PAX PRIME 2014: Searching for adventure in Captain Toad's Treaure Tracker

henever I think of must-own games for the Wii U, Super Mario 3D World immediately comes to mind, and my absolute favorite thing about the game has nothing to do with the main game at all.

Nope, the one thing I praise about it before anything else are the Captain Toad levels, the endearing yet immaculately crafted collection of distractions from 3D World’s main game that surprisingly became one of its biggest highlights. So when Nintendo announced that the adorable adventurer would be getting his own title later this year, I naturally became a little more than excited.

The big question though is whether or not Nintendo can really pull off an entire games-worth of content around the quirky puzzle-based dynamic of Captain Toad. The answer is a resounding, obnoxiously loud yes guys and gals, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker could very well be one of the most whimsically charming games that the Big N has crafted in years.

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PAX PRIME 2014: Hands-On with Super Smash Bros. Brawl for 3DS

t's no secret that Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. is eagerly being awaited by legions of Nintendo faithful, both on 3DS and Wii U. Every new announcement is followed with a fury of excited tweets, forum exchanges and general giddiness, and Nintendo is giving the gamers the goods with the debut of a new game mode: Smash Run. We got a chance to go hands-on with the very latest in the Smash lineup with Super Smash Bros. for 3DS here at PAX 2014 to get a closer look at this new mode of play.

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Nintendo reveals the new 3DS LL

arlier this morning, Nintendo surprised the world when it unveiled a new model of the 3DS XL, titling it, the Nintendo 3DS LL (I couldn’t tell you what the extra “L” stood for). The newer model will boast an extended battery life than all of its previous incarnations, two additional “ZL” and “ZR” buttons, a tiny right thumb stick camera control, and more.

The new system processor will also allow for HTML 5 to display, and the folks at the big N were thoughtful enough to include Micro SD support for storage this time as well. NFC compatibility is another impressive feature that will allow the handheld to use NFC scanning without the use of an external device required for the utility.

It’s slightly bigger than the XL and does boast a laundry list if improvements, but there wasn’t a whole lot of detail over the new firmware in the revision, which is a pretty big deal considering that the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles port will only work with this new model, and none of the other previous 3DS models.

It’ll be dropping in the Land of the Rising Sun on September 14^th, no news on when it’s coming stateside has been announced so far.

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PPR Presents Play Play: Virtual Boy Warioland

o, your eyes do not deceive you; somehow, we were able to capture Virtual Boy footage without making the red beast have awkward intercourse with a camcorder or anything. As an intermission to our Vanillaware block, we’re going to highlight some of the best games to star Mario’s yellow doppelganger, Wario, and what better game to start us off than one of the dirty goon’s cult classics; Virtual Boy Warioland.

As we bring up memories of Nintnedo’s first confused outing into 320bithardware, we also discuss Michael Phelps which somehow lead to blood-doping, 2.5D games, Lawnmower man, and how much Stevie really dislikes New Super Mario Bros.

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

QCF: Tomodachi Life

m? Oh, yeah, I'm still here. Hard to stay focused with such an interesting microcosm brewing within the confines of my 2DS though. I'll try to stay on topic, but I'm also kind of watching an epic rap battle go down between George and Daeruna here too, so...

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QCF: Mario Kart 8

espite the number of troubles plaguing Nintendo since the launch of the Wii U, there’s one consistent quality in their output that keeps them afloat, and that’s their trademark magic; that undeniably inherent charm in their titles that just focuses on delivering dumb fun.  Call it a trump card, or a desperate ace in the hole, but honestly; Nintendo loves what it does, and Mario Kart 8 is a celebration of what the brand does best—refined no less.

Which is not only fortunate for every Wii U owner out there, but reason enough to be a potential one too as with the Big N’s latest sequel to their cartoon take on Death Race 2000 is one of the more solid entries to the series.

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PPR 85

e’re getting older guys, time passes every day, of every week, of every year, and all we can do is live it up, experience life and it’s splendor—as long as we have a Gameboy with us while we’re doing it, am I right? Last week, the Gameboy turned the big twenty-five, some of you aren’t even that old; we decide to wax nostalgic over our memories and some of your own that you’ve shared with us.

On the way, we’ll be discussing Bravely Default, Neverending Nightmares, Will Smith, DUX 1.5, Street Fighter X Tekken, Horn, Nathan Barnatt, Space Team, Steamworld Dig, and many more so pull up a chair with your Gameboy at the ready, and get ready for a wild ride. 

Mail us at our new email Mailbag@presspauseradio.com, leave a voicemail at 469-PPR-TALK, and be sure to stop by at our Forums if you haven’t already registered and post your thoughts about the show. Finally, make sure to rate and subscribe to us on iTunes and YouTube, follow us on Twitch page and Twitter, and finally take part in our Facebook and Steam group!

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QCF: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze

 question that’s been springing up a lot more than it ever has in the past, is why does Nintendo insist on being a proprietary entity within the industry? Why not go third party and bring that trademark “Nintendo magic” to the PS4 or Xbox One; the answer is simple—their games benefit more from them being their own boss than suffering from it.

For example, when the internal R&D departments aren’t developing themselves, they rely on second-party studios that are allowed explicit creative control over some of the company’s most prized properties; enter Retro studios and their sequel to the revived Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.

Nintendo’s strategy may come off pandering, even to the most dedicated fanboy, but like Super Mario 3D World, impressions aren’t everything and, this cold jungle romp is another delightful gem to celebrate the ownership of a Wii U.

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