The latest episode of GameTrailers TV just wrapped up a few minutes ago, as did the show’s interview with Reggie Fils-Aime.
During the discussion, Geoff Keighley asked the Nintendo of America president about first-party titles that are in development for Wii U. Reggie responded by assuring that Shigeru Miyamoto, the staffers at EAD, and Retro are working on “fantastic projects.”
“… Rest assured, Mr. Miyamoto, the team at EAD are working on fantastic projects. Rest assured that Retro is working on a fantastic project. We’ve got big games in development that will be coming that will continue to drive the install base of the system. All of that’s going to be there.”
Reggie was then probed about when we could be hearing about these projects. He said that news will be shared “in all likelihood during E3”, adding that it “really depends on the progress of the games.” Announcements could be made a little bit before E3, or perhaps a littler bit after.
There’s a problem with the Wii version of FIFA 13. You see, it’s practically the same exact game as FIFA 12. It’s true that the squads and kits have been updated, but that’s pretty much it.
Same styles. Same visuals. Same menus.
It’s rather odd seeing something like this, but potential FIFA 13 buyers should be aware of this.
Nintendo promised downloadable content for New Super Mario Bros. 2. Today, the company finally provided a look at DLC in the game through a (very short) Nintendo Direct presentation.
Take a look below:
So here’s the deal. Starting on October 2, New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC will be released for 200 yen a piece.
There are three packs planned. First up is “Go! Go! Gold Mario Pack”, which offers three courses and up to 30,000 coins. Next, “Challenge the Record Pack A”. Those who receive the top worldwide scores will be featured on the site’s homepage. Last but not least is “Survival Panic Pack” for the best players out there.
Keep in mind that DLC packs aren’t random. There are fixed three stages each.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 owners will be able to access DLC via the “Shop” button on the bottom of the Coin Rush mode menu. You’ll need to read a SpotPass notice for this to appear – this should be delivered on October 2 mid-day.
Details on Nintendo’s North American plans should be coming shortly.
A pair of DSiWare titles have been dated for North America.
Gamelion’s Academy: Chess Puzzles will be available on the 3DS/DSi shops on October 4 for $1.99 / 200 points. Teyon is publishing Robot Rescue 2 one week later. This is priced at $1.99 / 200 points as well.
You may remember a statement made by Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata earlier this year in which he said that sales of the 3DS in the United States and Europe have been “weak” compared to the performance in Japan.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime, responding to this and the handheld’s sales in general, jokingly said:
“When he said that, I had a sharp pain in my neck. It was in the middle of the night, and I viscerally reacted to it.”
Fils-Aime followed up with more serious commentary, confirming that sales in Japan have indeed been better than sales in North America:
Update 2: Both presentations are 3DS-related and will have a smaller focus. There’s some speculation that this will be about just one game.
Update: George claims in other tweets that a Japanese broadcast will be shown at 8:00 PM PDT / 11:00 PM EDT. The English event should be soon after this, but “may or may not be tonight.”
Out of the blue, Nintendo of America has apparently confirmed that it will host its own Nintendo Direct tonight. It looks like this will be a NA-specific broadcast as Nintendo’s Japanese/European divisions haven’t announced anything on their end.
Strangely, the upcoming Nintendo Direct isn’t mentioned on NoA’s Facebook or Twitter accounts. We’re only hearing about this through IGN’s Rich George.
If this is really happening tonight, we should have more news very soon.
Ninja Gaiden III director Yosuke Hayashi is very much a supporter of Wii U. In an interview with the Official Nintendo Magazine, Hayashi noted that the GamePad and hardware “could get many people to pay attention to console games once again.”
“The biggest difference compared to other Nintendo hardware released until now is that it is not trying to complete with ‘only one’ feature. Obviously, the Wii U GamePad is a huge feature, but the Wii U isn’t only about that. There’s the hardware performance, network capabilities and, of course, the titles that fully utilise these aspects. From this all-encompassing gaming abilitity I get the impression that this hardware could get many people to pay attention to console games once again.”
Hayashi went on to discuss Miiverse, which he believes “has the potential to become a kind of virtual amusement park for game fans.” On a personal note, he’s excited about the feature.
“The biggest change of direction from the Wii would be the Miiverse. It’s usually introduced as a social networking tool, but I feel it has the potential to become a kind of virtual amusement park for game fans. With SNS [Social Networking Sites] making a lot of unique advancements, as a gamer, I am excited to see how the Miiverse will grow within the realm of console games.”
