Behold, the first episode of the Cube Command Podcast! The Cube Command Podcast will consist of me, Tommy Savoia, covering one gaming industry and community topic per episode. In the future, I may have guests on the show providing their opinion on the topic. I hope to grow this show and its listener base with your support.
We’ll be kicking the first episode off with an overview of the recent Nintendo Switch (NX anyone?) trailer and the news that followed. Think of it as a recap of sorts. I will delve into my thoughts on why Nintendo is going in the direction it is and what it means for the future of the company.
If you have any comments or questions about the show, or if you have a topic suggestion (please!), e-mail me at tommy@thefreestuffshow.com!
Each month, Nintendo distributes a free legendary Pokemon to players. This month, you can go to any participating Gamestop or GAME locations to snag a code for a free Genesect if you have Pokemon X, Y, Omega Ruby, or Alpha Sapphire. This offer is only available from November 1, 2016 to November 24, 2016, so you’d better hurry. This 20th Anniversary Pokemon event is the same worldwide.
Genesect, the Paleozoic Pokemon
To get the Genesect, first you have to is connect your 3DS system to the internet. After opening the game, select “Mystery Gift”, then choose “Recieve Gift” and “Get With Code”. All you have to do from there is put in the code you got and start your game. Find the nearest Pokemon Center and talk to the delivery person standing inside to receive Genesect. Along with Genesect, you will also get a Wonder Card, which you can find in the Card Album in the Mystery Gift menu. Keep in mind though that you can only hold 24 Wonder Cards in one Pokemon game cartridge.
Genesect is a Dual Bug/Steel type. The one you will receive is already Level 100 and has the ability Download, which adjusts the Pokemon’s stats based on their enemy’s stats. It has the moves Techno Blast, Magnet Bomb, Solar Beam, and Signal Beam. The Genesect will not hold any items upon receiving it.
What are your thoughts on this deal? Tell us in the comments below. Also get ready for December, because next month’s free legendary is Meloetta. Once this Pokemon is available details will be provided right here at Cube Command!
The Cube Command Podcast is coming soon! The official podcast for Cube Command will feature myself, Tommy Savoia, giving my opinion on the latest gaming news and reviews! Each podcast will usually vary from 10 to 20 minutes in length and will feature one topic per episode.
Be sure to check it out once the first episode releases! Episode 1 has already been recorded and is in post0-production. The topic for Episode 1 is the Nintendo Switch!
Japan is getting a mysterious new 3DS title this holiday, called “Miitopia”. No details have dropped recently as to what it is, though.
First announced by Nintendo during a Japanese Nintendo Direct last month, all that is known about the title is that it will be both digital and physical, and that it obviously includes Miis in one way or another. Perhaps it is a game similar to the Mii minigames in the 3DS Streetpass Mii Plaza app?
President of Nintendo Tatsumi Kimishima mentioned it during a financial meeting for Nintendo in Japan recently. “Miitopia, for which we have only announced the title, will be released by the end of this year,” he said. He went on to describe it as an “exciting title” that will have more press at “a later date”.
Hopefully we’ll get some more news soon enough, seeing as the game is very close to its Holiday 2016 launch date. For those of you not residing in Japan (myself included), there may be a chance that the game will see the light of day in other countries. We’ll just have to be patient.
It seems that Nintendo is definately confident in the game, but is not quite ready to announce anything for the time being. They have a lot on their plate right now, with the recent announcement of the Nintendo Switch sending everyone into an excited frenzy. That and the release of Pokemon Sun and Moon coming November 18, less than a month away. A new trailer just dropped for the game, revealing new characters and ‘mons.
What are your thoughts on the plethora of Nintendo announements recently?
A new trailer for the upcoming Pokemon games Pokemon Sun and Moon just dropped. And boy did it show us some new things.
For starters (Get it?), they finally officially announced the final evolutions for the starters. Rowlet evolves into the dual Grass and Ghost type Decidueye. It has the ability Overgrow. It’s signature move is Spirit Shackle, which prevents the opponent from switching out.
Decidueye
Next, we have Litten’s final form, which is Incineroar – a dual Fire and Dark type. It has the ability Blaze and the signature move Darkest Lariat, which ignores the opponent’s stat changes.
