The Wii U finally has its own shadow puppet simulator
After more than a year of being available on Steam, Shadow Puppeteer is ready to take its adventure over to the Wii U. The award-winning independent title, developed by Sarepta studio, will be hitting Nintendo’s console on January 28th for $15. Shadow Puppeteer brings with it what’s described as a strange but beautiful world, which you can explore on your own or through a local co-op mode. Above all, Shadow Puppeteer’s arrival on Wii U is a great sign for indie gamers, a community we know Nintendo’s trying really hard to reach.
Source: Nintendo
DeNA talks details about their upcoming Nintendo-published ‘Miitomo’
Nintendo’s first smartphone game, Miitomo, is slated for release in March, but when it was announced the company didn’t divulge much about how it’ll actually work. Fortunately DeNA, the developer responsible for actually creating Miitomo, has shed some light on what we can expect to play.
One of the central points for Miitomo is communication with other players, which DeNA’s president thinks is a little more personal than talking through normal text-based apps. Considering the app will rely heavily on Mii avatars, it makes sense and sounds almost like an MMO or a small social media network.
Communication won’t be the only thing you’ll do, however. There will likely be some mini-games that you can play with your friends, and everything will try to keep that classic Nintendo charm that we expect from their first-party titles. Hard to tell how well DeNA will pull it off, but everyone involved seems hopeful.
A big question mark has been around how Nintendo plans on making money with Miitomo, and even though nothing is concrete yet, DeNA has hinted that there will be some microtransactions for in-game items like clothes and accessories. There are tons of possibilities with how these purchases can end up, but I think everyone can agree cosmetic items are the lesser of two evils.
source: Wall Street Journal
via: The Verge
Come comment on this article: DeNA talks details about their upcoming Nintendo-published ‘Miitomo’
Japan gets Nintendo’s 2DS in limited-edition ‘Pokemon’ colors
Pokemon will soon be 20 years old. But before you reach for another egg-nog, here’s how Nintendo is really going to twist your arm with the strength of nostalgia and bright primary colors alone. It’s announced four different 2DSes (two that’ll be exclusive) to launch alongside its incoming Pokemon remakes (the Gameboy classics Red, Blue, Green and Pikachu Yellow) for the 3DS (and 2DS, of course). The red and blue see-thru models have already appeared in Europe alongside the launch of the last Pokemon title, but it’ll be the first time the 2DS has appeared in Japan at all. Cheaper Nintendo handheld and a Pokemon game bundled in? Sounds like a license to print money to me. Let’s just pretend that Yokai Watch doesn’t exist. The 2DS bundles will launch in late February.
Source: Nintendo (Japanese)
5 Android apps you shouldn’t miss this week! – Android Apps Weekly
Welcome back to the last edition of Android Apps Weekly in 2015! We’d like to thank you for another 52 weeks of tuning in each week to catch the latest app news. Let’s get to the headlines:
- A little more news leaked out about Nintendo’s upcoming Android game this week. It’s been all but confirmed that it’s going to be a social media style app and the clothing items will be used to customize your avatar. We’re not sure where the game part is yet, but we’ll find out eventually.
- Last week we reported that there were 35 awesome games on sale on Google Play. That list has been updated and there are now over 85 titles available right now with a varying amount of discounts. Some of the games include most of Square Enix’s library, Half-Life 2, Worms 2, NBA JAM, most of Kemco’s library, and plenty of others. Check it out before these deals end.
- In an effort to show people that the Play Store is more than just apps and games, Google Play is having a promotion to get users into the other parts of the store. Until January 4th, you can get 3 months of Google Play Music for $1, some Google Play Books titles are up to 80% off, and movie rentals are up to 75% off.
- In perhaps one of the best news stories of the year, it was announced that The Beatles were coming to streaming services for the first time in most markets. As of now, you can listen to the fab 4 on Apple Music, Google Play Music, Microsoft Groove, Rhapsody, Amazon Prime Music, Slacker, Spotify, and Tidal.
