kirbys-epic-yarn
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Yoshi Wii U game by Kirby's Epic Yarn team announced
It only takes a look at this newly unveiled Yoshi game for Wii U to know it's by the Kirby's Epic Yarn team. The as-yet-unnamed Wii U game will feature the same art style and likely some of the same mechanics of Good-Feel and HAL Laboratory's charming 2010 platformer.As revealed on this morning's Nintendo Direct, Yoshi's Island and Yoshi's Story director Takashi Tezuka will supervise the game's development. %Gallery-177049%
Kirby's Epic Yarn spun down to $30 on Amazon
Crocheting is super hot right now, you guys. Take it from a gaggle of scarfmakers like us: You want to get in on the textile movement before it passes you by. Here's a good starting point! Amazon's Deal of the Day is the threaded platformer Kirby's Epic Yarn, which is now on sale for $29.99.
Kirby Wii preview: King Dedede, you, and me
It's hard to speak about Kirby Wii without a tinge of regret, and harder still to do so after seeing this video of a very similar, cancelled Kirby title for the GameCube. The game was never quite "cancelled" per se, but it was put on hold for quite some time while its developer, HAL Laboratory, pursued other projects -- Picross 3D and Face Raiders, among others. Among a mess of other logos flashed at the end of Nintendo's E3 2011 presser, Kirby Wii prominently stood out, reminding us that the game still exists. And when I spotted the game in Nintendo's press area available at a hands-on kiosk, I jumped at the chance to finally play the six year old game. What I found was a New Super Mario Bros. Wii meets single-player Smash Bros. Brawl mashup, with a hefty dollop of pink fluffy Kirby covering everything. Something not quite as "hardcore" looking as the GC game, but not far off.%Gallery-125891%
Layton's Unwound Future and Kirby's Epic Yarn join Nintendo's million-seller club
In a supplemental document to Nintendo's latest quarterly earnings report, the company noted its million-sellers during the past three fiscal quarters (April–Dec. 2010), with Professor Layton and pink power-puff Kirby standing out from the games featuring keywords: Mario, Pokémon and Wii. Through the end of 2010, DS puzzler Professor Layton and the Unwound Future had reached global sales of 1.9 million units since its September 12 debut, while Dragon Quest IX just squeezed into the million-seller club with 1.02 million copies sold (since July 11). The Wii-llion seller list for the nine-month period featured several Mario and Wii [Fill in Blank] games, but Donkey Kong Country Returns was also a popular pick, moving a bananas 4.21 million units since its late-November release. Additionally, Kirby's Epic Yarn managed to stitch up sales of 1.4 million units in two and a half months at retail. Sitting on top of DS and Wii million-sellers for the period were Pokemon Black/White with 5.3 million copies sold (and it's not even out in North America and Europe yet!) and Super Mario Galaxy 2 with a hearty 6.2 million units in mushroom-fueled sales, respectively.
Best of the Rest: JC's picks of 2010
Dragon Quest IX DQIX is secretly two games: when you're playing through the main quest, it's a traditional JRPG with a light but interesting story populated by unexpectedly engaging characters and perfectly brisk pacing; then as you approach the end, it becomes a dungeon crawler driven by a dungeon map trading mechanic using the passive communication of the DS. How compelling is that "tag mode" mechanic? I can't think of any other game for which I would go hang out at a GameStop and then a Best Buy, but that's exactly what I did when Nintendo held DQIX events this summer. I needed those maps. That's how I know this is my favorite game of 2010.
Kirby's Epic Yarn becomes Kirby's Epic Yum in gummy form
In honor of a game in which Kirby is turned into a loop of yarn, Takara Tomy Arts is turning Kirby into candy. We're sure that makes sense to them somehow! Next month, the company will release Kirby's Epic Yarn gummy candy in boxes of 20 pieces, each including a collectible card with an image of one of Kirby's transformations from the adorable Wii adventure. It looks like Takara Tomy took the easy way out in terms of making Kirby-shaped gummies -- they're circles with faces. Each box will sell from Amazon Japan for ¥2,040 ($24.61) each, which is a bit pricey for the privilege of being able to devour Kirby like he devours everything else.
