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Nintendo sells 10 million Wii Us, still not making much money
Nintendo has posted yet another slim profit as it moves beyond the financial difficulties of the past few years. The slow launch of the Wii U and the stagnation of its handheld sales caused Nintendo to fall dramatically from grace after the runaway success of the Wii. After recording its first annual profit since 2011 earlier this year, though, it's proved it can stay in the black in spite of the Wii U's meagre popularity, making just over $9million in the latest quarter.
'Dragon Quest XI' may be one of the first Nintendo NX games
It's been a long time coming, but another Dragon Quest title is on the way -- and you'll want to keep your eye on this one. Square Enix has announced Dragon Quest XI, a solo role-playing game (no DQX-style massively multiplayer experience) that will come to the PlayStation 4, 3DS... and, quite possibly, Nintendo's future NX console. Yes, the publisher is at least "considering" a version for a system that exists as little more than a codename. There's no mention of what that version will entail, although it's clear that DQXI will take advantage of platforms' strong points. The PS4 version is based on the pretty Unreal Engine 4, while the 3DS version makes good use of the dual screens to show 3D gameplay and 2D maps at the same time. As it stands, you'll have to wait a while to try any edition for yourself. Square Enix hasn't provided any release dates yet, so the odds are that you won't be battling slimes until 2016 at the earliest.
Nintendo redesigned Miiverse because you were using it wrong
You know how everyone completely loses it every time Facebook pushes a redesign live? It's happening again -- except this time it's happening on Miiverse, Nintendo's quirky social network. On July 29th Miiverse will be given its first major overhaul: a total redesign that adds new features, changes how game-specific communities work and, weirdly, imposes a daily post limit on all users. Why all the changes? According to Nintendo, the community has been using Miiverse, well, wrong.
These were E3 2015's best games
E3 is (thankfully) over, and that means the press that cover the event have recently cast their votes for what they thought were the best games from the show. You know those blurbs on box art saying "winner of over 90 awards" and the like? This is partly where they come from. Collectively known as The Game Critics Awards, the governing body for them is made up of staff from over 30 editorial outlets, including Engadget, that attended gaming's Paris Fashion Week. For a game to even be up for consideration though, it has to be playable -- a stage demo or non-interactive trailer won't cut it. What's it mean for you? In the end, a better idea about what it's like to actually play the biggest games from E3, because we got to go hands-on with them. Without further ado, the winners are in the gallery below. Spoiler: Fallout 4 was pretty successful.
Nintendo includes same-sex marriages in 'Fire Emblem Fates'
Nintendo has a rocky past when it comes to same-sex relationships in its games, but the upcoming Fire Emblem Fates for its 3DS handheld should change that. There are a few different options to choose from, as Polygon reports. If you want to play as a male character who can marry a male party member, you should grab the Conquest edition of Fates. And if you want to be a female warrior who weds another lady, then the Birthright edition is the one for you. There's also a third downloadable storyline that'll let you do both. The marriages don't come easy from the sounds of it, either: you need to bond with your partner in battle before you can tie the knot.
'Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam' drops on 3DS next spring
The oft-rumored Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is on its way to 3DS in spring 2016. This is a brand-new game with RPG elements, turn-based combat and Paper Mario inspiration all rolled into one experience. Paper Mario is a generally beloved series within the Mushroom Kingdom universe, as it plays with 2D and 3D elements and bends perspective in a fun way. The first Paper Mario launched in North America in 2001 on the Nintendo 64. Nostalgia, here we come. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
'Zelda: Tri Force Heroes' is a multiplayer action game for 3DS
Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a three-player multiplayer game set in the wonderful world of Hyrule and heading to 3DS this fall. The king of your village seeks a hero to save the day and three brave citizens step forward -- you plus two friends or two non-playable characters. In single-player, you can swap between Link and two doll-like characters to complete puzzles, and in all modes, the game features a totem mechanic that stacks all players on top of each other. It's fairly adorable.
