Social simulation games are a subgenre of life simulation game that explore social interactions between multiple artificial lives . Some examples include The Sims and Animal Crossing series.
72-693: Tomodachi Life , known in Japan as Tomodachi Collection: New Life , and in South Korea as Friend Gathering Apartment , is a social simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo 3DS , which is the sequel to the Japan-exclusive Nintendo DS title Tomodachi Collection . The game follows the day-to-day interactions of Mii characters, referred to as "islanders", as they build relationships, solve problems, and interact with
144-514: A Tomodachi Life –themed microgame, as a fast-paced minigame. The microgame is based on picking a foreign object, like a leaf, off a Mii's face. The items picked off the Mii's face are similar to the actual items that can be found on a Mii. The game's text-to-speech voice is also similar to the one used in Tomodachi Life . Miitomo , a social networking mobile app for iOS and Android devices,
216-596: A WeChat account, and the account can only be funded via WeChat Pay . In addition, purchasing downloadable content from other regions is disabled due to the lack of the ability to sign in with a Nintendo Account and the general region locking of the Nintendo Switch for the Chinese market. Nintendo's mainland Chinese subsidiary iQue originally launched the iQue 3DS XL in December 2012 with two digital games pre-installed, but
288-601: A Nintendo Network ID with a Nintendo Account remained active until March 11, 2024. Previously downloaded content on the Nintendo eShop, among others, was unaffected by the suspension of the Nintendo Network and other Wi-Fi services for the 3DS and Wii U on April 8, 2024. The following types of games, applications and media are or were available to download from the Nintendo eShop. The majority of Wii U , Nintendo 3DS , Nintendo Switch , and select Wii retail releases are on
360-478: A different issue was fixed. In reality, fans had been making their Miis appear to be a different gender, which did not change the Miis' pronouns while a workaround. They were angered by the lack of such relationships, starting campaigns to add in the option. Despite this, Nintendo stated that it would not be possible to add same-sex relationships to the game, as they "never intended to make any form of social commentary with
432-405: A friend to interact with. The Town Hall will then open, allowing the player to create more Miis. Miis can perform various actions, including interactions such as friendship, romance, conflicts, and other social events. Over time, the player unlocks more locations, clothes, food, and things for the Miis to interact with, such as items to give them and special interiors for their apartment. The player
504-604: A handful of hours." The game introduced unique mechanics that were noted for its charm and humor, such as a "dream" state that players could enter when an islander was asleep. According to Takahashi, this would have been difficult to implement in the west without the westernization. Tomodachi Life was a best-seller in the Japanese video game market during the week of its release, selling about 404,858 units. By September 2014, its global sales reached 3.12 million units. As of March 31, 2023, Nintendo has sold 6.72 million units of
576-480: A period of time, users were able to redeem Gold Points for download codes or discount coupons available on My Nintendo for specific Wii U and Nintendo 3DS titles. Gold Points themselves can still be used to discount any purchases made on the Nintendo Switch. A limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on the Nintendo 3DS family was discontinued on July 31, 2020, for various Latin American and Caribbean markets, as well as for
648-480: A present follow-up. Many South American and Caribbean markets originally had access to the a limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on both Wii U and Nintendo 3DS, whilst Asian markets such as Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the United Arab Emirates originally had access to a limited variant of the eShop on Nintendo 3DS only. None of the markets listed were ever followed up with any official access to
720-413: A rating of 71/100 on review aggregate site Metacritic , (72.36% on GameRankings ) indicating "mixed or average reviews". IGN gave the game a score of 8.4, calling it "a surprisingly funny and rewarding experience", and The New York Times called Tomodachi Life "comedic". Polygon gave Tomodachi Life a 7.5 out of 10, praising its likeability despite certain aspects being repetitive. GamesRadar gave
