Club Nintendo members in Europe can order a new reward starting today. Nintendo has added in “Premium Mario Playing Cards”. These are “super-shiny playing cards, decorated with images of your favourite Mario characters and power-ups.
You can place an order for the cards here. The set costs 3,000 points.
Reviews for Yoshi’s New Island have started to land. We’ve rounded up some of the early verdicts below.
Polygon – 7.5
Joystiq – 4 / 5
Eurogamer – 4 / 10
CVG – 6 / 10
Nintendo Life – 5 / 10
USGamer – 4 / 5
NintendoWorldReport – 7.5 / 10
DigitalSpy – 3 / 5
EDGE – 4 / 10
IGN – 7.9 / 10
GameSpot – 5 / 10
GameTrailers – 7.8 / 10
Destructoid – 7 / 10
Giant Bomb – 3 / 5
GamesRadar – 3 / 5
Shacknews – 5 / 10
A new wave of Nintendo songs are heading to Taiko no Tatsujin Wii U.
The game will soon be receiving Balloon Fight’s Balloon Trip song, Dr. Mario’s Fever, and a song from The Legend of Zelda. NES Remix tunes will also be offered.
All of the new songs will be available on March 19 for free.
Nintendo has launched a North American teaser site for Mario Golf: World Tour. You can find it here. Some screenshots are posted in the gallery above.
Thanks to Tytygh for the tip.
Last year, 3DS was the best-selling games console in the UK. MCV decided to ask PlayStation UK MD Fergal Gara if he believes this bodes well for Sony’s handheld device, the PlayStation Vita.
Gara said:
Well that just shows that playing on a dedicated handheld device has not gone, as many will try to suggest. We want to have a healthy share of that handheld market. But we are playing fairly differently to Nintendo 3DS, when you think that is a dedicated handheld device with a very strong showing amongst kids. Vita is positioned differently. Yes it appeals to kids but also to committed gamers and as a companion device for PlayStation 4. 3DS shows that the sector is still there and that Nintendo is doing very well in it, so there is a market to harness.
Yoshi and Baby Mario Team Up for an Eggs-traordinary Nintendo 3DS Adventure
REDMOND, Wash.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– It’s time to get egg-cited! Yoshi’s iconic green-dotted eggs have grown to gargantuan size in the Yoshi’s New Island game, launching for Nintendo 3DS on March 14. In his new platforming adventure, Yoshi once again moves from sidekick to hero and traverses a wide variety of worlds on a new island to help Baby Mario reunite with his kidnapped brother. Yoshi’s New Island is the third game in the beloved Yoshi’s Island series and features inventive new transformations, giant new eggs, colorful new art styles and a fun new multiplayer mode.
Yoshi’s New Island launches on the portable Nintendo 3DS system on March 14. The game includes new f …
Yoshi’s New Island launches on the portable Nintendo 3DS system on March 14. The game includes new features like massive Mega Eggdozers, inventive transformations with unique controls and a two-player multiplayer mode. (Photo: Business Wire)“Yoshi’s New Island will appeal to fans of the previous Yoshi’s Island games, but also to younger gamers who are experiencing the series for the first time,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “With Yoshi’s New Island, the slate of 2014 Nintendo 3DS games is off to an excellent start.”
Yoshi’s unique abilities are taken to new heights in Yoshi’s New Island. Similar to previous games, Yoshi can swallow enemies using his long tongue and turn them into eggs, which can be thrown to overcome challenges. This time, two giant eggs enter the mix: The massive Mega Eggdozer plows through the environment and opens up new areas, and the Metal Eggdozer can strategically be used to roll over enemies or explore underwater areas.
The new island that Yoshi and Baby Mario explore together contains six worlds full of a variety of levels. These levels don’t have a time limit, so players can take their time exploring as they progress through the game. The duo will visit all manners of different locales – from slippery snow slopes to watery wonderlands – overflowing with creative platforming challenges, wild enemies and a ton of collectibles that players will love to find. And the different worlds in the game are not varied in game play alone. Each world features a different beautiful art style, including ones inspired by watercolor paintings or crayon drawings. Yoshi will also need all of his skills to battle a larger-than-life boss that awaits at the end of each world.
At certain points in Yoshi’s New Island, Yoshi will be able to transform into many different vehicles and objects, including a helicopter, a mine cart or even a jackhammer. These transformations help Yoshi make his way through special areas and are controlled using the gyroscopic controls of the Nintendo 3DS system. By grabbing a special type of star, Yoshi transforms into Super Yoshi, giving him the ability to soar through the sky or run along walls and ceilings. Yoshi’s New Island also features helpful items like the Flutter Wings, which let Yoshi fly through the air. This item is great for players who have trouble completing a level, and ensures that people of all ages and skill levels can enjoy the game.
After playing the single-player adventure, players can team up with a friend in the two-player mini-game cooperative challenge. In this mode, two characters compete in six mini-games like Eggy Pop, which asks players to use eggs to pop balloons, and Flutter Finish, a contest to flutter jump the farthest. Using Download Play, two people can play this mode together using only one game card, or connect via local wireless. (Additional Nintendo 3DS systems, which are sold separately, are required for multiplayer mode.)
Also launching on March 14 is a green Yoshi Edition Nintendo 3DS XL system that features an image of Yoshi on the front, as well as a series of cute Yoshi eggs on the back. The system will launch at a suggested retail price of $199.99. The Yoshi’s New Island game will be available separately in stores and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS at a suggested retail price of $39.99. For more information about the game, visit http://yoshisnewisland.nintendo.com.
Source: Nintendo PR
Initially, Phoenix Wright creator Shu Takumi intended to end things after the third game’s release.
He explained to ONM:
“I felt that Phoenix’s story had been told, and that the series should not continue. Knowing when to end a story is very important and I wanted to avoid dragging it out and having it become a shadow of its former self.”
We did eventually end up getting Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney. Phoenix Wright wasn’t playable, but he did appear in the game – a result that came about as a request from Takumi’s colleagues.
“Years later, when it was decided within Capcom that Ace Attorney 4 would go ahead, my position was that we should change the main character and tell a new story. I didn’t plan to have Phoenix in the game, but my colleagues said they wanted him to appear in some form, which is why he ended up being the accused in the first case in Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney.”
This week’s North American Nintendo Downloads are as follows:
Wii U Virtual Console
- Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels – $4.99
Wii U Download
- CastleStorm – new DLC
3DS Retail
- Yoshi’s New Island – $39.99 (available March 14)
- Madagascar 3 & The Croods Prehistoric Party Combo Pack – $29.95
3DS Download
- Cube Tactics – $4.99
- Bubble Pop World – $4.99
- Lola’s ABC Party – $3.99
3DS Demo
- Wakedas
3DS Virtual Console
- Galaga – $4.99
eShop sales
- SteamWorld Dig – The acclaimed SteamWorld Dig is 50 percent off in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. But hurry, this promotion only lasts until 9 a.m. PT on March 16.
- Sale by Zen Studios – Zen Pinball 3D, Marvel Pinball 3D and Star Wars Pinball are 50 percent off in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. This offer starts 9 a.m. March 17 and lasts until 9 a.m. PT on March 31.
Source: Nintendo PR
