Pikmin
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Pikmin to be remade on Wii, first of 'GameCube masterpiece' series
Nintendo has announced that it will be releasing "Wii de Asobu" (Play on Wii) Selections, GameCube titles remade for the Wii. Not including last year's Resident Evil 4 remake, President Satoru Iwata revealed at today's Japanese press conference that Pikmin will be the first title to receive a Wii makeover. We're really hoping this isn't the Pikmin title Miyamoto revealed at E3. [Via NWF]
Pikmin leads off Wii collection of Gamecube masterpieces
Nintendo announced that Pikmin and other GameCube classics will be remade for the Wii as "Wii de Asobu" (Play on Wii) Selections. There's no word on which other games will be included, or if these are in fact remakes with Wii Remote integration or just simple rereleases to take advantage of the increased Wii audience. You guys had better hope this isn't the Pikmin that Miyamoto was referring to. Wouldn't it be hilarious if when he said "We're making Pikmin" he meant "we're making a new box for Pikmin"? Maybe "hilarious" isn't the right word.
Wii Warm Up: Wii Cubed
It's been a while since we previously enquired, but as this blogger restarted Pikmin 2 last night (and naturally can't wait for the follow-up), we felt compelled to ask again: what was the last GameCube title you played on your Wii? Did you miss being able to waggle?
Miyamoto and Reggie talk storage solutions, peripherals
In a recent Club Nintendo interview, Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto both touched on some important things on the mind of all Wii owners. The first thing that many are still asking about is the lack of a hard drive. Well, Miyamoto commented that the company is still working on it and exploring all of the possible technologies, to which Reggie added that the company hasn't specified a traditional hard drive or another kind of storage, but will create a solution that is "better than what we have now."Miyamoto was also asked about MotionPlus and incorporating it into future Zelda games. Miyamoto said that Nintendo was working on a new Zelda game (and also Pikmin), but would not comment as to each title supporting Waggle 2.0. He also commented that we shouldn't expect any new peripherals any time soon, seeing as how there are so many available for the Wii now. We're glad for that, because our limited closet space has meant that storing them all has been a big hassle.So, the biggest thing to come out of this piece for Club Nintendo is more of the hard drive talk, although we guess we can't call it that, since Nintendo may want something different than a traditional hard drive. What other kind of technologies could they mean? What could be a comparable storage solution to a hard drive and yet not be a hard drive?
Nintendo pleads patience for 'core' games
By now, we're all familiar with the chain of events that unfolded after E3. Nintendo showed off a bunch of games in its E3 2008 press conference that apparently didn't meet the expectations of the "hardcore" set. Said group immediately accused Nintendo of abandoning them. Nintendo stepped in to say that, no, titles for more serious gamers were currently being made, so keep your hair on.Now, Nintendo has felt compelled to say it again, and warn us that we will have to wait for our treats. "We have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete [them], approximately two to three years," the company stated in the latest issue of Edge, before adding that none will be ready to launch in early 2009.So it's going to be at least late next year before we see any new Zelda, Mario, and presumably Pikmin also. Express your rage in the comments field below.
Nintendo finally admits E3 was a disappointment
During an interview with VGChartz, Nintendo's resident wrist-hurting, Shaun White-introducing marketing lady, Cammie Dunaway, commented that Nintendo's E3 showing was a bit of a disappointment. You don't say?"I would say the message is we were disappointed with our performance at E3," commented Dunaway. "There were titles like Wario which we think will be really fun titles that we should have show cased." Yes, we'd have to agree. It was certainly the best game we played at the show. But what about this Pikmin 3 business? "We were excited that Mr. Miyamoto made the commitment that Pikmin is coming," she said. "It would have been nice if we could have said that on stage. But, we think it was a good recognition for us that we care for our core fans, and not just the new people who are now discovering Nintendo." E3 2008 was a pretty big deal. We had lots of hands-on impressions, as well as new screens and video to talk about. Check out our live impressions from Nintendo's keynote here, as well as some of the big news right here.
Nintendo registers mysterious trademark for 'Piktura'
Siliconera spotted an unidentified Japanese trademark application from Nintendo, registered in June. The trademark is for the title "Piktura." Of course, it could be absolutely anything, from some kind of EyeToy-style webcam to a WiiWare drawing app to some internal technology that consumers will never know about and which won't show up in Nintendo hardware for ten years.But, as Siliconera pointed out, it starts with "Pik," and that makes it not entirely impossible that this trademark is Pikmin-related. Maybe it suggests generating Pikmin environments out of photos! The possibility of a connection to the Pikmin game that Miyamoto confirmed is infinitely more exciting than some random thing nobody knows about.[Minor update: changed a weird joke to something less weird.]
