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Nintendo's new 'Mario Kart 8' add-ons put Link and Luigi on the same track
Nintendo has taken a few steps to modernize its gaming experience, but downloadable content (DLC) is still a sore point; even New Super Luigi U is more of a separate (and fairly expensive) title than a proper booster pack. Today, though, there are signs that the company is getting serious about improving its less-than-stellar reputation with add-ons. Nintendo has offered a sneak peek at a Mario Kart 8 expansion that adds The Legend of Zelda's Link, F-Zero's Blue Falcon ship and eight new courses, among other things -- that's a lot of goodies to keep you coming back. It should arrive in November for $8, and Animal Crossing-themed DLC due next May will add similar numbers of cars, characters and tracks.
Link revs up in Mario Kart 8 this November
Link is a playable character in Mario Kart 8 with the "Legend of Zelda X Mario Kart 8" DLC pack, due out in the UK in November for £7. We're contacting Nintendo of America for more information about a stateside release [Update: The packs are now confirmed for North America]. The pack includes Tanooki Mario, Cat Peach and Link as new playable characters, plus four vehicles and eight courses (that's two new cups with four courses each). A second DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 is due out in May 2015, called "Animal Crossing X Mario Kart 8." It includes new playable characters in Isabelle, Villager and Dry Bowser, plus four vehicles and eight courses. Purchase both packs in a bundle or separately and snag eight different-colored Shy Guys and eight different-colored Yoshis. Score. [Image: Nintendo]
Best Buy, Amazon offer Hyrule Warriors pre-order costumes
GameStop won't be the only retailer with special costumes for Link and friends when Hyrule Warriors battles for control of your Wii U on September 26. Best Buy and Amazon have also opened some special chests and ... Dun-dun-dun-DUN! ... have pulled out some exclusive costumes as well. Fans of the latest Legend of Zelda game should head over to Best Buy, where you'll get Skyward Sword-themed costumes for Link and Zelda when you pre-order the game. Those who prefer their Hero of Time to be a bit darker should opt for Amazon, which has Twilight Princess-themed costumes for the tunic-wearing swordsman and Hyrule's most-kidnappable princess. And don't forget, no matter where you pick up the game, if you're a Club Nintendo member who registers your copy before October 23, you'll receive two costumes for Zelda baddie, Ganondorf. [Image: Nintendo/Tecmo Koei]
Hyrule Warriors' adventure mode has NES Zelda appeal
Nintendo offered new details on Hyrule Warriors during a Nintendo Direct livestream last night dedicated to spilling new beans on the game. The Tecmo Koei-developed offering will include an adventure mode that features a NES-style map inspired by the original Legend of Zelda. In it, players hack through levels with unique victory conditions, such as "defeat 300 enemies in 10 minutes," acquiring and using classic items from the Zelda series to find rare goods like heart containers. Additionally, Zelda fans will appreciate the familiar ability to chop away at grass in Hyrule Warriors and attack the chicken-like Cuccos, which will attack players after enough unjust damage has been done to the creatures. The livestream also touched on the game's leveling and skill/equipment crafting system; we've embedded the full Hyrule Warriors Direct stream for your viewing pleasure. Hyrule Warriors will launch September 26 for Wii U, and those that register their copies on Club Nintendo by October 23 will receive two Ganondorf costumes. [Image: Nintendo]
Hyrule Warriors in the club get two legendary Ganondorf outfits
Nintendo introduced Ganondorf as a playable character for Hyrule Warriors during last night's Nintendo Direct livestream dedicated to the game. As it turns out, Club Nintendo members will have access to two special outfits for Ganondorf in the game as well. Those that buy Hyrule Warriors and register the game with Nintendo's loyalty program between September 26 and October 23 will receive a download code for the DLC, which features costumes inspired by Ganondorf's appearances in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. As the primary villain of the Legend of Zelda series, "The Demon King" Ganondorf will annihilate hordes of enemies with dark magic-like moves and his great sword. Hyrule Warriors will launch on September 26 for Wii U and will feature local cooperative multiplayer and some form of online play, though it won't have an online campaign. [Image: Nintendo]
Engadget Daily: an interview with Phil Spencer, Nintendo's new 'Zelda' game and more!
Today, we interview Xbox head Phil Spencer, get a quick preview of Nintendo's new open-world Zelda game, watch Honeywell take on Nest with its new Lyric thermostat and drop our jaws at a $1.6 million, 370-inch TV. Read on for Engadget's news highlights from the last 24 hours.
