Tuurtledove

The amount of Community Marketing support Art Academy has been receiving recently is surely a positive (and enjoyable) sign to see indeed. It's wonderful that Nintendo has discovered these niche little methods to keep the Community involved, whilst still managing to make a competition of it all

I have to say,
It's appears to be a gorgeous looking model for the affordable price they're setting it at. I've found myself paying far more for far less within past spending excursions. So I may well keep this one my radar for a little while

It's a shame to see such a fan-service getting shutdown so drastically. Especially after the reemergence of the game of the Virtual Console, once again allowing people to first-hand witness Lindbolm's touch in the history of the game. It seems like the sort of fan-service that could do rather well with an official publication, similar perhaps to the Hyrule Historia publication the 'Legend Of Zelda' series recently received

I realise the opinions of a mere online stranger such as myself don't hold any considerable weight, Though It's not often that you come across leisure games that so actively exert such a beautiful sense of immersion and pure tranquility. Though the wonderfully talented developers over at Nyamyam certainly appear to have achieved this. The game looks positively gorgeous, and looks like it has quite the adventure to share as well

It in many ways appears as the perfect game for snuggling down to after a stressful game, Allowing oneself the ability to indulge on a hot chocolate, all whilst quietly immersing oneself into the realm and story of Tengami for an hour or two

My little juvenile self was originally introduced to Funky Kong during the Mario Kart (Wii) days. And he certainly became my racing main for a fair number of days as of such. So I'm glad to hear he's making a return, And I'll interested in seeing what other upcoming games he may potentially make an appearance in
(Fingers Crossed For MarioKart.U)

It often seems there's a massive dilemma within the Nintendo Treehouse. As if they've got two separate advertising sectors each designing their own content. On the one team you have these stellar awareness campaigns such as the Youtube series "Play With Your Food". Alongside their WindWaker sandcastle sculpture and now this particular WiiFit commercial. And it's merely a shame Nintendo doesn't actively push these unique commercial(s) a little further and into the wider market

They're actually rather lovely looking. Simplistic and humble. And without the usual gold-plated sparkles and additional vanity that usually come with such "refurbished" consoles. It's a system I may actually consider purchasing sometime, assuming they'll still be refurbishing years from now

Been getting into a little Unity3D myself recently. And it's wonderful to see this amount of support for the Nintendo eShop/WiiU. Especially as Indie Developers are oft most in a better situation to design innovative gameplay experiences with the controller

@conman2012
From personal experience all PAL-locked games work perfectly fine (Europe/UK). The only setback being that the Club-Nintendo points offered won't be redeemable. Though otherwise you're in for a pretty lovely shopping spree, As to my knowledge games are sold for considerably less over there

Alas, This isn't exactly a recent occurrence. As a New Zealander the term "Regional" within Nintendo systems has become synonymous with Australia/UK/Europe. This is understandable to an extent, though merely on the basis that were online restricted to my actual region, then the online community would practically be non-existent

It's certainly an amazing feat in design and modification. And yet, the gold flake really doesn't make for all to an attractive console/controller either. It's not really doing anything for me. I still personally prefer the classic unedited N64 console/controller setup myself, Haha

As a New Zealander,
I'm merely glad to hear we're finally receiving a little recognition as both consumers and fans of the Nintendo franchise. And I was even given the capabilities to try out a little Link Between Worlds/Donkey Kong/Super Mario 3D World recently. All of which were a blast for that matter. So I personally have high hopes for the future of Nintendo

Happened to have a little Hands-On with the game myself a few days ago. And can indeed confirm the majority of what was written above. Especially the seamless transition between competitive and cooperative. One moment you're establishing a little team coordination to get over an endless pit, and within a few mere moments later you'll find yourself pushing each other into it. It's a game that brings out the monster in everyone, and it's pure wonderful enjoyment because of it

Hmmm,
As a New Zealander I'm certainly glad we're getting a little recognition. You wouldn't believe how infuriating it can be to see Europe/America getting all these massive delights on such a continuos occasion. It took me four years of purchases to save enough stars to finally get an item from Club Nintendo. And it was a whimsically budget 50-60mm notepad set. Though $60 is still admittedly a little strange, especially when you're considering that most Wii games only cost about $80-90 these days anyway

Andy, Thank you so much for the feature

Certainly highlights a few specific points in our current society. We've come so far technologically that fitness often doesn't even appear in our lives unless we actively pursue it. And I almost feel it's these forms of living room fitness games that really help ease people into seeking out greater levels, it almost acts as a form of gateway into greater fitness awareness

Almost odd to think a few months ago we were suffering from a massive game drought. And now it seems massive games are releasing on an almost weekly basis. It's become pretty difficult to actually keep track of it all

Seems Nintendo are really pushing through with the bundles then. Which I'm both glad to hear, and simuntaniosly a little envious of. I'm also slightly curious as to what these "Bonus Videos" may appear to be, though suspect they may well merely be those challenge/speed-run videos that were released a few months back through one of the official Nintendo Youtube channels

Looks an absolutely gorgeous extension to the Donkey Kong franchise. Lovely visuals and a soundtrack to match. Though I can only assume they chose to delay its release in hopes of spreading out the WiiU release library a little further

@Retro_on_theGo
I certainly hope so too!

