Nintendo Everything

Back in November, a YouTube app released for Wii (and Wii U). The same tool has now been made available in Japan. Starting today, Wii owners in Japan can download the tool for free from the Wii Shop Channel.

Source

Assassin’s Creed creator Patrice Désilets enjoys the series’ first entry the most. He may be a bit biased as the IP’s maker, but Désilets believes that the original Assassin’s Creed “is the purest one”.

He told EDGE:

“I like the first Assassin’s Creed because it’s the purest one. There’s a bunch of stories that you can have, but it’s all in your head. You have to create your own adventures. Whereas in Assassin’s Creed II, we created the adventures for you and you’re following them. For me, the first one is an amazing toy. The second one is the real game with rules and missions and it’s really precise. But personally I like the poetry of the first one. It’s pure.”

Most would probably say that the first Assassin’s Creed is their least-favorite in the franchise. Different strokes for different folks, right?

Source

Another round of Nintendo maintenance (“extended” this time, not “emergency”!) will be taking place on all of Nintendo’s platforms over the next few days.

The bulk of the downtime is happening today. Each one of Nintendo’s online shops will be down between 12 PM and 6 PM PT. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, and Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage 2 will be affected at different parts of the day as well.

Tomorrow’s maintenance is much lighter – only Pokemon Black/White 1/2 will see downtime.

The full schedule is posted below.

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Dan Adelman is quickly becoming a prominent figure at Nintendo. The business development manager joined the company in 2005, and has pretty much been the man in charge – behind the scenes – for Nintendo’s indie involvement and digital offerings.

Gamasutra sat down with Adelman for a chat covering various indie and eShop topics. He confirmed the removal of Nintendo’s indie developer office space requirement and WiiWare threshold for all digital platforms. Adelman also talked about how indies set their own prices, can easily update their games, puchase a dev kit for “about the price of a high-end PC”, and more.

Head past the break for all of Adelman’s comments.

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UK indie developer RadiationBurn Ltd. plans to bring “Boomba!” to the 3DS eShop next month. Versions for iOS, Windows 8 and Windows Phone, Kindle, Blackberry, Andoid, PC and Mac are also in the works.

“Boomba!” is described as a “turn based physics shooter featuring 50+ teams of unique characters”. You can take on the role of punks, rockers, emos, soldiers, cops and others.

The new eShop title will include campaign and multiplayer modes and various weapons such as chainsaw missiles, boxing glove bazookas and metal anvils. The game’s various weapons and your own shooting accuracy will ultimately determine who prevails.

Source: RadiationBurn Ltd. PR

The latest Wii U/3DS-specific UK software sales are as follows:

Wii U

1. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – Capcom
2. Nintendo Land – Nintendo
3. ZombiU – Ubisoft
4. New Super Mario Bros. U – Nintendo
5. Need for Speed: Most Wanted – EA
6. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – SEGA
7. The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct – Activision
8. Darksiders II – THQ
9. Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth – Ubisoft
10. Sports Connection – Ubisoft

3DS

1. Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate – Capcom
2. New Super Mario Bros. 2 – Nintendo
3. Mario Kart 7 – Nintendo
4. Super Mario 3D Land – Nintendo
5. Paper Mario: Sticker Star – Nintendo
6. Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed – SEGA
7. Sonic Generations – SEGA
8. Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask – Nintendo
9. Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games – SEGA
10. New Style Boutique – Nintendo

Source: Chart-Track

Two decades after the launch of Ecco the Dolphin, creator Ed Annunziata is turning to Kickstarter to help fund a spiritual sequel.

Big Blue is a “next generation, underwater, action/adventure game by the original Ecco the Dolphin team.” It’ll offer exploration elements, quests, action puzzle solving, and “collection and spawning of life forms”. You’ll be able to control any creature in the game as well as multiple creatures at the same time, and you can count on being able to aquascape and populate your own sea, breed and multiply creatures, and more.

Annunziata hopes to fund $665,000 by April 29. Intitially, Big Blue will head to Mac, Windows, and iOS and Android platforms. But Annunziata also writes on Kickstarter:

“Once we are done with the first version of the game I will convince Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo to embrace the game. We want the Big Blue everywhere.”

You can find more information about Big Blue here.

Team Ninja is, in one way, no more. Parent company Tecmo Koei has announced a restructure for the studio today, essentially splitting it in two. Team Ninja will now be reorganized into two “Ichigaya Development” divisions.

Ichigaya Development Group 1 will be led by Yosuke Hayashi, who has been the boss of Team Ninja for the past several years. Managing director Keisuke Kikuchi will be put in charge of Ichigaya Development Group 2.

Team Ninja may not have been what it used to be as of late, but it has been around for close to two decades. The reorganization news is a bit saddening – even though the studio will still be around in some form.

