Nintendo Download (5/23/13, Europe)
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U eShop | 0 comments
This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U VC
Kirby’s Dream Course (US version) – €7.99 / £5.49 – 30% off and available for only €5.59 (£3.79) for users who bought Kirby’s Adventure on Nintendo eShop on their Wii U. Only until 30/5/2013, 14:59 CEST.
Kirby Super Star (US version) – €7.99 / £5.49 – 30% off and available for only €5.59 (£3.79) for users who bought Kirby’s Adventure on Nintendo eShop on their Wii U. Only until 30/5/2013,14:59 CEST.
Wii U retail
Resident Evil: Revelations – €49.99 / £39.99
LEGO Batman 2: DC Super Heroes – €49.99 / £39.99
3DS retail
Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D – €39.99 / £34.99
Ghost Recon: Shadow Wars – €19.99 / £17.99
3DS demo
Project X Zone: A Lethal Surprise
Rabbids Rumble
3DS download
Swords & Soldiers 3D – €7.00 / £5.90
Air Battle Hockey 3D – €4.99 / £4.49
Groove Heaven – €3.99 / £3.59
3DS eShop sale
The Denpa Men: They Came By Wave: €6.39, was €7.99 (£5.69, was £7.19)
Source: Nintendo PR
No playable Deathstroke DLC for Batman: Arkham Origins pre-orders on Wii U
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Update: The Italian version of Batman’s boxart appears to contain the pre-order label. Having looked at the North American and UK announcements, though, I’m skeptical…
If you pre-order Batman: Arkham Origins on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, or PC, you’ll get playable Deathstroke DLC. Interested in the Wii U version? Well, it sounds like you’re out of luck.
The European boxarts for Origins include a label highlighting the game’s pre-order incentive, but it’s nowhere to be found on the Wii U packfront. Today’s announcement also makes no mention of Wii U pre-order DLC.
We’ve reached out to Warner Bros. Interactive and will let you know if any comment is provided.
Thanks to luis santiago for the tip.
Batman: Arkham Origins details
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
A slew of new Batman: Arkham Origins previews have gone live today. Some information is a rehash of already-known details from the initial Game Informer cover story, but there’s some new information as well.
We’ve rounded up new and old tidbits from IGN’s preview below.
– Begins on Christmas Eve
– Joker’s “present” is a series of explosives tied to a nearby building
– Batman is disarmed and stunned by Bane, so he can only watch as Joker detonates his trap
– Batman is more primal and vicious in this game
– Fighting style is raw and undefined
– Enemies are younger and more vibrant
– Batman’s armor style comes closer to what is shown in Christopher Nolan’s films than anything in previous games
– Black Mask hires eight assassins to kill Batman
– Deathstroke and Deadshot are among those hired
– Police, led by Commissioner Loeb, will pursue Batman and attempt to detain him
– Grappling, gliding, perching atop gargoyles, ambushing thugs, and maneuvering around Gotham works as it always has
– Combat system is back in full force
– Tracking system helps players assess the efficiency of their combat
– This is entirely informational
– Experience points flow into a branching upgrade system
– Gain points by chaining hits into lengthy combos
– New enemy types including the martial artist thug
– This enemy type requires back-and-forth combos until the criminal makes a mistake
– Side quests are back in a significant way, both through a radio scanner that helps track criminal activity, and a ‘Most Wanted System’
– Most Wanted System: hunt villains like Anarchy, who have stories and motivations that are separate from the main Black Mask thread
– Warner Bros. not saying how significant Joker’s role is
– Detective Mode concept is back
– It can now be used to track observations and discoveries, allowing players to ‘scrub through’ a crime as it occurred in the past, discovering where more evidence might be
– When an assassin’s bullet disables a police helicopter causing it to crash, Batman is able to deduce that a nearby SWAT sniper wasn’t responsible – tracing the source of the bullet to what was likely Deadshot
– By scrubbing through different evidence in different places, Batman assembles the truth piece by piece, allowing him to move to his next target
– Fast-travel system
– Remote Claw: attach to two points or enemies and pull them together
Roger Craig Smith voicing Batman, Troy Baker voicing Joker in Arkham Origins
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Warner Bros. has finally confirmed the situation surrounding Batman: Arkham Origins’ voice actors. Well, somewhat.
