|
|
Nintendo DS News is a News and downloads site for All Nintendo Handhelds and Consoles including the Gameboy, NES, N64, Snes, Gamecube, Wii, WiiU, NDS, 3DS, GBA and Snes, We have all the latest emulators, hack, homebrew, commercial games and all the downloads on this site, the latest homebrew and releases, Part of the
DCEmu Homebrew & Gaming Network.
THE LATEST NEWS BELOW
|
July 28th, 2013, 00:37 Posted By: wraggster
 To mark the release of Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies in Japan (where it is called Gyakuten Saiban 5), Capcom held a special launch tombola at branches of Bic Camera in Tokyo and Yodobashi Camera in Osaka, where fans could win prizes as they picked up their copies of the game. It also announced its DLC plans.Japanese game news site 4Gamer.net attended the Tokyo event and took producer Motohide Eshiro and scenario director Takeshi Yamazaki aside for an interview. “I’m so happy I could buy a copy myself!” joked Eshiro. “As a game creator, there’s nothing better than being able to directly see the fans come to pick up the game.”“I’ve never done an event on launch day before, but whenever a game (I’ve worked on) comes out I go to the shop and watch the sales floor from behind going, ‘Please buy it! Please buy it!’” laughed Yamazaki. “And I arrange the games on the shelf so they catch the eye better.”A long-awaited return for hardy litigator Phoenix Wright, Dual Destinies was made playable at Tokyo Game Show in September, 10 months before the game’s release on 25 July. It is due in Europe and North America this autumn as a digital-only release.Eshiro explained that he had actually thought the game would take even longer to be released. “Because the platform changed to 3DS this time, there was a lot of time spent on research,” he said. “Especially with the graphics, how to give them that 2D feel in 3D. And the story is everything in an Ace Attorney game, so Yamazaki had to really knead the scenario into shape. So the production took a long time, but I wanted to make sure the game came out before the summer holidays. 3DS is a portable system, and lots of people take their handheld with them for Obon (a Japanese festival where families gather in their hometown to honour the dead). So I was like, ‘Get ahead of schedule. But don’t compromise the content!’”
http://www.edge-online.com/features/...hoenix-wright/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
 Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
 |
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 23:57 Posted By: wraggster
Oddworld Inhabitants founder secure in Mario maker's future, not so much in Microsoft and Zynga
[h=3]Oddworld Inhabitants[/h]oddworld.com/
Oddworld Inhabitants is most closely associated with Sony, but the outfit's outspoken founder Lorne Lanning isn't shy doling out cheers and jeers for the rest of the industry. In an interview with VentureBeat, Lanning talked about Microsoft's recent reversals on Xbox One policies that had been pursued by former Xbox head Don Mattrick, now CEO with Zynga.
"I looked at that and I thought, 'How does that whole [Microsoft Xbox One] team feel, knowing that the guy who led them to that train wreck just jumped out with maybe a $5 million parachute?'" Lanning said. "That's an issue we don't talk about today, because it's not cool in capitalism to talk about that."
He contrasted Microsoft's approach to Nintendo's, where CEO Satoru Iwata was recently asked if the company would be restructuring and laying off employees to cope with its recent struggles. Iwata answered that such a move could damage employee morale, and said developers in fear of layoffs would likely produce worse games.
"When he said that, in my opinion, he was immortalized in the creative community," Lanning said. "I would work with him in a second. When a man in that type of position, in a world where the golden rule is the rule and that's what's expected at public companies, he stood up and said, 'That's not what we're about. We're about building great stuff. We have great people to build great stuff. We're gonna do that. When I look at the history of Nintendo, I say, 'Nintendo is going to be here in 100 years.' I have no doubt. I doubt Microsoft will be here in 100 years. I know Zynga won't be here in 100 years."
As for Oddworld, Lanning has said the company's future plan is to grow the business alongside the fan base. While he expressed an interest in returning to AAA game development, he seemed happy to take his time getting Oddworld up to the scale where it could tackle such a project.
"We're able to grow in a very micro way," Lanning said. "It's not something that has investors that need to be appeased and that are really bringing no value beyond their cash. Usually that cash is what drives most of the pressure and most of the distractions. Being self-published and self-financed... It's really crowd financing, because it's revenue financing. The crowd is paying for it. They're just not pre-paying for it. As a result, we're able to do something different."