Miyamoto's hobbies are none of your business
In news of the weird, The Times Online reports that Nintendo is (politely, we're sure) asking master game designer Shigeru Miyamoto – you know, the guy that made that game with the plumber and the gorilla? – not to discuss his hobbies outside of games with ... anyone. According to the article, "any glimpse inside his head could be worth billions," which is why we're crating up our MRIs of his noggin and shipping them off to Area 51.The Times makes a rather bold assumption that Miyamoto basically designs everything at Nintendo, including its consoles – he does have a good deal of influence, but the Big N has at least a few other employees – stating that, with regards to the Wii's successor, the "only place where the discussion [of its design] has any grounding is inside Mr. Miyamoto's head." We imagine all this talk of Miyamoto's hobbies has its roots in the origins of Pikmin, which Mario's papa has publically stated was inspired by his time spent gardening, or Zelda, which was at least partially influenced by his love of exploring caves near his home as a young boy. Actually, it may be Devil World, which was based on his very favorite hobby: dressing up as a dragon and battling demons in Pac-Man-like mazes. Yep, that's definitely it.
Miyamoto's hobbies are now trade secrets
According to the Times, mysterious "sources" inside Nintendo report that the company has banned its most famous producer from speaking about his hobbies. This makes sense given that Shigeru Miyamoto often claims to draw direct inspiration for his games from the activities he does on his time off. He decides to start gardening, and Pikmin is born. He gets into exercise, and Wii Fit appears. He takes up pretending to play the saxophone, and the idea for Wii Music is born. The idea is, then, if somebody asks Miyamoto what he does in his spare time, and Miyamoto answers, the secret of Nintendo's next huge hit will be revealed. And thus his life must be shrouded in secrecy until such time as his next game is announced and he can start the PR talk about how it was inspired by his life.[Via Gamasutra]
Rumor: Pikmin 3 to bloom next March?
Okay, we'd advise you take this news with a pinch huge damn barrel of salt, but UK-based retailer Play.com now has Pikmin 3 listed for release on March 27th, 2009. Our first thoughts upon spying this detail were as follows: March 27th, 2009 is a rather random date to simply pluck out of thin air, don'cha think? It's also a Friday, the day when games usually launch in Euroland. Play is a UK-based site, so this may well be a European date (if it's even true). The specificity of the date only makes it more convincing to us. March 27th, 2009 really is quite a long way off. Boo hoo. Heck, it's the weekend, so let the wanton speculation ensue!
E308: Wii Fanboy's E3 Endgame Evaluation
In the second year of the newly revamped show, Nintendo released a few much-desired games, as well as a pair of incredible peripherals, and yet, there seemed to be something missing. Much of the show's excitement came from third parties (on my Nintendo Wii?), and some found Nintendo's announcements disappointing. Whatever your reaction, we're sure we can all agree on one thing: there was a ton of news and a flood of media. Luckily, you can revisit it all right here (even the week's most outrageous story, which wasn't even from E3).We've listed a few of the show's highlights below, but for the full index of all our 2008 E3 coverage, hit the break. We still have a few items rolling in, and we'll be updating the index as that happens. Check back with us over the next few days by clicking the E3 sidebar graphic. A new Pikmin sprouts! Animal Crossing: City Folk confirmed The Conduit will use WiiSpeak Wii Sports Resort announced (and Wii MotionPlus!) Mega Man 9 feels more like a 10 Wii Fanboy bats-on with Mario Super Sluggers Animal Crossing to support keyboards, save fruit-picking time Wii Fanboy hands-on with Wii Sports Resort
Wii Warm Up: E3
Because we've also asked DS fans, we thought we'd pose the same question here: how would you rate the Wii's E3?Despite the angry tidal wave of criticism over what many (but not all) saw as a disappointing Nintendo keynote, the more recent announcement of a third Pikmin game seems to have tempered the outcry a little. Not that there was a shortage of announcements in the first place -- WiiSpeak, Wii Sports Resort, Animal Crossing: City Folk, MotionPlus, Wii Music, and online, WiiSpeak-enabled multiplayer in The Conduit were all entirely new to us.Fill us in on the bits of E3 you liked, the bits you hated, the surprises, and the no-shows.
Wii Warm Up: Pikmin vs. Animal Crossing
One was casually dropped, a tossed bone, if you will, and the other had all the muted spectacle of Nintendo's E3 showing this year. They're both colorful and take anthropomorphism to new, weird levels. Neither one of them is Kid Icarus. It's Pikmin versus Animal Crossing, and we want to know where you stand. If, say, you had to choose.Even though we haven't seen or heard anything about Pikmin other than Miyamoto's low key "oh, right, that one game, we're doing it," this is a fair question -- based on the past games in each franchise, which do you prefer?
E308: A new Pikmin sprouts!
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_announces_third_Pikmin_game'; Shigeru Miyamoto just dropped the most mega of tons over at Nintendo's 2008 E3 Developer Roundtable, and in the most understated way possible. Speaking to a crowd of around 100 press members, Shiggy casually announced: "We're making Pikmin." And that was it: a mere three words, but some of the most precious we've heard yet during this year's E3. You can see the team's response above, but how about you? Delighted, or what?
