Nintendo released official videos for Konami’s Soccer, Image Fight II, Field Combat, and Metro-Cross on the Japanese Wii U Virtual Console. Watch them below.
Those who plan on picking up Xenoblade Chronicles X can download four data packs for the game. These are intended to improve loading times and enhance the overall gaming experience.
In North America, each one of the data packs has been up since November 12. We knew they’d be heading to Europe as well – it was just a matter of when. And now we have an exact date, thanks to a response from Nintendo UK’s customer support team. Wii U owners in Europe can begin downloading the packs starting on Monday.
The only Yo-kai Watch title we’ve seen from Level-5 on a Nintendo console is the upcoming Yo-kai Watch Dance: Just Dance Special Version. But could the studio expand its efforts to bring a proper title to Wii U, or even NX? Company CEO Akihiro Hino is certainly open to the possibility.
Hino said he “would definitely want to proactively consider it,” if Level-5 has a title that would make sense as a Wii U game. Taking things further, Hino expressed interest in potentially making games for NX if it can “bring Level-5 games to as many kids as possible.” Speaking broadly about Level-5, he added that if the company finds this to be the case, “it wouldn’t be impossible” to see its games on the system.
Hino also addressed Pokemon again, which has seen some comparisons to Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch series. He believes the two can coexist peacefully. Hino mentioned: “If kids are willing to buy both of them, I couldn’t be happier.”
Splatoon will be updated with the Slosher Deco in just a few hours. Get an early look at the weapon in the video below.
SEGA will be hosting a new live stream for various games on Monday, including Shin Megami Tensei IV Final. It’ll be shown on Niconico at the following times:
– 3:55 AM PT – 5:15 AM PT
– 6:55 AM ET – 8:15 AM ET
– 11:55 AM in the UK – 1:15 PM in the UK
– 12:55 PM in Europe – 2:15 PM in Europe
Producer Kazuyuki Yamai will be on hand to show more from Shin Megami Tensei IV Final. We’ll be getting a new look at the battle system, the Sukuna-Hikona boss fight, and the Kanda area.
Natsume has kicked off a new sale on the North American Wii U and 3DS eShops. The publisher’s lineup has been discounted by 50 percent, and is comprised of the following titles:
3DS eShop
A-Train: City Simulator – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Brave Tank Hero – $2.49 (was $4.99)
Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove 3D – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Gabrielle’s Ghostly Groove Mini – $1.99 (was $3.99)
Gotcha Racing – $2.99 (was $5.99)
Harvest Moon: A New Beginning – $19.99 (was $29.99)
Harvest Moon: The Lost Valley – $19.99 (was $29.99)
Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Hometown Story – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Reel Fishing 3D Paradise – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Reel Fishing 3D Paradise Mini – $1.99 (was $3.99)
Yumi’s Odd Odyssey – $9.99 (was $19.99)
Wii U eShop
Alphadia Genesis – $7.49 (was $14.99)
Brave Tank Hero – $2.99 (was $5.99)
Ninja Strike – $2.99 (was $5.99)
These offers will last through next Monday.
Nintendo is hosting another National StreetPass Weekend in just a few days. The event will begin on November 26, and will last through November 29.
3DS owners can visit over 29,000 Nintendo Zone hotspots across North America to participate and earn StreetPass tags. Also, you can stop by participating McDonald’s locations and connect to Nintendo Zone to receive Hoopa in Pokemon Y, Pokemon Y, Pokemon Omega Ruby, and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.
Back in the day, Nintendo and Sony once attempted to work with each other. The SNES PlayStation prototype is evidence of that. Had the two sides collaborated, Sony would have come out with its own SNES-CD peripheral for the console.
NES designer Masayuki Uemura, in an interview with Gamasutra, spoke about Nintendo and Sony’s failed partnership during a NES celebration at The Strong Museum of Play’s International Center for the History of Electronic Games. Whereas companies like Sony began to focus on graphics and the technological side of gaming at the time, Nintendo still pushed for innovation with design.
Uemura said:
“You might know that we tried to collaborate with Sony once. We knew what Sony was thinking and what kinds of things they were trying to develop. During this time when Sony and other companies started launching products, people started realizing how difficult it is to create a game with great mechanics. Since the time of Game & Watch, Nintendo was doing their best to create game design mechanics that fully utilize the limited technological specifications. What happened was when they started launching those products with high quality graphic design they started emphasizing the graphics processing power – in other words, it wasn’t just the game mechanics they had to focus on but they also had to focus on graphic expression and sound design, not just game design. That’s how the market got saturated with all these kinds of products.
“By contrast, Nintendo was always trying to push the limitations of new types of play. That was a difference between Nintendo product lines and the others. With the maturity of the game industry…it was time to start thinking about redefining the importance of mechanics and design. So for a couple decades the game publishers and hardware manufacturers were focusing on graphics processing power and sound effects and so forth and not focusing much on innovating in game design and mechanics.”
Update: Wii U should still be on the table, but 3DS is essentially confirmed. It’s hidden in the copyright bits towards the end of the game’s trailer.
Vblank Entertainment has finally announced its next game: “Shakedown Hawaii”. The project is a follow up to Retro City Rampage, but now features 16-bit visuals.
Here’s a brief overview:
“Shakedown Hawaii brings the Vblank open world universe into the 16-bit era, powered up with destructible environments and an arsenal of supercharged weapons. Taking place some thirty years after the events of Retro City Rampage, the game follows The Player as he comes out of early retirement to rebuild his neglected corporate empire.”
Shakedown Hawaii is said to be heading to Nintendo platforms. Presumably, that should mean we’ll be seeing it on either Wii U and/or 3DS.
A trailer for Shakedown Hawaii is posted below. More information will be shared at the PlayStation Experience next weekend.
Nintendo has posted an extended version of the “Survival” commercial/trailer that we posted on Sunday. You can view it below.