Europe's getting five more Nintendo Selects games in late June 2016. People will be able to pick up titles like Paper Mario: Sticker Star and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D for £15.99/€19,99. 4k3th

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The time is here to create and dress up your dream boyfriend. Style Savvy: Trendsetters in Japan received a free update this week that expands upon the Japanese version of the game, including a new Dream Boyfriend mode.

The latest promotional video for the game runs through what the game’s about, with the new modes we’ve mentioned before—such as changes to MC Mode—starting at the 5:20 mark.

For those new to the series though, Style Savvy: Trendsetters (which is also available in English in America) is all about meeting the needs of customers demands for the right styles to dress them up in within the funds they’ve got. You’ll then have to mix and match or find the right answer to emotional hints such as “bold” or “cute” for a successful sale. The game has something like 12, 000 clothes ranging in styles, from gothic lolita Raven Candle to contemporary high class Castellan.

Beyond that, you’ll also be able to dress yourself up, enter fashion contests and modify your personal shop to suit your preferred taste. One of the bigger changes is the change to MC Mode, which lets you better freestyle mix-and-match clothes rather than having to be constrained to a certain theme. The second big one is the “Dream Boyfriend” mode. Here, players can create their own perfect man from top to toe, who’s just waiting to be dressed up in your impeccable style, before taking you out to the perfect date and never complaining.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters is out in the US, but there’s no word yet that this update will head over. Owners of the Japanese version can update the game now on their Nintendo 3DS eShop, while a newer version of the game which includes the additional modes will arrive April 17th in Japan.

The post A Closer Look At Style Savvy: Trendsetters’ Free Update In Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

While North America recently got a new Miiverse community for Style Savvy: Trendsetters, Japan will be getting an updated version of the game that has new features for the fashion dress-up title. Nintendo have provided a look at some of these.

Previously, MC Mode required you to match your clothing according to a certain theme, but this time, you’ll be going on the walkway using your own coordinated style. The good MC will then judge your fashion sense.

The game will also include a new “Dream Boyfriend” mode, which takes place in your dreams. In this mode, you’ll be able to create your very own ideal boyfriend. Additionally, you’ll be able to go to all kinds of different places on dates. You’ll also be able to change his appearance, if you feel like dating another dream boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Daisy the florist will also be back to tell your fortune according to your dress coordination, once a day.

In Teagan’s special effects AR studio, you’ll be able to see all the characters you’ve encountered using your 3DS camera and AR cards and check what kind of reactions they put on show as they come to life.

Finally, you’ll be able to visit the home of Emmylou, your former co-worker, who will be giving you all kinds of advices on life and how to manage your shop.

The updated Style Savvy: Trendsetters will be released on April 17 in Japan for the Nintendo 3DS. However, existing owners of the title will be able to update their game with the new features via the Nintendo eShop for free, starting March 26th.

The post Create Your Dream Boyfriend In Style Savvy: Trendsetters’ New Mode In Japan appeared first on Siliconera.

New Miiverse communities have been erected for a bunch of Nintendo 3DS games in the U.S., and these are games that you’ll actually want to share screenshots of.

The most noteworthy of the lot is Style Savvy: Trendsetters, which now has a community and is already seeing a bit of activity. (You’ll probably find me posting there a lot.) Also available is a community for this game.

Additionally, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Gates to Infinity and Pokémon Rumble Blast now have communities as well, as do Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D.

But who cares about those... back to the Style Savvy community we go!

The post Style Savvy And Paper Mario Have Miiverse Communities On 3DS appeared first on Siliconera.

Back in April, Nintendo launched a screenshot-sharing app for the Nintendo 3DS that allowed one to share screenshots of two specific games via Twitter, Tumblr and Facebook—Animal Crossing: New Leaf and, in Japan, Tomodachi Collection.

Now, the app has been updated to allow you to share screenshots from other games as well. We tested the feature out with Style Savvy: Trendsetters and Crashmo, and Nintendo say the feature will work with Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone!, too. The app likely s other 3DS games that let you take screenshots as well.

Here’s a quick guide to sharing screenshots:

1. Open up the Nintendo 3DS browser, go to https://i.nintendo.net

2. to your Twitter, Tumblr or Facebook on the page

3. Tap the Browse button to find a screenshot on your 3DS

4. Once you select a screenshot, you can leave a message

5. In the case of Twitter, you can use @ to tweet at somebody

6. Hashtags for games are added automatically on Twitter as well

Note that screenshots will not be posted in stereoscopic 3D. This was possible at one time via Twitpic, but it doesn’t seem to work any more.