792-506: A review consisting of a crescent range of one to five "stars", representing the title's quality. Users can also categorize games by age and gender, and as being suitable for either hardcore or casual gamers. The Wii U had Miiverse integration for user reviews on the Nintendo eShop. On September 13, 2012, during a Japanese Nintendo Direct presentation, Satoru Iwata introduced a new service called Deluxe Digital Promotion (North America)/Nintendo Network Premium (Europe, Australia, and Japan). It
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#1733085572106864-560: A subgenre that dates back to the early 1980s, with games such as Tenshitachi no gogo in 1985 and Girl's Garden in 1984. Since the initial success of these games in the early 2000s, video game journalists have begun to refer to a group of similar games as belonging to the social simulation game genre. Several other social simulation games have emerged to capitalize on the success of The Sims . This includes several sequels and expansion packs, as well as games like Singles: Flirt Up Your Life with heavy similarities. A farming sim
936-468: A time. The status of the downloads can be checked on the HOME menu under the "Download Manager". If notifications are activated, a pop-up message will appear in the top right corner of the screen to notify the user that a download is finished. The Nintendo eShop supports user reviews of games, applications, and other media. After an eShop title has been acquired and used for at least one hour, users can then submit
1008-492: Is "always looking for ways to create gameplay that appeals to the entire world". One of the most difficult challenges for the game was localization, with minigames such as sumo wrestling being replaced with football in the US. According to Ryutaro Takahashi, director of the project, "the dialogue of the characters for example is not just simple translation from Japanese; we have reviewed it so that it feels more natural." Trinen remarked that
1080-562: Is a specific type of social sim in which the player tends to a farm at the same time they interact with other townspeople. A direct connection can be drawn from early games in the genre such as Harvest Moon (1996) to the more recent Stardew Valley (2016). Other games, such as the Rune Factory series and Harvestella (2022) put a fantasy spin on the genre, while there are also sci-fi examples such as Lightyear Frontier . The 2.0 update of Animal Crossing: New Horizons (2020) added
1152-614: Is disabled while WiiWare software is being played. Prior to the Wii Shop Channel's closure, there were over 450 downloadable games available in North America as of October 2012 . Initially all games except LostWinds were published on the Wii U. LostWinds had since been patched and made available for transfer and purchase on the Wii U. It was discontinued in January 2019. DSiWare, for
1224-618: Is disabled whilst DSiWare software is being played. There are over 550 downloadable DSiWare games available in North America as of January 2016. DSiWare games and software on the Nintendo eShop are largely priced near-identically as on the original DSi Shop. Online functionality has been defunct in DSiWare games due to the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service ceasing operations as of May 20, 2014. As of March 27, 2023, DSiWare games and apps are no longer available for purchase, coinciding with
1296-511: Is easily accessible even when a game is already running in the background through the system software. The Nintendo eShop features downloadable games, demos, applications, streaming videos, consumer rating feedback, and other information on upcoming game releases. The service was discontinued globally for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS in March 2023, continuing only on the Switch. Initially, the two versions of
1368-415: Is on the island and the player allows the feature, the player will receive a phone call from either the mother or the father, informing them that they had a baby, and allowing them to name it and edit its face. After this, the married couple can ask the player to babysit the child, which will start a minigame that changes depending on the child's age. After the child grows up, the player can either move them to
1440-539: Is rewarded with in-game currency by interacting with the islanders, resolving their problems, and giving gifts. In-game currency can also be gained by going to the Fountain for donations from the islanders and selling non-interactive items gained from Miis at the Pawn Shop. Tomodachi Life is set in real time and encourages players to play at different times of the day to observe different interactions with islanders. Over time,
1512-584: The Home Menu and Nintendo eShop to access and purchase Virtual Console games, respectively. Virtual Console games on the Nintendo 3DS can be suspended and users can also create save states anytime. Functionality is available to display the games at native resolution. Games for the Game Boy , Game Boy Color , Game Boy Advance (for Nintendo 3DS Ambassadors only) NES , SNES (New Nintendo 3DS exclusive), Sega Game Gear , and Turbografx16 (Japan only) were available on
