Time for your daily news.

 

 

Bird Mania 3D will be available in North America on May 3 for $1.99. The game is also hitting Europe later this month.

Source: Teyon PR

 

 

 

 

 

Iwata: Keeping devs interested in hardware imperative, third-party Wii U games and overseas 3DS titles at E3

May 1st, 2012 Posted in 3DS, News, Posted by Valay, Wii U

There is some concern out there that publishers and developers will lose interest in making projects for dedicated gaming devices due to the rise of social games. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata believes this is true in some ways, but also feels “not all the internal developers have lost their passion to create consumer game software.” He explained that the company’s “new hardware offers new proposals and potentially new play experiences so that developers will be interested in this hardware and be motivated to make attractive software.”

Last week, Iwata told investors at Nintendo’s financial results briefing Q&A that third-parties are preparing to show software at E3 which will show support for dedicated gaming hardware. Moreover, he teased overseas 3DS announcements for the expo. Western studios haven’t provided a ton of support for the handheld.

Read on for Iwata’s full rundown of quotes. It includes an explanation as to why U.S./European publishers haven’t revealed as much 3DS content compared to Japanese companies.

 

As for your opinion that the software publishers are devoting comparatively less software development resources to the so-called consumer games than before, I share that idea with you. Because Nintendo has been devoting all of its resources to the software creations of the so-called consumer game systems, and as we have even expanded the software development efforts in that arena more than before, our ability has increased in comparison to that of five years ago. When we take into consideration these changes, it may be true that software publishers are devoting relatively fewer internal resources to the development of consumer games than before. Having said that, however, as a matter of course, not all the internal developers (of the publishers) have lost their passion to create consumer game software. It is imperative for Nintendo that our new hardware offers new proposals and potentially new play experiences so that developers will be interested in this hardware and be motivated to make attractive software. At the E3 show this June, you will be able to experience not only Nintendo’s Wii U software but also the titles being prepared by the third-party publishers. As a result, I think you will be able to notice that a number of developers are creating software (for the Wii U) even today. As for the Nintendo 3DS, there may appear to be fewer commitments from the U.S. and the European software publishers than those of their Japanese counterparts. This is due to the different timing (between Japan and overseas) when they noticed that the Nintendo 3DS would surely expand widely into their markets and, thus, the different timing when they started the actual development of the Nintendo 3DS software. You will also notice a change in this situation when a richer Nintendo 3DS software lineup in the overseas markets is announced around the time of the E3 show. In Japan, we have this solid feeling that the Japanese publishers will continuously support the Nintendo 3DS. Accordingly, I have no pessimistic view on the Nintendo 3DS software lineup.

 

 

 

 

 

                                              

 

 

 

 

Iwata says some people felt Wii wasn’t for them, games with “depth” before “width”

May 1st, 2012 Posted in 3DS, DS, News, Posted by Valay, Wii, Wii U

Nintendo achieved its goal with the Wii by bringing gaming to the masses. There were, however, some consumers who felt left out – specifically hardcore gamers.

This is something that Nintendo president Satoru Iwata admitted to during the company’s latest financial results briefing Q&A. Iwata also pointed out how they were unable to convince casual players to experience titles “frequently or for long, consistent periods”, leading to a poor level of profit.

With the 3DS and Wii U, Nintendo would like to promote both hardcore and casual experiences (described by Iwata as “deeper” and “wider”, something he mentioned at last year’s E3). According to Iwata, the “depth” component “was not satisfactory for some consumers”, and so they are working on this first.

 

However, if you ask us whether everything Nintendo has done was right or whether we would use the same tactics if the company’s policy or strategy remains the same, there are issues to overcome. For example, the Wii was able to reach a large number of new consumers who had never played games before by bringing hands-on experiences with its “Wii Sports” and “Wii Fit.” However, we could not adequately create the situation that such new consumers played games frequently or for long, consistent periods. As a result, we could not sustain a good level of profit. Moreover, regrettably, what we prioritized in order to reach out to the new audience was a bit too far from what we prioritized for those who play games as their hobby. Consequently, we presume some people felt that the Wii was not a game system for them or they were not willing to play with the Wii even though some compelling games had been released. In comparison with what we did with the Nintendo DS and the Wii, with respect to your view this time that the introduction of the software that contributes to expanding the user base for the Nintendo 3DS platform is delayed, we are doing along the lines of what we intended to do to a certain extent. Once consumers have a notion that “this system is not for us,” we have learned that it is extremely difficult to change their perceptions later. Therefore, in promoting the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, we have announced that we would like “width” and “depth” to coexist. With the Nintendo DS and the Wii, the approach of “width” was well accepted by many people; however, what we did in terms of “depth” was not satisfactory for some consumers. This time, we would like consumers to be satisfied in both aspects. In order to do so, we started to work on the “depth” aspect first, and the current and existing software you can see for the Nintendo 3DS is based on that idea. In the future, the approach will evolve. By exploring the development both from width and depth standpoints, it is our intention to satisfy a wider audience with one gaming platform. Our approach for the Wii U is basically the same. By doing so continuously, we are expecting that the number of game users per household will increase and as the gaming population increases, we believe we can create a sustainable video game market. We would like to materialize what I have said for both the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U in the future.

