July2011

  • Talking Point Nintendo Makes Bold Move with the 3DS

    3DS price cut an act of genius, or madness?

    OK, deep breaths everyone. In its co-ordinated worldwide press releases on 28th July, Nintendo made a truly unexpected move. Some analysts were anticipating a potential 3DS price drop in the run up to the all-important holiday season, but the sheer scale of the reduction has caught many off guard. With the...

  • News Amazon Suspends 3DS Sales

    Update: All is well

    Second Update: The 3DS is back on sale at Amazon, with no explanation of how the problem was solved. As you were, then. First Update: An Amazon representative had this to say on the matter: “The reason why this is under a review : The flip-screen is loose when its opened, please inform them that Nintendo has confirmed as long...

  • News Aonuma Opens a Treasure Chest of Skyward Sword Details

    Dun-dun-dun-dunnnn!

    In a recent interview, veteran Nintendo developer Eiji Aonuma revealed some interesting details about The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, on which he's currently working. If you're not a fan of spoilers stop reading now! Ganon, Link's adversary since the early days, will not appear in the game. In fact, the odd-looking Lord...

  • News Fox Flies Into a New Trailer for Star Fox 64 3D

    What, no barrel roll?

    Nintendo has released a fresh trailer for the upcoming Star Fox 64 3D, due for release on 9th September in Europe and North America. This new video shows off various parts of the single-player campaign, including linear levels and some dog-fighting (or fox-fighting) action. There are some impressive graphics on show, while...

  • News Nintendo Trademarks Mii U, WiiWare U, Wii U Music and More

    Oh, the possibilities...

    A smorgasbord of trademarks that Nintendo of Japan reserved approaching the unveiling of the Wii U at E3 has just been revealed. Most of these are likely to end up as unused protective placeholders, a usual practice for the Big N, but it's still neat to see what the company might have up its sleeves. It's also worth noting...

  • News GameCube to See New Downloadable Life on Wii U

    WiiWare just got more interesting

    Many have wondered whether the Wii U will include a Virtual Console service updated with GameCube games, and now NOA executive Amber McCollom has revealed that the answer is yes – through WiiWare. In an interview with NintendoGal, she is quoted as saying: GameCube discs will not be compatible with Wii U, but a...

  • News Pachter Thinks Nintendo has Superior First-Party Software

    Despite what Xbox CFO thinks

    In response to what Xbox chief financial officer Dennis Durkin said about Microsoft's first-party software line-up being "superior" to that of Sony and Nintendo's (as reported by Industry Gamers), Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter has shared his two cents. Speaking to Industry Gamers, Durkin was asked...

  • News Miyamoto: "Wii U is an Attractive Environment for Developers"

    Nintendo's duty to create new ways to play

    With the Wii U poised to setting a new paradigm in the way a controller is related to its console, Nintendo is clearly keen on setting itself apart from its competitors once again. In an interview conducted by French newspaper Libération, Shigeru Miyamoto explained that if a generation of consoles are...

  • News Miyamoto Talks the New Generation Behind the Wii U

    Expect new heroes on the console

    General manager at Nintendo EAD Shigeru Miyamoto spoke to French newspaper Libération after the events of E3 and gave a little insight into the development of the Wii U and how there's a new generation of designers emerging. When Libération asked Miyamoto if he was the brains behind the Wii U's hardware design, he...

  • News Get Ready to Catch Pokémon Rumble Blast on your 3DS

    North American release of 24th October announced

    We earlier reported on Super Pokémon Rumble, the sequel to WiiWare's Pokémon Rumble headed to the 3DS in Japan. Nintendo has just announced that the game will make its way West as well as Pokémon Rumble Blast, with a North American release date of 24th October announced. The game will see dozens of...

  • News Nintendo Returns to Comic-Con with Multiple Playable Games

    18 titles spread across Wii, 3DS and DS

    Nintendo is set for its return to Comic-Con in San Diego this year and among other activities, the special Nintendo Gaming Lounge will be set up so that attendees can stop by and try out some of the latest releases. As well as Nintendo's booth (#5135) at Comic-Con, the Nintendo Gaming Lounge situated in the...

  • News Ocarina of Time 3D was Second Best-Selling Game of June

    United States figures are in

    Although The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D launched in the middle of the month, 11 days was all it took for the Zelda remake to establish itself as the second best-selling single-format game for the month of June. According to independent market research company NPD Group, more than 283,000 copies of the game were...