Lanning said crowdfunding in the more accepted sense is also going to play a role in the company's future. He mentioned seeking advice from Chris Roberts, whose Cloud Imperium Games has raised more than $14 million for development on Star Citizen.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...e-in-100-years
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 23:49 Posted By: wraggster
Mind Candy has announced another boxed outing for its worldwide kids hit, Moshi Monsters.
Following the success of DS and 3DS titles Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Zoo and Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Theme Park, the firm is once again targeting handheld gamers with Katsuma Unleashed.
The new game will once again be published by Activision Blizzard and is being developed by UK studio Sumo Digital. It will be released for 3DS and DS on October 11th, nearly a month before the November 5th release.
This time, the action will centre around Katsuma, the cat-like creature pictured to the right and the most popular critter in the franchise.
Rather than a collection of mini-games, players will be challenged with a side-scrolling platformer in a new 3D cartoon style. They will battle enemy Moshlings on Katsuma's quest to rescue the other Moshi Monsters.
The 3DS version will also make use of StreetPass, unlocking new maps and monster attack games starring other Moshi characters.
Moshi Monsters: Moshlings Zoo still holds the record for most weeks at the top of the UK DS chart.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/new-m...ctober/0119244
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 01:25 Posted By: wraggster
Denis Dyack and his group at Precursor Games has relaunched their Kickstarter campaign for Shadow of the Eternals, the CryEngine 3-powered spiritual successor to GameCube horror game Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem. Shadow of the Eternals is looking to secure $750,000 in funding, half of the requested $1.5 million from the first go around.
Reward tiers are restructured and so is the campaign: Shadow of the Eternalswill span thousands of years and highlight numerous characters like Detective Paul Becker, voiced by David Hayter. Becker, investigating a massacre at an asylum, discovers two survivors who seemingly want to kill each other – one a prim Wall Street type, the other a tattooed biker archetype.
Precursor is still aiming to launch on PC and Wii U, and a Steam Greenlightdrive is currently seeking votes from the community. After pulling the plug on the Kickstarter campaign last month, Precursor Games' Denis Dyack told Joystiq there was a lot of "noise" surrounding Shadow of the Eternals due to misconceptions of what Precursor Games was promising. This new Kickstarter campaign aims to be more inclusive to the community, with a special area of the Precursor forums dedicated to fan input, unlocked at the lowest backer tier.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/25/sh...n-resurrected/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 01:25 Posted By: wraggster
 Capcom has confirmed on its official blog that the DLC episode and costumes recently announced for the Japanese version of Ace Attorney: Dual Destinieswill also make their way to western territories, sometime after the game is released on the 3DS eShop this fall.
No release date was given for the extra content as no release date yet exists for the game itself, although Capcom did divulge that the bonus episode is entitled "Turnabout Return." It also dropped a small handful of screenshots of the bonus costumes, which we picked up and put into this-here gallery. There was also no word on pricing, or whether the costumes and extra episode will be sold separately.
What we do know, and this is perhaps the most important thing, is that there's an orca whale with a mustache and a pretty pink star on its head.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/25/ac...s-headed-west/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 01:24 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo served up a collection of new StreetPass games for the Nintendo 3DSearlier this month, offering players new opportunities to exploit their 3DS-owning friends to earn new Mii hats and outfits. Like the existing StreetPass games, they're lightweight diversions that you'll either ignore after a few plays or delve into obsessively.
You can count me among the obsessed. I've unlocked every Mii hat available through Find Mii, and I've completed Find Mii II's secret quest multiple times -- the Famicom hat I earned afterward was totally worth it. Despite their simplicity, Nintendo's StreetPass games have a undeniable charm that can keep you hooked for months.
Unlike the StreetPass games that are bundled with the system, however, these new games aren't free. After putting a few dozen unsuspecting Mii Plaza visitors through the new StreetPass offerings over the last several days, I found that some games were more enjoyable and worthwhile than others.
[Mii Force, Flower Town, Warrior's Way, and Monster Manor are priced at $4.99 each. All four can be purchased as a bundle for $14.99.]
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/25/ni...ew-portabliss/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 01:10 Posted By: wraggster
Here's this week's short and snappy list of new titles released via Nintendo eShops for Wii U and 3DS in US today.
