Nintendo Everything

We’ve reported on this before, but now we finally have an official date: Starting April 22nd, anyone who currently gets G4TV via their cable or satellite provider will awaken to a brand new channel to replace to dying-brand that was G4. The new name will be the “Esquire Network” and will feature programming similar to ‘Bravo’ but “for men”. It is, as they say, for “the modern man, what being a man today is all about”.

Which mostly sounds like a bunch of vaguely sexist baloney to me, but I guess they think people will watch it! With any luck this will be the last that you hear of the network, since they will feature no gaming related programming whatsoever.

Via Gamespot

LEGO City: Undercover is just a little more than a month away. Nintendo is starting to provide the press with more hands-on time, including the game’s different “acts”.

The latest Undercover details, posted below, cover a few bits of general information as well as “Act 2”.

– Game world is basically an amalgamation of all major United States cities
– Famous landmarks, bridges and locales are very much inspired by places from San Francisco and New York
– Areas include Brooklyn Bridge and Alcatraz Island-inspired locations
– One disguise gives you access to a grappling gun of sorts
– Can use it to shoot hooks in short bursts
– Can wall-jump, wall-run, and vault
– These are all done by pressing the same button in context-sensitive situations
– Anything clearly made of LEGO bricks can be smashed
– Super Bricks contribute to building other things, such as pads capable of summoning vehicles for Chase, elsewhere
– Act 2 sees players infiltrating a criminal organization by committing crimes
– Use the police audio scanner to find criminals
– Control the scanner with the GamePad directly
– Move the tablet around the world and see a wireframe version of LEGO City
– This lets you detect nearby conversations
– Lock onto a signal and listen to assess whether you need to hear more
– You’ll eventually join a manic, bi-polar mobster named Chan
– Need to distract guards by finding the necessary items to start a nearby party, stealing an expensive car and eventually escorting a VIP to a nearby event
– Some of this included the Lego franchise’s patented ‘break it and build it’ gameplay
– Variety in tasks
– This area apparently counts for roughly one percent of the game
– Vast array of collectibles and secrets
– Game has a quick travel system through LEGO City’s subways

Source

Over the next few weeks, Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios will allow fans to vote on Injustice: Gods Among Us characters that would come out on top in a particular fight. Winners will be decided on Friday and new matchups will go live the following Monday. Characters that are victorious will be featured in new gameplay videos.

This week’s matchups are The Flash vs. Shazam and Joker vs. Lex Luthor. You can vote here.

This month’s digital rewards on Club Nintendo have gone live. Members can choose from Bird & Beans (3DS, 100 coins), Metal Torrent (3DS, 150 coins), Paper Mario (Wii, 200 coins), and Kirby Super Star (Wii, 150 coins). These rewards will last until March 10.

Visit this page to order a downloadable game.

Nintendo has published the latest entry in the Iwata Asks series on its Japanese website. This time around, Satoru Iwata, Dragon Quest creator Yuuji Horii, Square Enix’s Noriyoshi Fujimoto, ArtePiazza’s Shintarou Majima, and ArtePiazza’s Sachiko Sugimura participated in the discussion.

Read on below for a roundup of details from the interview.

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IGN published a bunch of new details about Renegade Kid’s next 3DS eShop release, ATV Wild Read. A summary of the latest information is posted below.

– Use the Circle or d-pad to maneuver your vehicle
– Different racers to choose from
– Can pull off tricks
– Press L or R along with various directions on the d-pad to pull off stunts
– Perform tricks as you launch off a ramp
– Speed boost given if you pull off a trick
– Online and local multiplayer
– World Tour: different racing tours to complete; improve your game and learn the tracks
– Quick Race: play through one course at a time
– Can adjust options such as number of racers, laps, CPU difficulty, and racing style in this mode
– 2-4 people on the track at a time including yourself
– Standard race or Elimination racing styles
– Elimination: axes whoever comes in last
– Time Trial mode included
– Freestyle mode: rack up points from tricks
– Can race on each track in its standard, reverse, extended or extended reverse form
– $7.99

Source

Codemasters senior producer Clive Moody is a fan of what Nintendo is doing with the Wii U. Moody went as far as to say that he believes “it is the future.” He seems to be particularly big on the GamePad, since it is comparable to what Apple is doing with iPads, Microsoft’s Surface, and other technologies.

Moody stated:

“It works brilliantly, having played it. I think it is the future. I mean, you’ve got to look at what’s happening in the world of mobile, you’ve got iPads, Surface just came out from Microsoft. I think you’re going to see a lot more of that cross-over.”

Source

This month’s GamesTM review scores are as follows:

Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance – 9
Dead Space 3 – 8
Aliens: Colonial Marines – 4
The Cave – 6
Persona 4 Golden – 9
Scribblenauts Unlimited – 6
Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time – 8
Fractured Soul – 6
Crimson Shroud – 8
Knytt Underground – 5
Miasmata – 7
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge – 6
Tokyo Crash Mobs – 5

Thanks to joclo for the tip.