- It’s been rumored that Google is creating another messaging service and this one is a little bit different. Instead of the usual paradigm where you can chat and stuff, this new service is rumored to have a ton of bots that will chat with you, make recommendations, and fetch information. We’ll have to see what happens if this rumor turns out to be true.
For even more Android apps and games headlines, updates, and new releases, don’t forget to check out this week’s newsletter where we’ll have all the information from the last week. If you want, you can subscribe using the form below and we’ll send the newsletter to your inbox every Sunday!
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- Android Weekly
- Apps Weekly
Launcher X
[Price: Free / $4.99]
Launcher X is a fairly new launcher that seems to blend a simple premise with some complex ideas. It’s built on the AOSP 3 launcher so it’s fairly close to stock in terms of performance and look but the developers have added plenty of extra goodies. They include a metric ton of customization options, gesture control, swipe-able docks, a slide out drawer, and you can even recreate Google Now Launcher’s functionality. It’s new, which means it’s a little rough around the edges, but it’s worth a shot!
Get it now on Google Play!
Space Jet
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Space Jet is an online aviation shooter where you fly a spaceship and shoot down other people who are also flying space ships. The controls are surprisingly good and the game is actually quite a bit of fun to play. As you play, you unlock upgrades for your spaceship that can do more damage, give you powers like camouflage, and a lot more. It is a freemium game so there is a bit of a pay-to-win mechanic and there are some ads here and there, but it’s an above average multiplayer shooter.
Get it now on Google Play!
Metro 2033: Wars
[Price: $7.99]
Metro 2033: Wars is an open world strategy game based on the book of the same name. You play in a post apocalyptic wasteland as you do battle with rival factions. You’ll also be tasked with strengthening and improving your specific Metro Station which adds bits of simulation and city-building elements as well. It’s a tad expensive but it is a pay-once game with no in-app purchases and it’s a great pick-up if you like strategy games.
Get it now on Google Play!
LEGO Nexo Knights
[Price: Free]
LEGO Nexo Knights is the newest game from LEGO that’s meant to accompany the short series of videos that follow the same story line. This is a hack’n’slash style of game where you must defeat the evil Jestro to save the kingdom. This is meant to be played with accompanying action figures which can be scanned for additional powers but it’s playable without them as well. It’s good for older kids and it’s also free with no in-app purchases.
Get it now on Google Play!
Gods of Rome
[Price: Free with in-app purchases]
Gods of Rome is the latest release out of Gameloft and, interestingly enough, this one is a fighting game. It’s sort of a callback to the fighting games of old and the mechanics are similar to games such as Injustice and Soul Calibur. There is actually a story to this one and your role is to fight to restore peace in your era. It’s simple, yes, but fighting games generally are. It’s a Freemium game so you can expect some pay-to-win mechanics, but overall it’s not half bad.
Get it now on Google Play!
Wrap up
If we missed any great Android apps or games news, tell us about it in the comments! Thanks again for reading and we’ll see you next week in 2016!
‘Pokken Tournament’ Wii U controller coming to US after all
When the Pokken Tournament Wii U controller from Hori surfaced earlier this month our excitement was quickly subdued when Japan seemed like the only place you’d be able to buy it when in launched in March. Well it’s time to get excited again because it’s going to available to a much wider audience at launch.
The Pokémon-infused fighting game controller popped up on Amazon for $24.99 with a launch date of March 18. First noticed on the online retailer by Destructoid, the controller is designed to mimic the arcade version of Pokken Tournament with the “ZL” and “ZR” buttons placed on its face instead of on the back like traditional Wii U controllers.
Via: Destructoid
Source: Amazon
Nintendo’s first smartphone game will sell clothes as in-app purchases
We’ve all heard that Nintendo is teaming up with DeNA to release a handful of mobile games, the first of which has already been announced. While the game, called Miitomo, has yet to launch, a small amount of details have been trickling in over the weeks regarding the game’s premise. We know it will be a free-to-play title, and we know it’s not really a game at all – it’s more of a communication tool using Nintendo’s Mii characters. That may not be the best news in the world if you’ve been waiting for a legitimate port of Super Mario 64 or Yoshi’s Island for mobile devices, but hey, we still don’t know all the details yet. Recently, the president of DeNA, Isao Moriyasu, sat down with The Wall Street Journal to answer some questions about the upcoming title and the partnership with Nintendo.
