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Wii Virtual Console and WiiWare actually getting updatedwhat is this, 2008? Oh my, what a glorious update there is today, Wii owners you’re getting another Virtual Console title. The second one of the year and the first Neo Geo title in over a year. There’s also a new WiiWare title that has taken a while to get here, a 3DS demo from a game delayed from last year and a 3DS Virtual Console game from the 90s. Seeing the trend?
3DS Virtual Console
Kirby’s Block Ball (Game Boy - Nintendo - $4.50). It’s Breakout, but with typical Nintendo and Kirby flair. There are paddles on four sides of the play field and you can use Kirby’s abilities in the game. That’s pretty neat.
Wii Virtual Console
The King of Fighters ‘97 (Neo Geo - D4 Enterprise - 900 Points). Party like it’s the late 90s with this classic SNK fighting game. I’ve never really played the KOF games apart from pushing the odd 20¢ piece in an arcade machine here or there. But I hear good things.
WiiWare
BurgerTime World Tour (Monkeypaw Games - 1000 Points). It’s an arcade classic redone for a new era and it’s finally come out on WiiWare. The Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network versions were alright, but nothing special. What can we say about the Wii version though? 1000 Points is a big investment in the unknown.
3DS Retail Demo
CRUSH3D (SEGA - Free) It’s out in stores now, but if you want to try it before you buy it, you can. Amazing that, isn’t it?
First 3DS DLC will set you back another $13 on day one Japan only Final Fantasy music game Theatrhythm will offer a whopping eight offerings of DLC on launch day, each one set to cost you around $1.70. Thats about 13 dollars worth of additional music, should the games in box offerings fail to last you its first day of play.
Square at least dont seem to have withheld any of your favourite songs to entice you onto the eShop, although its not a terrible selection and it does span most of the series numbered offerings, so there should be something at least recognisable to Final Fantasy fans. The tracks are as follows:
As the game isnt slated for a release outside of Japan, the actual details of the DLC are probably not all that relevant on Vooks. What is interesting is that this is the first case of a retail 3DS game recieving DLC. Do you think DLC costing a quarter of the game on launch day is a bad precedent? Should Nintendo be slapping Square on the wrist for this? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Source: Andriasang
Game is capitalised because it refers to the store, not the medium. Motionplus hearthrob The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has been nominated for the most corporate of BAFTAs, the one sponsored by GAME and voted upon by its users. The company has shortlisted 9 other titles alongside Skyward Sword, so should you feel the burning desire for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword to win the most populist and sold out of British Gaming Awards, you can vote for it at this address. Or, being Vooks, you can vote for the many other Nintendo platform gracing titles which made it to the shortlist, such as the prestigious FIFA 12 and the unforgettable Modern Warfare 3.
Not only can we at Vooks help propel The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword into the prestigious company of games such as 2010s winner, Call of Duty: Black Ops you might even win an "Incredible Limited Edition Star Wars Xbox 360 console with Kinect!". Not that you could win it, being outside of the UK, but you could delay the real winner finding out for a little bit, which might offer some schadenfreude.
You have until March 16 to make your vote count, so hop to it.
Were not fooling, its out April 1st for Aussies Last Friday Kid Icarus 3D Classics hit the European eShop, that usually means we get it too. The update message in the eShop even said that we would. Alas it was not the case and we presumed the game will be coming at later date because of the current promotion Nintendo is running to get the game for free.
So whats the new date then? We spoke to Nintendo Australia and theyve let us know that the game is due out on April 1st to purchase. You can, of course still get the game for free by registering any two selected Nintendo 3DS games on Nintendos website, but if youre not in the mood for any of them (and youre mad if you arent) then you can pay the $9.00 for it.
No firm announcements but they are look into it It wasnt a shock to see a new Skylanders game announced on Tuesday and the game will be coming to the Wii later this year. But what about the Wii U and its fancy NFC technology built into the console? Speaking to Joystiq, the CEO of the series developer Toys for Bob Paul Reiche III has said that "In terms of the Wii U, were looking at it, All of the details about the NFC technology havent been released to the public yet, and its really interesting,"
The technology in Skylander toys isnt NFC but in fact RFID. The two technologies are very similar and it could open up some possibilities with the new system. So what could they be? Reiche unfortunately cant go into any detail at all, keeping coy on the subject with a "I cant talk about that, Im afraid.".
Well at least thats not a denial.
