Banjo-Kazooie were characters in their own game during Rare's golden era of making games for the N64. Them being added like a lot of the characters here would be just for nostalgia reason, which are justifiable. They had a ton of games that made for Nintendo before Microsoft bought Rare. For that reason, they are most likely not going to be added unless Microsoft wants to loosen their grip and loan them out for a while?

Heihachi Mishima


Unlike the other characters listed, Heihachi, and other Tekken characters were actually considered to appear in Smash Bros, but due to software limitations during the developing stages for Smash Bros on the 3DS, as well as Masahiro Sakurai not know what to do for a movelist, Heihachi was dropped. That's probably why we got Ryu instead. Sakurai did give him a nod by making him a costume for the Mii fighter instead.

Ridley


OMG, he is not going to be in the game as a playable character. Give it up!

This Is A Linkle/Female Link Post

     A while back we were introduced to a "new" character for the up and coming Hyrule Warriors Legends game for the Nintendo 3DS, Linkle. Up until Linkle's debut she was just a concept art for the Hyrule Warrriors game. She was believed and written to be a female version of Link, the protagonist of the Legend of Zelda series. Now that she's an offical character in the game, Linkle is more of her own established character instead of being the female version of Link. This isn't more about Linkle's, but what she represented before she was made a full fledged character.
    Linkle represented an interesting ideal that whether the protagonist Link in the Zelda could be female. If you are new to the Zelda series the games and the Hyrule timeline spans across years with a new a different incarnation of the main characters Lunk and Princess Zelda. In almost each game you have a different Link and Zelda. This was introduced to the game Skyward Sword where Zelda was the reincarnation of the goddess Hylia and at the end of game both Link and Zelda's souls were destined to be reincarnated whenever Hyrule is in trouble. Linkle leads to a interesting theory that there could be a female incarnation of the

legendary hero. 

     It was a rumor that around Linkle's discovery as a concept art for Hyrule Warriors that the incarnation of Link that would be introduced in the upcoming Zelda Wii U game could possibly be a woman. The question is if Nintendo decided to switch the character of Link, and possibly Zelda, would it be a good decision?

     If Link was a woman in a possible Zelda game, it would be in fact good. Story wise, it would be interesting. It has never been said that the spirit of the hero has to be passed down to a male incarnation. It could add more to the Zelda mythology of the spirit of the hero being passed down to one person to another. It would be great as it would breathe new life to the supposed characters. It would be interested to see a Prince Zel and a female Link interact with the threat that could affect Hyrule.

     It could be important as it could symbolize what the character Link is suppose to be. Link is suppose to represent the link between him and the player. It is apparent that more women are playing video games as a hobby. It would be good for a girl who is new to not only video games, but new to the Zelda series to be able to play as a character that represents her.

What do you think about having a female Link in a Zelda game?

10 Weirdest Video Game Costumes Ever

Let's face it. Some outfits and costumes characters wear in video games are awesome. Some of are inspired to dress up as them this Halloween. When designing these costumes, designers can't do no wrong in making video game characters look totally cool, right? Wrong.

Dairy Bastard (God of War)


If you played God of War, you'd know that it is a very violent and brutal game. You're violently attacking cyclops and Greek gods apart in a quest for revenge. Kratos is a badass. You don't want to mess with him, maybe dressed up as a cow? In this costume, Kratos' blades of chaos are replaced with milk jugs of death? He also has unlimited magic and collects twice the amount of orbs, but his strength is reduced in half. Challenge of the Gods.

Nintendo Outfits (Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Wii U Edition)

You know what's worst than getting your ass kicked by Heihachi? Getting your ass kicked by Heihachi in a Mario costume. These costumes come with the Tekken Tag Tournament for the Wii U which not only your favorite Tekken characters dressed up as Nintendo characters, but it comes with power-ups like Mega Mushrooms which adds a little more strategy to fights, and a little comedy.

Alien Zack (Dead or Alive 5)


Fighting games sometimes offer fun costumes for character to fight in or just to see how . Nothing more fun and outrageous than Zack's alien costume. Zack gets two set of this costume offered as DLC. Zack as a character himself isn't new to outrageous costumes.

Tofu (Resident Evil 2)


When playing Resident Evil 2, you get to play a parody of The Fourth Survivor minigame called The Tofu Survivor where all the players of HUNK are all replaced with tofu. You get this by unlocking The Fourth Survivor and clear the Leon A/Claire B storyline 3 times with an A ranking. The tofu costumes reappear in Darkside Chronicles where the zombies are replaced with tofu.

Donut Drake (Uncharted)


The objective of a master thief is to get your pockets fat by stealing whatever you can. Apparently Drake heard otherwise. You get to play a much fatter version of Drake in Uncharted: Drake's Fortune, Uncharted 2: Among Thieves and Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception. You get this skin by .

Evil Panda (Onimusha)

Onimusha is a game where you play a badass warrior. Nothing says badass like a evil panda suit. You get this by collecting 10 Flourites and ending the game.

Princess Heart (Silent Hill 3)


Silent Hill is a scary game made by a Japanese development team. Sometimes Japanese culture can rub off. Princess Heart costume Heather gets to play that is seems straight out of some magical girl anime or something. It even comes with a cute transformation sequence. It's more than just a skin. Heather can use the sexy beam to kill monsters that will try to harm her.

Rainbow Kuma (Street Fighter x Tekken)


This outfit is based off of R. Mika from the Street Fighter Alpha series that Kuma can wear. It's a nice spin not only because of Kuma's moves, but it's also a nice reference to another Street Fighter character, Zangief who Mika not only met and fought with a few time, but also Zangief was known to wrestle bears in his meantime.

Cheerleader Riptor (Killer Instinct)

When Rare rebooted the Killer Instinct franchise it offered some retro costumes as DLC. You get to play as Jago and Orchid in their classic costumes from the original games. You also get this. Nothing says spirit like a raptor in a cheerleader outfit. It seems appropriate since Riptor is a female. I wonder if someone at Rare is a Raptors fan.

Street Fighter Animal Costumes (Street Fighter 4 Ultra)

Again, when developers come up with DLC they tend to make things fun and sometimes outrageous. These costumes are nothing but. I admit these are kinda cool but their weird nonetheless. It's especially funny to see Makoto as a chipmunk and Hikan as a octopus.

What are some weird video game costumes have you encountered?