When asked how Miitomo will be different from other social networking or messaging services, Moriyasu told The Wall Street Journal:
Miitomo places more emphasis on entertainment. The process of discovering new aspects of your friends via Miis can be quite fun. One distinct aspect of Miitomo is how you can configure your Mii to have it look very similar to yourself. Communicating with friends who actually look like your friends in real life is a distinctly different feeling from text-based communication. We’re thinking of linking the game with users’ Facebook friend lists. I think it could be fun connecting with friends people don’t often communicate with.
Obviously Nintendo and DeNA are in this for the money, though, which raises the question as to how the two companies will be able to monetize such an application. “Communication will be central to the game”, Moriyasu explains, “but I think various elements could be added on— like mini-games users can play with their friends. As for monetizing, there are various possibilities, but at first we plan on selling clothes users can buy for their Miis.”
Moriyasu also says that the title will have a “distinct Nintendo feel” that will give users a “certain comfort and nostalgia.”
Miitomo is set to launch sometime in 2016, though we still haven’t heard word of an exact release date.
‘Super Mario Galaxy’ lands on the Wii U Virtual Console
Nintendo has ported Super Mario Galaxy, one of the most popular Mario Bros games of all time, to its Wii U Virtual Console and will release it on Thursday, December 24th for $20. SMG joins other gravity-defying 3D Mario platformers on the Wii U console including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D World.
[Image Credit: Getty]
Via: Venture Beat
Source: Nintendo
Nintendo’s 2015 was the best of times and the worst of times
Let’s face it: In the world of video games, Nintendo exists in a state of constant scrutiny. More often than not, the Japanese company is targeted for being “behind the times” or “out of touch” with what its fanbase wants. Looking back, however, we see a more dynamic mish-mash of good and bad decisions. In 2015, Nintendo teased us by promising to build mobile apps, but pleased us by adding some unexpected classics to its digital game library and announcing a new game console. The company had breakout hits like Splatoon, but also fumbled on launch dates, failing to deliver Star Fox Zero and Zelda Wii U by year’s end. How is Nintendo doing, really? Let’s take a look back at the highs and lows of Nintendo’s year and find out.
Image credit: Bloomberg via Getty Images
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You can search for ‘Mario Maker’ levels on the web next week
Crafting truly brilliant Mario Maker levels isn’t easy, but finding them soon will be. Nintendo just announced its “Super Mario Maker Bookmark” portal will go live on December 21 so you can search for levels to play from a computer or mobile device instead of just on your Wii U. Better yet, you’ll be able to flag those primo levels from whatever device you’re working with — they’ll appear in the Course World tab so you don’t have to worry about finding your favorite works all over again.
Nintendo first revealed the portal in a Nintendo Direct livestream last November, where they also confirmed that players have crafted over 3.3 million levels since the game’s launch. Of course, what they didn’t mention at the time is all the other stuff that’s slated to augment the game on the 21st. Course pages will display infuriating World Record completion times, and designers get new items like bumpers, P Warp Doors and a Fire Koopa Clown Car (“capable of shooting fireballs as well as a powerful charged shot that can even destroy Blocks”) for even more effective trolling.
Source: BusinessWire
Pokemon fighter ‘Pokken Tournament’ gets a Wii U controller
Pokken Tournament, the Pokemon-infused fighting game hitting the Wii U worldwide in the spring, will get a dedicated controller in Japan, as spotted by Tiny Cartridge. It’s wired and doesn’t include any analog sticks, instead opting for a directional pad, four action buttons, and “ZL” and “ZR” buttons on its face. Those final two buttons are traditionally placed as “triggers” on the backside of a gamepad.
The controller is meant to mimic the arcade version of Pokken Tournament, according to Pokemon-news website Serebii. It’s due to launch in March in Japan — a trailer posted today puts the Japanese release date for Pokken Tournament on March 18th.
Via: Tiny Cartridge
Source: Serebii
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