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Nintendo adds a dozen titles to budget-priced Nintendo Selects line including Super Mario 3D World, Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Nintendo only rarely adds new titles to their budget-priced Nintendo Selects line, so it’s always big news when they do. Today, the consolemaker confirmed that eight games on the Wii U and 3DS will receive price drops in the near future, including fan favorites like Super Mario 3D World and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D.
Wii U Games
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
- NES Remix Pack
- Pikmin 3
- Super Mario 3D World
3DS Games
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D
- The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
- Mario Party: Island Tour
- Yoshi’s New Island
Nintendo also announced plans to reissue Super Mario All-Stars (a compilation includes Super Mario Bros., Super Mario Bros. 2, Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World) for the Wii, as well as dropping the price on an additional trio of Wii classics:
Wii Games
- Animal Crossing: City Folk
- Donkey Kong Country Returns
- Super Mario All-Stars
- Super Mario Galaxy 2
All of these new additions to the Nintendo Selects line will be available from retail locations beginning March 11 for $19.99.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii, Wii U
Tagged Animal Crossing: City Folk, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, Mario Party: Island Tour, NES Remix, NES Remix 2, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World, Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario Galaxy 2, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Yoshi's New Island
Nintendo Direct News: New Mario 3D World trailer, Kirby 3DS announced, more
Just when everyone had ruled them out, last week’s Nintendo Direct announcement showed the company still has the fiery fighting spirit that has kept them going since the days of the NES, showing their plans for the remainder of 2013 and beyond.
The biggest knockout blow was the new trailer for Super Mario 3D World (which you can view above). While Nintendo had already teased one new power-up, the Cat Suit, during its E3 video presentation, it turns out this was just the tip of the ice-berg. As well as the welcome return of the Tanooki suit from Super Mario Bros 3, Mario now has access to a Hammer Bros. Suit, a Bullet Bill Suit, and uses items like soccer balls and baseballs to strike enemies. He can ever carry knocked out enemies, such as Pete the Piranha Plant. But the most interesting of these new suits was the Cherry Clone item, which made a duplicate Mario. Later in the trailer, there are three Marios, all moving in sync. How this will work in the game remains to be seen, but it seems Nintendo may have another sterling system seller on its hands.
In more Mario news, the company unveiled two new Wii remote Plus designs based on the infamous Bros. One will be Mario Red and sport an ‘M’ on the central speaker, while the other will be Luigi Green and have a similar ‘L’ adorning it. The company also announced new downloadable content and mission mode stages for Pikmin 3 for the reasonable price of $1.99, although the British and European prices are almost double at £1.99 and €1.99 respectively. Finally, Nintendo unveiled ambitious plans for the online multiplayer elements of Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games. While the majority of events will focused on localised multiplayer, four of these will be playable against gamers around the globe, with points going towards that player’s country tally if they win. In essence, players will be able to compete for their contry online.
Looking forward to 2014, it was also announced that Nintendo’s bubblegum pink mascot Kirby will be getting a new platformer game on 3DS. And games will be able to enjoy the Square Enix RPG Bravely Default in early 2014. However, European 3DS owners will see the game on this side of Christmas when its released on December 6 across the Atlantic.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Bravely Default: Where the Fairy Flies, Kirby: Triple Deluxe, Pikmin 3, Super Mario 3D World
New releases lead the way in August 2013 NPD report of best-selling games
The NPD Group has released their monthly report on the financial health of the video game industry and, good news, retail game sales in August 2013 increased 21% over the same period last year. The entire retail game industry (games, consoles, and accessories) raked in $521 million, an increase of 1% over August 2012. Though the report estimates this number accounts for only half of all video game spending in August when you factor in used games, rentals, digital sales, add-on content, subscriptions, mobile apps, and social network microtransactions that the NPD doesn’t track.
Most of the increase in game sales was due to a stronger than usual slate of August releases. In fact, only two games in the August top ten are holdovers from previous months (Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition at #5 and NCAA Football 14 at #7).
The remainder of the top ten is populated entirely by new titles: Madden NFL 25 (#1), Saints Row IV (#2), Disney Infinity (#3), Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (#4), Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (#6), Payday 2 (#8), Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (#9), and Pikmin 3 (#10).
If you’d prefer the top ten in list format, you can find it right here:
Bestselling Games in August 2013
1. Madden NFL 25 (Xbox 360, PS3)
2. Saints Row IV (Xbox 360, PS3, PC)
3. Disney Infinity (Xbox 360, Wii, PS3, Wii U, 3DS )
4. Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell: Blacklist (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii U, PC)
5. Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition (Xbox 360)
6. Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (3DS)
7. NCAA Football 14 (Xbox 360, PS3)
8. Payday 2 (Xbox 360, PS3)
9. Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (PS3, PC)
10. Pikmin 3 (Wii U)
[Source: GameSpot]
New Releases: Pikmin 3, Dragon’s Crown, Tales of Xillia, More
Nintendo is back in a big way this week with Pikmin 3. The latest game in one of Shigeru Miyamoto’s favorite franchises is in stores today and is sure to please Wii U owners who have been waiting for a big new title since Lego City Undercover‘s release this Spring. The PS3 is also back in a big way this week after a slow Summer. Namco Bandai’s action RPG, Tales of Xillia, and Atlus’ artful beat ’em up, Dragon’s Crown (available on the PS3 and Vita), will be available in stores on Tuesday.
