Tag: Super Mario 3D World

Nintendo Thinks This Infographic Will Convince You To Buy A Wii U

Over the past two weeks, we’ve seen the launch of two next-gen consoles and both are doing incredibly well already. We tend to forget, however, that Nintendo ushered in the next generation of game consoles, but not necessarily hardware, last year with the Wii U. It’s not doing so well though, but Nintendo thinks it has what it takes to be a big seller this holiday season.

Just in time for the holidays, Nintendo has released a Christmas-themed infographic detailing all the reasons why you should buy a Wii U over the PS4 or Xbox One this holiday season. It makes some compelling arguments, but like always, you need to look at your own specific needs and what the Wii U offers before making a final decision.

First and foremost, Nintendo thinks it has the competition beat on games and price. For $299.99, you can get a Wii U Deluxe and copies of New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U. Both games are good 2D platformers, but their value is measured by how much your family likes old-school, often challenging platformers. For the families with children that have other interests, you can pick up either the Skylanders Swap Force Wii U bundle or the Wind Waker HD bundle.

For games not bundled in with the hardware, Nintendo definitely has the competition beat. Just last week, Nintendo released Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U and gave pretty much everybody a reason to own the console. It’s easily the best Mario game since Super Mario Galaxy 2, and it should appeal to mostly everybody.

Aside from Mario, Nintendo notes that it has a number of other big titles that should appeal to families and gamers alike, like Pikmin 3 and Wii Fit U. While not mentioned, LEGO City Undercover is another good game that families and fans of LEGO games will enjoy.

When non-gaming features are considered, the Wii U becomes a much harder sell. It can essentially take over your TV with Nintendo TVii, but Microsoft’s Xbox One does the same thing much better. The Wii U also has a few streaming apps, like Netflix, Hulu Plus and Amazon Instant Video, but the PS4 and Xbox One have far more.

In short, the Wii U is a game machine, much like the Wii before it. If you want great Nintendo games that you can play with friends and family, the Wii U might just be the machine for you. If you want better multimedia features and the promise of true next-gen titles in the future, the PS4 and Xbox One might be more up your alley.

[Image: Nintendo/Business Wire]

November 26, 2013
Nintendo Held Its Own Big Launch Event Right Across The Street From The Xbox One Launch

While the big news on Friday was the launch of the Xbox One in New York City’s Times Square, the Nintendo World Store across the street was having its own launch event. While the Wii U has already been out on the market for a year, the console finally got a game worth owning the system for on Friday.

On November 22, Nintendo released two high-profile games for its Wii U and 3DS consoles. The first – Super Mario 3D World – is the kind of game that you should buy a Wii U for. Nintendo knows this and is pursuing a huge marketing campaign to get the console and game into the homes of consumers this holiday season.

The second – The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds – is the sequel to the SNES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. As you can imagine, it’s a pretty big deal for Zelda fans around the world.

Now, if these were any other games, they would be released and that would be that. This is Nintendo we’re talking about though and the company decided to hold a launch event at its Nintendo World Store that rivals what Microsoft did at the Best Buy Theater for the Xbox One launch.

Check it out:

While it may not be as exciting as the Xbox One launch, the fact that some fans waited over 15 hours to get their hands on a new Nintendo title shows some hardcore dedication. Now if only Nintendo could channel some of that dedication into hardware sales.

[Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

November 25, 2013
Mario, Zelda Highlight This Week’s Nintendo Download

Mario and Zelda remain the top two franchises that Nintendo can always look to in its quest to sell more hardware. As such, the company is looking at an increase in console sales this weekend as new Mario and Zelda games launch on the Wii U and 3DS respectively.

In this week’s Nintendo Download, Nintendo notes that the Wii U will be getting the long awaited Super Mario 3D World on Friday. The game will be available to download starting at midnight. It promises the kind of 3D Mario platforming experience that we have come to expect from every Nintendo console since the release of Super Mario 64 on the Nintendo 64.

Joining Super Mario 3D World on the Wii U this week is puzzle/platformer EDGE. The game, which has been available on PC for some time now, challenges players to navigate their way around precarious environmental challenges as a block that can only move in one of four directions.

As for the Nintendo 3DS, two big first-party titles are hitting on Friday. The first is the eagerly anticipated The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds. The title brings with it a host of new innovations for the series, including an entirely new way to approach dungeons as Link can now rent or buy every item he needs to complete the game from the beginning.

Joining Zelda this week on the 3DS is Mario Party: Island Tour. This marks the third-time the party game has shown up on handhelds, but this version allows four players to play together using just one gamecard. It also features an all-new single player mode for those who would rather play alone.

