Reading Time: < 1 minute

Nintendo Power Podcast episode 7 available now!

Nintendo Power Podcast is the official podcast of Nintendo of America, in which guests such as Nintendo employees and developers discuss the world of Nintendo each month.

In Episode 7, host Chris Slate (previously editor-in-chief of the Nintendo Power™ magazine) is joined by two guests from Nintendo Of America – Doug Bowser, head of Sales & Marketing, and Katie Casper from the Publisher and Developer Relations group – to discuss recent and upcoming games for the Nintendo Switch™ system, plus the debut of Nintendo Power magazine 30 years ago. Chris also chats with Phil Duncan and Olie De-Vine from Ghost Town Games about the creation of the Overcooked! Special Edition game and its upcoming sequel, Overcooked! 2.

Nintendo Power Podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, SoundCloud and Google Play Music and on the Nintendo Switch system in News.

We hope you enjoy the show!

–Your friends at Nintendo

Games Shown:

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 5 minutes

Xenoblade Chronicles 2: Director Takahashi reveals new update information

Hello everyone. This is Tetsuya Takahashi from Monolith Soft. Today I’d like to talk about what you’ll see in the Ver. 1.3.0 update for Xenoblade Chronicles 2 that will be released next week.

First up is the “New Game Plus” mode. This is more than just a way for people who have cleared the game to play through it a second time. You’ll find that we’ve added a few new features, as well.

The specific updates you’ll see are:

• The Blades from Torna (Obrona, Sever, Perdido, and Cressidus) can join the player’s party as Blades

• Akhos, Patroka, and Mikhail from Torna will also be able to join the player’s party as Blades

You can get them by resonating with Core Crystals (or they will join your party as you meet them in quests). As you might expect, you could potentially get them from a Common Core Crystal early in the game, which kind of wrecks the story, but our goal here is to prioritize making the game even more fun to play. I hope you can resonate with these Blades and enjoy having them in your party.

• All Blades can be dispatched on Merc Missions. This means that Blades like Pyra and Mythra that could not be disengaged from your party during an initial playthrough can now be dispatched.

• We are adding further growth factors to unlock in the Drivers’ Affinity Charts.

• You can now decrease your Drivers’ level at inns, and will likewise gain bonus experience according to their decreased level. You can exchange this bonus experience for special items, including an item that lets you increase the number of accessory slots available to a Driver. You can get these items by trading with the Traveling Bards who appear on each Titan.

• The Level 4 Special of a certain Blade will be unlocked.

There are also five updates that will apply not only to the Advanced New Game Mode, but to your first playthrough, as well.

• A locking mechanism to lock certain Blades in your party.

You can lock certain Blades from the menu so that they cannot be released, and to make them more visible. This feature will be useful in a variety of situations, such as if you get a 4-star Common Blade.

• The option to skip the Blade resonating scene.

• While expanded, the mini-map can display the same icons you have set up on the Skip Travel screen.

• Easy Mode added to the game difficulty. The original game difficulty level is Normal Mode. You can change the difficulty level at any time with the in-game options.

• New sorting options for Accessories, Aux Cores, and Blade Lists.

The following data will carry over to the New Game Plus mode from your clear save file.

• Level of Drivers
• Equipment and Affinity Charts of Drivers and Blades.
• Resonated Blades
• Obtained items and gold.
• Development levels of cities and Merc Group level.
• Content in the Event Theater and Unique Monster defeat status.

Note: quests, Heart-to-Hearts, Skip Travel points, and cleared Merc Missions will be reset.

There is one very important thing to note:

In order to play the New Game Plus mode, you must complete the original game, and you must have a save file from the save screen that appeared immediately after the ending.

Using the data you saved after the ending will allow you to keep playing. You will know that you can play the New Game Plus mode if you look at the title screen and see that Rex and the others look the way they did after the ending.

Note that you will not be able to play the New Game Plus mode using save data from a new game started after completing the game. If you do start a new game, you will need to clear it again in order to play the New Game Plus mode.

You probably already noticed this, but you’ll see a symbol on the save screen that indicates that you’ve completed the game. We’re thinking about giving a little gift to players who have this symbol at some point in the near future. Stay tuned!

Alongside the release of the Ver. 1.3.0 update, players who purchased the Expansion Pass will also receive their fourth set of useful items.

That’s all of the upgrades included in the Ver. 1.3.0 release.

We really wanted to release this earlier, but given that it’s a bit more than just a regular version update, we needed the extra time for all the debugging and other extra work. We will continue to have more version updates after March.

Also, everyone who purchased the Expansion Pass can look forward to a new Blade and a quest that comes with it, as well as some new battle content. We’ll provide another update via production notes after we’ve finalized the release schedule for these.

