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Watch today's Nintendo Direct right here!
The moment is almost upon us: the next Nintendo Direct starts at 5 PM ET / 2 PM PT. But before you get your hopes up too high, it won't have anything to do with the company's Wii U follow-up, the machine that's codenamed "NX." Same goes for any announcements about Nintendo's mobile initiative. Instead, we're promised that this event will be all about games releasing over the course of spring and summer. What're those? Well, we still haven't heard an awful lot about Star Fox Zero since its delay so expect that to change.
Should Pokémon move to consoles?
Today marks the 20th Anniversary of Pokémon's Japanese debut. To celebrate, Nintendo announced the next generation (VII, for those keeping count) of the RPG, Sun and Moon, and the reaction from Engadget's staff has been mixed. Let's start things off with the trailer, just because it's great: Now, while the Pokémon fans among us will obviously all play the game, some were and are hoping for more from the series. Two, in particular, have spent the past 48 hours arguing over one question: should Pokémon move beyond Nintendo's handhelds and onto the company's fully fledged console?
'The Legend of Zelda' marks its 30th birthday
Gamers, you have permission to feel old once again: The Legend of Zelda just turned 30. Nintendo released the classic action-adventure in Japan on the Famicom Disk System (it wasn't even a cartridge at the time) all the way back on February 21st, 1986, kicking off one of the biggest franchises in video game history. The series has since sold tens of millions of copies -- over 75 million at last count -- and has had a presence on virtually every Nintendo system to date.
See the new tricks in 'Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD'
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD lands on the Wii U on March 4th, complete with a lineup of new gameplay treats. The first is a new item, the Ghost Lantern, which lights up when it's near an evil spirit known as a Poe. The Ghost Lantern should make the game's Poe soul-seeking quest much easier, Nintendo says in a press release. This is different than the standard Lantern from the original Twilight Princess, which lights the way and wards off nasty beasties throughout the game.
Nintendo's profit slump shows the NX can't come soon enough
Nintendo didn't do too bad in 2015, but its latest financial report highlight's one thing: while the company's not struggling, it's depending too much on a handful of legacy titles. Overall, profits reported for the period ending last December were 40,558 million yen (about $336 million), down around a third from last year's 59,515 million yen ($493). A downward trend, but given Nintendo had struggled to make a profit since 2011, the company will be happy to have stayed in the black.
The Wii U finally has its own shadow puppet simulator
After more than a year of being available on Steam, Shadow Puppeteer is ready to take its adventure over to the Wii U. The award-winning independent title, developed by Sarepta studio, will be hitting Nintendo's console on January 28th for $15. Shadow Puppeteer brings with it what's described as a strange but beautiful world, which you can explore on your own or through a local co-op mode. Above all, Shadow Puppeteer's arrival on Wii U is a great sign for indie gamers, a community we know Nintendo's trying really hard to reach.
'Minecraft: Story Mode' comes to the Wii U on January 21st
Those of you with a Wii U have been missing out on Minecraft: Story Mode, created by Mojang and Telltale Games, the indie developer behind The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones titles. But that's changing soon. Today, Telltale announced that Minecraft's narrative-based series is coming to Nintendo's console in just a few days, on January 21st.
'Pokémon' fighting game 'Pokkén Tournament' hits Wii U in March
Pokkén Tournament smashes into the Wii U on March 18th in North America, Europe and Japan, the official Pokémon Twitter account announced today. Pokkén Tournament combines two of gaming's greatest inventions: Pokémon and the fighting genre. It's in development at Bandai Namco, the studio behind classic fighters Tekken and Soulcalibur, and is published by Nintendo and The Pokémon Company.
These were some of 2015's best selling games
What games sold the most copies in 2015? Exactly the titles you'd expect: the latest entries in long-running franchises like Call of Duty: Black Ops III, Madden NFL 16 and Fallout 4. It's not surprising -- sequels have the springboard advantage of an existing fanbase -- but disappointing: not a single new IP shows up on the NPD's top 10 best selling games list for last year.
'Pokken Tournament' Wii U controller coming to US after all
When the Pokken Tournament Wii U controller from Hori surfaced earlier this month our excitement was quickly subdued when Japan seemed like the only place you'd be able to buy it when in launched in March. Well it's time to get excited again because it's going to available to a much wider audience at launch.