Incineroar
Lastly, we have Popplio’s final form, Primarina, a dual Water and Fairy type. This Pokemon has the ability Torrent and can use its signature move, Sparkling Aria. Sparkling Aria removes a burn from any opponent it hits, which is pretty interesting.
Also shown in the trailer were the Guardians of Alola, which can be caught and have some very flashy signature moves.
Primarina
The trailer also mentioned on a passing that the Alola region will in fact have a Pokemon League, except that it is still under development. Maybe this time around you can create a League to your own liking… ? That would certainly bring a new meaning to the word “customization” in Pokemon games!
Finally, the trailer shows the player teaming up with famous trainers, such as characters and champions from the previous games, including Cynthia, the Sinnoh champion, and Wally, a character from Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (or OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire, if you prefer the updated versions).
But there’s more! Once you think the trailer is about to end, it drops one last piece of info – Red and Blue from Pokemon Red and Blue are back! You can challenge both of them at some point. Plus they’re looking a lot more “Alolan” this time around. I guess it would be pretty uncomfortable wearing a jacket and jeans on a tropical island. For some reason, though, Red looks off. Maybe it’s his eyebrows. Either way, it’s still pretty satisfying to see Red toss out his signature Pikachu.
You can check out the trailer itself below:
As each trailer comes, Pokemon Sun and Moon just keep looking better and better. Are you excited? Tell us in the comments which version you intend on getting!
The Lime-Green New 3DS XL is the newest color of Nintendo’s upgraded handheld. It’s an Amazon Exclusive and is currently available in the United States only.
The deal itself includes the lime-colored system and has the SNES classic Super Mario World pre-installed. It is currently selling for $199.99 on Amazon. You can find the deal here, if you’re interested. To me, it seems like an interesting bundle. The color is certainly a fresh look at the system, and one that I have personally been waiting to see. The game included is a favorite among many, so there really is no downside to this deal.
The 3DS family of systems will be getting a hefty amount of support from Nintendo in the coming months, with Super Mario Maker for 3DS comin on December 2 and Mario Party: Star Rush releasing on November 8. Not to mention that Pokemon Sun And Moon are right around the corner, releasing on November 18.
Nintendo has certainly announced a lot in terms of hardware. Are you interested in this version of the New 3DS XL? What are your thoughts on the recently announced Nintendo Switch, which releases sometime in March 2017? Let us know in the comments!
After what seems like an eternity of waiting, Nintendo has finally revealed to the public the identity of their new gaming console (previously code named NX) – the Nintendo Switch! The reveal came in the form of a neat little trailer, which you can watch here. At the time that I am writing this article, the video has already amassed over two and a half million views in less than 12 hours!
The Switch is named as such because of its unique feature. It’s a hybrid of a home console and a handheld, so it can be played essentially anywhere. The system itself is very thin, and takes on the form of a tablet. It has two bars on each side housing the buttons and joysticks, just like the Wii U Gamepad. What makes this system different, though, is that you can slide out the bars and put them on a traditional controller that looks similar to the Wii U Pro Controller. On the other hand, you could choose not to connect them at all – just use them as-is, Wiimote style. Personally, I see this as a genius way to accommodate for fans of every controller Nintendo has produced over the years. Other details shown were the inclusion of a stand on the Switch, in case you want to use the sliders separate from the controller, but want to use the tablet as a mini-TV. The Switch appears to have a matte-finish, which will no doubt be much more visually-appealing than the glossy finish of the Wii U. (No thumb prints!)
One of the controller options looks oddly square – somewhat akin to a piece of toast…
Just as the rumors suspected, its essentially a portable console that can fit into a dock, so it can be played in the comfort of one’s home as well. The trailer features players simply taking the tablet-like system out on a trip, and then able to smoothly slide it back into place in front of the TV.
Additionally, the trailer also includes short background clips of gameplay from the Switch. People are shown playing Splatoon, Skyrim, and a new 3D Mario title, among others. Confirmation of whether or not these games are actually playable on Nintendo’s new system remains to be seen, but from what it looks like, Nintendo is aware the Switch requires a strong launch-line up of games to be successful.
