Search KoopaTV!

Translate

Tuesday, July 31, 2018

June 30, 2018 Nintendo Quarterly Financial Update

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Featuring some very long-awaited sales figures.

No matter how good Nintendo's. financials get, it's like the stock market doesn't care. Bummer.

In other news, Nintendo is making some sweet money as of their quarter ending June 30, 2018. I know you don't care about the particulars (you don't go to KoopaTV for stock picking or financial news), but just know that everything is holding pretty steady (aka good) except for the 3DS, which continues to collapse in terms of numbers sold, as you'd expect. There's only so many kids 5–8 to sell to.


Meanwhile, the Nintendo Switch has sold 19.67 million units as of June 30, and 86.93 million units of software. Among the top software are Super Mario Odyssey (11.17 million), Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (10.35 million), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (9.32 million), and Splatoon 2 (6.76 million). And then there is a big gap going down to the 2 million units, but your takeaway for those four games is that they make up almost half of all Nintendo Switch software sold.

So let's look at the bottom-tier million-plus sellers again: 

Monday, July 30, 2018

The Threat of the Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Keep the Labo away from my vehicular treasures!

I might be the only one in Koopa Kingdom to think this, but great taste is often only distributed to a particular set of geniuses: The Super Ludsub is one of the greatest technological marvels of all time, and the best vehicular weapon ever made. Also near the top is the Doomship with my face attached to it, along with the Landship. (Planes are better than cars, and if you were wondering, submarines are the best of all!)

Last week, however, Nintendo announced a global threat to transportation: Nintendo Labo: Vehicle Kit — due for a September 14, 2018 release. Given what we know about Nintendo Labo — it's highly dangerous and can possess cardboard objects and turn them against their owners — this is a unique threat to the Super Ludsub. The Super Ludsub, as the name suggests, is a brilliant submarine that is, get this, made of cardboard.

Do you know what's in the Vehicle Kit? A car, a submarine, and a plane.

...And a pair of keys, the Toy-Con Keys, that reportedly enable the hijacking of any vehicle.

Yeah, you think I'm nuts for what I've written about the Labo? You don't think it's possible for a cardboard-with-sensors product to do everything I've said since it was announced? Well, for all the evidence you'll ever need, read this quote from the press release:

Friday, July 27, 2018

Kirby Star Allies: Dream Friends Wave 2 Update Released!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Kirby Star Allies version 3.0. Get the update. Has slightly more than just Dream Friends in it.

Four months (exactly) after Kirby Star Allies Dream Friends Wave 1, we now have Dream Friends Wave 2. I wanted Captain Vul, but instead we get Adeleine and Ribbon from Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, Dark Meta Knight from Kirby & The Amazing Mirror, and Daroach from Kirby: Squeak Squad. Here's a trailer featuring them from Nintendo:



As was the case for Wave 1, the developers actually put effort into fully integrating the new Dream Friends. They show up in all-friend cutscenes like every other friend, and other end-game and post-game story mode content that is spoiler-y to share but great to experience. The Dream Friends themselves are incredibly potent.


Kirby Star Allies Dream Friends Wave 2 Adeleine and Ribbon Dark Meta Knight Daroach in-game information
Here's one of the in-game notifications you get after installing the update.
“More Dream Friends! There are now 9 Dream Friends! Use them all as allies!”

The big thing that Nintendo is promoting are the availability of these Dream Friends and their custom Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! levels. Secondarily, there are three new celebration pictures that each require eighty blue puzzle pieces. As of writing I've just started.

Lastly, the game has some updates to Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! for the non-Dreamers. You can play through multiple helpers’ quests without finishing them. Previously, you had to finish an entire character's set of levels (each take about 80 minutes) before being able to play another character. I'm not sure why you wouldn't want to do that (you'll be the most effective while absorbed in a given character's moveset instead of going through all sorts of different files).

