Through a hub page on Nintendo’s North American website, we found out yesterday that Oddworld: New ‘n’ Tasty is set for launch on the Wii U eShop next Thursday. Oddworld Inhabitants has since officially confirmed the news, and also says that the European release is happening on the same day.
At this time, there’s no word on pricing for PAL regions. There should be a 25 percent discount just like in North America, however.
Earlier today, we heard from Nintendo president Tatsumi Kimishima that the company is “looking” at VR. But not so fast: there likely won’t be any movement in this area anytime soon.
The Wall Street Journal reporter Takashi Mochizuki spoke with Kimishima following the release of Nintendo’s financial results. When asked if there’s interest in VR, he again said yes, and added that as the head of a game firm, no one can say “not interested”. However, Kimishima added that more time and effort are needed to assess technology.
Update: Some are wondering if the Wall Street Journal’s quote about NX news was referring to how the platform will interact with mobile, rather than the system itself. We’re attaching the relevant excerpt below. Make of it what you will!
Analysts expect Miitomo, developed in partnership with mobile-game platform operator DeNA Inc., to contribute little to earnings. It will be free to download and built around communications features, meaning users won’t spend a lot for add-on items in a race for high scores.
Analysts have been watching for indications of how Nintendo’s mobile game will interact with a next-generation system that Nintendo has under development, code-named NX.
Mr. Kimishima said Tuesday that the company will provide an update “not too late in the course of this year.”
Analysts expect Nintendo NX to be unveiled in spring, with a possible release in October or November.
“Nintendo’s NX and smartphone games will be a test case for the videogame industry’s trend of trying to merge smart-device games and console-based games,” said Junko Yamamura, an analyst at Nomura Securities.
Nintendo didn’t have much at all to say about NX as part of the release of its financial results today. However, president Tatsumi Kimishima did share a slight tease regarding when we can expect to hear something concrete about the platform. Kimishima mentioned that the company will share an update “not too late in the course of this year.”
Many are counting on Nintendo to showcase NX at E3 in June. Given Kimishima’s statement though, maybe company may have something to say before then. Or maybe not. We shall see!
Update: Going to leave this here. The third mobile game may feature a top IP as well, according to Dr. Serkan Toto.
By the way, I heard the third app from Nintendo/DeNA in 2016 will also be a game featuring top IP. (These are separate from Pokemon GO.)
— Dr. Serkan Toto (@serkantoto) February 2, 2016
Thus far, we’ve only seen one mobile app from Nintendo. Miitomo, a title centered around communication, was unveiled last October with plans for release by March.
Miitomo isn’t the only mobile game Nintendo and DeNA are working on. As for what else we can expect? Nintendo president and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima teased today:
“The second game won’t be another communication app, and we plan to adopt one of our characters that fans are very familiar with.”
LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens has been officially announced following a number of leaks over the past few hours. The game will drop on June 28.
Below is a recap of information:
“LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens takes players deeper into the new film than any other game with all of the heroic characters from the movie, including Rey, Finn, Poe Dameron, Han Solo, Chewbacca, C-3PO, and BB-8, as well as Kylo Ren, General Hux and Captain Phasma, while also exploring iconic Star Wars locales, such as Jakku and Starkiller Base.
This action-packed adventure introduces new gameplay features, including the enhanced “Multi-Builds” system, where players can choose from multiple building options to advance the game. Gamers will be able to engage in intense new Blaster Battles for the first time, utilizing surrounding environments to drive back the First Order. Fans can also experience the thrill of high-speed flight gameplay through arena-based battles and dogfights in space, while utilizing a multitude of vehicles along the way, including the legendary Millennium Falcon.”
And here’s the complete announcement trailer (about twice as long as the teaser we posted a few hours ago):
Amazon is already taking pre-orders as we speak. If you’re a LEGO fan and have Amazon Prime, you may want to jump on a pricing error fast. All versions of the game, including Wii U and 3DS, are currently 40 percent off for such members
(update: now dead).
This week’s Famitsu review scores are as follows:
Shin Megami Tensei IV Final (3DS) – 9/9/8/9
Crypt of the NecroDancer (PS4?PSV) – 8/8/7/8
Gakuyu Unmei Kyodotai ~Friends in the Same RPG~ – (3DS) – 8/7/7/7
Touhou Koukishin (PS4) – 7/7/7/6
Last May, Nintendo announced that it would be teaming up with Universal Parks & Resorts to create the first “dedicated experiences based on Nintendo’s wildly popular games, characters and worlds”. We haven’t heard much about the partnership since, and there still isn’t much news, but we do have one extra nugget. We now have confirmation that Japan is also involved with the partnership, meaning Universal Studios Osaka should be involved.
The leaks for LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens continue to roll on in. Warner Bros. was officially set to announce the game with a teaser later today, but the video has arrived earlier than expected. You can view it below.
