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2DS digs for euros with New Super Mario Bros 2. bundle
A new 2DS bundle is coming to Europe on July 4 featuring gold-crazy platformer New Super Mario Bros. 2. The box includes the red-and-white system and the game pre-installed on a 4GB memory card, with all the Coin Rush add-on content bundled in too. There's no word on a price, but we expect it'll be available at the system's regular tag of £130/130 euros. The new bundle is the latest in a burgeoning line of color variants and packages for the unhinged handheld. When we say it's unhinged, we don't mean it's a bit nuts - you can be the judges of that - rather that it doesn't bend like the regular 3DS. Also, while the system can play all 3DS games and DS games too, it doesn't display them in 3D. [Image: Nintendo]
Amazon sale on 3DS games: Fire Emblem: Awakening, Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers and more
Whew! E3, huh? Right? Y'all remember when that guy said that stuff, and then all the things happened? What a crazy week! We don't know about you, but we're feeling like it might be time to unwind from this week's insanity by catching up on our gaming backlogs while we wait for all these sick-looking next-gen jams to drop. Fire Emblem: Awakening, Mario Kart 7, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, Super Mario 3D Land and a mess of other great 3DS games have all been dropped to around $30 on Amazon, which is convenient since we were just saying how we need to catch up on our backlog. Weird! Head past the break for the full list of games and their pertinent purchasing links.
Wii U shipments miss targets at 3.45M, projected 9M for next fiscal year
The Wii U shipped 3.45 million units worldwide as of March 31, a figure well short of the 4 million projected in January, itself adjusted from initial forecasts of 5.5 million. That means the Wii U only shipped around 390,000 units worldwide in the last three months.In a financial statement, Nintendo said its console failed to "maintain the initial sales momentum" due to delays of subsequent games, and the company aims to remedy this in the second half of this year through to next year by "releasing key Nintendo titles." The company believes this'll help the Wii U attain its projected shipping figures of 9 million for the next fiscal year (April 1 2013 to March 31 2014).Nintendo's fiscal year net profits came in at almost half the company's projections, down from a projected ¥14 billion to just over ¥7 billion, or around $71 million. The figure nonetheless represents significant turnaround from the ¥43 billion net loss posted for the previous fiscal year. Nintendo forecasts net profits of ¥55 billion for its next fiscal year.3DS shipping figures continue to climb, with the handheld now at 31.09 million, up over a million in the last quarter. The Wii remains short of the 100M mark at 99.84 million. The Wii outperformed the Wii U in the last quarter, shipping 70,000 units more at 460,000.
Nintendo cuts hardware sales targets after shipping 3M Wii U consoles in 2012
Nintendo adjusted its annual net profit outlook from ¥6 billion to ¥14 billion (around $154 million) on the back of a weakening yen, with the company posting a nine-month operating loss of ¥5.8 billion ($63.7 million) compared to the corresponding figure of ¥48.4 billion for the last fiscal year. However, Nintendo's end-of-fiscal-year hardware targets took a big hit on the back of shipping 3.06 million Wii U consoles in 2012.Nintendo now projects a figure of 4 million for Wii U by the end of its fiscal year on March 31, down from the 5.5 million the company predicted in October 2012. 3DS shipments are now expected to hit 15 million for the year, down from initial projections of 18.5 million.Nintendo has now shifted 29.84 million units of its handheld since launch. Meanwhile, the Wii's life-to-date figures are up to 99.38 million, with 3.53 million units shipped across the nine month period.Regards software, Nintendo shifted 11.69 million Wii U games since the console's launch on November 18, The best-performing games were the bundled-in Nintendo Land and New Super Mario Bros. U, coming in at 2.33 million and 2.01 million respectively.On the 3DS front, Nintendo shipped 39.56 million units of the handheld across the nine months. Pokémon Black/White 2 soared to a total of 7.63 million on the back of almost 3 million sales in Japan alone, while New Super Mario Bros. 2 is at 5.96 million. Animal Crossing: New Leaf sits at 2.73 million, largely thanks to its popularity with Japan's female demographic. All figures are as of December 31, 2012.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC rides out in Japan
Despite lacking in innovation when first released, New Super Mario Bros. 2 gets continually newer as DLC arrives. The latest packs, arriving in Japan today for ¥200 each, include the Kiroku ni Challenge C Pack, a time attack course in which you get as many coins as possible, and another pack all about riding dangerous moving platforms.These two DLC packs have not been announced outside of Japan yet, but there are still Nintendo Direct presentations at noon EST for both the US and Europe.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 gets free SMB and SMB3 levels, available now
New Super Mario Bros. 2 is revisiting old Super Mario Bros. through free Coin Rush content, now available for download. To celebrate a massive 300 billion coins collected in NSMB2 worldwide, Nintendo released the free-for-now Gold Classics Pack based on iconic levels from Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3.The first of the pack's three courses looks to be based on 1-1 and 1-2 from the first Super Mario Bros. As for the second course, that looks like a mixture of offerings from SMB3, including the always-vicious arcade minigame. Finally, the third course invites players back to Bowser's castle, as per SMB1. As shown by the above Nintendo Direct, the pack offers NSMB2-themed twists on the two NES classics, including multiple routes.The nostalgia-stuffed DLC is free until January 31, 2013, after which it costs $2.50