For now, thank you again for your ongoing support for Xenoblade Chronicles 2!

Game Rated:

Language
Suggestive Themes
Use of Alcohol and Tobacco
Violence

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 2 minutes

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.

Game Rated:

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 3 minutes

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 $74.99 (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.

Game Rated:

Website: LINK

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Stranger Things DLC for Minecraft on Nintendo Switch and Wii U

Something is coming, something hungry for blood. A shadow grows on the wall behind you, swallowing you in darkness. It is almost here… Boom! Stranger Things comes to Minecraft! Join Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Will, Eleven, Joyce, Hopper and many more as they survive monsters, adolescence and 80’s fashion choices.

Game Rated:

Fantasy Violence

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Nintendo celebrates the launch of Super Mario Odyssey in style with a party in New York

Super Mario Odyssey, one of Mario’s biggest adventures yet, is now available exclusively for the Nintendo Switch system. The cap-tivating game follows Mario on a globe-trotting journey through numerous and varied kingdoms with his new hat companion, Cappy.

In this massive sandbox-style game in the spirit of Super Mario 64 and Super Mario Sunshine, Mario uses incredible new hat-based abilities like cap throw, cap jump and capture, which define his new adventure and provide a fresh take on the classic Super Mario formula. Using Cappy, Mario can take control of a lot of things, including objects and enemies. Discovering what can be captured and experiencing the surprising results of capturing something is all part of the fun. The game is full of exotic places to explore, hidden secrets to uncover and memorable moments to behold.

Over the last couple of weeks, Mario has been traveling across the country to celebrate the launch of the Super Mario Odyssey game. This real-life odyssey culminated in a powered-up party on the streets of New Donk City … er … New York City on Oct. 26, the night before launch. The celebration in Rockefeller Plaza featured an elaborate dance number set to the tune of the “Jump Up, Super Star!” song from the game. Other memorable moments during the event were visits from the Mario costumed character and actor and singer Jordan Fisher, the chance to play Super Mario Odyssey, fans purchasing the game at midnight at the Nintendo NY store and even an appearance from Nintendo of America President and COO, Reggie Fils-Aime.

“Super Mario Odyssey is the must-have video game for this holiday season, and this event was the perfect way to kick off Mario’s latest adventure,” said Reggie Fils-Aime. “Video game fans of all kinds will want to dive into this latest Mario adventure as soon as possible.”

Leading up to the big event, Mario started his cross-country odyssey in Los Angeles and took his new decked-out trailer on a nationwide tour. He visited Dallas, Chicago and Philadelphia to meet with fans, as well as some scenic locations inspired by the various kingdoms from the game to take memorable photos. (The travelogue of Mario’s adventure can be found on Nintendo of America’s Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr accounts, or by searching for the hashtag #SuperMarioOdyssey.)

Super Mario Odyssey is now available exclusively for Nintendo Switch at a suggested retail price of $59.99. Three game-themed amiibo of Mario, Bowser and Peach in wedding-themed outfits are also available as a set at a suggested retail price of $34.99, or individually at a suggested retail price of $12.99 each. A bundle that comes with the Nintendo Switch system, a download code for the game, Mario-themed red Joy-Con controllers and a special carrying case is also available at a suggested retail price of $379.99. For more information about the Super Mario Odyssey, visit https://supermario.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:

Cartoon Violence
Comic Mischief

Website: LINK

Reading Time: < 1 minute

Fire Emblem Warriors is here! Celebrate with a mission and new rewards

The Fire Emblem™ Warriors game is now avaialble for the Nintendo Switch and New Nintendo 3DS family of systems!

My Nintendo™ members can get ready by earning 100 Platinum Points by finding the hidden Gleamstones on the official game website.

Plus, members can redeem points for these new Fire Emblem Warriors wallpapers and more rewards for Nintendo smart-device apps. on my.nintendo.com.

Not yet a member of My Nintendo? It’s free to create an account and start earning points. Visit my.nintendo.com to learn more. Additional terms apply.

Game Rated:

Suggestive Themes
Violence

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 4 minutes

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp coming to mobile devices in late November

The next time you go camping, make sure to bring all the essentials: a tent, a sleeping bag, s’mores and, of course, the Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp game. One of Nintendo’s most enduring franchises, Animal Crossing allows players to live a whimsical life as they interact with a wide range of other animal characters brimming with personality, decorate and expand their home, and learn more about the community they are part of. In the first Animal Crossing game for mobile devices, you can interact with animal friends, craft furniture items and gather resources while managing a campsite. Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp launches on iOS- and Android-compatible mobile devices in late November.

“As our past mobile games have proved, we love taking established and well-loved franchises and transforming them for the ways players use their devices,” said Doug Bowser, Nintendo of America’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is great for newcomers to the series as well as longtime fans, and ideal for people playing on a mobile device.”

