At gamescom last month, Nintendo of Europe conducted an interview with Dan Adelman, a former employee of Nintendo of America and currently the business partner of Thomas Happ, who created the Metroid-like game Axiom Verge, which is out now on Wii U. The full interview can be found here – below are a couple of interesting excerpts from the interview:

Nintendo of Europe: It sounds like Tom had a very strong vision of what he wanted the game to be from the start. For example, the heads-up display in the game is very minimalist in a similar way to Metroid and other retro games. Is that kind of aesthetic part of the design philosophy for this game?
Dan Adelman: Yeah, I think a lot of Tom’s philosophy in terms of game development is about not overloading the player with information. So, for example, when you start out in Axiom Verge, you start off in the middle of a room, and you can try to go either right or left, and this actually takes inspiration from Metroid. You try to go to the right, and you’re blocked, so you have no choice but to go to the left and then, instead of having a tutorial that says, “Go here. Press this button to jump,” you’re basically in a place where you need to jump and you try all the buttons and you figure it out.
I know he put a lot of effort into teaching the player how to play without making it a tutorial, or writing up a lot of text, and so there were only like one or two places where I remember he struggled. When we brought the game to PAX East, we observed people playing the game. There’s one button – the L Button – that you can hold down in order to lock your position and aim in any direction, and at different events there were a lot of people who just didn’t get it. They didn’t pick it up on their own, so that was one instance where Tom actually had to add in a line explaining how to do it.
NoE: Was it tricky to get the difficulty just right? Did you ever find people saying the game was too tough?
DA: Not too many. I think, at shows when people just pick the game up cold and they don’t know anything about it, they’ll fail a lot and give up too easily. I think when people play at home, and they sit down and try to digest it, they’ll learn pretty quickly.
NoE: It’s got a learning curve like all those classic games.
DA: Yeah, like anything else. One thing I actually really like about the game is that, if you take your time as you’re playing it, there’s usually a way to destroy the enemy in a way that means you’re still safe, or just avoid the enemy entirely.
So if you tried to run right through everything and just keep blasting like in Contra, you’ll probably get taken out pretty quickly, but if you think, “Alright, there’s an enemy up ahead. I’m going to climb up on this platform and shoot down on him. He can’t reach me up here!” If you notice those environmental cues, you can actually make things a bit easier on yourself. It’s only later in the game where you have to fight creatures at close-quarters.
NoE: Does Axiom Verge take advantage of Wii U’s unique hardware features in any way?
DA: Yeah, there are a couple of really important ways. My favourite is the fact that the map is on the Wii U GamePad touch screen at all times. I know that the first time I played Axiom Verge, I had to keep pausing the game to see where I needed to go next. A lot of modern games in this genre will just draw an arrow and say, “Go here next, and then go here next,” and it holds your hand. This game doesn’t do that. You figure out where you need to go next by looking at the map and saying, “Oh, where have I not explored yet? Let’s try to get there”. I was constantly going back and forth, and back and forth. Having the map always available makes it very user-friendly. The other feature, of course, is off-TV play, which is very convenient for people who have to share a TV – they’ll still be able to play!

Source

More: Axiom Verge, Dan Adelman, indie, interview, Tom Happ

Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing trailer

Posted on 8 years ago by Matt(@OnePunchMaz) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 1 Comment

EnjoyUp Games’ racing game Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing will be available via the Wii U eShop in both North America and Europe this Thursday. If you need some help deciding whether or not to buy it, why not check out this new trailer for the game:

More: EnjoyUp Games, Grand Prix Rock 'N Racing

Soul Axiom launches for Wii U on September 29

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Soul Axiom is heading to Wii U on September 29, Wales Interactive announced today. The news applies to both North America and Europe.

Soul Axiom will be priced at $14.99 / £11.99 / €14.99. Those who downloaded the Nindies@Home demo from E3 2015 can receive a 15 percent discount.