Talking Point: Why Skyward Sword Sales Failed to Soar

Posted Sat, 28 Apr 2012 | 12:00 BST by James Newton

Sword blunted

A classic Skyward Sword scene

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was one of the most anticipated Wii games ever. After years of teasing it finally launched in November 2011, and has so far racked up 3.52 million sales around the world, a decent performance over a five-month period. It's on par with Wii launch title Twilight Princess, which sold 3.27m units between December 2006 and 31st March 2007.

The obvious difference is Twilight Princess came at the start of the Wii's life, when motion control was fresh and new. Here we are, five years and 95 million consoles later, and Link's latest adventure only mustered an extra 250,000 sales. Clearly something went wrong, but what?

The biggest reason has to be that Skyward Sword just arrived too late. First hinted at back in 2009, the game was properly revealed at E3 2010 and eventually released in November 2011, five years into the Wii's life cycle. By this point, the Wii's audience had all but completely shifted across to the dance and fitness genres — arguably fulfilling a transition Nintendo started with Wii Fit — while fans of single-player adventures had to look elsewhere for their entertainment. You can count the number of quality solo-focused Wii games released in 2010 and 2011 on your fingers — maybe adding a toe depending on your feelings towards Metroid: Other M — and while Skyward Sword was pick of the bunch that's damning with faint praise (although we still love you, Xenoblade Chronicles). It's easy to understand if those who had been waiting for Zelda jumped ship to satisfy their single-player cravings, and it's impossible to tell how many of those 95m Wii consoles have been traded in, resold or simply left in cupboards, untouched.

Shigeru Miyamoto admitted Nintendo could have released an inferior Skyward Sword a year earlier, but that wouldn't have been the Nintendo way.

Wii hardware sales also played a big part in Skyward Sword's diminished impact — Twilight Princess had years of Wii hardware growth to attach to, whereas Skyward Sword has no such long-tail potential, barring an improbable second wind when Wii U comes out. By November 2011, Wii had lost practically all of its sales momentum: hardware sales fell nearly 35% against the previous year, and were more than 50% down on two years prior. The install base might have reached 95m, but falling hardware sales brings software sales down too: Wii game sales dropped from 171m to 102m year on year.

Some would point to the game's MotionPlus-exclusivity as a factor against its success, but with global Wii Sports Resort sales sitting at 30 million it's hard to argue there aren't enough MotionPlus-enabled controllers out there. Not to mention the fact every Wii sold since early 2010 came with either the add-on or Wii Remote Plus.

It's not all doom and gloom, though. Despite only launching in November, Skyward Sword was Nintendo's third biggest-selling Wii game of the past financial year, behind evergreen titles Mario Kart Wii on 5.4m and New Super Mario Bros. Wii on 4.3m. Compare this to previous years — NSMBWii sold a staggering 14.7m copies in its first financial year — and you can see the software slump affected Nintendo across the board, not just Zelda.

The real trio of power

Shigeru Miyamoto admitted Nintendo could have released an inferior Skyward Sword a year earlier, but that wouldn't have been the Nintendo way. While the company sacrificed bigger sales to put out a better game, it wasn't prepared to do the same with 3DS, admitting it completed the big Christmas Mario games as an urgent matter to grow the 3DS userbase.

Ultimately, considering the hype and critical reaction around the game, Nintendo will likely be disappointed Skyward Sword didn't have a bigger sales impact, but Zelda has always been as much about prestige as sales — as the sixth highest-rated Wii game ever (according to Metacritic), it's unlikely Miyamoto and team are crying into their sleeves about its sales.

It's interesting that the Wii's first and arguably last Christmas both came with Zeldas: one an adapted GameCube game with passable motion controls, the other built for the console and a game arguably impossible on any other format. That the two share such similar sales perhaps suggests nothing more than Zelda games continue to sell to the same group of people, rather than any specific failure on Nintendo's part. Either way, Wii owners received two excellent Zeldas in one console generation — at the day's end, is that anything to complain about?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                            

 

 

 

 

 

Dragon Quest X Wii Lands in Japan on 2nd August

Posted Thu, 26 Apr 2012 | 14:30 BST by James Newton

At last

Wii U version still a secret

Square Enix will release its online RPG Dragon Quest X in Japan this August.

The Wii game lands on 2nd August in two editions: the standard game costs ¥6,980, or you can buy it with a USB memory card for ¥8,980. If you buy the solus game, you'll need to provide your own USB memory stick with at least 16GB capacity, which is used for download content and update in the future.

DQX also ships on two discs, a real rarity for Wii games — we can't name any two-disc Wii games, but we're sure you can — and comes with a monthly service charge: ¥1,000 for 30 days, ¥1,950 for 60 or ¥2,900 for 90 days. Each game comes with a free 20 day period of play, and Square Enix will be hosting free "Kids' Time" periods where young ones can enjoy online play without paying.

