Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

Nintendo will be releasing a packaged version of Wii Sports Club in Japan in July. This will feature all five sports – tennis, bowling, golf, baseball, and boxing.

We now have confirmation – from the game’s official Japanese website – that the latter two sports will be launching individually on June 26th. Much like tennis, bowling, and golf, you’ll be able to purchase baseball and bowling as digital downloads. Interestingly, pricing is set at 1,000 yen for the collection of baseball and boxing.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii | 1 Comment

Rodea: The Sky Soldier is kind of like the game that never was. The title was first announced in 2011 for Wii and 3DS, but still has yet to release.

Nearly a year ago, publisher Kadokawa Games said Rodea was still in the works. The 3DS version was in a “plus alpha” state at the time.

Unfortunately, there hasn’t been an update on Rodea since. But Kadokawa may still intend to bring out the title having recently re-registered a trademark in Japan. Perhaps one day we’ll finally see it launch!

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More: Japan, Kadokawa Games, Prope, Rodea: The Sky Soldier, trademark

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 20 Comments

Hyrule Warriors details are now starting to emerge from this week’s Famitsu. You can find a roundup of what’s included in the magazine’s report below.

– Premium box will be available for at least 10,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Retail release is at least 7,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Digital release is at least 6,000 yen (exact amount unknown)
– Producers: Hisashi Koinuma, Yosuke Hayashi
– Supervisor: Eiji Aonuma
– Developers: ?-Force / Team NINJA
– Link sets off to rescue Princess Zelda
– Zelda has been kidnapped by the evil witch Shia
– Link, Impa, Shia introduced in the magazine
– Some of Shia’s minions shown as well
– Shia might be under control of a force of dark magic (not clear)
– Locations include Hyrule Field
– Will have unexpected playable characters

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Nintendo has shared new details about its plans for the Super Smash Bros. Invitational, which will be hosted at this year’s E3.

The company will be inviting 3,000 people to watch the tournament in-person. Additionally, the entire event will be live-streamed on Twitch’s E3 channel and Nintendo’s Twitch channel.

Those who dress up as their favorite Super Smash Bros. characters could be selected for priority seating in front of the stage. Since the tournament will be photographed and filmed, the best costumes may appear on Twitch and Nintendo’s YouTube channel.

Here’s the full breakdown of information regarding Super Smash Bros. Invitational – set for Tuesday, June 10th:

9:30 a.m.: Wristband distribution begins at NOKIA Plaza at L.A. LIVE, 777 Chick Hearn Court in Los Angeles. A wristband is required for entry, and 3,000 wristbands are available to Nintendo fans on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. Fans are requested to not line up prior to Tuesday morning. Once a wristband is obtained, fans can leave the plaza area and then return later that day, closer to the start of the event. The order that wristbands are obtained in the morning does not impact the order of entry into the venue in the afternoon.

2:30 p.m.: Doors open

4 p.m.:
Super Smash Bros. Invitational begins

You can find more information about the Super Smash Bros. Invitational on the official page here.

Head past the break for today’s official announcement.

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More: E3 2014, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U, Super Smash Bros. Invitational, top

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 14 Comments

Famitsu provides a Japanese release date for Hyrule Warriors in its latest issue. The new Wii U title, according to the magazine, will launch on August 14th.

Expect more news on the game shortly.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

A special Youkai Watch 3DS XL system will be made available in Japan, Nintendo and Level-5 announced today. The system will launch on July 10th. Pricing is set at 18,000 yen.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Screenshots, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Reload Game Studio has provided us with three exclusive screenshots from CheeseCake Cool Conrad. You can find them above.

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Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 3 Comments

The Mario Kart TV feature in Mario Kart 8 took quite a bit of work to implement, director Kosuke Yabuki told EDGE this month.

Highlight reels are determined by several factors like “the way the race develops, the way items are used, as well as changes in position.” To get things working properly, Yabuki said the development team “spent a lot of time to make it what it is.”

Mario Kart 8 automatically creates highlight reels based on a number of elements, including the way the race develops, the way items are used, as well as changes in position. It may look fairly simple, but we spent a lot of time to make it what it is. In two player multiplayer, the AI focuses on moments that show the relation between these two players… I think it creates a really nice, enjoyable video, even if it does look simple.

EDGE mentioned that Mario Kart 8’s YouTube uploading ability “suggests a change of thinking at Nintendo.” When asked why the company included this sharing feature, Yabuki responded:

When we were preparing the automatic highlight reel feature, we wanted users to share these videos with others, not just watch them by themselves. For example, after uploading a reel to YouTube, you can re-watch the highlights of your online battle the next day in your office, or at school or even on your smartphone. It will definitely encourage people to keep playing, and may be a great way to invite others to join you for a game.

Thanks to joclo for the tip.

More: interview, Kosuke Yabuki, Mario Kart 8

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Ittle Dew could finally be hitting the North American Wii U eShop next week. On its website, Nintendo has the game listed for a May 29th launch. We’ll let you know if we receive an official confirmation.

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More: indie, Ittle Dew, Ludosity

Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 1 Comment

Activision is one of the elements people tend to point to when discussing how the rhythm genre collapsed. Between 2006 and 2011, there was at least one new “Hero”-related release from the company each year.

Original Guitar Hero developer Harmonix believes that Activision did play a role in the decline of rhythm games, but feels that the publisher wasn’t the only factor.

Harmonix co-founder Alex Rigopulos wrote in a Reddit AMA held earlier today:

I think there’s probably some truth to the notion that Activision “over-published” Guitar Hero. But I wouldn’t agree that the decline of the genre was “entirely the fault of Activision”. Reality is always more complicated than this. For example, it didn’t help that GH and RB were the most expensive video games on the market during a brutal recession. I also don’t think that either GH or RB delivered enough (or the right kind of) evolution of the experience in the years that followed the initial releases–something we hope to address at some point in the next outing.

[M]usic games need to evolve just like every aspect of pop culture. The band game boom was followed by a dance game boom, which will be followed by some other manifestation of music games–hopefully some of the new stuff Harmonix is working on! Music is a permanent aspect of the human experience, and so is gameplay. It’s Harmonix’s job to figure out new ways for music and gameplay to amplify each other’s emotional power.

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More: Activision, Alex Rigopulos, Harmonix, Reddit AMA