The post You Can Now Share Nintendo 3DS Screenshots Via Twitter, Tumblr And Facebook appeared first on Siliconera.

Period: The week of December 31st (2012) – January 6th (2013)

Top-seller: Animal Crossing: New Leaf – 133,134

Nintendo 3DS sales: 123,075 | Total sales: 7,812,584

Nintendo 3DS XL sales: 156,184 | Total sales: 2,246,555

PlayStation Vita sales: 33,309 | Total sales: 1,164,134

Wii U sales: 67,083 | Total sales: 694,370

<< Last week’s software sales chart

Note: Since Media-Create were on vacation last week, and no sales data was released, this week’s sales chart includes the missing data from last week as well. Thus, all hardware and software figures are fully up-to-date. Additionally, we will also be covering some of the missing week’s events in today’s sales report, such as the launch of Level 5’s Fantasy Life.

On December 27th, Level 5 released Fantasy Life for the Nintendo 3DS. The game sold 117,071 copies in its first week and another 42,291 copies in its second week. As previously reported, Fantasy Life is sold out in Japanese stores, which means the game sold better than Level 5 were expecting.

An interesting point to consider is that Fantasy Life actually had a higher debut than Marvelous AQL’s Rune Factory 4, an established series in a similar genre. Rune Factory 4 sold 85,955 copies in its first week, which was the highest debut in the series’ history. Fantasy Life’s 117,071 figure is quite a bit higher than that, though, and this bodes well for Level 5’s new series.

Meanwhile, Animal Crossing: New Leaf still rules the pack and is at over 2 million copies sold in Japan. Note that this figure doesn’t include sales, which, in the case of New Leaf, have been rather significant. Close behind it is New Super Mario Bros. 2, which is now approaching the 2 million mark as well.

Not displayed on this week’s chart is Inazuma Eleven 123: The Legend of Mamoru Endou, which compiles the original Nintendo DS Inazuma Eleven titles on a single 3DS cartridge with enhanced features. The compilation sold just 26,052 copies in its first week, and was gone from the top-20 by its second week. However, Inazuma Eleven GO 2 is performing well, and is now at 365,536 copies sold.

On the other hand, some games came back into the top-20 after a brief absence. Most notably, Style Savvy: Trendsetters is now close to the 300,000 mark, while Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney showed up for the holiday party last week as well. Professor Layton vs. Ace Attorney is now at 250,000 sold.

Finally, Yakuza 5 continues to perform well and is now at nearly 545,000 sold.

The top-20 chart for the week was as follows:

Sales data acquired from 4Gamer, Media Create and Geimin.net.

The post This Week In Sales: A Week Of Celebration For Level 5 appeared first on Siliconera.

European Nintendo 3DS XL owners rejoice, as Nintendo of Europe are offering a game for free if you your Nintendo 3DS XL on Club Nintendo.

The post Club Nintendo Europe Offers Free Game To Nintendo 3DS XL Owners appeared first on Siliconera.

I am a major fashionista. I run my own boutique filled with men's and women's clothing and accessories called Forbidden ☆ and it's known as the best shop in the city. I've taken first place in Beginner, Premier, Elite and International fashion contests as a stylist. I sell a $6,000 outfit ensemble at least once a day.

You can too.

That's the beauty of Style Savvy: Trendsetters. Even if you start out knowing nothing about mens' and womens' fashion and coordination, customer service and running a business, you will. You'll pick it all up before you even know it, and once you have that spark that makes you a success, you will be compelled to keep moving forward to see what levels of success you can reach.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters began with my avatar happening upon a rather small town's boutique where the owner Michaela and her assistant, aspiring stylist Emmy-Lou, work. Michaela immediately sensed my style and within a few days, Emmy-Lou had left to become a professional stylist full-time, Michaela had gone off to found fashion contests in town with a former model friend named Avery and I had the store all to myself.

The meat of Style Savvy: Trendsetters remains the same as the previous Style Savvy game. Players manage a store and must cater to customers demands. You'll see preview shots of between one and four shoppers in your store, showing a brief description and their available funds. They'll then tell you what they want. Some might want one item, like a shirt or purse, others may want a whole outfit. They may say they want a specific style, like "bold" or "cute," or may just say to match their overall style. Players then have to go through the available inventory from the stockroom to try and find a good match.

This is easier than you may think. You can search the storeroom, which is helpful since you can have hundreds of items in stock. You could search by clothing type, brand, style, color and price. I found going by style often worked best initially, then style and brand once I memorized the details and look of each brand. After picking out items, you can tell someone to try it on or take a look. If a customer tries it on, that's it. You get one shot to please him or her. Hit a home run, indicated by a brief cinematic, and the shopper may ask for a whole outfit. Get it wrong and he or she will leave.