Miyamoto: 'We're making Pikmin'
Responding to a question at Nintendo's 2008 E3 developer roundtable about whether or not a new Pikmin is in the works, Miyamoto says he'll announce a new sequel when he's ready. Apparently he's ready now. "We're making Pikmin," confirms his translator. (Is this the megaton you have been waiting for, dear Fernando?)
E308: Live highlights from Nintendo's private conference
Did yesterday's Nintendo keynote leave you wanting more? Well, pipe down already -- you're getting more. The company is holding a private conference, and our very own JC Fletcher is invited to the party. Since you can't be there, we'll be posting JC's highlights right here, live. We hope your F5 buttons and refresh fingers are ready, because the word on the street is that something big is going to be revealed. Of course, that could just be disgruntled fans' hopes evolving into a rumor, but we'd like to believe that's not the case. We'd hate to be disappointed by the big N two days in a row, after all.If we hear something big (or not so big), don't worry, you'll be the first to know (well, uh, after us).Update: So far it looks like the same stuff from the keynote. Katsuya Eguchi takes the floor.
Born for Wii: Pikmin
When Nintendo's little purple cube was released in 2001, gamers were put in an unusual position -- the old standby, a Mario platformer launch title, was nowhere to be found. In the trusty plumber's stead was his brother, standing on his own for the first time in a ghost-battling adventure. There were other solid launch titles, of course, such as Factor 5's Rogue Squadron 2 and Nintendo's own Wave Race: Blue Storm. These were the familiar. And then there was Pikmin.Pikmin came straight from the mind of Shigeru Miyamoto, and like many of his landmark creations, it offered gamers something new. A delightful mix of strategy and discovery, Pikmin defied real-time strategy conventions and put gamers in charge of the smallest, most innocent army of creatures in gaming history. In 2004, Pikmin 2 brought a second protagonist to the series, allowing for far more multitasking and considerably more inventive puzzles. Four years have passed, and many of Nintendo's heavy-hitters have received sequels. Now that E3 is upon us once again, it's time for Nintendo to reveal their upcoming projects -- and what could possibly be more Born for Wii than Pikmin 3?%Gallery-27598%
Nintendo E3 2008 press conference: Let's play bingo
#bingochart { border: 2px solid #111; border-collapse: collapse; } #bingochart td { padding: 1px 0px 1px 0px; border: 1px solid #ccc; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; font-size: 80%; line-height: 90%; } #bingochart th { padding: 0px; border: 0px; vertical-align: top; text-align: center; margin: 0; } #bingochart a{ filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=100); -moz-opacity: 1;} #bingochart a:hover { filter:progid:DXImageTransform.Microsoft.Alpha(opacity=80); -moz-opacity: 0.80;} DS Lite redesign Mega Man 9 That pesky storage problem More Mario sports DLC A new Wii peripheral Link returns Even more Fit What comes after FFIV? Pikmin, baby, yeah! Dragon Quest IX Layton sequels Fanboys love Reggie New Wii colors Balance Board games Guitar Hero for everyone More language trainers Chrono Trigger Pokémon Platinum DS Novel to US Wii Music Captain Rainbow Spore Creatures Animal Crossing Wii Kid Icarus var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Nintendo_E3_2008_press_conference_bingo'; In anticipation of next week's E3 Media and Business Summit, we've prepared bingo cards for each of the big press conferences, filled with some likely (and some not-so-likely) predictions for what each of the big three console makers intends to announce at arguably the biggest trade shows of the year.Today's card is for Nintendo (special thanks to Wii and DS Fanboy). Our fingers are crossed twice over (trust us, it's painful) for the no-brainer Pikmin sequel. Click on each of the slides above for more information about our predictions. The folks at NWF and DSF got a little carried away, so check out their full predictions (Wii, DS).Nintendo's E3 2008 press conference begins Tuesday, July 15, at 9:00am PT (that's 12:00 pm Joystiq Time / ET). As always, we'll be liveblogging the event, so you can play along in real-time with us. (Also: check out all our press conference bingo cards, including some for Microsoft and Sony!)Download a copy (PNG file) and play along!
Nintendo dev leaves company, heads to Microsoft
For those of you who keep track of developers and programmers like children keep track of baseball cards, this bit of news is going to be old hat to you. For the rest of the Nintendo loyal, prepare to light some torches and sharpen some pitchforks, because longtime programmer Colin Reed has bailed on Nintendo and taken up a position at Microsoft.Reed was with Nintendo for 11 years, working on such titles as Metroid Prime: Hunters and Pikmin. He now joins Microsoft's Turn-10, an internal studio that is responsible for the Forza Motorsport line-up of games.
DS Daily: The next great Nintendo franchise
So the DS has been on the receiving end of some great games from Nintendo's most popular franchises. We had the excellent Phantom Hourglass, the million-billion-selling New Super Mario Bros. and some solid installments in the Animal Crossing and StarFox franchises. But what's next?Which one of Nintendo's franchises do you want to see hit the DS next? A new Punch-Out!!! game? Or what about the next installment in the Pikmin franchise? What would you like to see from Nintendo?