Here’s an overview of the game:

Soul Axiom is a first-person, story-driven adventure game, set in the beautiful, haunting cyber-world of Elysia. Collect unique hand powers in this compelling cyber-thriller to solve puzzles, manipulate the environment and unlock the path to your adventure. Immerse yourself in a dramatic story with over 20 hours of gameplay, 100 physical puzzles and 40 distinct locations to explore. Choose your destiny and discover multiple endings as you unravel the mysteries of your digital afterlife.
Upload your soul to the latest state of the art Digital Soul Provider, Elysia, a sprawling server where your memories and dreams become reality. You will be taken on an intriguing voyage of discovery, through beautiful, haunting locations, facing challenges that will lead you into danger on your mission to unlock your identity, your story, your mystery.

More: indie, Soul Axiom, Wales Interactive

Nintendo Download (9/15/16, Europe) – Dragon Quest VII, Metroid Prime: Hunters, more

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, News, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U Download

Aenigma Os – €6.49 / £4.99 / CHF 8.99
Brick Breaker – €4.99 / £4.49 / CHF 7.00
Gear Gauntlet – €9.99 / £7.99 / CHF 9.99
Grand Prix Rock ‘N Racing – €4.95 / £4.45 / CHF 6.94 until September 22, 22:59 UTC; regularly €7.99 / £7.19 / CHF 11.20
MikroGame: Rotator – €1.99 / £1.89 / CHF 2.99
Shooty Space – €2.99 / £2.69 / CHF 4.20

Wii U Virtual Console

Metroid Prime: Hunters – €9.99 / £8.99 / CHF 14.00

Wii U Demo

Just Dance 2017

More: Europe, Nintendo Download, top, Virtual Console

Rorrim footage

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

This past Thursday, the indie game Rorrim arrived on the Wii U eShop. Take a look at a few minutes of gameplay footage below.

More: Ezekiel Rage, indie, Nitrolic Games, Rorrim

Twisted Fusion story trailer

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

A lengthy Twisted Fusion trailer is now online which is mainly about the game’s story. Of course, there are some gameplay bits as well. Watch the video below.

More: indie, Leuvsion, Twisted Fusion

Gear Gauntlet footage

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

In Europe, Gear Gauntlet is slated for the Wii U eShop next week. An early look at the game can be found below with footage.

Wii U eShop charts (9/9/16)

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U eShop | 3 Comments

This week’s Wii U eShop charts are as follows:

Software

1. Zelda: Skyward Sword
2. Zelda: Wind Waker HD
3. Axiom Verge
4. Super Mario 64 DS
5. Super Mario RPG
6. Super Mario 3D World
7. Super Mario Bros.
8. Minecraft: Wii U Edition
9. Super Mario 64
10. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
11. Super Mario World
12. Mario Party 10
13. Zelda: Ocarina of Time
14. Super Mario Bros. 3
15. Super Mario Galaxy
16. Super Mario Maker
17. Paper Mario
18. Zelda: A Link to the Past
19. DuckTales Remastered
20. The Legend of Zelda

Videos

1. Nintendo 3DS Direct 9/1/16
2. Zelda: Skyward Sword Trailer
3. Play Nintendo Introduction Video
4. Pokken Tournament TV Spot
5. Zelda: Breath of the Wild E3 2016 Trailer
6. Super Mario Mash-Up Pack for Minecraft: Wii U Edition
7. Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games – Heroes Showdown Trailer
8. Severed E3 2016 Trailer
9. Axiom Verge Trailer
10. Super Mario 3D World Trailer
11. Great Games to Buy with eShop Cards
12. Mario Party 10 Launch Trailer
13. Yoshi’s Woolly World Adventure Guide Episode 1
14. Super Mario 3D World Trailer 2
15. Mario Sports Mix Trailer
16. Super Mario 3D World Accolades Trailer
17. Super Play Time – Splatoon – Get Kraken with Pro Tips
18. Nintendo Selects Wii U Titles
19. Super Mario Maker Key Update Video
20. Nintendo Minute – Mario Party 10 with Lamarr Wilso

Source: Wii U eShop

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Screenshots of this week’s Nintendo Downloads (9/8/16, North America)

Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS eShop, Screenshots, Wii U eShop | 0 comments

Several new games out came out this week on the Wii U and 3DS eShops. If you’re interested in checking out what’s new in screenshot form, take a peak at the gallery below.