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Nintendo's new Wii U Deluxe Set includes Mario games, ships November 1st for $300
Since launch, Nintendo's base Wii U Deluxe Set has shipped with Nintendo Land; while a fine game, it's not exactly a system seller. The console may soon be more enticing, as Nintendo is replacing its original bundle with a new Mario & Luigi Deluxe Set. The $300 kit now pairs a 32GB black Wii U with both New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U -- arguably a smart move when many gamers buy Nintendo systems with the plumber heroes in mind. Nintendo Land will still be available as an eShop download for those who miss the party-friendly title. The new Deluxe Set should reach stores on November 1st, when Nintendo will also cut Nintendo Land's price to $30.
Wii U Basic bundled with Nintendo Land at Best Buy
The Wii U's Basic Set is bundled with Nintendo Land at Best Buy for the next few days. SideQuesting took note of the bundle, which has the basic set at the standard $299.99 price with Nintendo Land included. The sale runs until December 29.What you'll be missing out from the Wii U's Deluxe version is the charging cradle, Wiipad stand and 32GB hard drive. Despite the free Nintendo Land, the Deluxe is better future-proofed for the extra $50.
Nintendo Land review: Controller coaster
Nintendo Land is not Wii Sports, but it occupies a similar territory in the lineup of its new console: it's a pack-in (with one particular bundle), it's a minigame collection, its games are designed to teach players how to use Nintendo's latest weird controller, and, most importantly, it acts as a statement of intent for the console as a whole.For Wii Sports, that meant simple games, based on familiar real-world sports and built around real-world movements, all designed to be comprehensible and fun to people who had never played a video game before, and, it would turn out, would probably never play another.But the Wii was a console designed to be less complicated than any previous, whereas the Wii U is in fact more complicated. Nintendo Land, accordingly, expects a deeper video game background and a more complex skillset from its players. Wii Sports wouldn't be caught dead with dual-analog shooter controls, for example. Nintendo Land demands a more literate audience.That's not a condemnation. It may not be for every single person on the face of the Earth like Wii Sports was, but if you can find four other people who know what Pikmin are or will recognize the two cops from Animal Crossing, you will have ridiculous fun.%Gallery-157153%
Nintendo Land features Yoshi, F-Zero, and 'Octopus Dance' games
The three last "attractions" to be unveiled in the Wii U's virtual Nintendo theme park, Nintendo Land, are Yoshi's Fruit Cart, Captain Falcon's Twister Race, and Octopus Dance. In Yoshi's Fruit Cart – which sounds more like a concession stand between rides than a ride itself at first – players use the WiiPad to draw paths for a Yoshi Cart to pick up fruit, coordinating between the WiiPad and TV views of the scene.In Captain Falcon's Twister Race, the F-Zero character gets out a Twister mat and tells you to show him some moves you tilt the GamePad to control a top-down F-Zero style race, avoiding spikes and hitting checkpoints. And in Octopus Dance, which we suppose is probably based on the Game & Watch game, players, uh ... "use the GamePad to mirror dance moves performed by a deep-sea dance instructor." The screenshots Nintendo sent out along this announcement are all for other attractions, so you'll just have to visualize the dancing octopus for now.%Gallery-169547%
These are the 23 games launching with the Wii U on November 18
Nintendo's nailing down a specific date for nearly half of its Wii U "launch window" lineup, and it's the same day that the console arrives in North America: November 18. 23 games will land at retail alongside the Wii U this November, including Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, New Super Mario Bros. U, and FIFA Soccer 13. Minigame collection Nintendo Land will launch with the 32GB, $350 version of the Wii U console, and will also be available separately on Nov. 18 -- all Nintendo first-party games will be available digitally at launch as well. Earlier this month, the company revealed just over 50 titles planned for the Wii U's "launch window," which comprises November 18, 2012 through March 31, 2013. The full list of all titles is just below.%Gallery-165242%