After you’ve had your fill of Mario and Zelda, you can kick back with the latest DLC for Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney – Dual Destinies. This first DLC case challenges players to prove the innocence of a killer whale. This particular case serves as a prequel to the events of Dual Destinies so fans will not want to miss out.

Check out the list below to see the other games available on Wii U and 3DS this week:
Brawl Brothers (Virtual Console on Wii U)
Coaster Crazy Deluxe (Nintendo eShop on Wii U)
The Mysterious Cities of Gold: Secret Paths (Nintendo eShop on Wii U)
City Connection (Virtual Console on Nintendo 3DS)
Christmas Wonderland 3 (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Jewel Match 3 (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Ohno Odyssey (Nintendo eShop on Nintendo 3DS)
Hands On! Tangrams (DSiWare on Nintendo DSi)

Super Mario Bros. has always been a multiplayer game in the strictest sense of the word as players could always alternate between Mario and Luigi. In New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Nintendo introduced the concept of letting four players play together at once. Needless to say, it wasn’t pretty.

In its TV ad for Super Mario 3D World, Nintendo is once again selling the idea of a co-op Mario game. In it, we see a group of friends having a good time as the world around them transforms in time with what happens in the game.

What this TV ad hides from the viewer, however, is modern Mario’s darkest secret. This game, much like New Super Mario Bros. Wii and New Super Mario Bros. U before it, will make you hate your friends. You’ll grow to resent their very existence as they fail to keep up with you, or worse yet, they intentionally kill you for a cheap laugh.

Now some may argue that the move to a 3D plane will help divert some of the more troublesome problems that faced four player co-op in New Super Mario Bros. U. That may be true, but you’re still going to have that one friend who will do everything in his power to ensure that you die a lonely and painless death at the bottom of a ravine, or end up in the jaws of a piranha plant.

All of this isn’t to say that Super Mario 3D World won’t be a fun game. It looks like a blast, and Mario fans are going to eat it up. Just be forewarned if you decide to play with friends. They’re not going to suddenly be wearing a catsuit and you’re not going to be laughing. They’ll be wearing an evil grimace, and you will begin to suspect that your friend has been overtaken by an otherworldly presence.

Super Mario 3D World launches November 22 exclusively for the Wii U.

[Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

Here’s Some New Super Mario 3D World Gameplay Footage

Last week, Nintendo made us a believer in Mario again with the latest trailer for Super Mario 3D World. After some initial skepticism regarding Mario’s first 3D adventure on the Wii U, most are now convinced that Nintendo has hit upon something great yet again. Of course, a six-minute trailer is not nearly enough time to see everything the game has to offer, and that’s where the Nintendo Minute comes in.

In the latest Nintendo Minute, the folks at Nintendo of America show off some new levels from Super Mario 3D World. Unlike the carefully edited gameplay trailers out of Nintendo of Japan, this latest video gives us a glimpse at what 4-player gameplay will really be like. In short, it’s chaotic and looks like a blast.

Check it out:

I think it’s safe to say that Super Mario 3D World will be one of the best games of the year. Of course, it will face some stiff competition in a gaming population that has increasingly lost interest in the platformer. That being said, Mario games tend to be the one platformer that even the most jaded platformer cynic likes so it’s anybody guess regarding its reception.

Super Mario 3D World launches on November 22 exclusively for the Wii U.

[Image: Nintendo]

Super Mario 3D World Continues To Impress In Latest Gameplay Trailer

We’re only a month away from the launch of Super Mario 3D World, but Nintendo has stayed relatively quiet about the game. Sure, we’ve seen some trailers here and there, but there’s not a lot being said about the next big 3D Mario game. Well, that was the case, but now Nintendo of Japan has come to our rescue with an amazing 6-minute long gameplay trailer.

In the latest gameplay trailer for Super Mario 3D World, we’re given a look at all the power-ups Mario can collect throughout the game. There are the usual power-ups like the Tanooki Suit and the Fire Flower, but there are also new power-ups like the Cherry that can split Mario into multiple clone of himself or the Piranha Plant that can eat enemies from a distance.

The below trailer also reveals for the first time what can be best described as Miiverse stamps. Throughout your time with the game, you’ll come across hidden stamps that allow you to “stamp” custom Mario art on your Miiverse posts. It should prove to be useful for those who aren’t great artists but want to add a little more flair to their Miiverse posts.

