Twitter is a wonderful social media tool, especially to talk directly to fans of things you do. However, like anything on the internet, you have to be careful what you say. Many times words can get misconstrued, especially when limited to 140 characters. 

There is no misconstruing words this time around. Nintendo of Korea stepped over the boundaries. More inside.

Seems like Nintendo isn't a third-party developers nightmare, as some might make you think. Pwnee Studios is apparently having no problems with developing on Nintendo consoles, according to their Vice President, TJ Lutz. Pwnee Studios is the developer of Cloudberry Kingdom, an upcoming platformer that originated as a Wii U and Stream exclusive, but was eventually brought to development onto the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita with Ubisoft's help. In a recent interview with Warped Zone, Mr. Lutz only had great things to say about Nintendo. Find out what after the jump!

I love me a good RPG, especially ones like Persona, Kingdom Hearts, and Pokemon, but what I don't like is level grinding, especially when it can take hours upon hours to get to the level you need to be at. I encountered such a case a mere 12 hours into Devil Survivor, and it ain't pretty.

Devil Survivor is a pretty hard game when you're under-leveled because you can't use any items meaning you need to use your MP wisely and if you don't have enough, you're screwed. Beldr is a level 30 boss that is easy enough to beat, but the problem is he continuously summons demons until you beat him and you'll probably be out of MP by the time you get to him. To make matters worse, the summoned demons are hard to beat even with MP to exploit their weaknesses and if they get close enough to Beldr, they'll heal him. So even at level 25 and easily defeating other level 25 demons, you're probably going to want to grind till you're about level 30, but the problem is that enemies don't offer up enough EXP in free battles, so i'm forced to grind for hours till I can beat him. It's almost as bad as Final Fantasy III's end-game boss which is nearly impossible to beat when you first meet them, leaving you to grind for hours (some say about 10+).

Multiple games, especially older ones, are notorious for using Level Grinding as a way to make games longer, but it's not always the best way to go about it and they sometimes cause us to avoid a game entirely despite how engaging it is. So I want to know, what do you think is the worst Level Grinding experience you have ever encountered? Was it Grinding to beat Red in Gold/Silver? Or was it grinding to beat a certain boss in Borderlands? Tell us in the comments!

Both of these terms are important aspects to many video games, and have been almost since the dawn of gaming itself. Violence, in one way or another, is ever present in most of the games we play. Be it Mario stomping out Goombas, Link attacking well... anything, or killing virtual people in games like Call of Duty: Violence is an ever present part of the video game culture that we all enjoy on various levels.

Another intricate and ever more present aspect is story. It drives players to want to complete certain tasks, it gives motivation, and more importantly it can touch us on a personal level in a way that sometimes can't be conveyed in a movie.

Neither one of these aspects is required to create a compelling experience – as an example, something as simple as Minecraft is technically a video game and it doesn't rely on violence or story in order to create a fantastic product.

Morals, it's that funny aspect of life that helps guide several decisions we make. As an example, you may hate someone to the point that you would actually think your life would improve if they were dead. However, you are unlikely to go about killing that person because morally you just know it's not the right thing to do. In essence, Morality is the simple decision and aspect of life that helps you decide what is right and what is wrong. It's a rather simple concept, but it's extremely complex since everyone's moral values are different.

Enter Call of Duty and Battlefield, two highly successful selling game franchises that promote realistic weapons - down to the point that the companies that make the weapons actually get to oversee their depiction in the games themselves and get paid for the usage of the information for the weapon itself (including the name of the weapon). In that of itself, it's not a moral quandary to buy these games if you are necessarily against violence with guns in general and that isn't the point made in the above video. Rather, could it become a one that you may have not considered if you do actually oppose not only the use of guns, but the ownership of them?

Nintendo's been making a huge push for unique content since the Wii U's launch; now, they've unveiled the next part in their crusade for developers. Every now and then over the years, Nintendo has conducted Game Seminars, where many of their top developers would instruct new, passionate programmers in how to develop software over 8 months. Past seminars have produced some nifty little titles, such as the DS game Ugo Ugo Trinity from the 2008 seminar.

Both Miyamoto and Takashi Tezuka have released statements concerning the event, which will be held live in Tokyo and Osaka, but will also have a free online option for developers around the world--so all of you aspiring developers should seriously consider it! Miyamoto offered a few words of encouragement:

“This is a new trial to teach what game design is about and getting people together to have fun while thinking and creating. I invite you to please try and participate.”
– Shigeru Miyamoto

While this was simple enough, Tezuka gave a very thoughtful speech concerning the changes in game development since Nintendo formed; jump inside for his quote.

Pach-Attack!

Michael Pachter is pretty open in his latest Pach Attack. He is asked directly about why Square Enix hasn't released a remake/upgrade of Final Fantasy VII, and his response is simply that he doesn't know.  He also goes back into a bit of Wii U predictions by saying it will be lucky to push 30 to 40 million units, and likely could see GameCube like numbers between 21 and 25 million units. However, he has some interesting reasoning behind it. Thoughts inside.

By now, we all know Michael Pachter. I know many of you have steam springing from your ears jut by hearing his name. Perhaps you remember last week, when he praised Nintendo's software strategy? Well, this week, he's decided to turn it back around. In the latest episode of Pach-Attack, not only did Pachter jump to call Nintendo "inscrutable" — and then suggest we look the word up — but he goes so far as to admit that he "doesn't understand any Japanese developers."

