Pokemon Bank Launch Delayed December 26, 2013

Due to the issues we are currently having with the Nintendo eShop for the past two days, Nintendo has officially announced they are delaying the launch of the highly anticipated Pokémon Bank service until their network issues have been rectified.  Pokémon Bank was expected to launch on December 27th, 2013, tomorrow.  Since Nintendo’s eShop is not currently functional, anyone who would want to download it if it launched tomorrow would not be able to.

When launched, Pokémon Bank will allow users to transfer and store Pokémon obtained from the fifth and sixth generation Pokémon games to Nintendo’s cloud servers so they can be used in later games for a yearly fee.  You can read all the details about the service here.

No word was given when we can expect the Pokémon Bank to launch or when Nintendo Network will be back up to full capacity.  Nintendo has made it clear they are still working on the issue and hope to have the service back up and running as soon as they are able to.  We will keep you posted as this story develops.

Nintendo eShop is Down December 26, 2013

Since yesterday, I have been unable to log into the Nintendo eShop from either my 3DS or Wii U, and I have been reading reports coming in from all over the internet from tons of users who are having the same issue.  No, your brand new Nintendo Wii U and 3DS systems are not broken, the Nintendo eShop has been completely down since Christmas Day.

Normally having a digital marketplace down for a short period of time would not be much of an issue, except the way Nintendo has designed their consoles around this digital marketplace has made the issue all the more problematic.  Nintendo chose to bundle some of the games they are including with new hardware as digital download codes instead of physical copies.  Because the eShop is not functional, these downloadable game codes cannot be redeemed or downloaded until this issue is resolved, meaning many users may have nothing to play on their new systems for the time being.  Also some Nintendo 3DS games (like Mario Kart 7) have patched their retail versions (like the recent 1.2 patch for Pokémon X and Y), and these patches can only be obtained by downloading it through the eShop, they’re not installed automatically upon booting their games.  This wouldn’t normally be much of an issue, but some of these patches are required downloads for online play.  Anyone who hasn’t downloaded these patches before the eShop went down may not be able to access multiplayer in a game that would otherwise support it until the eShop comes back online.

Nintendo has released a statement that they are investigating the issue and for the time being they are pulling the Pokémon Bank app from the Japanese eShop.   I have also heard reports that Nintendo Network has been unable to allow new account creation for the time being, but I have not been able to confirm this independently.  Other Nintendo Network features such as Miiverse seem to be working fine on either supported platform for anyone able to log in.

We will keep you up to date on this story as it develops.

UPDATE (12/29/13):  After four days, Nintendo has reactivated the Nintendo eShop.

Mario Warfare Part 6 December 20, 2013

The sixth episode of Mario Warfare, the parody series from Beatdown Boogie which examines what would happen if the trials and tribulations of the Mushroom Kingdom was a bit more realistic, has been released.  In this latest episode, we take a look at just what some of Nintendo’s most popular characters do when placed in a realistic combat envroment.  Sound unbelievable?  Honestly, you have to take a look at it for yourselves.

Did I just see a Pikachu go on a killing spree in a warzone?

Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder Trailer December 18, 2013

I have to admit every once in a while I’m charmed by some of the odder games to come out of Japan and Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder certainly fits that bill.  In this game for the Nintendo 3DS you take control of a robot who needs to find specific items in the real world to add as displays for a new museum.  The only hint you’ll have is the vague outline of the object requested.

Chibi-Robo! Photo Finder is coming January 9th, 2014 exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS through the Nintendo eShop.

Bravely Default Demo Trailer December 18, 2013

A lot of classic RPG enthusiasts have been looking forward to the 3DS game Bravely Default to scratch the itch that the recent Final Fantasy games have not been able to subdue.  Now, Nintendo has announced in their recent Nintendo Direct that they plan to release a Bravely Default demo in advance of the release of the full version of the game.

The biggest reveal about this announcement is that the Bravely Default demo will NOT be an adaptation from a scene from the game, and instead be a separate side story not included with the full version of the game.  However, loot and other items you pick up during the demo can carry over to the full version of the game when it’s released.  Let’s take a look.