Retro Nintendo fans can check out the original Kid Icarus on Wii U, with the arrival of the SNES classic on the Virtual Console.
 Here's the full list:
Virtual Console on Wii U
Kid Icarus - Play as Pit, a young angel who has been entrusted with a magical bow and arrow, in this NES classic. Fight against hordes of enemies that swoop from above and below, secure the Three Sacred Treasures from their evil guardians and face Medusa in the final battle. Are you the stuff of legends? Restore peace to Angel Land and prove your worth.
Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS
Chain Blaster - With the world on the brink of destruction, take control of an anti-virus ship and go head to head with wave after wave of enemy ships in a fierce battle to save the world. Fight off the virus ships by firing Chain Blaster shots to set in motion a combo of explosions. The demo and full versions of Chain Blaster are now available.
Also new this week:
- Angler's Club: Ultimate Bass Fishing 3D (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
- PICROSS e2 (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
- Cute Witch! Runner (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS / Nintendo DSiWare)
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...te-kid-icarus/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 01:01 Posted By: wraggster
Activision has pledged extensive support for Wii U, bringing six new games - including Call of Duty: Ghosts - to the platform this Autumn.
The latest game in the publisher's flagship shooter series had previously gone unconfirmed for Wii U, leading to the suspicion that Activision might skip Nintendo's console following its slow pick-up at retail this year.
 The FPS was confirmed for the platform today along with five other titles: Skylanders SWAP Force, Angry Birds Trilogy, Angry Birds Star Wars, SpongeBob SquarePants: Plankton's Robotic Revenge and Wipeout Create & Crash.
Speaking more specifically on Call of Duty: Ghosts, the announcement confirmed support for the Wii Remote and second-screen Wii U GamePad gameplay, but didn't go into details. The Wii U version will release alongside other current-gen platforms on November 5.
Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg said the announcement re-enforces the publisher's support for Wii U.
"As we have said before, we're committed to doing everything we can to support the Wii U, which is why we're excited to be bringing some of the most popular entertainment franchises in the world to the platform this year," he commented.
"The Call of Duty franchise continues to be one of the most powerful forces in gaming and Skylanders continues to enchant new fans around the world. Our studios have been hard at work creating brand new immersive experiences perfectly suited to the Wii U platform and our fall lineup has something for everyone," added Hirshberg.
This will come as a relief to Wii U owners, who've endured a severe lack of game releases in 2013 due largely to third parties' lack of confidence in the platform.
EA was among the largest to shun the platform major releases; the publisher confirmed in May that there will be no FIFA 14 on Wii Ufollowing "disappointing" sales of FIFA 13 on the console. Likewise, other EA sports titles, including Madden NFL 25 will skip the Nintendo machine.
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau told press that the firm will resume full support for Wii U when it "becomes a viable platform" on which to sell games, and that Nintendo must "sell more boxes".
Discussing third-party support earlier this month, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, "There were so many games released by third party publishers for Wii U during the launch period, but most of them were converted from other platforms and therefore could not enjoy brisk sales. As a result, some software developers have become pessimistic about Wii U."
Without going into detail, Iwata said "there are more key titles to be announced by [third party developers]."
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...sts-confirmed/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 00:30 Posted By: wraggster
Those who pick up an eShop download code for Pikmin 3 from retailer GAME can download the game right now.
That’s effectively granting early access as the game doesn’t officially arrive until in the UK until midnight tonight. Nintendo Life reports that these codes were discovered to work on the eShop yesterday.
Best of all, a digital Pikmin 3 code from game costs just £34.99 whereas downloading the title through the eShop costs £39.99. Plus those who Pikmin 3 digitally are entitled to a 30 per cent discount on upcoming Wii U title The Wonderful 101.