Another update to Guest Star is that they shortened Level 5 by removing the introduction to the story mode post-story stage, Extra Planet δ. (In story mode, this is also the stage they updated.) This takes two and a half minutes off the time. It doesn't look like they've added or removed anything else, based on my post-update playthrough with NESP. There's a number of segments that I would've liked for them to also remove (such as certain underwater segments, cannon segments, and segments where you just sit around and avoid getting crushed by moving blocks or the floor/ceiling), but I'll save that for my still-to-come review of Kirby Star Allies.

If you've already completed Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! with a given character, you can now go back and replay Level 5 with anyone you've completed it with to try to get a more efficient time. You can't go back and replay the earlier levels — like Level 4, unless you make a New Game with that helper and start from the beginning.



There will be a Wave 3 to come for this game. Ludwig won't write the Kirby Star Allies review until after Wave 3's release. He also wants to complete Guest Star ???? Star Allies Go! with every character, and he is saving the nine Dream Friends for last because he's patient enough to save the best for last. He's actually almost done with everyone else's.


Here is the release of Wave 3!
Ludwig finished everything in the game, and wrote a review of it.

Thursday, July 26, 2018

Wahaha! WarioWare Gold! Demo!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - My scores are pretty good.

If you still have a Nintendo 3DS and have at least 816 blocks of storage on it, I recommend you go download the demo for WarioWare Gold from the Nintendo eShop. It's quick, full of charm, and fun. It's worth downloading for the virtual instruction manual alone, which is written in first-person by Wario.

WarioWare Gold virtual digital instruction manual how to play my game Wario microgames
The way Wario describes his microgames reminds me of how I'd describe KoopaTV articles.
Super-awesome and created by me and my flunkies, but mainly me. (Though it actually is mainly me. Wario's lying.)
 
WarioWare Gold has 4 ways to play the 300 microgames included, each lasting around 5 seconds long. 
  1. Mash, which involves using the D-Pad and A button
  2. Twist, which involves using the 3DS's gyroscope to move it left and right, along with the A button
  3. Touch, which involves using the touch screen with your stylus (or icky finger)
  4. Mic, which involves using the microphone. Handily, the instruction manual tells you where your 2DS or 3DS's microphone actually is, providing a different diagram for all of Nintendo's different versions of the handheld device
The demo only has Mash, Twist, and Touch modes, which include six microgames per mode. That means you're demoing a healthy 6% of the full game microgame content, which doesn't include all of the other goodies the full game will include. The demo spares no effort to give you a cutscene after you're done playing a mode, telling you about different features in the full game.

Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn isn't that expensive compared to modern Fire Emblem experiences...

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Let's dispel with this Fire Emblem fiction.

Time and time again, I've heard from people who have become Fire Emblem fans because of Fire Emblem: Awakening and after, that they would be interested in playing Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance (GameCube) and Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn (Wii), but they are prohibitively expensive. I tell them there is a giant quality difference between the Tellius games (Path of Radiance and Radiant Dawn make up one saga) and every Fire Emblem game that came after, and their attachment is to inferior experiences.

I don't even call myself a Fire Emblem fan anymore, since I want nothing to do with where the series has gone after the Tellius games. Still, I want to advocate that people play the Tellius games, especially deluded modern Fire Emblem fans. I also advocate for the truth.

Here's the truth: You might be spending more money on the modern Fire Emblem games than it'd cost to buy Fire Emblem: Radiant Dawn. Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance can be pricier, but depending on your confidence in second-hand markets, it's still pretty reasonable.

Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Banning Straws Only Leaves Outlaws With Straws

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Outlaws will fare well.

Some ridiculous municipalities in the United States of America are doing loony things in the name of the environment — banning (Seattle, with San Francisco and New York considering it) and even criminalising plastic straw usage, in the case of the city of Santa Barbara, California.

Santa Barbara just passed an ordinance, taking effect in 2019, that plastic straw distribution by vendors to people will result in a written warning for the first offense, and for the second time, “remedies specified pursuant to Chapters 1.25 and 1.28 of this code.” 1.28 of the code has the punishment for a misdemeanor as $1,000 and/or six months in jail.

