forma.8 bringing exploration platforming to PS4 and Wii U

March 3rd, 2014, 18:56 Posted By: wraggster

Italian indie studio MixedBag has announced it will bring 'Metroidvania' platformer forma.8 to multiple platforms, including PlayStation 4 andWii U.
forma.8 is a sidescrolling, physics-based platformer which will encourage exploration, aiming to "to give players a true sense of flying".
In a post on the PlayStation blog, MixedBag co-founder Mauro Fanelli emphasises the game's focus on experimentation and exploration.
"It's up to the player to explore the planet, deal with its often hostile inhabitants, and slowly uncover the story," he wrote.
"There's no verbal communication in the game - everything is conveyed to the player with images, sounds, and the gameplay itself."
The game will release for PS4, Vita, Wii U, PC, Mac and iOS, though no release date was provided. On the topic of cross-play between PS4 and Vita, Fanelli said "yes is a good bet".

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ps4-and-wii-u/

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Former Rare developer explains what happened to Donkey Kong Racing

March 3rd, 2014, 18:51 Posted By: wraggster

A former Rare designer has revealed more information on the unreleased GameCube title Donkey Kong Racing.
Donkey Kong Racing was originally announced as a work-in-progress GameCube game, as CVG reported back in 2001.
However, shortly after this the studio was purchased by Microsoft, meaning the game had to be abandoned.
"The idea behind the game, which was Tim Stamper's, was that the player wouldn't be constricted to just a single animal when racing," former lead designer Lee Musgrave told Nintendo Life. "You would move between different-sized animals; bigger animals could smash through obstacles, while smaller ones were much more manoeuvrable."
However, following the Microsoft buy-out, the plan had to change. "We tried to figure out what to do with it," Musgrave said. "We made a prototype version for Xbox, but because nothing else had been made up until this point, we essentially built it from scratch."
Musgrave also explains how the game eventually evolved to something completely different from a standard racing game, partly thanks to the influence of Grand Theft Auto III, which was wowing gamers at the time.
"Over the course of the next 18 months or so, it went from being a track-based animal racer to a more open-world game with Tamagotchi-style features, in which nurturing your animal became a key mechanic," he said, stating that it eventually became "a cute version of Grand Theft Auto set in Africa".
By this point, with the Donkey Kong IP owned by Nintendo, the game had been re-titled Sabreman Stampede and featured the hero of Rare's old ZX Spectrum title Sabre Wulf. After a while though, Musgrave admits "the development went off into the woods a little bit", and the game was quietly cancelled.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...y-kong-racing/

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Special edition Yoshi 3DS XL confirmed for US release

March 3rd, 2014, 18:50 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo of America will release a special edition Yoshi's New Island 3DS XL system on March 14.
Featuring a lime green hood with a picture of Yoshi in the corner, the system will launch at a suggested retail price of $199.99.
The custom 3DS XL handheld will also be released in Europe on March 14, with retailer GAME pricing it at £199.99.
Priced at £29.99/$39.99 standalone, Yoshi's New Island is a side-scrolling platformer which sees players taking control of Yoshi as he carries Baby Mario in a bid to help him reunite with his kidnapped brother.
The game has been produced by Takashi Tezuka, who served as creative director on 1995's original Yoshi's Island for SNES.
It maintains series gameplay mechanics such as Yoshi's flutter jump, ground-pound and egg throw, while introducing new ones that make use of 3DS features like gyro sensor functionality.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...or-us-release/

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Iwata reiterates commitment to new Nintendo hardware