Be warned though – MCV has heard tales of very slow downloading on the eShop at present, so even if you purchased a code right now there’s a chance you might not have your hands on the title until midnight.
http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/pikmi...-early/0119146
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 26th, 2013, 00:20 Posted By: wraggster
Call Of Duty: Ghosts will be released on Wii U on November 5, developer Infinity Ward has confirmed via Twitter.The Wii U version of Ghosts has been the subject of a great deal of speculation, but this is the first official word on the title. The Wii U version will now join the PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 SKUs on launch day, November 5, and will feature both Wii Remote and Gamepad support.
http://www.edge-online.com/news/infi...sts-for-wii-u/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 25th, 2013, 01:48 Posted By: wraggster
It may surprise you to learn that the next 3DS game from Pokemon developer Game Freak is about horse racing. Titled Soriti Horse, the game is split into two phases that switch back and forth, according to Japanese site 4Gamer(translated on NeoGAF). There's the racing phase, obviously, during which players control their horse with the stylus. The other phase involves playing solitaire – the card game – to train and improve the bond with your horse. The two phases alternate throughout the race until a horse (hopefully yours) crosses the finish line. Players will be able to trade horses with one another using QR codes.
Soriti Horse is slated to hit the Japanese 3DS eShop on July 31 for ¥500 ($5), and it will be self-published by Game Freak. The horse racing / solitaire genre isn't exactly thriving in the west, but it's worth mentioning that Game Freak's last eShop game, Harmoknight, did receive a western release.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/23/po...inish-line-ne/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 25th, 2013, 01:48 Posted By: wraggster
Zen Studios is working to port Star Wars Pinball over to the 3DS, the development studio has told Nintendo Everything. More information on the upcoming port is coming "very soon," Zen Studios promises.
Star Wars Pinball is the latest addition to Zen's lucrative virtual pinball business and includes a collection of three tables themed around The Empire Strikes Back film, The Clone Wars television show and iconic bounty hunter Boba Fett. Zen Studios has said that more Star Wars Pinball tables are currently in development.
http://www.joystiq.com/2013/07/23/st...the-3ds-chute/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 25th, 2013, 01:43 Posted By: wraggster
The Danish and Swedish motion-based TV-ignoring party game Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party is now due on 8th August on the Wii U's eShop where it will cost €6.99 / $8.99.Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party is a collection of motion-based mini-games that require people to work together to carry out physical challenges with Wii remotes and the Wii U Gamepad. “We have been really inspired by the possibilities of off-screen play the Wii U gives us. Finally we have a console that can put attention to the actions between the players instead of the screen," said game designer Lau Korsgaard."Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party is our attempt to explore these unique possibilities of the Wii U, players sit in a circle looking at each other doing silly, wacky and embarrassing stuff. This is a game that couldn't have been developed for any other console."Developers KnapNok and Redgrim are using a Minecraft-like pricing scheme where the game will increase in price as new updates are added. Early adopters, however, will receive the added content at no extra charge. I just asked Korsgaard how much the price would increase and he said, "That is to determined. I guess a couple of bucks per update."I had the pleasure of playing Spin the Bottle at a GDC party where I later dubbed it "the Wii U's best drinking game." That being said, it doesn't require alcohol to be fun and despite the risque title (which now bears the added moniker "Bumpie's Party," which Korsgaard insists was to strengthen the IP) Spin the Bottle is in fact "an innocent game for innocent children."
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...he-wii-u-eshop
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 25th, 2013, 01:41 Posted By: wraggster
Nintendo has launched a US promotion offering bonuses when a user adds funds to their Wii U eShop account.
 Users who add between $50 and $99.99 to their Nintendo Wii U eShop account will be gifted an extra $5 credit, while those who add $100 or more will receive an extra $10.
The offer is open until July 28. Those who add funds will receive a promotional code for the extra credit on August 2.
The promotion coincides with the August release of Pikmin 3, which has so far accrued unanimously positive reviews.
We wrote that Pikmin 3 "might persuade you to buy a Wii U, but it won't make you love it."
Nintendo is running a similar promotion for the 3DS, offering US gamers $30 eShop credit to anyone who purchases and registers either Fire Emblem Awakening and Shin Megami Tensei IV.
