28th June 2011 – In preparation for the launch of the new epic RPG, Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii in Europe on 2nd September 2011, Nintendo has created an exclusive pre-order bundle for Xenoblade Chronicles. The bundle will consist of the critically acclaimed game along with a red Classic Controller Pro and features a reversible cover including the alternative cover artwork chosen by fans in our recent online poll. Fans will also receive three exclusive posters electronically signed by the founder of Monolith Software, Tetsuya Takahashi.*
Xenoblade Chronicles takes you to the stunning lands of Bionis and Mechonis. The landscapes are vast, offering over 100 hours of immersive gameplay. Whatever you see in the distance can be reached, giving you real freedom to explore and plot your way around quests. Combat is in real time and you are free to roam the seamless universe without having to endure random encounters, making Xenoblade Chronicles a real departure from traditional RPGs.
Although Heroes of Ruin was fully playable at E3, n-Space and Square Enix have yet to publish a single second of footage. I found that to be rather odd, since I thought that we’d at least see a full-blown trailer before the trade shown ended. Fortunately, those who are interested in the game won’t have to wait much longer to see some in-game action.
According to Square Enix’s Mike Oldman, a trailer is on the way. Oldman told fans on the site’s official forums that “We’re working on a trailer right now. Expect to see some gameplay very soon guys.” He also added on Twitter earlier today, “So I watched a cut of our gameplay trailer for #HeroesOfRuin today. Not long to wait now guys. It’s looking pretty sweeeet.”
The situation with the inability to remove saved data in Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D has kind of gotten out of control. Initially, GameStop had no intention of letting consumers trade in their games before reversing their decision yesterday. GameFly won’t let users rent the game while HVM outlets in the UK will be denying all trade-in requests.
Clearly this has become a significant issue. As a result, Capcom has responded to the controversy that has essentially escalated in just 24 hours. Here’s what they had to say…
Hi everyone. I know there are a lot of questions about the save data for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, and we’ll try to answer as best as we can.
First, here’s the official statement:
‘In Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D, all mission progress is saved directly to the Nintendo 3DS cartridge, where it cannot be reset. The nature of the game invites high levels of replayability, encouraging fans to improve mission scores. The save mechanic ensures that both original and unlocked game content will be available to all users. Secondhand game sales were not a factor in this development decision, and we hope that all our consumers will be able to enjoy the entirety of the survival-action experiences that the game does offer. ‘
Second, here’s the gist:
The situation for Rayman Origins and Nintendo platforms has been a bit confusing. Ubisoft announced the game for Wii just a few days before E3. Later, we saw the title pop up on a 3DS game list published by Nintendo, though it wasn’t on the Wii list.
But yes, Rayman Origins has been 100% confirmed for both platforms. Nintendo Power has the scoop on the game in their upcoming issue. The magazine has the following blurb in the table of contents:
“Rayman is finally back in action in Rayman Origins! Get all the details on this visually stunning four-player platformer that’s making its way to Wii and Nintendo 3DS.”
According to a Famitsu poll, readers were most pleased with Nintendo’s showing at E3 2011. Additionally, fans voted The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword as the most anticipated title from the event. Satoru Iwata took home the award for the person who had the greatest impact at E3.
Although gamers were pleased with Nintendo, one analyst was not. SMBC Nikko Securities analyst Eiji Maeda shared the following comments with Famitsu:
“Nintendo’s stock price plummeted after the Wii U announcement, partly because of 3DS sales falling below expectations. I also think that while the E3 presentation explained the device well, the mainstream press just described it as a ‘tablet controller’ and didn’t make a great effort to push the value of it. It was a lot easier for people to get the impression that Sony was trying hard with the PS Vita, especially on the price.”
Maeda also commented on the show overall:
“I think it was the most interesting E3 in several years. The hardware conferences had a lot of impact, as did the sheer number of third-party titles. The popularity of Capcom’s booth was also something that caught my eye. While they didn’t get the flashy displays of the console titles, there were a lot of private showings held for smartphone and social games, and a great deal of companies are putting a remarkable amount of resources into those markets.”
Game-shop owner Hisako Akitani also provided some commentary, discussing how she was disappointed by the lack of Japanese games at E3:
“Activision and the other Western third parties put on a good show, but my impression was that Japanese publishers weren’t putting in much effort. I’d like to think that they were saving their ‘A’ game for the Tokyo Game Show, but it was still disappointing.”