By the way, for every individual straw you might provide, it's potentially a misdemeanor.

Two straws? Two misdemeanors.

Grasping at straws? You're better off drowning.

Paper Mario Color Splash can't outlaw straws only outlaws will have straws plastic ban
You may recall this dialogue being used in our Paper Mario: Color Splash review.
(Try to point out the differences between the two pictures in the comments section.)

You thought the above Paper Mario: Color Splash picture was a commentary on gun control? Nah, the supposedly pro-civil-liberties progressive leftists don't just want to keep firearms out of the hands of bad guys, but they want to keep utensils out of your mouth. Sort of like a parent who wants you to stop using a pacifier because you're supposedly too old to be sucking on one. Except time-out is a jail cell.

By the way, there are many benefits to using disposable straws to consume beverages, and the downsides to the environment are rather negligible. For example, this month, a dentist told me that straws limit the damage to your teeth and tooth enamel from acidic beverages such as soda, by concentrating the acid in a specific spot (and hopefully bypassing your teeth) rather than swishing it around to all of your teeth. (They told me this because my tooth enamel has basically disintegrated and it doesn't come back. Whoops.) Another example is with regards to disabled people that have some kind of mouth problem, but I don't have any first-mouth knowledge on that. I also don't have first-mouth knowledge on plastic straw alternatives — reusable paper straws sound like I'm eating low-grade toilet paper, and my editor keeps telling me that there are stainless steel straws but I have no idea what he's talking about. (He says they're dangerous.)


So, yeah, progressives suck (just... not through straws) and just want to control your life for any excuse possible (“the environment!”).


Ludwig realises the previous sentence isn't exactly a new lesson to KoopaTV readers, but he just wanted to use the Paper Mario: Color Splash picture of the “Oh, who am I kidding? I can't outlaw straws. Because then only outlaws will have straws.” quote in relation to a current event because it's perfect.

Monday, July 23, 2018

Thanks, Splatfest: Conserving Inkopolis Square for Inklings

Squidwig KoopaTV avatarBy LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Real talk about the Squid vs. Octopus Splatfest result.

Hey. This isn't Ludwig. It's Squidwig. I'm back after a VERY long absence (check out my article history in the links below the footer — the latest was 2015), because I can't just let that Koopa guy not talk about the results of the Splatfest that just happened: Squid vs. Octopus. And, let's get real, it's Inkling vs. Octoling.

KoopaTV does a great job of talking about Splatfests before they happen, but they don't do the follow-up discussion on the results. The results for this Splatfest are particularly important for my society. Here they are:

 
Splatoon 2 Splatfest results Squid vs. Octopus votes solo team popularity win percents
Team Squid won the Splatfest because of battle performance. Team Octopus won popularity by 12 points.

Let's talk about that votes row in the results. Team Squid got 44%. Team Octopus got 56%. Pretty much every Inkling in Inkopolis Square voted for Team Squid, and every Octoling in Inkopolis Square voted for Team Octopus. Do you know what that means?

The squids are outnumbered. In our own society. The Octarians are reproducing and claiming residence too quickly. There are more of them than us. That's not okay. We squids need to not be so limp-tentacled that some of us put up signs like this:

Friday, July 20, 2018

Koopas Dominate Sports

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - We're superior.

As you may expect from the webmaster of a site called KoopaTV, I (only) play as the Koopas in any of Mario's sporty spin-offs. My loyalty and dedication to my own kind is paying off pretty well — between all the members of Koopa Kingdom, we're doing very well and scoring just fine. There's a reason why we thought it was a good idea to attempt to enter the 2016 Summer Olympics as Team Koopa — WE HAVE THE SKILLS.

I wasn't sure whether or not to separate this by sport or by Koopa, since there'll be some redundancy on the basis that Koopas are multi-talented, so I hope this reads well. By the way, for the purposes of this article (and, well, in general), Mario Sports Mix doesn't exist. No one ever talks about it. It's a mess.