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#17330855721061584-401: The Nintendo 3DS family . Add-on content includes downloadable content (DLC) or microtransactions to augment existing games with new features, and patches. This content can both be free to download or purchasable. Add-on software can be added to both downloadable and physical games, and be purchased either individually or via in-game stores. As of December 6, 2011, a system update upgraded
1656-618: The Nintendo DSi handheld game console , has been available for the Nintendo 3DS since June 2011, when the Nintendo eShop was first introduced. With a few exceptions for certain games or applications such as Flipnote Studio , the majority of existing DSiWare software is available for download on the Nintendo 3DS through the Nintendo eShop. Similar to using Nintendo DS software, DSiWare can be optionally viewed in its original resolution and Home Menu functionality, SpotPass, StreetPass, Auto Brightness (New Nintendo 3DS only) and 3D Functionality
1728-549: The Wii Shop Channel and the DSi Shop services, which use Nintendo Points for purchases, the Nintendo eShop lists prices in the appropriate regional currencies (e.g. United States dollars and euros ). Accounts can be funded using either credit cards or prepaid cards purchased in stores. In China, the Nintendo eShop was opened on December 10, 2019, via Nintendo Switch units distributed by Tencent . Users can only log in with
1800-419: The Nintendo 3DS in December 2013, only five transfers between Nintendo 3DS systems were permitted. The limit on system transfers has since been permanently waived. As of August 2024, the Nintendo eShop is available in 46 markets: Certain markets originally had official access to a variation of the Nintendo eShop at one point, but Nintendo had discontinued the service in those markets for certain reasons without
1872-490: The Nintendo 3DS, Wii U, and Nintendo Switch. Various games, which may be sold as retail games in some regions, might be released as download-only software in others for various reasons, such as cost-effective localization. 3D Classics is a series of NES/Famicom , Arcade , Mega Drive/Genesis , Master System , and SG-1000 games remade with added 3D visuals and updated features, although the overall graphics retain their original art style and appearance. These are exclusive to
1944-402: The Nintendo 3DS, becoming required for downloading free demos from the eShop. Software updates, more commonly known as patches , have been available on both Nintendo 3DS, since April 25, 2012, and Wii U, since November 18, 2012, via a system update. These system updates gave the ability to patch downloadable and retail releases, through both the Nintendo eShop and HOME Menu. These patches have
2016-500: The Nintendo eShop between the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS were independent of each other. Whilst this remains largely true, after the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for the Nintendo 3DS, users that register the same ID account between both systems (currently at one time per console) can share a combined funds balance, home address, saved credit and debit card information, wish list entries, and (formerly) linked Club Nintendo accounts. With
2088-519: The Nintendo eShop free of charge. This series was exclusive to North American Nintendo 3DS consoles. Nintendo Show 3D released its last episode on March 28, 2013, two years after the North American release of the original Nintendo 3DS. Japan exclusive news video conferences hosted by Satoru Iwata . The Nintendo eShop offers a wide range of downloadable video content for the Nintendo 3DS . These videos are mostly offered in 3D and are downloaded to
2160-684: The Nintendo eShop, Nintendo Channel and YouTube where users can watch all the latest news, reviews and previews of Wii , Wii U , Nintendo DS , Nintendo 3DS and Virtual Console games. The show's original name and format was called Nintendo TV . The show ended sometime in 2014 before the Official Nintendo Magazine ceased publication. Nintendo Show 3D was a video gaming online show produced by Nintendo and hosted by Jessie Cantrell. It featured video previews and footage of upcoming and recently released Nintendo 3DS retail and downloadable games. Episodes were released every two weeks on
2232-457: The Nintendo eShop. The first was New Super Mario Bros. 2 , launched on the Nintendo 3DS eShop alongside its retail release in August 2012. A system update in March 2013 allowed players to transfer save data from a physical version of a game to a download version. Any video game company, particularly independent video game developers, may publish via the Nintendo eShop as download-only software for
