Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Future Updates: Trump Pack!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - A KoopaTV exclusive scoop.

Did you hear that Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch will still be getting additional content? It's true. Shinya Takahashi, general producer on most of Nintendo's games in the past several years (also referred to as “that Takahashi guy” in a recent article about the 78th Nintendo shareholder Q&A), said so in this social media video from Nintendo of America covering a range of topics, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.

Here is Takahashi finishing a low-resolution bow to the camera, stating,
“There will be further updates for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, so please look forward to it.”

For some context, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe just got an update allowing you to use the Nintendo Labo Toy-Con Motorbike as a control method, which means that the Nintendo Labo is spreading its cardboard control over more than just other cardboard, but to any form of software that it can find. Since you can now find software in pretty much any product nowadays, this makes the Nintendo Labo extremely dangerous should you allow automatic updates. (Sometimes, such as in Mario Kart 8 on the Wii U, you don't get a choice and it updates itself for the worse.)

What kind of updates are we looking at? Well, KoopaTV did an investigation and found this in the works for a NEW CHARACTER:

Revisiting amiibo Economics in 2018

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Market conditions changed, and amiibo are less of a priority for both Nintendo and consumers.

In the same interview where Nintendo of America's president Reggie Fils-Aime described why Nintendo continues to prop up the Nintendo 3DS, he described Nintendo's stance on amiibo to be, “We continue to be all in.” This is contrary to new all-of-Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa's went-out-of-his-way omission of amiibo in his letter to shareholders. It's likely wiser to take Furukawa's word on this over Reggie's, but here's the data count of how many amiibo are releasing in what year, if you want to just look at the numbers and not executive spin:

Data applies to North America only; compiled by counting the amiibo Character Lineup page on July 12, 2018,
plus Super Smash Bros. series Ridley, Inkling Girl, and Wolf. (Those aren't on the page.)
amiibo card series counts as one amiibo per series.
2018 figure represents as-of-now announced amiibo. More may be to come.

Still, to this day, the Super Smash Bros. series amiibo is not complete. In fact, there's some new members that appear to slightly bend the amiibo economics:

With Zero not in Mega Man's Final Smash, where is he?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - What isn't he fighting for?

Is this already easily explained within the Mega Man community?

Between Super Smash Bros. 4 and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate,
Mega Legends (the name for Mega Man's Final Smash) added Proto Man and Bass.

From the live reaction log for Nintendo's E3 2018 presentation, which proves a natural desire for Zero (to the point of seeing a character in red and mistaking him for Zero):

“[12:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: MEGA MAN

[12:21 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: MEGA MAN'S FINAL SMASH HAS ZERO
[...]
[12:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: Proto Man and Bass

[12:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: wtf I thought it was Zero

[12:32 PM] Ludwig Von Koopa: <_<”

With Proto Man and Bass there, where is Zero? Originally, Zero wasn't included because everyone included in the Final Smash was using a Mega Buster, leaving Zero to be a Mii costume. But Proto Man uses his Proto Buster, and Bass uses his Bass Buster. Zero also uses a Buster, appropriately named the Zero Buster. (In Mega Man Zero, he also used a handheld Buster Shot gun.) As a Buster-user in the Mega Man X franchise, the Zero Buster was more powerful than X's Mega Buster. He definitely can stand up there as a legend and shoot a big laser beam with the rest of them. No problem there.

Zero is not a “Mega Man”, but neither are Proto Man or Bass. Zero, at least, has his own game series, so I'd say he's more of a legend than either Proto Man or Bass. The only legendary thing Proto Man ever did was... almost... blow up President Lincoln's...statue. As Proto Man himself said, “almost only counts in horseshoes.” Zero qualifies to be there, so for him to be omitted when Proto Man and Bass are allowed must mean something.

Will Zero be a new playable character? An Assist Trophy? ...Would the former be a barrier to prevent Phoenix Wright from becoming a playable character?

Can we just get CAPCOM to make a “Nintendo vs. CAPCOM” already?


If there is a really straight-forward explanation for why Zero wouldn't qualify for being part of Mega Man's Final Smash, Ludwig would like to hear it. The only reasonable explanation is that Zero decided that being there wasn't worth fighting for.

What is MariCAR Inc., and why is Nintendo suing them?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Just from the headline alone and without reading the article, do you already have a guess on why Nintendo would sue?

Yesterday, I published an article about Nintendo's 78th annual shareholder meeting, and I teased Question 13 from an investor about MariCAR Inc.. Now, as promised, here's a whole article dedicated about it. First, I'll quote the exchange, with the first block being the investor, and the second being former Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima's answer:

 “For several years, there has been a company operating public road go-karts in Tokyo, which has damaged the image of Mario as they raced around the streets. We heard that Nintendo sued the company and lost the first trial. Is this true?”
“The lawsuit that we brought against MariCAR Inc. is still ongoing, and a court decision has not yet been made. Although we submitted a complaint to the Japan Patent Office regarding the MariCAR trademark held by MariCAR Inc., the decision was made that they could keep the MariCAR trademark. We are aware of some articles online that have mistaken this decision for Nintendo having lost the case. We cannot provide details of matters subject to court proceedings, but we will continue to fight to protect our intellectual property through the courts. There were reports of accidents involving public road go-karts, so we are making every effort to deal with this issue from that perspective as well.”

