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Attendees Can Experience More Than 10 Unreleased Games for Wii U and Nintendo 3DS at Upcoming Event

REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Visitors to this year’s SXSW Gaming Expo will be able to go behind the scenes to experience an exciting lineup of unreleased games and experiences from Nintendo for both the new Wii U home console and the Nintendo 3DS hand-held system, from the latest installments of classic franchises to new software that lets players interact with one another in fresh and exciting ways. The three-day event will feature the public debut for several Nintendo 3DS games in North America, including a guided demo opportunity with Animal Crossing: New Leaf, as well as playable demos for Nintendo eShop titles HarmoKnight and Kersploosh! Visitors can also play unreleased Wii U titles like the open-world fun of LEGO®City Undercover, the high-octane racing of Need for Speed Most Wanted U from Electronic Arts and the team-based action of Monster Hunter Ultimate from Capcom.

“Hearing about upcoming games is one thing, but with Nintendo the proof is always in the playing,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “SXSW is where fans of all types of entertainment and technology come together, and we’ll have games on hand to excite every type of visitor.”

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Last Friday, a new rating for Deus Ex: Human Revolution popped up on the Australian Ratings Board. While Square Enix’s Human Defiance trademark turned out to be for the upcoming movie, the OFLC entry is most definitely game-related.

The OFLC doesn’t specifically mention anything about the rating’s contents. But it is a “modified” version of the original game, likely hinting at an upcoming announcement for Wii U. Deus Ex: Human Revolution has been rumored for Nintendo’s console for quite some time, and the title would fit in with Straight Right’s AAA port for Square Enix.

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Note: Mixing in old and new images in case you missed them the first time…

Ubisoft has officially lifted its embargo for Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and first details have started to arrive. We’ve compiled a bunch of information below. The details batch covers new gameplay elements, improvements, and a few story bits.

– Takes place in the earlier half of the 18th century
– Set off the east coast of Northern America where piracy thrives
– Stars Edward Kenway, father of Haytham and grandfather of Connor
– AC4 is part of the “Kenway saga” of Assassin’s Creed games
– Where Haytham and Connor were present at the dawn of a new democracy, Edward will be tested by the failure of the old one
– Edward is a more charming, clever, and reckless character than Connor
– When Black Flag starts, Edward is already a pirate
– Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail stressed that his global team was focusing on placing Edward into a more historically accurate take on this era – no parrots, no Krakens, no theme park shine
– Looking to be grittier, more true to the dark, rough reality of the era
– Ismail references Kurt Sutter’s twisted, gritty, grounded television show “Sons of Anarchy” a few times when describing his vision for a cast of characters that encompasses Charles Vane, Calico Jack, Blackbeard and more
– Montreal-based team
– Singapore, Sofia, Annecy, Kiev, Quebec City, Bucharest and Montpellier assisting on the project
– “first true naval overworld”
– Black Flag aims to blend between its land and aquatic experiences seamlessly
– Edward can dive off of his ship, swim to the shore of one of 50 or so locations in the Carribbean, and explore
– No loading or segmented feel for the above
– Variety in these locales
– Locations range from plantations and jungles to Mayan ruins and exotic coconut islands
– Three major cities: Havana (described as analogous to ACII’s Venice in terms of vertical emphasis), Nassau (the home of the so-called Republic of Pirates) and Kingston (a very dangerous, British-run city)
– Land-based portions are around 60% of Black Flag’s main missions
– Some Far Cry 3 developers are on board
– All of the game’s activities, from hunting and harpooning (water-based hunting) to exploring underwater environments, will feed into a larger sense of progression and evolution of play
– Edward can upgrade his equipment in a variety of ways
– Can upgrade the Jackdaw ship and its crew as well
– More complex and deeper ocean-based warfare compared to ACIII
– New weapon types, enemies, and challenges
– Edward uses a spyglass to view ships and islands from a distance, which communicates valuable information on a destination or foe prior to any sort of engagement
– Can exploit weather patterns, luring the opposition into less than ideal conditions such as dynamic storms, to their advantage
– Can board an enemy’s ship
– Your goal with any ship-to-ship fight is to eliminate the other captain
– How you choose to do this is up to the player
– Ship has a swivel gun
– Up to four pistols can be used depending on your upgrades
– Ubisoft wants to remove some of the barriers that previous games created, leaning more on open-ended directives
– Less about hand-holding and more about providing basic objectives with flexible conditions for satisfying said objectives
– Team is refining game systems for things like detection and stealth, so players better understand how the game “reads” their actions
– Ismail noted that his team has, from the start, been focused on building mechanics within the pirate theme that the story then supports – not the other way around
– Notoriety system has been tossed out since navigating the wide ocean and traveling from location to location makes this sort of “worldwide alert” illogical
– You are a person hired by Templar-controlled Abstergo Entertainment to research a pivotal moment in Desmond’s ancestry
– You’re told to look into Edward Kenway – and away you go
– Ubisoft is attempting to find the delicate balance between the game’s Caribbean setting – where the bulk of the game takes place – and its modern counterpart, where a significant amount of lore is held
– The team hopes that it can incentivize hardcore Assassin’s Creed fans to step outside the world of pirates and explore the Abstergo facility, by providing a variety of unnamed activities and information as a means of reward

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Right around last year’s E3, Natsume and Rising Star Games announced “Project Happiness”. It’s a game from TOYBOX – led by Yasuhiro Wada, the creator of Harvest Moon.

As a reminder, Atsuko Nishida is providing character designs. Nobuo Uematsu is handling Hometown Story’s music.

A new trailer for the game finally surfaced today, along with a new name: “Hometown Story”. Development is currently 50-60% complete.

In Hometown Story, players run a shop, although increasing sales and shop expansion aren’t the game’s central elements. Users will instead be encouraged to enjoy the story and encounters by earning more customers, which also ties into the store’s growth. You’ll encounter characters will all sorts of different tales, and Hometown Story’s primary enjoyment results from fulfilling customers’ dreams and resolving their worries.

Hometown Story was previously confirmed for the 3DS at last year’s E3. It should be out later in 2013.

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Future Publishing will be expanding its business in the UK with an Official Pokemon Magazine.

The magazine will debut this month and will release new issues every four weeks. A total of 13 issues will be available per year. Future also plans to include a free Pokemon-themed gift each month.

The Pokemon Company International’s Heather Dalgleish commented:

“We’re delighted to be collaborating with leading publisher, Future. Their extensive reach in the market ensures that the Official Pokémon Magazine can be enjoyed by Pokémon fans across the United Kingdom.”

Thanks to Zack Wiliams for the tip.

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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.

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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.

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