March 3rd, 2014, 18:48 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has restated his company's dedication to creating video game platforms.
Speaking via in a new message to investors published online, Iwata said Nintendo will continue to expand the gaming population with new products that appeal to previously untapped markets.
Creating games for mobile devices or other third party hardware would be counter-productive to this goal, Iwata said, shutting down calls from some shareholders to explore competing platforms.
"We believe that we can capitalize the most on our strengths through a hardware-software integrated platform business, and therefore this type of dedicated video game platforms will remain our core focus," Iwata said.
"We will continue to value the spirit of originality described in our motto 'The True Value of Entertainment Lies in Individuality,' and will continue to provide products and services which pleasantly surprise people."
Iwata also elaborated a little on Nintendo's ten-year plan to expand its products with a "Quality of Life" platform.
"With a platform business that improves people's QOL in enjoyable ways, we will attempt to establish a new business area apart from our dedicated video game business," he said.
"We have set 'health' as the theme for our first step and we will try to use our strength as an entertainment company to create unique approaches that expand this business."
Iwata said upon the QOL platform's announcement that following the trend of mobile apps and wearable health technology is not Nintendo's way of doing business. Instead, its expansion efforts "will be characterized by a new area of what we like to call 'non-wearable' technology."

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...endo-hardware/

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Nintendo 64 mod promises HDMI output, soldering burns

March 3rd, 2014, 00:27 Posted By: wraggster

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Developers Nifflas, KnapNok team up for Affordable Space Adventures

March 2nd, 2014, 23:52 Posted By: wraggster

Space travel isn't cheap, but that doesn't mean you need fancy things like radar-based vision or mechanical reliability to have a proper adventure!Affordable Space Adventures, an upcoming collaboration from Knytt Underground creator Nicklas "Nifflas" Nygren and Spin the Bottle developer KnapNok Games, seems keen on proving this. The Wii U eShop venture is planned to launch in the Fall of this year.

Players will serve as pilots of Affordable Space Adventure's Small Crafts, navigating their ship through stealth-based puzzles in a dark, cavernous environment by using a lone spotlight. Multiple difficulties will be selectable, and if players are inclined to recruit a co-pilot to help control the ship, they'll be able to do so. In an interview with IndieGames, Nifflas notes that cooperating in local multiplayer requires "both players to be coordinated and agree what to do and how," which is surely easier said than done.

When asked about the possibility of Affordable Space Adventure making contact with other platforms, Nifflas stated that using the Vita with the PS4 would be the only on-market possibility that wouldn't require an overhaul of the game's mechanics. No specific porting plans were offered, however.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/01/de...space-adventu/

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Canceled Diddy Kong Racing sequel details emerge

March 2nd, 2014, 23:50 Posted By: wraggster



Diddy Kong Racing, developer Rare's take on the kart, hovercraft and airplane-racing genre, is fondly remembered by many Nintendo 64 fans. Unfortunately the game's canceled successor, Donkey Kong Racing, never had a chance at earning the same sort of reputation. It's always interesting to learn more about projects that never reached the public though, and Nintendo Life's recent interview with Donkey Kong Racing Lead Designer Lee Musgrave shares details on what the game began and ended as.

Musgrave explained that Donkey Kong Racing swapped out standard vehicles for animals, which the above trailer suggests included Rambi the Rhino, Engaurde the Swordish and Ellie the Elephant from the Donkey Kong Country series. Players could swap out animals mid-race, which would let the player smash through obstacles or offer better handling depending on the animal's size.

When Rare was purchased by Microsoft, Musgrave said the Donkey Kong license was dropped as Rare made the racer an "open-world game with Tamagotchi-style features, in which nurturing your animal became a key mechanic." Musgrave explained that the animal-raising mechanic eventually became the game's main feature, resulting in a "cute version of Grand Theft Auto set in Africa."

This open-world adaption of Donkey Kong Racing was called Sabreman Stampede, but its development "went off into the woods a little bit," Musgrave explained. Sabreman Stampede was never released, but Musgrave added that despite the effort put into its development, he feels the final product would not have been worth the resources.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/03/01/ca...etails-emerge/

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Swords and Soldiers 2 announced for Wii U, playable at PAX East

February 28th, 2014, 01:41 Posted By: wraggster

Ronimo Games, best known for 2D MOBA Awesomenauts, is making a... wait, this real? Ok, um, Ronimo is totally making Swords and Soldiers 2 as a downloadable game for the Wii U. The original was a WiiWare title launched in 2009 for the original Wii, which eventually marched on to PSN and Steam.