The promised Wii U version is still under wraps.

[via http://andriasang.com/con0tq/dqx_date/" rel="external" href="http://andriasang.com/con0tq/dqx_date/" target="_blank">andriasang.com]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

 

 

 

GameStop Won't Be Selling Spirit Camera Second-Hand

Posted Tue, 01 May 2012 | 17:00 BST by James Newton

Hands off

Frightening

Hoping to grab a cheap pre-owned copy of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir from GameStop? Sorry, your luck is out — the chain won't be trading in Nintendo's augmented reality experience.

The reason is the game relies on an intricate book bundled with new copies; without the book, the software's useless. Even a missing page could halt your progress forever. Rather than insist every store checks every copy intently, GameStop has issued a blanket refusal to trade it in, meaning no bargains for you.

That may not be such a bad thing, as our Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir review should point out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                      

 

 

 

 

 

Download Your Wii U Games Overnight

Posted Tue, 01 May 2012 | 17:15 BST by James Newton

"It took 14 hours to download this!"

10GB? No problem

Wii U will launch with a digital store offering downloads of retail games, but with the Wii U disc holding up to 25GB you could probably learn a sport to an Olympic standard in the time it'll take to download Pikmin 3. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata knows this, so Wii U will let you download games overnight.

Iwata told investors:

First, about your comment that digital download sales of packaged Wii U software may not be so attractive to consumers because of the amount of download time, it is true that downloading software with 10 gigabytes of memory cannot be done in an instant today, even with broadband connections. So, compared with the situation of portable gaming devices, where comparatively compact-sized software can be downloaded, we have to ask our consumers to wait for a longer time before the download process is completed. However, consumers will be able to use the Wii U effectively by finding convenient times to download software such as when they are sleeping at night.

The 3DS offers the ability to download titles in Sleep Mode so this isn't unprecedented for Nintendo — nor other consoles, which have offered standby mode downloads for some time — but it does mean you won't be sat tapping your watch for hours on end while Smash Bros. Wii U downloads.

Thankfully Wii U supports external hard drives so you can download to your heart's content.

[via http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/120427qa/index.html" rel="external" href="http://www.nintendo.co.jp/ir/en/library/events/120427qa/index.html" target="_blank">nintendo.co.jp]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                        

 

 

 

 

The calendar page has flipped once again, and that means a fresh refresh of the games available for Coins from America's Club Nintendo. Here's what you can pick up during the month of May:

One of the greatest DSiWare games Nintendo's ever produced, Art Style: PiCTOBiTS is a retro-tastic pixel puzzler that has you matching colors of falling blocks with taps of the stylus to assemble old-school NES sprites on the upper screen, all while listening to a killer chiptune soundtrack remixing classic Nintendo themes in the background. It scored an Editor's Choice Award and a Great rating of 8.5 when we reviewed it three years ago, and is certainly this month's best option if you don't already own it. (Just remember that you need a 3DS to grab DSiWare games from Club Nintendo. An older DSi or DSi XL won't work.)

Club Nintendo Cost: 150 Coins
Jump to the Art Style: PiCTOBiTS reward page.

This month's other portable option is a lot less interesting, as it's good old clunky Urban Champion once again. I called this the worst game Nintendo's ever made in my review last August and said 3D was wasted on it, ultimately scoring it with a Painful rating of 2.5. So, yeah, probably not the best choice for your Club Coins here in May.

Club Nintendo Cost: 150 Coins
Jump to the 3D Classics: Urban Champion reward page.

On the console side of things, Nintendo's offering up the WiiWare on-rails shooter Eco Shooter: Plant 530. I thought this one was Decent and worthy of a 7.0 score when I reviewed it in January 2010, so it could be worth a second look today. The most interesting thing about it was its compatibility with the Wii Zapper accessory – Nintendo's only other game to support that peripheral was Link's Crossbow Training before this one came along.

Club Nintendo Cost: 200 Coins
Jump to the Eco Shooter: Plant 530 reward page.

And, lastly, we have Snowpack Park. This WiiWare release slipped past way under the radar back in November of 2010, but it's a bit like playing a milder, more casual version of Pikmin with a bunch of penguins following you around instead of plant creatures. Toss in Mii support, virtual pet aspects, some mini-games and a wintry aesthetic and you get a download that might also be worth the investment of a few surveys' worth of Coins to try out.

Club Nintendo Cost: 150 Coins
Jump to the Snowpack Park reward page.

And there you have them, the month of May's four new Club Nintendo game rewards for North America. These games will be available until June 1, when the calendar page will flip again and another new set of choices takes their place. Which of these, if any, will you be getting?

Lucas M. Thomas appreciates the reminder about the awesomeness of PiCTOBiTS, and is now powering up his DSi to give it another go. Join him on his IGN blog and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

Nintendo’s Iwata Pledges ‘Unprecedented’ 3DS, Wii U Games

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke confidently about the future of the 3DS and Wii U in explaining last week’s digital distribution announcement during the Q&A portion of last week’s investors briefing in Tokyo.

