Welcome again to The Nintendo Report, the place we’re trying again in any respect of Nintendo’s mental properties in alphabetical order to see how they’re doing. Despite the fact that we coated two letters final time (N and O) it was nonetheless a fairly quick listing. However we don’t have that downside right now! This time, we’re trying on the letter P, and it’s a giant one. So let’s get began, we could? Oh, and earlier than you ask, no, Professor Layton isn’t on the listing. That one’s wholly owned by Stage 5. Alright, it is time for The Nintendo Report!
Pandora’s Tower
That is an odd property if there ever was one. As I perceive it, this recreation happened after Nintendo was impressed with developer Ganbarion’s work. They supplied to allow them to make an unique IP for the Wii, and what they finally got here up with was Pandora’s Tower. It’s a bizarre, darkish little motion recreation that entails feeding demon flesh to your ladyfriend so she doesn’t go tremendous evil… or one thing. It is uncommon, that is for positive, but it surely’s additionally fairly cool!
Well being ranking: Mainly Useless
Pandora’s Tower was a little bit of a controversial title, however not due to its content material. It was a part of Operation Rainfall, a fan marketing campaign to get quite a lot of Wii video games localized and launched within the West. In the long run, the video games did wind up popping out right here (Xenoblade Chronicles, The Final Story, and Pandora’s Tower) however whereas Xenoblade clearly went on to turn into an enormous franchise, the opposite two didn’t. There hasn’t been a peep out of the Pandora’s Tower model because it got here out, and I don’t anticipate that to vary.
Picross
Ahh, my beloved Picross. I like this sequence. It’s principally an image crossword puzzle, therefore the identify. It’s developed by Jupiter Company. It obtained its begin all the way in which again on the Sport Boy in 1995 with Mario’s Picross, the place it, effectively, didn’t precisely take off. Not right here in North America, anyway. It did fairly effectively elsewhere!
Well being ranking: Nice
See, whereas Mario’s Picross didn’t set the world on fireplace right here, it obtained a bunch of followups in Japan! Then, a strong 13 years after its Sport Boy debut, we lastly obtained one other Picross recreation stateside within the type of Picross DS, and the remainder is historical past. There have been a ton of digital video games launched on the 3DS eShop, and much more now on the Swap. I couldn’t be happier to say that Picross is as wholesome as they arrive.
Pikmin
Pikmin began out on the GameCube from designer Shigeru Miyamoto, and also you higher imagine Nintendo put some weight behind that! It’s a recreation about cute little astronauts touchdown on distant worlds and befriending bizarre little plant folks referred to as Pikmin who assist them out and sacrifice their lives in distressing numbers to battle monsters that get in your manner. Consider it as Nintendo’s tackle real-time technique. In case you’ve by no means performed it, it’s far more great than I’m making it sound.
Well being ranking: Nice
Pikmin began off… okay. The unique recreation carried out fairly effectively by GameCube requirements, which warranted a followup on the identical platform. However then, Pikmin went away for some time. Form of. There have been rumors of a Pikmin 3 for ages, however the Wii technology solely obtained remasters of the unique 2 video games with some admittedly wonderful Wii Distant controls added in. Then Pikmin 3 landed on Wii U, and it did effectively by Wii U requirements, although it as soon as once more failed to actually catch on. However then the Swap occurred. Pikmin 3 was re-released and bought over twice in addition to it did on Wii U, and the eventual Pikmin 4 did even higher. Pikmin is right here to remain.
Pilotwings
Pilotwings is a flight simulation recreation created to point out off the unbridled awesomeness of the Tremendous NES’s Mode 7 scaling and rotation. And it was implausible. Mainly, you’d undergo varied flight colleges and use completely different autos to perform varied goals. Fly via rings with a aircraft. Fly via rings with a rocket pack. Fly via rings whereas skydiving. Blow up a secret enemy base with a helicopter. Yeah, that final one’s at all times felt a bit misplaced.
Well being ranking: Might Be Higher
Pilotwings carried out an analogous perform with the launch of the N64, complementing Tremendous Mario 64 the identical manner the unique did Tremendous Mario World. Then it went dormant for some time. It regarded prefer it was on its manner again for the Wii because of a aircraft flying tech demo, however that wound up getting integrated into Wii Sports activities Resort as an alternative. The final new recreation within the franchise was Pilotwings Resort for 3DS. The sequence has seen quite a few re-releases, and all three soundtracks have been lately added to the Nintendo Music app, in order that they clearly have not forgotten about it, but it surely’s been manner too lengthy since we’ve had a correct new recreation. Hopefully that modifications quickly.
Pinball
Nintendo’s first pinball recreation was the 1983 Sport & Watch title Pinball. Extra famously although was the black field NES recreation Pinball which featured a brilliant enjoyable minigame starring Mario and Pauline. It’s online game pinball with that unmistakable Nintendo allure!
Well being ranking: Troublesome to say
Nintendo has since been concerned in a complete heck of a variety of pinball initiatives, a few of which contain their greatest manufacturers like Mario, Pokemon, and Kirby. There was a Tremendous Pinball for Tremendous NES, Galactic Pinball for Digital Boy, and even Metroid Prime Pinball for Nintendo DS which was truly actually good! That was the final wholly unique pinball recreation they have been concerned in so far as I can inform, until you rely Odama, which we talked about final time and could be very a lot its personal animal. I’d prefer to assume Nintendo shall be concerned in one other pinball mission one among today, however this one’s too robust to name for positive.
That’s proper, Nintendo used to have their very personal Soccer recreation! Technically, they developed 10-Yard Combat for NES, however that was an adaptation of an IREM arcade recreation, and Nintendo has no possession over it so far as I can inform. Nintendo’s personal sequence began in 1990 on the NES with NES Play Motion Soccer, which reviewed and bought fairly effectively.