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2304-470: The Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern markets. A limited variant of the Nintendo eShop on Wii U was also discontinued at the same day for said Latin American and Caribbean markets. As of that date, the ability to download, redownload, and update any software became unavailable, and games using the eShop were also affected. The ability to purchase, download, and play new content on the Nintendo eShop for
2376-472: The Switch eShop by having the user click an acknowledgement checkbox that waived their rights to refunds. NCC argued this violated the EU's Consumer Rights Directive 2011 as all pre-orders must be able to be refunded. Nintendo cited that under the directive that offering the checkbox to waive this right was valid. The German Federation of Consumer Organisation ( Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband e. V. , or VBEV) took
2448-403: The Switch port of Miitopia , makeup that is customizable. Tomodachi Life begins with the player naming their island and creating their "lookalike", which is intended to represent their personal Mii . The Miis are given unique personalities based on the player's choices for their stats, such as walking speed, speech, and quirkiness. The player is prompted to give their lookalike food to eat and
2520-570: The Virtual Console library available on the original Wii was also available on Wii U through the implementation of the console's Wii Mode and Wii Shop Channel , to access and purchase Virtual Console games. Wii Virtual Console games cannot be controlled using the Wii U GamePad , though the current versions of the system software support displaying Wii Virtual Console games on the GamePad screen as if playing any other Wii game. The Nintendo 3DS used
2592-462: The Wii U Menu and Nintendo eShop to access and purchase Virtual Console games, respectively. Virtual Console games on the Wii U can be suspended and users can also create save states anytime. The GamePad is only compatible with these games through Off-TV Play . Select games from the NES , SNES , Nintendo 64 , Game Boy Advance , and Nintendo DS libraries were available for purchase on the eShop. Most of
2664-553: The Wii U Nintendo eShop would receive ten percent of the price back in points, which could be exchanged for eShop credit on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS eShop. Points could be exchanged for eShop credit through March 31, 2015. The program was discontinued on April 1, 2015. The service was never fully implemented beyond its promotional period. The My Nintendo program features a similar concept for anyone who links their Nintendo Network ID to their Nintendo Account profile, and users could earn Gold Points via any Nintendo eShop purchase. For
2736-534: The Wii U and the Nintendo 3DS was discontinued for the rest of the world on March 27, 2023, with the ability to add credit cards ceasing by May 23, 2022, followed by the inability to add funds by August 29 of the same year (except for users who linked their Nintendo Network ID with their Nintendo Account, who could add funds until March 27, 2023). Redeeming download codes for the systems were extended to April 4. Redownloading previously purchased content, updating and free themes will remain available. Merging funds left on
2808-542: The ability to create a farm and grow produce. Nintendo eShop The Nintendo eShop is a digital distribution service for the Nintendo Switch , and formerly available via the Nintendo Network for the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS . Launched in June 2011 on the Nintendo 3DS, the Nintendo eShop served as the successor to both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop . It is also a multitasking application, which means it
2880-401: The apartments or send them off via StreetPass to appear on other players' islands as an explorer. The player can unlock special items and transport islanders using SpotPass and StreetPass . Nintendo would release free SpotPass items monthly to all players that had SpotPass enabled, which would be purchasable in "Import Wear". On May 16, 2016, the last "Import Item" was released, discontinuing
2952-415: The console while it is not in use or when the eShop application is not running. Users upgrading from a Nintendo DSi system can transfer their previous DSiware purchases to the Nintendo 3DS, with limited exceptions, such as Flipnote Studio . A December 2011 update enabled a similar feature allowing users to transfer their purchases between 3DS systems. Before the implementation of Nintendo Network ID for
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3024-506: The eShop itself was never launched for the console in China. The Nintendo eShop can be accessed any time via the HOME menu screen, even when a game is already running, on Wii U and Nintendo Switch. Background downloading is also possible via SpotPass while using any other application on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS, and while in Sleep Mode on Nintendo Switch. Currently, 10 downloads can be queued at