Source: Joystiq
Developer of popular digital download titles says the tide has turned for Nintendo online Great developers on the Nintendos digital download services are few and far between, one of the good one has been Nicalis with them bringing Cave Story back to life on the Wii, in 3D on the 3DS. Eventually well get that and VVVVVV on the eShop in Australia, hopefully. Putting that aside for now, Nicalis president Tyrone Rodriguez has spoken to Destructoid not only professing his love for Nintendos new baby, the eShop but says that it goes further and that "The eShop, I feel, has really turned things around for Nintendo on the digital side because the storefront is heavily feature-driven."
Feature driven? What does he mean exactly? "Any publisher can still produce whatever it wants, similar to iOS in both regards. However, given the feature-oriented nature, the eShop is quasi-curated without being some lame PR line like, consciously developing a curated portfolio." Basically if youre making something good for the service Nintendo is likely to promote it heavily, rather then just get it lost in a sea of dreck like some of the titles on the App Store.
"Since the eShop is heavily feature-driven, this not only helps promote titles, it forces publishers and developers to make better games, hopefully. You want to get featured? You better have something good to show, curated or not."
Good news on the eShop / Nicalis front, VVVVVV recently passed PEGI classification, that should mean the game wont be too far away from us here in Australia.
Source: Destructiod
No really, we didnt make this up Jessica Mauboy, Michael Klim, Beyonce, Olivia Newton John and even the Queen have all been promotional figureheads for Nintendo in the past, but this time they’ve gone to the dogs. Literally.
Nintendo Of America is appointing the dog Uggie, famous for his role in The Artist to headline and help during Responsible Pet Owners Month. This of course means that Nintendo is promoting Nintendogs+Cats for this. Nintendo Australia have teamed up with the RSCPA here in Australia to spread the good word about treating animals right as well. The dog-pun filled press release is below.
In a move that’s got tails wagging from Hollywood to Manhattan, Nintendo of America is teaming up with Uggie, the talented Jack Russell terrier known to moviegoers as the canine co-star of The Artist. Starting today, Uggie will sink his teeth into a memorable new role as Nintendo’s first-ever “spokesdog,” spreading the word about the interactive fun of nintendogs™ + cats for the Nintendo 3DS™ hand-held system.
To help celebrate February as Responsible Pet Owners Month, Uggie will lend a paw by showing how the game includes valuable tips on how people can maintain happy, healthy relationships with their furry friends in real life. Though he previously announced plans to retire after this year’s awards season, the chance to team up with Nintendo was too doggone good for Uggie to resist.
Uggie is no stranger to the spotlight, having appeared in numerous television commercials and films during the last decade. As Nintendo’s spokesdog, he’ll appear alongside his owner Omar Von Muller to promote nintendogs + cats and the Pearl Pink Nintendo 3DS system, which offers a wide range of wireless features and entertainment experiences that can be enjoyed in 3D without the need for special glasses. In particular, Uggie and his owner will show consumers how nintendogs + cats can not only provide players with an adorable, customizable companion but also teach them skills that can translate to real-world dog or cat ownership. With February as Responsible Pet Owners Month, it’s the perfect time for this partnership.
“Uggie didn’t have to sit up and beg for his role as Nintendo’s spokesdog,” said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “It’s truly our pleasure to work with a star of Uggie’s magnitude, especially to help animal lovers and portable gaming fans discover the fun of nintendogs + cats.”
With nintendogs + cats, players can use the Nintendo 3DS system’s built-in touch screen, camera and microphone to interact with their dog or cat in amazing ways to form a lasting friendship. Players can feed, train and care for their choice of more than 27 breeds of puppies, and can also care for a variety of lovable kittens. If they take their Nintendo 3DS systems when going out, players can exchange Mii™ characters, puppies, kittens and presents with other nearby players via a wireless connection using the StreetPass™ feature. Nintendo will soon be adding a free playable demo of nintendogs + cats to the Nintendo eShop, so players can download the game and check it out at no cost.
Remember that Nintendo 3DS features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about this and other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/3ds.
For more information about nintendogs + cats, visit http://nintendogspluscats.nintendo.com.
Activisions Toy + Game combo is back for another round this year Skylanders Spyro’s Adventure was a shock surprise last year, we weren’t expecting much when the toy and game combo was announced but after actually playing it, we were left pleasantly surprised. We aren’t surprised to see a new game in the series so quickly though, it is a Activision game and it was the top selling ’kids franchise’ last year in North America.
The new game is called Skylanders Giants, no Sypro in the title this time around. There will be 16 new Skylander characters both in game and in real life toy form, 8 of which will be giant sized along with 8 regular sized ones. Along with their big size the giant sized Skylanders have big powers as well.