Also, I think it’s worth pointing out just how pretty Super Mario 3D World is. Nintendo has always somehow managed to make their games look great, even on inferior hardware, and this game looks to continue that trend. Even if the game comes out a week after the PS4 launches, Sony’s next gen titles will be hard pressed to impress me more than what Nintendo is doing here with its use of bright, vibrant colors.

Super Mario 3D World launches November 22 exclusively for the Wii U.

[Image: NintendoJPofficial/YouTube]

Here’s Some New Super Mario 3D World Gameplay

Yesterday, Nintendo showed off some new levels and powerups from Super Mario 3D World during its Nintendo Direct. The trailer was a little short, however, so we didn’t get to see everything these new powerups have to offer. That’s where Nintendo of America comes in.

In a new video today, the Nintendo Minute crew take us through almost nine minutes of new gameplay footage from Super Mario 3D World. The new gameplay footage takes us through two new levels while also giving us a look at the new cherry powerup that creates a clone of the player character.

It’s revealed in the video that players can collect more and more cherry powerups to create multiple clones of any one character. It’s not mentioned if there’s a limit on these clones, but it’s said that some challenges will require multiple clones to complete.

In another level, it’s shown that players can pick up a potted piranha plant. It can be used to eat enemies and other obstacles. Think of it like a baby Yoshi, but a little more aggressive.

Super Mario 3D World launches November 22 exclusively for Wii U.

[Image: Nintendo/YouTube]

Wii U Gets A Price Cut, Game Release Dates Pushed Up

Nintendo didn’t hold a Nintendo Direct this morning, but you’d be forgiven if you thought they did. The company announced a new handheld – the Nintendo 2DS – and now it’s detailing its holiday plans for the Wii U.

First and foremost, the Wii U Deluxe is finally getting a price cut. The 32GB Wii U variant launched last year with a copy of Nintendo Land for $350. The same bundle will retail for $300 starting September 20.

Nintendo also announced a Wii U/Wind Waker HD bundle that will also retail for $300 on September 20. The bundle includes a gold trimmed Wii U gamepad, a digital copy of Wind Waker HD and a digital download voucher for the excellent Hyrule Historia book.

Speaking of Wind Waker HD, Nintendo pushed up its release a little bit for those who don’t mind buying digital copy of games. The eShop version of Wind Waker HD will release on September 20 and cost $50. The game will then release at retail for $50 on October 4. GameStop will be carrying a special edition version of the game for $55 that includes a Ganondorf figurine.

What about Nintendo’s other Wii U titles for the holidays? The company announced that WIi U Party will launch on October 25 and come packed in with a black Wii Remote plus for $50. Super Mario 3D World has been pushed up from its original December launch date to November 22 and will retail for $60. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze will launch on December 6 and retail for $50. As for Wii Fit U and Mario and Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Olympic Games, both titles are still listed as holiday releases.

As for the Nintendo 3DS, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds and Mario Party Island Tour will both launch on November 22 for $40.

Wii U Gets A Price Cut, Game Release Dates Pushed Up

The Wii U price drop and the earlier release dates show a Nintendo that’s really confident going into this holiday season. With a console that’s $100 cheaper than the PS4, Nintendo might have a shot at gaining some solid holiday sales from parents looking to get their kids a game console this Christmas. It just might lure over some older gamers as well with new entries from its popular franchises.

[h/t: Kotaku]
[Image: Nintendo/Facebook]

Jimmy Fallon And Reggie Fils-Aime Team Up To Demo Wii U Titles

Nintendo had a pretty decent showing for Nintendo fans at E3, but the mainstream that made the Wii so popular is still largely not convinced. To do that – Nintendo has turned to late night host Jimmy Fallon to look silly while playing Game & Wario.

On the final night of Fallon’s Video Game Week, he tried out two new Wii U games with Nintendo of America’s Reggie Fils-Aime. The first – Game & Wario – was just released on Sunday. The second – Super Mario 3D World – will be released in December.

It could be the usual Fallon antics, but it seems that his audience responded much better to Super Mario 3D World than any other game shown during Video Game Week. Now, audience response on a late night talk show doesn’t translate to sales, but it could be indicative of a Wii U resurgence later this year when the console actually starts getting games.

If you missed out on all of last week, check out Fallon playing the Xbox One, the PS4, Watch Dogs and Call of Duty: Ghosts. As an added bonus, here’s Fallon breaking the world record for most video game systems played simultaneously.

E3 2013: Super Mario 3D World Camera Tilt Demoed

Though it did not hold a major press conference at this year’s E3, Nintendo had an impressive showing this week. Dozens of first-party titles were announced and previewed for both the 3DS and Wii U consoles.