Nintendo trailer round-up: Fire Emblem, Paper Mario, Professor Layton, more
The latest Nintendo Direct didn't offer much in the way of news, but we did get our hands on a bunch of new trailers. First and foremost is Fire Emblem: Awakening, which you'll find above. Be careful, it's pretty sharp.After the break, find trailers for Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, Paper Mario: Sticker Star, the new DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC and the freshly titled Animal Crossing: New Leaf.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 has two more DLC packs available today
New Super Mario Bros. 2 now has its fourth and fifth DLC packs, Nintendo announced on today's Direct broadcast for North America. Gold Mushroom Pack (above) and Coin Challenge Pack B (below the break) are available now in North America and Europe via the eShop, priced at $2.50/£2.00/€2,50 (or $5.00/£4.00/€5,00 for a single download of both). Like the three released previously, each pack features three levels in Coin Rush mode.Nintendo revealed earlier this month that we could expect more DLC in both October and November, so keep your eyes peeled for more packs next month.
NintendoWare Weekly: NSMB2 DLC, Cave Story, tons more
There is entirely too much going on on the 3DS eShop this week. The New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC is here, of course, and Pokemon Dream Radar shows up later on this week. Retail games Crosswords Plus and Art Academy: Lessons for Everyone launched digitally on Monday (and offer free access to Donkey Kong: Original Edition when bought on the eShop).In addition, Cave Story is out on eShop, and it's a great port. In addition, Dr. Mario arrives on Virtual Console, there's a demo for Style Savvy: Trendsetters, and a new game called Samurai G is there as well.
Nintendo releasing three new 3DS XL bundles in Japan
If you live in Japan and aren't already red-shelling on a Pokémon or risqué edition 3DS XL, maybe one of these three new bundles will inspire you. For the minimalists: the Monster Hunter Tri G bundle complete with all-black 3DS XL (known as the LL in Japan), releasing November 1st for 21,800 yen (approximately $280). Following one week later (on the 8th) is the Animal Crossing: Jump Out bundle with white and pattern handheld, setting you back 22,800 yen (approximately $290). And, for the same price, the pièce de résistance of the trio -- a New Super Mario Bros. 2 bundle with black and embellished red XL, expected November 15th. If you're the importing type, or just want to see how good the Japanese got it, then check out the gallery below and pick your favorite.
New 3DS colors & bundles in Japan, eShop gets digital re-releases
Nintendo announced three new 3DS XL bundles for Japan, with two special case designs for New Super Mario Bros. 2 and Animal Crossing 3DS. The company also announced the upcoming arrival of eight previously released 3DS games on the Japanese eShop.In an initial Nintendo Direct broadcast, Nintendo showcased 3DS XL bundles for Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate, NSMB 2, and Animal Crossing 3DS. The Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate bundle comes with an all-black 3DS XL, and launches in Japan on November 1. The NSMB 2 bundle, pictured above, comes with a very flash red design, dotted with light red images from the Mario universe. The Animal Crossing 3DS design is similar, but with polka dot images against a white background, a bit 'Tutti Frutti' if you ask us. The Animal Crossing 3DS bundle arrives in Japan on November 8, with the NSMB 2 one a week after. All three bundles come with digital copies of the game.That brings us nicely onto the second Nintendo Direct broadcast, which announced eight digital versions of previously released 3DS games for the eShop. Those games don't include the three in the 3DS XL bundles above (cunning, Mr Nintendo), but they do include Ocarina of Time 3D, Pilotwings Resort, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D Land, Mario Kart 7, Mario Tennis Open, Hana to Ikimorio Rittai Zukan (click if you're curious), and Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games. The octet hit the Japanese eShop on November 1.%Gallery-167394%
New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC Coin Rushes North America this Thursday
Nintendo of America posted its own version of the New Super Mario Bros. 2 DLC Nintendo Direct, showing off the same three downloadable Coin Rush packs released in Japan. The Gold Rush Pack, Coin Challenge Pack A, and the Nerve-Wrack Pack will all be released this Thursday, Oct. 4, for $2.50 each. Each pack contains three stages for play in Coin Rush Mode.To see footage from the stages, and instructions on how to buy DLC within the game, watch the video here.Update: a press release reveals that more DLC is planned for late October and late November.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 Coin Rush DLC detailed [update]
Somehow, Nintendo World Report posted the Nintendo Direct presentation before Nintendo did (Update: we have the official embed from Nintendo of Japan above), revealing that tonight's big Nintendo Direct introduces the specific DLC packs coming to New Super Mario Bros. 2.The three packs include "Go! Go! As Gold Mario Pack," featuring three Gold Mario-themed courses offering up to 30,000 coins; "Challenge the Record A Pack," which posts the top scores on the game's website; and "Survival Panic Pack," an extra hard set of levels. These are all for the Coin Rush mode.The three packs will be out October 2 in Japan, for 200 yen each.Update: See screens of each level in each pack here.