The traditional controller option of the Switch
Without a doubt – if you like the idea or not – the design for the Nintendo Switch certainly seems like it was worth the wait. What do you think? Are you satisfied, or did you expect something different? Let us know in the comments! Check back to Cube Command for future updates!
It’s the news we’ve all been waiting for. Nintendo has finally announced when we will get our first look at their new system, Codename NX.
Apparently, a “preview trailer” will drop tomorrow, October 20, at 7am PT/10am ET. Set your clocks! At a press release, they mentioned the trailer will “serve as Nintendo’s preliminary announcement of information regarding the platform”. A tweet was sent out to further advertise this announcement.
The picture that came along with the Tweet
According to Nintendo, the NX is set to launch sometime during March 2017. It is rumored to be something the industry hasn’t seen before, such as a mix of a handheld and home console, where the former would dock to create the latter. Aside from other developers praising it, that’s all we know so far. One can only wonder what lies ahead.
Are you excited? What are your hopes for the Big N’s next console? Let us know in the comments!
The demo for the highly anticipated 3DS titles Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon are out now, and free to download from the 3DS eShop! All you have to do is open the eShop and select the demo, which has its own icon.
In the demo, you play as a boy named Sun who has just arrived in the Alola Region, straight from Kanto. The player then receives a Greninja from an unknown sender. The game allows a bit of exploration and a taste of the new battle configuration. I won’t spoil it all, but I will say that the presentation is top-notch.
Eventually, you are able to obtain the fan favorite transformation of Greninja – Ash Greninja, which makes its debut in the games after appearing in the Pokemon Anime, hence the name. The moves it knows are Water Shuriken, Aerial Ace, Double Team,and Night Slash.
Ash-Greninja in Pokemon Sun and Moon, courtesy of Siliconera
It possesses the ability Battle Bond, which will allow it to transform into Ash-Greninja when it defeats one Pokemon in a battle with two or more Pokemon. This Pokemon can be transferred to the full game after release.
Pokemon Sun and Pokemon Moon release for the Nintendo 3DS family of systems on November 18, 2016, and they’re still up for pre-order. If you’re curious as to whether this version of Pokemon is worth getting, go ahead and try out the demo. It’ll help scratch that Pokemon itch you may have in anticipation for the full game. In fact, tell us in the comments what version you’re getting and the feature you are most looking forward to!
Here is one of my old posts on Nintendo Teens back in 2013. I was covering the stop-motion feature on the 3DS camera (also on the New 3DS) and the steps needed to use it. I remember using this to make many Lego videos a few years ago, and it still is a nice little feature today.
The original article:
The 3DS comes with a load of features. It has a gyro sensor, microphone, connection to the internet, a camera, and many more. They are all great and bring a sense of fun to using the 3DS in their own way, but right now I’m going to focus on the camera. The 3DS camera, though a bit fuzzy, can take 3D pictures as well as videos. That’s pretty impressive for a small device when you think about it. Included in the camera is a stop motion feature. With this, you can make inanimate objects seem like they are moving by taking multiple shots and slowly moving the object after each picture. You can do this easily by touching the red lever in the 3DS camera app. Then, out of the tabs that come up, hit the one to the far right with the gear on it. By selecting the button that says “Stop Motion”, the 3DS will allow you to take quick pictures and when you are done, it “Done” and the 3DS will string together the picture you took to a make a stop motion video.
The 3DS XL, a larger version of the 3DS. The outside camera is above the top screen on the outside of the system.
Sounds easy, doesn’t it? Well, it didn’t used to be. Before, people had to take pictures with an actual camera, which takes a lot of time. With the 3DS, you can take a picture with the tap on a touch screen. Like I said before, the 3DS’s camera isn’t the best of the best, but with good lighting and the right distance you can make a better-than-average stop motion video.
Now, I don’t know about you, but the first thing that came to my mind when I think of stop motion is Lego videos. You can create basically any kind of object with them and therefore basically any kind of stop motion video. Move them a bit after each picture, remove your hand from the scene and snap the pic. Then do that once more. Yes, moving the object the smallest distance possible results in movements that flow smoother. Yes, it’s a bit tedious. Yes, you might knock something over, but this won’t ruin the video. All this can become easier and avoidable with practice and skill.
End of article
What do you think? Do you use the stop-motion feature?