Club Nintendo updates with Kirby patches, Mario wrist straps
Club Nintendo has a few new bonuses available in its shop, just in case you happen to have a sudden influx of new Nintendo games, and therefore Club Nintendo Coins, in the next couple of weeks. For 350 Coins, you can get one of two sets of adorable adhesive Kirby's Epic Yarn patches, featuring either Saucer and Off-Roader Kirby, or regular-style Kirby and Prince Fluff. Or, for 450 Coins, you can get a set of four New Super Mario Bros. Wii-themed Wii Remote straps, each one representing one of the four playable characters. In other Club Nintendo news, the fans, messenger bags and tote bags are back in stock. Hurry! %Gallery-111465%
Kirby's Epic Yarn to wind up in Europe Feb. 25
While it still stings, we're sure, to have to wait until 2011 to play Kirby's Epic Yarn, Nintendo revealed a European release date today that isn't too far into next year: February 25. You won't be able to get it for Christmas, but you could conceivably have some gift cards left over from the holiday, at least. Perhaps it took Nintendo a while to translate all the cutesy descriptions of the collectible furniture items. Or perhaps it's taken Nintendo of Europe several months to stop hugging all the copies of the game long enough to get them into boxes.
How Kirby's Epic Yarn challenges players through humiliation
In a new English edition of "Iwata Asks," in which Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata politely interrogates designers and employees about recent games, there's an interesting discussion regarding the difficulty of Kirby's Epic Yarn. Specifically, it's about how developer Good-Feel cut out deadly traps and objects in order to preserve the game's endearing, fluffy and fun atmosphere. "As a team, we were extremely opposed to the idea of an action game where the game wasn't over when an enemy got you," said producer Etsunobu Ebisu. "We debated that for quite a long time." At first, levels in Kirby's Epic Yarn (formerly Fluff's epic yarn) were full of thorns, a thrilling contrivance that didn't sit well with the game's warm aesthetic. Later, however, "we thought it would be fine if we just made a fun game the way we're good at," Ebisu explained. This led to the introduction of a different characteristic in obstacles, with failure to avoid them resulting in the loss of Kirby's collected beads. You can collect them once dropped, but the in-game currency -- used to unlock bonus levels, for instance -- acts as a strong measure of success at the conclusion of a stage. "When serious gamers play, they want to clear a level without any mistakes like running into enemies, so this game is made so you really feel regret when you run into enemies and a strong sense of achievement when you clear a level without any mistakes," said producer Nobuo Matsumiya. Or, as Iwata succinctly put it: "As a gamer, it's humiliating to bump into an enemy."
This sucks: No Kirby for Europe or Australia until 2011
With his rotund shape and waddling gait, we would never consider Kirby to be a particularly hasty creature -- still, we never would have expected his latest adventure, Kirby's Epic Yarn, to take months to reach European and Australian territories. Nintendo Australia recently confirmed that the title, released earlier this month in the U.S. and Japan, would see 2011 launch in PAL regions. (Online retailer Play suggests that it'll only arrive in March.) In the months between, a dedicated European fan could probably recreate the game using actual yarn. Hey, why hasn't anyone done that yet? Get crafty, you guys.
Kirby's Epic Yarn review: Warm and fuzzy
Kirby's Epic Yarn is clearly intended for children. Even more than other Kirby games. Its cutscenes are storybook sequences narrated by a single voice actor, who does little voices for each character. The main antagonist is an evil knitter. You are pulled into a magical sock. You can't die. But even though I seem to be well beyond the age range of this game, I was thoroughly charmed by Kirby's Epic Yarn, and I absolutely delighted in the sight of every stage. Developer Good-Feel, quite honestly, put more thought into the presentation of this game than it needed to. This was clearly a labor of love for everyone involved, and that love comes through in the final experience. %Gallery-95460%
The Epic Yarn of how Fluff's game became Kirby's
Kirby's Epic Yarn bears little resemblance to traditional Kirby games, and it partners the beloved pink sphere with a new character, Prince Fluff. It turns out, according to an Iwata Asks interview with Good-Feel and Nintendo staff, that there's a good reason for both -- Epic Yarn was originally Prince Fluff's game. Wario Land: Shake It! director Madoka Yamauchi came up with an idea for "World of Fluff" and designed it around the Prince Fluff character. Nintendo loved the idea, but thought something was missing from the "warm" world Good-Feel had created. Nintendo proposed turning it into a Kirby game last year. Producer Etsunobu Ebisu said that having Kirby in the world gives Epic Yarn "a greater feeling of existing." Also, we're sure, Kirby gives it a greater feeling of hope for good sales.
Thank Japan for this new Kirby's Epic Yarn trailer
Nintendo announced the Japanese release date for Kirby's Epic Yarn -- October 14 -- and released a new trailer for the occasion. We've embedded it after the break, but we encourage you to go to Nintendo's site anyway, for the most charming video controls you'll ever, ever see.
