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Nintendo teases Wii U Pro Controller, black Wii U hardware (update: video)
Aside from officially detailing tweaks to its Wii U Gamepad today, Nintendo has announced a secondary controller for those who'd prefer a more traditional control method. Dubbed as the Pro Controller, the wireless peripheral has a remarkably similar shape and button layout to what comes standard with the Xbox 360 -- albeit with a duo a of evenly-placed joysticks and Nintendo-focused function buttons. You'll also notice that it's the first Wii U accessory to be colored in black, rather the white we've become accustomed to. It doesn't stop there either. While showing more video of how the Gamepad functions, it and the Wii U were also shown in the murdered-out hue for the first time -- eye pleasing to say the least. There's not word on pricing for the Pro Controller or whether the system will be released in both black and white just yet, but we'll be sure to bring you more details from the show floor at E3 when we have them. Click past the break for a look at the console and Gamepad in their darker attire. Update: Join us past the break to view the webstream for yourself!
Nintendo pre-E3 press conference liveblog!
We can't wait for the E3 showroom floors to officially open -- and thankfully, neither can Nintendo. The company is upholding its promise to blanket the media with news by kicking things off with a pre-E3 press event, getting the upperhand on Microsoft and Sony by a few days. The company's president Satoru Iwata will be on-hand for an event that will most likely involve some game announcements, for starters. Will Nintendo offer up some more info on the Wii U or some welcome changes to the 3DS? Join us right here at 6PM ET to find out! June 3, 2012 6:00 PM EDT
Preview: Fallout: New Vegas
The chance to play Fallout: New Vegas has been hard to come by -- we've seen it in action before, but it wasn't until a little while back at a pre-E3 event that I was able to finally grab a controller and explore Obsidian's take on the streets and surroundings of a post-apocalyptic Sin City. But it turns out, as I wandered into the dingy casinos and off into the desert for a few quests, that I had already played the game anyway, back when it was called Fallout 3. %Gallery-87609%
HAWX 2 features 'all aspects' of air combat, four-player campaign co-op
Ubisoft has revealed new information about Tom Clancy's H.A.W.X. 2, which Joystiq got to see in an early build last week at a pre-E3 event. The sequel to the flight combat simulator is expanding its purview to include "all aspects of aerial combat," including takeoffs and landings, recon missions in UAVs, air-to-air refueling and dogfighting missions, and even laser-guiding bombs down to targets. The game will use satellite imagery to create realistic locations from all over the world, including Moscow, the Arctic Circle and a desert area we got to see in the Persian Gulf. Ubisoft also told Joystiq that the game would offer four-player co-op throughout the whole campaign, as well as "full adversarial multiplayer" with up to eight players involved. It was also hinted that H.A.W.X. 2 will tie in some of Ubisoft's other Tom Clancy properties, though we weren't yet told how. We'll learn more when we get to play the game (which is due out on Xbox 360, PS3, Wii and PC this fall) in a hands-on at E3. %Gallery-92365%
Impressions: Shaun White Skateboarding
With Tony Hawk Ride getting the cold shoulder from critics and Skate 3 carving out its own rut, is there really room in the market for another skating game? Ubisoft believes there is and plans to turn snowboarder Shaun White's burgeoning skateboarding career into a new franchise -- and hopefully add a little innovation to the genre. In a quick developer-led demo at a pre-E3 event, we got to see how Ubisoft aims to accomplish its goal. As Shaun skateboarded around the grayed-out city of New Harmony, he (or the player's custom skater) can spread "influence" around, and turn a place oppressed by the evil skateboard-hating Ministry into a world full of colorful half-pipes and rails, custom-designed by the player in real time. The premise is interesting, but will it work? %Gallery-93671%
Hands-on: Toy Story 3: The Video Game (PS3)
Disney Interactive Studios has been making a lot of noise about refining and improving its approach to licensed games, and while Toy Story 3: The Video Game is still meant for the younger members of Pixar's vast following, it's the best evidence yet that Disney is serious about trying to use licenses right. I got to play the game at a recent pre-E3 event, and it was a solid, kid-friendly experience, with bright and beautiful graphics surrounding intuitive racing and platforming mechanics. With innovative features like a very dynamic difficulty system and lots and lots of collectibles and game modes, Disney's Avalanche Studios has created something here that you, as someone who enjoys fine game design, can actually be proud to have your kids play. %Gallery-93421%
3 Final Fantasy XIII games; 2 just for PS3
Final Fantasy XII won't be out for the PS2 in the States until October, but we now have a glimpse of Final Fantasy XIII thanks to Square Enix's pre-E3 press event -- and this installment in the series won't be coming alone.Like the different titles in the Compilation of FFVII collection of games and movies, the initially announced installments in the FFXIII universe will span multiple platforms which, in this case, include both the PS3 and sufficiently advanced mobile handsets. Not much is known about the mobile-bound Final Fantasy Agito XIII, but the subtitle-less version of FFXIII will concern a gun-and-sword-toting heroine in a futuristic world, while Final Fantasy Versus XIII will focus on "a spiky-haired character," "extreme action elements," and a primary theme of "bonding" (whatever that means). Anybody ready to "resist the world"?The multiple titles might explain the earlier rumor reported in March that FFXIII was "practically close to being finished" (maybe only one of these games was nearing completion). Whatever the case may be, we're just happy that more than one not-so-Final-Fantasy will be hitting the next PlayStation in relatively rapid succession. RPG feasting: on the way.[Via Joystiq]