“[W]e have not designed [Nintendo 3DS and Wii U] to be mere improved versions of their predecessors,” Iwata said. “We have designed them so that they can realize what has been impossible.”

Since the launch of Nintendo 3DS last year, Nintendo has put more of an emphasis on developing traditional games for hard-core players and less on Brain Age-style games for casual players. Iwata said that this was a deliberate strategy.

“[R]egrettably, what we prioritized in order to reach out to the new audience [on Wii and DS] was a bit too far from what we prioritized for those who play games as their hobby. Consequently, we presume some people felt that the Wii was not a game system for them or they were not willing to play with the Wii even though some compelling games had been released,” he said.

 

“Once consumers have a notion that ‘this system is not for us,’ we have learned that it is extremely difficult to change their perceptions later,” Iwata said. “Therefore, in promoting the Nintendo 3DS and the Wii U, we have announced that we would like ‘width’ and ‘depth’ to coexist. With the Nintendo DS and the Wii, the approach of ‘width’ was well accepted by many people; however, what we did in terms of ‘depth’ was not satisfactory for some consumers. This time, we would like consumers to be satisfied in both aspects. In order to do so, we started to work on the ‘depth’ aspect first, and the current and existing software you can see for the Nintendo 3DS is based on that idea.”

If Wii U and 3DS appear to be just enhanced iterations of Nintendo’s previous machines, “because the company is yet to provide what it has done for the Nintendo DS with the Brain Age series or for the Wii with Wii Sports and Wii Fit,” Iwata said, it is only because Nintendo has not yet introduced software that truly makes them stand out.

He asked for patience, saying that just as “not so many people were able to comprehend the potential” of the killer apps for Wii and DS prior to their release dates, “it is not easy for us to convince many people by explaining what kind of new experiences we are developing now.” Iwata was also wary that if he explained projects under development too early, “it is possible that products with similar concepts could be launched before Nintendo itself can finalize and launch the products.”

Iwata faced many questions about Nintendo’s plan to offer downloadable games both on its own eShop store as well as on shelves at regular game retailers. He denied that digital games have less value than physical ones, because “being able to store a number of software titles in a hardware system” is an advantage consumers might prefer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                      

 

 

 

 

Nintendo Volleys Even More Cool Features for Mario Tennis Open

May 1st, 2012 Posted in 3DS, News, Posted by Valay

Following last month’s unveiling of the Special Games mode in Mario Tennis Open, Nintendo has revealed even more details about the upcoming game, which launches for the portable Nintendo 3DS system on May 20. In addition to the variety of fun tennis games with a Mario twist in Special Games mode, fans will be able to connect with friends for online matches, enjoy new StreetPass features and unlock bonus game characters through game play and special QR Codes.

Newly revealed game elements include the following:

 Online Play: Mario Tennis Open players can compete and cooperate in local wireless matches with other opponents and play exhilarating games. Players can also build up their Open Match standings, check the monthly leaderboard and win Victory Medals from every challenger they defeat.

Ink Showdown: In this fast-paced competition, Piranha Plants spit ink balls from the back edge of the court. Players must destroy the ink balls before they splatter, while hitting tennis balls away from an opponent.

StreetPass Features: Players can inspire friendly competition by using the Nintendo 3DS system’s StreetPass feature. They can engage in competitive StreetPass Matches or cooperative Ring Shot challenges with computer-controlled versions of people they encounter and share their StreetPass winning streak. StreetPass can also be used to show off players’ Mii characters, which can be customized with new outfits and accessories that can improve their on-court performance. As users play, new items for their Mii will be unlocked in the Item Shop.

Unlockable Characters: New and familiar Nintendo characters can be unlocked – some through game play, others via special QR Codes. Unlockable characters include Luma, Baby Mario and Dry Bowser.
For more information about Mario Tennis Open, visit http://mariotennisopen.nintendo.com.

Source: Nintendo PR

 

 

 

Sorry to add so much, but I had a lot of tabs open that needed filling.

Seems like downloadable retail games on the eShop will be the same price as the retail copy. However, retailers can sell download codes at a discounted price if they choose to do so. So different retailers may offer discounted prices for the download code.

I will not be wasting my time on downloadable ones. Not for the same price.

Welcome to another day of the Nintendo News.

 

Could this be a Nintendo game?

 

GamesMaster Teases ‘Huge World Exclusive’

 

The next issue of UK gaming publication Games Master promises to contain a ‘huge world exclusive. There’s no hints regarding what this world exclusive might be, but the magazine promises that it will be big. What would you like to see revealed?

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

One of the most endearing things about our favorite green-clad hero would be his being a “south paw” or “differently handed.” Some fans have cried foul play recently with recent iterations of Link being right-handed more and more, feeling this is contrary to his original conception. They might be interested in knowing this wasn’t always meant to be the case…

 

One of the newly fan-translated pages of Hyrule Historia coming from GlitterBerri’s website explains that in the design process for the original Legend of Zelda, Link was originally drawn as and meant to be right-handed. However, in an effort make things easier for the configuration of the game screen and the sprite art, the decision to make him left-handed was implemented.

