October2012

  • News Reggie: "Certainly Possible" Wii U Consoles Could Be Sold By Cable Providers

    Nintendo of America president hints on the future of Wii U

    In an interview with the Seattle Times, Nintendo of America President Reggie-Fils Aime left open the possibility of selling Wii U consoles through cable providers. While this might seem pretty far-fetched, it's well-known that Nintendo is hoping for big things from its Nintendo TVii...

  • News Nintendo Drops Price Of Wii Ahead Of Holiday Season

    Inexpensive family fun this Christmas

    Good news for those of you who don't have a Wii, Nintendo is dropping the suggested retail price to $129.99 in advance of the busy holiday shopping season. This new console bundle will be available across the US on October 28th. Both Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort will come included on a single game disc, as...

  • News Ubisoft States That Wii U GamePad Latency is "Just 1/60 of a Second"

    GamePad is "more advanced than what people might think"

    Nintendo's most recent systems, particularly from DS onwards, have succeeded on the strength of unique selling points rather than raw power, even if some label these as "gimmicks". DS introduced dual screens and stylus-based touch controls, 3DS was initially marketed on its glasses-free 3D...

  • News Pokémon Black and White 2 Catches a Strong UK Chart Début

    Both versions in the top five

    Pokémon Black and White 2 may be getting played on a lot of 3DS systems at the moment, but we shouldn't forget that it probably represents the last big hurrah for the humble DS. It's a big release for fans of the series that Nintendo no doubt hopes will perform well, and early indications in the UK charts are certainly...

  • Feature Reinventing Nintendo's Major Franchises on Wii U

    Time for some comebacks

    Thanks to its fresh approach to gaming, the Wii has been a breeding ground for reinvention throughout its six year life cycle, offering us established franchises with a twist due in part to motion controls. The Legend of Zelda has been perhaps the biggest beneficiary of this in the form of Skyward Sword, with Wii MotionPlus...

  • Feature The New Dimensions of Pokémon

    Snap and Dream Radar change the perspective

    Trading cards and anime episodes aside, the Pokémon series is known for a long-lasting line of handheld RPGs. You've almost certainly played one or two of them — and we suspect that quite a few of you are already getting into Pokémon Black & White 2 — most likely followed by an obsessed state of...

  • News New Super Mario Bros. U Confirmed as 1080p, Or Not

    Nintendo can't decide

    In recent hours it's been reported on a number of websites, including our colleagues at Eurogamer, that New Super Mario Bros. U will support a full 1080p HD resolution, a bump up from the 720p seen in various demo and hands-on sessions of the game. The game's official site has been quoted as saying the following. Experience...

  • Nintendo Download 11th October 2012 (North America)

    Mario gets on the course, robots are rescued, the one true demo arrives and more

    Last week was a bit of a bumper week for the Nintendo Download update in North America, and we have another packed list for you. Every platform is covered in some form, and there's a demo and some videos to fill your time too; let's get right into it. 3DS Downloads:...

  • News Factory Fire Will Not Affect Wii U Production

    Nintendo says there's no impact on units being shipped

    News has emerged that a fire broke out at an unnamed Wii U system assembly factory in Japan, with just a little over a month until the console's release across North America, Europe and Japan. An analyst for the Australian bank Macquarie, in Tokyo, subsequently downgraded Wii U’s shipping...

  • Nintendo Download 11th October 2012 (Europe)

    Pokémon dreaming, samurai sword slashing and rescuing robots

    So, it's finally time for this week's Nintendo Download update for Europe. We have a crack team currently investigating what happened to the official press release, but we'll go ahead and let you know what download delights are on the way based on what was revealed during last week's...

  • News PETA Targets Pokémon Black & White 2 in Latest Campaign

    Opportunism or a fair moral case?

    Last year, with the arrival of Super Mario 3D Land, PETA — People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — launched a campaign against Mario, on the grounds that his Tanooki suit encouraged the wearing of furs. It was a widely criticised move, as it disregarded the sheer fantasy of obtaining the suit from a...

  • Hands On Is New Super Mario Bros 2 DLC Worth Your Golden Coins?

    Should you download those Coin Rush levels? Read on to find out

    Nintendo may have produced paid DLC before, particularly on 3DS, but it’s now taken its first steps into worldwide DLC on a big-name title. We are of course talking about the DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS, which comes in the form of three new content packs for the...

  • News 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro Release Date Confirmed

    Like a pro

    Nintendo revealed the first image of the 3DS XL Circle Pad Pro back in September, but failed to give us information as to when the peripheral would be released. We can now announce that the 3DS XL's bulky buddy will hit Japanese shores on 15th November at a price tag of 1,500 Yen, which approximately works out at £12/€15. There hasn't...