The new Skylander toys will also have lights inbuilt into the toys, these lights will light when near a Portal of Power and the lights will also be reflected in game as well. Don’t worry if you bought all the toys out last year either as all the toys are forward compatible and all their stats will be available in the new game.
The press release also mentions that there will be new modes in Battle Mode, more options for head to head play. The game is coming to the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Wii and handheld devices - most likely the 3DS but could also be the Vita and other mobile devices. The game is being developed by Toys for Bob again, it’s safe to assume the 3DS version will be done by Vicarious Visions.
Weve got 3 copies of The Last Story for you, but we want your story in return Japanese RPG games have always weaved a good yarn.The Last Story, while not actually going to be the last story, will indeed weave an intricate and interesting story for you.
Not only that but The Last Story is a reinvention of genre, there’s not only a huge single player campaign but also online multiplayer in which you can take your character from the single player game and battle it out with 5 other players. Here’s a trailer for you to check out.
So thanks to the kind people at Nintendo Australia, we have 3 copies of The Last Story to give away, no drawing required on this one. Instead we want you to tell us a story. We want you to tell us about your favourite RPG in 200 words. Not just listing positive dot points but tell us a story (perhaps in third person) about your favourite times with your most favourite of RPG’s. It could be any RPG, from any console, from any time. The genre knows no bounds.
To enter send your story to the email address below.
We’ll need your name or forum username to enter; without either one of them, if you win, we can’t give you your prize!
- This competition commences immediately, and will conclude on the 20th of February. One entry is allowed per person. Three (3) main prize winners will be chosen with the most creative and thoughtful entries and will be notified via private message and/or email.
- Winners each receive one copy of The Last Story for the Wii. The games provided will be PAL region.
- The competition is open to only residents of Australia and New Zealand. If you don’t provide a username or return email, your entry is invalid, as we can’t contact you, so make sure you give us one.
- Vooks staff members (past and present) are ineligible to win. Vooks is not responsible for lost or damaged mail and the prizes are not redeemable for cash.
- We reserve the right to substitute any of the prizes, but will always do so for a prize of equal value. Vooks reserves the right to change the terms and conditions of this competition at any time.
- Destiny Awaits.
Older and Old. New and Newer. A wide range this week. At last, another 3D Classic is upon us! However you might have it already as Nintendo is giving 3D Classics: Kid Icarus away for free, but if you can’t be bothered buying two other Nintendo 3DS games you can now pay for it. If you want to, of course.
3DS Download Software
3D Classics: Kid Icarus (Nintendo - $9.00AU) Just in time for Kid Icarus: Uprising is Pit’s first adventure from the NES. It looks great in 3D and if you haven’t gotten it for free from Nintendo, it might be worth picking up anyway.
Looks like we didn’t get this one, this week....
DSiWare new to eShop
Pinball Pulse: The Ancients Beckon (Nintendo - $7.50AU) This one has been on the DSi Shop since all the way back in 2009. It never made the trip over to the Nintendo 3DS when the eShop launched and I know a few people who were upset by this. Fear not, Pinball Pulse is back. The pedigree behind this one is strong; it’s from the makers of Metroid Prime Pinball, and that was great.
DSiWare
Castle Conqueror — Against (Circle Entertainment - 200pts) The Castle Conqueror series continues. These games are quiet achievers, no one really ever says anything nice about them, but they’re great. At only 200 points too, who could argue with that?
WiiWare
TNT Racers (dtp Entertainment - 1000pts) The big 1000 pointers, they’re always hard ones to talk about. Especially when they were announced basically years ago now and have only just seen the light. Who wants to risk 1000 points?
Nintendo Video
- Magic Piano
- Kirby: Right Back at Ya! Episode I
- Star Wars: Episode I — The Phantom Menace 3D Trailer
He also encourages new staff members to work on the big franchises At the end of last year, there was a frenzy over legendary Nintendo game designer Shigeru Miyamoto allegedly saying he would step down from his position at the company. It turned out to be a misinterpretation of comments made during an interview, but something we learned was that Miyamoto was more interested in nurturing new talent rather than being tied down to the lengthy development times of established franchises.
In a recent investor’s briefing, Miyamoto reaffirmed his new thinking, and it appears that taking a step back and allowing younger blood to take the reigns of Nintendo’s big hitters is proving successful. “We have already come to the stage where quality software titles with a high completion level have been developed without my active involvement,” says Miyamoto. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata reinforced these statements: “We are…observing what happens if we assign particular work to people who have never done such work before. So far, we have observed more solid results than originally anticipated.”
