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Nintendo adds monthly subscription to 'Fire Emblem Heroes'
Fire Emblem Heroes (FEH) is Nintendo's mobile money-maker. The free-to-play RPG has pulled in, according to SensorTower, $656 million since its release three years ago -- over $200 million more than all of Nintendo's other mobile games combined. That money train is running out of steam, though, and Nintendo wants to curb that with a $9.49 monthly subscription plan called Feh Pass. Despite being the company's most-successful mobile title in 2019, revenue was down significantly to $156 million, which is almost half that of the $295 million revenue from its 2017 launch year, and 23-percent down on the $205 million it made in 2018. This is a fairly normal pattern for a gacha title. Gacha games rely on a small number of high-value users spending hundreds and thousands of dollars on in-game currency (Orbs, in FEH's case). As the number of users playing a game drops, the number of high-value users typically drops in tandem.
Researchers develop multifaceted insect eyes for UAVs
A team of researchers from the Laboratory of Intelligent Systems at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL) have developed a tiny new set of electronic eyes for drones that are based on the multifaceted peepers of insects. These eyes are built specifically for the next generation of very small surveillance UAVs -- like that origami quadcopter EPFL developed earlier this year -- and operate very differently than the conventional cameras currently employed. Insect eyes aren't capable of generating a high spatial resolution (that is, the number of pixels you can pack into a single image) so they instead rely on quickly reacting to changes in how light reflects or objects appear as the insect moves. The new camera works the same way.
Barring Smash, Code Name: STEAM gets the best Amiibo support so far
Outside of Super Smash Bros, the physical incarnations of Mario, Pikachu and other Nintendo icons don't have much to do on their plastic pedestals. While they transform into teachable, collectible opponents in Nintendo's flagship brawler, tapping an Amiibo toy into Mario Kart 8 or Hyrule Warriors is a one-step process to unlock a minor in-game item. Nintendo has created a more substantial cameo – bordering on reverent – for the Amiibo line in Code Name: S.T.E.A.M, the oddball 3DS strategy game from developer Intelligent Systems. If you happen to own a Fire Emblem Amiibo and tap it in, warriors Marth, Ike, Robin and Lucina are summoned into Code Name's steam-powered war against aliens. They each have unique attacks, animations and can be an integral part of your strategy.
Code Name: STEAM video preview
In 2015, developer Intelligent Systems invites you through a tour of history where Abraham Lincoln teams up with the likes of The Cowardly Lion and Tom Sawyer to battle aliens in a steampunk-powered world. See what happens when you miss history class?! Code Name: STEAM arrives on the 3DS on March 13, but don't you don't have to wait to get eyes on the strategy game from the makers of Fire Emblem and Advance Wars. Joystiq has sent Editor-in-chief Ludwig Kietzmann through and around time to go hands on with the game and report back his findings. The verdict? The future is moist. Thanks, condensation.
Pushmo World review: Push even mo'
Mallo is one sneaky little freak of a Nintendo mascot. Just look at him: the bemused cartoon cat smile, his spongy red velvet cake body, that adorable sumo wrestler thong, the way he flaps his arms as he jumps around towers of colored blocks. He's almost more unassuming, approachable and sweet than Kirby, the original Nintendo puffball. While Kirby's presence portends softly challenging platformers, though, Mallo is a harbinger of madness. The spatial challenges in his Pushmo puzzle games always start simple before transforming into flummoxing logic knots. Even the simplest Pushmo can baffle, but that ultimately makes them even more gratifying to conquer, especially when they're as beautiful and bountiful as they are in Pushmo World on Wii U.
