Richard George, Executive Editor at IGN has teased on Twitter that we should receive some interesting Wii U-related news sometime tomorrow. Sadly, George wouldn’t give any hints regarding what to expect. It’s unlikely to be another Wii U focussed Nintendo Direct, as we’ve only recently had the last one. What would you like to hear?
“Some very interesting Wii U-related news coming tomorrow. Stay tuned. All I’m saying.”
IGN yesterday launched Nintendo Nation, a video series providing news and opinions regarding Nintendo. According to IGN Executive Editor Rich George, the Nintendo Nation news videos do not replace the entertainment website’s Nintendo Voice Chat podcasts. Go here to watch the first episode of Nintendo Nation, in which two hosts – George and Sam Claiborn – discuss Nintendo’s alleged development changes, and then let George know what you thought of the video via Twitter.
Richard George, the Executive Editor at IGN, has teased on Twitter that we should expect some very interesting Nintendo 3DS news coming over the next week or so. Sadly Rich wouldn’t give away any clues regarding what we should expect. What you like to see announced?
Some very interesting 3DS-related news coming over the next… week or so. Stay tuned for more. Sorry. I’m going to be that guy today. =)
According to Nikkei.com, in an effort to see more interaction and cooperation between the two, Nintendo is planning to unify its handheld and home console divisions. The move, if proven to be true, will see employees from both hardware-making divisions merging and moving into a new development building, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of the year and is near Nintendo’s headquarters in Kyoto. Nintendo allegedly hopes the move will encourage more connectivity between its handheld and home console platforms.
Thanks to IGN, here is a translation of Nikkei.com‘s report:
“Game system development projects are becoming larger and taking longer to complete as the machines become more advanced. Nintendo apparently has its sights set on speeding up these projects by sharing development processes for consoles and handheld devices where possible and by reassigning personnel depending on the situation. It sees interactions between engineers as a potential hotbed of new ideas.”
“In an effort to create more innovative and attractive products, Nintendo Co. will combine the development segments for its home video game consoles and handheld game devices,”
“The decision comes on the heels of recent releases of the Nintendo 3DS portable system in February 2011 and the Wii U home console last month. With more people using their smartphones and tablets for entertainment via the Internet, including games and videos, Nintendo aims to come up with next-generation game systems that will turn heads.”
“The two teams will eventually be integrated and the segment will be organized by function, such as circuits, mechanisms and design,” quotes the report.
“Game system development projects are becoming larger and taking longer to complete as the machines become more advanced. Nintendo apparently has its sights set on speeding up these projects by sharing development processes for consoles and handheld devices where possible and by reassigning personnel depending on the situation. It sees interactions between engineers as a potential hotbed of new ideas.”
“Such functions are already available with the Wii U, but Nintendo likely hopes to better streamline its products by tapping into such online services as Twitter and video sites.”
IGN Executive Editor Rich George has confirmed that the downloadable version of Fire Emblem: Awakening requires 8579 blocks. George said it took him 45 minutes to download the strategy role-playing game. In North America, on February 4th, Fire Emblem: Awakening launches at retailers and in the Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS. A free demo of the game will hit the Nintendo eShop this Thursday, on January 17th.
IGN has awarded New Super Mario Bros U the esteemed accolade of platformer of the year. Mario’s latest adventure was put up against Fez, Rayman Jungle Run, Sound Shapes, and Spelunky. IGN praised New Super Mario Bros U saying that it contains brutally twisted bite-sized challenge stages and some of the most insanely creative level design ever seen in the series.
The fantastic Wii-exclusive from developer Monolith Soft, Xenoblade Chronicles, is IGN‘s choice for best Wii U/Wii game of 2012. The action role-playing game released 2010 in Japan, 2011 in Europe, and 2012 in North America.
Other nominees for IGN’s best Nintendo home console game of 2012 include Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U, Call of Duty: Black Ops II, and The Last Story.
While the Wii U had a few rather impressive launch titles (most notably New Super Mario Bros. U), it was actually the Wii and one of its very last pieces of software that stole the show in 2012. What Xenoblade Chronicles accomplished with the limited hardware at hand was an absolutely stunning achievement, providing a deep and engrossing RPG experience for a system that was severely lacking in the genre during its six year tenure. From the touching story to the memorable characters to the game’s fresh take on RPG combat, Xenoblade Chronicles is an absolutely exquisite adventure from beginning to end. Chances are you won’t even care that the game is not in HD when you’re tromping through the detailed and gorgeously varied landscapes it offers. Even if you’ve already made the jump to Wii U, this is a game that no one should miss out on–and that’s why it’s our choice for the best Nintendo home console game of the year.
According to IGN, Wii U’s LEGO City: Undercover is a huge game. After playing only parts of the first act in the game, IGN Associate Editor Audrey Drake says she barely skimmed the surface of what the title offers. From what she’s seen so far, Drake thinks that LEGO City: Undercover is the LEGO game we’ve been waiting for.
To start – this game is huge. Almost too huge for its own good, in some respects. So far I’ve only had the opportunity to play part of Act 1, and after an hour I had still barely skimmed the surface of what there is to do in this title. You play as hero Chase McCain, who’s running all over creation trying to hunt down the evil Rex Fury. You’ll travel to various locations, many of which are inspired by real-life places (such as the prison island of Albatross… Alcatraz, anyone?).
The size of the city and the amount of activity contained within already guarantee hours of gameplay, but then there’s the collection aspect. After all, a LEGO game wouldn’t be a LEGO game without collecting – and this game takes that idea to a whole new level of obsession. There are so many things to collect in LEGO City Undercover that the prospect of getting them all is somewhat overwhelming. In addition to your standard hunt for LEGO pieces, you’ll also be hunting down hidden lockers, each of which contains a new disguise for Chase to don. Additionally, there are tons of different costumes you can dress Chase in, as well as a multitude of vehicles to unlock.
In other words, this is the LEGO game we’ve been waiting for. Here’s hoping Chase’s adventure doesn’t disappoint – but from what I’ve seen, I’ll definitely be there to see that he gets his gal back from Rex and saves the city come launch day.
Nintendo global president Satoru Iwata says he feels ‘very sorry’ for consumers who experience a lengthy network update right after setting up their Wii U consoles. Some Wii U users claim to have waited for five hours to complete the new console’s necessary day one update.
“Personally I think that users should be able to use all the functions of a console video game machine as soon as they open the box. So I feel very sorry for the fact that purchasers of Wii U have to experience a network update which takes such a long time, and that there are the services which were not available at the hardware’s launch.”
Based on 14 critics, Ubisoft’s Wii U-exclusive game, ZombiU, currently holds a 72/100 on Metacritic. Eurogamer praised the game for ‘taking a new path,’ and awarded it with a 9/10. Although Destructoid said ZombiU is awkward, ugly and often nonsensical, it awarded the game with an 8/10.
Greg Miller, the executive editor of IGN PlayStation, said ZombiU‘s controls are ‘clunky, melee combat is annoying, and the game doesn’t look good,’ and gave it a 6.3/10. GameSpot said ZombiU has an ‘uninteresting world and dull combat,’ and gave the game a 4.5/10 – its lowest score yet.
ZombiU can be purchased in North America via the Nintendo eShop for Wii U and/or at retail.