Now that Miyamoto has more breathing room at the company, he is more than ever looking for ideas for Nintendo’s next big thing. “I am spending more time than before on finding new ideas for new developments rather than focusing my energy on work in my (development) teams in order to solidify the contents of (existing) franchise titles. After all, developing big hit titles must be the solution. I am acting with the understanding that one big hit title can change multiple phases of a situation in the entertainment business, and I feel that finding such one big hit is my basic job.”
Do you think Miyamoto can come up with a new IP to rival Mario or Zelda?
Source: Nintendo Life
Restrictions and rules to make sure nothing stupid slips past Nintendo’s new focus on actually making anything online and digital on the Wii U actually good also could lead to bad things. With DLC to be available on Nintendo’s next console that also means things like preorder bonuses, retailer exclusive codes and horse armour could invade our fair ecosystem.
Not that Nintendo would ever do it themselves, but third parties might do something silly. However, have no fear as Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has plans to make sure third parties are kept on a short leash.
"...We have a belief that our games should be a trusted brand for a very wide variety of consumers, including children and casual users who are not so familiar with the trends of video games," Iwata told investors last week. "Therefore, we would like to have regulations with a certain degree of strictness so that consumers will get a sense of reassurance from our games."
We’re glad this is one of those thing where Nintendo decides to do their own thing with regards to something online. While they might not get everything right they have for this one.
Denpa Ningen RPG heading to the Japanese eShop next week The developers best known for their Pokemon spinoff’s Genuis Sonority have a new game on the way. It’s on the eShop and it’s out next week in Japan. Nothing like a quick Nintendo launch on the eShop to build up excitement.
The game is a Augmented Reality based RPG called Denpa Ningen RPG and you’ll need to use the 3DS’s 3D camera to take on a giant demon king with the help of flying folks. The denpa ningen all have different statistics and elemental stats which mix up your team.
It’s likely that this will head outside of Japan eventually, it’s certainly cute enough if nothing else.
Hoyts to show the movie on two days later this month around the country There hasnt been a Pokemon movie in Australian cinemas since 2000. Now 12 years later, Hoyts is giving the latest Pokemon movie a limited run, sadly it looks like there wont be any Pokemon cards given away with tickets this time.
This time its the brand new Pokemon The Movie: White Victini and Zekrom title which will be running in selected cinemas. There is only one screening on each pf Saturday the 18th of February and Sunday the 19th of February. So if you want in, wed suggest getting in soon.
Having not seen a Pokemon movie in some time (one in 12 years when I was 13 years of age) theres going to be some crazy nostalgia going on that weekend. reWhos in?
Dont have a Nintendo 3DS yet? Well as good old Reggie once said, whats wrong with you? And now he’s right. Retailer The Good Guys is now selling an awesome little bundle here for the 3DS which doesn’t come with some shovelware game. Instead, it comes with Resident Evil: Revelations and a Circle Pad Pro. Let’s do the maths on that one, the RRP for a Nintendo 3DS at the moment is $249. Now most retailers have been selling it for less than that but still, if you take off Resident Evil and the Circle Pad Pro off that price ($69.95 and $24.95) you’re effectively getting a 3DS for $155. Which is $100 less than normal or $200 less if you had bought one on launch.
Of course this doesn’t help people who already have a 3DS (or three) so if you spot any other deals for Resident Evil: Revelations and/or the Circle Pad Pro let us know!
Via: Lasoo
Surely it would be the Nintendo 3DS right? Capcom has announced that Ace Attorney 5 is on the way. The game was announced at the Ace Attoerney 10th anniversary event in Japan, however Capcom declined to announce just what platform or platforms the games would be on. Not even the fancy logo offers any kind of clues.
The series has so far been on Nintendo systems predominately, with the series beginning on the Game Boy Advance and then continuing and making its breakthrough to the west on the Nintendo DS. Ports on the PC, WiiWare and iOS platforms also exist, so it’s possible other platforms are joining the fray.
The other big question is; Who is going to be the main star? Phoenix Wright? Apollo Justice? Or perhaps someone new?
Source: ONM
Full 60 frames per second in 3D and a full movie included, not bad Nintendo Australia has announced that Tekken 3D Prime Edition will be heading to Australian shores on February 23rd, just under two weeks after the rest of the world. Very nice. This isnt the first time the Tekken Franchise has been on a Nintendo console. There was a Tekken game released for the Game Boy Advance in 2001, Tekken Advance. While that game wasnt bad, Prime Edition looks to be more feature packed.
