‘Star Fox’ sets course for Wii U along with smaller projects from Miyamoto
Sure, Star Fox hasn’t seen a home console game of his own since the GameCube, but Nintendo has different plans for the Wii U. Time’s let word slip that the Big N is releasing a game starring the anthropomorphic space canine. While there aren’t many details just yet, players will use the GamePad’s motion controls to aim and fire, while controlling their ship Arwing with thumbsticks. And yes, it’ll still be able to transform into the land tank. In addition to the tried-and-true roving fortress, Nintendo’s baked in a new helicopter-like craft. The aircraft’s movements can be controlled by one player, while another takes control of shooting enemies or directing a small robot that drops down and blasts things independently.
In addition to Fox McCloud’s fresh adventure, Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto has been hard at work on smaller projects, two of which are called Project Giant Robot and Project Guard. In Project Giant Robot, gamers take the helm of enormous bots and control their torsos using motion controls, while using the GamePad’s thumbsticks for punching and grabbing. In the second experience, players defend a fortress from baddies by using the GamePad to cycle through posts throughout their base and blasting raiders to smithereens. The Star Fox title is “at least a year away” from seeing the light of day, but the other two projects are still experimental.
While the Star Fox game has a clearer timeline attached to it, Nintendo might go the route of an episodic release schedule. “Honestly I don’t have a clear idea myself yet, but one thing I’m thinking is that with this Star Fox we may take a different approach, so that rather than one big title we have multiple releases that are connected through different missions,” Miyamoto told Time. “If I was to describe the Star Fox series up until now as being sort of a movie series, I guess I’d describe this new approach as something that’s more like a TV series for Star Fox.”
[Image credit: Time]
Source: TIME
Open-world ‘Zelda’ game heading to Wii U in 2015
Last year, Zelda tastemaker Eiji Aonuma told us that he wanted to give players more freedom. “I want them to be able to explore more.” Back then, he was talking about A Link Between Worlds; today Nintendo is talking about the franchise’s first game designed natively for the Wii U. Taking the screen during Nintendo’s Digital Event at E3, Aonuma showed a deep, lush landscape and pointed to the horizon. “You can even reach those mountains in the distance if you walk far enough.” It’s the first truly open-world Zelda game.
Aonuma says the new Zelda game is all about removing boundaries, recalling how the original Legend of Zelda allowed players to wander the land of Hyrule in any direction, almost without restriction. Exploration is the game’s new focus, he says, and the first puzzle the player will have to solve is figuring out what direction they want to wander. Nintendo seems to be breaking a few sartorial conventions too: In a brief action clip, Aonuma showed a young, long-haired protagonist garbed in a light blue tunic, as opposed to Link’s traditional green garb.
That adventure won’t be available until some time next year, but there’s still a Zelda game on deck for 2014: Hyrule Warriors, Nintendo’s mash-up between The Legend of Zelda franchise and Dynasty Warriors. This game breaks a Zelda convention too, thanks to its partner franchise’s multiplayer standards: Players will be able to team up as Link, Princess Zelda, Midna, Impa and possibly others. That experience can be had on September 26th, 2014.
‘Super Smash Bros.’ for Wii U lets you bring toys (and yourself) into the game
Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U isn’t just leaning on your nostalgia to clinch a sale; it also has a few technological tricks up its sleeve. Nintendo’s latest brawler will let you bring the characters from its NFC-based toys (now known as Amiibos) into the game by tapping them on the Wii U’s gamepad. They can fight alongside you or in your place, and they’ll gain abilities as they level up. Other titles (including Mario Kart 8, Mario Party 10 and Yoshi’s Woolly World) should support Amiibos in the future, as well. If you’d rather introduce your own persona, though, you can. Super Smash Bros. has an option to add your Mii, giving it both a character class as well as a handful of special moves.
You’ll still have to wait until sometime during the holidays to pick up the Wii U version and try out all its spiffy new features. If you’re impatient for some fisticuffs, though, you’ll be glad to hear that Super Smash Bros. 3DS will be available a bit sooner — it’s now set to launch on October 3rd. You won’t be locked out of Amiibo, either, as Nintendo is promising a peripheral (sadly, due in 2015) that puts your figurines into 3DS games.
