Mario Kart 8 sells over 1.2 million units worldwide over first weekend
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 42 Comments
Update: Here’s a quote from Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, for what it’s worth!
“The early response to Mario Kart 8 demonstrates that the best days for Wii U are still ahead. This year’s E3 is just days away, and it will be all about the future games for Nintendo platforms. This milestone is a great place to start!”
In its first weekend, Mario Kart 8 managed to sell more than 1.2 million units worldwide, Nintendo has announced. That number applies to The Americas, Europe, and Japan from May 29 to June 1.
Nintendo of Europe president Satoru Shibata said:
“Such positive early feedback for Mario Kart 8 reinforces the great gameplay experiences that Wii U currently offers. With Nintendo set to showcase its future releases at E3 next week, this is a great milestone going into the summer season.”
Along with today’s announcement, Nintendo shared sales figures for previous Mario Kart entries. The seven older Mario Kart games have combined to sell more than 100 million total units, an average of more than 14 million units per title.
Source: Nintendo PR
More: Mario Kart 8, sales, top
Big Red Button on Sonic’s new look
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 1 Comment
While speaking Kotaku, Big Red Button’s CEO and creative director Bob Rafe touched on Sonic’s new look, the public reaction, and what the character means to the studio. Head past the break for a roundup of Rafe’s comments.
Tons of Sonic Boom details
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 4 Comments
A whole bunch of Sonic Boom details have come in from new press previews. You can find a roundup of the latest information below.
– Demo broken up into different selectable sections
– Level from the campaign, Doctor Eggman boss fight, on-rails level to zoom through
– Each played differently
– Zoomy level had several paths to take
– Each one leads to more or less rings
– Combo system assigns letter grades based on performance
– This seems to be based on number of hits and not variation of moves
– Also in play is some sort of collectible currency (apart from rings) that go toward what might be an upgrade system
– Puzzles are mixed in with combat and exploration
– Eggman fight features him in a giant suit and he shoots rockets which either crash into Sonic and/or Knuckles, or come to rest on the ground
– Need to pick up the undetonated ones and use the EnerBeam to fling them back at the evil doctor
“If you’re a classic Sonic gamer, a 2D fan, you have an appreciation for the platforming. This game has quite a bit of that classic platforming. I think these levels inspire some of that feeling for the old places that Sonic went back in the day.” – Steve Frost
– Game has some hub world interactions
– Most levels will feature a branching path that only one specific character (you’re presented with a choice of two per level) can take
– Select characters on the GamePad
– Hub worlds and speed levels will make use of Sonic Boom’s full roster
– When two local players are in the same game and the time comes to split up, player one runs a character with the GamePad on its screen and player two uses a Wii Remote or Pro controller for their character on the television
– Big Red Button Entertainment thought hard about adding split-screen local multiplayer — either to bring more human players to the game, or to let the Wii U Gamepad perform other functions for them
“We had, for a long time, considered split-screen play. And it just didn’t feel as special. If we’re out in real life, and we’re off exploring, we have our cell phones and cameras out, we’re calling each other and saying, ‘Hey, you should see what I’m seeing.’ We wanted to have that sharing.
“Split screen doesn’t really do that because you’re constantly staring at the other person’s screen. That sense of wonder, of what the other person is doing, is gone.”
– Sonic and his cohort are exploring an ancient, unknown island
– Eggman has sought to exploit an ancient evil being named Lyric,
– It’s turned out to be more than he can handle
– Eggman isn’t supposed to be a bumbler — “he’s still got that fun personality, but his presence overall is more formidable”
– Sonic’s principal concern is exploring the surface and neo-Atlantean ruins and beating up the danger lurking within
– Knuckles can climb rock walls in sections specific to him
– Tails can hover on air currents and ride them to his goal
– Each character comes equipped with an “enerbeam”
– This lets you grapple and move pieces in puzzle levels
– With it, you can also lasso and toss foes into one another
– This will be required in some battles
– Previews mention that the camera isn’t up to snuff
– 3DS version is more of a traditional 2D, scrolling platformer
– No multiplayer in the 3DS version
– Can swap characters on the 3DS touch screen and solve multiple platforming puzzles
– Sonic Boom on 3DS features its own story and another entry point into the canon
– Sega’s strategy is that wherever someone’s interest might be piqued they may find something different in the other two.
“The thought is, we can only show you X amount of the world, and the others can show you even more. By virtue of the cartoon, the toys and the games, you can see this big cohesive world.”
Falling Skies: The Game first screenshots, details
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 1 Comment
Little Orbit has published the first screenshots for Falling Skies: The Game, and we have several details about the title as well.