No release date is mentioned for the sequel, but the studio plans to show the game behind closed doors at March's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco and then have it "publicly playable" at April's sold-out PAX East in Boston.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/27/sw...e-at-pax-east/

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Waluigi returns as an Assist Trophy in Smash Bros 4

February 28th, 2014, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster

Waluigi has been confirmed as an Assist Trophy in Smash Bros. 4.
Luigi's rival was also an Assist Trophy in the previous game, Super Smash Bros Brawl, making this his second appearance in the series.
Introducing him on the Smash Bros Miiverse forum, the game's producer Masahiro Sakurai also addressed inevitable complaints from Mario fans who wanted Waluigi to be a playable character.
"Once again, Waluigi's Assist Trophy joins the collection, which also means he's not a playable character," he stated. "Just because you try hard doesn't mean you'll make it into the battle."
Assist Trophies are secondary characters who are summoned at random when a player activates an Assist Trophy item.
Brawl featured a total of 27 Assist Trophies, including Waluigi. Punch-Out!! star Little Mac was also an Assist Trophy in Brawl, but he's been promoted to playable character status in the upcoming fourth game.
A number of other new characters will also be making their playable Smash Bros. debuts. This Super Smash Bros trailer revealed Capcom's Mega Man and Animal Crossing's villager will be playable for the first time in the series, while Wii Fit Trainer was confirmed shortly afterwards.
It was also recently announced that Rosalina and Luma from Super Mario Galaxy will also feature for the first time,
Nintendo has also confirmed a number of returning characters since the game's original reveal. These include Diddy Kong, King Dedede, Luigi,Captain Olimar, Sonic, Princess Peach and Toon Link.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-smash-bros-4/

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Nintendo investor wants mobile games with microtransactions

February 28th, 2014, 00:16 Posted By: wraggster

A Hong Kong hedge fund manager is calling on Nintendo to begin developing and selling mobile games with microtransactions.
Oasis Management founder Seth Fischer also suggests the company adopt a free-to-play model with microtransactions.
"Nintendo needs to embrace this thematic change in consumer demand, behaviour and expectations to stay relevant," said Fischer, in a letter obtained by Reuters.
"Just think of paying 99 cents just to get Mario to jump a little higher," Fischer writes in a letter to Nintendo president Satoru Iwata.
"We believe Nintendo can create very profitable games based on in-game revenue models with the right development team. The same people who spent hours playing Super Mario, Donkey Kong and The Legend Of Zelda as children are now a demographic whose engagement on the smartphone is valued by the market at well over $100 billion."
Previously, Nintendo has resisted calls to release its games on mobile platforms, despite a number of analysts urging the corporation to make the switch.
In August, Nintendo chief executive Satoru Iwata told CVG that releasing games on mobiles would only represent a short-term fix.
"If I was to take responsibility for the company for just the next one or two years, and if I was not concerned about the long-term future of Nintendo at all, it might make sense for us to provide our important franchises for other platforms, and then we might be able to gain some short-term profit," he said.
"However, I'm really responsible for the long-term future of Nintendo as well, so I would never think about providing our precious resources for other platforms at all."
Earlier in February, Iwata announced that Nintendo would be looking into making a smartphone app that would help promote the company's Wii U and 3DS titles.
"Nintendo would like to establish a firm channel on smart devices through which we can connect with consumers," he said.
"This channel will enable not only us but also third-party publishers to communicate all the fun content on Nintendo platforms to consumers. "

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...otransactions/

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Pokemon animated series and movies coming to Netflix

February 28th, 2014, 00:08 Posted By: wraggster

The Pokemon animated series will be coming to Netflix on March 1, according to The Pokemon Company.
The 48-episode Pokemon Black & White series will be available in all Netflix regions, while the 80-episode Pokemon: Indigo League series will be available in the US, Canada, UK and Ireland.
Two movies - Pokémon The Movie Black: Victini & Reshiram, and Pokémon The Movie White: Victini & Zekrom - will also be available to view in all regions.
Pokemon Black & White is the fourteenth season of the Pokemon animated series. It originally aired in 2010 and was based on the DS game of the same name.
It follows Ash as he explores the new region of Unova. Series regulars Brock and Dawn no longer accompany him, with new trainers called Iris and Cilan replacing them.
For fans who prefer their Pokemon cartoons a little more old-school, Pokemon: Indigo League is the first ever season of the animated series. Originally aired back in 1997 and based loosely on the original Pokemon Red and Blue games, it tells how Ash, along with his friends Misty and Brock, learns how to become a Pokemon master.
The Pokemon Black and White movies were released on the same day in cinemas. Much like the games, both films have similar plots, with things only changing when each film's legendary Pokemon Reshiram and Zekrom appear.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...ng-to-netflix/

