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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%
Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem announced for Wii U
In a left-field announcement, Nintendo has revealed a new collaboration with Atlus called Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem. A brief trailer shown during a Nintendo Direct presentation didn't offer many details, showing only characters from both games as well as the self-explanatory title.Presumably, the characters from each series will fight it out for ultimate supremacy. In other words, your Trapper Keeper doodles are about to come to life. Further details, it seems, will have to wait.
Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD remake coming by Fall 2013, Wii U Zelda also in development
This morning's Nintendo Direct confirmed two new Zelda games for Wii U, namely an HD remake of GameCube game Wind Waker with improvements to gameplay and graphics, and a brand new entry that will address series conventions like "completing the dungeons in a certain order", and to "play by yourself." The Wind Waker HD remake is expected "by this fall."In the Nintendo Direct broadcast, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma said the new Wii U entry's mission statement is to "rethink the conventions of Zelda," including things like linear progression through dungeons. Aonuma went on to say the new Zelda game will take some time before it is released.We won't have to wait as long for Wind Waker on Wii U, though. In addition to visual and gameplay tune-ups, the remake features off-TV GamePad play and is Miiverse-compatible. %Gallery-177048%
New Mario 3D and Mario Kart announced, playable at E3
During today's Nintendo Direct, company president Satoru Iwata announced that the team behind 3D Mario is working on a new installment for Wii U. A new Mario Kart is also en route to the platform.The games will be playable at this year's E3, during which we'll learn whether they'll be in homes by the holidays.
Virtual Console headed to Wii U, launching after spring update
During the latest Nintendo Direct presentation, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata revealed that Virtual Console will soon be enabled on the Wii U. It's set for this spring, after a Wii U system update meant to improve the speed of launching software. Another update is planned for the summer that will improve the speed of returning to the Wii U menu.The Wii U Virtual Console will launch with a selection of NES and Super Nintendo games, though Iwata noted that it will not launch with the entire library already available on the Wii Virtual Console. The reason for this, said Iwata, is that Wii U Virtual Console games are being newly developed especially for Wii U and will feature the ability for players to save their progress and play directly on the GamePad. Furthermore, the Wii U Virtual Console will eventually include Gameboy Advance games. (What, no Virtual Boy?)NES games will run from $5 to $6, while Super Nintendo games will run from $8 to $9. However, users who already own a particular NES or SNES game for the Wii Virtual Console will be able to pick up its Wii U counterpart for $1.00 or $1.50, respectively.
Watch today's Nintendo Direct with new Wii U games right here [update: it's over!]
Update: It's over, and it was a biggie. The Wii U will get an HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker by this fall, followed by a new game that promises to rethink series conventions. Nintendo's home console also gets new Mario Kart and 3D Mario games, and they'll be playable at E3. There's a new Yoshi game by the Kirby's Epic Yarn team, then a crossover between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem, and a new Monolift Soft game to boot. Oof ... feel free to take a few to catch your breath.
Nintendo Direct revealing new Wii U games tomorrow
The Wii U will have some new games in 2013. Nintendo will announce new Wii U software tomorrow through a Nintendo Direct presentation. Videos have been announced for North America, Europe and Japan, occurring simultaneously at 2pm GMT (9am EST).The specific games to be announced are still a complete mystery, though we expect Resident Evil: Revelations Unveiled Edition to make an appearance, as it is a very recently announced Wii U game.
Pokémon X, Y announced for 3DS, worldwide release this October
Nintendo announced two major Pokémon games for the 3DS this morning. Pokémon X and Pokémon Y are coming to the handheld this October, and going against tradition Nintendo is releasing them in the Americas, Europe, Japan, and Australia at the same time.In a Direct broadcast that chronicled the series, Nintendo chief Saturo Iwata introduced the new 3D games via the above brief trailer. The trailer also presents the games' three new starter Pokémon: Chespin, Fennekin, and Froakie. %Gallery-175257%
Nintendo Direct bringing Pokemon news early tomorrow morning
A Nintendo Direct will be simultaneously broadcast worldwide tomorrow morning at 6am EST/8pm Japan time. In the roughly ten-minute broadcast, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata will deliver "a short message with Pokemon news."With no other details to go on, we remind you to please reserve your excitement for after the announcement. Sometimes there are new main-series Pokemon games, yes, but there are a lot of things like Pokemon Dash out there too.
Wii U Panorama View app visible in spring
Wii U Panorama View, an app that lets you view panoramic videos on the GamePad, changing the view by moving the device around, will launch in the spring in both North America and Europe, Nintendo announced today. It'll be an eShop release, allowing you to simulate flying with birds, view London and Kyoto, and more.In advance of the full release, Nintendo will put a "free preview demo" on eShop, featuring multiple scenes.
Game Freak's HarmoKnight coming to 3DS in North America
Rhythm Hunter HarmoKnight, a 3DS eShop game by Pokemon developer Game Freak, was released back in September in Japan. There's been no word on an international release for the rhythm action game, however, until today's Nintendo Direct. The game, now called simply HarmoKnight, has been confirmed for a North American release, but no date was provided. In HarmoKnight, players run, jump and attack in side-scrolling levels to the beat of the background music.
Fire Emblem: Awakening launches Feb. 4 in North America
Fire Emblem: Awakening for 3DS has an official North American release date, just announced during Nintendo Direct: February 4, 2013.Awakening features "relationship levels," which players can boost by putting two characters in close proximity on the battlefield, or having them engage in frequent conversations with one another.
Watch Japan's Wii U launch Nintendo Direct right here [update: it's over!]
