Wii U

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Features, Wii U | 2 Comments

---

Seasoned Mario players may complain about the lack of challenging and iconic moments in the ‘New Super Mario Bros. series, but the latest entry may have that magic hidden away behind optional “sidequests”.

Author: Austin

A couple of months ago I wrote an article called “What has happened to 2D Mario games? (And how to “fix” them!)”, calling on Nintendo to return the sidescrolling plumber to his magical roots with one simple change; not by copying that which made older titles great, but simply by increasing the difficulty, thereby forcing you to spend more time with the game and form stronger memories of individual levels. Sounds pretty simple, right?

Well, despite my high hopes for the game, it appeared as though New Super Mario Bros. U was still the same old New Super Mario Bros. (the irony of which is not lost). Which isn’t to say it’s bad– after all, Nintendo always nails the technicalities of platforming to perfection– but simply that it’s still not as memorable as entries like World and 3. Going into the game, this is what I was expecting, and I was more than fine to play through another good-not-great Mario title with solid platforming and a few standout moments. Instead of just going through it willy-nilly though, I decided to take the approach that I would complete the game as I went, which is to say that I would gather all three “Star” coins in every level of a world before moving onto the next.

The consequence of this is that the game is no longer good– it’s great! If you read not past this point and you’re a seasoned Mario player, please consider following in my footsteps and playing to completion. You will likely enjoy it a whole lot more. If you want to hear more of why this works, read on!

Read More

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Nyko has a slew of Wii U accessories on the way. One of the upcoming products includes the “Wii U Playstand” – a tripod, essentially.

What’s the point of this $40 peripheral, you ask? Let’s take a look at the product description:

“Nyko’s Play Stand for the Nintendo Wii U easily holds the Wii U GamePad for comfortable, easy viewing. The variable height and angle allows for use in any position, making it ideal for video chat, fitness, and music games. The 3 legged design provides a small but sturdy footprint, and it is collapsible so it folds away when not in use. Adjusts to fit other types of tablets.”

I can’t see the stand being a useful tool for most, but maybe a few of you out there have a bit of interest. You can check out the Wii U Playstand product listing at GameStop right here.

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

THQ and Vigil will release more downloadable content for Darksiders II on most major platforms tomorrow. “The Demon Lord Belial” offers “a new adventure based on a ravaged post-Apocalyptic Earth, where Death will encounter the last remnants of humanity as well as one of his most sinister opponents yet.”

An official description of the DLC reads:

“Little has been said of the struggles on Earth besides the story given to WAR by the Charred Council. Rumors have now surfaced that perhaps the Third Kingdom was not completely destroyed, and remnants of humanity still yet survive! It falls upon Death to seek out the truth and unearth a forgotten evil… The Demon Lord Belial.”

The thing is, there’s no word on a Wii U release at this time. I have a pretty good feeling this will land on the console eventually, but after the situation with Mass Effect 3, I suppose anything is possible.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Figured some of you would be interested in the Wii U-specific rankings for the console’s first week of availability in the UK. Here are the results:

1. Nintendo Land – Nintendo
2. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
3. ZombiU – Ubisoft
4. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – SEGA
5. Batman: Arkham City – Armored Edition – Warner Bros. Interactive
6. Call of Duty: Black Ops II – Activision Blizzard
7. Sports Connection – Ubisoft
8. Assassin’s Creed III – Ubisoft
9. Just Dance 4 – Ubisoft
10. Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Namco Bandai

Source: Chart-Track

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

Posted on 12 years ago by Austin(@NE_Austin) in Videos, Wii U | 0 comments

The most interesting part of this is that you get to see the insides of both controllers!

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

A rumor surfaced yesterday suggesting that Rayman Legends could be out on February 26. Ubisoft isn’t quite ready to confirm that date, however.

When asked about the speculation, a representative said:

“Ubisoft confirms that Rayman Legends is scheduled for release in early 2013. The team is working hard to finalize the game and is looking forward to sharing more details with fans very soon!”

Rayman Legends could still be on track for February 26, but we’ll have to wait a little longer for Ubisoft to either confirm or deny the date.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii, Wii U | 0 comments

Wedbush and EEDAR have provided predictions for the November 2012 NPD report. The actual data will be made available on Thursday.

Predictions from both groups can be found below.

Wedbush / EEDAR November hardware sales estimates (change year-on-year):

360 – 1,400,000 (-17%) / 1,350,000 (-20%)
PS3 – 700,000 (-22%) / 850,000 (-5%)
Wii U 450,000 (n/a) / 450,000 (n/a)
3DS – 440,000 (-45%) / 800,000 (0%)
Wii – 435,000 (-50%) / 170,000 (-80%)
DS – 375,000 (7%) / 260,000 (-26%)
Vita 190,000 (n/a) / 190,000 (n/a)
PSP – 9,500 (-96%) / 8,000 (-92%)
PS2 – 500 (-98%) / (n/a)
Total – 4,000,000 (-18%) / 4,088,000 (-16%)

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments

MCV is reporting that the Wii U managed to sell roughly 40,000 units in its first couple of days on the UK market.

The site’s sources say that the console has essentially sold out, but some first-hand accounts say otherwise. In any event, while stock is still arriving slowly, there won’t be a significant replenish until the New Year.

Regarding software, MCV says that the console is experiencing an attach rate of around 2:1. However, that statistic doesn’t include downloadable sales from the eShop.

Source

Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 0 comments

Late last week, Ubisoft launched the Uplay app for Wii U. Players can now earn points and unlock new modes, rewards, and other extras.

Each one of Ubisoft’s launch titles supports the Uplay system.

For the full listing of available content, head past the break.

Read More