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Kid Icarus Uprising Voice Actors Reunite for Anniversary
A Virtual Event
Tomorrow is the tenth anniversary of the 3DS classic Kid Icarus: Uprising. To commemorate, the two lead voice actors are planning on reuniting for a Live Instagram event of chatting, autographing and interacting with fans!
Antony Del Rios and Ali Hillis previously sat down for a lengthy interview with GameXplain, but now they are doing a special virtual event to celebrate the game’s milestone on the big day itself.
Some goods are available to be purchased here and here to be signed on stream, but the event and discussion is completely free to watch and participate in.
The stream starts at 11am PDT and can be viewed on Antony’s Instagram.
Looking back on two years of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
How a deserted island became a cultural phenomenon
It has been two years since the North American release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. If you would have said to me, a die-hard Animal Crossing fan, that New Horizons would end up being not only one of the Nintendo Switch’s biggest games, but also a worldwide phenomenon, I would have called you crazy. Surprisingly, that is exactly what happened, and I couldn’t be more pleased. There’s simply no room for debate anymore; Animal Crossing is now solidified as one of Nintendo’s top tier franchises.
I have loved Animal Crossing since it was first localized for the GameCube. Standing in an Electronics Boutique, I asked the salesperson what Animal Crossing even was. She said, in the simplest of terms, “a Sims game, but with animals.” That was all it took to sell me on the game. Even though that description was not entirely accurate, it was close enough. Thus began a love affair that has spanned nearly twenty years.
Games Done Quick Announces Return of SGDQ This Summer
Gotta Go Quick
After being sidelined by the pandemic, Games Done Quick has announced the return of their Summer Games Event SGDQ! It is slated for this summer and will be held again in Bloomington, MN.
They will be taking game submissions beginning next week for possible spots for the week-long event.
Check out even more details at the Games Done Quick website!
Microsoft Halts Working Relations with Moon Studios
Dark Side of the Moon
As a follow up to our report that can be found here detailing allegations about working conditions at Moon Studios, Direct-Feed Games reports that Microsoft has made a decision when it comes to the current relationship with the developer.
Moon Studios has been a successful company, with the two Ori games receiving high praise across both Xbox and the Nintendo Switch.
This is a developing story with many more twists and turns to come in the future.
RUMOR: Twitter User Discovers New Controller Patent
A New Way To Play?
A Twitter User has discovered a new patent filed by Nintendo for a controller variant of some kind. Pictures and details are scarce, but it appears the patent filed last Summer, and was only made public in January.
New patents are not a guarantee that anything is coming, but sometimes do tend to hold slightly more weight than a trademark renewal.
As for the controller itself, it appears to be styled after a portion of the N64 controller. It’s missing the prominent prongs, the Z trigger, and some of the face buttons, but it’s clear the N64 controller was definitely a base for this design. It even appears to have the N64 Controller Pak slot!
New Sonic Movie Character Posters Released
Big Blue is Back
The official Sonic Movie Twitter account has shared a series of tweets featuring a new poster art for Sonic the Hedgehog 2, including many that spotlight fan favorite characters.
Also included in the thread are looks at some of characters from the movie.
What do you think of the art that has been revealed so far? Are you hyped for April 8th?
Nintendo Shares Kirby 25th Anniversary Concert Video
Karby would be pleased
To help celebrate Kirby’s 30th Anniversary, Nintendo’s Official YouTube Channel has posted a clip from the 25th Anniversary Orchestra Concert series held in 2017. The songs were performed by the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
The clip can be seen below!
The video will only be available through March 31, 2023.
The celebration of Kirby music continues later this year in the 30th Anniversary Music Fest - a free streaming event that was announced earlier today.
RUMOR: New Trademark Could Hint at Silent Hill's Return
A Foggy Forecast
Recent trademark renewal filings may give light to a revival of Silent Hill - a franchise that has been left in the fog for the past several years.
As spotted on Reddit, Konami Digital Entertainment renewed the trademarks on a few titles that raises as eyebrow. Trademark renewals do not mean anything concrete - just as poor Nintendo games like Eternal Darkness that gets a renewal every so often but nothing comes of it - but it’s good to see the franchise being mentioned in the open again!