3096-597: The eShop on Nintendo Switch since 2019, whilst Taiwan does not as of 2023. The Wii U was never officially released in either Hong Kong or Taiwan. In May 2023, Nintendo was obligated to close the eShop on the Nintendo Switch in Russia after more than a year's hiatus due to reasons beyond their control, likely as a consequence of the Russian invasion of Ukraine . The Nintendo Switch eShop is set to close in China on March 31, 2026. Unlike
3168-506: The eShop on succeeding platforms as of present, even if said platforms were officially available. The Taiwanese market has had a complicated history with Nintendo products in the 2010s. The Nintendo 3DS was officially launched in Taiwan, and one time had access to a Chinese variation of the Nintendo eShop which it shared with Hong Kong. Although the Nintendo Switch was eventually officially launched in Taiwan, Hong Kong had gained official access to
3240-750: The eShop. Twenty free NES and GBA games were available to 3DS owners who became eligible in the Ambassador Program (users who logged onto the Nintendo eShop before August 12, 2011, and did not erase their eShop details). Special features in this interpretation of the Virtual Console allowed players to create Restore Points, temporarily saving the game state for use later, and the optional ability to view games in their original resolution accompanied with special borders or templates. Game Boy Advance games can be displayed at their original screen resolution like other Virtual Console games but they do not support Sleep Mode, Restore Points, and Home Menu functionality while
3312-516: The end of the life cycle of the Nintendo 64, it developed a following that led to it being ported to the GameCube and released throughout the world. As the game's popularity has surged, this series has also been described as a social simulation game. Story of Seasons , a series that began in 1996 and is often compared to Animal Crossing , has also been described as a social simulation game. Its social simulation elements are derived from dating sims ,
3384-533: The game 4 out of 5 stars, praising its weird humor and relaxing gameplay, whilst criticizing the minigames for being too simple. GameTrailers gave the game a score of 6.0, stating "the pervasive sense of quirkiness in Tomodachi Life works, but can't sustain the entire game." Similarly, Martin Robinson with Eurogamer noted " Tomodachi Life is a simple, throwaway toy, then—one with plenty of cute tricks, but not quite enough of them to stop you from tossing it aside after
3456-437: The game in mind. In another Nintendo Direct broadcast on April 3, 2013, Nintendo revealed more details related to the 3DS sequel and introduced software used to transfer Mii data from the original game to the sequel called Tomodachi Collection: New Life Mii Moving Software , which could be downloaded from the Nintendo eShop . On April 18, 2013, the game was released in Japan. A western release for Tomodachi Collection: New Life
3528-495: The game is running. WiiWare, for the Wii video game console , has been available for the Wii U since launch day when an update added support for the Wii Shop Channel 's library of WiiWare games. Unlike DSiWare on the Nintendo 3DS, WiiWare software is only available for download on the Wii U through Wii Mode , not the Nintendo eShop. Similarly to using Wii software on the Wii U, WiiWare can only be played in its original resolution, via Wii Mode, and Wii U Home Menu functionality
3600-413: The game was distributed to Platinum members of Club Nintendo in North America, the data of which could be transferred to the final version to unlock a bonus in-game item. The game was bundled with two Nintendo eShop download codes for a 'Welcome version' demo, which could be given to friends. Former Super Metroid director Yoshio Sakamoto stated "development began when we started thinking about if it
3672-481: The game worldwide, which made it one of the best selling games on the 3DS . Following the announcement of a worldwide release, controversy arose concerning the impossibility of same-sex relationships . In May 2013, a rumor emerged that a bug in the original Japanese version of the game that enabled such relationships was patched by Nintendo. This was refuted by Nintendo in a statement made April 2014, explaining that same-sex relationships were never possible, and in fact
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#17330855721063744-458: The idea behind developing Tomodachi Life was similar to Animal Crossing ' s development, in which the question "How do you bring those key moments to live in a way that's relevant to the American consumer?" led the development process. On April 10, 2014, Nintendo released a Tomodachi Life Direct to their official YouTube channel, featuring the Mii characters of Nintendo's staff, such as Bill Trinen, Reggie Fils-Aimé , and Satoru Iwata, in