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US Nintendo eShop update: Professor Layton, Tappingo, Renegade

February 27th, 2014, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster

Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy joins the 3DS' downloadable collection as part of this week's Nintendo eShop Update.
Aside from Layton's last hurrah as puzzle-solver supreme, pixel puzzler Tappingo is now available on the 3DS eShop and NES brawler Renegade joins the Virtual Console selection on both 3DS and Wii U.
Also of note is a 50 percent discount for atmospheric exploration game Knytt Underground on Wii U through March 3, cutting its price tag down to $3.50.
Here's the full official list:

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Mario Kart 8 screens spotlight new courses

February 27th, 2014, 23:55 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has released three new Mario Kart 8 images which, while relatively small in size, offer a fresh look at three of the game's new courses.
Sweet Sweet Canyon, Thwomp's Ruins and Mario Circuit are the featured tracks, each one set in typically diverse locales in the Mario universe.

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Nintendo terminating Wii and DS online services

February 27th, 2014, 23:47 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo will shut down its ageing Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection service on 20th May, bringing to an end the use of online features in a huge range of games.
Wii titles such as Smash Bros. Brawl, Animal Crossing: Let's Go to the City and Mario Kart Wii will lose their online multiplayer, matchmaking and leaderboard support.Affected DS games will include Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime Hunters, Animal Crossing: Wild World and around a dozen Pokémon titles.The full list of games - over 60 in all - are listed on Nintendo's official sites for the UK,Japan, the US and Australia.The free Nintendo Video service for 3DS will also be closed, as of 31st March."As of May 20, 2014, certain online functionality, including online play, matchmaking and leaderboards for many Wii, Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi games, will no longer be accessible," Nintendo UK spokesperson explained in a statement to Eurogamer. "Users can still play these games in offline mode which continues to offer a rich game-play experience. Other online functionality on Wii and Nintendo DS, such as access to the Wii Shop Channel, the Nintendo DSi Shop and video-on-demand services, are also not affected at this time."Both the Wii Shop Channel and DSi Shop will remain open for business, as will the Wii's Internet Channel and YouTube app.The loss of online services for Mario Kart Wii and Smash Bros. Brawl come in the year where sequels to those games are finally released - Nintendo probably wants you to buy those instead.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...nline-services

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Darksiders 2 returns to Wii U

February 27th, 2014, 23:35 Posted By: wraggster

Nordic is bringing Vigil's action game Darksiders 2 back to Wii U via the European eShop.The game had been absent from Nintendo's platform after previous publisher and rights holder THQ went bust."Yes, they do still exist: amazing games for the WiiU!" Nordic "sick Wii U burn" Games said in its press release."With an average rating of 85 (according to Metacritic.com), Darksiders 2 is one of the most highly rated Wii U games ever," it continued.The Wii U re-release includes the DLC add-ons Argul's Tomb, Death Rides, Angel of Death, Shadow of Death and Deadly Despair.Nordic recently resurrected the Darksiders and Red Faction franchises with two sets of collections due out in March for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This doesn't mean it's greenlit a new entry in either series, however.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...turns-to-wii-u

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Wii U has finally overtaken Xbox 360 in Japan

February 27th, 2014, 02:30 Posted By: wraggster

The latest Japanese chart shows that Nintendo's struggling Wii U has now - finally - sold more than Xbox 360 in the region.Unsure if good news.