Latest Nintendo Land trailer shows off 'Mario Chase,' 'Metroid Blast' and 'Pikmin Adventure'
A new trailer for Nintendo's Wii U mini-game extravaganza Nintendo Land dropped this morning during Nintendo's Wii U press conference, and with it came the announcement of several new "attractions" within the game's virtual amusement park.As seen above, competitive multiplayer offerings now include Mario Chase, which appears to be some kind of Toad sprinting simulator. Metroid Blast has been added to the team multiplayer selection, wherein Miis in Power Suits run around shooting and grappling, as Samuses often do. Additionally, Pikmin Adventure was revealed, though its multiplayer machinations aren't explicitly obvious in the trailer above.Also demonstrated are The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Balloon Trip Breeze, Donkey Kong's Crash Course, Takamaru's Ninja Castle, Luigi's Ghost Mansion and Animal Crossing Sweet Days.%Gallery-165270%
Nintendo Land features Balloon Fight-inspired game
"Balloon Trip Breeze," one of the "attractions" in the Wii U minigame collection Nintendo Land, is inspired by the side-scrolling "Balloon Trip" adventure found in the NES' Balloon Fight. In Balloon Trip Breeze, players direct a floating balloon rider by swiping with the stylus and tapping to break blocks, to guide him safely through the obstacle-laden airways.Check out a trailer of the crafty-looking minigame on Game Informer's site – and, if the remixed music doesn't quite work for you, enjoy.
Experience the Wii U in our Nintendo booth video tour
I stormed Nintendo's E3 booth yesterday to try some real Wii U games. Because simply seeing screens is no longer enough -- you have to see screens and the controller, with its screens -- I brought a camera crew with me.Join us for gameplay snippets of Nintendo Land's "Takamaru's Ninja Castle" and "Animal Crossing: Sweet Day" minigames, Ubisoft's survival-oriented ZombiU, and ... Just Dance 4, in which I am the victim of the "Puppet Master." This is pretty embarrassing.
A jaunt through Nintendo Land
We took a quick stroll through Nintendo Land today, shortly after Nintendo implicitly positioned the game as the Wii U's educational answer to Wii Sports. It's launching alongside the hardware this holiday – though not necessarily inside a bundle – and breaks down all of the Wii U's standout features into friendly, easily digestible mini games.Unlike the tennis and bowling in Wii Sports, the games here are embellished with Nintendo's vibrant characters and history, set within the context of an elaborate theme park visited by your Miis. When you enter the The Legend of Zelda section, dubbed Battle Quest, you and your friends don Link's iconic tunic in green, red and blue.%Gallery-157153%
Nintendo Wii U and games hands-on (video)
Nintendo's pre-E3 media briefing has wrapped up and the doors have opened, doors containing the latest and final revision of the Wii U hardware. Reggie & Co. failed to give us any concrete launch details beyond "holiday" this year, so we can't quite be sure of a date or a price or, really, much of anything. But, we do know about more of the launch titles. NintendoLand is, apparently, the premiere title, a sort of touchscreen-friendly version of Wii Sports that digs up many of the company's storied brands and squeezes them into mini-game format. How does it play? And, how is the new, refined Wii U controller? Join us after the break to find out! %Gallery-157144%
NintendoLand is a virtual theme park on your Wii U
Nintendo has announced a set of minigames called NintendoLand for the Wii U, which uses various Nintendo characters to show off the capabilities of the new systems. There will be 12 different "attractions" in the game, with five them being shown off at E3 this year. From the demo being shown on stage, NintendoLand seemingly collects last year's Wii U demo minigames and expands on them.The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Animal Crossing: Sweet Day, DK's Crash Course, and Takamaru's Ninja Castle were the attractions mentioned in the presentation, all of which highlight a certain feature of Nintendo's newest console. Sounds an awful lot like the PlayStation Vita's "Welcome Park" application if you ask us!Nintendo compared the mini-game collection to Wii Sports, the pack-in title for the original Wii. NintendoLand launches alongside the Wii U this holiday.
