Cover Story
Issue
19
May 25, 2016
Designing Mirror’s Edge: The making of a franchise
Go behind the scenes with DICE on the creation of Mirror’s Edge and Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.
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3 CommentsFree update brings Super Mario to Minecraft: Wii U Edition
Minecraft: Wii U Edition is getting a free update on May 17 that brings various Super Mario-themed features into the game, Nintendo announced today.
The update precedes the on-disc release for the game, which will be June 17 for $29.99. The Super Mario Mash-Up Pack will be included on that version of the game, too. Minecraft: Wii U Edition has been a downloadable title only since its launch in December.
With the Super Mario Mash-Up pack, players will get 40 new skins that bring characters such as Luigi, Bowser, the Koopalings and more into Minecraft's pixelated style. A set of item textures and 15 pieces of Super Mario music will help players build their own Super Mario themed worlds, and one pre-made world is included with the update. Nintendo said the content draws on the entire...
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6 CommentsSuper Punch-Out!! joins the 3DS Virtual Console's SNES library
Nintendo updated its Virtual Console selections today, with both New Nintendo 3DS and Wii U receiving notable additions. Super Punch-Out!! is up for download on the 3DS eShop, while Style Savvy is available on Wii U, Nintendo said in a press release.
Super Punch-Out!! is the latest SNES game to make it to the 3DS Virtual Console, and the first since mid-April. Unfortunately for owners of older 3DS hardware, SNES games are only playable on New Nintendo 3DS.
The 1994 SNES sequel to the secret-filled, NES favorite Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! is also available on the Wii U Virtual Console and has been since 2013.
Super Punch-Out!! aside, Wii U owners can also pick up Style Savvy for Nintendo DS today; that game comes to the console's Virtual Console while leaving Nintendo 3DS fans hoping...
Latest Wii U Forum Activity View all posts
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33 CommentsNintendo's E3 pre-show will be focused on The Legend of Zelda for Wii U
Nintendo will host its annual E3 pre-show conference on June 14 at 9 a.m. PT, the company announced today. But this year, instead of a news-filled Nintendo Direct, the presentation is dedicated solely to the next The Legend of Zelda game.
The E3 livestream, dubbed Nintendo Treehouse Live, will be a daylong demo of The Legend of Zelda on Wii U. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime will host, according to a press release. The livestream will be broadcast on Twitch, YouTube and Nintendo's own E3 website.
That's in keeping with a previous announcement that Nintendo's only playable game on the E3 show floor will be The Legend of Zelda on Wii U. Nintendo recently announced that it would show off its next gaming platform, codenamed NX, later this year instead of at E3.
The Legend...
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5 CommentsNintendo Humble Bundle expands with three more games
Nintendo's second Humble Bundle went live a week ago, and as is Humble Bundle's custom, the companies expanded the package today with three additional games: Nano Assault EX on Nintendo 3DS, and Swords and Soldiers 2 and Runbow on Wii U.
Any buyer who pays more than the average price — $9.74 as of this writing — will receive those titles in addition to the six games that the bundle launched with. This also applies to people who have already bought the bundle, as long as they paid more than the average at the time of purchase.
A representative for Humble Bundle told Polygon that the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle topped $1 million in revenue yesterday, May 2. The spokesperson said that the promotion has already surpassed Nintendo's first Humble Bundle, the Humble Nindie Bundle...
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6 CommentsTerraria surfaces on Wii U in June
The long-awaited Wii U version of Terraria, the side-scrolling sandbox adventure game from Re-Logic, will be released June 28 in North America, publisher 505 Games announced today.
Terraria will arrive on Wii U first in Europe, where it will be released June 24. That's more than a year after Re-Logic confirmed that Wii U and Nintendo 3DS versions were in the works. Terraria launched on 3DS in December 2015.
The Wii U version of Terraria will offer local split-screen co-op for four players, as well as online multiplayer action for eight players. And of course, players will be able to interact with the game world directly on the Wii U GamePad.
Terraria debuted in May 2011 on Windows PC, and is now available on a variety of console, mobile and handheld platforms. For more on Terraria,...
News
26 CommentsMighty No. 9 finally launches on June 21, creator says
Mighty No. 9 has a new launch date: June 21.
The "spiritual successor" to Mega Man has "gone gold," creator Keiji Inafune said, putting Mighty No. 9 on course to launch for Mac, Linux, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Wii U, Xbox 360 and Xbox One on that date in North America and Asia. It will launch worldwide on those platforms on June 24. Deep Silver is publishing the game on consoles.
The versions for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita will follow at a later date, Inafune said.
Inafune acknowledged it has been nearly three years since the project was initially and enthusiastically crowdfunded by thousands of Mega Man fans and apologized for the repeated delays to Mighty No. 9's launch.