Two things stand-out from Kimishima's response:

Nintendo 78th Annual Meeting of Shareholders: Fun Q&A!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - No, the amusement park won't take away from game sales.

I like to share Nintendo-related moments of amusement with my audience. In that spirit, here is the questions & answers summary from Nintendo's 78th Annual General Meeting of Shareholders, which may be the last time we ever see now-former president Tatsumi Kimishima say stuff to people. (The meeting took place on June 28, and the Board of Directors voted in Shuntaro Furukawa as the new president after the questions.)

I guess I'll just give a paragraph to interesting question-answer combinations and let you know which I'm talking about. That sound alright?

Take Question 2, for example. The investor is freaking out about Nintendo's stock price, which is falling ever since E3 2018 and before. (Buy low, sell high, folks.) Just to illustrate:

In the picture: Nintendo's stock collapsing since the end of April.
(As you can see from the watermark, courtesy of Yahoo! Finance.)

Shinya Takahashi and Kimishima discussed E3 to divert the topic, and Shinya Takahashi claimed that E3 2018 was dedicated to not only Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, but also Pokémon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go, Eevee!. And I'm not too sure, based on what we saw, that the latter is true. It only had one (lame) appearance on Nintendo Treehouse Live, after all. It was at the beginning to get it out of the way.

Nintendo, could your eShop card activation code be a little bigger font size?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I can barely read it.

I just gave out, at the start of this month, one $10 code for the Nintendo eShop, and one $10 code for Amazon. You know, for the KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program. Great program. Just for commenting on KoopaTV articles and doing other activities, you compete with other people and whomever has the most points by the end gets a prize. Full details in that hyperlink.

So I deal with a lot of gift cards from retailers in order to make this possible. For Nintendo's eShop cards, you need to scratch off the back for this 16-character code that I then privately give to the winner. For Amazon, you peel off a sticker off the back for a 15-character code.

Now, take a look at the picture below for a comparison between the code for a Nintendo eShop card, and the code for an Amazon gift card:

Above: The Nintendo eShop card code given to Kody B. for his second-place prize.
Below: The Amazon gift card code given to ShinyGirafarig for her first-place prize.
(The codes are used already, so I don't recommend trying. But you're free to participate on this site and win a code for yourself!)

You have to squint really hard to read the Nintendo code, and you have to go out of your way to scratch it off with something. Not only are the letters small, but they're bold and with nearly nonexistent kerning, so it looks like they're going to bleed into one another and it's hard to transcribe. What a pain. But Amazon's is a nice and big healthy font, with a user-friendly peeling method.

Why the Nintendo 3DS is Still Around (2018)

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - There's a year in that title, because we might revisit this in 2019 and have a different answer.

Are you someone who does not understand why Nintendo is keeping the Nintendo 3DS afloat, instead of combining all of their development and marketing efforts behind one console? I admit, I was one of those people. But take a look at Nintendo of America's Reggie Fils-Aime's answer in this Game Informer interview question about what the 3DS means for Nintendo:

“[The Nintendo 3DS] continues to be a vibrant system. The reasons are, for the target audience we are going after – parents with kids – we see this as a great first device for that five, six, seven, and eight-year-old. The portability, the ability for the hardware to take damage and survive the drop test, over a thousand games available with new ones coming, that’s what’s driving the performance. It becomes a gateway for these kids that turn 10, 11, and 12 to then jump on to Nintendo Switch. It’s a strategy that’s working, and we’re going to continue to support that platform. We have more games coming, and certainly into 2019, we see it as a key part of our business.”

One wonders what Reggie expects nine-year-olds to play. Maybe he wants the number nine nixed.  I'm also not sure how “key” the 3DS is to Nintendo's business when two Nintendo presidents in a row decline to mention it in their letters to investors.

Anyway, I guess Nintendo is able to present remakes/ports of old games as “new” because their target audience for the 3DS wasn't even born when those games were first released. Nintendo will be able to selectively re-release titles for the Nintendo 3DS and then be able to help parents nurture their children on games that will prepare them for a lifelong pursuit of quality gaming excellence. (As opposed to having them start on mobile trash.) That strategy is exactly what I was asking for many years ago. Obviously, I can't and won't be mad at Nintendo for fulfilling this important and underappreciated role in the gaming ecosystem that I was the pioneer for advocating.

Hopefully you agree. If you don't, then you need to expand your thinking past just yourself. After all, if Nintendo is successful with their strategy, it indirectly and eventually benefits you as a Nintendo Switch-focused person.