  • Rumour GameCube Coming to Wii U Virtual Console

    It's bound to happen, right?

    The Wii U eShop is still a mystery, to the extent that we're assuming that it'll be branded as "eShop" on the basis of new pre-paid funding cards spotted in North America. Another mystery is the Virtual Console, as we've only been introduced to new download titles scheduled for the launch period, with few clues as to...

  • News Watch The Japanese Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Here

    Not hosted by Tom Nook, sadly

    Today, Nintendo Japan ran a special Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Direct, which you can watch using the video link below. The video was devoted to the forthcoming 3DS release Animal Crossing: Jump Out. The game is released in Japan on November 8th.

  • News Fire Emblem and Luigi's Mansion Coming to Europe in 2013

    Better late than never

    It was to be expected after Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon was delayed into 2013 in North America, but we can now confirm that the green plumber's 3DS foray into ghost busting has also slipped into next year in Europe; it's now due to spook up the first quarter of 2013. Hopefully not too long after that, Fire Emblem: Awakening...

  • News Paper Mario: Sticker Star Arrives in Europe 7th December

    Stuck on you

    Nintendo of Europe has finally announced a date for Paper Mario: Sticker Star: Europeans will be able to get sticky with the paper thin plumber from 7th December. The world is your personal Panini album in the adventure, which sees Mario and company slipping through the world slamming stickers onto anything that moves. You'll also be...

  • News Fallblox Confirmed for November Release in eShop

    Sequel to Pullblox known as Crashmo in NA

    When speculating before Nintendo of Europe's latest Nintendo Direct broadcast, it's unlikely that many gamers would have predicted the confirmation of Fallblox, a sequel to the rather excellent Pullblox on 3DS eShop; just as Pullblox was known as Pushmo in North America, this latest entry will be known as...

  • News Pikachu 3DS XL Coming to Europe "Later This Year"

    White 3DS XL also on the way

    Do you remember when a Pikachu 3DS XL was released in Japan earlier this year, prompting long lines and pandemonium as it arrived? We may see similar scenes in Europe, to a lesser extent, as Nintendo of Europe boss Satoru Shibata has confirmed that the cutest 3DS XL around is coming to the region later this year...

  • News Watch the European 3DS Nintendo Direct Here - 4th October 2012

    Time for some hype, in 3D

    Does anyone remember the dark old days when Nintendo rarely spoke to fans directly, leaving us hanging for weeks, sometimes months with little official word on what's going on? Those days seem like part of a distant past since Nintendo Direct broadcasts began in earnest this year. We never have long to wait before the next...

  • News New Super Mario Bros. U Trailer Shows Off Co-Op, Controlled by Mario Masters

    The music works on us

    New Super Mario Bros. U is potentially the biggest day one Wii U title, though it does have competition and has to fight against Mario fatigue. There seem to be two distinct camps of gamers at the moment: those that can't get too much of Mario's platforming antics, and those that feel they've played quite enough Mario for one...

  • News Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 3DS Getting Japanese November Release

    Enter the Magna Gate and the Infinite Labyrinth

    Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Magna Gate and the Infinite Labyrinth will launch on the Nintendo 3DS in Japan on November 23rd, it has been confirmed. The latest instalment in the Pokémon Mystery Dungeon series, this first 3DS entry apparently allows you to take photos of real-world objects using the 3DS...

  • News Animal Crossing Nintendo Direct Confirmed for Japan

    Remember to breathe

    If Nintendo has one focus this week, it seems to be to remind us about 3DS. The handheld is only in its second year, after all, and has its share of big releases due in the coming months. One upcoming title that's high on a lot of 3DS wish-lists is Animal Crossing: Jump Out, which isn't due in North America and Europe until...

  • News Reggie: Miiverse Will be a "True Killer Application" on Wii U

    An important part of the system

    Unlike its predecessor, Wii U is a system that is steadily making a big noise about functionality beyond simply playing a game. In North America there's TVii, an app that allows subscribers of various TV services to navigate around programmes, access bespoke content and update social networks with comments. It's the...

  • News 3DS and BFI Film-Making Competition Winner Announced

    New film to be premiered on 15th October

    Earlier in the summer we told you about the Ridley Scott-backed film-making contest being run by Nintendo and the BFI (British Film Institute). This was taking submissions of 3D films recorded on 3DS systems, with the winner then having an opportunity to create a professionally produced 3D film with Stuart...