General Nintendo

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

Guitar Hero used to be a yearly thing for Activision. But after the release of Warriors of Rock, the series went on a hiatus. Activision felt that the franchise and the music/rhythm genre overall were losing interest.

So what would it take for Guitar Hero to make a return? Activision CEO Eric Hirshberg commented on this in the latest issue of Game Informer.

Hirshberg told the magazine:

“To this day, it remains one of the most beloved brands in entertainment. Will the game make a triumphant return to game devices and culture? That really depends on our ability to re-invent it in a meaningful way. It ran out of gas profoundly, as did the entire rhythm/instrument peripheral category all at once. Those are hard-earned battle scars, and if we think we have a meaningful invention that brings it back with new reasons to engage, then we will, but not before.”

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

Nintendo Power has released a public preview of this month’s magazine. Titles featured include Scribblenauts Unlimited, Kirby’s Dream Collection: Special Edition, Code of Princess, and Kingdom Hearts 3D.

The issue arrives on newsstands on August 7 and has already started to reach subscribers.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

A new interview with Nintendo UK marketing manager Ben Taylor has popped up online.

Taylor talked all about the 3DS XL, including why it was decided not to include a second Circle Pad. He also commented on the 3DS’ strong sales in Japan, said that those who say the system lacks core titles os a misconception, and once again relayed that you won’t see Mario – or any other Nintendo games – on other platforms like iTunes.

Head past the break for all of Taylor’s responses.

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

E3 won’t be changing venues after all. Michael Gallagher, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, has confirmed that plans have been made to keep the expo in Los Angeles for at least three more years.

The date for E3 2013 has been set in stone. It’ll take place in the Los Angeles Convention Center from June 11 through June 13.

Michael D. Gallagher, CEO of the ESA, said:

“We are proud to partner with Los Angeles for another three years. The City serves as a strong backdrop for the video game industry’s biggest announcements and we look forward to remaining in LA. Video games are a dominant force in the global entertainment marketplace and there is no better place to display that than Los Angeles. We look forward to continuing our relationship with the City and AEG.”

For the official announcement, head past the break.

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

Nintendo senior producer and Wii U hardware producer Katsuya Eguchi recently fielded a number of varied questions. He commented on what it was like working on Super Mario Bros. 3, how the Wii’s lack of HD support limited the console’s support, not wanting the hardcore gamer to feel left out with Wii U, and more.

Read on below for Eguchi’s comments.

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

On Monday, the ESA will be announcing something related to next year’s E3. It’ll be big apparently.

ESA vice president Rich Taylor tweeted yesterday:

“On Monday I’ll be making a big announcement regarding E3 2013, so be sure to follow me for updates and spread the word.”

It’s possible that the ESA will be announcing a venue change for E3. The expo has been taking place at the LA Convention Center for the past few years, but if proposed construction on the $1.2 billion Farmers Field stadium is approved, a relocation may be necessary.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, General Nintendo, Interviews | 0 comments

It’s an interesting thing to “work” (it’s hardly work- more of a hobby I suppose) in the video gaming industry. All of the things I had questions about five years ago- how people got free games, whether you ever get tired of free games (you do), whether people gouge review scores intentionally, and so on and so forth- have now been answered. And you know what the most striking thing that I’ve learned over the last four years is? How difficult it is to give a game a bad review score. You have no idea how much I struggle with it, or how much I’m willing to bet others struggle with it.

When you’re someone “on the outside”, you just sort of assume that if YOU were in a position to review games you would be brutally honest and never let anything sway your decisions into bias. But it’s not that simple. It’s really not.

I’m getting ahead of myself though, because what I really want to talk about are things I think a lot of gamers ponder: How honest are review scores? Do outlets ever fudge them to get favors from a publisher? Do publishers ever discriminate against certain outlets to avoid getting bad press? I don’t think I’ve seen anyone come out and just tell it as honestly as they can, so (hopefully!) I can do an okay job of just that.

What follows is some insight- as honest as I can put it- from my limited perspective (along with some helpful commentary from the other side, courtesy of our good friend Jools Watsham!), to hopefully answer some of those questions you’ve discussed on message boards or with friends, angrily coming to the conclusion that the reviewing system is biased and unreliable.

And guess what; it is! Sort of.

Onwards to page number 2…

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments

Tekken series producer Katsuhiro Harada has fielded three important topics concerning Wii U.

He was recently asked about the Wii U version of Tekken Tag Tournament 2, his thoughts on the console being next-gen, and Namco Bandai’s involvement with the next Smash Bros. release.

On Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Harada discussed some of ideas he’s been thinking about for the GamePad. Also mentioned was console exclusives, such as the already-revealed “Mushroom Mode”.

As for the power of Wii U, Harada said “the graphics chips seems to be pretty decent”. But he feels that people are focusing too much on specs while not considering the system’s capabilities and features. Harada personally likes the idea of being able to take a full-fledged game, put it in the GamePad screen, and continue playing it elsewhere if someone needs access to the TV.

Lastly, Smash Bros. Harada doesn’t believe that fans should be concerned about its development since Masahiro Sakurai is handling game design. Harada won’t be too involved since he’ll be occupied with the Tekken series.

Harada also has no plans to push for certain characters from series such as Tekken and SoulCalibur. He stated, “The sole decision will probably be made in a way that if more people want Tekken characters in it then Sakurai might choose to do so, if not then so be it.”

Head on below for all of Harada’s comments about Wii U.

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

Responding to rumors that EA would be saying goodbye to CEO John Riccitiello, the company confirmed today that the conjecture wasn’t factual.

Electronic Arts’ chairman Larry Probst told stockholders “there is no plan to replace John Riccitiello as CEO.”

Probst stated:

“The board has a very high level of confidence in John and the management team. They have done a really good job of exceeding the operating plans in the last few years.

“We take a look at the management team on a regular systematic basis and we talk about succession planning in the longer terms. At this point in time there is no plan to replace John Riccitiello as CEO.”

Whispers regarding Riccitiello’s removal suggested that he would be asked to step down from his position following the July 30 earnings call. EA chief operating officer Peter Moore was rumored to be taking over as CEO.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Nintendo, News, Wii | 0 comments

What?

The last time I heard the headline “Wii out of stock” was probably two years ago, so seeing this come up in my browser was understandably something of a surprise! Apparently it’s true though; several online retailers are reporting that the Wii is in backorder, despite the fact that it appears to be readily available in physical stores nationwide.

No idea why, but it’s true.

Via NWR