Having someone take a look is the safer look, as you'll get their opinion and have three chances to make a sale, but it also means no spontaneous "give me a whole outfit" moment. While it may seem daunting to command someone to try it on at first, it becomes the natural choice after a week of play.

Picking up new stock remains the same as well. There's a Buyer's Center in town with stalls that sell clothing from various brands. Players go in and pick what they like, and the stock will automatically be sent to the shop. A free sample of everything purchased is added to your personal closet and the first time a stall opens freebies are bestowed as a bit of bribe/goodwill gesture. On Sundays, one stall may have a limited edition item. Not all stalls are open every day, which necessitate frequent visits, or have the same stock all the time. Another nice touch is that this time, players decide the order in which a few supplemental stalls unlock. As usual, keeping a varied stock is key.

Once business starts booming, Style Savvy: Trendsetters players will notice they are also earning "happiness" by interacting with people and selling clothing. This happiness influences the phases of the moon over the city. When the moon is full, something unlocks. A new shop or stylist may appear, more make may show up, a new item could be added to your wardrobe or more. It's a good way to encourage sales and interaction with customers and major players around town. The more you do, the more becomes available to you.

Having a popular shop and glowing reputation means getting lots of attention. Attention, in Style Savvy: Trendsetters, means being invited to participate in fashion contests. As in Style Savvy, these are the earliest means to unlock costume clothing pieces for players' avatars from the Teatro Amare line. It begins with a Beginner contest, then moves on to Premier, Elite and International contests.

Each is slightly more involved than the original Style Savvy, though it's easy to win by sticking with the designated "brand" for the "theme." For example, loading up on a color-coordinated Mint Sprinkles outfit will win any "pop" contest. Models, hair and makeup do have a minor influence on whether one wins or loses too.

When a contest begins, players choose one of four models based on their personality and initial appearance. You then dress up the model, change her hairdo to make it more appropriate and pick makeup that matches the theme. Put things together well enough and you'll take first place, which wins you avatar clothing the first 10 times, then cash after.

Working in the shop and winning contests you've already beaten 10 times nets people plenty of personal funds to spend on stuff. Plenty of avatar customization options are available. People can change their characters' hair, outfits, accessories and makeup. Once you "beat" the game by taking on the Elite contest, an option even opens up to change your character's entire appearance from the main menu. It's easy to go from one look to the other, and beneficial too. What you wear influences customers in the boutique. If I go out in Marble Lily clothes, customers may want a princess look. Wear Zipline and people may want sporty clothing.

There is even an apartment to customize. Michaela's childhood friend Harris runs a furniture store, which offers an assortment of beds, wallpapers, rugs, curtains, chairs, lights and accessories to brighten a room. Buying an item also means you own every color variation of it as well, which means stocking up provides an opportunity to change every aspect of your avatar's home on a whim. It's a small matter and addition, but since you see your avatar on the top screen enjoying her home while navigating the lower menus and it's very easy to build up personal funds, it's nice have something else to spend money on and customize.

The biggest and best change of all is that Style Savvy: Trendsetters forgoes the real-time gameplay of Style Savvy and instead relies upon an in-game clock. Players can fast forward at any time by napping or going to bed, though time does advance naturally as people play. The game moves at a steady pace, allowing a lot to be accomplished each day, but never takes to long or short. Seasons are the only aspect of the game that relies on "real-time," which changes what kinds of clothes are in demand and available to stock up on, but the rest of the game can be proceed as quickly or slowly as someone wants.

I have to say though that with all the strides forward Style Savvy: Trendsetters makes in fashion, progress, graphics and variety, the online aspect takes a step back. The ability to manage an online shop with three mannequins is still available, but it isn't as well organized as the online mall in Style Savvy and takes much longer to browse and load. It's disappointing. Also, since items unlock so quickly this time around, it felt pointless because I had most of the items I wanted within two weeks of playing.

Still, it's a minor qualm considering the addictive nature of Style Savvy: Trendsetters. The ability to play at your own pace, the various customization options for your shop, avatar and apartment and the assortment of activities result in yet another solid 3DS game that's great for both men and women.

Food for Thought

1. The only returning brands are AZ-USA, Marble Lily and Raven Candle, but most of the new brands are identical to ones found in the original game.

2. Grace, Renee and Dominic will all shop at your store, and you meet Roccoco's son Rocco

3. If you dress up another major character, like the makeup artist Ingrid, that will become her new daily outfit.

4. You can't choose a male avatar.

5. You now have multiple shop assistants, who do minor things like restock clothing, wear certain styles to give customers an idea of what to expect or make extra sales.