Silent Hill debuted on PlayStation in 1999 but the series is no stranger to Nintendo platforms, either. In late 2009, Shattered Memories appeared on the Wii - and most recently was an added DLC chapter in Dead by Daylight.
Wholesome Direct Announced for June 2022
Innocent, indie fun for all
Wholesome Games has announced plans for their own streaming presentation - appropriately named Wholesome Direct - to make a return in June 2022. And what’s more, they are open to submissions for indie developers to submit their work and the opportunity to share some of the spotlight this summer.
Among the over 70 games shown at last year’s brisk-moving Direct were trailers for notable games like Skatebird, Bear and Breakfast, Garden Story, and Unpacking. This year’s show looks to continue the trend of bringing attention to smaller uplifting and unique titles with a specific date to be announced in the future.
Ubisoft Offers Update on Recent Cyber Attack
Password resets incoming
Ubisoft became the latest victim in cyber attacks on high profile tech companies last week. But in an update posted on their news website, it appears the damage was minimal.
Last week, Ubisoft experienced a cyber security incident that caused temporary disruption to some of our games, systems, and services. Our IT teams are working with leading external experts to investigate the issue. As a precautionary measure we initiated a company-wide password reset. Also, we can confirm that all our games and services are functioning normally and that at this time there is no evidence any player personal information was accessed or exposed as a by-product of this incident.
Aside from a few required password resets and a brief hiccup in online services, it is believed there was no sensitive customer data was breached.
Ubisoft’s big Nintendo Switch game - Mario + Rabbids: Spark of Hope - is still on track for release in 2022, as is the latest installment of their yearly Just Dance franchise.
Reminder: Shaymin Available to Pokémon BD/SP Trainers
A Mythical Bonus
Nintendo tweeted a reminder to all players of Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl of a limited time in-game bonus available now through March 27th.
After opening the letter and completing a short task, you can receive the Mythical Pokémon Shaymin via the Mystery Gift option in the game. For new players, it should be noted that the official Pokémon website says it takes roughly about two hours of game play to unlock the feature. Further, a paid Nintendo Switch Online membership is not required to receive your Shaymin.
February's Monthly Rewind Video is Live
Be Kind. Rewind.
Is it March already? Yes it is, and has been for nine days! Thankfully, Nintendo is here with their Monthly Rewind video to recap all of the big news that happened in February, nice chaps that they are!
Video the recap below!
New Persona 4 Arena Ultimax Trailer Released
Get Ultimaxed
The release of Persona 4 Arena Ultimax is just around the corner and Nintendo passed along a new trailer for the upcoming game on it’s YouTube Channel.
The spin-off of the popular series releases on Nintendo Switch on March 17th.
DLC for Mario Party Superstars Incoming?
Hopefully not so board anymore...
The cries for DLC in Mario Party Superstars began within the community not even a month after the game was out, and those cries have only gotten louder in the days and weeks since. The game has been received well, but the low number of boards has been a point of contention. Now, it looks like there is some hope that those pleas are being heard.
A reddit user passed along a Nintendo survey that asked: “Next time you buy a downloadable content pack, which one are you most likely to buy?”. The five options included Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe… and Mario Party Superstars (along with Hot Wheels and a “none of the above” choice).
Given that two of those three choices have DLC currently available or already announced, that leaves hope sitting squarely with Superstars. Would you be interested in additional boards for the game, or do you think this is just wishful thinking?
More Animal Crossing Plushies on the Way
From the Island to your Home
The popular series of Sanei Boeki’s All-Star Plushies grows with five new animals joining the collection. Raymond - the character who set off a frenzy when New Horizons first launched - leads the pack that also includes Chrissy. Francine, Hamlet, and Lily. They are all up for preorder from Amazon Japan and will ship internationally.
Of note, ordering directly from the seller listed as “amazon.co.jp” insures international shipping when the plushies launch in April 2022.
Visit the Amazon Japan website to secure yours today!