Wii U has now sold 1,643,095 units in its home country, compared with Xbox 360's 1,641,528 lifetime to date total.Nintendo's console is currently selling around eight to nine thousand units a week, while Microsoft's console sells a far smaller amount, usually a couple of hundred.But Wii U still has a long way to go to catch up with lifetime sales of the PlayStation 3 (9.8m), and even the PlayStation Vita (2.5m).The star of last week's chart was PlayStation 4, whose launch numbers have already hit headlines. It sold a grand total of 309,154 units during its launch week - a number matched by sales of platformer Knack (a pack-in title in Japan).Sony announced last week that, prior to its Japanese launch, the console had sold more than 5.3 million units worldwide since its launch late last November.That figure will be at least 5.6m - already 600,000 ahead of Sony's target for the end of the financial year.

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...x-360-in-japan

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Why Kirby: Triple Deluxe has Japan tickled pink

February 27th, 2014, 01:28 Posted By: wraggster

Publisher: Nintendo Developer: HAL Laboratory Format: 3DS Origin: Japan Release: Out now (Japan), 2014 (EU, US)

The pioneers of 3D cinema revelled in the form’s novelty, keenly demonstrating its possibilities by bombarding audiences with objects that appeared to fly out of the screen. HAL Laboratory’s mascot is a late arrival to 3DS, and it shows: the developer uses similar tricks with unrestrained glee, as if it has only just discovered autostereoscopy.Every level of Triple Deluxe features some kind of 3D effect, often objects or enemies flying from background to foreground. Spiked bars push their way out of your 3DS and railroad tracks carry locomotives that rumble toward your eyes. Giant hands attempt to squash you against the screen, while well-timed special attacks allow you to do the same to enemies. Bosses leap between planes and daub thick splashes of paint across the screen to hide behind. Reach the end of the level and, in a 3D twist on the post-stage cloud jump, a cannon shoots Kirby into the handheld’s depths. It may be a gimmick, but you can’t help but be swept along by the expertise and creative exuberance with which these tricks are employed. It’s one of the few games to truly demand that you move the 3D slider to its maximum setting; 2DS owners are undoubtedly getting a lesser experience.3D effects also help HAL to craft more inventive levels than we’ve become used to in Kirby’s past adventures, with stars carrying the rotund hero between different planes, while mirrored backgrounds reveal invisible enemies and highlight hazards and pitfalls hidden in the foreground. Later on you’ll race a Waddle Dee carrying a key to the end of a platform and grab a star to intercept him before he sprints off the edge.

http://www.edge-online.com/features/...-tickled-pink/

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Lego: The Hobbit shares in an adventure this April

February 27th, 2014, 01:06 Posted By: wraggster

Lego: The Hobbit and its merry band of plastic dwarves are coming to North America on April 8, and Europe on April 11. A Warner Bros. representative confirmed the release dates to Joystiq today, so fans will have a TT Games tie-in of the first two Hobbit films to tide them over before There and Back Again hits bigger screens in December.

The news follows the reveal of a $270 500GB super slim PS3 bundle for the game, but if you'd prefer to join Bilbo and pals on other systems, you're more than in luck. Lego: The Hobbit is also on the way to Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, Vita, Wii U, 3DS, Windows PC and Mac.

http://www.joystiq.com/2014/02/26/le...re-this-april/

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Wii U system update 4.0.3 released

February 26th, 2014, 00:46 Posted By: wraggster

Nintendo has released Wii U system update 4.0.3.
The company says the update makes "further improvements to overall system stability" while "other minor adjustments have been made to enhance the user experience".
In January, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata outlined plans to launch aWii U firmware update that will introduce a new 'fast start-up menu' in "early summer".
Iwata said the 20-or-so seconds it currently takes to start Wii U software "significantly impairs" the console's simplicity of use.
Following this summer's update, users will be able to fast load titles from a new menu of recently played game icons on the Gamepad screen.
Users will tap the game they wish to play, then select the Mii representing their Nintendo account, before the system launches directly into the game, bypassing the main home menu.
"We think that this function will make you feel that the time to start up a Wii U software title is cut by more than 50 percent, and that it will also lead to more Wii U users understanding the appealing nature of the GamePad," said Iwata.

http://www.computerandvideogames.com...-403-released/

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Free Pokemon X or Y with 3DS and purchasing one of six games

February 25th, 2014, 23:40 Posted By: wraggster

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