Talk show's 'Nintendo Gay Marriage' video pairs up Mario, Link
Last Week Tonight discussed the ten-year anniversary of Massachusetts' legalization of same-sex marriage by poking fun at Nintendo's apology for not including same-sex relationships in Tomodachi Life. Steamier than the average fan-fiction, the talk show played match-maker with Nintendo's characters.
Oculus Rift demo renders The Legend of Zelda in first-person
Sure, you might have already mastered The Legend of Zelda's second quest, and maybe you've memorized where every burnable bush, bombable rock and decoy waterfall is. The new question is: Are you be the same exceptional adventurer when playing from Link's point of view? If you own an Oculus Rift, you can find out - a group has adapted the original game's overworld and first dungeon into a first-person demo for the VR headset. YouTube user Vaecon knocks about the game's overworld in the above video, killing off Octoroks and Tektite's before eventually falling to a pack of Blue Moblins. Another YouTube user uploaded his run through the first dungeon, which shows how much creepier Wallmasters are when you don't have an all-seeing, top-down view of each chamber in a dungeon. The full game is planned to be adapted for the Oculus Rift by March, but you can get familiar with fighting through Link's eyes by downloading the beta version. You might want to trade off with a friend or two as you get used to the new perspective, though - after all, it's dangerous to go alone. [Image: Ubiquitron]
PBS Game/Show probes link between nostalgia, Zelda's success
In its most recent entry, PBS' Game/Show YouTube series wonders if Nintendo's beloved Legend of Zelda series is only so beloved due to an incessant reliance on player nostalgia. While Game/Show doesn't offer an answer to this question – the series is aimed at prompting discussion, not taking any one stance – the points it makes are intriguing. How many of you are immediately transported to the gleeful whimsy of childhood on hearing the Legend of Zelda overworld theme? How often have we seen new entries in the series directly reference prior games, much to the delight of fans? How many times can players explore the Lost Woods before the cartographers of Hyrule finally decide maybe that mysterious grove of trees isn't so lost after all? Watch the above footage, take in its arguments, then post your own thoughts in the comments below. [Image: Nintendo]
Zelda: Four Swords free on 3DS eShop this weekend
The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Anniversary Edition is free on the 3DS eShop this weekend. Nintendo tweeted as much today, saying the offer is good through February 2. The game is a re-issue of the multiplayer version of Four Swords that was packed in with the GameBoy Advance port of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Unlike the original multiplayer-only game, 3DS owners have a single player component in which they can collect rupees and slash at enemies. Four Swords arrived on the eShop for DSi and 3DS owners in September 2011, and was made available for free until late February 2012. So yes, Nintendo is giving away a game that they've given away before, but we're not ones to complain about free things.
Here is Club Nintendo's favorite Wii U and 3DS games of 2013
Nintendo compiled a list of 20 games that Club Nintendo members noted as their favorites from 2013 recently. Nintendo featured ten games for each for 3DS and Wii U, with Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate as the lone game that landed on both lists. Among the Wii U games selected by Club Nintendo members are the obvious Nintendo-published choices in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD, Super Mario 3D World, The Wonderful 101 and Pikmin 3. The best-of list also includes Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Rayman Legends and Runner 2: Future Legend of Rhythm Alien, the latter being the single eShop-only game of the Wii U group. The list of 3DS favorites are marked by both Pokemon X and Y, Fire Emblem: Awakening, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Animal Crossing: New Leaf. Head past the break to see the full Club Nintendo-selected Wii U and 3DS list of favorites from the year.
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'Hyrule Warriors' 3D action game announced for Wii U [Update: Trailer added]
Nintendo announced Hyrule Warriors during today's Nintendo Direct livestream. Gameplay video for the Wii U action game showed The Legend of Zelda's Link hacking and slashing enemies with an over-the-shoulder camera angle similar to the Dynasty Warriors series. Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stressed that the game is not a new installment in The Legend of Zelda series, but is a collaborative effort with Tecmo Koei. Hyrule Warriors, which is not the game's final name, will launch in 2014.
The Legend of Zelda: A link to the plushie
A series of adorable plushies in the shape of Link, Zelda and Tingle are available for pre-order now, as spotted by Tomopop. They each come in sizes under 19 cm tall, while Link also has a "medium" size, which runs 22 cm. The plushies are available for pre-order from HobbyLink Japan, $12 for the smalls and $20 for the medium Link – before shipping costs. They're expected to ship in February. What a great way to celebrate Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, which we think is a "perfect handheld Zelda experience."