'Super Smash Bros.' gets 'Street Fighter' and 'Fire Emblem' brawlers
The roster for Super Smash Bros. just grew a little larger. Nintendo announced today that Street Fighter icon Ryu and Fire Emblem's Roy are joining the fight on Wii U and 3DS. They're available for $3.99 on either system, or across both for $4.99 each -- Ryu's pack also comes with a Suzaku Castle stage, if you're struggling to decide which to buy first.
'Hyrule Warriors' hacks and slashes its way to 3DS
Hyrule Warriors, the Zelda-themed hack-and-slash game that hit Wii U in 2014, is on its way to 3DS, according to a new Japanese trailer. The 3DS version comes from Wii U developers Omega Force and Team Ninja, and of course Japanese publisher Koei Tecmo. It looks like the pirate Tetra and the King of Hyrule are playable characters in the 3DS edition, and the final frames of the new trailer suggest compatibility with the Wii U version. The video's title says, "Announced at E3," and you better believe we'll break out all of the Hylian information directly from the show, which runs from June 16th to 18th. In the meantime, we've reached out to Nintendo for more information about Hyrule Warriors on 3DS.
Tell us how you really feel about the New 3DS and 3DS XL
With E3 starting next week, we're going to hear plenty of news from companies like Microsoft, Sony and yes, Nintendo. The company's Digital Event on June 16th promises new games for the handheld 3DS, making this a great time to upgrade to a New 3DS or 3DS XL. The latest 3DS offers improved 3D capabilities, built-in NFC support for your Amiibo figures and even a new C stick and ZL and ZR buttons for more control options. Nintendo has also said that some future games will only work on a new 3DS, making an upgrade necessary if you want to play some of the latest titles. While we certainly enjoyed the New 3DS' added features in our review, we'd like to know how it actually worked out for our readers. If you've picked up a New 3DS or 3DS XL since its release, let us know how you've been enjoying it by writing a review on its product page. We'll do a roundup of the best user reviews to find out if this upgrade is worth your hard-earned scratch.
Studio wants to preserve games with the same care as movies
Classic movies frequently get reissues and remastered versions with behind-the-scenes content, but games seldom receive that kind of affection. More often than not, you get a barebones port, a technical upgrade (which sometimes breaks the experience) or a full-on remake. Reborn studio Digital Eclipse thinks the industry can do a better job of preserving these classics. It's launching ports that are more about honoring the history behind a game than upgrading it, much like the Criterion Collection does for movies. Its inaugural title, Mega Man Legacy Collection, will include both the first six Mega Man games as well as artwork and other bonus material from the series' early days. About the only major change to the games themselves will be a Challenge Mode that "remixes" gameplay to add some extra spice.
Nintendo reveals a flood of new games ahead of E3 2015
The NX console isn't the only product Nintendo's working on behind the scenes, naturally. Via a Direct Micro video session, the company has now shared an outlook of its game plan for this year and beyond -- though we're sure it's not telling us everything. Most notably, Nintendo revealed the Dr. Mario franchise is making a comeback with Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure, which will be launching for the 3DS on June 11th (exclusively in the eShop). But there's more: Bravely Second is finally coming to North America, where it's going to be available on the 3DS sometime in 2016.
Nintendo asks you to pay what you want for indie games
Nintendo's been going through some serious growing pains on its path to the modern era of console gaming but with this latest step it's actually beating Microsoft and Sony to the punch for once. The Japanese gaming company is running a Humble Bundle. Not a Nintendo homegrown version of a Humble Bundle, but a real McCoy on Humble's website. Pretty crazy right? Especially considering these are all indies. Up for grabs are digital codes for games on the 3DS handheld and Wii U alike, including Guacamelee: Super Turbo Championship Edition for the latter and Whoah Dave! for the former.
Nintendo is finally making money again
Nintendo recorded its first annual profit since 2011 today. Its final results for 2014 (technically April 1st 2014 to March 31st 2015) reveal a $207 million operating profit on $4.6 billion in revenue. That's nothing to write home about, and way lower than initially expected, but still represents a dramatic improvement from previous years' consecutive losses. The past three months have actually seen a pretty heavy negative swing for Nintendo, with the international launch of new-and-improved 3DS models failing to make much of an impact, and the Wii U continuing to languish in 3rd place behind the PS4 and the Xbox One.