“I don’t think Nintendo is unique in being inscrutable—look that word up. I don’t get any Japanese developer. I have no idea what motivates them, especially in how they release games in the West. ... I have to say, Final Fantasy is one of those franchises I just don’t get. I don't get it. I look at it—I just don't understand why anybody thinks that's an interesting game.” — Michael Pachter

I respect Pachter in many ways, but this makes him look downright unqualified. Not only does he admit that he doesn't "get" an massive fraction of the gaming industry, but his air of superiority in this week's episode is sickening. Head past the jump for more.

Annoyed Gamer

Marcus Beer is one of my favorite talking heads in the industry, because he just tells it like it is. He doesn't hold back, and in many respects reminds me of an angrier version of Adam Sessler (who has notably opened up a lot more since getting out of the television industry). That being said, he makes some interesting points. For starters, BioShock Infinite's controls on the PC indeed appears to have some issues.  Now, the combat in general could certainly use some advancing.

It's notable he isn't complaining about the violence like so many have, but rather, that the combat itself needs more variety. Setting all that aside, he goes into some of the talk behind EA, Adam Orth, and other such folks saying things publicly that they really shouldn't be. Thoughts inside.

Nintendo promised the brand new entry in the Animal Crossing series would feature exclusive content for the North America and Europe regions a few weeks ago. The brand new mode could have been revealed closer to the game's launch, but alas that scenario is part of a parallel universe.

A translated version of Iwata Asks has surfaced on the internet, and it reveals the feature available in both the EU and NA regions.

The HH Showcase is a location in the game that allows you to see the houses of fellow 3DS players you've Streetpassed with. However, in the localized version of the game, houses made by Nintendo will also be delivered via Spotpass.

Keep in mind this is but one feature, and more content may be revealed at a later date.

How do you feel about this being the region exclusive feature? Satisfied? Disappointed? Sound off in the comments.

Patrick Redding, director of Splinter Cell Blacklist, says that stealth sections in certain games are not necessarily a "nice thing". Keeping people on the edge of their seat, and waiting for a long time for the perfect opportunity to sneak past and remain undetected can ruin the flow of a game, according to Redding. On the other hand he praises the Batman Arkham games as a series that balances the gameplay just about right.

More after the jump.

It looks as though this weeks Famitsu magazine has some goodies for all of the Monster Hunter fans out there. It gives us the first look at the Garara Ajara, the snake dragon. Garara Ajara has venomous fangs and a long snake-like body that it can use to ensnare and devour its prey.  Looks like it would be a gem to add to any hunter's collection, if they dare to challenge it. Also introduced in the way of monsters was a new insect type monster, called Kunchuu, which attack in groups and have means of protection by rolling themselves into balls, warding off potential hunters.

In the line with new information came details about the Charge Axe, a new weapon in Monster Hunter 4. This weapon has two modes, Sword mode, which allows whirling slashes, finishing hits and dashing attacks, and Axe mode, which are for heavier, slower hits. Horizontal finishers will also be included with the weapon, and a finisher that will change the weapon into its sword mode. Attacking with the Charge Axe will cause it to charge sword energy, which can be released through powerful charge attacks.

All of this new information is pretty neat, and the new monster types are just screaming to be battled with. Are you excited for these new monsters to hunt and this fantastic new weapon to hunt them with?

Remember the new Pokémon last wee that resembled Mewtwo? Turns out it is indeed an all-new form of Mewtwo. This version will naturally be appearing on Pokémon X and Y later this year. This is especially intriguing because Mewtwo was created as a lab experiment. As such, it will be neat to see how they can explain this new form. I am certainly excited. This truly helps mark a new era for the series.

Tales of Xillia is the long awaited new entry of the Tales franchise. The game was originally released in Japan on September 8th, 2011, during the "Tales Of" 15th anniversary. Two years later the game is finally being localized for the western audience, in both the US and EU regions. The official Facebook page for Tales of Xillia has announced the game's release date, which are August 6th, 2013 for the US and August 9, 2013 for the EU. As a Tales fan this is exciting news, as I hope this leads the way for future localizations. 

UPDATE: It has been confirmed that the US release of the Collector's Edition will be available for retail at GameStop. If you were one of those affected by the Namco's shortcomings on the Ni no Kuni preorders, this is a great way to lift your spirit back off the ground.

As Nintendo moves into a broader support of the Wii U, it's only natural that the previous console will get a little bit of neglect. Nintendo of Australia and Nintendo of Japan have both announced that they will be discontinuing select Wii Network services on June 28th, 2013. Though Nintendo of America and Nintendo of Europe have yet to make their official announcements, we can reasonably assume the services will be discontinued in all regions across the globe.

The affected applications are as follows:

- Nintendo Channel
- News Channel
- Forecast Channel
- Everybody Votes Channel
- Mii Contest Channel
- Data exchange with Wii Friends via WiiConnect24*

* Exchange of Wii messages on the Wii Message Board, exchange of Mii characters on the Mii Channel and message/data exchange within some games will be disabled.

The Wii Shop Channel will thankfully remain active, as will "Today's Accomplishments" on the Wii Message Board. Luckily many of the affected services no longer see too much activity, but it's sad to see them go nonetheless. Perhaps one day Nintendo will extend the services to Wii U, but for now, it seems that now is the time to bid these channels a final adieu.

UPDATE: Nintendo of America has confirmed that these services will also be discontinued in America on June 28th.