6. You can only have one mannequin in your store window at a time.

The post Style Savvy: Trendsetters – All Aboard The Style Train! appeared first on Siliconera.

This week’s Nintendo eShop update marks the start of a few third-party retail games being made available as titles. Leading the group is Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion, which will be available on November 18th for $39.99.

Meanwhile, available today on the eShop is the Nintendo 3DS version of Myst for $29.99 along with Hotel Transylvania, also for $29.99. Finally, you can also grab American Mena Academy for $29.99.

(Keep in mind that Myst on the 3DS plays largely on the bottom screen, so that means very limited 3D.)

As far as original able eShop games go, this week’s release is Monster Shooter for $6.99, a top-down shooter that you can learn more about here.

European eShop update:

This week sees the release of Crashmo (Fallblox in Europe) on the European eShop for €7.99/£7.19. Also available as a game is Style Savvy: Trendsetters (known as New Style Boutique in Europe) for €44.99/£39.99.

Europe also gets a Nintendo 3DS demo for Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward this week, along with Ninja Gaiden for the NES on 3DS Virtual Console for €4.99/£4.49. Finally, also available is title, Johnny Hotshot, for €5.99/£5.39.

The post Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion And Myst Explore The Nintendo eShop appeared first on Siliconera.

This week’s Nintendo eShop update is rather sparse. The only original game being released on the eShop is 2 Fast 4 Gnomz, a running-platformer with four playable gnome characters for $4.99.

The other highlight this week is a second free demo for Style Savvy: Trendsetters. While the first demo had the player competing in a fashion contest, this second demo gives a taste of the shop-management aspect of the game.

Finally, early next week starting November 5th, you’ll be able to buy Freakyforms Deluxe: Your Creations, Alive!, a able version of the retail game, off the Nintendo eShop. This retail release of the original Nintendo eShop game contains all of the original’s content, along with new features.

European update:

Rejoice, Europe, for you, too, can finally bask in the cuteness of Style Savvy: Trendsetters! (Known as New Style Boutique for all you posh European types.) The fashion contest demo is up for on the European eShop today, and is ed by two original games—Monster Shooter and Samurai G. Oh, and the NES Gradius.

The post Style Savvy: Trendsetters Gets A Second Nintendo eShop Demo appeared first on Siliconera.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters for the Nintendo 3DS was released just recently, but Drumcan’s Koji Tamura, who served as a fashion consultant on the game, is already thinking of the next title in the series.

For a “Style Savvy 3,” Tamura says, the development team could potentially consult more fashion industry professionals than they did for Trendsetters, to give the game even more of an educational feel when it comes to fashion and sales.

“When we make the third one, I suppose we'll call in some charismatic and successful salespeople to get data so the game can be used as educational software for floor sales,” Tamura suggests in an Iwata Asks interview. “I think calling in popular models and stylists and girls who don't play video games and all sorts of professionals would make it more fun. But the more opinions there are, the harder it gets for the developers.”

Another option, Tamura says, is to team up with actual real-life clothes companies and brands.

“I thought we could do some interesting things—like going to a shop in the game and actually be able to buy the newest items, or cooperating with real shops so that you can go to a real shop and buy the clothes you like that appear in the game,” he shares.

Whether or not a “Style Savvy 3” ends up being developed remains to be seen, but in the meantime, Nintendo plan to release free DLC for Style Savvy: Trendsetters in the form of new fashion items and promotional material.

The post Style Savvy 3 Could Potentially Have Real Life Clothing Brands appeared first on Siliconera.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters on the Nintendo 3DS is developed in collaboration by four separate companies—Nintendo (the publisher); Syn Sophia (the developer); and Drumcan Inc. (a fashion show producer) and Atom Inc. (whose founder was previously at Drumcan), both of which served as fashion consultants.

Style Savvy: Trendsetters is a game where you run a fashion boutique. The game has several fictional clothing brands, and the player’s job is to manage their shop, stock up on the necessary kinds of items, and help put together outfits for customers that visit your store. You also put outfits together for models to wear at fashion shows.

The goal of Trendsetters, the developers say in an Iwata Asks interview, is to allow knowledge gleaned from the game to extend into real life—ie; to allow the player to learn about clothes, and apply this knowledge to their day-to-day lives. To help accommodate this goal, the one major addition made to Trendsetters over its predecessor, the original Style Savvy, is a more flexible system for putting together “a look”.

In the original Style Savvy, the system for matching clothing items was relatively simple and predictable. Once you spent some time with the game, you would have little trouble figuring out what clothes to match together for an outfit that would make your customers fork over their cash. This was the result of technological limitations, which make it difficult to for a more “human” and personal touch, which is what fashion really revolves around.