'Super Mario Galaxy' lands on the Wii U Virtual Console
Nintendo has ported Super Mario Galaxy, one of the most popular Mario Bros games of all time, to its Wii U Virtual Console and will release it on Thursday, December 24th for $20. SMG joins other gravity-defying 3D Mario platformers on the Wii U console including Super Mario 64, Super Mario Galaxy 2 and Super Mario 3D World.[Image Credit: Getty]
The best stuff we bought in 2015
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-410140{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-410140, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-410140{width:570px;display:block;}When you write about technology for a living, a lot of folks ask you for buying advice. And, while we get to test the latest and greatest gear on the planet, telling others what to spend their money on is often easier than shopping for ourselves. Only a select few devices are deemed worthy of our dollars. These are the best gadgets we bought in 2015.
Play as Cloud in 'Super Smash Bros.' today, Bayonetta later
Final Fantasy VII's Cloud takes his Buster Sword to Super Smash Bros. today, series creator Masahiro Sakurai announced during Nintendo's final presentation dedicated to the rapid-fire fighting game. The company revealed Cloud as a Super Smash Bros. character in November, during its Nintendo Direct livestream. Cloud will be available for $6 in the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game.
Watch Nintendo's final 'Super Smash Bros.' show here
Today's the day. Nintendo's final presentation dedicated to Super Smash Bros. starts at 5PM ET (2PM PT). Nintendo generally announces updates to the game during its Nintendo Direct livestreams, but this show is dedicated to Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U and 3DS. The company's recent commitment to regular Smash Bros. updates helped it enter the modern era of gaming, as our own Aaron Souppouris argued earlier this month. Watch today's show with us below.
Playdate: Breaking the sound barrier in 'Fast Racing NEO'
Nintendo's seemingly forgotten about the futuristic, hyper-fast racing series F-Zero when it comes to a Wii U release, but developer Shinen hasn't. We first caught a glimpse of Fast Racing Neo at PAX this year and came away incredibly excited, so of course we're streaming it today. But that's not all: We're also going to spend some time with the troubled The Devil's Third from Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive mastermind Tomonobu Itagaki. Join myself and Sean Buckley as we broadcast two hours of Wii U games starting at 6 PM Eastern / 3 PM Pacific.
'Minecraft' is coming to the Wii U on December 17th
While it might feel like Minecraft is available everywhere, gamers have had to look on as the popular franchise launched on every other company's platforms bar Nintendo's. Today, however, we have some good news: after months, nay years, of waiting, the Japanese game maker confirmed the sandbox game is finally coming to the Wii U on December 17th. As expected, Minecraft will come with a multitude of add-on packs, giving budding builders the chance to get festive ahead of Christmas or play with characters from popular movies and TV shows like Star Wars, The Simpsons and Dr Who.
The NX is not another Wii or Wii U, Nintendo's new boss says
Tatsumi Kimishima has big shoes to fill as the new president of Nintendo, following the unexpected death of Satoru Iwata earlier this year. Kimishima laid out his winding path toward leadership to Time, noting his involvement in the Great Wii Shortages of the mid-2000s and painting himself as a silent puppet master pulling strings across Nintendo for decades. He also laid out bits of his vision for the future, including some insight into Nintendo's mysterious new console, the NX.
Nintendo opened an eBay store for some reason
Looking for a good deal on a refurbished Wii U, but don't like using Nintendo's clunky online shop? Now you have another option -- the company just opened an official eBay store, stocked with new and refurbished games, consoles and accessories. Don't expect to find any deals though: almost everything on the official eBay store conforms to current retail prices (fixed using eBay's "buy it now" feature) or Nintendo's existing refurb pricing.
'Star Fox Zero' lands on Wii U in April
Star Fox Zero makes its way to Wii U on April 22nd, 2016, barrel rolls and all. The game was originally due on November 20th, but in September, Nintendo announced its delay into 2016. "We will need a little more time to work on areas such as the unprecedented discovery that we want players to experience in the game by using two screens, and further polishing the level designs and perfecting the tone of the cut scenes," Nintendo said at the time. The company announced the new release date during its Nintendo Direct livestream.
Nintendo Direct returns on Thursday with Wii U and 3DS news
The next Nintendo Direct takes place on November 12th at 2PM PT (10PM GMT), and it promises news and trailers for a slew of Wii U and 3DS games. This is Nintendo's first live-streamed news program since April -- and it's the first since the death of Nintendo President Satoru Iwata. For many viewers, Iwata encapsulated the appeal of Nintendo Direct, as he helped the company have fun in delivering its news (and appeared to have an adorable banana fetish). Former Nintendo of America and Pokémon USA President Tatsumi Kimishima is now the head of Nintendo. For its Thursday show, Nintendo promises updates on coming Wii U and 3DS games, and it says this Nintendo Direct will not feature news about its coming console, the NX, or its mobile endeavors. Catch region-specific streams of Nintendo Direct on Twitch (US, UK).