Nintendo teases ‘Mario Maker’ for creating custom Mario levels on Wii U
We had a feeling Nintendo was going to announce something called “Mario Maker,” a game that allows you to create your own levels in Super Mario Brothers — after all, Nintendo Enthusiast found a poster for the damn thing in the company’s E3 booth. Indeed, Nintendo just teased it in a press event, though it only provided a scant few details. In a series of screenshots, we saw someone creating custom levels, with the help of the Wii U’s included stylus. Though you can design the level using old-school 8-bit graphics, as in the screenshot above, you can also go with the sort of modern look found in Mario’s newer titles. No word on exact release date, except that it will hit North America and Europe sometime in 2015.
What you need to know about the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3)
Spring rains are ending; the R train tunnel is nearly through with repairs (after being ravaged by Hurricane Sandy); and we’re nowhere near Engadget HQ in downtown Manhattan. Alas, it’s early summer: time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo once more. The annual game industry trade event, commonly referred to as “E3,” unofficially kicks off today in Los Angeles. A quartet of press conferences start at 9AM PT, with Microsoft and Sony bookending the day’s proceedings. But wait — what’s all the fuss about? “What’s the deal with E3?” you say in your best Jerry Seinfeld voice.
In short, E3 is a big marketing event for the game industry. In reality, E3 is much, much more than that.
WHAT IS IT?
E3 — the so-called Electronic Entertainment Expo — is a three-day game industry trade show in Los Angeles, California. It draws game makers, publishers, marketing and press all into the same venue, the Los Angeles Convention Center, for an annual marketing blitz aimed at showcasing the coming holiday’s big games. It’s where the CEOs, executives and game makers of Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo and many others make grandiose stage presentations announcing new hardware and software. It’s where game consoles are announced, interviews take place and deals are brokered. It’s where Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime originally said, “My body is ready,” and where former PlayStation head Kaz Hirai said, “Riiiiiiiidge Racerrrr!” It’s the place where many, many gaming memes originated.
To understand the event more clearly, you must first know that a tremendous portion of the game industry’s money is earned during holiday sales. What’s “tremendous” in this case? Try over one-third in 2013 alone. “But last year, right around the holidays, both the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 launched!” you protest. Fair point! In 2012, the number was even higher: Just shy of 40 percent of the game industry’s money was earned in the holiday season (Oct. 1st through Dec. 31st). That’s not an aberration; it’s the standard.
As such, the game industry cares an awful lot about making a big splash with holiday plans in… June. It might sound early, but there are just four months between June and October; for many game publishers, it’s the beginning of a final marketing push before a game’s big holiday release.
Of course, the world of video games is wide and varied; much of what you read above applies directly to the biggies: Call of Duty, Battlefield, Madden, Halo, etc. Though smaller games have a bigger presence than ever at E3, it’s still primarily a trade event aimed at showcasing blockbuster games that cost millions of dollars.
HOW DOES IT WORK?
Though the show “officially” runs from Tuesday through Thursday of whatever week it falls on (the second week of June in recent years), the show really begins on Monday. This year, Microsoft’s starting the show with a press briefing at 9AM PT, followed by Electronic Arts, then Ubisoft, then Sony in the evening. None of the briefings are in the same venue, and they occasionally overlap. If you were standing outside of downtown LA’s Orpheum Theater, for instance, around noon PT today, you might find an Engadget editor scurrying out ahead of the presentation ending. They’re not just going to get more coffee; they’re heading to the next event to hold a spot in line. Such is the first day of E3.
In the case of us, we liveblog; we interview; we run from place to place while sharing our favorite Luigi death stare GIFs along the way. Heck, last year we even did live broadcasts before and after the presentations.
E3 goes “official” on Tuesday at noon PT as the doors to West and South Hall inside the LACC open. Why noon? Well, you might be wondering why Nintendo’s press conference wasn’t mentioned yet. That’s because, as of last year, Nintendo no longer holds a dedicated press briefing event, instead opting for a direct-to-consumers video presentation ahead of the show floor’s noon opening (think: Nintendo Direct). But the long and short is this: Tuesday morning used to be Nintendo’s press conference, but not anymore. It’s as simple as that.
When the doors to each hall do open, swathes of attendees flood in: Approximately 50,000 people walk E3′s two enormous halls over the three days it exists each year.
WHY SHOULD I CARE?
Well, for starters, because video games are rad, but you probably already know that. The actual reasons you should care about E3 are far less esoteric. Want to know what the next major steps are from the megacorporations that make your favorite games? E3 is where to find out. How about never-before-seen games? E3 is also great for that. It’s also, occasionally, a venue for new hardware announcements. Both Project Natal (which became Kinect) and PlayStation Move were E3 announcements, as was Nintendo’s incredibly popular 3DS handheld.