Its time for some new home hardware says Nintendos president The Wii didnt sell as well as it usually does this December and Nintendo thinks its time for some new blood on the home console scene. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata said today at an investors meeting that "the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles". Not only has the Wii been down this year but also the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360. Iwata did admit that the Xbox 360 maintained "large momentum" over the whole year but December as a whole was down.
"Usually, the Wii enjoys high sales in December, but last year, even though The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword was highly acclaimed, we were not able to expand it sufficiently to our target audience, and although the Wii was the platform which sold the most software in December, we were not able to propose new Nintendo titles to our broad audience," Iwata told the meeting.
"Therefore, except for Ubisofts Just Dance 3 there were no Wii titles with huge sales in the year-end sales season. Along with effects from our trade marketing activities in December which mainly focused on the Nintendo 3DS, we were not able to sell the Wii as well as we usually do.
"However, not just the Wii, but the overall performance of home consoles in December was lower than the previous year, and I think that the market is now waiting for a new proposal for home consoles."
The Wii U is set to hit the market before next Xbox and Playstation with a launch of the system planned worldwide before the end of 2012. Microsoft is expected to announce its plans for the next generation at E3 2012 but when they would actually release their next console remains to be seen. The Playstation 3 will be around for a while says Sony.
So are you ready for a new console?
Source: Eurogamer
Which companies and what games will come out of it is a mystery The headline says it all, and we mean all. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has today announced that they are working in partnership with several new and previously unconsidered third parties. What they’re working on, who they’re working with and what will come out of it remains to be seen but it just proves that a scared Nintendo is the best Nintendo.
We know when Nintendo work with others, they pick good people. But since they’re picking new and unconsidered parties, who do you think they may be working with now?
Source: Nintendo
Iwata details Wii U and 3DS plans for digital content going forward Nintendo and online, it’s a touchy subject. Theyre behind, they know it and now it looks theyre going to step up to the digital and online plate with the Wii U. 3DS owners dont feel bad though, this concerns you too.
At an Investor Meeting today, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has said that the company is still considering DLC (downloadable content) for their own software. However theyll never do DLC that make the customer think they have bought an incomplete game. Iwata told investors that "Nintendo believes that its packaged software should be sold to our consumers in a form so that the consumers will know in advance that they can enjoy playing the software they purchased just as it is." Any download content that Nintendo do provide will add "additional structure in which those who love the game will be able to enjoy it in a deeper way for a prolonged play time". He uses the example of Super Mario, in that if people get bored of a Mario game, Nintendo could offer extra stages in the meantime between releases. They plan to do this with all games though so that there is no stagnation periods between launches. Something we all have experienced.
Nintendo is also planning to open up more sharing on Nintendo platforms. Iwata doesnt have specifics, but this may include more social network integration or more programs like Swapnote (Nintendo Letterbox). Nintendo is impressed with the success of Swapnote and are considering more strategies to benefit from this social behavior. In other words, the more people talk and share on Nintendo systems, the better. However only about 60% of 3DS consoles are connected to the internet so far, which is a bit of a shame because they really should be playing Pullblox.
Retail titles for download are also on the cards for the 3DS and Wii U however theyre not sure how to implement them yet as it does conflict with their main business of selling boxed retail games.
Nintendo is also working with third parties and online, theyll be allowed to sell items that cost to unlock on the disk. Nintendo doesnt want to do it but wont stop third parties.
This may be Nintendos worst financial year but when you put Nintendo in a corner it comes back fighting, theres some great potential above let’s hope Nintendo follow it up.
What companies and what games will come of it is a mystery The headline says it all, and we mean all. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has today announced that Nintendo is working in partnership with several, new and previously unconsidered third parties. What theyre working on, who theyre working with and what will come of it remains to be seen but it just proves that scared Nintendo is best Nintendo.
We know who Nintendo work with a lot, they pick good people. But since theyre picking new and unconsidered do you think they may be working with now?
Source: Nintendo
To aid with micro-payments and figurine connections Nintendo is currently holding an Investor Meeting in Japan and out of it has come some new and interesting details about Wii U. Weve already learned that Nintendo plans to have individual accounts for the system, but also that Wii U will have NFC (Near Field Communication). You may have already used the technology with PayPass on your credit card, although the technology has not caught on as much here, as in Japan. The Japanese use NFC in their phones to pay for things out of vending machines, train tickets and more.
Nintendo plan to use NFC in the Wii U for micropayments; simply hold your phone up to the console and it will take the money off your account. They also say they will use the technology for figurine connections. The same technology that you see in the Skylander figurines. Pokemon NFC figurines anyone?