"This is a project where everyone's passions were combined in order to create something very...
News
15 CommentsInfinity Ward gets pumped up for tomorrow's big Call of Duty news with this video
Tomorrow is Call of Duty Day, at which time Activision and Infinity Ward will finally confirm Infinite Warfare as the 15th game in the series and the eighth developed by IW. That announcement is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. PT and it will be carried live over the series' official Twitch channel.
To get everyone ready for the big day, Infinity Ward put together this motivational video outlining their hopes and objectives for the game. (There aren't any teasers, Easter eggs, gameplay or other reveals for the new game.) Can they actually change the series in a way not seen since 2007's Modern Warfare? We'll find out in November.
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare has not been officially named yet but a goof-up in the PlayStation Store last week outed the new title. Promo materials also point to a...
Culture
8 CommentsRe-animated Smash Bros. Melee intro is a delightful video for a Sunday afternoon
A team of 30 animators spent the better part of a year remaking the original Super Smash Bros. Melee opening, and here at last is their video. It's a virtuoso, shot-for-shot remake of the title sequence, all done with varying styles and motifs. It's wonderful.
Anyone with fond memories of this GameCube classic — goodness, the thing is 15 years old this December — will appreciate the stylish takes on such familiar scenes. For purposes of comparison, here is the original:
All of the animators are listed in a credit sequence at the end of the video at top. But they really deserve to be broken out by name, so here you go. The names are listed in the order of their appearance. Take a bow, folks.
Ryan Hobbs
Pat Paradis
Lisa Yin
Brian Blanchard
Scott Lewis
Adam Peerbaye
Y...
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14 CommentsSplatoon's Squid Sisters are the two newest amiibo
The newest amiibo are the Squid Sisters from Splatoon, Callie and Marie, and they hit stores July 8, Nintendo announced this morning.
The duo come in a $24.99 twin pack ($12.99 individually) and will unlock five new songs in Splatoon, accompanied by "squidtastic dance moves!" for the numbers. Also on July 8, Nintendo will launch new colors for the Inkling Girl, Inkling Boy and Inkling Squid amiibos. Those three will be available individually or in a $34.99 three-pack as well.
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30 CommentsXenoblade Chronicles is coming to Wii U Virtual Console
Nintendo's adding Xenoblade Chronicles to Wii U Virtual Console tomorrow, according to the company's website. The Wii game, first released in 2012, will cost $19.99 on the North American eShop.
Like other Virtual Console releases, Xenoblade Chronicles will offer offscreen play with the GamePad. Its sequel, Xenoblade Chronicles X, offers a similar feature — albeit one we didn't quite love back in December, when we reviewed the game.
Nintendo ported Xenoblade Chronicles to New Nintendo 3DS last year, making it one of the revamped handheld's only exclusive titles. Copies of the game on Wii remain hard to find, often fetching prices much higher than the suggested retail price.
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7 CommentsNintendo of America to sell its majority stake in Seattle Mariners
Nintendo of America will sell its majority stake in the Seattle Mariners baseball franchise, ending nearly a quarter century of ownership and an administration that saved the team from relocation in the 1990s.
Nintendo of America will retain a 10 percent stake in the team while selling the rest of its shares to the other members of the limited partnership that make up the Mariners' ownership group, the company announced in a news release this afternoon.
The sale means Howard Lincoln, the former chairman of Nintendo of America, will step down as the Mariners chairman and CEO.
"From the first day of our involvement nearly 24 years ago, Nintendo has had two goals for its investment in the Mariners," said Howard Lincoln. "First, we wanted to assure the permanence of the team in this...
News
4 CommentsSuper Mario Maker is getting a Babymetal cameo
Japanese pop idol-metal group Babymetal will become a playable character in Super Mario Maker this week, Nintendo revealed today. The trio will appear as a group sprite and will be released April 28.
Babymetal will be another form of "Costume Mario," which is playable in Super Mario Maker levels that use the 8-bit Super Mario Bros. theme. More than 140 Costume Mario variants are available, including many based on other Nintendo properties like The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, Animal Crossing and Fire Emblem. Some are based on non-Nintendo properties, like Sonic the Hedgehog. Other options include Chitoge Kirisaki from manga Nisekoi, the GLA SUV by Mercedes-Benz and Shinya Arino from Game Center CX.
Check out Babymetal in action in the video above. For more Super Mario Maker...
News
19 CommentsWii U production could continue until 2018, Nintendo confirms
Nintendo could end production of Wii U systems by March 2018, company president and CEO Tatsumi Kimishima told investors this morning. Reuters reported the news from today's Q&A session, where Kimishima discussed Nintendo's previous fiscal year, upcoming release plans and the future of its current consoles.