Sleeping Dogs bites back on UK charts
Sleeping Dogs returns to the top of the UK sales chart this week. This would be the third time the Square Enix sandbox crime game has held first in the month since its debut. It took last week off for Guild Wars 2, which now sits in sixth following an 84 percent sales drop.The only new entry to the top 40 this week is the latest Sims expansion. The Sims 3: Supernatural, featuring sparkly vampires and brooding werewolves, premiered in second. It is the seventh expansion to the popular dollhouse franchise.The rest of the top ten are a mix of newer entries like Darksiders 2 and entrenched games like Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 racks up 1 million sales in Japan
New Super Mario Bros. 2 leaped over the 1 million mark in Japan, topping the country's sales charts for the third consecutive week. Nintendo's platformer sold 71,092 copies this week, which despite being less than half of last week's sales was enough to see it through to seven figures.That fall in New Super Mario Bros. 2 sales correlates with a drop in weekly 3DS sales from 107,140 to 64,921. Nonetheless, the 3DS sits comfortably ahead of its nearest rival, the PS3, at 12,243 sales this week.
Death arrives on UK charts in second, Sleeping Dogs lie in first
Sleeping Dogs rests comfortably in first place for a second week on the UK charts. Darksiders 2's debut didn't knock off the crime simulator, but the apocalyptic sequel did see 80 percent more units sold in its first week than its predecessor, according to Chart-Track.The only other new entry to the top of the charts last week was Transformers: Fall of Cybertron, which rolled out into fifth. The holiday season is just starting and the battle for the charts is slowiy heating up. Transform this page past the break for the UK top ten.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 tops Japanese sales charts again
New Super Mario Bros. 2 for the 3DS has sold almost 1 million copies in Japan since its launch on July 28, holding the top spot in the sales charts with 152,026 turned over last week. Over its lifespan, New Super Mario Bros. 2 has sold 942,758 copies in Japan.Japan is slow to catch the digital download craze for full games, selling just 5 percent of all copies digitally as of August 17. In the UK, New Super Mario Bros. 2 comes in second in the sales charts, behind Square Enix's Sleepings Dogs.
Sleeping Dogs conquers UK sales chart
Crime drama Sleeping Dogs awoke to meaty sales in the UK last week, sinking its teeth into first place. Chart-Track notes the game, developed by United Front Games and published by Square Enix, has become "the sixth best selling game on first week sales in 2012."The other major debut last week was the 3DS's New Super Mario Bros 2, which flew in at second place. Although it may seem awkward for a major Mario to launch in second, New Super Mario Bros also started its life in second place back in 2006. The game is sure to have a long (raccoon) tail.Meanwhile, London 2012: The Official Video Game of the Olympic Games took bronze after a couple golden weeks.
Penélope Cruz stars as Mario in Nintendo commercial
Esteemed actress Penélope Cruz appeared in a recent commercial promoting the launch of Nintendo's 3DS XL and New Super Mario Bros. 2 in Europe.With a rather convincing performance as herself, Cruz giggled her way through stages of the latest Mario game while cradling the 3DS XL in her dainty palms. After dueling with her sister in the game, Cruz lost a bet and then blessed a supermarket with her portrayal of the famous mustached plumber.
PSA: 3DS XL now printing novelty checks in North America
Nintendo's latest handheld system, the 3DS XL, released in North America today for $199.99. While western buyers can't get a special Pikachu version, Engadget's review indicates that the system is a pretty big improvement on the original 3DS regardless of its color scheme.New Super Mario Bros. 2 also launched with the handheld console today. Giving our review of the game an extra glance should help you decide if it's the first game you'll be playing on your new 3DS XL. If those extra Club Nintendo coins sound too good to pass up, New Super Mario Bros. 2 also be downloaded from the eShop today.%Gallery-161376% %Gallery-161375%
