UK launch trailers for ZombiU, NSMBU, and Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in 3DS, Videos, Wii U | 0 comments
NBA 2K13 (Wii U) producer says devs shouldn’t base games around a console’s features, and instead only use them when they enhance the experience
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Gaming, News, Wii U | 0 comments
“One of the main things– and it’s a philosophy I wish more people would take– is not trying to build your game around what the feature set of the hardware is, but analyze how your customer has interacted with the game up to that point and see if the hardware’s feature set can further enhance that. Because you’ve been successful for a reason, so to go and try and reinvent everything just because you want to use this feature doesn’t necessarily mean your customer is going to enjoy the new experience.” – NBA 2K13 producer Rob Jones
Much like what Jim Sterling said in a recent piece about Black Ops 2 on Wii U, sometimes you just have to let games be regular games, even when a console has specific features that make it stand out. Mr. Jones seems to understand that! He continued:
“For example, with the Wii you could use the remote as a pointer, but people don’t experience basketball games that way, so trying to change the game just to get the Wii pointer to work didn’t make a lot of sense. PlayStation Move probably had the same kind of effect. We tried to make a game that could be played simply with the peripheral, but the peripheral just didn’t match our core customer. So what you’ll see with the Wii U title is we only did what we thought would be an extension of what our customers were already experiencing because it makes sense that way.”
I like this guy! He understands how games are made! Of course, it’s a steady balance– if you (as a developer) pass up the opportunity to use a feature that would clearly improve gameplay just because you’re lazy, and then you try and pass it off as “not being gimmicky”, you’ll get into trouble. I have a feeling that’s not what’s happening here though.
NYKO Wii U accessories – More details
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
UBoost
– Essentially a battery extension
– 2x the battery life
– Attaches to the back– no tools or modification required (which assumedly means you don’t have to remove the old battery to use it)
– Works together with the internal battery
– Adds a built-in stand to the Gamepad so you can stand it up without using a separate stand
– Still uses the charging cradle/cord that comes with the Wii U normally
– Available in Black and White, “later this year”
– $19.99
Charge Base Pro
– Charging station for up to two Wii U Pro Controllers
– Attach a magnetic charging dongle to the Pro Controller’s USB Port and set it on the charging pad
– Magnets will automatically lock the charging dongle into place
– “Artfully suspends the controller in the vertical dock”, which seems like a silly way to phrase is
– LED light indicates when fully charged
– Dock is collapsable
– Powered through an AC adapter, so it charges faster than the Pro Controller’s proprietary USB cord
– Available “holiday season”
– $29.99
Power Stand
– Sort of like a third party version of the Deluxe Bundle’s charging cradle
– “Drop n charge” functionality
– Use it to view movies and stuff
– Available “this year”
– $14.99
Charge Adapter
– Essentially a third party replacement Gamepad charging cord
– Plugs into AC wall outlet, charges Gamepad
– ‘Velcro strap’ for easy storage
– Available “in time for the Holidays”
– $14.99
Charge Link
– USB charging cable for the Gamepad
– ‘Extra long cord’ so you can play from further distances
– Velcro strap for easy storage
– Available now
– $14.99
No Wii Mini for the UK, according to Nintendo of Europe
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii | 0 comments
“[It’s] specifically for Canada only”, said Nintendo of Europe’s James Honeywell, “We have no plans to launch it in the UK. Our focus here is all about Wii U.”
I still find it REALLY weird that they would put out a Wii Mini at all, much less one only in Canada. But that’s Nintendo for you, I guess…
Japan’s ‘Wii Karaoke U’ houses 90,000 songs for pay-by-the-hour singing fun
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
Much like a similar Xbox 360 game that came out a couple of weeks ago, Japan is getting a Wii U launch title (downloadable, as far as I know) called “Wii Karaoke U” that gives players access to ninety thousand songs (yes, 90,000) to sing and dance along to, all for the low low fee of several different payment options:
– ¥100 for one hour.
– ¥300 for 24 hours.
– ¥1000 for 30 days
– ¥2000 for 90 days
There’s a microphone/trial disc available for ¥2940, which allows users to play 50 chosen songs for 31 days as much as they want, but you can’t use the trial disc on your Wii U after the 31 day limit is up. You can, however, give it to a friend, since it appears as though your “account” is tied to the console as opposed to the disc.
Sounds like Japan has 1-up’d North America’s SiNG Party…
Ubisoft likes Wii U a lot, will continue to support it
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Wii U | 0 comments
This may not come as a surprise to many of you, but Ubisoft says they like the Wii U! After giving the console a plethora launch titles (including the wonderful survival horror title ZombiU), the company is gearing up for tonight’s launch in the UK. Here’s what they had to say about the Wii U in general:
“Since E3, Nintendo has been consistently building presence in consumers’ minds through their PR activities as well as events and media. Over that period, we have also been pushing our own games to position them as key choices for gamers who purchase the console. On some occasions such as E3, we’ve worked together to ensure maximum exposure for both companies. We find core gamers and the technologically-minded tend to be the first adopters of new consoles. It’s no real surprise that games that appeal to this audience are more likely to perform well early on. As Wii U reaches broader audiences, we will see a shift in the types of games bought.”
And here’s an added tidbit of praise for the big N and their hardware development:
“Once again, Nintendo is the first to bring something new to home consoles. The innovation brought by the Wii U marks a step change, which will become more obvious as users familiarise themselves with these new gameplay possibilities.”
I hope you European folks area ready! Just a few more hours!
ZombiU dev team teases something, coming tomorrow
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Screenshots, Wii U | 0 comments
So I was playing ZombiU today when I found this scrawled on one of the walls near the starting area of the game:
The message has apparently been up since Saturday, but since I rarely go through this area of the game (I was only wandering through to try and get my survivor killed because I didn’t like him) I didn’t see it until an hour ago or so. Given the timeframe, this would mean that something is happening here tomorrow, but it’s hard to say what. Sales announcements? More player achievements? DLC? Something bigger? It’s hard to say!
If you’re still on the fence about whether or not to purchase ZombiU, read our review!
New ‘Kunio-kun’ game in the works?
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Gaming, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Before you scroll past because you have no idea what that is, Kunio-kun is the Japanese name for the series that spawned River City Ransom, Super Dodgeball, and Nintendo World Cup. So what does it mean that a teaser page for the series has been put up by Arc System Works?
It’s hard to say, but the last game released in this conglomerate series was a remake of Renegade on 3DS last year. That game has yet to come out outside of Japan.
Guy in Japan plays Wii U on the Bullet Train
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
One of my favorite things about the Wii U is that– relatively speaking of course– it’s pretty portable. Without having to unplug everything and re-plug it all later, I could just take the console, the power cord, and the controller and be set to go without a TV or any other cables. One Wii U importer in Japan has put this functionality to good use by playing his console on the train to test the limits of its portability.
Needless to say, he was pretty impressed! Take a look at some images below:
Looks like he even used his phone to connect to the internet and hop on Miiverse!
[Opinion] Gearbox’s reason for not putting Borderlands on Wii U is more baloney than this pseudo gaming-journalist can handle
Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Well, I feel like I don’t want to take that anymore. At least for today.
Author: Austin
I wouldn’t be writing this feature if the response to last night’s quote from Gearbox regarding why Borderlands wouldn’t be coming to Wii U was different. If bloggers and pseudo-journalists had called them out and said “Hey, you know what, that reason makes absolutely no sense!”, I wouldn’t be furiously (okay, not furiously– that’s a word to make it seem more exciting) typing away right now, anxious to tell you all why this is a bunch of baloney.