You can check out the translation and original concept art for yourself here.

Now that he has been a lefty all these years, do you feel it’s okay for Nintendo to change that up in the recent games, or do you feel like that’s simply returning him back to his originally intended concept? Let us know in the comments below!

Source: GlitterBerri

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worst NES Title Screen Ever: Tagin' Dragon

 

 

 

 

Fire Emblem: Awakening Elincia DLC due out next week

May 2nd, 2012 Posted in 3DS, News, Posted by Valay

Nintendo will release new Fire Emblem: Awakening DLC next week. The download focuses on Elincia, a character from Radiant Dawn/Fire Emblem Path of Radiance.

Japanese players can purchase the DLC starting on May 10 for 350 yen.

Thanks to 4Him for the tip.

Source

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                              

 

 

 

 

 

Nintendo Reveals New Features to Conquer in Pokémon Conquest

Following last month’s announcement of Pokémon Conquest, Nintendo has revealed even more details about the new features available in the game, which launches for the Nintendo DS family of systems on June 18. Players can look forward to exploring the Ransei region and interacting with Pokémon in an entirely new way as they take on the role of a young Warlord who is linked with a Pokémon. Together they must set out to recruit Warrior allies to strengthen their growing kingdom. Developed by TECMO KOEI GAMES Co., Ltd., the game can also be played on the Nintendo 3DS system in 2D mode.

New information includes the following:

Story: To save the Ransei region from Nobunaga, a powerful Warlord who is trying to take over Ransei, players must conquer different kingdoms to strengthen and grow their own kingdom. There are 17 kingdoms in total to conquer. Conquering all 17 kingdoms and ultimately uniting the kingdom will awaken the Legendary Pokémon and save the land from destruction. Story mode is organized by episodes. Players unlock episodes as they progress and each episode features a different playable Warlord and victory conditions.

Army Mechanics: Players can grow their army by recruiting defeated Warlords and their Pokémon. After a kingdom is conquered, players will also have access to the kingdom facilities such as training grounds, shops to buy items and mines for money. Players can also strengthen their army by linking with Pokémon. Warlords can have various linked Pokémon and switch between them before battle to strategically prepare for the type of battle they are about to engage in.

Battle Mechanics: Players will encounter a wide range of battlefields as they progress through the game. Each of the 17 kingdoms has a different type-themed battlefield. For example, in the fire-themed kingdom of Ignis, players can battle around lava flows, lava beds and fire spouts. Strategically using water-type Pokémon to navigate through this battlefield will help players conquer this kingdom. Additionally, players can use the kingdom training grounds to train their army or find wild Pokémon and link with them. After battling with a Warlord, the game automatically registers them. Using the built-in local wireless features of Nintendo DS, players can use their registered armies to battle with friends who also own the game.

Warlords and Pokémon: Each Warlord has a special ability that can change the tide of battle. For example, Warlord Oichi has the ability to heal all the Pokémon in a player’s army. Also, like Pokémon, Warlords have types that will determine how well they link to particular Pokémon. Some Warlords will have the ability to choose from and link with several different kinds of Pokémon.

For more information about Pokémon Conquest, visit http://www.pokemon.com.

Related posts:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sorry State of Mario & Sonic, Gaming’s Worst Team-Up

If Darth Vader and Captain Kirk ever meet, I hope they will not do so while ice-skating. When Optimus Prime finally crosses paths with Harry Potter, I trust they will not spend their first hour together bowling.

Since 2007, Sonic The Hedgehog and Super Mario the plumber have co-headlined three video games. That's not as cool as it sounds. All they've done in them is compete in the Olympics.

Is this what anyone was waiting for? Is this what anyone imagined during the decades when Mario and Sonic were the mascots of former rivals Nintendo and Sega? Is there anyone who doesn't consider this to be ridiculous? Does no one involved in the creation of Sonic and Mario video games have a better idea?

I recently decided to play through one of these Mario-meets-Sonic games that unpleasantly co-stars the Olympics. I wanted to see what I was missing, and I wanted to determine if the people at Nintendo and Sonic who caretake the Mario and Sonic media empires had lost their minds.

The game I played was Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. I played the 3DS version which seemed, frankly, more technically impressive than the Wii tie-in games for the Beijing and Vancouver Summer and Winter Olympics, respectively. Also, this one had a fleshed out story mode, which I figured would help me figure out what in the world was going on.

Technically, Mario & Sonic on the 3DS is a good game. It's a collection of standard and oddball sporting challenges which are all brief and amusing to play. These sporting events star characters from across Mario and Sonic's universe of colorful heroes and villains. You can compete against friends or the computer. No problems there.

As a game about Mario and Sonic, however, Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is a bad joke.

As exhibit A, I present the notes I took while playing the game. Apologies for spoiling the ending of the story mode, except, no... I'm not sorry. Just keep reading:

Who the hell is Espio

Some stupid forgetful bee called Charmy shows up and cannot remember where the bad guys are.

Marathons are water bottle pickups
So are 30k swims
Judo is cool.

