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

When Smash Bros. 4 was announced, Satoru Iwata revealed that separate versions would be released for the Wii U and 3DS. Iwata confirmed the company’s intentions to show the games at this year’s E3 during yesterday’s Nintendo Direct, but since then, director Masahiro Sakurai has confirmed that both versions will be at the expo.

Sakurai wrote on Twitter:

“Wii U and 3DS versions — I would like to show you both. Other games have had visuals shown, but you still have to wait for Smash Bros. But we’ll be able to release something better.”

Along with the quotes above, Sakurai apologized for the long wait for the new Smash Bros.

Source

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

The next wave of Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon details cover the game’s newly revealed Hunter Mode. Next Level Games has also added in a “Scarescraper” mode, though the studio (and Nintendo) is keeping quiet about it at the moment.

A whole bunch of Hunter Mode information can be found below.

– Local play, online, and download functionality reconfirmed
– Up to 4 players
– Download functionality removes some features
– Hunter Mode: take on the roles of different-colored Luigis
– Navigate floors and rooms of a haunted tower packed with ghosts of all varieties, including bosses
– Hunter Mode has different options and variables available
– Can determine the number of floors to tackle, including an option for their climb to never end
– Three difficulty modes
– Can acquire upgrades for your vacuum
– This can be done through a cumulative effort to acquire treasure as well as randomly assigned bonuses at the end of a level
– Bonuses at the level’s end: earn them by quickly acquiring several red coins once all the ghosts have been defeated
– Every floor and every boss has a time limit
– You all lose if the time limit expires
– Floor layouts and enemy layouts (and types) are completely random
– Lower-screen map keeps track of where other players are
– A quick press of a button will revive a friend, with hearts being available throughout with a bit of exploration
– Individuals are based on their performance through statistics and more personalized awards
– Fail to kill many ghosts, and the game will label you as ‘Mostly Harmless’ for all to see

Source

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

Japan will be getting Game & Wario in late March. Nintendo has announced a date of March 28 for the game’s release in the country.

North America and Europe will have to wait a bit longer for Game & Wario. Nintendo has only confirmed that the title will launch in the first half of the year.

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

Index Holdings, the parent company of Atlus, has issued an official announcement regarding Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. Nintendo announced the crossover title during yesterday’s Nintendo Direct.

The press release confirms one new tidbit: Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem will be an RPG. Development is being handled in conjunction with Nintendo.

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

Rumor has it that SEGA will be announcing a new Sonic the Hedgehog title in February, with a release planned for mid to late 2013. Sonic Stadium suggests that a teaser could be sent out during “Hedgehog Day” on February 2, a day normally used to tease fans about the Blue Blur’s future. A full reveal could then take place later in the month.

Sonic Stadium posted a number of different details about the unconfirmed project. For a summary of the report, read on below.

– Name not final
– Wii U, PS3, 360, 3DS, Vita, PC, “next-gen” console versions
– PC/Vita versions will be identical aside from visual differences
– 3DS game will be like Sonic Rush
– Console version will feature switches between full 3D movement and 2D side-scrolling sections
– Multiple routes
– Each route in a stage will lead to one of two or three exits at the end that will each take you to a different stage
– You will always end up at the same final stage
– Final stage count hasn’t been decided, but devs will add at least 20 different ones, not including boss battles
– Begin the game with Sonic and unlock other characters by completing stages
– Doesn’t mean 20+ characters will be playable
– Each character has his/her own skills to help them progress in stages easier where others will have more difficulty or simply cannot ala Sonic 3 & Knuckles and the Sonic Advance series
– Ex: Sonic and Shadow can’t make it up a wall, but Tails can easily fly up there or Knuckles can climb, allowing them access to an exit Sonic and Shadow can’t reach
– Stages can be replayed with any character of your choice
– 3DS version “similar in idea, but smaller in scope”
– Developers are trying to fit all of the characters into the game, but it will feature far fewer stages
– There will still be many paths through stages, but it looks like every stage will only ever branch off into 2 stages
– SEGA has its best developers working on the games
– Game has been in the works since before Sonic Generations
– Out this fall/autumn or winter at the latest

Source

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

THQ has sold off a number of its studios and assets to a variety of different companies.

Relic is now in the hands of SEGA. Volition and Metro are going to Koch Media. Crytek now owns Homefront, while Take-Two purchased Evolve. Finally, Ubisoft has agreed to acquire Montreal and South Park.

There’s one big studio missing here: Vigil, the team behind the Darksiders titles. Vigil and some of THQ’s other IPs are not included in the sale agreement, but they’ll still be included in the Chapter 11 case. The company hopes to find new buyers for these assets.

A lengthy letter from THQ chief executive officer Brian Farrel and president Jason Rubin can be found below.

Read More

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

“What we experienced with the Wii U is probably what a lot of developers experienced with the Wii U, which is, ‘What do we do with it?. It was this really neat secondary controller that has a screen and you can do different things on it. When I talked to my friends who were designing games for the Wii U, it’s like, ‘We don’t quite know what to do with it’. It’ll probably be about a year before you start to see games just completely nail exactly what that controller is for.” – ‘The Cave’ dev Ron Gilbert

I can understand his point and he’s probably right, but if you’re a game developer who can’t think of things to do with the Wii U Gamepad then I’d say don’t do anything with it beyond menu scrolling and item selection! Nothing wrong with a game just being a regular ol’ game.

Via My Nintendo News

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

– Graphical improvements are not just an upscale to HD
– Models have been changed, updated, etc
– For example, a first aid kit that Chris carries in the mountains now shows scissors, medical equipment on its model instead of a bland box
– New creature type that was in the trailer will cause players to make decisions about what the best way to approach the situation is
– Takenaka hinted at the creature being a recurring encounter
– New weapons, HUNK confirmed for ‘Raid’ mode
– Enemy positions have been fine tuned for ‘Raid’
– The team is working on ways to implement the Streetpass functionality

Via Polygon

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

Virtual Console games are now a thing on Wii U. The first title of the trial program, Balloon Fight, can be purchased today for 30 cents.

You may be interested to hear that these titles offer a significant amount of control options. Tap the touch screen (or press ZL+ZR), and you’ll come across the VC menu, which contains the control options, restore point, and game reset. Players can experience VC games (well, Balloon Fight at least) with the GamePad, Wiimote, Wii U Pro Controller, or Wii Classic Controller – and each lets you set the function of every button. Joystiq notes that the GamePad, Wiimote, and Classic Controller all served as the player 1 controls, and the Pro Controller defaulted to player 2.

Source

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

New Nintendo Direct looks at Nintendo’s vision for Wii U, including launching Virtual Console and how Miiverse and second-screen gaming features will continue to evolve

23rd January 2013 – Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unleashed Wii U news in an instalment of Nintendo Direct today as he outlined Nintendo’s future plans for the console. Iwata revealed how the Wii U launch line-up will be bolstered by a long list of top game franchises headed for the new console. These are games that long-time players and newcomers alike will love to play, and everyone will be experiencing them in new ways, thanks to the integrated second-screen experiences enabled by the Wii U GamePad controller.

Iwata also detailed a number of enhancements designed to make the Wii U game experience more social, even if people are not playing in the same room. “The fun of video games is not only just playing games, but also sharing experiences together with people – even though they live far away, their skill levels are different or their experience does not happen at the same time,” Iwata said. “We want Wii U to be the system that brings everyone together.”

Read More