Source: Nintendo
Though two dimensional like the old games, it will still display in 3D At an investor meeting in Japan today, Nintendo dropped little bits of information about the 3DS and Wii U. While no logo was shown or name given, Iwata announced a "totally brand new" side-scrolling action Super Mario 2D title. Thats 2D in the vein of New Super Mario Bros on the Wii and DS, as it will feature stereo-3D like all 3D games.
The game will be out within the next financial year for Nintendo, so some time after June (most likely for Christmas). Expect to see more at E3!
Source: Nintendo
Iwata explains the new Nintendo Network to everyone Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has revealed a bunch of new information about the upcoming Nintendo Network, which is a completely new system for anything Nintendo online related. Its not a rebranding of Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.
First what we know already. The Network will offer the "Communities" feature of Mario Kart 7 which is already in use today, and the ability for developers to start offering DLC which has already started with THEATRHYTHM from Square Enix. Iwata also reiterated that Nintendo plans to offer DLC in first party games soon.
However none of that is really new. What is new is that Nintendo plans to offer personal accounts for Wii U. This means downloads and purchases will be tied to an account on your Wii U, not to the console itself. Iwata say that "the ease of using a video game system when the hardware is shared by multiple family members, which has been a challenge we needed to tackle, shall be improved". Finally Nintendo!
Source: Nintendo
Australia, Japan, America and Europe to all receive Nintendos new console this year Nintendo has announced at a earnings conference in Japan today that the Wii U will ship worldwide before the end of the year. Australia was specifically mentioned alongside Japan, America and Europe. Nintendo CEO, Satoru Iwata announced the more specific date as well the promise of more heavy hitting titles on the Nintendo 3DS for the year ahead.
Iwata also said to investors that he hopes that Nintendo will return to profitability as soon as possible. Nintendo has dropped its forecast for earnings and sales as well as shipment targets for the Wii and 3DS.
Nintendo has hinted it will show more about the Wii U before E3 but wed still expect the lions share of information to come from that event this June.
Source: Reuters
R18+ bill to be introduced in the first session of parliament this year At long last the R18+ for games in Australia will be put to Federal Parliament on February 7th. Its the first in a long set of steps for the rating to be introduced into Australia. However its a start.
It could still be years until the rating gets through, the bill has to pass through the lower house not once but twice with the house debating the topic. It then has to be voted on during a third reading. After that, the bill then goes to the Senate and if they make any adjustments to the bill it goes back to the lower house. Then after that, it goes from Federal to State Government where each state decides how they will adapt this new legislation. Yes, thats democracy at work, its got to be done.
Lets get the ball rolling.
Source: Gamespot
The title has appeared on a UK retail listing An unidentified retail source in the UK has generated rumblings that SoulCalibur V will be heading to the 3DS. Apparently the title is listed for preorder at a major store, however we havent yet heard a peep from publisher Namco Bandai regarding a 3DS release.
If youre looking for a fighting fix in the mean time, check out Dead or Alive Dimensions or Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition. Do you want to see SoulCalibur V on the 3DS?
Source: Nintendo Life
Community-assisted racing sim welcomes contributions to development Slightly Mad Studios, the team behind Need for Speed: Shift and Shift 2: Unleashed has confirmed that its latest racing project will be heading to the Wii U, alongside the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Project CARS has an unusual development approach; it is directed by feedback from gamers who can not only access regular builds of the game, but also invest in it and be rewarded with a share of profits.
Features of the game include over ten game modes, including co-op with a friend as driver/co-driver, "Pit-2-Car" radio, and dynamic and localised weather. More interesting, however, are a cloud-based social network featuring leaderboards, teams and the ability to challenge each other, and user-generated content which can be shared online for free or even sold for in-game credits or real money.
Source: Nintendo Life
However no signs of the of the Collectors Edition Nintendo Australia has announced that The Last Story will arrive on Australian shores on February 23rd, just under a month away. This means we get the game a couple of days earlier than Europe are thanks to our placement on the Earth. Hooray for time zones.
There’s no mention of the awesome collectors edition for the game that Europe is getting, but we’ve sent a email to ask Nintendo Australia to see whats up. The RRP for the game has been set at $99.95, New Zealanders sorry no pricing for you.
The Last Story is the latest action-packed RPG to come from Final Fantasy developer Hironobu Sakaguchi, and will be available exclusively on Wii from 23 February 2012.
The Last Story features time-honoured RPG gameplay and story elements but also adds modern twists to the traditional RPG formula. Customise your items and character and master the innovative combat system to succeed in this epic new universe.