What else is available this week? Well…
A game adaptation of Disney’s Cars spinoff, Planes, touches down on all Nintendo platforms (3DS, DS, Wii, and Wii U) this week. And EA has put out another Sims 3 expansion, The Sims 3: Dragon Valley. Finally, a boxed version of Mortal Kombat: Komplete Edition for the PC is available this week, alongside Air Conflicts: Pacific Carriers, a budget dogfighter for the PS3 and PC.
Posted in 3DS, DS, News, PC, PS3, Vita, Wii, Wii U
Tagged Dragon's Crown, Mortal Kombat, Pikmin 3, Tales of Xillia
Wii U suffers miserable sales during the last three months, can Pikmin 3 turn the tide?
Nintendo has released their second quarter sales figures for 2013, and they do not make for pleasant reading. Their new flagship console, the Wii U, sold just 160,000 units worldwide from the start of April through the end of June. Compare that to its predecessor, the Wii, which managed to sell 210,000 units and push its worldwide sales total past the 100 million mark.
Needless to say, this was reported across the board as disastrous news for the company, however solvent they are. Yet taken in a different perspective, it does not immediately spell doom and gloom for the Wii U. First of all, the console has sold 3.61 million units globally in the eight months since it was released. Also, Q2 saw a vast drought of games for the console. The only first party games released were Game & Wario and New Super Luigi U, and the latter is just a downloadable expansion for New Super Mario Bros. U. Worthwhile third party games were also in scant supply, though multiplatform games such as Injustice: Gods Among Us and Resident Evil Revelations did make it to the Wii U.
The pessimistic view is that games are not the issue, yet as GamesIndustry International reports, the July release of the long-awaited Pikmin 3 pushed the Wii U to sell 22,000 units in a single week in Japan. Given that only 90,000 units sold in that country in the previous three months, it would be safe to assume the raft of new games set to release this year, including The Wonderful 101, Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and Super Mario 3D World will see the Wii U steadily climb in sales before its next generation siblings are released.
However, Pikmin 3 also illustrates how Nintendo is learning from their past mistakes. A advertising big push for the game in Europe prior to its launch propelled it to number two in the most recent Chart-Track list of bestsellers.
Nintendo brought 20 playable games to Comic-Con 2013
This year’s San Diego Comic-Con kicked off today and Nintendo wants you to forget about superheroes and spandex and focus on their massive lineup of playable games.
The Big N will have a playable demo of Pikmin 3 on the show floor at the company’s booth (#235). But they’re saving their big push for the special “Nintendo Gaming Lounge” they’ve erected at the adjacent San Diego Marriott Marquis & Marina hotel. Kiosks within the Lounge will feature 20 playable titles for the Wii U and 3DS:
Wii U
- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD (Nintendo)
- Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze (Nintendo)
- Super Mario 3D World (Nintendo)
- Pikmin 3 (Nintendo)
- New Super Luigi U (Nintendo)
- Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games (Nintendo)
- Rayman Legends (Ubisoft)
- Skylanders Swap Force (Activision)
- Disney Infinity (Disney Interactive)
- Sonic Lost World (Sega)
- The Wonderful 101 (Platinum Games)
- Bayonetta 2 (Platinum Games)
- Just Dance 2014 (Ubisoft)
3DS
- Yoshi’s New Island (Nintendo)
- The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (Nintendo)
- Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Nintendo)
- Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D (Nintendo)
- Sonic Lost World (Sega)
- Shin Megami Tensei IV (Atlus)
- Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate (Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment)
The last day of this year’s San Diego Comic-Con is Sunday, July 21.
Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U
Tagged Comic-Con 2013, Pikmin 3
Wii U Release Dates: Pikmin 3, Game & Wario
They missed the Wii U’s “launch window,” but Pikmin 3 and Game & Wario finally have release dates, courtesy of yesterday’s Nintendo Direct presentation.
Game & Wario will be available in stores and on the Wii U eShop on June 23, just in time for Summer vacation. The first trailer for the minigame collection can be viewed above.
Pikmin 3, which was originally in production for the Wii, will finally make its way onto store shelves (and the Wii U eShop) on August 4.
With new release dates for Mario & Luigi: Dream Team and Shin Megami Tensei IV also announced yesterday, it’s shaping up to be the Summer of Nintendo.
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Game & Wario, Pikmin 3
Nintendo delays Game & Wario, Wii Fit U, Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101
Nintendo spent the morning announcing official release dates for a huge number of games set to be released between January and April. But they also dropped a delay of game penalty on four high profile titles that were originally part of the Wii U’s “launch window.”
Game & Wario, The Wonderful 101, Pikmin 3, and Wii Fit U will all miss their previously scheduled first quarter release and, according to Nintendo, will now be released in the first half of 2013.
The new release date is vague enough that Nintendo could release any of these games by March 30 and still make the “launch window.” But if that was a possibility, why announce the delay at all?
Posted in News, Wii U
Tagged Game & Wario, Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, Wii Fit U