3816-473: The influence of Little Computer People , a Commodore 64 game from 1985. The games are similar, although The Sims is described as having a richer gameplay experience. Secondly, Will Wright also acknowledged the influence of dollhouses on The Sims , which have generally also informed the gameplay of this genre. Animal Crossing was released in 2001 for the Nintendo 64 in Japan . While released towards
3888-461: The islanders will interact and develop friendships with each other at random intervals. If two islanders of the opposite gender and similar age interact, one can confess their love to the other, which, when successful, sets them as their "Sweetheart", or "Special Someone" in the European version. This can lead to marriage between the two islanders after further interactions. Eventually, if a married couple
3960-584: The launch of the game", and because it would require significant development alterations which would not be able to be released as a post-game patch. The company later apologized and stated that if they were to create a third game in the series they would "strive to design a gameplay experience from the ground up that is more inclusive, and better represents all players." A stage based on Tomodachi Life appears in Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . WarioWare Gold features
4032-562: The lead on the lawsuit by December 2018 as Nintendo's European headquarters were located in Großostheim . The Regional Court of Frankfurt ruled in December 2019 for Nintendo, but both the NCC and VBEV appealed the decision. During the appeal, in September 2020 Nintendo changed its pre-order policy to allow refunds for games but only a week before the game is scheduled for release. Despite this change,
4104-484: The main purpose of fixing security vulnerabilities and other bugs and improving usability or performance. Patches can also be downloaded while using other applications via the systems' Download Manager. Virtual Console ( バーチャルコンソール , Bācharu Konsōru ) , sometimes abbreviated as VC , was a specialized section of the Nintendo eShop that allowed players to purchase and download games and other software for Nintendo 's Wii U and Nintendo 3DS consoles. The Wii U used
4176-739: The player. The game was released on April 18, 2013 in Japan; June 6, 2014 in North America and Europe; June 7, 2014 in Australia; and July 17, 2014 in South Korea. It sold over 400 thousand units in Japan in its debut week and has sold 6.72 million copies worldwide, making it the tenth best-selling 3DS game of all time. The game received mixed reviews; it was praised for its gameplay and overall charm, but criticized for its simplistic minigames and lack of general user control. It introduced new features for Mii customizability that would be expanded upon in future Nintendo games, such as Miitopia and Miitomo , which allow for more complex outfits for Miis, and in
4248-478: The release of the Nintendo Switch version of the Nintendo eShop, the balance stored on a Nintendo Network ID can be shared or transferred to a Nintendo Account to be spent on the Nintendo Switch. The eShop stores a record of all downloads and purchases, allowing users to re-download previously purchased software at no additional charge, provided the software is still available on the eShop. Downloads can be started immediately, or they can be queued up and be pushed to
4320-440: The sequel to Tomodachi Collection . On March 13, 2013, Nintendo announced in their latest Nintendo Direct that along with two new special edition 3DS LL colors, a sequel to Tomodachi Collection was soon going to be released to the public. The first color showcased in the direct was a mint white edition 3DS LL, and the second was included as a part of a hardware bundle with Tomodachi Collection: New Life included, designed with
4392-506: The service to feature downloadable demos of retail games and eShop games. Developers have the option to limit access to demos, such as limiting the number of plays available to the user. When the number of plays reaches zero, the demo cannot be opened. The first paid demo was released in Japan on August 4, 2011, and free demos were further released in Japan on December 27, of the same year and in North America on January 19, 2012. As of December 9, 2013, Nintendo Network IDs were implemented onto
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#17330855721064464-443: The service. Using StreetPass, the player can choose a specific item to give to players nearby their Nintendo 3DS System, which is also used to transport a married couple's child to other islands as a traveler. Using the Nintendo 3DS Image Share service, players could share screenshots taken in game to social networks such as Twitter or Facebook . Tomodachi Life was originally released as Tomodachi Collection: New Life in Japan as
