Last month we reported on some unfortunate muscle pains that were plaguing Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai, but this month we have some even worse news: Doctors say the issue is more severe than originally thought, and he’ll have to cease using his right arm almost entirely in the coming weeks. Don’t take my word for it, though, here’s Sakurai himself explaining the issue in a weekly blog he writes for Famitsu:

“I think the one word I’ve said the most this year, by far, is ‘Ow!’. Not only am I getting calcific tendonitis, but they’ve also found what are apparently several ruptures in the muscles. There’s no instant cure for it, so all I can do is either block the pain with injections or put my arm in a cast to keep the ruptures from spreading. I was told that the important thing was to keep my arm as rested as possible.”

“If this disorder lingers, or if it never gets fixed, there’s no telling what impact that would have on the project. I’ve had to control two characters at once in a lot of game projects up to now, so as long as I keep it to simple moves, this works well enough. It doesn’t go that easy with the Nintendo 3DS version, though, and the debug camera is pretty hard to control. Still, now I realize how important it is to have your health. I’m glad I’m still in good enough shape to work.”

– Kirby, Smash Bros. Creator Masahiro Sakurai

Well… at least we know the 3DS version has a debug camera now! Best of luck to Sakurai, and I think I speak for a lot of folk when I say I hope he gets better both for Smash Bros. and for his own sake!

Via Polygon

Square Enix trademarks Deus Ex: Human Defiance

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments

Square Enix has picked up a new trademark for Deus Ex: Human Defiance. There are likely two possibilities here. Either a brand new Deux game is in the works, or its the title of the rumored Human Revolution port for Wii U. I’m sure we’ll find out what Human Defiance is soon enough.

Source

Retro City Rampage creator says Nintendo is “great to work with”

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Nintendo has experienced an amazing turnaround in the indie scene within the span of just a few years.

No one will forget how atrocious the Wii Shop Channel was. Developers were forced to put up with limits, the store itself was limited, and at the time, Nintendo maintained an overall poor image with smaller studios.

That has all changed with the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Even a developer like Vblank Entertainment – a studio that will release the last high-profile Wii Shop Channel game in Retro City Rampage – has a high opinion of Nintendo when it comes to indies.

In a tweet yesterday, Vlbank’s Brian Provinciano wrote:

@flamedragon_ Nintendo’s great to work with. Both Sony and Nintendo are welcoming to indies.
— Brian Provinciano (@BriProv) February 26, 2013

Source

Game Center CX – Fire Emblem Special part 2

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Videos, Wii U, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

THQ will sell off remaining IP such as Darksiders

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

A majority of THQ’s most-popular IPs have found new homes. There are some franchises, however, that have yet to be auctioned off.

By mid-May, THQ hopes to complete the bidding and sale process of numerous IPs that remain such as Darksiders and Red Faction.

Here’s the full listing:

Darksiders;
Red Faction;
Homeworld;
MX;
Other Owned Software, including Big Beach Sports, Destroy All Humans!, Summoner, and more; and
Other Licensed Software, including Marvel Super Hero, Supreme Commander, Worms, and more.

Initial bids are required to be submitted before April 1, while final bids are due by April 15. THQ says it will “determine the best and highest bid for each lot and designate a back-up bid. In May, the sales will be presented to the Court for final approval.”

THQ expects “a vigorous sale” of its various IP as it “has received more than 100 expressions of interest in purchasing various titles”.

Source: THQ PR

Rumor: First Assassin’s Creed IV screenshot, a few details

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Podcast Stories, Rumors | 0 comments

Above you’ll find what is apparently a screenshot from Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. We won’t be able to verify its validity until Ubisoft announces the project, but it certainly looks real for now.

An Examiner report indicates that Edward Kenway will take center stage in Black Flag. Players way recognize the “Kenway” name from Assassin’s Creed III – Edward is Haytham Kenway’s father. Edward is described as “a Privateer, Assassin and occasional pirate.”

Assassin’s Creed IV will take place in the Caribbean. Gamers will venture into different islands such as Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas throughout the adventure.

Darby McDevitt is on board as Assassin Creed IV’s lead script writer. Black Flag is rumored to ship on both current-gen and next-gen consoles.

Source

Rumor: Marketing material outs Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Podcast Stories, Rumors | 0 comments

Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag may be the next entry in Ubisoft’s action-adventure series.

Kotaku got its hands on marketing material showcasing the name and some key art. Rumor has it that the poster will be showing up in stores starting next Monday.

Ubisoft may be showing the next Assassin’s Creed game tomorrow. Assassin’s Creed IV listings were recently spotted on a few online resumes.

Source

Assassin’s Creed 4 pops up on LinkedIn profiles

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

A new Assassin’s Creed game is on the way. This much we know. It’ll feature a brand new hero, is set in a new time period, and is being made by a new team.

Three different staffers at Ubisoft recently included Assassin’s Creed 4 on their LinkedIn profiles. One employee from Ubisoft Annecy listed the game for a 2013 launch. All three profiles have since been changed, but snapshots of each in their original state can be found above.

Source

Ubisoft CEO won’t talk Beyond Good & Evil 2, but says “it’s coming”

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Looking for an update on Beyond Good & Evil 2? You won’t get one from Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot.

Guillemot was asked to share a comment about the long-awaited title, but refused to do so. That’s because he feels “we have to have something new” the next time Ubisoft talks about the game.

Guillemot said:

“I don’t give comments anymore on BG&E2, because I think … the next time next time we communicate we have to have something new.”

Guillemot did offer one small statement. He told Kotaku: “It’s coming.” Suuuuure…

Source

Staffer lists having worked on Beyond Good & Evil 2

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

As the years go by, the chances of seeing Beyond Good & Evil 2 in a tangible form continue to dwindle. The project was announced way back in 2008, but Ubisoft has only shared a single teaser trailer since then.

Despite the radio silence, it seems as though there have been some staffers who have actually worked on Beyond Good & Evil 2. Level designer Mathieu Audrain lists the game on his LinkedIn profile.

The listing is a bit nebulous as Audrain mentions Killer Freaks – ZombiU before it was ZombiU – and Beyond Good & Evil 2 in the same category. Apparently he contributed to Beyond Good & Evil 2 sometime between 2007 and 2011. The PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii U may have been intended platforms for development, but this point is also unclear due to the way Audrain lists both titles.

Source, Via