At this point, it would be impossible for Ubisoft to ignore the comments it has been receiving regarding its decision to delay Rayman Legends in order to make it multiplatform. Gamers have been vocal on Miiverse, the company’s official Facebook page and forums, and other areas. Heck, fans have even started to create petitions in hopes of getting Rayman out on time.

Ubisoft’s decision is final, but it has responded to the vociferous criticisms and comments. The company said that they “understand your frustration and that you want to get your hands on the game.” Ubisoft is also promising “a new, exclusive demo for the Wii U soon.”

Thanks for all your feedback regarding Rayman Legends in all of its forms. We have heard you and we will continue to listen. We understand your frustration and that you want to get your hands on the game.
We are working with the development team to provide you with a new, exclusive demo for the Wii U soon. Stay tuned for more.

Source

Former Microsoft employee says the company almost bought SEGA, instead came out with Xbox to combat Sony

Posted on 11 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in General Gaming, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

Well here’s something I didn’t know: Back in the early 2000s, Microsoft was strongly considering purchasing SEGA and using them to make a game console to combat Sony! I guess it makes sense if you think about it, and it would have been significantly cheaper to buy SEGA and use their resources for game console development as opposed to starting from scratch on your own. So why didn’t the deal work out?

“There were three companies at that point in time, I think this was [Sony,] SEGA and Nintendo. There was always talk maybe we buy SEGA or something like that; that never materialised, but we were actually able to license them what they call Windows CE, the younger brother of Windows, to run on their system and make that their platform.
“But for Bill [Gates] this wasn’t enough, he didn’t think that SEGA had enough muscle to eventually stop Sony so we did our own Xbox thing.”

– Former Microsoft Employee Joachim Kempin

Man, wouldn’t it be weird if SEGA was still in the business of making consoles!? Especially if they were owned by Microsoft! I’m not sure that things would have gone better for both companies in the long run though, considering how successful the Xbox brand has been worldwide.

Via IGN

Mega Man 2 3DS VC trailer

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Podcast Stories, Videos | 0 comments

ZombiU Wii U bundle confirmed for North America

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

A ZombiU Wii U bundle popped up on Best Buy Canada earlier this week. Today, Nintendo has officially confirmed the package for both Canada and the US.

Consumers will be able to purchase the ZombiU Deluxe Set for $389.99 starting on February 17. It includes the standard Wii U Deluxe Set, ZombiU game, digital copy of Nintendo Land, black Wii U Pro Controller, and “a collectible booklet featuring artwork from the game and never-before-seen developer commentary.” You’d be saving $70 by purchasing the bundle instead of buying the items individually.

For the official announcement concerning the bundle, head past the break.

Bayonetta 2, The Wonderful 101 will remain as Wii U exclusives

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

If you want to play Bayonetta 2 and The Wonderful 101, you’ll need a Wii U. Hideki Kamiya wrote on Twitter today that Nintendo is (unsurprisingly) funding the projects. When the two games are ready, Nintendo will publish both releases worldwide. The company would have to approach Platinum in order to get the ball rolling on Bayonetta 2 and/or Wonderful 101 ports.

“We’re a development company…Nintendo gives us money, we make Bayonetta 2 and W101, and they sell it…So if Nintendo says ‘We’re putting Bayonetta 2 on PS360’ it’ll come out on those platforms…So ask Nintendo about it…”

Kamiya tends to troll his followers, but I’m pretty sure he’s being serious here. And considering Nintendo would be very unlikely to approve or even suggest PS3/360 ports for the two Platinum Games, they’ll remain exclusive to Wii U.

Source, Via

Ubisoft confirms Rayman Legends delay is to launch on multiple platforms

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

Ubisoft could have launched Rayman Legends on Wii U this month if it wanted to. In every practical sense, the game is done. Ubisoft is simply sitting on the title so that it can churn out ports for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

A Ubisoft representative commented on the Rayman Legends delay, stating that the move was made simply “to release on multiple platforms.” The rep mentioned that the company tends to “release all of our platforms simultaneously”, and while a few exceptions have been made in the past, doing so is “not our standard practice.”

“There are no issues with the game development. All of the information was in the press release, the only reason for the delay is to release on multiple platforms. We usually release all of our platforms simultaneously (aside from PC). We’ve made special exception sometimes in the past but it’s definitely just on a case by case basis and not our standard practice. In this case, Ubisoft recently decided they wanted to release the game on multiple platforms so the decision was made to launch them all at the same time rather than separately. I know it’s not an elaborate, ‘convincing’ answer, but it’s the simple truth.”

Source

Ubisoft blasted on Miiverse for Rayman Legends news; devs not happy either?

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

To say the least, Wii U owners aren’t pleased with the news that Rayman Legends is going multiplatform. Due to the new SKUs, the game won’t be available until September. The delay was announced just weeks before Legends was supposed to launch on Wii U.

Wii U users took to Miiverse today to voice their displeasure with Ubisoft. You’ll find tons of commentary from system owners on the Uplay community complaining about the news.

But Wii U fans aren’t the only ones unhappy with Ubisoft’s announcement. One of the developers (take this with a grain of salt – he’s apparently “Xavier”, on stage at Ubisoft’s E3 presser last year to show off the title) wrote a fairly lengthy reaction to the delay. Xavier noted how members of the team “spent 6 months barely seeing our wifes, kids, and friends” as they crammed to get Rayman ready for release this month. It was “for nothing”, however, and “it was a hell to swallow” the news. Xavier does stand by the quality of Legends though, and hopes consumers won’t neglect it simply because of what some believe is a poor decision from Ubisoft.

A translated forum post from the ElOtroLado forum reads (thanks to NeoGAF’s Tiamant):

There will be a new Call of Duty this year

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments

A new Call of Duty game is coming this year. Surprised? Didn’t think so!

Activision shared the news during its fourth quarter calender 2012 results. The company didn’t divulge any specific details, however.

Source

Ubisoft has “a pipeline” of high-quality games for Wii U

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

Rayman Legends is now multiplatform, but the move won’t have much of an effect on Ubisoft’s future Wii U support.

CEO Yves Guillemot told IGN that the company has “a pipeline”of high-quality games coming to the console. Guillemot did not provide any specifics about the future, only pointing to Rayman Legends – a game that was delayed from release this month to September.

Guillemot also stated that Nintendo “will make the necessary changes to the machine to make sure that it continues to grow fast on the market.”

“We have a pipeline of games of very high quality coming on that machine, like Rayman Legends, which makes fantastic use of what the machine can do. …they (Nintendo) will make the necessary changes to the machine to make sure that it continues to grow fast on the market.”

Source

Ubisoft on making Rayman Legends multiplatform, game’s delay

Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

Rayman Legends is now officially a multiplatform game. Ubisoft and Nintendo had been promoting the title as a Wii U exclusive, but Ubisoft announced today that releases on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 are planned as well.

Xavier Poix, managing director of Ubisoft’s French studios, explained the decision to IGN: