Tag: Nintendo

Gaming, Interview, Video Games

NOC Interview: Quintin Smith of People Make Games on “Roblox Exploitation”

Jamal Michel

Like many games finding a surge in popularity at the height of the pandemic, Roblox has amassed a following that could rival the likes of Fortnite with its appeal to younger audiences. However, after weeks of careful research, Quintin Smith, journalist and presenter at People Make Games, discovered that Roblox frequently, and unflinchingly, exploits young video game developers on its platform.

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Interview, Video Games

DevTalks: Deana Galbraith and Barbara Sotolongo of Captilight Games Studio

Jamal Michel

The Nerds of Color loves us some indie games and our latest DevTalk is with a studio that looks to capture Japanese culture in organic and mesmerizing ways. Path of Kami by Captilight Games Studio is a heartwarming story about family, mortality, and culture. In it, you play as the spirit of a wolf, Kazeyo, who has passed away and sets off on an adventure to navigate trials of the Mortal World.

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Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Reveals First Major Update

Jamal Michel

The Pokémon MOBA on Nintendo Switch, Pokémon UNITE, is set to receive its first and most impactful update since its release. The game’s official Twitter page tweeted yesterday that the update would be rolling out Wednesday, August 4 12AM PDT/ 7:00 UTC, with significant balancing changes at the heart of the update.

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Gaming, Video Games

Summer Got You Down? These Upcoming Feel Good Video Games Will Lift Your Spirits

Jamal Michel

What if Tony Hawk was actually a bird? What kind of game choices would you make playing as a postwoman in the ‘80s? Could you use your emotions to help guide a quartet in a forest? The summer has been overwhelming for the most part for many of us — from mounting pandemic concerns, to even more polarizing political conversations, it’s easy to quickly find yourself doom-scrolling for hours into the night. Thankfully, video games like Skatebird and The Forest Quartet exist to help ease our minds out of the hubbub of the real world and into the vibes of a video game experience that really feels good.

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Gaming, Interview, Video Games1 Comment

Flightless Studios Talks New Indie Game ‘Doomsday Vault’ on the Nintendo Switch

Jamal Michel

The New Zealand indie game development studio Flightless has been hard at work expanding their library of thoughtful and rich games that combine a unique experience with an imaginative atmosphere. John O’Reilly, its co-founder and creative director, said that the studio came into the indie development landscape after working on commercial projects the last few years and realized their talents could be applied to making video games as well. O’Reilly and co-founder Greg Harding, who also works as Flightless’s technical director, have made it a point to bring their passion projects to life, with titles like Element and Doomsday Vault.

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Gaming, Video Games

Nintendo Updates: Switch OLED Model Pre-Orders Go Live and More

Jamal Michel

Pre-orders for the the Nintendo Switch OLED Model are live July 15 at 12PM PT, with the console dropping October 8. Despite the news, many fans and gamers have continued to call out the OLED Model for features they feel should have been included in the original Switch, from the new ethernet port, to the more durable kickstand.

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Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Official Release Date + New Roster Addition, Zeraora

Jamal Michel

The amazing new multiplayer online battle arena Pokémon UNITE has finally announced its official release date. July 21 the game will be dropping on Nintendo Switch and fans are understandably stoked for the new brawler. With over 20 Pokémon available to choose from, the announcement also came with a new roster addition, the Electric-type Mythical Pokémon Zereora.

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Tech, Video Games

New OLED Model Nintendo Switch Launches in October

Jamal Michel

After the rumor mill about a new Nintendo Switch console reached new heights, Nintendo announced today the new Switch (OLED model) with a brilliant 7-inch OLED screen is launching October 8. The new model will also feature a wide adjustable stand, a dock with a wired LAN port and 64GB of internal storage. Rumors have been mounting for months that the new console would in fact be the Switch 2 but it’s clear Nintendo is going in a different direction until then.

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Animation, Gaming

Appreciating the Diversity of Late-Generation ‘Pokémon’

Jamal Michel

When I first caught sight of Pokémon Neo Genesis cards being sold on the Home Shopping Network as a kid, I almost took my mother’s credit card and picked up the phone to put in a few hundred orders. I remember on one such occasion using the spare change from a trip to the gas station to buy a single booster pack. I came home with a gallon of milk and yet another holographic Machamp, all while receiving the admonition I knew was waiting for me at home.

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Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin’ Demo Showcases the Franchise’s Best Parts

Jamal Michel

A free demo of Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin is available now in the Nintendo eShop ahead of the game’s July 9 release date. The game, a sequel to its 2016 predecessor on the Nintendo 3DS and mobile devices, features some of the most unique stories built into the world of Monster Hunter.