http://www.computerandvideogames.com...hop-purchases/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 24th, 2013, 23:59 Posted By: wraggster
 Nintendo is working with plenty of indies to bring games to Wii U’s eShop, it’s just not doing a great job of telling anyone about it.Behind the scenes, it is approaching indies across the globe – besides Japan, it seems – to help fill out eShop’s sparse offering. It is being selective, though. When it does choose to assist a studio, it gets involved in the game’s production a little more than its fellow platform holders to ensure the final game is of sufficient quality, one studio has told us.We tracked down four studios working on Wii U games right now to ask them how their dealings with Nintendo compared to their relationships with Sony and Microsoft.Phil Tossell is one of three former Rare staffers who co-founded Nyamyam. The studio intends to release its debut game Tengami on Wii U after its iOS launch. “Nintendo’s approach is slightly different,” he told us. “I think Nintendo are actively seeking indies, but that they’re looking for quality, experienced developers that they can maybe form a longer term relationship with. I get the feeling that they don’t want a free for all like the App Store, rather a more curated experience. Quality over quantity.“Sony are obviously vocally and publicly courting indie developers of all shapes and sizes and they’re doing a great job. They are already seen by many in the indie community as the place to go. However, this does come with the danger that the indie space might become very crowded on Sony platforms. This then presents the same visibility problems that are so apparent on the App Store.“As for Microsoft, do they even have an approach to indies? I don’t think indies figure into Microsoft’s strategy at all.”Dakko Dakko is the creator of The 2D Adventures of Rotating Octopus Character and Floating Cloud God Saves The Pilgrims. Its next project is Wii U exclusive Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails.“Certainly in our experience Nintendo has been every bit as helpful as the other platform holders,” studio director Rhodri Broadbent told us. “They don’t shout very loudly about it, but they are working hard behind the scenes to make their platforms as welcoming as possible.”Red Thread Games is aiming to release Dreamfall Chapters on Wii U. Founder and creative director Ragnar Tørnquist told us: “I don’t think Nintendo gets enough credit for their indie efforts. There are a lot of intriguing indie titles on the eShop, and they’re obviously passionate about increasing the variety of range of games available. They’re still lagging a bit behind Sony in terms of indie support, but I think that has more to do with how closed their hardware has been in the past, rather than a lack of willingness and engagement from their developer relations.“As for Microsoft and the Xbox One, I’ve been outspoken about how difficult it’s been to get a foothold there – it’s definitely been easier for us to communicate with Nintendo and get support – but hopefully that will change soon.“Despite the slow start, I do believe that both the 3DS and the Wii U have a healthy and exciting indie future ahead of them, and we’d love to be a part of that.”Knapnok Games is working on Spin the Bottle: Bumpie’s Party for Wii U, and is staffed by several members of the Copenhagen Game Collective best known for the development of Dark Room Sex Game, an unofficial, experimental Wii game.“One of Sony’s core messages at E3 was their support of indies and at the same convention Microsoft got a lot of criticism for not featuring independent game developers as prominently,” Knapnok’s Lau Korsgaard told us. “Meanwhile Nintendo is just doing the right thing without making a big fuss about it. They work on establishing genuine human relationships with the indies. They are working on making their tools easily accessible and free and provide equipment for you and are super encouraging in general.”
http://www.edge-online.com/news/indi...nd-microsofts/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 24th, 2013, 23:56 Posted By: wraggster
 We’ve already published Nyamyam, Dakko Dakko, Red Thread and Knapnok’s thoughts on how working with Nintendo compares to Sony and Microsoft’s approach; but why bring your game to a struggling format in the first place?If there’s one thing that unites these four studios it’s a love of Nintendo’s philosophy. The platform holder has always been keen to portray itself as the game maker offering something a little different, and releasing games on Wii U might not appeal commercially for an indie studio, but it seems to satisfy a very particular creative urge. For some studios, playing around with the form and function of the medium through Nintendo’s unique tech scratches that itch, and the fact Nintendo’s games have shaped so many childhoods surely helps, too. There’s a little dream fulfilment at play in being able to say your studio has released a videogame on a Nintendo console, even if it is a struggling one.One studio already familiar with Nintendo’s idiosyncratic working practices is Nyamyam. Formed by ex-Rare developers Jennifer Schneidereit, Phil Tossell and Ryo Agarie in late 2010, its debut game Tengami will be released on iOS before arriving on Wii U. Nintendo approached Nyamyam at IndieCade last year about bringing the game to its home console.“In the back of our minds we had been thinking that the Wii U could work well with the game, but with such a small team we didn’t have time to pursue it further and we didn’t really know how to go about getting in touch with Nintendo,” says Nyamyam co-founder Phil Tossell.After IndieCade, discussions began. For years, Nintendo had required studios to have a dedicated office in order to become a certified developer, but once that stumbling block was removed, Nyamyam was quickly confirmed as an official Wii U developer and received devkits in the same week. “From the time I’d worked at Rare I had a good understanding of how things were typically done at Nintendo,” continues Tossell. “They were always incredibly secretive, which is in part where Rare developed its secretive culture as well. Given those past experiences, I’ve been pleasantly surprised with how much more approachable and open Nintendo have been.“We made it clear that it was important to us that we would be able to self-publish and they were fine with this. Publicly Nintendo are not as good at demonstrating the support that they give to indies as Sony are, for example. However behind the scenes the support they are giving us is great.”