  • News Eiji Aonuma Talks Zelda Ideas and Development

    Pace of Zelda development "in some ways a problem"

    Having been an integral part of the Zelda series since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Eiji Aonuma was naturally one of the key people Nintendo turned to in order to visualise how a Zelda "experience" might look on the Wii U. Speaking to IndustryGamers, Aonuma recalled being involved...

  • News The Super Mario Bros Movie Could Have Turned Out Very Differently

    Read original drafts that powered up to become the final film

    "Women are like old-time sinks. They run hot or cold, no in between." That's just one of the many lines, this one spoken by Mario himself, that might have ended up in the 1993 Super Mario Bros movie had the producers gone with one of four original scripts. It turns out that quite a saga...

  • News Cliff Bleszinski Thinks Wii U Naysayers Will Still Buy It

    Gears of War creator sounds confident

    The Wii U has got a lot of people excited and Gears of War creator Cliff Bleszinski is no exception. Speaking to IndustryGamers, he spoke confidently on Nintendo's ability to sell the Wii U to gamers ― even the ones who aren't convinced with Nintendo's upcoming home console. Regarding the naysayers who dismiss...

  • News Sakaguchi: Last Story Gameplay Took Precedence Over Plot

    Only his third game to do so after Final Fantasy I and VII

    The Last Story is coming to Wii via Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy VII, but the titles share another unique similarity as well – Sakaguchi created the gameplay elements first, then the story, for all three. There are... places in games such as the moment...

  • Talking Point Wii U - Revolution or Evolution?

    Is the Wii U innovative enough, or just a big DS?

    When looked at logically, perhaps there is a valid point to be made about the Wii U. Admittedly, launch is a while away, and further details on the console and its capabilities will no doubt flow in the coming months, but the focus of this article is simple: will Wii U ‘disrupt’ the industry and...

  • News XSEED: Localising Solatorobo Did Not Open Channels of Communication with NOE

    Future prospects of publishing Nintendo titles "very slim"

    With Nintendo of America's announcement that it had no plans to release Xenoblade Chronicles or The Last Story coupled with their recent emphasis on bringing more third parties to the table, some hoped that the Big N would allow a smaller Western publisher to do the honours and thus end...

  • News Xenoblade Chronicles is Coming Early, UK & Europe

    August just got a little bit hotter

    Xenoblade Chronicles, the greatly anticipated Wii RPG due out this summer in Europe and the UK, is launching two weeks earlier than the previously scheduled date of 2nd September. The game will now launch 19th August. That makes just a little less time to order that sexy preorder package. The game is also...

  • News Nintendo Considering Automatic Demo Downloads for 3DS & Wii U

    Turn your console into a veritable warp pipe

    At a recent shareholders' Q&A session, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata spoke about introducing new releases to unfamiliar gamers through automatically downloaded demos. Just like agreeing to StreetPass or SpotPass, players would confirm their interest in receiving the content, which would later show...

  • News Nintendo Collaborating with Third-Parties to Make Hits

    We don't hear the 3DS or Wii U complaining

    At this year's E3, Nintendo showed that having strong support from third-parties is definitely something that the Wii U is striving for, and at the post event shareholders' meeting, Satoru Iwata spoke briefly about the kind of titles we'll see the company produce in the coming years. Keen to show that the...

  • News 3DS Could Be Your Ticket to International Museums

    Console's educational uses being explored

    There's been some interesting dialogue being had within Nintendo. As part of the 3DS's remit to offer unique experiences, it appears Nintendo executives have been exploring ideas that fall outside of the video game category and more within the interactive educational school of thinking. Educational software...

  • News Iwata: "Difficult to Launch Hardware Close to Its Announcement"

    The timing of the 3DS and Wii U is certainly debatable

    Everyone loves a bit of gossip, and what better gossip is there in the video game industry than what new consoles are capable of? That appears to be one of Nintendo's main problems when it's in the process of unveiling new hardware. Like the company and its products or not, many are interested...

  • News Wii U is Technically 3D-Ready

    Check that off the list

    While it may have taken Nintendo a few years to jump on the HD bandwagon, it seems the company doesn't want to be in a position where it finds itself being left behind again when it comes to the latest trend in consumer technology. In an interview conducted by Mercury News, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata clarified the focus...

  • News Fils-Aime: "Wii U Welcomes Publishers' Online Networks"

    "Be water, my friend."

    When Nintendo's CEO and president is vocally unhappy about something, you know it's going to filter down and action will be taken to try to rectify the problem. Speaking at the investor's meeting as part of E3 2010, Satoru Iwata professed Nintendo's dissatisfaction with its own online efforts. That was over a year ago, and...