Episode 40: The Haunt Is On

We ain’t afraid of no ghosts and to prove it, we fired up our Pultergusts and explored the world of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. In this episode of the Random Nintendo Podcast, we share our full impressions of the ambitious new 3DS title, as well as of Game Freak’s first non-Pokemon game in seven years, HarmoKnight. To kick off the show, we first take a look at a noticeable shift in Nintendo’s third-party support strategy, analyzing whether new indie initiatives announced at the Game Developers Conference are in place to counteract weakening support from major publishers. Plus, we discuss a variety of big stories, including new Wii U eShop titles, first details on Donkey Kong Returns 3D’s additional features, and late-breaking Pokemon X & Y news. So strap on that Pultergust and join us as we sweep through the latest on all things Nintendo! What are you thoughts on Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, HarmoKnight, or any of the news discussed? Let us know by leaving a comment! We also encourage you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes and follow us on Twitter @RandomNintendo to stay in the loop on all future updates. Below, you can find links to all the news and games covered in this episode. As always, each link also lists a time stamp, so you can easily jump straight to the parts of the show that most interested you. Enjoy! News [0:02] Nintendo hopes to win app and web devs to Wii U with JavaScript tools (Polygon) [0:08] Nintendo’s indies guy tells you how to get your games approved (Gamasutra) [0:13] GDC: Unreal Engine 4 and Frostbite 3 won’t support Wii U (Destructoid) [0:21] Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U Version Canceled (IGN) [0:30] Miiverse to come to smartphones and PC by May, 3DS version in the works (Polygon) [0:33] Miiverse Expansion Planned (Nintendo World Report) [0:37] Game & Wario Miiversketch Mode Revealed (Nintendo World Report) [0:40] A New Pokemon with a Familiar Look! (YouTube) [0:46] Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D – local co-op, new content for 3DS, easy mode (GoNintendo) [0:49] Kung Fu Rabbit Comes Out Kicking on Wii U eShop (Nintendo Life) [0:51] This Wii U Indie RPG Is Like Earthbound Meets Little King’s Story (Siliconera) [0:54] Shin Megami Tensei IV demonizing North America this summer (GameSpot) [0:59] Fast & Furious: Showdown pulls into retail May 21 (Joystiq) [1:02] Nintendo Is Rolling Out a New AR App for Japan (Kotaku) [1:08] Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae contributing music to Shovel Knight (Joystiq) [1:10] Need for Speed: Most Wanted Easter eggs reveal Super Mario-styled pipes on Wii U (Polygon) [1:13] Updates for Nintendo Letter Box and Colors! 3D this week (N-Europe) Games [1:18] Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Official Site) [1:39] HarmoKnight (Official Site) [0:21] Aliens: Colonial Marines (Official Site) [0:37] Game & Wario (Nintendo.com Game Page) [o:40] Pokemon X & Y (Pokemon.com Game Page) [0:46] Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (IGN Game Page) [0:49] Kung Fu Rabbit (IGN Game Page) [0:51] Citizens of Earth (Official Site) [0:54] Shin Megami Tensei IV (Official Site) [1:00] Fast & Furious: Showdown (IGN Game Page) [1:02] Photos Together with Super Mario (No Link Available) [1:08] Shovel Knight (Official Kickstarter Page) [1:11] Need For Speed: Most Wanted U (Official Site) [1:13] Swapnote (Official Site) [1:15] Colors! 3D (Official Site)