To help avoid this problem in Trendsetters, and make the game feel more human and unpredictable, Syn Sophia created a lengthy and complex flowchart for the new game that determines how items match up, and also included a system that allows for one item in the look to be “off” or edgy. The hope is that Trendsetters will feel less predictable, allow the player to experiment and understand how clothes work in real life, and to get them to take notice of things they wouldn’t have before.

Different people enjoy Style Savvy: Trendsetters for different reasons, however, and this is another of the game’s goals. For example, Nintendo producer, Hitoshi Yamagami, sees it as a role-playing game where the customers are the enemy, and your “attacks” involve putting together outfits and recommendations that drain them of the most money, and bring you the most profit. Yamagami, being the managerial type, plays the game from the perspective of a sales person, and focuses on profit and efficiency.

On the other hand, Hiromasa Tsujii of Atom Inc., who works in fashion, uses the game to drum up conversation with his daughter, who he sometimes goes shopping with. Drumcan’s Koji Tamura adds that men could use it in a similar way to understand how clothes work, and help their girlfriends pick out things to wear while shopping, too.

“I think this game is an extension of real life since it's based on fashion, a real life substance,” explains Nintendo’s Yurie Hattori. “And when you play the game for a while and then return to your everyday life, the real world is like an extension of the game. When you see people in the streets, you'll be like, ‘That outfit is a bit iffy.’”

The post How Style Savvy: Trendsetters Is Like An RPG appeared first on Siliconera.

Period: The week of October 1st – October 7th (2012)

Top-seller: Resident Evil 6 – 634,933

Nintendo 3DS sales: 24,623 | Total sales: 6,915,340

Nintendo 3DS XL sales: 39,046 | Total sales: 692,038

PlayStation Vita sales: 7,957 | Total sales: 1,002,119

<< Last week’s software sales chart

Resident Evil 6 was last week’s big release in Japan, and demonstrated the strength of a popular brand once again, by moving a large number of copies on the PlayStation 3 and an additional few on the Xbox 360. Here’s how Resident Evil 6 sold in its first week:

Resident Evil 6 (PS3) – 634,933

Resident Evil 6 (360) – 41,652

For comparison, here’s what Resident Evil 5’s first week sales looked like back in 2009:

Resident Evil 5 (PS3) – 319,590

Resident Evil 5 (360) – 79,157

It should be interesting to see how Resident Evil 6 holds up in the weeks to come. Meanwhile, the PSP also saw two new releases—Summon Night 5 with 51,453 copies sold and Sol Trigger with 42,037 copies sold.

Next week’s chart will tell us how Bravely Default, Project X-Zone, and Time and Eternity sold in their first week.

The top-20 chart for the week was as follows:

Sales data acquired from 4Gamer, Media Create and Geimin.net.

The post This Week In Sales: Resident Evil 6 Blasts Out Of The Gate appeared first on Siliconera.

This week’s Nintendo eShop highlight is Pokémon Dream Radar, an augmented reality game that has you searching for and capturing Pokémon around you, Ghostbusters-style, using the Nintendo 3DS camera.

Pokémon you catch in Pokémon Dream Radar can be transferred to the Pokémon Black/White 2 games, which are out this weekend. Some of these Pokémon include special abilities and are exclusive to Dream Radar. You can find more details here and grab the game for $2.99.

Cave Story 3D is available for via the Nintendo eShop this week as well. This version of the game has been updated with widescreen and stereoscopic 3D, as well as additional challenge modes. It costs $9.99.

Moving along, there’s a Nintendo 3DS demo for Style Savvy: Trendsetters available on the eShop as well. The Fashion Contest demo is the first of two demos, and allows you to create an outfit based on the contest theme and compete with your in-game rivals for the prize.

Also available this week are the new able courses for New Super Mario Bros. 2, details of which can be found here. As previously reported, each able course pack costs $2.50 and contains three courses.

Rounding out the eShop releases are Samurai G ($1.99) and the Game Boy Dr. Mario for 3DS Virtual Console ($3.99).

Finally, Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone and Crosswords Plus, two retail games that are out in North America today, also have versions available via the Nintendo eShop. Both games cost $29.99 each.

The post Pokémon Dream Radar And Cave Story 3D Explore Nintendo eShop appeared first on Siliconera.

...but none of them were the #1 seller. That honour went to SD Gundam G Generation Overworld.

The post This Week In Sales: Dead or Alive 5, Ys Celceta And Style Savvy Roll Out appeared first on Siliconera.