A recent video presentation highlighted many of the game-play features in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp. To view the presentation in its entirety, visit https://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct/10-24-2017/.

Some of the highlights in the video include the following:

• Manage Your Manager: When you start a new game in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you will be asked to create your personalized campsite manager avatar – your character in the game. You can choose to be a girl or a boy, and customize things like skin color, hair color and eye color. Whatever suits you!
• Arts & Crafts: By gathering resources like fruit and wood, you can craft items for your campsite. These include furniture and decorative items, like couches and benches, as well as baskets and plants. To craft items, just speak to classic Animal Crossing villager Cyrus to put in an order. After the item is finished, you can place it around your campsite or decorate the interior of your camper.
• Leaf Tickets: Leaf Tickets can be earned through regular gameplay or purchased using real-world money, and can be used in a variety of ways in the game. For example, they can be used to shorten the time needed to craft items, more easily acquire materials or acquire unique camper exterior designs.
• Friendship Level: In Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, you can chat with your animal friends or fulfill their requests to raise your friendship level. If you level up your friendship or decorate your campsite with an animal’s favorite items, she or he might pay you a visit.
• BHFF (Best Human Friends Forever): Not all of your friends in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will have fur or feathers. You can send your in-game Player ID to real-life friends who also own the game to have them visit your campsite. Random player avatars will also visit the campsite from time to time. Once someone visits, you can exchange your Bells for items saved in the Market Box.
• Tick Tock: Similar to past Animal Crossing games, time passes in Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp just like in real life! As morning, day, evening and night pass, the scenery in the game will change and different animal friends might show up.
• Area Map: Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp is full of places to visit and explore. In addition to your campsite, you can travel in your camper to a beach, a forest, a river and an island.
• Market Place: The go-to spot for shopaholics, Market Place is full of stores run by familiar Animal Crossing characters like Timmy, Tommy and the Able Sisters. The various shops in Market Place offer things like furniture and clothing items. The selection at each shop rotates, so don’t be a stranger!
• OK Motors: Remember that camper that was mentioned a few bullets back? It’s not used to just travel between locations in the game. By visiting the OK Motors store, you can acquire things to customize your camper, including furniture to fill the interior and paint to decorate the exterior. It’s like those tiny homes that are all the rage … but with wheels!
• Expanding Camp Life: In addition to all the fun things you can do in the game, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will eventually offer seasonal events to keep the experience fresh and surprising, as well as limited-time furniture and outfit options through game updates. These events and updates will begin rolling out after launch.

Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp will launch for free on iOS and Android mobile devices in late November. For more information about the game, visit https://ac-pocketcamp.com.

Game Rated:

Website: LINK

Reading Time: 2 minutes

Nintendo’s the name – scary is our game!

Keep an eye out for monsters and mayhem this Halloween on Nintendo.com. Here’s a p(eek!) at some of the creepy fun you can find.

Want to create an army of Minions to spook trick-or-treaters? Visit Play.Nintendo.com to download a special stencil that can turn a jack-o’-lantern into a Goomb-a-lantern! Plus, there’s a terrifying trivia quiz about creepy creatures, and polls about which Yo-kai you’d want to trick-or-treat with, and which video game villain is the scariest.

Are you brave enough to explore the spooky new rewards from My Nintendo? Check out our Halloween top picks, including deals like redeeming My Nintendo points for 40% savings on The Legend of Zelda™: Majora’s Mask 3D for the Nintendo 3DS™ family of systems.

You can also show off your love for all things Halloween with seasonally fun My Nintendo Nintendo 3DS HOME Menu themes. You can redeem your My Nintendo points for these seasonal and spooky Halloween themes to decorate your HOME Menu:

• Mario’s Halloween – This theme features pumpkin folders and costumed Mario and enemies. You’ll hear Boo’s laugh when exiting Sleep Mode.
• NES™ Halloween Link – Creepy foes, folders with a key design, and spooky music await. Scroll the Touch Screen to see 8-bit Link walk in the graveyard.
• Animal Crossing™: New Leaf Autumn Leaves – This fall-inspired theme features Isabelle and friends raking up fallen leaves. Keep an eye out for Mr. Resetti and his brother, Don Resetti!

As for scary fun with spooky games…we’ve got you covered there, too. Get ready for frights on the Nintendo Game Store with a curated list of creepy titles like YO-KAI WATCH™ 2: Psychic Specters and Luigi’s Manion™: Dark Moon for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems, and Mario + Rabbids® Kingdom Battle for the Nintendo Switch system. You can catch these games and more on Nintendo eShop, where the spooky music of the month is the Twisted Mansion song from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. From all of us at Nintendo to you…have a happy Halloween!

Website: LINK