Wii-U News

Famitsu Unveils Rune Factory Oceans

The Rune Factory series started on the Nintendo DS in 2007. Published by Natsume, Rune Factory took the farm work of Harvest Moon and introduced combat to the mix. A great feature about the game was the amount of variety. If you were not into farming, you could go mining and dungeon crawling or vice-versa.  In Rune Factory, you played as Raguna, a mysterious boy who has lost his memory. He collapses right in front of the house of a young girl named Mist. She offers you her old farm that she no longer uses; as long as you run the farm. You encounter a monster and defeat it with your hoe and Mist explains that monsters have been appearing everywhere lately.

Remote Plus Priced, Dated, and Ready to Ship

According to a press release on Nintendo’s Japanese website, details on the Wii’s new Remote Plus controller have finally arrived after two weeks of media dodging. Starting November 11th, Japanese gamers will finally get the chance to snatch up the system’s latest response to the current industry-wide motion control blitz for what is roughly the equivalent of forty U.S. dollars. Whether that price will make its way across the Pacific is still unknown, but it’s not very likely that the price will increase too much, if at all, during the controller’s ride over. Expect an official U.S. announcement soon regarding when exactly that ride will take place.

And, thanks to a translation of the press release made by Japanese gaming blog Andriasang, Player Affinity has learned that Nintendo intends to eventually phase out the current Wii Remote and it’s Wii Motion Plus attachment by packing the Remote Plus with future shipments of the Wii home console. Additionally, side-by-side comparison pictures included in the press release reveal that the Remote Plus is the exact same size as the original Wii Remote. This should come as good news for all the Nintendo fanboys out there. Because, Nintendo can finally tell Sony and Microsoft that they too have a new controller, and it doesn’t require a peripheral to play games. 

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.

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

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. 

Jillian Michaels gives the Wii her Ultimatum

Jillian Michaels, a famous fitness expert, has been using the Wii Fit for numerous exercise games. Her next title is called Jillian Michaels Fitness Ultimatum 2011. So what exactly is separating this title from the myriad of other fitness titles clogging up space in stores? Well… it has a story mode.

In the game’s story mode, you will be tasked with taking down an evil food and drug coporation through the power of exercise. Consider my copy purchased.

A Wii J-RPG Swan Song

This week, while listening to many a pod cast, and surfing through endless amounts of forum discussions, something hit me like a speeding eighteen-wheeler. The idea that the J-RPG is a genre on it’s last breath is overwhelmingly strong. Years ago, while a freshman undergrad at an unnamed university in New Jersey, I honestly and naively thought I was the only person to have such thoughts. Regardless of  my harbored personality flaws of yesteryear, the sentiment that J-RPG’s are in serious need of a revival is echoed by critics and consumers alike.

Nintendo Sells 30 Million Wii’s

Today Nintendo has reached a landmark by selling 30 million Wii units in the United States. They have thusly claimed the Wii to be the fastest selling console in video game history. Following the landmark announcement, Nintendo published a very interesting list of the top-selling  self-published games.