Source, Via

Individual formats

LW		TW			Title	Format	Label	Publisher
–		1			GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
1		2			TOMB RAIDER	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
–		3			THE WALKING DEAD: SURVIVAL INSTINCT	XB360	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3		4			TOMB RAIDER	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
2		5			GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
5		6			SIMCITY	PC	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
–		7			THE WALKING DEAD: SURVIVAL INSTINCT	PS3	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6		8			SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2	XB360	CITY INTERACTIVE	CITY INTERACTIVE
9		9			FIFA 13	XB360	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
–		10			MONSTER HUNTER 3 ULTIMATE	3DS	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
7		11			SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2	PS3	CITY INTERACTIVE	CITY INTERACTIVE
–		12			MONSTER HUNTER 3 ULTIMATE	WII U	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
12		13			FIFA 13	PS3	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
13		14			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	XB360	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
10		15			FAR CRY 3	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
28		16			METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE	PS3	KONAMI	KONAMI
11		17			CRYSIS 3	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
14		18			FORZA HORIZON	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
18		19			HALO 4	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
17		20			FAR CRY 3	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
16		21			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	PS3	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
21		22			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
4		23			STARCRAFT II: HEART OF THE SWARM	PC	BLIZZARD	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8		24			THE SIMS 3: UNIVERSITY LIFE	PC	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
15		25			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	XB360	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
38		26			ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES	XB360	SEGA	SEGA
34		27			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
–		28			METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE	XB360	KONAMI	KONAMI
22		29			JUST DANCE 4	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
30		30			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	PC	SEGA	SEGA
20		31			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
19		32			CRYSIS 3	PS3	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
26		33			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
37		34			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	WII	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
24		35			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	XB360	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
–		36			NINTENDO LAND	WII U	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		37			ABBA: YOU CAN DANCE	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
27		38			GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITY	XB360	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
–		39			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	XB360	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
23		40			DEAD SPACE 3	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS

All formats

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
–		1			GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT	EPIC GAMES/PEOPLE CAN FLY	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
1		2			TOMB RAIDER	CRYSTAL DYNAMICS	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
–		3			THE WALKING DEAD: SURVIVAL INSTINCT	TERMINAL REALITY	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
6		4			FIFA 13	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
4		5			SNIPER: GHOST WARRIOR 2	CITY INTERACTIVE	CITY INTERACTIVE	CITY INTERACTIVE
2		6			GOD OF WAR: ASCENSION	SCEA SANTA MONICA	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
–		7			MONSTER HUNTER 3 ULTIMATE	CAPCOM	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
5		8			SIMCITY	MAXIS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
7		9			FAR CRY 3	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
9		10			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	TREYARCH	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
19		11			METAL GEAR RISING: REVENGEANCE	PLATINUMGAMES	KONAMI	KONAMI
8		12			CRYSIS 3	CRYTEK	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
11		13			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
13		14			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	TOYS FOR BOB	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
14		15			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	CRITERION GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
21		16			ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES	GEARBOX SOFTWARE	SEGA	SEGA
16		17			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	BETHESDA	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
28		18			SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED	SUMO DIGITAL	SEGA	SEGA
12		19			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	IO INTERACTIVE	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
17		20			LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
18		21			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	ROCKSTAR NORTH	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
23		22			FORZA HORIZON	PLAYGROUND GAMES	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
27		23			HALO 4	343 INDUSTRIES	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
3		24			STARCRAFT II: HEART OF THE SWARM	BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT	BLIZZARD	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
15		25			DEAD SPACE 3	VISCERAL GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
24		26			JUST DANCE 4	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
10		27			THE SIMS 3: UNIVERSITY LIFE	THE SIMS STUDIO	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
25		28			LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
29		29			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	TECHLAND	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
22		30			GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITY	ROCKSTAR NORTH	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
34		31			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	SPORTS INTERACTIVE	SEGA	SEGA
38		32			MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES	SEGA	SEGA	SEGA
35		33			WWE ’13	YUKE’S	THQ	THQ
26		34			RED DEAD REDEMPTION: GOTY	ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
–		35			DARKSIDERS II	VIGIL GAMES	THQ	THQ
33		36			SLEEPING DOGS	UNITED FRONT GAMES	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
39		37			DISHONORED	ARKANE STUDIOS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
–		38			BATTLEFIELD 3	DIGITAL ILLUSIONS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
–		39			NINTENDO LAND	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		40			ABBA: YOU CAN DANCE	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT

Source 1, Source 2

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U retail

LEGO City Undercover – €59.99 / £49.99

3DS retail

Luigi’s Mansion 2 – €44.99 / £39.99
Resident Evil Revelations – €29.99 / £24.99
Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D – €9.99 / £8.99
Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell 3D – €19.99 / £17.99
Heroes of Ruin – €24.99 / £19.99

3DS download

HarmoKnight – €14.99 / £12.99
Code of Princess – €29.99/£24.99
50 Classic Games – €4.99/£4.49

3DS VC

Harvest Moon – €4.99 / £4.49

3DS demo

Fire Emblem: Awakening

3D video

The Beet Party: Unidentified Flying Waffle (Redrover, download video) – €0.99/£0.89

3DS sale

escapeVektor (Nnooo) – €5.00/£4.49 (Normal €10.00/£8.99, ends April 11)

3DS app

Save Data Transfer Tool

The following are required to use this software:
• A Nintendo 3DS Game Card that supports this software
• A downloadable version of the Game Card software

Caution!
Once the save data is moved to the downloadable version, it cannot be returned to the Game Card. Save data on the Game Card will be reset to default.