During The Last Story you take control of Zael and from time to time his partners, a band of mercenaries in search of their fortune. You undertake a series of missions and explore Lazulis Island and its sprawling medieval capital Lazulis City, while trying to help Zael achieve his ultimate goal of leaving his life as a mercenary behind and becoming a true knight.
The Last Story features a high level of customisation for both items and characters appearance. There are two main ways of customising your party’s equipment including visiting blacksmiths to increase their abilities and using dyes to change their colour. By visiting the various blacksmiths who are situated within Lazulis City and within some dungeons, you can upgrade your weapons and armour.
Unlike many other RPGs, The Last Story not only features a thrilling single player campaign with an engaging story, but also Online Multiplayer options including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Co-Op modes. Now you can battle against or alongside up to five other RPG fans using your own customised character from the Single Player game.
One of Nintendos longest serving staff members has passed Nintendo has announced today that Nobuo Nagai, Senior Managing Director and Representative Director at Nintendo Japan has passed away. Up until the time of his death which was yesterday, he was the Senior Managing Director and Representative Director at Nintendo Japan.
Mr Nagai had been working at Nintendo since 1976, just short of 36 years, an amazing feat for anyone. In 2000 he become a Director at the company, and then a Managing Director in 2002. Just two years later he moved to Senior Managing Director and Representative Director roles. The names of the roles are very vague, however it means he was in charge of the division that develops handhelds. The Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi and 3DS—he would have been the man in charge of all of them.
There isnt too much press about Mr Nagai; he seemed to be a shy person with his name only mentioned by President Satoru Iwata a few times. It really isnt too shocking; not every director of every company is in the spotlight.
Nobuo Nagai passed away aged 66. Its sad to say we dont know much about his work, but if he was in charge of the handheld division then we kind of know what his work resulted in and thats some good work.
Couple of Princes, Some Evil and some cooking. Everything you need. After being simply forgotten last week with a grand total of 0 titles, Nintendo is back on board with not only some new things for the 3DS but something for the Wii Virtual Console. Remember when that was a thing?
Wii Virtual Console
Prince of Persia (SNES, Ubisoft, 800 points) - Someone should have told someone at Nintendo that normal human reproduction cycles dont apply to retro games on the Wii. It shouldnt take 9 months for the Wii to get another Virtual Console title. At least this ones a good one.
3DS Virtual Console
Prince of Persia (Game Boy Color, Ubisoft, $7.50) - No, not a typo but yet another Prince of Persia game for your consumption. Ubisoft have not only broken the drought on the Wii but brought a third party Game Boy Color game to the eShop.
3DS Demos
Resident Evil Revelations (Capcom, Free) - A brand new demo for your consumption and for the right price. Will make that wait just that little bit shorter. Thats until the 30 play limit is up.
Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic (Majesco) - No need to joke, Im sure someone out there wants to play this one.
Get a preview of the demo going up in just a few hours with bonus Circle Pad Pro controls. The first demos of retail games are hitting the European and Australian eShops in just a few hours. The Japanese version though has been out for some time. We sat down with the game and the Circle Pad Pro and walk you through the demo. Bonus points: I have a terrible cold so thats why I sound like Steve Urkel.
The Resident Evil: Revelations and Cooking Mama 4 demos will be up later tonight. Enjoy.
Square Enix going all out with special edition game and hardware The Japanese release date for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance has been set. The game will release in Japanese stores on March 29th and will come in two versions, possibly three. The first is just the game by itself; the other is the game plus a limited edition (Cosmos Black) 3DS design with a Kingdom Hearts motif on the top. Pricing for the 3DS bundle wasn’t announced.
There is also a Kingdom Hearts 10th Anniversary Box that will be made available. What that will contain remains a mystery, as does the price. All versions of the game though will contain a special AR code to unlock an otherwise rare and hard to unlock Dream Eater.
Final release dates for Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance outside Japan have not been set, apart a very vague 2012. Let’s hope we don’t have to wait too long.
Source: Andriasang
Steel case, soundtrack and art book. Very snazzy. Nintendo Europe has been on an announcement spree this morning, this time Wii owners get some of the fun. The Last Story which is due out on February 24th will also come in a special edition. The special edition will come with a steel book case, a CD soundtrack (it only has seven tracks however) and an art book all wrapped up in a nice shiny box.
So the next question you just asked yourself, is this coming to Australia? While we believe we’re getting the game (its been classified) there’s no word from Nintendo Australia officially. So if we are this special edition or something like it might be a possibility. Stay tuned.