http://www.edge-online.com/features/...han-you-think/
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 24th, 2013, 23:43 Posted By: wraggster
Developers from console giant's home country unable to release titles on Wii U
Nintendo is not accepting game submissions from Japanese indie developers to release their titles on the Wii U.
As spotted by Kotaku, the small print in a recent GDC survey revealed that the console giant was “not accepting applications from developers located in Japan at this time”.
This is despite the fact that developers around the rest of the world can self-publish on the Wii U, and Nintendo has even been chasing indies through its HTML5-based Web Development Framework and Unity, even waiving licence fees for developers using the latter engine.
A statement from Nintendo to Eurogamer said the particular policy relating to game submissions was down to the licensing department in each region, but did not explain why officials in Japan had made this decision.
"The policy in question is the decision of Nintendo's department responsible for licensing activities in each region," said a company spokesperson.
http://www.develop-online.net/news/4...ev-submissions
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 24th, 2013, 02:03 Posted By: wraggster
Retro Studios' latest Donkey Kong game may not be exactly what every follower of the studio was hoping for, but you can rest assured that it's at least what Donkey Kong fans were after: more Donkey Kong.Quite a lot more, by the looks of it, and although innovation seems fairly thin on the ground, the shift to an HD platform has given good old DK a lovely pelt, while the designers of his challenging gauntlets have lost none of their enthusiasm for minecarts, exploding barrels and enemies who drop into the world just itching to be bonked on the head by a passing gorilla.What's changed? Well, there's a new threat in the shape of some invading viking cutie-pies, who take the form of tusk-helmeted walruses and penguins and have sent Donkey Kong on an impromptu tour of the nearby archipelago before he returns home to save the day. Then there's the option to play as Dixie Kong instead of Diddy Kong - a double-jump instead of a jetpack - and there are promises that a fourth playable character will be joining the action too. You can swim once more - a feature that was absent from Donkey Kong Country Returns - and you can also switch the action between the big TV and the Wii U screen when you're shoved out of the living room because Storage Hunters is starting and Pape Bear is going to drop a few Gs over something very mysterious that's lurking under a tarp in a garage in West Hollywood.Beyond that, there's a new focus on plucking stuff out of the ground - a buried lever might lower a nearby platform, while a sproutling could be attached to a collectable - and the game also feels a little kinder for newcomers. The green safety balloons from the 3DS instalment of Retro's first Donkey Kong game are back, allowing you one missed jump before you're sent plummeting to your doom, and the E3 build featured three hearts per character, even if some of the screenshots show only two. Composer David Wise is back on music duties.
Elsewhere it's undeniably business as usual, but business at least seems to move at a jaunty pace. Beyond the new pelt, Donkey Kong's world is looking dandy, with rubber plants swaying in the breeze, glorious sunset lighting, and a more dynamic camera that can't wait to circle the action as you ping from one barrel to the next, or shift around you on climbing sections. The first few levels revealed so far have a distinct Catch-22 junker vibe to them, with levels built from lumps of old aircraft and rusting cargo crates in which you duck beneath flaming propellers and bust out of the occasional fuselage, while a later environment suggests the kind of wind-blown mesas and tin-roofed shacks of a Yosemite Sam cartoon.Wherever you look, the landscape is vivid, organic and defiantly indelicate, and it's dynamic, too. Almost every platform you encounter is either swinging, shaking or rigged to collapse, and there's a constant interplay between the foreground and the background, as a pounding of the sand underfoot sinks viking longboats gathered in a distant harbour, or an idle tug on a tuft of grass sends a beanstalk shooting out of the ground behind you.The animation's wonderful, particularly in boss fights, one of which sees you facing off against a giant circus seal who slips and slides about in what appears to be a skate park half-pipe, and the whole thing moves at a tremendous clip. What the series lacks in terms of puzzles and alternate routes it makes up for with sheer headlong force of will as you rattle along, ducking spikes, grabbing onto tufts of grass and leaping from one crumbling track to the next in your juddering cart.Even though the difficulty appears to have been reined in somewhat - this is a notoriously tricky thing to gauge in an E3 build of course - there are clear signs of glinting malevolence already visible in even these early stages. Donkey Kong's looking relatively comfortable here, in other words - although with the likes of Rayman moving in on his precision platforming territory, he may need a lot more than a confident sweep of new stages and some fresh fur rendering tech to make him stand out in the crowd
http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/20...any-new-tricks
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
|
July 24th, 2013, 00:49 Posted By: wraggster
With the 3DS as the hottest thing in gaming hardware, were declarations of the dedicated gaming portable's demise premature?