Bravely Default will release February 7th, 2014 exclusively to the Nintendo 3DS.  The demo will launch on the Nintendo eShop over a month earlier on January 2nd, 2014.

Mario Kart 8 Airport Trailer December 18, 2013

The latest trailer for Mario Kart 8 was released today with the latest Nintendo Direct.  Here’s a closer look at it.

The new airport race track looks amazing!  When I first saw it, it reminded me of the game Aeroporter for the 3DS.  But on top of showing this new track to race on, this trailer seems to confirm that Baby Peach, Baby Luigi, Baby Mario and Baby Daisy will be playable drivers on top of the already announced staple drivers of the series including Peach, Mario, Wario, Donkey Kong, Waluigi, and Luigi.

If you would like to check out our preview of the game from E3 2013, you can check it out here.

Mario Kart 8 is coming in 2014 exclusive to the Wii U.

Nintendo Direct 12/18/13 December 18, 2013

Just in time for the holiday season, Nintendo has released their latest promotional video directly to us.  In it, the head honchos at Nintendo provide a lot of information about some upcoming unannounced games for the Nintendo 3DS and Wii U, more information on games that have already been announced, and show some surprises that even I wasn’t expecting.  If you wanted to know what was next for Nintendo, you need to watch this video.

Expect more detailed analysis of a lot of this content throughout the day.  Until then, check this out.

Pokémon X and Y 1.2 Update Released December 13, 2013

Nintendo has released a second software update to Pokémon X and Pokémon Y.  Dubbed Version 1.2, the update contains all of the fixes in the previous update, as well as several new fixes in the game resolving problems with Wonder Trade, internet connectivity issues, and Pokémon Trainer PR videos.

The fastest way to get these updates would probably be to download them manually at no charge through the Nintendo eShop.  Simply run the Nintendo eShop application from any Wireless Hotspot or Nintendo Zone location and download the 1.2 updates from the Pokémon X and Y section of the eShop.  There is no charge for either update and they are compatible with either the physical retail or digital downloadable versions of the game.  Make sure to download the correct patch for your version of the game as there are separate patches for Pokémon X and Pokémon Y, and if you have both games you will need to download both patches.

You may need to update your Nintendo 3DS to its latest firmware to access the Nintendo eShop.  The 1.2 update is required to play Pokémon X or Pokémon Y online after December 12th.

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are out now exclusive to the Nintendo 3DS.

Pokémon Bank Release Date December 13, 2013

Before Pokémon X and Pokémon Y launched in October of this year, Nintendo announced during a Pokémon Direct video that a new service called Pokémon Bank would be coming this month.  Pokémon Bank would allow Pokémon players the ability to keep all their collected Pokémon from the current and older Pokémon games safe online.  By keeping them online, it would ensure that the loss or destruction of a handheld device or game cartridge would not destroy a Pokémon Trainer’s Pokémon collection, and make it easier to bring Pokémon collected in earlier games to newer ones.

The Pokémon Company has released this helpful video on how this process will work and when we can expect the service to launch.

Pokémon Bank will activate December 27th, 2013.  The service will cost an annual fee of $4.99 US, but there will be a 30-day trial period for anyone who downloads the program before January 31st, 2014.  You will need to download the Poké Transporter program to your Nintendo 2DS/3DS to transfer any Pokémon captured in the 5th Generation games to Pokémon Bank.

UPDATE:  Due to the issues Nintendo was having with the eShop during Christmas, Nintendo has delayed the launch of Pokémon Bank in North America and has not provided a solid release date for when they plan to launch it.  We will endeavor to keep readers posted when Nintendo announces the service’s new release date.

Mario Warfare Part 5 December 13, 2013

The guys over at Beatdown Boogie have done it again.  The filmamkers who previously made the cult classic Modern War Gear Solid have just released the fifth part of their latest series, Mario Warfare, which casts the Mushroom Kingdom and the two Italian plumber brothers in a completely different light.  Let’s take a look.