Baseball


The Koopas are some of the best baseball athletes around. When Bowser is up at bat, it's irregular if he doesn't just get a homerun. Almost every Koopa has chemistry with King Bowser in Mario Superstar Baseball (...Magikoopa doesn't), and chemistry gives a power-up to the folks who share it. (Stronger hits, better fielding.) King Bowser also has the fastest fast ball, from a pitcher's perspective, in the game. The Mario Superstar Baseball metagame literally revolves around King Bowser Koopa.

Similar to King Bowser Koopa, Hammer Bro. and Boomerang Bro. are also extremely good, getting consistent homeruns with his sweetspot hammer, or an amazing curve for base-running, respectively. Magikoopa has fantastic fielding with his magic wand, as well as a great Star Hit that hugs the foul line and ensures you get on first base... or second.

The folks like Koopa Troopa, Paratroopa, and Dry Bones are also pretty reliable and decent fielders with good throwing arms. Bowser Jr. may actually be the weak link. Since Magikoopa lacks chemistry with the rest of the Koopas besides Bowser Jr. (fixed in the sequel where Magikoopa has chemistry with Bowser), and there aren't enough for a 9-player team, I recommend King Boo and Boo (Boo has chemistry with Magikoopa) instead of Goomba and Paratroopa to fill the last slots. Boo and King Boo are ridiculous as-is, and also serve as additional pitchers, if not main pitchers since King Bowser's fielding chemistry and Laser Beam abilities can be put to better use if he's not pitching.

Thursday, July 19, 2018

CAPCOM Summer Sale 2018 — Ace Attorney, too!

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - I'm actually jealous that you can get the entire Ace Attorney franchise at this low a price.

On Monday, I wrote about the rather underwhelming Prime Day 2018, but pointed out that the Ace Attorney anime box set for Part 1 of Season 1 was on sale for 34% off. I also wrote that...
Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy that is three whole games for $30 on the 3DS. If  [that] sounds a lot more appealing and a natural deal, you're free to go to the eShop at any time and buy it. (But if and when an Ace Attorney game gets discounted past its natural bargain price, KoopaTV will tell you.)”

Just days later, a whopping FOUR Ace Attorney titles are discounted past their natural bargain prices, because for a limited time only (less than one week), it's the CAPCOM Summer Sale, 2018!

CAPCOM Summer Sale 2018 Nintendo 3DS eShop Phoenix Wright Apollo Justice Ace Attorney Dual Destinies Spirit of Justice Trilogy
How do these discounts compare to previous CAPCOM sales? (Spoiler: Most favourably.)


Wednesday, July 18, 2018

A Casual Tier List Cannot Exist

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - How do you define casual?

In a discussion about Shulk in the Super Smash Bros. series today in the KoopaTV private Discord server, RawkHawk2010 asked me if Shulk's Monado Arts selection buff would increase his tier list position for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. I said no, pros tend to mainly use Jump and Speed Monado Arts, and Shulk professionals are already very good about quickly button-mashing to the art they need. Then Rawk, feeling defeated about the prospect of Shulk rising in the competitive tier list, asked me if there is a tier list for casuals. I answered a flat “no”.

Over a decade ago, I wanted to try to make a casual tier list for Super Smash Bros. Melee and post it on the Nintendo NSider Forums. This never happened, because I gave up during my idea-formulation. How would I define the skill level of a casual? They obviously can't wavedash or L-cancel, but can they at least jump? Shield? Use up-b off the stage to recover? I've encountered a lot of players in Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Super Smash Bros. For Wii U's online modes who couldn't or wouldn't do any of those things, even with my helpful UPBRECOVER name-tag in the latter game. (And then demonstrating Up-B Recoveries, with their character, in front of them in the next match. Yeah, I try to be helpful to newbies.)

I remember Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime's pathetic performance versus Hungrybox in the Nintendo World Championships 2015 — Reggie literally didn't know how to use the jump button.

Reggie Fils-Aime vs. Hungrybox score plays Super Smash Bros. For Wii U Nintendo World Championship 2015 sucks Ryu
Reggie lost this many stocks in only four minutes, and Hungrybox wasn't exactly trying.
Should the casual tier list be based on players like Reggie?