Waluigi vs Metal Sonic in a tae kwon doe kicking contest

Wario vs Eggman. Long jump, kayak, rapid fire pistol, handball, tae kwon doe

Fantastic hockey game

Sonic speed walking against Bowser as a final boss battle? Sure

If most of that makes no sense to you or seems like the product of a fever dream, then, congratulations, you have just had the definitive Mario & Sonic experience. In this 3DS game, you're net getting some classic side-scrolling team-up between two former-rivals-turned-friends. You're not seeing what happens when the wielder of the fire flower meets the master of the spin jump. No, you're seeing what happens when Waluigi and Metal Sonic compete in Tae Kwon Doe.

What happens when Sonic the Hedgehog finally crossed paths with Mario's ultimate foe, Bowser, would should be a clash of Batman-vs,-Doctor-Doom proportions? They have a speed-walking contest.

The storyline of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games is actually an inane, tasteless propaganda piece for the London Olympic Games. Bowser teams with Sonic arch-nemesis Dr. Eggman to prevent the London Olympics from happening. They try to do this by filling London with some sort of nasty fog, which sure seems like the cartoon version of a terrorist attack on the same city that was scarred by terror bombings the day after they were awarded the 2012 games.

Bowser and Eggman's evil fog machines generate mean versions of Sonic, Mario and their supporting casts. These mean version cross paths with Mario, Sonic and their normal versions of their pals and rogues. When these paths cross, the good guys and the bad guys square off to settle their differences by... competing in events at the London 2012 Olympic Games, which, if you're following this closely, you'll realize, haven't happend because Bowser and Eggman are trying to stop them from even starting. It's a paradox or something.

The priority in this game appears to be pumping up how great both the Olympics and London are, not how great Mario and Sonic are. We get to see and play in many great Olympic events, and we get to see all these pre-event clashes between good guys and bad guys at landmark sites around London. Naturally, whenever our characters go to these sites, they have to talk about how great these locations are. Yes, game creators, London's museums are awesome, but who cares?

Mario and Sonic fans, chew on the fact that there is a game that lets Bowser share screen time with Knuckles...

... that lets Donkey Kong meet Tails...

...that puts Metal Sonic, Eggman, Wario and Luigi in the same scene together...

...that allows Toad to chat with Omochao...

And yet all these Mario and Sonic all-stars do is rave about London's sites, compete in the hurdles, kayaking, or other Olympic events. They don't run from left to right. They don't squash bad guys. They don't jump on platforms. They do nothing that fans ever loved them for.

When Nintendo and Sega first revealed that they were doing a Mario and Sonic crossover game, cynics could have expected some sort of safe, equal-time game that never gave either character more screen time, never dared to—I don't know—suggest that Sonic was faster than Mario or that Bowser could fry Eggman with his breath. They could have expected a boring, timid creation that might sell well but tap into nothing that was wonderful about these characters. But could the cynics have imagined three of these games?

Sonic has also crossed paths with Mario and the rest of Nintendo's major heroes in the Wii's Super Smash Bros. Brawl. That game, at least, showcases Sonic's best moves and lets him fight against or alongside Nintendo's icons. But that game's just a brawler. It's not an adventure. It's not the dream team-up either.

It's sad what's become—or not become—of these Mario and Sonic team-ups. Sadder still if you play through the story mode of Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games at get to this one brief moment in the middle of one of the game's many dull cut-scenes. In this scene, Sonic and Mario have to destroy one of the nefarious London fog machines. They don't challenge the machine to a discuss competition. They don't compete with it in the 100m-dash.

Mario crushes it with a butt stomp.

Sonic attacks it with a spin dash.

There it is. Perfectly done. An aberrant glimpse at a much better idea.

 

 

ason Rohrer's Diamond Trust on DS Finally Approved

Posted Wed, 02 May 2012 | 16:45 BST by Thomas Whitehead

The new title may not fit in the logo

Publication details on the way

All the way back in May 2011, creative game developer Jason Rohrer confirmed that Diamond Trust of London would arrive, courtesy of publisher Zoo Games, in late 2011. That period has passed, and Rohrer has confirmed in a blog entry that the title was held up by the 'Nintendo Approval Process'.

This unconventional release will involve working in the diamond mining industry in Angola before 'blood diamond' UN legislation was introduced: engaging in bribery and other criminal activities will be part of the job at hand. It's an interesting concept and thankfully the game is now in a position to be published, with the biggest casualty being the title. It'll now be snappily called Jason Rohrer with Music by Tom Bailey: Diamond Trust of London, which just rolls off the tongue. It's probably an interesting tale of how that title came to be, but as Rohrer explains it's a story that can't be shared: 'it's kind of a funny story, but it's also kind of a non-disclosure-agreement-shrouded story.'

The positive news is that the game is now authorised for publication, so we'll keep an eye out for further details.