4536-529: The style of the game's "Mii News". The Direct goes into detail about Tomodachi Life and the idea of creating Mii characters of anyone. On the American Tomodachi Life website, certain Miis of famous celebrities were shown that could be added into the game with the QR codes attached to them, such as Christina Aguilera and Shaquille O'Neal , each including their own custom clothing. Tomodachi Life holds
4608-616: The system's memory through SpotPass . On the Nintendo 3DS, many of these videos are offered in autostereoscopic 3D ; on the Wii U, only 2D high definition videos are available. The exact content available varies by region. Nintendo Unleashed was a video gaming online magazine published by Future Publishing for Nintendo Network . It is produced by the team behind the Official Nintendo Magazine and features video reviews and previews and footage of upcoming and recently released Nintendo games. Episodes are released monthly on
4680-575: The system's storage. To produce and distribute these short films, Nintendo partnered with companies such as Breakthru Films, Black Box Productions, Atlantic Productions , Ka-Ching Cartoons and DreamWorks Animation . The Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC) filed suit against Nintendo in February 2018, asserting that the eShop's policy on pre-order refunds violated European consumer law. As the NCC outlined, while European law requires digital storefronts to provide refunds on pre-orders, Nintendo bypassed this for
4752-457: The time, in late March 2014, Nintendo of Europe launched a survey containing multiple screenshots of what appeared to be localized versions of the game in English, French, and Spanish. On April 10, 2014, Nintendo announced in a Nintendo Direct that Tomodachi Collection: New Life ' s localization would be releasing as Tomodachi Life in North America and Europe. In May 2014, a playable demo of
4824-529: The worldwide closure of the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo 3DS. The Nintendo eShop offers a wide range of video streaming applications, which correspond to third party streaming services. Some of these services' applications are available for download on Nintendo 3DS and are preinstalled on North American Wii U consoles, such as Netflix , Hulu , and Amazon Prime Video applications. These streaming services are available independently from Nintendo Network services. Additionally, some videos can either be downloaded to
4896-452: Was a loyalty program similar to PlayStation Plus offered on PlayStation Network and Xbox Live Gold on Xbox Live . Consumers who purchased the Wii U Deluxe Pack in North America, or the Wii U Premium Pack in Europe and Japan, would receive a free two-year subscription to this service which lets Wii U owners receive points for each digital purchase. Members who bought games and apps through
4968-423: Was announced that an enhanced port of Miitopia was being made for on the Nintendo Switch . This port was later released on May 21, 2021. Social simulation video game When The Sims was released in 2000, it was referred to as "almost the only game of its kind". But there are several important precursors to The Sims and the social simulation genre. Firstly, the game's creator Will Wright acknowledged
5040-453: Was heavily considered during and after the game's release in Japan. On January 29, 2014, Satoru Iwata told The Wall Street Journal that "the company is now working on the right balance of localizing Japan-oriented games just enough so that foreign audiences can enjoy them", hinting directly at an overseas launch for the game. Although Nintendo still had not announced the release of Tomodachi Collection: New Life for regions outside Japan at
5112-578: Was possible to make a DS game which players could not only enjoy inside of the game, but one which could also trigger communication outside of it". Bill Trinen , Senior Director of Product Marketing for Nintendo described the idea of Tomodachi Life ' s interaction system in an interview with Polygon by using the following scenario: "What if everybody you say [ sic ] in those funny videos on YouTube were actually people that you knew, and those crazy things that were happening were happening to people that you knew?" Trinen also said that Nintendo
5184-406: Was released in March 2016. The app was created by the same core team who developed Tomodachi Life , and features very similar ideas. Miitomo was discontinued on May 9, 2018. Miitopia , a role-playing video game which similarly uses Miis as in-game characters, was released for the 3DS in Japan in 2016, followed by a worldwide release the next year. In a Nintendo Direct on February 17, 2021, it
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