Today sees a trio of Nintendo Direct broadcasts stream their way onto our monitors, kicking off with one for Japan this morning. The Wii U launches there this weekend, so it's no great surprise this particular Direct focuses on Nintendo's newest system.Our advice is that you sit back, make yourself comfortable, grab us those cheese puffs, and watch the stream here when it starts broadcasting at 6AM ET (3AM Pacific, 11AM Brit-time).As for the North American and European Nintendo Directs, both are scheduled for 12PM ET (9AM Pacific, 5PM Brit-time), and both will feature upcoming Wii U and 3DS games. We'll have all the news for you from all three broadcasts right here on Joystiq.Update: The broadcast is now over, but you can watch all 44 minutes of it here. Nintendo showed off Japan's collection of launch games, with plenty of time in particular given to Pikmin 3 and Game and Wario. Regards the latter, Nintendo president Saturo Iwata revealed it features 16 minigames in total and is coming to Japan in early 2013.Talking of Iwata, as usual he got up to some antics, including wearing a helmet-cam to show off Panorama View, and appearing in uncanny Lego form for Lego City Undercover, as pictured after the break.
Nintendo Direct covers Wii U USB storage, Wii backward compatibility
Surprise! Nintendo of Japan sneaked out another Nintendo Direct presentation, with more miscellaneous information about the Wii U explained by president Satoru Iwata.The video details parental controls, but more importantly, it has details on the USB storage, backwards compatibility, and Nintendo Network Premium deal (called the Deluxe Digital Promotion in the US). USB hard drives up to 2 terabytes will function with the Wii U, though they must be formatted specifically for the system. Powered hard drives (plugged into the wall) or using a Y cable (plugged into two USB ports) will work with the system. You'll want to use an external drive, because with system software, etc., the onboard memory of the 8GB Wii U is actually 7.45GB, and the 32GB Wii U holds 29.8GB of usable space. At 5:53, you can see the available space explained with vases full of colored pebbles.As for Virtual Console, Nintendo still has Wii games, VC, and WiiWare content running only on the TV, not on the GamePad. Nintendo has plans for a "Wii U Virtual Console" compatible with the GamePad, but there were no details given, so it is unknown if it involves the same games, or same purchases, from the Wii Virtual Console.Finally, the big news with the Premium deal is that earned points for eShop purchases will be usable not just in the Wii U and 3DS eShops, but on DSi and Wii as well.After the break, you can see Nintendo of America's Bill Trinen explaining some details about Miiverse and Nintendo Network IDs, as revealed in last week's Direct.
Watch Japan's Wii U Nintendo Direct live right here [update: it's over!]
Nintendo has a Direct broadcast bright and early this morning, presenting 35 minutes' worth of stream-age on Wii U system features. While we're not expecting new info on any games, there may be more details on how stuff like Miiverse, for example, actually works.So rub the sleepy out of your eyes, maybe grab some toast, and plonk yourself somewhere comfy to watch the stream here on Joystiq. It starts at 6AM ET (3AM Pacific, 11AM British).Update: The broadcast is now over. As expected, it focused heavily on Miiverse, with demos of how its social networking-style wall integrates with games like New Super Mario Bros. U and Nintendo Land. We also saw a demo of the system's video chat feature (imaginatively titled Wii U Chat), which included on-screen scribbling. As you can see below the break, the segment featured a cameo from none other than Reggie Fils-Aime. The Nintendo of America chief's attempt at Japanese was noble, but it seemed a bit lame when followed by the excellent English of Nintendo chief Satoru Iwata.If you missed it, or if you'd just like to know exactly what Iwata was saying, Nintendo UK has the broadcast with English subtitles,
Nintendo planning Direct presentation for Miiverse details, Friend Codes not required
A month from launch, we're all still terrifyingly in the dark as to the Wii U's online functionality. Nintendo will help correct that soon, by hosting a Nintendo Direct streaming presentation about the Miiverse service.In an investor Q&A, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata described the primary purpose of Miiverse as a way to amass friends for gameplay opportunities, and for players to spread the word about under-the-radar games. " "As there are many excellent but buried games in the world, and you must be impressed by some of them," he said, "the important mission of Miiverse is to create opportunities to let you know about such games without spending our finite advertising budget on it." Please continue advertising games, Nintendo.The friend gathering will take place through "empathizing." Players can choose to become friends with people they interact with on Miiverse, rather than through a Friend Code process. "As Miiverse is not confined to dedicated gaming platforms and will be available on smart devices in the near future," Iwata said, "we hope that, even on a train where many people are using smart devices, you will know how your gaming friends are enjoying their games."
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.
Animal Crossing 3DS called 'Animal Crossing: New Leaf' in North America
Animal Crossing's 3DS installment is called Animal Crossing: New Leaf in North America, as revealed during a Nintendo Direct presentation. Sit back and enjoy the mellow music and the tranquil footage of your future life as mayor of lolbutts (or whatever you call your town).
Watch the 3DS Nintendo Direct for North America live right here [update: it's done]
With Japan's Nintendo Direct over and gone, it's now time for Nintendo of America to step up to the plate. We're expecting focus on the 3DS holiday lineup in this broadcast, perhaps with a peek or two at some 2013 games. Whatever happens, we'll keep you in the know while you watch the live stream right here on Joystiq.The show kicks off at 10AM ET (7AM Pacific, 3PM British).Update: And, quick as a flash, that's it.
Nintendo 3DS to get Recochoku music streaming and download service in Japan, launches in December
Today's early Nintendo Direct broadcast didn't have much in the way of new hardware pricing or surprises, but it did reveal a new music service for 3DS users in Japan. The handheld will soon be able to stream, download and play music from Recochoku, a mobile-centric site that specializes in ringtones and track downloads. Users should be able to take their pick from over 1 million titles, priced at around 250 yen. Any songs bought on your 3DS can also be transferred to your (compatible) keitai of choice.