In short, regardless of the marketing-driven angle, and the spectacle of two sprawling convention halls full of multi-million dollar booths erected for just three days per year, E3 is a hugely important event for both the game industry and the people who sustain it.
Also, it’s full of hilarious memes.
WANT EVEN MORE?
And who wouldn’t?! Last year, Sean Buckley wrote an incredibly thorough history of E3 — if you’re into learning more about E3, that is a must-read. For the Nate Silvers in the crowd, the body that runs E3 — the Entertainment Software Association — releases an annual statistical study of gaming, including E3 trends (PDF). And finally, Polygon’s Chris Plante made a pretty hilarious video walking through even more details about “America’s biggest video game event” (he means E3).
[Image credit: AP Photo/Jae C. Hong]
Filed under: Gaming, Software, HD, Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo
This cover of the ‘Game of Thrones’ theme was made with an NESkeytar
Enjoy this for what it is: a bitchin’ chiptune cover of the theme song to the nerdgasm, soft porn fantasy-fest that is HBO’s Game of Thrones. And, yes that is a “keytar” with a Nintendo Entertainment System attached that YouTuber Theremin Hero is deftly fingering to play the show’s epic opening theme. Dude’s even rocking Think Geek’s 8-bit tie. Clearly, he’s committed. The full video is after the break.
(Full disclosure: I’ve tried reading book one of Game of Thrones at least twice on a plane ride and failed to get hooked. Same goes for season one of the show. I just don’t get it.)
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment
Via: LaughingSquid
Source: YouTube (Theremin Hero), ThereminHero
Happy 30th birthday, Tetris
It’s been 30 years since Alexey Pajitnov crafted the world’s most popular game of all time, while as an employee of the Soviet Academy of Sciences in Moscow. Tetris spent the next 10 years bouncing onto every computer and arcade machine, including selling 33 million copies on the Game Boy alone. Pajitnov, however, saw almost none of the success of his creation, since the rights to his game wouldn’t revert back to him until 1996. But by that point, Tetris’ place in world history was secure, and the title has since gone on to sell 100 million copies, not to mention popping up in some rather unexpected places.
Wii U’s quick-boot update is finally here, takes you straight to the games
If you’re planning to play Mario Kart 8 in the near future, you may have a wait ahead of you thanks to the latest Wii U update. Ironically enough, though, this should speed up the process of playing games from here on out. The patch (version 5.0.0 U) most notably adds a quick start menu to the GamePad that gives access to a handful of recently played or installed software — something the company showed off back in January. What’s more, as Kotaku spotted, you can now download and install updates while the system is in standby, and Nintendo’s gargantuan controller can even receive push notifications from the system when it’s in its low-power state. Exactly what those will entail is anyone’s guess, though. If you’d like a preview of how the rapid-boot menu works ahead of using it for yourself, we’ve embedded a clip after the break.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
Via: Kotaku
Source: Nintendo
Playdate: We’re livestreaming Mario Kart 8 for Wii U!
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They’re fun!
Mario Kart 8 isn’t actually the eighth Mario Kart game. Disappointing as that may be, the game itself is a blast. Heck, we’d go as far as to say it’s a good reason to buy a Wii U. The game launches today in North America and Europe, so we figure it’s a good time to give people a thorough look at the Wii U’s next big game. Join myself and everyone’s favorite goomba, Tim Seppala, right here at 3PM ET (well, after the break), as we throw red shells, drop banana peels, and smear ink in each other’s eyes — all virtually of course. Oh, and the profanity and shouting definitely we’re bound to do isn’t serious. OR IS IT?
Nintendo resurrects its best controller for Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U
Not only is one of Nintendo’s most loved games soon to arrive on the Wii U, but you’ll also be able to play it using one of the game company’s best controllers. An officially licensed adapter will let you plug in up to four GameCube controllers when playing the next-gen iteration of Super Smash Bros. As Joystiq points out, we don’t know if there’ll also be support for Nintendo’s wireless Wavebird via the same piece of kit, or whether GameCube controllers will work with other Wii U titles. Neither do we have any pricing. What we do know is that the adapter will be shown off during a tournament at E3 on June 10th (check out the video below at 2:20). It”ll then presumably go on sale in time for the launch of Super Smash Bros. on the Wii U this winter — and, from Nintendo’s perspective, it surely can’t come soon enough.
Source: Nintendo (YouTube)
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