[h=3]Nintendo[/h]nintendo-europe.com
One recurring Nintendo narrative in the gaming media has been that the company will eventually be forced to throw in the towel and bring its stable of famous intellectual property to smartphones and tablets, because nobody buys dedicated gaming handhelds anymore. However, Nintendo isn't going along with that narrative.
Signs of a healthy market for the 3DS are all around. Last week, the industry-tracking NPD Group had the 3DS topping the hardware sales charts for the second straight month, with a trio of games for the handheld cracking June's top 10. Nintendo reported the highest of those, the second place Animal Crossing: New Leaf, sold more than half a million copies in its first month of US availability. Looking back slightly further, Nintendo reported seven million-selling 3DS titles in its last fiscal year, led by New Super Mario Bros. 2's ridiculously successful 6.4 million copies sold. Hardware sales are also growing, with last year's 14 million worldwide tally edged up from 13.5 million the year before. As one might expect, the impact of that enlarged customer base can be seen in the worldwide software sales, which jumped about 38 percent year-over-year to 49.6 million games.
But how sustainable is the 3DS' current trajectory? Will it continue to grow until it becomes a case study in how to salvage a sluggish hardware launch, or is the system's success a fleeting phenomenon, merely putting off the inevitable? Can Mario, Animal Crossing, and Zelda really carry a hardware maker and a business model under siege? Or is the demise of the dedicated handheld market a vastly overstated problem?
[h=2]James Brightman[/h]Nintendo deserves a lot of praise for the way it's turned the 3DS business around. And last month's impressive performance in the US, for both hardware and software, shows that Nintendo still is the master of steering the handheld market. Great software drives hardware and clearly consumers are responding to Animal Crossing. With Pokemon X and Y, Mario and Luigi: Dream Team, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Two Worlds all on the horizon, I don't see 3DS interest diminishing any time soon. In fact, at $170 ($199 for the XL model), Nintendo's handheld will look like a bargain this holiday season, up against next-gen platforms like PS4 and Xbox One, at $399 and $499 respectively. Obviously the 3DS is not a direct competitor to the next-gen consoles, but consumers are still dealing with a rough economy, and parents buying Christmas presents are definitely going to favor the $170 price tag.
"My concern would be over the long-term viability of handhelds in general, as more and more developers work to offer deeper core or 'midcore' gameplay on smartphones."
James Brightman
I have no concerns about the longevity of the 3DS market. Sure, smartphones are more widely adopted across the globe than a Nintendo handheld could ever hope to be, but the average mobile game experience is still a much more shallow one than what's presented on 3DS. My concern would be over the long-term viability of handhelds in general, as more and more developers work to offer deeper core or "midcore" gameplay on smartphones. These games are either free-to-play or just a few bucks, and the premium that Nintendo commands on its software (around $40) may no longer be justifiable once the games on mobile can satisfy a deeper gaming itch. As controller APIs on iOS and Android are more readily adapted, this will enable developers to sidestep the often limiting input designs of touch screens.
The dedicated handheld market is on its last legs, but Nintendo's commitment to quality will likely keep the sector alive for longer than most of us would have guessed.
[h=2]Mike Williams[/h]I don't think Nintendo has much to worry about when it comes to the 3DS. At this point, the 3D aspect is almost a forgotten feature, but the games library remains strong. Nintendo still holds onto a powerful portfolio of recognizable characters and has made enough games over its long history to put those characters into any genre imaginable.
