This information comes from Vigil Games’ Jay Fitzloff…
“We’re not trying to bump up or bump down, but we reached it, and it wasn’t hard. Once we got it up and running it was like ‘cool, there it is.’ We’re still waiting on that final hardware and architecture, and help from Nintendo to figure that out. Right now, it looks like it’s more than the 360 or PlayStation 3, but there’s still a question mark about how much you can squeeze out of it. You know how it is, a new system, tricks get learned as the lifespan goes along, so this is where we’re starting, and it looks good. There was pressure originally as we only got the Wii U development kits about six weeks before E3 and wanted to get it up and running. Learning new hardware is the hardest part, it’s uncharted territory. You have a problem with Xbox, you call up, and the answers online – it’s all ready. Whereas this time, you call up after finding a problem, and they’re like ‘wow, we don’t know, let us know if you find an answer!’ It’s not hurting the other platforms because to get Wii U running we need dedicated heads to think about how we’re going use the Wii U platform to make the game cool.”
This is how I expect most Wii U versions of PS3/360 games to be. They’ll have a different control scheme and they might look a bit better, but they’ll still provide the same experience. The thing is, if companies want these games to sell, they might need to provide more of an incentive to make them more appealing to consumers. I doubt most gamers will hold off on picking up the Wii U version if they’ll be available months ahead on other platforms.
Launching Shinobi in November? Doesn’t sound like a smart move to me. By then, Super Mario 3D, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Mario Kart 3D will probably have been released… or they will shortly thereafter.
Shinobi Hits Late 2011 and CRUSH3D Early 2012
SEGA Europe Ltd. And SEGA of America today confirmed the release dates for two of their most anticipated Nintendo 3DS™ titles. Shinobi™ will be released on November 15, 2011, while CRUSH3D™ will be released on February 21, 2012.
Shinobi for Nintendo 3DS will put players in the shoes of Jiro Musashi, the father of Joe Musashi from the original 1989 release, offering a glimpse into Musashi family history. Sporting a vast story mode as well as an innovative, yet to be announced StreetPass™ mode, Shinobi will keep players coming back for more ninja action.
First Pokémon Game for Hand-Held Nintendo 3DS System Includes Fast-Paced Battles, Social Play Features and More Than 600 Pokémon
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Starting this fall, Pokémon™ fans will be able to experience the franchise’s battle-based action and adventure in a whole new dimension. Nintendo of America has announced an Oct. 24 launch date for Pokémon™ Rumble Blast, the first Pokémon game created exclusively for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS™ system. An action-packed Pokémon adventure in 3D without the need for special glasses, the game lets players battle against waves of opposing wind-up Toy Pokémon, connect and play with friends, and collect more than 600 Toy Pokémon.
As players advance through each stage in Pokémon Rumble Blast, their Toy Pokémon will face dozens of Toy Pokémon at once, creating fast and furious real-time battles. Players must also face off against giant Boss Pokémon, whose massive size and strength offer special challenges. Certain defeated Toy Pokémon can be added to the player’s team, and players may also collect special Toy Pokémon, each with its own unique stats and abilities. Players can collect more than 600 Toy Pokémon in all, including those from the recently released Pokémon Black Version and Pokémon White Version games. Players can quickly and easily switch between the various Toy Pokémon they collect throughout the game.
There has been a lot of fuss lately about Nintendo —specifically Nintendo of America— slacking off when it comes to localizing Japanese games like Xenoblade and The Last Story. This made a lot of game-centric websites, including IGN, compare Nintendo-published titles that were exclusive to either Europe and America in an attempt to pin the blame on Nintendo of America “dropping the ball.”
That’s all well and good, but what about the games we never got to play in English? What about all the games that neither international branch attempted to translate? That’s why I thought it was worth taking a look at all the weird and wonderful games that never left Japan at all. Obviously there was a ton of stuff that was never translated, but I’ll be limiting it to Nintendo-published games released over the last ten years and leaving out a few unremarkable games (unless you really want to read about virtual Japanese dictionaries). As well as a brief overview of each game, I’ll speculate as to why they were never officially translated and then weigh up how much of a loss it really was that the game was never localized. This will be measured in the only unit that can accurately portray an amount of distaste towards Nintendo of America: Reggies.
Despite Nintendo’s statement saying that Xenoblade, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower will not be released in North America (for now at least), Operation Rainfall is still going strong. Fans continue to write on Nintendo of America’s Facebook page and send in emails.
Last week, the movement added a new tactic to their campaign: letters sent through the mail. However, Nintendo is simply sending out a plain, blanket letter in response.
Capcom, like many third-party publishers, have been mysterious about revealing any plans they have in store for Wii U. The only nugget we’ve heard about previously came from Christian Svensson who said that the company discussing how to approach the console.
Recently, Capcom Europe head David Reeves provided a few additional tidbits. Apparently Capcom has been working on prototypes, but weren’t able to show any content at E3 last month. Interestingly, Reeves hints that there might be some Wii U news at the Tokyo Game Show in September:
“Capcom haven’t announced anything officially on Wii U. I think they have done prototypes. There are only so many things you can get ready for E3 [laughs]. But they might show something at the Tokyo Games Show which is where Wii U is more focused on. I haven’t seen anything personally myself but since the companies are quite close, I am sure they must be looking at something.
“Some of the big names like Ubisoft and EA said that they will support it. I think Riccitiello was on stage at E3 and said ‘I am going to support it’, and when they say that, they will.”
A considerable amount of Wii U titles announced so far will be available on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. What does Reeves think about that?
“Never underestimate Nintendo though. You suddenly think ‘how have they managed to sell so many?’. Wii Sports and something like that…people play for ten minutes. They become tired and they stop playing. I think Nintendo will bounce back. I think they will come out with some original First Party titles. Nintendo has amazing First Party and that’s what drives it.”