Take a turn at watching Code Name: STEAM in action
One of Nintendo's left-field announcements during E3 was Code Name: STEAM, a third-person, turn-based strategy game focused on killing aliens in a steampunk take of London. Oh yeah, that group of alien vanquishers is also formed by Abraham Lincoln. It's an odd concept to grasp from only a screenshot or two, but the above abbreviated cut of Nintendo's revealing presentation gives us a better idea of how its battles play out. Developed by Intelligent Systems, Code Name: STEAM has players conquering foes while minding a finite, steam-based fuel used for movement and attacks. Coins scattered across maps can be used at glowing, checkpoint-like pillars to replenish steam or health for units, but they can also be saved to purchase weaponry. Near the end of the video, we can hear Joystiq's Richard Mitchell ask for the meaning of the STEAM acronym, which stands for "Strike Team Eliminating the Alien Menace." Given that Art Director Takako Sasaki mentions building a bug-like, Lovecraftian apperance into the alien race's design earlier in the presentation, we imagine quite a few players will be happy to rid the Earth of their presence. [Image: Nintendo]
Pushmo follow-up coming to Wii U in June
Nintendo announced that a sequel to its hit 3DS puzzler Pushmo will make its debut in North America and Europe next month with an all-new collection of puzzles and expanded level-sharing options. Pushmo is a puzzle game in which players push and pull oddly-shaped blocks in order to form a staircase to each level's goal. The Wii U sequel, titled Pushmo World in North America and Pullblox World in Europe, features more than 250 puzzles, and will launch in both regions on June 19. Starting today, the 3DS version of Pushmo and its sequel Crashmo are on sale for 33 percent off from the Nintendo eShop. Players in Europe who own either game will also get a 30 percent discount off of Pushmo World at launch. [Image: Nintendo]
Advance Wars coming to Wii U Virtual Console in Europe
Red and blue will spar again on Wii U, because Advance Wars is getting a Virtual Console re-release in Europe on April 3. It'l be one of the first Game Boy Advance games on Wii U in the region, but we don't yet know if it'll be one of the first in North America. Last we heard, Nintendo of America had Metroid: Fusion, Mario & Luigi: Superstar Saga and Yoshi's Island: Super Mario Advance 3 pinned for sometime next month. We've reached out to Nintendo of Europe to find out if Advance Wars offers local or online multiplayer on the Wii U. Either way, we have to wonder if it's the closest we're going to get to the turn-based tactics series making a return on new Nintendo systems; Advance Wars has been missing in action since 2008 and DS entry Days of Ruin. [Image: Nintendo of Europe]
Joystiq Top 10 of 2013: Fire Emblem: Awakening
Team Joystiq is barging into 2014 with a celebration of last year's best games. Keep reading throughout the week to see our assembly of ingenious indies and triple-A triumphs. The last time I fell so deeply in love with a strategy-RPG was with Shining Force on the Sega Genesis, so Fire Emblem: Awakening was one of this year's most pleasant surprises. It rekindled an addiction I'd long thought dead, and its deep mechanics kept me hooked through several playthroughs. Previously, the Fire Emblem games scared me away with their brutal permadeath mechanics; earlier series entries kill off major characters for good if they fall in battle, often leaving players with a gaping hole in their ranks if an enemy should land a lucky critical strike. Awakening allays these fears with its new "Casual" mode, which mercifully allows characters to retreat after being defeated, instead of croaking on the spot. Casual mode is a boon for fretful players (and obsessed micro-managers), and it allows both casual fans and hardcore veterans to customize their experience to a degree never before seen in the series. For instance, if you want to sample Fire Emblem's traditional high-stakes gameplay but don't want to risk losing several units during each battle, you may want to set the game's difficulty to Easy while opting out of Casual mode. During my second playthrough, I chose to play on "Hard Casual," a seemingly oxymoronic combination that provides a satisfying level of difficulty without the stomach-churning risk of permanent character loss. It proved to be an ideal solution for me, emphasizing everything I like about the genre while downplaying the elements I didn't especially enjoy.
