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New Nintendo eShop releases: Scram Kitty, Moon Chronicles
It's a steady week on the eShop ahead of this month's big kahuna - that's Mario Kart 8, by the way - but there are games that may pique your interest. Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails is an unusual shoot-em-up in that you move by scrolling along magnetic rails on the walls - oh, and you're shooting mechanized rats while trying to save all the world's cats. It's out for the Wii U this week, while Wii Party U gets a belated eShop release too. Over on the handheld, there's the debut of Renegade Kid's enhanced episodic remake of Moon Chronicles (the first episode's priced $9 while the upcoming three chapters are $2 each). Also, Capcom's Mega May continues with Game Boy platformer Mega Man 4. Don't forget Atlus is discounting the two Etrian Odyssey games on 3DS at $20 each, and that sale ends on Monday, May 19. On the same day, a new one starts for Code of Princess and Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor Overclocked, down to $15 each until June 5. [Image: Dakko Dakko]
New Super Mario Bros. U ships 3.89M, Super Mario 3D World almost 2M
Between Super Mario 3D World and New Super Mario Bros .U, Nintendo's mustachioed mascot (whose year it wasn't) has shipped almost 6 million units on the Wii U. In figures revealed in the big N's financial briefing, NSMBU is now at 3.89 million for its lifetime shipments, while SM3DW is at around half of that with 1.94 million. Keep in mind that 2D Mario had the head-start on its 3D sibling when it launched alongside the Wii U, not to mention a much larger presence in system bundles. The Mario platformers are two of five Wii U games that have shipped more than a million so far this fiscal year - that's between April and December 2013, by the by. The other three launched after April, so their shipments for the period represent lifetime figures anyway. Coming in third behind the two Marios is yet another Mario, namely Mr. Luigi Mario with Super Luigi U. The green man's standalone expansion to NSMBU shipped 1.51 million after arriving in the summer. It wasn't just the year of Luigi because Wii Party U and Zelda: Wind Waker HD both got on in the act, shipping 1.24 million and 1.15 million respectively after their fall launches.
Nintendo nine-month profits drop year-on-year, Wii U ships 1.95 million in Q3
Nintendo reported a net profit of 9.6 billion yen (around $93 million) in the last three months of 2013 on the back of shipping 1.95 million Wii Us across the quarter. Despite that holiday success, the company posted a year-on-drop for its first three fiscal quarters, the nine months ending in December 2013. Net profits fell by just under 30 percent to 10.2 billion yen ($99 million), with Nintendo noting the Wii U has continued to bring down its figures, chiefly because of price cuts in the US and Europe. Nintendo slashed its sales forecasts for the fiscal year earlier this month, and expects to post a net loss of 25 billion yen ($242 million) for the fiscal year ending in March 2014. There's been no official announcement yet, but Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and members of the board are reportedly taking a temporary pay cut in response to the company's recent downturn. According to French news agency AFP (via Polygon), Iwata told reporters in Tokyo he would take half his normal pay for five months, with board members receiving a 20 to 30 percent cut. If accurate, it wouldn't be the first time in his tenure that Iwata has taken a pay cut: His salary was also halved in 2011, the reason then being poor 3DS sales.
Wii Party U review: Party pooper
The original Wii first gained popularity thanks in large part to Wii Sports. The various mini-games in Wii Sports were entertaining, in that they were easy to play and the well-implemented motion controls made players look a little ridiculous in the process. More importantly, Wii Sports remained enjoyable long after the launch of the Wii in 2006. Wii Party arrived several years later, and despite boasting a much larger collection of games they were bland, generic and entirely forgettable. Now, with the Wii U struggling to recapture the magic of Nintendo's previous console, we have Wii Party U. Tallying over 80 mini games, Wii Party U tries desperately to present itself as the perfect fallback for bored Wii U owners, but in its quest for greatness it spreads itself far too thin. Most of the games included are enjoyable exactly once, and some of them don't even manage to hit that low watermark. It's not that the mini-games are broken – they all work fine, and if you lose you won't feel cheated – but the vast majority of them just aren't fun for more than a minute or two.
Three new Wii U bundles hit the UK next month
Nintendo is gift-wrapping three new Wii U bundles for the UK, including one 32GB Premium bundle and two 8GB Basic ones. The trio launch across consecutive weeks in November, and going by Nintendo's new web store they're each priced £250. The new 32GB Premium is first to reach Her Maj's Kingdom on November 8, bundling in New Super Mario Bros. U and its New Super Luigi U expansion on a 2-in-1 disc. Going by the Nintendo store it features the Legend of Zelda GamePad as per the Wind Waker HD bundle, as well as usual extras including Nintendo Network Premium membership. A Wii Party U bundle follows on November 15, featuring the not-yet-forgotten 8GB model. If one party game isn't enough, the bundle includes launch game Nintendo Land. Finally, November 22 sees the arrival of a Just Dance 2014 pack. Like the other 8GB bundle, it chucks in Nintendo Land. Nintendo's site lists both 8GB bundles as "limited," underlining the publisher's plans to focus on the 32GB model.
Ceeeelebrate good times with a Wii Party U trailer
What game has helicopters, gourmet cooking, adventures in space, safari jockeys, foosball, swimming, hats, finger flexing, alligators, costumes, and karate? If you said Grand Theft Auto 5, you're probably wrong*! The right answer is apparently Wii Party U, which is on its way to retail shelves and karate parties on October 25. *I've not played GTA 5 yet. I mean, it could have all that in there, right?
Wii U ups its value with two family-themed bundles in Japan
Nintendo is targeting families with two value-driven Wii U bundles in Japan, as it looks to give the console a welcome boost alongside its winter software line-up. The pair, launching on October 31, both include the 32GB Wii U (black or white), New Super Mario Bros. U, and Wii Party U. The pricier bundle also chucks in Wii Fit U. The Wii Fit U-less bundle costs ¥32,800 (around $332), while the healthier option is ¥34,800 ($352) adding in the Wii Fit U meter along with the game, but no Balance Board. There are the typical Premium extras of a Wii Remote, sensor bar, and 30 day membership to Wii Karaoke U in both sets. Japan's new options represent a significant value improvement on the original premium Wii U set, priced at ¥31,500 ($319) without any games included. The Japanese bundles follow Nintendo doling out a $50 price cut to the Deluxe set in North America, alongside the launch of a Wind Waker HD bundle.
Nintendo outs release dates for Super Mario 3D World, DK Tropical Freeze
Nintendo has detailed its fourth-quarter software lineup for the Wii U, revealing that multiple high-profile games are slated to launch in the months leading up to the holiday season. The Wii Remote Plus-bundled minigame compilation Wii Party U will launch on October 25, while Nintendo's multiplayer platformer Super Mario 3D World will premiere on November 22. The Donkey Kong Country Returns sequel Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will debut December 6. Two additional games, Wii Fit U and Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games, are scheduled to launch "this holiday season." Nintendo notes that further details regarding both games will be released at a later date. Nintendo additionally revealed its launch plans for The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, announcing that a digital download will arrive in September, ahead of a planned October retail release.
Wii Party U announced for Wii U, coming in October
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced Wii Party U for the Wii U during the company's Nintendo Direct stream today. This sequel to Wii Party was initially announced at a January Nintendo Direct event, but now has a full title and an October 2013 release date. A gameplay trailer for the game showed four-player mini-game competitions, including ones in which players race animals around a track and another where four players use one Wii U Game Pad. Wii Party U will include 80 different mini-games.wii party u %Gallery-191103%
