Nintendo Everything

Last week’s Nintendo Direct contained a lot of exciting announcements. We found out about a new Yoshi’s Island for the 3DS. There was news about a new Mario Party. And, of course, a brand new Zelda game set in the Link to the Past world is making its way to Nintendo’s portable.

These were all great titles, but a bit unsurprising. What was surprising, however, was Nintendo’s announcement that EarthBound will be available later this year on the Wii U Virtual Console in both North America and Europe.

When asked what took so long for Nintendo to re-release EarthBound in the west, Nintendo of America’s PR Marc Franklin said:

“(Laughs) We did the Nintendo Direct in January, and Mr. Iwata announced to the Japan market that (Mother 2 was releasing on Wii U Virtual Console). People saw the reaction to that announcement in the United States and the reaction was very, very…well, they wanted to see the game. It brought up a lot of desire to see the game. So we finally found that it was the right time to bring it out. There’s a lot that goes into the decision of when to bring a game to market, it’s not as easy as saying “OK, well, let’s bring a game to market,” push a button and there it is. The time was right, and what’s most important is that we’re all excited about it. There’s a lot of fans within Nintendo just as there are outside who are just as eager to play the game. We’re just happy that it’s coming and we’re happy that the fans are excited.”

And Franklin said the following when asked if anything has changed:

“The game is going to be representative of Earthbound. In terms of anything else, we don’t have much more to announce right now. But since it’s coming through Virtual Console, you can expect to get a Miiverse community going and be able to play it off TV on the GamePad, which is pretty cool.”

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Acclaimed Concert Continues to Enchant Video Game Fans and Music Lovers Across North America in 2013

REDMOND, Wash., April 22, 2013 – By popular demand, “The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses” concert series is returning with “Season 2” to eight cities from last year’s tour and is coming soon to even more locations in North America. Based on one of the most popular and beloved video game series of all time, the tour features live orchestral performances of theme music from Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda franchise. The newly announced dates include:

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Today, Gamesbymo launched a Kickstarter for a new game known as “A.N.N.E”.

The Metroidvania-esque platformer could make its way to the Wii U eShop if a stretch goal is reached. Gamesbymo is seeking $180,000 in funding, which is quite significant, but perhaps possible with enough support.

There’s an overview of A.N.N.E. in the video above. You can find more information on the Kickstarter page here.

Update: Our guess was correct, somewhat. Rogers has now clarified:

The ever-reliable Emily Rogers has tweeted a couple of interesting notes regarding future features for the eShop and Virtual Console. Rogers wouldn’t say much, but did tease that “There may come a time in the future when owning both a Wii U and 3DS will become beneficial.”

Perhaps Nintendo could be working on a cross-buy option for Virtual Console titles? As in, if you buy one VC game on the Wii U, you’d get its counterpart for free (or at a reduced price) on the 3DS and vice versa? Just a guess!

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CVG published an article earlier today talking about how the positive performance of the 3DS as of late may be a sign of better things to come for the Wii U. Towards the end of the piece, Rob Crossley teases something… interesting for the console.

He wrote:

“Which brings me to the Wii U. Regulars at CVG might be aware that I talk down the console’s chances in the most definitive language possible whenever asked. Well, from the things I’m hearing, there’s a chance I’ll soon be added to the reject bin of crazy talking twitter twonks pretty soon.

“Hopefully, if we obtain further details from our sources, we’ll be in a position to explain more to you soon. But, for now, put it this way: In the past two years there have been moments of disquiet regarding the 3DS and – like an instant magic trick – Nintendo has put an end to this with sudden reveals of significant games that went on to become star performers at Christmas.”

Hmm… what could Crossley be talking about here? You have my attention, CVG!

Thanks to Paul S.T.L for the tip.

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Ubisoft has changed Splinter Cell: Blacklist’s official boxart. The game’s official Twitter account shared the new image on its Twitter account on Friday. Take a look:

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Thanks to the launch of Fire Emblem: Awakening and other recent releases, the 3DS has seen a significant boost in the UK. Sales of the handheld are up 49% over the previous week.

Awakening itself was extremely successful in its debut week. The game reached the third spot on the UK charts, according to data provided by Chart-Track.

Nintendo made a special Fire Emblem: Awakening 3DS XL bundle available to consumers in the UK last week. 31% of 3DS sales came from this product.

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The 3DS XL has had its fair share of Pokemon-themed systems in Japan. The country already received the Pikachu design as well as a Charizard handheld.

Nintendo and the Pokemon Company aren’t stopping there. Japan will be getting yet another specially-designed 3DS XL systems on May 15, and rumors suggest that Eevee could be featured this time around. The new handheld design will be available to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Pokemon Center outlets.

Consumers will be given the opportunity to purchase the new system if they enter and win a lottery, as was the case with the Charizard 3DS XL.

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