Nintendo has shared a new screenshot from Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, confirming the return of Rambi. You can find it below.

Source

More: Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Rambi the Rhino, Retro Studios

Ubisoft is open to exploring a Feudal Japan setting for the Assassin’s Creed series, according to Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag creative director Jean Guesdon.

In an interview with VG247, Guesdon said:

“Feudal Japan remains – like numerous other time periods and locations – a possible future setting for the franchise because thanks to the Animus. The entire human history is our playground.”

Feudal Japan is just one of a few locations Ubisoft seems to be interested in. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag director Ashraf Ismail mentioned in October how he’d like to explore Egypt.

Source, Via

More: Assassin's Creed, Jean Guesdon, Ubisoft

Scirra’s HTML game creation tool Construct 2 is in the pipeline for Wii U, the company has announced. The tech works in conjunction with Nintendo Web Framework so that new and existing titles can be ported over to the system.

Scirra hopes to make Construct 2’s initial release on Wii U available “soon”. “Engineering work is currently being done to make sure everything is running smoothly,” today’s announcement states.

In order to take advantage of Construct 2’s Wii U support, developers will need to become an authorized Nintendo developer. A Construct 2 license will also be required to export games to the console.

Source

More: Construct 2, Nintendo Web Framework, Scirra

Team Kakumei confirmed on Twitter yesterday that the indie group is now an official Wii U developer. The studio’s first order of business will be to bring the Ouya title Wrecking Balls Arena over to the eShop as “Wrecking Balls Arena DX”.

Wrecking Balls Arena DX can be considered a sequel/expansion to the initial game. It will sport new stages, items and gameplay elements. As of now, a tentative 2014 release is planned.

Team Kakumei staffer Jonathon Bont spoke about the ease in which the group became a Wii U developer on Twitter, commenting:

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More: indie, Jonathon Bont, Team Kakumei, Wrecking Balls Arena DX

USK has rated KickBeat for Wii U, likely signaling an upcoming release of Zen Studios’ game on Nintendo’s console. Nothing has been made official at this time, but I imagine we’ll be seeing an announcement in the future. We’ll keep you up to date with any official news that comes in.

Source, Via

More: indie, KickBeat, USK, Zen Studios

In a strange turn of events, it would seem that Gateway’s 3DS flash cards are bricking systems when users attempt to modify a particular file on the device. Basically, the piracy-enabling technology is attempting to prevent itself from being pirated. Yep, strange.

There have been plenty of reports about the situation over on the GBATemp forums, which have picked up due to the recent region-lock workaround discovery. 3DS owners who have modified a file within Gateway’s device appear to activate a “kill switch”, corrupting the 3DS’ NAND flash memory and leaving them with a dead handhanld.

Here’s what Gateway is saying about the situation:

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More: Gateway, top

Last November, Square Enix trademarked “The Seeds of Salvation” (and “Luminaries of the Legendary Line”) in Japan. And just last week, Square Enix filed a trademark for the same name in the US. Is this another sign of a potential Dragon Quest 3DS game localization for the states?

Source

More: Luminaries of the Legendary Line, Square Enix, trademark

Nintendo is facing some tough times at the moment. Wii U isn’t selling like the company had hoped, forecasts have been slashed, and its shares are falling.

In light of these circumstances, analysts and others will continue to say that Nintendo should put its IPs on smart devices. Nintendo, though, is sticking to its guns.

During a news conference last Friday, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata reaffirmed the hardware manufacturer’s commitment to consoles, and indicated that we won’t be seeing Mario on smartphones anytime soon.

“The spread of smart devices does not spell the end of game consoles. It’s not that simple. It doesn’t mean that we should put Mario on smartphones.”

Iwata added that Nintendo must determine how to best use smartphones so that consumers become aware of its games.

Source

More: Mario, Satoru Iwata, top

This week’s European Nintendo Downloads are as follows:

Wii U Download

Unepic – €9.99 / £8.99

Wii U Virtual Console

Super Mario Bros: The Lost Levels – €4.99 / £4.49

3DS Download

Bella Sara 2 – The Magic of Drasilmare – €34.99 / £29.99

3DS Virtual Console

Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom – €3.99 / £3.59

Special Offers

Rage of the Gladiator – €3.49 / £3.19 until Feb. 6 (was €6.99 / £6.29)
Fractured Soul – €3.99 / £3.59 until Feb. 6 (was €7.99 / £7.19)
3D Game Collection – €5.99 / £5.99 until Feb. 9 (was €13.99 / £11.99)
Funfair Party Games – €6.99 / £6.99 until Feb. 9 (was €19.99 / £17.99)
Gardenscapes – €5.99 / £5.99 until Feb. 9 (was €14.99 / £14.99)
Murder on the Titanic – €5.99 / £4.99 until Feb. 9 (was €14.99 / £14.99)
Secret Agent Files: Miami – €6.99 / £5.79 until Feb. 9 (was €7.99 / £6.99)
Jewel Match 3 – €5.99 / £4.99 until Feb. 9 (was €6.99 / £5.99)
3D MahJongg – €3.99 / £3.29 until Feb. 9 (was €4.99 / £4.49)
Boulder Dash-XL 3D – €2.99 / £2.49 until Jan. 30 (was €8.99 / £7.49)
Alien Chaos 3D – €1.99 / £1.59 until Jan. 30 (was €5.99 / £4.99)
AiRace Speed – €2.99 / £2.69 until Feb. 13 (was €4.99 / £4.49)

Source: Nintendo PR

More: Europe, Nintendo Download, top, Virtual Console

This week’s UK software sales are as follows:

Individual formats

LW		TW			Title	Format	Label	Publisher
1		1			FIFA 14	PS4	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
4		2			KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL	PS4	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
7		3			MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
6		4			FIFA 14	XB360	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
5		5			CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	PS4	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
10		6			FIFA 14	XB ONE	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
8		7			BATTLEFIELD 4	PS4	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
12		8			FIFA 14	PS3	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
2		9			CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	XB360	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
9		10			ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	XB360	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
14		11			ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	PS4	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
13		12			BATTLEFIELD 4	XB ONE	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
3		13			GRAND THEFT AUTO V	XB360	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
15		14			FORZA MOTORSPORT 5	XB ONE	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
19		15			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014	PC	SEGA	SEGA
17		16			BATTLEFIELD 4	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
24		17			LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES	XB360	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
20		18			CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	XB ONE	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
23		19			LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES	PS4	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
26		20			ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES	XB360	SEGA	SEGA
25		21			DEAD RISING 3	XB ONE	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
18		22			ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	PS3	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
11		23			GRAND THEFT AUTO V	PS3	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
–		24			MARIO PARTY: ISLAND TOUR	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
22		25			NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS	PS4	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
21		26			JUST DANCE 2014	WII	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
31		27			BATTLEFIELD 4	PS3	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
30		28			KNACK	PS4	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
27		29			NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS	XB360	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
16		30			CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	PS3	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
29		31			RYSE: SON OF ROME	XB ONE	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
33		32			ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	XB ONE	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
32		33			GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT	XB360	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
36		34			ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES	PS3	SEGA	SEGA
28		35			GRAN TURISMO 6	PS3	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
34		36			WWE 2K14	XB360	2K SPORTS	TAKE 2
38		37			POKEMON X	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
40		38			SAINTS ROW IV	XB360	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
39		39			POKEMON Y	3DS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		40			LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES	PS3	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE

All formats

LW		TW			Title	Developer	Label	Publisher
1		1			FIFA 14	EA CANADA	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
2		2			CALL OF DUTY: GHOSTS	INFINITY WARD	ACTIVISION	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
3		3			BATTLEFIELD 4	DIGITAL ILLUSIONS	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
4		4			ASSASSIN’S CREED IV: BLACK FLAG	UBISOFT (MONTREAL)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
6		5			LEGO MARVEL SUPER HEROES	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
8		6			KILLZONE: SHADOW FALL	GUERRILLA GAMES	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
7		7			NEED FOR SPEED: RIVALS	GHOST GAMES	EA GAMES	ELECTRONIC ARTS
9		8			MINECRAFT: XBOX 360 EDITION	4J STUDIOS	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
5		9			GRAND THEFT AUTO V	ROCKSTAR NORTH	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
10		10			ALIENS: COLONIAL MARINES	GEARBOX SOFTWARE	SEGA	SEGA
11		11			JUST DANCE 2014	UBISOFT (FRANCE)	UBISOFT	UBISOFT
12		12			FORZA MOTORSPORT 5	TURN 10 STUDIOS	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
14		13			FOOTBALL MANAGER 2014	SPORTS INTERACTIVE	SEGA	SEGA
15		14			WWE 2K14	YUKE’S	2K SPORTS	TAKE 2
13		15			BATMAN: ARKHAM ORIGINS	WB GAMES MONTREAL	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
19		16			NBA 2K14	VISUAL CONCEPTS	2K SPORTS	TAKE 2
18		17			DEAD RISING 3	CAPCOM VANCOUVER	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
–		18			MARIO PARTY: ISLAND TOUR	ND CUBE	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
26		19			LEGO BATMAN 2: DC SUPER HEROES	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
16		20			DEAD ISLAND: RIPTIDE	TECHLAND	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
27		21			KNACK	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
23		22			LEGO THE LORD OF THE RINGS	TRAVELLER’S TALES	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
22		23			DISNEY INFINITY	AVALANCHE SOFTWARE	DISNEY INFINITY	DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
21		24			MAX PAYNE 3	ROCKSTAR VANCOUVER	ROCKSTAR	TAKE 2
24		25			SAINTS ROW IV	DEEP SILVER VOLITION	DEEP SILVER	KOCH MEDIA
17		26			TOMB RAIDER	CRYSTAL DYNAMICS	SQUARE ENIX	SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
25		27			RYSE: SON OF ROME	CRYTEK	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
28		28			SKYLANDERS SWAP FORCE	BEENOX	SKYLANDERS	ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
29		29			GRID 2	CODEMASTERS	CODEMASTERS	CODEMASTERS
30		30			GEARS OF WAR: JUDGMENT	EPIC GAMES/PEOPLE CAN FLY	MICROSOFT	MICROSOFT
20		31			GRAN TURISMO 6	POLYPHONY DIGITAL	SONY COMPUTER ENT.	SONY COMPUTER ENT.
33		32			SONIC & ALL STARS RACING TRANSFORMED	SUMO DIGITAL	SEGA	SEGA
31		33			POKEMON X	GAME FREAK	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
32		34			POKEMON Y	GAME FREAK	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		35			INJUSTICE: GODS AMONG US ULTIMATE ED.	HIGH VOLTAGE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE	WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
38		36			THE ELDER SCROLLS V: SKYRIM – LEGENDARY	BETHESDA	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS	BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
–		37			SUPER MARIO 3D WORLD	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
36		38			THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: LINK BETWEEN WORLDS	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO
–		39			MADDEN NFL 25	EA TIBURON	EA SPORTS	ELECTRONIC ARTS
35		40			ANIMAL CROSSING: NEW LEAF	NINTENDO	NINTENDO	NINTENDO

Source 1, Source 2

More: Chart-Track, charts, sales, top, UK