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Gaming, Video Games

More ‘Pokémon UNITE’ Details + Hands-On Gameplay Footage

Jamal Michel

Pokémon UNITE, TiMi Studios and The Pokémon Company’s free-to-play, multiplayer online battle arena video game for Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch, is set to release in July and the details continue to showcase what a unique title it’s set to be. The game’s beta, released in Japan, runs from June 24 to 26 and allows players the opportunity to experiment with the game’s mechanics hands-on.

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Origins, Video Games

After 25 Years and Zero Games Played, My Father Remains the Ultimate Gamer

Jamal Michel

The other day, my father noticed one of the PC games I was playing and was pretty stunned — not just at the graphics but the overall presentation of gaming today. Growing up, the computer in our home was mostly used for homework, school projects, and of course, Math Blaster. I don’t know that my father knows how deep the rabbit hole of PC gaming goes, or its history, but he remains one of the single most significant figures in introducing video games to me.

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Gaming, Video Games1 Comment

‘Pokémon UNITE’ Finally Gets a Release Date As Nintendo Shows Off More In-Game Details

Jamal Michel

A year ago at Pokémon Presents, we got an amazing first-look at a Pokémon themed multiplayer online battle arena, Pokémon UNITE, a MOBA in the same vein as League of Legends and Smite where teams face off against each other for control of various resources over the course of a given match. In Pokémon UNITE, “players will compete in Unite Battles, where they form teams of five and compete against each other to see who can score the most points before time runs out.”

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Conventions, Video Games

Nintendo Rocks the House at E3 2021 With a Heap of New Announcements

Jamal Michel

During Nintendo’s nearly 40-minute E3 2021 presentation, viewers got a look at a huge selection of new titles, forthcoming, DLC, and surprise announcements that sent social media into an understandable frenzy.

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Reviews, Video Games

Flight School Studio’s ‘Stonefly’ is a Must-Play Indie Game

Jamal Michel

This week, the folks at Flight School Studios and MWM Interactive released their indie mech title, Stonefly. The adventure game is a chill yet wholly beautifully exploration of legacy, resource gathering and mech building, as players follow Annika Stonefly in her search for her father’s stolen rig. After a late-night excursion, Annika mistakenly leaves the garage door storing the mech wide open, leaving it victim to a theft that launches our main character on her journey through dangerous and captivating flora and fauna.

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Fantasy, Video Games

‘The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD’ will Launch with Amiibo Feature That Has Fans Concerned

Jamal Michel

Back in February, the folks at Nintendo dropped an official trailer for the highly anticipated release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD for the Nintendo Switch. The high-definition remaster of the 2011 classic, originally released on the Nintendo Wii, was announced during February’s Nintendo Direct stream, to the thunderous applause of countless Zelda fans. What followed were several announcements, including Skyward Sword themed Joy-Cons (with preorders currently sold-out practically everywhere) available the same day as the game’s July 2021 release.

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Movies, Reviews, Video Games

NOC Review: ‘Detective Pikachu’ Falls Short of Being the Very Best

Mike Manalo

Did I like Pokémon: Detective Pikachu? For the most part, yes. Would I recommend this movie to everyone? I don’t know if I can.

To elaborate, growing up, I played Pokémon Red, Blue, Yellow, Gold, and Silver. Then my mom wouldn’t buy me a Game Boy Advance, so I stopped counting after 251, and never played another console Pokémon game thereafter (at least until I became a grown-ass man, got a job, bought a Switch, and started playing Let’s Go Pikachu!). Then naturally the Pokémon Go phase happened, and I got obsessed again. However, as they began expanding the roster of Pokémon beyond the 251 I knew, I was completely lost about what any of the Pokémon that appeared from the Advance generation and up were, and ultimately stopped playing.

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Movies, Video Games1 Comment

‘Detective Pikachu’ is on the Case in First Teaser Trailer!

Laura Sirikul

When it was first announced that the world of Pokémon was finally getting a live-action film, fans all over the world of the video game, card game, and animated series were excited at the prospect of seeing their favorites come to life. Pikachu was finally becoming a live action creature, but many wondered… how?

Whoever had to create this live-action world for all of the Pokémon would have to really work closely with Japan’s The Pokémon Company to ensure these iconic characters are detailed for the hardcore fans. Fortunately, Pokémon: Detective Pikachu looks like it just did that.

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Animation, Video Games4 Comments

Reviewing Netflix’s ‘Castlevania’ from a ‘Castlevania’ Junkie

Diego

Recently Netflix has released the first “season” of Castlevania, a gory, animated version of the beloved Konami series featuring our favorite vampire killers trying to take down Dracula. I am a huge fan of Castlevania, from the platformer NES days to its Metroidvania-style games on the DS; I was curious to see how they would portray the game in a show format. There is definitely some potential if given to the right people. With only being four episodes long, how does show fare with the original material?

Long story short, some work is required but it is a good start.

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