Wii-U

Wii Remote Plus Confirmed, Plus Nintendo’s Power Lineup

Without wasting hardly any time at all, Nintendo has come out and confirmed the existence of the Wii Remote Plus at their Japanese press conference this week. For those who don’t know, the Wii Remote Plus is the new, all-in-one controller from Nintendo that combines the Wii Motion Plus and Wii Remote into one handy, little package. Unfortunately, Nintendo has declined to discuss anything more about the new controller outside of the fact that it exists. Price point and release date are still subject to speculation, with the leaked info regarding the controller’s FlingSmash pack-in being the only hint as to what the future holds for the Wii Remote Plus.

In other news, Nintendo has also just released a trailer showcasing their line-up for 2010 and early 2011. Key titles such as Kirby: Epic Yarn, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Super Mario All-Stars, Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, FlingSmash, Sonic Colors, and The Last Story were shown alongside many other games that all added up to reveal a surprisingly diverse lineup from Nintendo that aims to cover almost every genre out there right now. This is an extremely good time for Nintendo to come forward and assert themselves with such a powerful showing, especially in light of Nintendo’s waning sales figures and popularity. With Sony and Microsoft back on the rise, who knows? Nintendo just might be able to knock them back down to where they came from if this upcoming smorgasbord of games is good enough to distract Sony and Microsoft gourmands from their dinner tables.

Yuji Naka to Speak on Ivy the Kiwi at Eurogamer Expo

This weekend thousands of lads and lasses across the pond will attend Eurogamer Expo 2010 from Oct. 1-3 at Earls Court in London. Ever since 2004, European gaming website, eurogamer.net, has put on this self-titled event so that various developers, publishers, and gaming celebrities can gather together to show their wares and expound upon their creative processes in an attempt to wow fans and media alike. Essentially, it’s the Tokyo Game Show or Penny Arcade Expo of Europe.

Developers focused on 360 and PS3 are ready to offer up a hefty showing this year. Meanwhile, the Wii’s presence at the expo will be next to non-existent outside of showings of Goldeneye and one or two games that have already seen stateside and Japanese release, like Metroid: Other M, for instance. Fortunately, there will be at least one Wii title of note: Ivy the Kiwi, the latest creation from Sonic the Hedghog’s creator, Yuji Naka. According the Eurogamer’s event website, Naka will lead the developer’s session for Ivy the Kiwi.

Breaking News: Wii Remote Plus

Back when the Wii Motion Plus add-on was first announced, Nintendo begged to ask the question: Why wasn’t this functionality built into the controller in the first place? Well, Kotaku may have recently found Nintendo’s answer to this question. According to a listing on Gamestop’s US website, a listing that, unsurprisingly, has since been removed, the upcoming Wii title developed by Artoon, FlingSmash, will be bundled with what the game’s box art refers to as the “Wii Remote Plus” controller. Based on the peripheral’s name, it would be safe to assume that the controller is in fact the all-in-one remote Wii fans have been asking for ever since the pricey Motion Plus was first announced.

121 Birthday Shots

Today marks the one hundred and twenty-first anniversary of Nintendo’s birth. Founded on September 23, 1889, Nintendo opened its doors for the first time in Kyoto Japan producing handmade hanafuda cards for the Japanese youth.  Nintendo tried its hands with several other businesses such as: a Love Hotel, Taxi company, and selling instant rice and noodles, most of which failed.

Happy 25th Birthday, Super Mario!

No one can dispute that Mario has been the most prevalent video game icon over the last twenty five years, especially when Nintendo continues to release numerous games featuring the famed Italian plumber on their famished consoles.  While Mario continues going head to head against titles like Call of Duty and Halo, there’s one thing for sure

Metroid: Other M Review

Given the almost 50/50 emphasis of story vs. action in Other M, it stands to reason that if either the gameplay or storytelling was of a higher level, maybe it could compensate for the flaws in the other. Between the two, the storytelling is the better done, but only because the gameplay–which is from one of the best pedigrees in the medium– is so subpar. Nintendo took a step forward in storytelling, but digressed everywhere else.

New Multiplayer Goldeneye Trailer

Nostalgia is an emotion often evoked by numerous sights, sounds, and even tastes. One sight that will surely evoke nostalgia is the new Goldeneye trailer for the Wii. Shown at one of the largest video-game-centric conventions ever, Gamescom, was a new multiplayer trailer for Goldeneye. Fans of late night gaming snack-a-thons can rejoice even more.

“A new Goldeneye has arrived, so what are you going to do?” asks the new Goldeneye trailer. As if you need time to think about the said question, the trailer continues and shows off many aspects of Goldeneye’s multiplayer. One will note that many aspects which made the first game so successful are shown to be present in the trailer.