Sega Reiterates Nintendo Exclusivity for Sonic Lost World, Confirms Fall 2013 Release
Sonic Lost World is exclusive for Wii U and 3DS. We already knew that, but just in case you’re a doubter, Sega confirmed it outright on the game’s official Japanese site with the image you see above.
Alongside the image, the company teased a Fall 2013 release for the game on both 3DS and Wii U. That’s one more game to add to Wii U’s growing list of exclusive titles for this year!
Source: Sega via GoNintendo
Vita and 3DS Versions of Arkham Origins Blackgate ‘Developed in Parallel’
The upcoming release of Batman Arkham Origins on consoles may be drawing a lot of attention, but let’s not forget about its little brother. Accompanying Origins is the Metroid-style 2.5D Blackgate on the Nintendo 3DS and PS Vita. As it turns out, we can likely expect some unique differences between these two versions.
GenGAME Says: May 17 Nintendo Direct Reactions
Another Nintendo Direct has come and gone. This one didn’t bring a whole lot of completely unexpected announcements, but there was a bombshell or two.
I’m sure you all have your own reactions – and we do, too. We’ve gathered to share what we took away from today’s announcements and information in a roundtable discussion. Feel free to comment with your own thoughts as well!
Sega and Nintendo’s Exclusive Development Deal Extends to Next Three Sonic Games (UPDATE)
UPDATE: Sega has confirmed that the Mario & Sonic game announced today is one of the three games (bummer!), meaning there’s one more title to reveal.
Today’s Nintendo Direct introduced an exclusive partnership between Nintendo and Sega for Sonic titles. We presume that because this partnership was introduced independently from the Mario & Sonic Wii U announcement, it’s referring to the more traditional kind of Sonic game, like Sonic Lost World, not sports-based spin-offs.
A press release from Sega revealed that this partnership – again, an “exclusive partnership,” which coupled with the rest of the language makes it sound like “exclusive” means “only on Nintendo platforms” – will extend to the next three Sonic titles. Click below for the full statement.
Zelda: Oracle of Ages & Oracle of Seasons Will Launch at a Discount on 3DS
In order to ensure that as many players as possible can try out the Virtual Console versions of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons & Oracle of Ages for Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo’s offering both games at a special discount price of $4.99 each for the first three weeks following their May 30 launch. After June 20, they’ll revert back to their normal $5.99 price.
Make sure you take advantage of the linked game function to experience the full story and unlock all the secrets and extras. It’s one of the most content-rich Zelda stories to date once you combine both games, with over 16 dungeons and four overworlds to conquer.
Nintendo also released two trailers for the games that you can check out by clicking below.
Nintendo Is Partnering With Best Buy For E3 2013
We already know that Nintendo is not having a major conference during this year’s E3. That does not, however, mean that Nintendo is not going to be attending. They still plan on having new games to be played, as well as new games and content to announce. There won’t be a major hardware announcement, and thus they are focusing more on games.
To help spread the Nintendo love, they have partnered with Best Buy to share the new and upcoming titles with everyone during E3. Over 100 Best Buy stores throughout the United States and Canada will have select unreleased titles for players to try out.
So, even if you aren’t qualified to go to E3, you still have a chance to have a nibble of that experience within your local Best Buy.
More Game Gear Titles are on the Way to 3DS Virtual Console
Satoru Iwata announced today that more Game Gear Virtual Console titles will be on the way to Nintendo 3DS in the near future. So far we’ve only gotten a couple close to the launch of the service, starting with Sonic Triple Trouble, and haven’t seen many since then.
We’re hoping this is a sign of Mr. Iwata’s more direct leadership over Nintendo of America, and that we’ll see more proactive releases in this department going forward.
Sonic Lost World is a Wii U and 3DS Exclusive Title
Nintendo announced that they have entered into a special partnership with Sega for Sonic the Hedgehog titles, with the first of these titles being Sonic Lost World, which was trademarked a few days ago. This game will be a Wii U and 3DS exclusive title.
Nothing was announced in specific about the title, and the only glimpse we got of the game is the image above. Mr. Iwata promised that we’ll see more information about the game at E3.
Watch the May 17 Nintendo Direct Right Here!
The latest Nintendo Direct video goes live in just a few minutes, and as with past Nintendo Directs, you’ll be able to watch it with us live! Today’s presentation will focus on the summer catalogs for Wii U and 3DS, with new announcements for the big fall and holiday titles coming just before E3.
UPDATE: The livestream is now over, but you can catch the permanent embed by clicking below.
3DS Game Sales Up 52% From Last Year
Month-to-month sales may be down in the U.S., but year-to-year sales are up, and especially so for Nintendo 3DS. Nintendo touted the “strong launch” of Lego City Undercover: The Chase Begins and last month’s Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon as big momentum drivers and expect this year to be 3DS’s strongest yet in the States with Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, Pokémon X & Y, and Zelda 3DS all arriving later this year.
Nintendo’s also celebrating the fact that New Super Mario Bros. U managed to hit 770,000 sales in the U.S. during April. Personally, I wouldn’t be advertising those numbers for a big Super Mario Bros. game that came out five months ago, but that’s just me.
April 2013 NPD: Injustice on Top Despite Overall Sales Decline of 25%, Huge Drop in Hardware
Another NPD reporting period gone by, another month of decline for the games industry. Overall sales fell about 25% compared to March, with a 17% drop in software sales, 19% drop in accessory sales, an a whopping 42% drop in hardware sales. NPD cites a decline in the releases of new titles as a large reason for the slump. However, despite the month-over-month decline, year-over-year sales actually increased about 118% in unit sales and 130% in dollar sales, meaning those fewer titles were better drivers than the ones released last year.
The biggest-profile release of the month – Injustice: Gods Among Us – unsurprisingly fared best among April’s new games, with older titles like BioShock Infinite, Black Ops II, and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon still charting.
Click below for the top ten titles of April 2013.
Monster Hunter 4: Trek Across the Frozen Sea
Monster Hunter 4 is looking to expand the world of Monster Hunter like never before, and that means bigger, more seamless action fields. Today, Capcom expanded on its “Frozen Sea” play area with some screenshots and overview images. Brand-new monsters Arselnus and Skuagil also make appearances, alongside a monster that will be familiar to anyone who played the Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate demo…
