Crytek USA to bid on Darksiders IP?
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Rumors | 0 comments
Crytek USA CEO David Adams, formally the head of Vigil Games, has supposedly relayed his intentions to bid on the Darksiders IP through a tweet earlier today.
Adams wrote:
Going to bid on Darksiders IP. Put 7 years of heart and soul into that franchise, and I think it belongs at home with its creators.
— David Adams (@DadamsDavid) March 27, 2013
Crytek USA will be looking to obtain the Darksiders IP from the now-defunct THQ. If the company does manage to acquire the series’ rights, Darksiders will essentially be returning to its original developer. Following the closing of Vigil Games after a lack of interest from buyers during the THQ auction, many of its staffers went on to join Crytek USA.
The one caveat in all of this is that we’re not quite sure if the Twitter account is the real deal. If it is, then Crytek USA will in fact be going after the Darksiders IP.
LEGO City: Undercover not accepting set codes?
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 1 Comment
LEGO City: Undercover lets players enter 7-digit codes from certain LEGO retail sets. Players unlock the feature later in the game – around the 6th or 7th chapter – where a computer/ATM outside of the police station allows for entry.
Apparently the functionality is causing issues from some players. Reader Antonino Valenza tells us that his game isn’t accepting codes that he’s been entering. Has anyone else been experiencing similar problems?
Dragon Quest X Wii U pops up on Amazon France
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
Might the Wii U version of Dragon Quest X be making its way overseas? A listing from one retailer seems to be pointing in that direction.
An entry for Square Enix’s RPG has been discovered on Amazon France. A release date isn’t listed, but the product page does sport a PEGI 12 rating.
Keep in mind that this latest finding shouldn’t be taken as a confirmation that Dragon Quest X will be released in the west. Amazon France has listed some pretty crazy things in the past such as Kid Icarus: Uprising for Wii U.
Toys”R”Us to sell Pikachu 3DS XL for $150?
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Rumors | 0 comments
Toys”R”Us is giving consumers a big reason to purchase the Pikachu 3DS XL system next week. Rumor has it that starting on Sunday, you’ll be able to pick up the handheld for a special price of $149.99. The MSRP is set at $199.99, though Target does intend to sell the limited edition 3DS for $160 – also starting on Sunday.
Toys”R”Us’ sale runs through March 30.
Rumor: Fast & Furious Showdown in the works
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, Rumors | 0 comments
Pockett.net is reporting that Activision plans to publish “Fast & Furious Showdown”. The title, which has not been officially announced, which would likely tie into the upcoming Fast & Furious 6 movie in some fashion. It’s supposedly being worked on by Firebrand Games – the studio behind various Nintendo handheld racers and NASCAR Unleashed.
Bear in mind that this is only a rumor for now…
Rumor: New Crash Bandicoot in the works, heading to Wii U
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
Let’s get this out of the way: take the rumor below with a huge grain of salt. Now that that’s out of the way, we can proceed!
Rumor has it that a countdown for a new Crash Bandicoot game launched preemptively before being pulled. Someone took a screenshot that is oddly low-quality and off-screen (already raising a red flag), which shows that the project is coming to “PlayStation”, Xbox 360, and Wii U.
Vicarious Visions is supposedly behind the new Crash Bandicoot. In January, a possible redesign for the character was spotted in an official photo from the studio, though there hasn’t been any official news concerning the IP.
Could there actually be a new Crash Bandicoot on the way? Or is this nothing more than a disappointing rumor?
Rumor: January’s Wii U sales weren’t quite as low as initially thought due to people returning the console
Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in News, Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
By NPD’s count, the Wii U had an absolutely abysmal January, selling somewhere between 49K and 59K units throughout the whole month. According to a source at Gamasutra, however, they may have been a little closer to 100K in actuality.
The source claims that about 100,000 units went off store shelves during the first month of the year, but nearly 40% of that was eventually returned by people who were planning on re-selling the system for a profit on eBat, Craigslist, and the like. Because demand is so low for the system, they were unable to re-sell. This is what caused the 50K-60K readout by NPD, despite the fact that 100K units had been sold in total without considering returns. Another source at Gamasutra helps confirm this, saying that for every 100 Wii U units sold in any given store this past January, roughly 40-50 of them were returned.
The only problem? If this is true, it arguably bodes worse for Wii U than if it’s not true. Having a 40% return rate on your console– regardless of why– is definitely not a good thing.
Rumor: Wii U to get conference and mobile video chat
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
Vidyo, the company powering the Wii U’s chat application, appears to be working on new functionality for the console. An official PDF document from Vidyo suggests that “multi-party conferencing” and communication between a Wii U and a mobile device could be on the way. There’s also a mysterious mention of something labeled as “video-powered game experiences”.
Take a look at the relevant extract from the PDF below:
Focus on social networking around gaming
Now: video chat in Miiverse
Next: video-powered game experiences
Chat today, conferencing soon
Now: point-to-point
Next: multi-party conferencing
Extending to mobile devices soon
Now: between Wii U consoles
Next: between Wii U and mobile devices
Along with the hinted additions mentioned above, Nintendo has previously teased plans to improve Wii U Chat in other ways. For instance, in an Iwata Asks discussion, Satoru Iwata suggested that it may eventually be possible to chat with other system users without having to turn off a game.
Rumor: Monster Games making new 3DS project
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, Rumors | 1 Comment
Prior to Pilotwings Resort, Monster Games never made a game for one of Nintendo’s portables. Now the studio may be sticking with the 3DS for its next project.
One staffer from Nintendo’s QA department lists “Nintendo 3DS Software Testing directly with developers (Monster Games)” on his LinkedIn profile. That seems to suggest that Monster’s next project is indeed for the 3DS.
We’re having a bit of a tough time tracking down the profile for this one, so take this update with a grain of salt for now. Nintendo has yet to unveil Monster Games’ new game in any case.
Rumor: More talk of Wii U games being cancelled, ports wanted but not bought, more
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Podcast Stories, Rumors, Wii U | 0 comments
Update: Turns out this is fake, guys. Seems that Hall does not exist given the photo found here.
Independent game developer Calvin Hall has published a new blog post about apparent Wii U-related rumblings from the D.I.C.E. Summit last month.
Hall echoes some of the previous talk we’ve heard – mainly that developers are saying Wii U projects “were being cancelled left and right”, including “a big multi-console project” from EA.
One Activision staffer allegedly said the following about sales disappointment for Call of Duty: Black Ops II and ports on Wii U:
“Activision didn’t expect much from Wii U sales of Black Ops 2, but they sure didn’t expect it to be that abysmal. Activision gave Wii U owners the best version of Blops 2 with Off TV features, and Nintendo fans didn’t support it. It’s easy for Nintendo fans to trash publishers for not giving them ports, but publishers have wisened up. They realize Nintendo fans are all talk. Nintendo fans are vocal with their mouths, but when it’s time to open their wallets, they’ll spend that $60 on New Super Mario Bros instead.”
The same employee said the following when asked about the thoughts of fellow employees he knows of from other publishers:
“There’s just no enthusiasm for it. The only reason publishers are still going to bring games to Wii U is because they don’t want to damage their relationship with Nintendo.”
Assuming these quotes are true, keep in mind that they don’t represent Activision’s feelings as a whole.