Do you agree with how Nintendo is positioning the 3DS? If you're an active 3DS user over the age of eight years old, do you feel that Nintendo is underselling the 3DS by reducing it to a child's system? (And throwing its many E10+ or over games, like Ace Attorney, under the bus?) Alternatively, do you feel that Nintendo is underselling the Switch by not marketing it to children? Does this hint to how long Nintendo is planning to maintain the Switch's lifespan?


The Nintendo 3DS can also save you a trip to France, which can save your (and your child's) life.
Also from that Game Informer interview: An update on Nintendo's amiibo plan!

Chain Chomp: Free at Last! (This is BAD!)

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Not everyone deserves independence and freedom.

People everywhere are heralding July 4 as Independence Day. What's the deal with celebrating independence? Independent... meaning free from the control of others. One example of independence that was worth celebrating was KoopaTV getting its own domain name (KoopaTV.org).

But another example of independence people are celebrating is Chain Chomp becoming a playable character in Mario Tennis Aces — playable for the first time ever. Chain Chomp still has a chain, but the chain isn't chained to anything, allowing Chain Chomp a full range of movement and the freedom to go anywhere.

This is not something to celebrate, however. Ever consider why Chain Chomps were chained to begin with? Well, we have.

Don't Go to FRANCE For Summer Vacation: Louvre Guide Discount?

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Thanks, My Nintendo?

In a shocking and appalling move, Nintendo of America is suggesting that you should travel to France this summer through their critically-unacclaimed My Nintendo service.

“Travelling to France this summer? Get the Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre software!”
(On another note, you should totally take advantage of Pocket Card Jockey at 30% off.)

For your information, the Nintendo 3DS Guide: Louvre is normally $20 (it's free to rent in the Louvre museum), but with 80 Gold Points in My Nintendo, you can get it for $10! 50% off! If you actually go to the Louvre museum, you can rent the Nintendo 3DS and do their audio tour for five Euros (or about $5.83).

You might remember this product from this completely forgettable Nintendo Direct that had a very forgettable reaction log to go with it.

Anyway, a feature is that you can view a lot of art and go on a virtual tour... without having to go to France. KoopaTV highly recommends you do not go to France for a vacation — or for any other circumstance, and reprimands Nintendo for suggesting it. Experience the Louvre with this... app thing on the 3DS. Or don't bother at all.


You also don't want to go to France during the summer months because all of the French people are on vacation during that time, leaving the country deserted with no one to service you. It's a lazy European thing. In other news, Nintendo also claimed that Pocket Card Jockey is “even more fun with friends.” despite being a single-player game. (FAKE NEWS?) It does, however, support StreetPass record-sharing, but since you'll never StreetPass someone else with the game, you can share your Pocket Card Jockey records here.

KoopaTV's June 2018 Review Newsletter

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - A whirlwind month of E3 2018... and life-altering events.

Thank you for keeping it to KoopaTV for another month! It's very appreciated, and what a month it was. June 2018 tied June 2017 for having the most number of articles in one month, ever. (44.) E3 2018 was pretty intense, and quite frankly, I'm not sure that we want to actually go do that ever again. Is it sustainable? Well, we have a feedback mechanism detailed later in this newsletter as a structured way to get your thoughts.

Top Five Recommended Articles of June 2018

Just a reminder: We traditionally exclude articles in the reaction log category from the monthly top recommended articles. That always makes June look weird, since that's such a reaction-log heavy month. (27 of those 44 articles are reaction logs.) Shout-outs to the E3 Weeks 2018 Schedule for making E3 on KoopaTV a survivable event. Now for the top five recommended articles in chronological order:

1. Mario Tennis Aces Pre-Launch Online Tournament — Very Convincing Experience! — The Mario Tennis Aces pre-launch online tournament got our staff on-board with Mario Tennis Aces, and we definitely weren't there before. Our thoughts from it!
2. Don't Judge a Game by Its Art: Pokémon Quest Is Even WORSE Than It Looks — On the other hand, playing Pokémon Quest for an hour only solidified the negative visceral reaction our staff has against it.
3. E3 2018 Conferences Tier List!  — A great summary of E3 2018, ranking each company that held press conference events. Which came out on top? The bottom? And everywhere in-between?
4. Sakurai Still Hates Ludwig — Smash Ultimate may as well be an Enhanced Port — Masahiro Sakurai continues his personal grudge against Ludwig Von Koopa, while Ludwig explains why he feels justified calling Super Smash Bros. Ultimate an enhanced port.
5. Pray for Vortexica... he's been decommissioned. — After waiting months and trying to contact him through normal and desperate methods, KoopaTV declares that staffer Vortexica is... gone. Obviously, you should read this.

Every KoopaTV article is worth your time to read, of course. But if I may put some more emphasis on that last recommended article...