Well being ranking: Mainly Useless
A Sport Boy port merely referred to as Play Motion Soccer launched later that very same 12 months, and the Tremendous NES obtained an iteration within the type of Tremendous Play Motion Soccer, however that’s it. As soon as the Madden Soccer sequence took off, I’ve to imagine Nintendo simply didn’t see the necessity for their very own soccer recreation anymore. We haven’t heard from the sequence since its 2007 Wii Digital Console launch, and actually, I feel that’s a dang disgrace. The world of online game soccer wants some correct competitors, and I guess Nintendo might put collectively one heck of a recreation in the event that they needed to.
Pokemon
HA! Do we actually want to speak about this one?
Well being ranking: Nice
EverDrive-GB X7 (Ruby)
$157.99
That is the Ruby model of the EverDrive-GB X7. This cartridge comes assembled in a translucent pink shell along with your alternative of label.… learn extra
Pokemon is one among, if not THE greatest leisure model on the planet. I might discuss concerning the unhappy state of their latest releases doing injury to the sequence fame, however sadly that’s simply not true. Pokemon’s unstoppable.
Polarium
Polarium is an attention-grabbing little puzzle recreation that confirmed up in the course of the early days of the Nintendo DS. It was developed by the now-defunct Mitchell Corp, and whereas it didn’t precisely high the charts, it was fairly effectively appreciated by the oldsters who performed it. You used the DS contact display screen to attract linked strains to modify white blocks to black and vice versa to unravel puzzles.
Well being ranking: Mainly lifeless
Polarium was ported to the Sport Boy Advance, which is sort of bizarre for a DS recreation, a 12 months after it was launched on the DS. Outdoors of that, although, Polarum hasn’t accomplished a lot of something exterior of a re-release of Polarum Advance on the Wii U digital Console. As at all times, that is Nintendo and you may by no means really declare something lifeless with 100% certainty, however I’d be shocked if we ever noticed this one once more.
Professional Wrestling
Initially launched on the NES again in 1987, Professional Wrestling loomed giant right here in North America. I believe it was pretty common in Japan as effectively, however skilled wrestling right here within the US was completely huge again then. This recreation wasn’t licensed by the WWF or something, although. It had an unique solid of characters, and it performed higher than any wrestling recreation on the market on the time.
Well being ranking: Mainly lifeless
Sadly, Professional Wrestling simply sort of disappeared after its launch, together with all of its lovable characters. The Amazon, Star Man, Nice Panther, all gone. The sport’s designer was Masato Masuda, who later turned identified for the Fireplace Professional Wrestling video games, so perhaps it was his lack of involvement that stored Nintendo from following this one up, however that’s simply my greatest guess. The true causes stay a thriller. It did lastly get re-released as a part of the Swap’s NSO service, however that’s it. One NES recreation, one re-release, and it’s accomplished. I’d like to see it return, and I do know I’m not alone, but it surely appears unlikely.
Punch-Out!!
Punch-Out!! is a boxing recreation that’s actually a puzzle recreation. It’s additionally one among Nintendo’s oldest franchises, having began its life in arcades again in 1984. It was a quite sizable hit there with its uncommon twin display screen setup, however the franchise didn’t actually hit it massive till the NES launch of Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out!!. It rapidly turned one among Nintendo’s hottest video games, in addition to one of many pioneers of the early velocity operating group.
Well being ranking: May very well be higher
Punch-Out!! Is clearly a kind of manufacturers that Nintendo cares about, because it will get referenced rather a lot, even right now. Sadly its final unique launch was 2009’s Punch-Out!! for Wii. (Technically you may say Doc Louis’s Punch-Out!! was the final unique recreation within the sequence, however I think about that extra of a bonus chapter of Punch-Out!! Wii) Regardless, Punch-Out!! Has been quite quiet for about 15 years, which is manner too lengthy between entries for my liking. It’s not lifeless, as a result of I don’t think about that is the sort of recreation Nintendo will ever really overlook about, but it surely might use some love.
Pushmo
Initially launched on the 3DS, Pushmo is an lovely puzzle platformer that entails a cute little Sumo cloud factor named Mallow (who will not be associated to Mallow in Tremendous Mario RPG) pushing and pulling issues to get to the highest of assorted constructions.
Well being ranking: Not so good
Pushmo wound up getting quite a lot of sequels, the latest of which was 2015’s Stretchmo for 3DS. Positive, it’s been about 10 years, however I’ve seen Nintendo franchises come again from manner worse dry spells than that. It was by no means an infinite success, so it’s exhausting to say for positive that it’ll come again, however I really feel assured it’ll present up one among today.
Puzzle League
This sequence is named Panel de Pon in Japan, however wound up with the celebrated Tetris identify being hooked up to it for its US launch, Tetris Assault. It actually doesn’t have something to do with Tetris, however as a puzzle recreation, it’s really one of many greats.
Well being ranking: May very well be higher
The latest model of Puzzle League was truly constructed into Animal Crossing: New Leaf for 3DS, which is sort of odd. That was 2016, and I’ve to say, Nintendo hasn’t been tremendous eager on releasing standalone puzzle video games these days, excluding Picross. I doubt Puzzle League is lifeless, however who is aware of if or once we’ll see an precise new entry.
And that wraps up one other Nintendo Report. Fairly the various lineup, and one which’s a bit extra wholesome than I anticipated at first look. That’s at all times factor! I don’t imagine Nintendo has any Q properties, so we’ll be transferring proper alongside to R. Within the meantime, what are your favourite Nintendo video games that begin with the letter P? Did I miss something? Tell us. See you subsequent time in The Nintendo Report.