'Adventure Time' may finally be getting the game it deserves
The Adventure Time TV show has been a huge success, but the accompanying video games rarely offer the same level of quality. Developer Vicious Cycle is hoping to change that with Adventure Time: Finn and Jake Investigations, a new 3D puzzler featuring the 12-year-old boy and magical dog. The game is being pitched as an "action-oriented twist" on the graphic adventure genre, which has been enjoying somewhat of a renaissance recently thanks to titles like Broken Age. In the new game, friends Finn and Jake are professional investigators, unravelling disappearances and other strange events in the crazy Land of Ooo. It's the most visually impressive Adventure Time game to date (which isn't saying much), and promises a healthy mix of puzzles and combat. If you're interested, it'll be landing on PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Wii U, 3DS and PC this November.
'Binding of Isaac: Rebirth' reborn on 3DS, Wii U and Xbox One (updated)
Prepare your consoles for ritual sacrifice. An edited version of The Binding of Isaac: Rebirth, the adorably disturbing roguelike from Super Meat Boy co-creator Edmund McMillen, is on its way to 3DS, Wii U and Xbox One. This is really happening, despite a few years of uncertainty about the game's fate on Nintendo consoles. Back in 2012, McMillen said that Nintendo had nixed The Binding of Isaac (the version before the Rebirth expansion) on 3DS because of the game's "questionable religious content." It is a game about God compelling a mother to murder her own child, after all. However, Rebirth has since launched on PlayStation 4, Vita and Steam, and McMillen has remained optimistic about working with Nintendo. In July 2014, he noted that a 3DS version was still on the table.
Next 'Animal Crossing' adds characters via amiibo cards, not toys
Nintendo said it'd offer different ways to handle amiibo shortages and a new Animal Crossing is where at least one of them will debut. With Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer, you'll use cards rather than plastic toys to insert characters into the no-chores, interior design-focused game. Don't fret if you're rocking an NFC-less 3DS either -- the company also announced a separate card reader that'll bring the functionality to older hardware. When's it all happening? Later this spring.
Nintendo's next-generation console is codenamed 'NX'
It should come as no surprise to hear that Nintendo is working on a new console. Fresh hardware takes years to develop, so engineers are always working on future systems while the rest of us play on the current generation of consoles. What we didn't expect, however, is for Nintendo to talk about its next system so soon. In today's press conference, where the company detailed its plans to make mobile games with DeNA, it also teased a new system codenamed "NX." Few details were disclosed, other than it'll involve fresh hardware and gameplay concepts. The NX symbol appeared on a slide alongside the Nintendo Wii U, 3DS and other mobile platforms, which suggests it could launch as a complementary system, rather than an immediate successor to any of its current consoles.
I tried and failed to love a 'Monster Hunter' game
It was roughly two months ago that I received a midnight email from our gaming editor Ben Gilbert. The subject: "Review Code -- Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate for 3DS." The email: "Assuming you want this?" I didn't. Sure, I'd played an older Monster Hunter on the Wii a few years back, but I gave up 15 hours in, shortly after the grueling tutorials ended. I've always felt like I should be into the series, though. I'm into RPGs; I'm into grinding. I use up the precious few vacation days I have crawling through Persona Q's dungeons or leveling up familiars. So I decided to offer up 100 hours of my free time to see if I could learn to love Monster Hunter. I tried so hard to love it. But I failed.
Cash out of Club Nintendo by trading Coins for games
So Club Nintendo is closing down in just a few months, and you've got a huge stockpile of Coins. What's a gamer to do? Well, Nintendo is helping members of its soon-to-be-dead loyalty program spend their accrued currency by adding 117 Wii U, 3DS and Wii titles to the rewards catalog. Pricing varies drastically between games, starting at 150 Coins for Super Mario Land and other 3DS virtual console titles and ranging all the way up to 850 Coins for Wii Party U. There are some seriously great games to be had in the promotion, which runs through June 30th. You can browse all the titles on offer over at Club Nintendo.