Tuesday, July 17, 2018

The Splatfest Race War: Squid vs. Octopus

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - Insidious race war creation. We're not for it.

A couple of weeks ago, Nintendo revealed the next Splatfest theme for Splatoon 2. While it was announced some time ago, KoopaTV has chosen to procrastinate on writing an article about it until the last week before the Splatfest occurs. There's a reason why, but let's reveal the theme before I explain everything:

Splatoon 2 Splatfest Team Squid vs. Octopus sea creature Off the Hook announcement
Which sea creature do you like more?
Squid or octopus?

At first glance, someone unfamiliar with Splatoon 2 may see that theme and think, “Well, so what?” They're just asking about sea creatures. You know, like the kind that you can go to visit an aquarium to see

But... this is actually much more dangerous than an innocuous inquiry about sea creatures. It's extremely dangerous, as Off the Hook's Marina points out immediately after Pearl reads the fax machine message identifying what the Splatfest theme is:

Monday, July 16, 2018

Prime Day 2018; of dogs and an attorney

By LUDWIG VON KOOPA - For gaming, it's what you'd expect.

After indefinite refreshing of Amazon and trying for many hours, I've gotten past their 503 errors (service unavailable — not a good message when a lot of the world now relies on Amazon cloud services for keeping their Internet lights on) featuring dog photographs, ostensibly of the dogs that their employees are allowed to bring into their office. As far as I'm concerned, these canines are little better than Chain Chomps, and they're the ugly face of Amazon's technical errors.

Having made my way past the treacherous mutt-ridden annals of Amazon, what have I found for Amazon's Prime membership-only Prime Day super-sales day from a gaming perspective? Truly... not much. That's not a surprise, since I sort of write that every year.

Once again, it's a great time to buy stuff like carrying cases, SD cards, headsets, chargers, and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Nothing truly amazing or a must-purchase. One item is notable, though. (And... not a must-purchase.)

You can get the box set for the Ace Attorney anime Part 1 (episodes 1–13) at 34% off, or $43 instead of $65. That still isn't even close to covering the noted price gap between the anime part that covers four-fifths of one game, and Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy that is three whole games for $30 on the 3DS. If the latter sounds a lot more appealing and a natural deal, you're free to go to the eShop at any time and buy it. (But if and when an Ace Attorney game gets discounted past its natural bargain price, KoopaTV will tell you.)



There is an article that Ludwig has to write before this week is over, but he's been absolutely dreading doing so because he's afraid of what it will do to KoopaTV's reputation, so he's trying to delay it. It'll be obvious what the article is when it comes. All of that is to say nothing about Prime Day 2018, which makes sense, since there isn't anything to say about it.


Prime Day 2017 wasn't all that good, either, but at least Ludwig tried to do something extra with the article space.
For that $43 you could spend on the anime, you could buy the entire Ace Attorney series.
Prime Day 2019 is better than this, if only because of the sales not on Amazon.

Friday, July 13, 2018

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.

Nintendo general producer Shinya Takahashi Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Nintendo Switch
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:

Thursday, July 12, 2018

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:

Nintendo number of amiibo released each year to 2018 chart graph
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:

Wednesday, July 11, 2018

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?

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Mega Man Final Smash Legends Proto Bass X Volnutt .EXE Star Force MegaMan
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.

 
We found where Zero is.

Tuesday, July 10, 2018

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:

Monday, July 9, 2018

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:


Nintendo NTDOY stock price chart April to July 2018 falling
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.

Friday, July 6, 2018

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:

Nintendo eShop card code Amazon gift claim format KoopaTV Loyalty Rewards Program InComm Fastcard ACI
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.

Thursday, July 5, 2018

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!

Wednesday, July 4, 2018

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.

Tuesday, July 3, 2018

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.

My Nintendo reward Just For You Nintendo 3DS Guide Louvre discount
“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 vacationor 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.

Monday, July 2, 2018

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...