Earlier this year, Japanese newspaper Nikkei reported that Nintendo planned to cease manufacturing Wii U hardware by the end of 2016. Nintendo denied this claim, but offered no other timeline. This is the first time that Nintendo has pinpointed an end for Wii U, giving it upward of two more years in production.
In its new financial report, Nintendo predicted that it will sell 800,000 Wii U systems during the current business year. Last year, the company moved 3.26 million units of...
News
22 CommentsCall of Duty: Infinite Warfare promo mentions Modern Warfare Remaster
Promotional material for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, revealed yesterday ahead of a formal announcement, hints at a remastered version of one or more of the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare games, according to an image published by the CoD enthusiast site Charlie Intel.
Charlie Intel spotted the image after it had been posted to Snapchat. A poster was shown for the "Legacy Edition" of the game, specifying that "Modern Warfare Remastered is a full game download." It was shown alongside a preorder card apparently coming from a Target.
Infinity Ward's landmark hit from 2007 is formally titled Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. It was followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in 2009 and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 in 2011. The Modern Warfare series has yet to appear on the current...
News
55 CommentsNintendo will only have one playable game at E3 2016
Nintendo's showing at E3 2016 will be focused on one game and one game only: The Legend of Zelda for Wii U. Nintendo said in a release today that the Wii U version of the game — it's also coming to Nintendo NX — will be playable for the first time at this year's E3.
It will also be the only playable game Nintendo presents at the show, the company said, "in order to provide attendees a complete immersion."
Typically, Nintendo brings multiple playable games for multiple platforms to E3.
The Legend of Zelda was originally expected to hit Wii U in 2015, but was later pushed to 2016. Today, Nintendo confirmed the next big Zelda game is now a 2017 title and will be released on Wii U and NX.
Griffin's Amiibo Corner
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6 CommentsSplatoon, Animal Crossing were Nintendo's biggest hits over the past 12 months
Seven new titles sold more than one million copies for Nintendo over its last fiscal year, the company reported today, with Splatoon and Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer leading the way on Wii U and 3DS, respectively.
On Wii U, Splatoon sold 4.27 million copies since its launch in May 2015. Super Mario Maker, which launched in September, sold 3.52 million, and Yoshi's Woolly World sold 1.37 million after its summer release.
On Nintendo 3DS, Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer moved 3.04 million copies following its summer/early fall release. Fire Emblem Fates has sold 1.84 million copies since its June launch. Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon, which launched in September and November, sold 1.22 million copies, followed by The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes at 1.14 million after...
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67 CommentsThe Legend of Zelda will release in 2017 for NX, Wii U
The Legend of Zelda on Wii U has been delayed again, Nintendo announced today, and the game is now expected to launch in 2017 alongside a newly announced NX version of the game.
With no forthcoming details about the next-generation "NX" console, releasing globally in March 2017, The Legend of Zelda will be the main focus for the company at this year's E3 event, Nintendo of America said on Twitter.
The new Legend of #Zelda will be the focus of #E3 2016. It will launch simultaneously on both Wii U and NX in 2017 pic.twitter.com/icfBlybnkm
— Nintendo of America (@NintendoAmerica) April 27, 2016
The company had previously delayed the game beyond 2015, skipping last year's E3 event entirely. Series producer Eiji Aonuma said at the time that "the team has experienced firsthand...
News
254 CommentsNintendo NX launching March 2017 worldwide
Nintendo's next console, codenamed the NX, will launch in March 2017, Nintendo said today in a financial earnings announcement. Furthermore, it will not be showing the console at E3 2016 in June.
"For our dedicated video game platform business, Nintendo is currently developing a gaming platform codenamed 'NX' with a brand-new concept," the company said. "NX will be launched in March 2017 globally."
The company had previously said it would "talk specifics" about the NX concept in 2016. Its plans for E3 will instead focus around the new The Legend of Zelda game, which the company confirmed will be playable for the first time at this year's show.
Nintendo also announced that it will release both the Wii U version and an NX port of the Zelda game in 2017. The next Legend of Zelda game,...
News
25 CommentsNintendo's second Humble Bundle is live, and this one isn't restricted to North America
When the Humble Bundle organization teamed up with Nintendo for a pay-what-you-want batch of indie games last May, it was the first time that console games had ever been available in a Humble Bundle. It was also the first time Nintendo participated in a Humble Bundle.
Today, the two companies launched a new group of Nintendo 3DS and Wii U games: the Humble Friends of Nintendo Bundle. It's designed to address some of the most notable complaints about Nintendo's first Humble Bundle.
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Nintendo gets a Humble Bundle and it's all indies
"With Nintendo's help, we've aimed to craft a bundle that will have the widest appeal possible," said John Graham, co-founder and chief operating officer of Humble Bundle, in an email interview.
The...
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