I remember hearing wonderful little things about the original. And would definitely love to see a sequel to appear. Especially with all those gorgeous little pixel animations and graphics they've managed to pack into the game. That, and their Kickstarter campaign video may one of the few I've seen to date that's genuinely enjoyable to watch

I haven't watched a Pokemon series in years. Not since the original season. So this may finally be my chance to re-immerse myself into the wonderfully gorgeous universe of Pokemon. And I personally can't wait!

Looks like a genuinely lovely game. And I seem to be getting quite the "Limbo-esque" feel from it, though that may well merely be me. And I'm suddenly rather interested in it, may have to look out for future updates on this. Even if I'm not admittedly the greatest fan of the RPG genre

Nintendo is steadily becoming one of the more Indie-Friendly companies out there. And though the Console may be suffering drastically in terms of "Massive" Third-Party Content. I personally feel Nintendo is once again way ahead of the curve from all other business competitors. Because as the case may be, Indie-Developers may potentially be the future of commercial gaming. And I'm glad to hear Nintendo is supporting all these budding little developers so well

Glad Miiverse has been getting some features recently. It's such a unique and immersive application after all. And besides the Gamepad I would personally consider the main selling-point of the WiiU

@erv
Remember also that we now have the eShop. And though of course physical copies are still a must-have requirement, They're no longer as requested or required as pre-eShop days

The eShop certainly feels like one of the more dynamic online stores out there at the moment. With the ability for developers to put their games on discounts/sale at the touch of a button.

Thank you so much for the article Thomas. It's good to have some positive news sometimes amongst all the "Doom+Gloom" prophecies that constantly arise from analysts. And hearing the Nintendo has set up a decent system for Indie developers is good news indeed

Always lovely to see new "Gaming" documentaries popping up, I'll be sure to watch this documentary sometime then when it finally gets released. Thank you for doing this little article and interview Damien, it's much appreciated :3

Miiverse is slowly shaping up to become of the major highlights in purchasing a Wii U. I've already spent about 30-Hours on it dedicated to drawing, and it has a massive potential for community interaction

I certainly have no complaints if it were to arrive on the eShop. Indie developers are steadily creeping into the console market after all, and they could certainly help express the true innovative potential of the WiiU Gamepad. And "TowerFall" would also make for a great multiplayer placeholder until the release of "Super Smash Bros"

Until now not a single "Assassin's Creed" game has actually interested me. (Though the multiplayer was always uniquely enjoyable). Though I'm actually rather interested in this particular title. On the basis that as a child I put many hours into "Sid Meier's: Pirates". And to have another pirate-based game appear on the market, only this time in glorious graphics, and by a renown publishing company. Well, that's surely something to be interested in indeed

I'm not necessarily interested in the game itself (Only a few JRPG-styled games have kept my interest in the past). Though the massive amount of support the Wii U is getting from the Indie Community is overwhelming, and I can quite see Nintendo becoming a haven for Indie Developers in the future

@ngamer155

Voice chat would be wonderful between Friends/Miiverse Followers however. And remember that it's not necessarily just for the Racing portion. It'd work rather well when battling alongside team members in a BallonBattle match

I remember when Nintendo began releasing the Golden furniture set for AC:CF in early 2011/2012. That's downloadable content done correctly, completely unannounced, completely free. Just a neat little surprise to wake up to one morning

@Mahe

I cannot agree with you enough there. All to continuously we see people complaining about how Nintendo has become to casual. Though honestly, I think designing a platform intended for a wider range of consumers (Fitness/Casual/Core/Gamers) can only be a good thing. Spreading the enjoyment to the world can only lead to even greater experiences and games after all

@smashbrolink

And yet, Nintendo is classified as a casual company these days after all. For the past five-six years the "WiiFit" Brand has become synonymous with Nintendo. And it should continue to do so. It's the third best-selling Video Game of all time after all. If Nintendo is able to once again market their system successfully, it'd be wonderful to see how they might be able to implement the chat feature into a combined mixture of casual/core games

Beautifully done,
And a really unique way of rendering out the map for a Festival.
And what's more, both Gamers and non-Gamers alike will be able to appreciate it

Seems several of Retro's Lead Developers have been leaving in recent years. I believe a few of them were even hired by "343 Studios" to work on the Halo Franchise. Hopefully this doesn't affect the company and their ability to create stellar games to much

@Ukulele_Wizard

You speak the truth. As a New Zealander I can confirm the ridiculous pricing we get here. Consoles (On Average) cost about twice as much as in Europe or in the United States, same goes for games as well actually. What this of course mean that generally the average consumer will buy less than elsewhere . Which isn't exactly great news for the companies behind these games either.

Using myself as an example here. The most games I've ever purchased in a year is five. And so far I've been unable to purchase a 3DS, purely because of the costs behind it (And my Student Budget).

For what may well be the one moment in my entire life to date, I'm finally interested in a Sonic game. And that's actually a pretty unique feeling. "Sonic: Lost Worlds" may well the first Sonic Game I shall ever purchase

@bahooney

Thank you so much for the swift reply. It's not often that you'll find people willingly giving such a great insight into a game purely because of one slightly naive question. So Thank you so much for taking the time to do so

Also, I will admit you've certainly have spiked my interest now. And I'll be sure to look into this game further over the course of the next few weeks before its release. Since what you've managed to describe as far certainly does sound pretty neat, and I'm all for a new platformer that manages to reinvent the genre

Hmmm,
I will admit this is one particular series I have yet to get into. Not because of any particular reason, merely because I haven't had a chance to do so yet. For those of you who have played it, What would you compare it to in terms of gameplay and quality?