 

[via http://diamondtrustgame.com/news/seedBlogs.php?action=display_post&post_id=jasonrohrer_1335894058_0&show_author=1&show_date=1" rel="external" href="http://diamondtrustgame.com/news/seedBlogs.php?action=display_post&post_id=jasonrohrer_1335894058_0&show_author=1&show_date=1" target="_blank">diamondtrustgame.com]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                        

 

 

 

 

 

Feature: Nintendo Banks on Its Old Money Makers

Posted Wed, 25 Apr 2012 | 18:15 BST by Thomas Whitehead

If in doubt…

Always reliable

Nintendo is set to announce its latest financial results that will cover the past year, and it’s anticipated that, for the first time in its history, the company will record a yearly loss. It’s an obvious blow for Nintendo, particularly as the past five to six years have brought staggering success. Even the results for 2010-2011 — which were driven by ageing Wii and DS consoles — brought a profit of 77 billion Yen, so it’s unfamiliar territory for Satoru Iwata and his fellow board members.

The loss isn’t a surprise though, with the company conceding that it was coming in recent months: it’s not a question of if there will be losses, but how big they’ll be. The latest estimate, announced in January, is that losses will total roughly 65 billion Yen, so perhaps recent success will be judged on whether the final results are better or worse than that estimate. On the surface, and for Nintendo’s rather vocal shareholders, this bodes ill for the company, a sign of troubled times. That doesn’t tell the whole story, however, as Nintendo has spent the past eight months aggressively retrieving the situation, setting changes in motion that it hopes will make the loss a one off.

Not many of those changes have applied to the Wii, sadly, but that’s hardly surprising with Wii U coming later this year. It’s the 3DS that has been the focus of a planned revival: an aggressive price cut, the holiday release of both Super Mario 3D Land and Mario Kart 7, and a significant number of additions and enhancements to the handheld through system updates. When compared to the launch day system and catalogue, a fully updated 3DS bought today is a far more substantial and functional machine, with a number of quality games to buy from stores.

These changes have all contributed to a revival in 3DS hardware sales, with over 15 million units sold according to the latest set of figures on 1st January. While additional functionality and online features help, however, perhaps it’s the mainstream franchise games that really set the tone for success. It’s a common perception that Nintendo games ultimately drive sales for its systems, and not necessarily technological bells and whistles. The announcement that New Super Mario Bros. 2 will hit 3DS just nine months after Super Mario 3D Land suggests that Nintendo may think the same. We’re going to test the theory out and see how some of the biggest-selling franchise titles perform alongside their respective consoles, and what this could mean for the future software library, and Nintendo’s focus, on 3DS and Wii U.

Please, Nintendo, can we have some more?

Debates often rage about the range of games on Wii and DS, for example, as some will point to dozens of under-appreciated gems and boast of wonderful software libraries.

Some of us Nintendo gamers like to think that our consoles mean more to others than just another Mario game. Debates often rage about the range of games on Wii and DS, for example, as some will point to dozens of under-appreciated gems and boast of wonderful software libraries. Despite this it’s a fact, to varying degrees, that the huge sales of those two consoles also correspond to significant sales of a few select first-party titles, figures that third-parties, no matter how good their games may be, can only dream of. Even more staggering is the ratio of console owners who pick up these titles, making them dominant in the console’s success. This is your statistics warning, but stick with us.

Let’s take some figures for DS, all formally announced totals that were accurate on 1st January this year. The DS console has an incredible lifetime sales total of 151,060,000, so naturally there is a decent mix of software titles amongst all of those owners. New Super Mario Bros has shifted 28,740,000 copies, just under 20% of console sales, about one in five. The Mario platformer arrived in May 2006, while the original DS has been around since November 2004 (North American release), and that figure suggests that, actually, the flagship Mario platformer hasn't been heavily relied upon for DS sales. Pokémon Black and White, meanwhile, has sold 14,420,000 copies, which amounts to around half the Mario total at just under 10%. These figures suggest that even the biggest releases weren’t necessarily essential gaming on DS, meaning a diverse games catalogue being bought by a broad base of users.

An evolution in gaming

Does the Wii maintain the same trend? To date Wii has sold 94,970,000 units: not quite at the level of DS but still exceptional. The biggest selling Mario title is Mario Kart Wii, its 31,910,000 sales narrowly beating New Super Mario Bros. Wii: that’s 33.6%, pretty much one-third of Wii console sales. Not far off that level is Wii Sports Resort, the MotionPlus experience selling 29,870,000 copies overall, or roughly 31% of Wii systems. The balance board is similar, with around 36 million official Wii Fit peripherals being sold, over one third again. With Wii there’s a clear trend of the biggest selling titles dominating the software scene, and it’s not a stretch to say that this may make life harder for different IPs or smaller titles, in comparison to the DS.

To go to 3DS, why are we preparing for a second Super Mario title in less than a year? Once again its potentially because, like Wii, the system owners are increasingly gravitating to big name releases in greater numbers. Earlier we told you that 3DS has sold just over 15 million consoles, so what games has that growing user base been buying? Super Mario 3D Land is the top-seller, with 5,030,000 copies sold, almost exactly a third of the console sales, while Mario Kart 7 sales of 4,540,000 aren't far away. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D is also highlighted by Nintendo, its sales of 2,490,000 coming in at around 15% of 3DS sales, but still decent figures.