The system's rock-solid dominance in Japan will ensure some third-party titles will continue rolling in. Nintendo could lock down a stronger Western lineup by twisting Unity's arm on 3DS support, as a number of Kickstarted indie games are heading to Wii U because of the Unity deal.
Despite that, Nintendo will continue crushing holiday sales, especially with a new Pokemon generation on the horizon. Between Pokemon, Yoshi, Link, and Sonic, Nintendo's 2013 is looking great. Its direct competitor, the PlayStation Vita, is relying on indies, but while they're full of creativity and innovation, indie games are relatively unknown to the public at large. This doesn't even take into account 2014, which adds Super Smash Bros., a Professor Layton game, and Monster Hunter 4 to the 3DS roster.
 Animal Crossing has already sold more than 4 million copies globally.
Will the next Nintendo handheld fare as well? It depends on how far Apple and Google's game strategies are going to go. Even then, we're in the technology industry and things can change at the drop of hat these days. iPhone as an idea is only six years old at this point. A random guess based on the release dates of the Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, and Nintendo 3DS puts a successor at 2016 possibly and we have only analyst guesses about what the market will look like in 2016.
[h=2]Rachel Weber[/h]Of all the things that keep me up at night, the fate of Nintendo's handheld machines isn't one of them. This is a company that not only managed to sell a handheld system in the DS, but managed to keep selling it in Lite, DSi, and XL flavours. I'm not sure, in any sense, that the 3DS is a momentary success.
"[T]he 3DS is more than holding its own in the retail market, and I wouldn't bet even half my turnip stock on that changing anytime soon."
Rachel Weber
As far as I can see the machine's success lies in its consistency, a product that people of all gaming backgrounds can understand and access. And here's where Nintendo's handhelds have the edge on anything else: They boast a range of software that makes that entire audience feel included, software that is happily sitting on the top of the UK software chart on a regular basis, way ahead of cross-platform titles. And the places where Nintendo seems to be lagging behind, like in the online connectivity and services provided by the 3DS? That's actually a bonus to parents who imagine ill-intentioned strangers lurking behind every virtual bush.
Here in the UK the 3DS is more than holding its own in the retail market, and I wouldn't bet even half my turnip stock on that changing anytime soon.
[h=2]Dan Pearson[/h]To the question of whether Nintendo should be concerned about the performance of the 3DS there is a very clear answer: No. Although somewhat behind the trajectory of its predecessors at a similar point in their lifecycles, selling 14 million units a year is absolutely nothing to lose sleep over. The 3DS is almost certainly already a profitable enterprise overall and will continue to be so for some time yet. The XL has proven to be a successful first iteration on the base model and is unlikely to be the last.
This is indubitably what the company does best. The Wii, credited with creating an entirely new market, opening the doors of family lounges worldwide and reinvigorating the medium as a worldwide entertainment industry, was outsold by both the original DS and the combined Game Boy and Game Boy Colour. The Game Boy Advance, with 81.5 million lifetime sales, isn't far behind the Wii's 99.8 million, either. Handhelds are Nintendo's trump card, briefly challenged by the PSP's superior technical grunt but as yet unfazed by the jack-of-all-trades Vita.
But, as they say, a new challenger appears. Smartphones, a market which Nintendo is extraordinarily unlikely to ever build hardware for, are now the go-to games device for those on the move, a de-facto pocket dweller for the vast majority of the population. When you've got that sort of install base, dropping brands as globally ubiquitous as Mario or Zelda into it seems like the only logical choice. Except, then, why would you ever buy another piece of Nintendo hardware?
To let loose its brands on hardware which it doesn't make a profit on, Nintendo would lose the incredible verticality which it has spent almost its entire existence building. I'm pretty sure that the company's executives are constantly calculating the net worth of slaying the golden goose to make a fresh pillow for retirement, but don't expect that to happen any time soon.
http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ndheld-revival
To read more of the post and Download, click here!
Join In and Discuss Here
Submit News and Releases Here and Contact Us for Reviews and Advertising Here |
|
|
|
|
« prev
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246
247
248
249
250
251
252
253
254
255
256
257
258
259
next » |
|
|