3DS Jam with the Band game coming from Fire Emblem studio
Fire Emblem series developer Intelligent Systems is helming a 3DS sequel in the long-dormant Jam with the Band series, Nintendo confirmed via a newly launched teaser website. Intelligent Systems' Daigasso! Band Brothers P uses Vocaloid software to turn a player's voice into a synthesized in-game instrument. Nintendo revealed the upcoming rhythm-action game in a Nintendo Direct presentation earlier this month. The first entry in the series, Daigasso! Band Brothers, premiered for the Nintendo DS in Japan in 2004. An enhanced English-localized version, Jam with the Band, launched in Europe in 2010, but was never released stateside. A North American release for Daigasso! Band Brothers P has not been announced.
Intelligent Systems divided over Fire Emblem: Awakening's casual mode
Unlike most other games in the series, Fire Emblem: Awakening includes an optional "casual mode" that lets you use characters in future battles even after they're killed. It's surprisingly controversial, even within developer Intelligent Systems."I was on the side that said we shouldn't include Casual mode to the end," project manager Masahiro Higuchi said in an interview with localization team 8-4. "It's that nuance ... If someone dies, you can't just go and resurrect them like in other games. You need to think more carefully about the value of the lives you're controlling in the game. It connects with the difficulty level, too – it makes you work your way through the game very carefully, which I think makes each victory all the more exhilarating."Higuchi admitted that permadeath also had the effect of keeping people from trying the game, and so its inclusion is important. "But I still play in Classic mode myself.""Personally, the first time I heard about [the idea of Casual mode], I was like 'no way,'" said Genki Yokota, director. "My boss brought up the idea, and just like Higuchi-san, I was angry at the thought of going too casual. But in the end, we figured giving players a choice would help expand the appeal of the game." Yokota now plays in casual mode, partly because he likes Awakening's characters and doesn't want to see them die. He's "pretty sure" casual mode will carry on in future games.
Fire Emblem Awakening posts 180K first month sales, 63K downloads
Fire Emblem Awakening shifted 180,000 units across its debut month at North American retail, Nintendo of America tells us. In a statement sent to Joystiq, the company said the tactical 3DS RPG enjoyed best ever first month sales in the franchise's nearly 23-year history. No doubt that was helped by a strong eShop uptake of 63,000 units, which comes in at 35 percent of total sales.Considering the series' last entry, Shadow Dragon, sold just over 250,000 units in North America to date, Awakening's sales bump over here is impressive, much as we thought the game was in our review. We awarded Awakening four and a half stars, deeming it "the best soap opera since CBS canceled Guiding Light," which is certainly saying something.
Fire Emblem - Awakening review: One life to live
Fire Emblem: Awakening is the best soap opera since CBS cancelled Guiding Light.If you've never played a Fire Emblem before, imagine Final Fantasy Tactics from an overhead perspective, or a particularly bloated derivation of chess. Nintendo's stalwart helped establish the turn-based tactical RPG genre, and Fire Emblem: Awakening features everything you expect from the series. Dozens of warriors team up to protect the magical Fire Emblem from an ever expanding army of evil miscreants. Each chapter is a different battle fought on a square grid, with your small army of various combat classes fanning out across the terrain to wipe out the opposing forces. The standard array of RPG unit types are present – warriors deal heavy damage with axes or lances, wizards hurl bolts of fire and lightning from afar, archers arch and thieves thieve.Forget the standard medieval fantasy trappings, though. Forget the swords and arrows, the burly warriors and lithe Pegasus knights, the pointy-hatted mages and high-hatting nobles. Forget the vast array of combat tactics permissible by the game's open-ended approach to strategy. Forget the experience points earned with every attack. Forget the more powerful unit types unlocked once characters hit level ten, and the forges that upgrade your weapons, and the Paralogue missions that provide a secondary story to explore. Those are all vital to Awakening's compulsive allure, but what elevates Fire Emblem above other turn-based tactical RPGs are the deep roster of characters and the relationships that flower between them. You'll get as wrapped up in their stories as your grandmother did with the vengeful harridans and scheming suits of a soap opera.%Gallery-175932%
Fire Emblem: Awakening teaches the value of friendship
You might have thought the best part of friendship was a sense of camaraderie and togetherness. As this Fire Emblem: Awakening trailer proves, the real boon of friendship is sweet combat boosts.