What does this mean?

Go where the gold is

When it comes to 3DS and Wii, major Mario titles or new experiences — targeted to be accessible or recognisable to all-comers — are increasingly dominant in software sales. The DS arrived over two years before Wii and it appears to be the case that its diverse library catered to a wide audience that spent its cash on a variety of different titles. The biggest sellers on Wii and, so far, 3DS tell a different story: key franchises and brands are making a bigger dent on the market and therefore becoming more important to Nintendo. While this may be considered short term on 3DS, the results for Wii, now well over five years old, suggest otherwise.

The danger is that Nintendo, in order to secure continued success for 3DS and Wii U, will target a smaller number of franchises and game styles. We hope that this won’t be the case, but New Super Mario Bros. 2 is a perfect example of this policy coming into effect. Perhaps we shouldn’t complain, as Nintendo’s financial success will mean that it can continue to give us exciting systems and games, but these trends don’t bode well for long-term variety in our gaming libraries nor for third-party support. Time will tell, as will next year’s financial results, but Nintendo’s strategies may be going through a change. Maybe we’ll need to change with it.

About Thomas Whitehead

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can't wait to spend some of those coins, Nintendo is offering new rewards for its Club Nintendo program. Four new downloadable games have been made available for May, including a pair of 3DS titles and two WiiWare games.

Art Style: Pictobits is the frontrunner for our hard-earned coins, a delightful DSiWare puzzle game ported to the 3DS. Pictobits debuted next to Majora's Mask, so you may not remember it. The other high-profile game is a 3DS port of Urban Champion, the first fighting game to appear on the NES and quite possibly the worst game to appear on the NES.

The two WiiWare games are Snowpack Park and Eco Shooter: Plant 3D. All four games will be available for download until May 31.

[Thanks, Dali.]

 

 

 

 

 

                                                              

 

 

 

 

Cat Frenzy trailer, details

May 1st, 2012 Posted in DS, Posted by Valay, Videos

Cat Frenzy was included in Europe’s Nintendo Download report for May 3. Teyon has now officially announced the game and provided details about the DSiWare release.

The announcement as well as a trailer are included below.

 

Teyon, a video games developer and digital publisher, and FUN UNIT, a Japanese developer of casual games, are proud to announce the release of Cat Frenzy, the adorable slide & match puzzle. The game will be released in Europe on May 3rd 2012, and will be soon followed by the North American release. Save the kittens in over 101 levels of challenging fun and two special modes for only 200 Nintendo DSi Points™ on Nintendo DSiWare™ and € 2,- on Nintendo eShop™.

Little kittens are trapped in a well, and it’s all up to you to figure out how to get them out of trouble! This adorable and relaxing puzzle introduces totally new twists to the popular slide and match-3 mechanics and, of course, lots of cats. Slide rows or columns of cute, cuddly cats until you create a chain of three or more cats of the same kind to pull them out of the well. The game features Mission and Quick-play mode with combined 140 levels and explains all the rules in a quick tutorial. The Mission mode provides new challenging objectives in each level such as clear the board with only one slide, pull out all shining cats, make a six-cat chain reaction. You need to accomplish the objective in order to advance to the next level. The Quick-play mode is all about beating your high score, and there are no restrictions on how to play. Just remember that longer chains can trigger funny bonuses and score you more points. The game will involve you in hours of blasting fun, even if you are not a cat person!

Features:
• ADORABLE CATS
You will find them yawning, moving their eyes about, and doing all sorts of lovable things. It is soothing just to look at.
• EASY TO PLAY
Just slide rows or columns of cats to make chains. With a quick tutorial and a hint button you will never feel lost.
• MAKE YOUR WAY TO THE TOP
Beat your high score, use combos and bonuses to your advantage.
• ABUNDANCE OF PUZZLES
Over 101 levels of absorbing challenges in two modes of game-play.

Visit Teyon’s official YouTube Channel to watch the official trailer of the game: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wTE-yZXScjw

Also, check out Cat Frenzy site at teyon.com: http://www.teyon.com/games/cat-frenzy

Source: Teyon PR

 

 

 

 

 

                                            

 

 

 

 

That Elincia DLC is comparatively expensive. 350 Yen will be like $4 or $4.50 in America.

Even $3.00 would be a bit much.

Granted, i wouldn't be the type to use DLC characters in Fire Emblem. Generally the games are balanced such that minimal outside influence is needed.

@Games Master's exclusive. I'd say it has more to do with CoD (with that military smoke grenade) than with Nintendo.

And I don't care if Link is lefty or not. I want good games. Having said that, is it really that hard to put an option in the game to choose if you want to play it with a left or right handed Link?

Araknie said: NintendoPie said: DélioPT said: Why isn`t Wii getting the colours treatment? The n64 had the best coloured consoles! It might be because the Wii is dead. Don't bother answering on this guy, he probably still think that the Wii exists only white. (the guy is NintendoPie)

What? The Wii also comes in black (and sometimes blue/red). I don't know where you got this false info from.