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Two Wii U devs on why 'indie' doesn't have to be a curse word
Developers Dave Proctor and Alex Rushdy of 13AM Games are in the middle of an impassioned conversation about the Wii U and independent development. "I think the industry is getting into a habit of unsustainably large development, where it's like, 'Ugh, of course the Wii U can't run Assassin's Creed Unity,'" Proctor says. Rushdy cuts in, "Nothing can run Assassin's Creed Unity."
Next 'Splatoon' update will fix matchmaking, increase level cap
Splatoon is easily Nintendo's breakaway game for 2015. The brightly colored post-apocalyptic third-person multiplayer shooter sold more than a million copies in its first month. It's tons of fun, but it also feels a little incomplete: the game launched with a low level cap, and a primitive, randomized matchmaking system that made it almost impossible to team up with friends. In a few days, that changes -- in August, Nintendo will be upgrading Splatoon with new weapons, new items, a higher level cap and more robust matchmaking.
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.
'Project Cars' Wii U version canceled
Project Cars finally launched on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC in May, after three delays and a few platform uncertainties dating back to January 2012. The game -- a realistic racing simulator from Need for Speed: Shift developer Slightly Mad Studios -- was supposed to launch on Wii U this year as well, but that's not going to happen, according to Gamespot and other outlets. Slightly Mad Studios Creative Director Andy Tudor confirmed the cancelation, noting that Project Cars "is simply too much for Wii U," according to the site. "Despite much perseverance on the Wii U version of Project Cars, we will no longer be actively pursuing development on it as the quality does not meet our own high standards nor our intended vision for the title on this platform," Tudor told Gamespot.
'Devil's Third' for Wii U headed to the US, thanks to Nintendo
If you're a Wii U owner in the US, there aren't too many games to look forward to in 2015. After Star Fox Zero, Super Mario Maker and Yoshi's Woolly World, the company's release schedule looks pretty barren. One of the games that could make up the numbers is Devil's Third, a third-person action shooter that's finally been confirmed for the Americas. The debut title from Tomonobu Itagaki's Valhalla Game Studios has already been announced for Japan and Europe, but until today there had been little mention of a US release. Nintendo has stepped up to publish the game in the fourth quarter of this year, while Valhalla handles the "free-to-start" PC version. Any additions to the Wii U library are welcome, but initial reactions to Devil's Third haven't been positive. No matter, there's always Xenoblade Chronicles X if you're looking for games to fill out your collection.
Watch the world's biggest fighting game tournament right here
This weekend over 6,000 folks from 47 countries will descend into Las Vegas to kick the (virtual) snot out of each other. That's because the 13th annual Evolution fighting game tournament, otherwise known as Evo 2015, starts today with world warriors competing across nine games including Killer Instinct, Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Ultra Street Fighter IV. They're battling for over $300,000 in prize money and in case you couldn't make it to Sin City for the show, we've got you covered. The competition starts at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific today and goes until the final street fighting man or woman is defeated Sunday night. As you might expect, the entire event's being broadcast via Twitch and you can park it right here on Engadget to watch the whole thing!
Nintendo was right about the Wii U. We were wrong.
With the announcement of the Wii U, everyone thought Nintendo was wrong. Hell, we thought Nintendo was out of touch, foolish and doomed for producing a gaming-focused, two-screen console that wouldn't be able to compete technologically with whatever Sony and Microsoft offered in the new generation. The most vocal players wanted better graphics, bigger games and more online experiences. The Wii U offered sub-standard graphics, convoluted online policies and a lineup of classic franchises that, in theory, could eventually show up on the console. By its launch in November 2012, the Wii U was a joke and its sales suffered.But then: Sony launched the PlayStation 4; Microsoft launched the Xbox One; and as hype for each rose and fizzled out, the Wii U began to look more promising. It had been out for a year longer, meaning it had more games. It offered local cooperative and competitive experiences, something in short supply from the online-focused PS4 and Xbox One. Most importantly, it offered fun -- and today, with a lineup of revamped classics and fresh competitive experiences, the Wii U is the most consistently joyful console of the current generation. As it turns out, Nintendo wasn't wrong. We were.
JXE Streams: A special tribute to Nintendo's Satoru Iwata
Above all, video games are meant to just be one thing: Fun for everyone. - Satoru Iwata, 1959-2015 The gaming industry mourned the passing of Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata this week, sharing his many memorable quotes and creating touching pieces of art in his honor. Iwata was consistently beloved in a fickle and volatile industry, often winning over players with his joyful approach to gaming. Iwata joined Nintendo as a developer in the 1980s and helped create Earthbound, Kirby, Balloon Fight and other major titles, before rising to the role of President in 2002. Iwata was the first Nintendo president not related to the company's founding Yamauchi family. In recent years, Iwata led Nintendo through releases of the Wii, 3DS and Wii U, and laid out plans to dive into mobile gaming and launch a new console, the NX. He delivered much of the company's news in (super adorable) "Iwata Asks" interviews and Nintendo Direct live streams, some of which featured him as a puppet, as Robot Chicken-style claymation, or gazing longingly at bananas. Today, we tip our hats to Iwata with a special Wii U live stream where we'll play some of our favorite Nintendo games and talk about the good old days. We kick off with The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time at 3PM PT / 6PM ET right here, on Twitch.tv/Joystiq or on the Engadget Gaming homepage. Join us -- and bring your memories.