Empowering your Fire Emblem: Awakening army with StreetPass
Despite the unique and interesting qualities of the 3DS' StreetPass and SpotPass functionality, I've rarely had reason to use it. So far, my favorite example of StreetPass functionality has been found in Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, where it's possible to swap Dark Notes and custom character cards. When Fire Emblem: Awakening launches next month, however, I expect the mileage I get from those features will increase.At a preview event on Wednesday, Nintendo demonstrated its upcoming 3DS strategy game, giving the media a glimpse at its secondary features. My time with it left me intrigued. It's rare to see StreetPass bonuses and DLC embedded so deeply in the single-player experience.Fire Emblem: Awakening's DLC plan, for the most part, has already been revealed. We've been aware that characters such as Marth, Roy, Ike, and other franchise luminaries will be available via an in-game variant of the eShop. What I hadn't realized until now, however, is that there are actual rewards for completing a map in the game.%Gallery-175932%
Crashmo review: Push some mo'
You might be wondering just what a "crashmo" is. The word is meaningless. It's not even a word. It's just an awkward collection of letters that means nothing to the average person. It might look familiar if you've played last year's 3DS puzzler Pushmo, though, and the similarity isn't a coincidence. This here is a full-blown sequel.If you didn't play Pushmo, go do so. Now that you have, know that Crashmo isn't just a booster pack of additional puzzles. Crashmo expands on Pushmo's block-pushing dynamic, resulting in a better and more complicated game.%Gallery-172701%
Pushmo sequel 'Fallblox' heading to 3DS in November [update: In North America Nov. 22]
A sequel to Pushmo is coming to the 3DS, Nintendo Europe president Satoru Shibata announced during the latest Nintendo Direct. Entitled Fallblox (the original Pushmo is called Pullblox in Europe), the game puts a new twist on the Pushmo formula.Rather than simply pulling blocks from the background, blocks can now be pushed and pulled in any direction. Depending on how the blocks are pushed, others may even fall. The video showcased a player moving three differently-sized blocks in order to create a staircase.Fallblox is slated to arrive in Europe this November. We've contacted Nintendo to see if it will head to North America as well. Just in case you glossed over the rest of this article: New Pushmo!Update: Nintendo has just announced that the sequel is indeed headed to North America, where it will be titled Crashmo. It's set to hit the eShop on November 22.
Visualized: Intel's wall of motherboards at IDF 2012
We know you like naked motherboards, you perverts... Actually, we do too! Now close your eyes and imagine a wall of motherboards. Oh yes. That's exactly what Intel dished out at IDF 2012 -- a display of Intelligent Systems Alliance members' motherboards in all shapes and sizes, including server and military-grade models. We'll leave you to enjoy some alone time while you ogle the gallery below.%Gallery-165536%
Windows Embedded Standard 8 CTP2 ready to download now
Microsoft's second preview of Windows Embedded Standard 8 is available now. The latest version, typically used outside the standard office and home environs, throws in Kinect for Windows compatibility, as well as some gesture filters for arm-flailing interaction and NFC support. The preview now supports nine languages and requires at least a 1GHz processor, 1GB of system memory (2GB if you're running a 64 bit system), a DVD drive and 7GB of space for the full install. Hit up the source for plenty more detail and the download itself.
Fire Emblem: Awakening's latest (very Japanese) trailer examines systems
If you speak Japanese, this latest trailer for Fire Emblem: Awakening should make perfect sense. If you don't speak Japanese, a history of experience with JRPGs may allow you to infer the functionality of the gameplay systems demonstrated. For instance! We're pretty sure that one guy has an axe.