However, even now there don’t seem to be any current or upcoming Wii U games that use the console’s GamePad effectively. At least, not to the extent that it changes gameplay in a fundamental way, which the original Wii console certainly did. An E3 demo for the just-announced Wii U Mario Kart game, for example, uses the touch screen mainly as a horn for karts.

Even with their new Wii U Mario game, it seems Nintendo hasn’t found a “revolutionary” way to use the Wii U GamePad. A new highlight video put out by Nintendo shows that Super Mario 3D World can use the GamePad to tilt the view of gameplay on a TV. Of course, the same thing can be accomplished using an analog stick.

Super Mario 3D World is based on the style of Super Mario 3D Land for the Nintendo 3DS. The new game will feature multiplayer support for gamers to play as Luigi, Toad, and Peach. It also features new cat costumes, allowing Mario and others to claw up walls and pounce on enemies:

E3 2013: Nintendo Takes Us Behind The Scenes Of Its Biggest Games

Nintendo brought a lot of games to E3. Not everybody can attend the show, however, and even less can pick the minds of the peope behind the games. For them, Nintendo has released a number of video interviews with the creative minds behind each game.

Bayonetta 2 – Atsushi Inaba

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – Eiji Aonuma

Super Mario 3D World – Koichi Hayashida

Pikmin 3 – Shigeru Miyamoto

Mario Kart 8 – Hideki Konno

Donkey Kong Country Tropical Freeze – Kensuke Tanabe

E3 2013: Nintendo Focuses On Their Core Franchises

Going into E3, Nintendo was a bit of a mystery. We had a small idea of what the company would be showing for Wii U, but its latest Nintendo Direct shows that the company knows what its fans want.

Nintendo kicked off its show with some new information for Pokemon X and Pokemon Y. It revealed there’s a new type called “fairy” that’s especially strong against Dragon types. The game will be out on October 12.

Next up is the latest 3D Mario title – Super Mario 3D World. Unlike the Galaxy games before it, the newest 3D Mario is taking a cue from the excellent Super Mario 3D Land. What that means is that Nintendo is distilling Mario into its core essence. That doesn’t mean the game won’t have anything new, however, as the developers are introducing a cat suit power up and simultaneous four player co-op. It will be out in December.

Sticking with Mario, Nintendo announced that Mario Kart 8 would be coming to the Wii U in Spring 2014. The game will borrow elements from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Wii to create the definitive version of the title. It will also implement some new online features that the company isn’t discussing at the moment.

Earlier this year, Nintendo said that it would be bringing Wii Party U and Wii Fit U to the console in Summer. Both titles have been delayed with Wii Party U coming later this year and Wii Fit U launching this Winter.

Nintendo noted that fans have been creating fantastic art in Miiverse ever since the console launched. They wanted to bring more sophisticated tools to those fans so they will be creating an updated version of the popular 3DS title Art Academy for Wii U. The game has no release date just yet, but Nintendo will launch some of the drawing tools found in the main game for Miiverse artists in Summer.

Moving on, Nintendo shared more details regarding its remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. The game will ditch the Tingle Tuner from the original game in favor of the Tingle Bottle. This item will allow players to toss a message in a bottle out to sea and then have it wash up on shores of other players. The title will be available in October of this year.

Platinum Games got some love during Nintendo Direct with The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2 both getting new trailers. The Wonderful 101 will be launching September 15.

The latest Bayonetta 2 trailer shows taht the central character has received a redesign with shorter hair and a new outfit. The game will be out in 2014.

One of the brand new announcements was of a new Donkey Kong game titled Donkey Koung Country Tropical Freeze. The new Wii U title will be similar to Donkey Kong Country Returns, but will feature some fancy new camera angles. It will also bring Dixie Kong as a playable character. It will be out later this year.

Near the end, Nintendo showed a new trailer for X. If you recall, X is the codename for the new title from Monolith Soft. It looks like a mashup between Xenoblade and Xenogears. That’s hardly a bad thing. X will be released in 2014.

On a final note, Nintendo showed the first trailer for Super Smash Bros. for both 3DS and Wii U. The 3DS title will be using a cel-shaded style while the Wii U version will look more realistic. The Villager from Animal Crossing will be joining as a fighter.

The big surprise this time around is that Mega Man will be joining the fray as a guest character. He looks to play a little like Samus, but he can also call upon the power of every single robot master from Mega Man 2. Both versions of Super Smash Bros. will be out in 2014.