ShareThis
Hideki Konno talks more Mario Kart 7
Recently, IGN conversed with Nintendo EAD Software Development Group No. 1 head Hideki Konno, and titled the ensuing interview “Why Blue Shells Are Mandatory in Mario Kart 7.” And, yep, that essentially covers one of the scarier points of Konno’s interview (blue shells will be there forever)– but it’s still an excellent interview otherwise. Konno discusses how characters are chosen for the games (Queen Bee and Wiggler apparently “look nicer”, says Konno), what he thinks about kart customization (he doesn’t mention any particular inspirations, but he likes it), and, of course, blue shells:
IGN: Mario Kart has increasingly added items like the Blue Shell or Bullet Bill that allow players coming in last to surge ahead, even if they aren’t playing well. Are you worried items like these take too much away from skill-based play? Have you ever considered allowing players to turn off specific items like these?
Konno: I believe that Mario Kart is enjoyed by a wide range of players, including both new and veteran gamers. Ideally, we would like to allow players of different experience levels to play Mario Kart together. We don’t want to create a game in which more experienced players will always win; we want to create a game in which when less experienced players are lucky, they can win too sometimes. That’s why we use items to add an element of chance to the game. I think it’s fun to play Mario Kart as if you were checking your horoscope. Even if your luck isn’t good today, it might turn around tomorrow if you keep trying.
On the other hand, we have added the ability to limit the items that are available in local and online multiplayer games so that players can also enjoy races that are less influenced by luck.
Well, that tells us what we’ve always known about Nintendo: that it wants everybody to have fun. Except, maybe, the winners. ‘course, one might argue that the true winner is one that can outmaneuver blue shells, whether it’s braking to second place or pulling some hijinks in Mario Kart: Double Dash. The blue shell destroyer is the true victor.
Source: IGN
Assassin’s Creed III on Wii U
It’s not too often we get to discuss the Assassin’s Creed series here on Nintendojo, and for good reason: there just aren’t too many games in the series on Nintendo platforms. We’ve got Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr’s Chronicles and Assassin’s Creed II: Discovery for DS, of course, and the unfortunately cancelled Assassin’s Creed: Lost Legacy for 3DS– but nothing in terms of the main series. But Ubisoft has surprised us all: Assassin’s Creed III, set during the American Revolution and starring a brand-new protagonist, is going to be on Wii U. Check out the trailer above (with graphics that aren’t rendered on Wii U, we assume), and get excited for a mainstream Assassin’s Creed game finally on a Nintendo platform.
Speaking of which, there’s apparently a limited-edition case that will be up for grabs from GameStop, Best Buy, or Amazon, upon preordering Assassin’s Creed III. Check it out below– it’s illustrated by Alex Ross of DC Comics fame, and all too beautiful to touch. Click to enlarge!
Source: Ubisoft
Infographic: First-Week Sales of Mobile Game Consoles
Other than Assassin’s Creed III, we admit it– it’s been a pretty slow news day. But our friends at Venture Beat are here to help with a non-news, but still-nifty infographic about 3DS’ friendly competitor, PS Vita. The Vita of course has finally come outside of its Japanese fortress, and according to VG Chartz, it’s done pretty darn well for its first week! Outside of the United States, at least– in the US it underperformed compared to both its competitors and its predecessor. In Japan, Vita sold less than DS and 3DS, but almost twice as much as its predecessor. In Europe, though, Vita outsold both DS and 3DS by 50,000-ish units, and the original PSP, it turns out, sold 570 thousand units in its first week: more than both DS and 3DS. But globally, Vita’s still fourth place among all four handhelds. It’s got some competing to do, that’s for sure.
It’s okay, Vita. It could be worse. You could be the Sega Nomad.
Source: Venture Beat
Several of my Mario Kart DS posse regularly escaped blue shells (At my best I could dodge about half of them) and just last night I skipped my first blue shell in MK7. Now if I could just get that third star ranking!