Wii U Basic Set on Sale at Target for $239.99
One of the biggest factors in the Wii U’s slow start is a price tag that’s a little higher than what the Nintendo faithful are used to paying. At $300 and $350 for the Basic and Deluxe sets respectively, the Wii U puts a considerably larger dent in your wallet than the $250 Wii did. While no permanent price cut has been announced, Target is currently running two Wii U deals, and one of them will net you a Basic Set for less than what the Wii cost at launch.
PS4′s ‘Answer to the Pre-Owned Games Question’ is Still Just as Unclear as Xbox One’s
We’ve all seen a lot of flak hurled at Microsoft for its lack of a satisfying answer to the question of used games and DRM even for disc-based games. Even I’ve decided that the fact that Microsoft has to actually work out a policy for such things is a strong indication that they’re taking an anti-consumer approach.
Frankly, trading and buying used games shouldn’t require any kind of “solution.” It should be possible and practical by default because they’re based on physical freaking media that can serve as its own DRM if companies are really concerned about people simply installing and giving their discs away. Why does it have to be any more complicated than “if you want to play media installed from the disc, you need the disc”?
Microsoft isn’t alone in being horrendously vague and unclear about the “solution” to pre-owned games – implying of course that pre-owned games are a problem that has to be “solved.” Sony’s contributed its fair share of non-answers to the discussion as well.
Blast From the Past: Super Smash Bros. Melee Reveal at E3 2001
The official reveal for the next Super Smash Bros. game for Wii U is less than three weeks away. Since it’s one of the most-anticipated games for Wii U at the present time, we expect its announcement to go out with a bang. However, since Nintendo isn’t exactly holding their usual livestreamed press conference, we won’t exactly get to hear all the audience cheering we expect from major hit announcements.
However, we can relive a previous Super Smash Bros. announcement: Super Smash Bros. Melee at E3 2001.
Do you think the new Smash Bros. reveal will be able to top this one?
Ubisoft Has Faith in Wii U’s Future
Last night I made the case that Wii U’s launch woes are really more the norm than the doom and gloom exception. Turns out Ubisoft seems to agree, as one of their representatives gave the launch a similar characterization.
“As with any new console, it takes some time to grow an established base,” a Ubisoft rep told Games Industry International in a recent interview. “Ubisoft has a varied and high-quality line-up for Wii U, with more big titles on the way including Rayman Legends, Watch Dogs, Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, and Splinter Cell: Blacklist. We’re confident that this will help in continuing to attract gamers to the Wii U system and that Nintendo will take steps to ensure that the Wii U is successful in the market.”
The State of Wii U: Rumors of its Early Death are Greatly Exaggerated
Wii U’s had a rough six months. No denying it. It’s hard to pull off a console launch, and judging by the struggles that 3DS and Vita had in 2011, it would have taken a miracle for Wii U to beat the trend. Since 2013 kicked off, the system has only seen 10 new games – three of which hit today, May 21. The platform’s current weekly sales have become something of a laughingstock among critics. None of this is good.
However, there’s a silver lining beneath all the bad: Wii U is starting to come together as a platform with a mission. And compared to other next-gen devices, it’s actually not doing too badly.
Nintendo Pokes Fun at Kickstarter with Game & Wario ‘Crowdfarter’ Campaign
Kickstarter has been the path to launch for a number of up-and-coming projects, including video games and even game consoles . Now Nintendo’s deciding to integrate the new money-maker into their marketing for Game & Wario, the wacky Wii U game that launches June 23, with the Crowdfarter campaign.
Crowdfarter is a fictional “Kickstarter”-style crowd funding initiative started by none other than the big W himself to “fund” his new game, Game & Wario. “Donations” in the form of social shares will go toward various stretch goals, such as digital swag, ringtones, and a brand-new trailer for the game once funding reaches “100 KATRILLION” coins.
The website also revealed a brand-new game for Game & Wario called “Ashley.” Click below for Wario’s funding pitch and focus group interviews.
Sega’s Yakuza 1&2 Will be Remade in HD for Wii U… in Japan
Looks like Nintendo’s close relationship with Sega extends beyond just the Sonic franchise.
In 2005, Sega introduced a new franchise on PlayStation 2 called Yakuza that has since gone on to spawn multiple sequels, most recently Yakuza 5 for PlayStation 3 (titled Ryu ga Gotoku 5: Yume Kanaeshi Mono in Japan and still unreleased in the West). The first two games in the series were later remade in HD for PlayStation 3 and was re-released in November of last year in Japan.
However, Sega is now bringing that same HD collection of the first two Yakuza games to Wii U… but only in Japan. Click below for a look at the game’s debut trailer and screenshots.
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
Pre-E3 Nintendo Direct Will Introduce 3D Mario, Mario Kart, Smash Bros., and More for Wii U
Nintendo has already confirmed that we’ll see another Nintendo Direct before the start of E3 on June 11 that will introduce Wii U’s catalog for fall and beyond, but Satoru Iwata took to Twitter over the weekend to specifically confirm that Nintendo’s big announcements – including “new Smash Bros., 3D Mario game, Mario Kart and other Wii U titles” – will be featured during the presentation. In other words, it isn’t just going to be a recap of games that have already been announced.
Separately, Nintendo has confirmed that we’ll see the “upcoming” Legend of Zelda title for Wii U this year. We already expect to see more of Wind Waker Wii U, but could we get our first glimpse at the upcoming Zelda Wii U as well? Additional games also pegged for possible appearances include Monolith Soft’s X, Yarn Yoshi, Bayonetta 2, and Retro Studios’ secret project.
Blast From the Past: EA Says PCs Matter, Consoles are Underpowered
My last “Blast From the Past” retro looks back have focused on E3, with a glimpse at N64′s presence at E3 1996 and 1997. Today, in light of the recent EA comments, I’ve decided to look back at another era in the company’s history where parallel thinking was involved.
You see, back in 1985, EA was hard at work promoting PCs as superior to dedicated game consoles.
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!
Three Kirby Games Due for Wii U Virtual Console Next Week
Wii U’s set to get a triple-serving of Kirby next week, with the release of three Kirby titles from NES and SNES for Wii U Virtual Console: Kirby’s Dream Land 3, Kirby’s Dream Course and Kirby Super Star. All three games will arrive on Wii U Virtual Console starting May 23.
I think Mr. Iwata’s being a bit self-serving here. I mean, he was in charge of HAL Laboratory, the studio responsible for the Kirby games. Try releasing more of other people’s games, sir!