PSA: eShop sale on Zelda games for 3DS, Wii U Virtual Console now live
The first round of Nintendo's character-themed eShop sales campaign is now live on the 3DS and Wii U eShop. Customers will be able to save a few rupees when purchasing Zelda games from Nintendo's digital storefront until November 21. For the 3DS, users can save $1.50 when purchasing The Legend of Zelda or Zelda 2 - The Adventure of Link for $3.49 each. If you're not cut out for the NES era's "Nintendo Hard" mindset, the Game Boy Color's The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening DX is also available for $3.99, which is $2 cheaper than usual. For the Wii U, both The Legend of Zelda and Zelda 2 are available for $3.49. Notably absent from this deal is The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Seasons and its counterpart, The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages, both of which are currently available on the 3DS eShop. It would also be nice to buy up The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past in preparation for the incoming sequel, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, but it has yet to reach the eShop on either console. Still, if you've yet to check out the series' origins, this seems like the time!
Dimensions collide in Zelda: A Link Between Worlds launch trailer
Whether he's in two or three dimensions, the sight of Link revisiting the setting of his most famous Super Nintendo adventure should offer ample reason to anticipate the November 22 launch of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds.
Relax with the soothing sounds of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds
We don't know how it plays, nor how it stacks up to the SNES classic it's sprung from, but if this trailer for The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is any indicator, the franchise's tradition of featuring lovely, subtly affecting music is well intact. And as we mentioned last week, it even includes a special easter egg for die-hard series fans.
Yes, of course Nintendo is releasing its Zelda-themed 3DS XL in the US as well
Quit sending those mean letters to your European cousins, full of bitterness and jealousy that they're getting a shiny gold Nintendo 3DS XL with the Triforce emblazoned on its outer shell this holiday and you're not. Not only is it rude, but it turns out that Nintendo's releasing the same 3DS here in North America alongside the launch of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds on November 22nd (something you may have already surmised). You might get it in a nicely wrapped box, even! The bundle, game included, costs $220 (a $20 savings) and launches the same day as Xbox One -- though we get a feeling that the two consoles are marketed to slightly different crowds.
Zelda: A Link Between Worlds to have unlockable difficulty mode, puzzles 'clearer' in 3D
The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will etch an additional difficulty option onto its walls for players taking a second pass through its non-linear quest. Siliconera's translation of series producer Eiji Aonuma's interview with Gameswelt revealed that an additional difficulty mode will be unlocked after players complete the main game. Aonuma did not clarify what similarities it will share with Wind Waker's Hero Mode, which doubled the damage dealt to players and removed heart pieces from the game's pots and blades of grass. In a separate interview with Gamespot, Aonuma noted that the team "made some changes" to the game after Nintendo announced the 2DS to ensure it was fully playable in 2D. "We found out about the 2DS during development ... It's not that you can't play it with 2D, it's just that it becomes clearer when you have the 3D effect on." A Link Between Worlds is set to venture across the walls of North American and European homes on November 22. Europeans in need of a 3DS XL may want to consider the special edition bundle that's planned for release at the game's launch. North Americans might have the same option, but Nintendo has yet to confirm the bundle's release across the pond.
Zelda edition Nintendo 3DS XL spotted in GameStop ad with $220 price
Americans wanting that flashy Zelda edition 3DS XL may not have to import a European model. If GottaDeal.com's leaked copy of GameStop's Black Friday flyer proves to be accurate, Nintendo's gold-colored handheld should be available in the US for $220. As overseas, stateside buyers would get both a Triforce-adorned 3DS XL and a download code for A Link Between Worlds. Nintendo hasn't confirmed an American launch, so don't plan your shopping trip just yet; we've reached out to the company for details. Should the Zelda bundle come to the US, though, it may satisfy gamers (and gift-givers) looking for a truly stand-out system this holiday.
Zelda's Triforce and Luigi's silhouette grace two new 3DS XL handhelds headed to Europe
The year of Luigi rages on with today's news that a Luigi-themed Nintendo 3DS XL handheld is headed to Europe next month. It joins a Triforce-emblazoned 3DS XL that's also set to arrive next month: the former on November 1st for £179.99 ($290) and the latter on November 22nd for £199.99 ($318). Of course, the Zelda-themed version is a touch more expensive as it packs in a code for upcoming 3DS game The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (a game that would otherwise cost £33). We're still waiting to see EU-wide pricing. Neither edition is dated for release in North America just yet (the Luigi version is already available in Japan), but we suspect it won't be long before the special edition consoles are headed across the Atlantic. Should you wish to pick up one of the EU-bound handhelds, they'll only be available through Nintendo's new UK website.