Individual formats

LW		TW			Title	Format	Label	Publisher
–		1			DEAD SPACE 3	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
–		2			DEAD SPACE 3	PS3	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
2		3			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	XB360	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
4		4			FAR CRY 3	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
3		5			FIFA 13	XB360	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
1		6			NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH	PS3	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES
5		7			FIFA 13	PS3	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
6		8			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	PS3	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
7		9			JUST DANCE 4	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
11		10			HALO 4	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
10		11			FAR CRY 3	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
12		12			FORZA HORIZON	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
14		13			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	XB360	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
9		14			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	PC	SEGA	SEGA
8		15			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
18		16			FORZA MOTORSPORT 4	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
17		17			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	XB360	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
15		18			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
21		19			GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
13		20			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
20		21			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	PS3	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
23		22			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
22		23			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	PS3	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
–		24			DEAD SPACE 3	PC	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
–		25			SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED	3DS	SEGA	SEGA
16		26			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
–		27			MADDEN NFL 13	XB360	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
28		28			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	XB360	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
30		29			UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTY	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
27		30			NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
36		31			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	WII	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
32		32			BORDERLANDS 2	XB360	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
37		33			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	XB360	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
25		34			PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
29		35			MARIO KART 7	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
19		36			ABBA: YOU CAN DANCE	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
–		37			GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITY	XB360	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
31		38			DISHONORED	XB360	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
–		39			MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES	WII	SEGA	SEGA
40		40			MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS

All formats

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
–		1			DEAD SPACE 3	VISCERAL GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
2		2			FIFA 13	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
3		3			CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS II	TREYARCH	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
4		4			FAR CRY 3	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
5		5			HITMAN: HD TRILOGY	IO INTERACTIVE	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
1		6			NI NO KUNI: WRATH OF THE WHITE WITCH	LEVEL 5	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES	NAMCO BANDAI GAMES
7		7			NEED FOR SPEED MOST WANTED	CRITERION GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
8		8			JUST DANCE 4	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
9		9			HITMAN ABSOLUTION	IO INTERACTIVE	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
18		10			SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED	SUMO DIGITAL	SEGA	SEGA
10		11			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM	BETHESDA	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
6		12			ASSASSIN’S CREED III	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
13		13			HALO 4	343 INDUSTRIES	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
14		14			FORZA HORIZON	PLAYGROUND GAMES	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
15		15			SKYLANDERS GIANTS	TOYS FOR BOB	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
12		16			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2013	SPORTS INTERACTIVE	SEGA	SEGA
17		17			LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
16		18			LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
–		19			MADDEN NFL 13	EA TIBURON	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
21		20			FORZA MOTORSPORT 4	TURN 10 STUDIOS	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
26		21			GRAND THEFT AUTO IV	ROCKSTAR NORTH	XBOX 360 CLASSICS	TAKE 2
22		22			BORDERLANDS 2	GEARBOX SOFTWARE	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
29		23			MEDAL OF HONOR: WARFIGHTER	DANGER CLOSE	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
25		24			GRAN TURISMO 5 ACADEMY EDITION	POLYPHONY DIGITAL	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
11		25			DMC	NINJA THEORY	CAPCOM	CAPCOM
23		26			DISHONORED	ARKANE STUDIOS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
28		27			DEAD ISLAND GOTY EDITION	TECHLAND	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
19		28			WWE ’13	YUKE’S	THQ	THQ
27		29			ANGRY BIRDS TRILOGY	ROVIO	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
30		30			GRAND THEFT AUTO EPISODES – LIBERTY CITY	ROCKSTAR NORTH	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
20		31			SLEEPING DOGS	UNITED FRONT GAMES	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
33		32			MARIO & SONIC LONDON 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES	SEGA	SEGA	SEGA
38		33			UNCHARTED 3: DRAKE’S DECEPTION GOTY	NAUGHTY DOG	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
35		34			NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. 2	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
36		35			PRO EVOLUTION SOCCER 2013	KONAMI DIGITAL ENTERTAINMENT	KONAMI	KONAMI
–		36			DISNEY EPIC MICKEY 2: THE POWER OF TWO	BLITZ GAMES	DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS	DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
39		37			LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 5-7	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
34		38			XCOM: ENEMY UNKNOWN	FIRAXIS	2K GAMES	TAKE 2
–		39			BATTLEFIELD 3	DIGITAL ILLUSIONS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
31		40			PAPER MARIO STICKER STAR	INTELLIGENT SYSTEMS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO

Source 1, Source 2

Activision has confirmed that it won’t be releasing the Wii U version of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct in Australia.

A statement sent out by the publisher explains the decision:

“As with every game release, publishers decide which platforms to release based on customer demand. Unfortunately it wasn’t there for the Wii U sku on The Walking Dead.”

This isn’t the first Activision game that Australia will be missing out on. 007 Legends also never made it to the continent.

Source