Nintendo bringing fall lineup, new WiiWare game to PAX
Visitors to Nintendo's PAX booth will be able to try out some upcoming Wii games, including Kirby's Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns, along with anticipated third-party games Goldeneye 007 and NBA Jam. Next week's Metroid: Other M will also be on display. Nintendo will also show a new WiiWare game, Fluidity, for the first time. The game involves "using the three forms of water -- liquid, ice, and cloud" to solve puzzles. Be sure to bring your DS as well, as Nintendo will be distributing a new Dragon Quest IX map, "Orgodemir." If you're anything like us (which is to say hopeless), the rest of the convention will be spent trying to complete said map. Go sit on one of those bean bags and find some pals for multiplayer questing!
Gran Turismo 5 wins 'best of' Gamescom awards 2010
The Gamescom awards have been handed out by an "expert jury" from the publishing and media sector, with Gran Turismo 5 taking the "Best of Gamescom" award. Unlike the E3 Game Critics Awards, which is a collaborative effort by outlets you've heard of, the Gamescom accolades appear to come from six folks whose names we don't quite (be polite, be polite!) ... recognize. The short list of winners selected by the brotzeit club were: Best of Gamescom: Gran Turismo 5 (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Hardware accessories: PlayStation Move (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Console games: Gran Turismo 5 (Sony Computer Entertainment Deutschland GmbH) Mobile games: Super Scribblenauts (Warner Bros. Games) Online games: Guild Wars 2 (NCsoft West) PC games: Crysis 2 (Crytek GmbH) Best of Family Entertainment: Kirby's Epic Yarn (Nintendo of Europe GmbH) Those are certainly some adequate choices, but considering the international presence and size of the show, it would seem prudent that the Gamescom awards seek out a better mix and quantity of judges for future shows. %Gallery-99887%
Nintendo dates Q4 lineup, announces Bit.Trip Fate
Nintendo sent out one of its seasonal mega-press releases, announcing pretty much everything at once. Its whole fall Wii lineup now has solid release dates, with newly dated games including: Kirby's Epic Yarn: October 17 Wii Party: October 3 PokePark Wii: November 1 FlingSmash: November 7 Donkey Kong Country Returns: November 21 On DS, Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Mini-Land Mayhem has been given a November 14 date. But Nintendo didn't stop there with the announcements: we now know we can expect Super Meat Boy for WiiWare and Shantae: Risky's Revenge for DSiWare this holiday season (which was previously announced, but it's good to know that game is still on track). Also ... Bit. Trip Fate this fall! That's right, not content with merely giving release dates to games we knew about, Nintendo went ahead and announced someone else's unannounced game. And that's why we love these press releases.
Visual overload: Nintendo's E3 Wii lineup
Nintendo brought most of its franchises back into active duty this year (sorry, Clu Clu Land!), flooding its upcoming Wii lineup with new games starring familiar characters. We've collected all the screenshots and trailers we had yet to post from Nintendo's crowded slate of Wii releases, along with ones you may have missed during our E3 coverage earlier this week. Clear your cache in anticipation of some serious video streaming, and join us after the break to see footage and screens of Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby's Epic Yarn, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and more.
Preview: Kirby's Epic Yarn
click to see Kirby's Epic ScreenshotsThough Nintendo announced games in all its major franchises simultaneously, it's not playing it safe within those franchises. Kirby's Epic Yarn, for example, is still a cutesy side-scroller, like other Kirby games, but it presents a new art style that seems pretty far out for such a mainstream game, one that has charmed me to an uncomfortable degree. The game also adds a new gameplay gimmick that, while it's not as drastic a change as Canvas Curse, still alters the basics of Kirby. And, like every new 2D platformer announced at E3, it has co-op.%Gallery-95460%
Kirby's Epic Yarn coming to the Wii this fall
Nintendo has announced a brand new Kirby game, coming to the Wii this fall. Kirby's Epic Yarn features an all-new art style for Kirby, with the character drawn in yarn and threads, and the backgrounds of the game looking as if they were created with sewn fabric. The game has Kirby wandering a 2D platform world, whipping characters and projectiles with his yarn, and taking on various ships, from a car and blimp to a gigantic screen-filling tank. There was also a second character shown, and a little bit of co-op play, with the two characters helping each other to reach platforms and separate areas. Nintendo says the game is due out sometime this fall -- we'll keep an eye out for the game on the floor of E3 today.