Resident Evil and Cooking Mama kick off the demo service Nintendo Europe has announced that the first retail demos of games will be put up on the eShop later this week. We suspect the games will go up around the same time the weekly download update, which is usually around 1AM Friday on the east coast of Australia (GMT +10).
*While the press release from Nintendo Europe doesn’t actually mention Australia, if worst comes to worst you can always change your region to nab the Resident Evil Revelations and Cooking Mama 4: Kitchen Magic [How rad would it be if she was an actual wizard? -Ed].
More demos coming in the future include Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D, Rhythm Thief and the Emperor’s Treasure and Mario and Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games.
Which one will you download first? I can’t even guess….
Sad news all around as Konami puts the final nail in the Hudson coffin When Konami bought Hudson in April last year things werent looking good. Konami dumped most of the games in development with the company and instead focused the legendary developer on making social games. That plan hasnt worked out it seems, as the Konami has today announced that the company will be closing completely on March 1st.
Hudson has been not only a developer of popular titles such as the Bomberman series but also had their hand in helping create the Mario Party series for Nintendo amongst others. Hudson also created hardware, with the PC Engine and TurboGrafx-16 systems under its belt.
Its not certain what will happen to Hudsons IP; will Konami keep it for themselves or could another developer be allowed to step up to the plate? Perhaps someone could even make the next big Bomberman title.
Source: NintendoLife
3DS Spin off of the Fatal Frame series is heading outside of Japan Nintendo of America might not bring obscure Japanese games to the west, but when it does, it does on the Nintendo 3DS. Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir will be heading to America on April 13th. The game uses the Nintendo 3DS camera and AR cards to create a new way of playing a horror game. The game is a spin off of the Fatal Frame series, the last game of which (on the Wii) was never released outside of Japan.
The game comes with a 16-page AR Book called the "diary of faces". The book will tell the games story through the AR cards with characters and places coming to life from the book. Great to see the AR capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS being used outside of the systems in built AR Games.
Good to see another obscure game that could have easily gone un-localised head our way, lets just hope that its actually heading our way to Australia at some point as well.
However our patience will be rewarded Video games take a while to be made, the Smash Bros. series is one of those ones that takes a little longer. Theres a Wii U and 3DS version of the game in the works and its safe to say theyre going to take a while. So much so that Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, who has just finished Kid Icarus: Uprising has come out and confirmed that the two games may take a while.
Speaking to Nintendo Power magazine Sakurai has revealed that the games might take a while not only because theyre complex games but because he hasnt even really put a team together yet. However its not all bad news, he say that our "patience will be rewarded".
So despite Nintendo revealing that a new Wii U and 3DS version of the game was in the planning stage at E3 2011 its safe to say not much work has actually been done on it yet. Stay strong Smash Bros. fans!
Nintendo has no plans to fix the game breaking shortcut There’s a glitch on the Wuhu Mountain Loop track in Mario Kart 7 and it’s a pretty big one. We won’t go into detail, if you want to use it, you can find out how it works for yourself but it essentially allows a racer to bypass a huge portion of the course. It’s not hard to do but it still means that if it’s done correctly, no one who chooses not to use the glitch can win that race.
Thanks for your patience in waiting for a response during this busy time of year. We are aware that it is possible to navigate a certain part of the track in Wuhu Island in a way that allows a large part of the course to be bypassed. There are no plans to update the game to remove this shortcut as doing so would create an unfair advantage for the users of the original release of the game. Rest assured your comments have been added to our records for Mario Kart 7.
What this means is that Nintendo has no plans to release a second, fixed version of the game - which is usually what they do. This actually would, as Nintendo says give an unfair advantage to people who have the fixed version. However Nintendo, you can release a patch so that the next time anyone with Mario Kart 7 goes online the problem is fixed, that wouldn’t be too hard now would it?
Want one of those cool looking custom themed 3DS consoles? Register now to win. Youll get Kid Icarus 3D Classics too! Nintendo Australia has updated its Club Nintendo page with the Australian version of the Its-a Me Mario campaign. All you have to do is register two titles from the list of eligible games on Club Nintendo and you will receive a free code to redeem 3D Classics: Kid Icarus but also and more importantly go into the draw to win one of three custom designed 3DS consoles, they come in Mario, Peach and Toad flavours. Theres 50 of each design for Australians.
Youll only be able to select one design to win, but you can enter up to three times if you happen to have bought 6 of the game eligible. The competition doesnt close until April so you have some time to rack up those 3DS game purchases, pretty much every game Nintendo Australia has published on the console is eligible.
Head on over to this website for more information and login to the usual Club Nintendo page to get started.
Were going for the Mario one, what about you?