Macabre indie puzzler 'Year Walk' coming to Wii U this year
While the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One get most of the attention when it comes to indie games, Nintendo's Wii U has quietly built a solid stable of them as well. The latest? Creepy puzzler Year Walk from Swedish studio Simogo. Yeah, it's appeared on a number of other platforms before, but the company promises that the version coming to the Wii U is no lazy port -- it's been entirely rebuilt with the console's unique characteristics in mind by the folks at Dakko Dakko. For instance, the GamePad is used extensively throughout be it for note taking or accessing the game's encyclopedia and map. You can use motion controls in conjunction with analog sticks to look around, and Simogo says that while that might scare some folks off, it's actually pretty chill and the required input movements are subtle.
Someone made real-life 'Splatoon' weapons
Sure, they're basically portable pressure-washer guns but they're still strong enough to knock a grown man on his ass.
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.
Play 'Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' on your Wii U
At long last, you can play one of the best Legend of Zelda games (often considered the best) on your Wii U. Nintendo has released a Virtual Console version of Ocarina of Time for its latest TV console on the eShop, giving you an easy way to relive Link's classic time-traveling adventure without taking your dusty old Nintendo 64 (or original Wii) out of storage. You might not relish the thought of plunking down $10 for a 17-year-old game, especially if you've already bought it twice, but it beats watching a groundbreaking title fade from memory.
Nintendo's adorable shooter 'Splatoon' sells 1 million copies
For the most part, Nintendo kept quiet during E3 2015 -- at least in comparison to PlayStation and Xbox. But today the company's celebrating a huge milestone for Splatoon, the magical third-person shooter that was recently launched on the Wii U. Nintendo announced the game has sold over 1 million copies since being released, making it one of the most successful Wii U titles to date. In a press statement, Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime said, "This milestone puts us in a nice position as we prepare to launch 11 more exclusive Wii U and Nintendo 3DS games before the end of the year, plus amiibo, digital offerings and games from our third-party partners." So, if you don't have a Wii U or a 3DS, now might be the time to reconsider.
'Yoshi's Woolly World' is the video game equivalent of a hug
I am not what you would call a "hardcore gamer." I don't enjoy shooters; I don't have the time for RPGs; and my last dance with open-world gameplay was a 45-minute joyride through the faux-LA of Grand Theft Auto V. But, oh, do I love me some Yoshi's Woolly World. The upcoming, cutesy Wii U title, due out this fall, has a shared DNA. It's a hodgepodge of past Yoshi's Island games and the Wii title Kirby's Epic Yarn. That last bit of pedigree makes complete sense when you consider that the game's being developed by Good-Feel, the very same studio behind the aforementioned Kirby title.
'Star Fox Zero' will drive you crazy, but in a good way
Last E3, Shigeru Miyamoto, the famed Mario and Zelda creator, made it known that Nintendo was well underway with a new Star Fox game for the Wii U. So when the company kicked off its bizarro Muppets-themed E3 Nintendo Direct earlier this week with the reveal of Star Fox Zero, it wasn't much of a surprise. The reimagined game, which adheres closely to the initial Wii U mantra that two screens are better than one, is quite simply overwhelming. To say this installment in the Star Fox series requires a steep learning curve would be to grossly understate the complexity of the control scheme. There's just so much to absorb; so many different controls thrown at you at once.
'Super Mario Maker' out September 11th, demo this week at Best Buy
After a year of teasing, Nintendo's finally revealed when we'll get to make side-scrolling Mario levels of our own in Super Mario Maker: September 11th, 2015. Can't wait that long? The gaming giant is partnering with Best Buy again, and tomorrow (June 17th) from 4PM to 9PM local time, select stores will have demo kiosks where you can kick the game's tires. As a reward for you enduring the crowds of kicking fans, you'll snag a 30th anniversary Mario button. Pretty cool, right? Supplies are limited, of course, and Nintendo's set up a website to help you locate where the nearest participating yellow-tag store is. Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
'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.
Unreal Engine 4 is (sort of) coming to Wii U and PS Vita
Long-time Castlevania producer Koji Igarashi is currently Kickstarting a spiritual sequel to the series called Bloodstained. Thanks to the overwhelming response to the campaign -- it's now the highest-grossing videogame Kickstarter ever -- the game is coming to PS Vita and Wii U. While that's great news for fans of the genre, the knock-on effect of the port could be huge. Bloodstained is being built using Unreal Engine 4 (UE4), and Armature Studio, the developer in charge of the Vita and Wii U versions, will be the first to port the popular engine to the platforms. Why's that so important? Well, both consoles are currently unsupported, and Armature says it will share its Vita and Wii U code with any developer authorised to create games for the systems, potentially opening the door for many more ports of UE4-powered games in the future.
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.
The producer of 'Splatoon' on how to make a Nintendo original
If you're a fan of Nintendo, chances are you're also a fan of Splatoon producer Hisashi Nogami, although you may not know it. Nogami joined the famed Japanese video game giant in 1994 and has been an essential member of EAD, the first-party development studio responsible for some of Nintendo's most beloved games, ever since. Early in his career, Nogami worked primarily as an artist at Nintendo, designing some of the iconic imagery in games like Yoshi's Island and Super Mario 64.