Falling Skies: The Game is in development for Wii U, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Steam. The tactical strategy RPG, due out this fall, takes place “in the tense, gritty world of the critically acclaimed series from Amblin Television.”
An overview is posted below:
Survival of the human race is at stake. Players will dive into a world gone wrong and command a squad of recently-rescued survivors who have been recruited into the human resistance fighting to save the planet. The team will engage in covert tactical operations against the Espheni fighting to survive against alien invaders while also rescuing and recruiting survivors to the join the 2nd Mass. With addictive strategy-based gameplay, players will be immersed into the unique story line with all their favorite heroes from the show.
Falling Skies: The Game offers “engaging tactical combat and an immersive story driven experience”. It will also provide players with “a never-ending list of missions as they join the 2nd Mass and fight the alien invasion including Mechs, Skitters and Harnessed Humans.” Hundreds of character skills and equipment upgrades can be unlocked, and dynamic enemy AI and map randomization are among the included features.
New Sonic Boom details
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii U | 0 comments
SEGA has shared new details about Sonic Boom for both Wii U and 3DS. Overviews for each can be found below.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric (Wii U)
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric will deliver a different experience than past titles. The detailed levels and emphasis on each character’s unique abilities will showcase the distinctive feel of an action- adventure game, giving players more choice in exploration as they work as a team to stop the deadly snake-like ancient villain, Lyric, before he can power up his army. The gameplay will challenge players with over-the-top speed runs, but the heart of the game will focus on intense combat and brand-new abilities including the Enerbeam. This new feature in the game gives players an energy-charged cord that can be used by characters to navigate the world like never before. Players will be able to swing or zip-line across gaps, explore alternate paths, grab and throw enemies and take away their shields in combat.
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal
Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal is a standalone adventure that shares key characters, events and lore of the Sonic Boom universe with exclusive environments and characters. For the first time ever, gamers will be able to take on the role of Sticks, the newest member of the team who will play an integral role in the story after her best friend Amy gets kidnapped by the ancient villain Lyric. While the Wii U version is focused on action-adventure and exploration, Sonic Boom: Shattered Crystal will place a bigger emphasis on platforming and puzzles. Additionally, unique collectibles featured in the Nintendo 3DS version will unlock special content on Wii U via Wi-Fi connectivity.
Nintendo Game Seminar 2014 taking place next month
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
Next month, the Nintendo Game Seminar will be taking place once again in Japan. Nintendo held the event last year as well after it returned from a three-year hiatus.
The Nintendo Game Seminar is intended for Japanese university students who will partake in game making under the guidance of Nintendo developers. The Nintendo Web Framework was featured last year, but this time around, 2D Unity titles are the focus.
Nintendo will be taking applications between June 16 and June 29. The session period is set between mid-August 2014 and late March 2015.
Natsume teasing 3 Nintendo announcements for E3, news on VC titles as well
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 7 Comments
Natsume has three Nintendo-related announcements in store for E3 2014, the company has teased. That’s in addition to the news Natsume will be sharing about new Virtual Console releases.
Community manager CeeCee wrote in a recent “State of the Farm” Tumblr update:
We’re saving a few secrets for closer to the show, but expect not one, not two, but THREE new Nintendo titles we’ll be announcing leading up to and at the show! This doesn’t include any classic eShop titles (and we’ll have some news on those as well). Will they be 3DS, Wii U, or a mix of the two, you ask? You’ll have to tune in from now until June 10th to find out! 😀
I originally thought that Natsume would be announcing a localization for the latest Harvest Moon 3DS game, but as we know, XSEED ended up with the publishing rights. It’ll be interesting to see what’s announced!
Play Nintendo Tour 2014 gives L.A. residents hands-on time with the hottest Nintendo games in a giant video game playground
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
WHAT: Headlined by video game luminaries like Mario, Donkey Kong and Pokémon, the three-month Play Nintendo Tour 2014 will showcase Nintendo’s latest hand-held, Nintendo 2DS, in an immersive gaming playground for kids of all ages. Kicking off on June 6 in Los Angeles and traveling to a dozen major U.S. cities, this free event will showcase the hottest Nintendo games, including:
• Kirby: Triple Deluxe
• Yoshi’s New Island
• Pokémon X and Pokémon Y
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
• Super Mario 3D Land
• Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
• Mario Kart 7Guests will enjoy whimsical-themed gaming zones filled with iconic items like banana-shaped seats in the Donkey Kong area, a giant Poké Ball in the Pokémon section and Yoshi egg chairs in Yoshi’s island. Attendees will also have the chance to meet costumed characters Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong and Kirby.