Roger Craig Smith (Assassin’s Creed’s Ezio Auditore, Resident Evil’s Chris Redfield, current Sonic, Captain America games/animations) will be voicing Batman in the new game. Meanwhile, Troy Baker will be taking on Joker’s role. Baker’s work includes Booker DeWitt from BioShock Infinite, Snow from Final Fantasy XIII, Kai Leng from Mass Effect 3, Vincent from Catherine, and a whole lot more.
What remains unclear is how Kevin Conroy fits into the picture. Conroy will be back in some capacity, but his role hasn’t been announced.
Sonic Lost World has new gameplay and enemies, new and old friends
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Not much has been said about Sonic Lost World. One piece of art slipped through the latest Nintendo Direct, and that was pretty much it.
But in a brief follow-up with the Associated Press, SEGA of America president John Cheng did confirm that the game will “introduce new gameplay and enemies”. Fans of the series can also expect Sonic’s “same friends” and “some new ones as well.”
“With ‘Sonic Lost World,’ we’re going to introduce new gameplay and enemies, which is always fun. In terms of Sonic and his friends, he’ll have his same friends there, and I think there’ll be some new ones as well. It’s not a reiteration. It’s going to be all new.”
Cheng added that, for Wii U, Nintendo’s deal with SEGA “should be a win-win situation,” adding that we shouldn’t “count Nintendo out.”
Thanks to Captain N for the tip.
April 2013 NPD: Wii U sells between 30,000 and 40,000 units
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Update: The 38,000 figure seems to be pretty much spot on. Analyst Michael Pachter all but confirmed it to be the real deal on Twitter:
@icallitfutile Yes, close. Off on 3DS/DS, though
— Michael Pachter (@michaelpachter) May 18, 2013
A rough estimate of US Wii U hardware sales for the month of April is in. Data provided by the ever-reliable NPD leaker “creamsugar” indicates the console sold between 30,000 and 40,000 units last month. Another leak from 2ch puts the system at around 38,000 units.
Amazingly, the Wii outsold the Wii U once again. The older console sold between 50,000 and 40,000 units in the US last month.
Silicon Studio talks Wii U tech, “almost got the maximum performance with the hardware”
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 2 Comments
You may know Silicon Studio as the team behind Bravely Default and 3D Dot Game Heroes. The company does more than game-making, however.
Silicon Studio has a full game engine at its disposal known as Paradox and Yebis 2. Its middleware is also compatible with the Wii U, so they’re pretty knowledgeable in the technical realm.
Speaking about the Wii U, Silicon Studio president Takehiko Terada said:
“Wii U has very specific characteristics. Some game designers will like it. Some others will have a hard time to port their game. There are pros and cons. We are very close to Nintendo, so we were working on Wii U for a long time. We almost got the maximum performance with the hardware. Since we are working closely with the Nintendo support team they gave us a lot of useful information.”
And principle engineer Ian Graham added:
“I think it was a bit of having a headstart and there was a lot of continuity from the Wii in terms of architecture. They added a significant amount of horsepower, but there was no revolution needed at the engine level to take advantage of it.”
When asked if other people will be using Silicon Studio’s tools, Terada noted that it won’t be happening just yet since the company only recently began selling it on Wii U.
“Not yet, I think. We have an internal development team, but we just started to sell it on Wii U.”
Ubisoft still keen on supporting Wii U, positive Nintendo will do what’s needed to make it a success
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Ubisoft has been of the Wii U’s strongest supporters. But in light of troubling sales, you never know when a publisher will pack its bags and leave the console behind.
Still, there’s no reason to worry about Ubisoft at the moment. The company has plenty of titles coming out for the system this year, and a spokesperson said that “it takes some time to grow an established base.”
The spokesperson provided GamesIndustry with the following statement:
“As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base. Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV Black Flag and Splinter Cell Blacklist. We’re confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market.”
Best Buy: Pre-order Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, get a Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels eShop code
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments
Best Buy is offering a last-minute pre-order bonus for Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. If you reserve the game, you’ll receive a Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels 3DS eShop download code. Codes will be emailed to consumers when the game launches – May 24.
Wii U version of Ghost Recon Online still on hold
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
Nothing has changed with the Wii U version of Ghost Recon Online. Just as it was last September, the game remains “on hold”.
The official Ghost Recon Online Twitter account wrote today:
@kakashishinoda The WiiU version of the game is currently on hold while we focus on developing the PC version.
— Ghost Recon Online (@GhostRecOnline) May 17, 2013
Why do I get the feeling that the Wii U won’t end up getting Ghost Recon Online? Prove me wrong, Ubisoft!