Dcubed

I reckon that this one will probably get localised. Even if it isn't a big seller here, around half of the work is actually already done :p

I'm really glad to see these games made readily available for people to purchase, even if I already personally already own almost every worthwhile game ever released for the Wii (there's only a scarce few I still need that are playable without Japanese knowledge and since these re-releases offer no extra features/QoL improvements, I'm not gonna rebuy any of them outside of the EU version of Rhythm Heaven Fever/BTB Rhythm Paradise; for the extra option of Japanese vocals which I was a bit gutted about missing out on since I imported the U.S. version originally :p ) I really hope that they take the opportunity to release the region exclusive games like Disaster DOC in the U.S. or Trauma Team in Europe. It's criminal that so many people just can't play these gems! And with these re-releases not falling under the Virtual Console branding (which makes perfect sense, since they're not actually emulated), it also gives hope that we will still eventually see them get VC releases down the line as well at some point, with all the bells and whistles that I love about the VC (suspend saves, customisable controls, Miiverse support, high-res/HD res rendering etc)

If they do release GCN games, they'll almost certainly require you to use the GCN controller adapter. I seriously doubt that they'll let you use any other controller considering that many games rely on those analog/digital click shoulder buttons to be played properly (except for maybe the original style Classic Controller, which also has those same analog/digital click shoulder buttons).

Agreed with all of this, but sadly the CC support for the Gamepad does not apply to disc games. These releases all use a specially modified version of Wii Mode that is not the same as the user accessible one (probably because it's likely to be a huge piracy protection security hole).

Part 2 of the Afterburner 2 M2 interview is out now

Just the ones re-released on the eShop. They're obviously using some sort of modified version of the Wii menu that normally can't be accessed (and any sort of user access of this special version is probably a piracy security nightmare waiting to happen, due to the way it links to the Wii U OS itself, so don't count on it ever being made available for disc based games). I already know it does (seen it elsewhere). If you have a save from a disc based copy sitting on your Wii U's Wii Menu, it'll just read/write the existing save file like any disc copy (same as with digital versions of Wii U disc games - they read and share the same save files )

I'm actually really surprised that they managed to get that to work, considering that the Gamepad isn't a Bluetooth device... I wonder how they managed to remap the controls...

Heh, same here. I guess it's just the excitement of it being re-released. This isn't a VC release though and it offers absolutely nothing that the disc version does not, but still... ... Nah. Gotta resist (I might pick up Rhythm Heaven Fever though when that gets released since I always did want to swap my US version for the EU one!)

Fantastic news about Wii games getting re-released on the eShop, but it does beg the question... Why not GCN games as well!? You have the GCN controller adapter, the Wii U is capable of playing GCN games natively in Wii Mode (which these re-releases are using a modified version of), so why not GCN games as well!?

I would definitely consider F-zero and WaveRace to be "technical" racers. They have very nuanced controls, complex track/course design, extreme speed and very steep difficulty curves. Compared to something like Mario Kart (not to say that those games lack plenty of depth themselves mind you!) the difference is very obvious. Oh and @Glen\-i What did I tell you before about sneaking off into the Wii U General Discussion thread by yourself? Naughty naughty... :p

Could be a simultaneous EU/US release... Then it would make sense...

That's not a bad list overall (not as good as my own one I made a few years back when the Wii U came out of course ). About the only things I say that don't really deserve to be there are Mario Kart Wii (one of my least favourite entries in the series overall) and Silent Hill Shattered Memories (great concepts, great story twist at the end but it's also really rough, unrefined, unpolished and doesn't really come together in the way I was hoping it would).

Ooh! Good point! There's a very decent chance that they'll do just that actually! OoT 3D got a Club Nintendo soundtrack release, so they'll probably do the same here!

I've already said why I think it makes sense, what you quoted has nothing to do with that. If they made the game on Wii U instead of 3DS (never mind the wider issues of budgets, sales etc), then it's much harder to justify making any sort of change to how the game works to the fans, who would cry foul at the game being "dumbed down". Making it for a handheld gives them an excuse to try a different take on the game's overarching structure however because these kinds of changes are necessary for the platform it's going on. Nintendo's designers are mainly interested in exploring new game ideas and gameplay concepts, not graphics and visual fidelity. To them, the chance to re-imagine and revisit their older ideas and concepts is much more interesting and fulfilling than just turbo charging the visuals. Read any Iwata Asks for any of their games and see how much time is spent talking about gameplay concepts vs talking about visuals; then the way that Nintendo's staff think about how games should be made should become clear to you.

Guarantee you that's exactly what's gonna happen. They'll announce the release date (same day as the New3DS), show a new trailer and release the demo. Glen-i has the demo and I've seen it in action. The online portion isn't active yet but it'll probably go live tomorrow as soon as the Direct is broadcasted.

So with the SEGA 3D Classics series making a return this week with Afterburner 2, so too does the accompanying behind the scenes M2 interview series! http://blogs.sega.com/2015/01/12/sega-3d-classics-3d-afterbunner-ii-–-a-classic-reborn-part-1/ An excerpt... If nothing else, they'll definitely help scratch that Iwata Asks itch

Think about the design of handheld Zelda games (or indeed ALTTP GBA vs ALTTP SNES and how it was more lenient with where you could suspend and resume your game). Generally they feature short dungeons, compact worlds, lenient save systems and minimal amounts of cutscenes (and the cutscenes they do have are typically short and skippable). They also usually have a lot of sidequests that you can complete without much pressure on your time and are generally conductive to being played for hours or minutes at a time. OoT 3D is basically the one major exception and it does feel a bit like a square peg in a round hole. It's already pushes the comfortable limit of how long it should keep a player waiting on a handheld game (some cutscenes can last between 5-10 minutes even, and are unskippable to boot!) What reasonable progress could you make in OoT 3D in a mere 10 minute play session really? Not much in comparison to something like Minish Cap or Link's Awakening. MM is even less conductive to short handheld play sessions than OoT though because of how the 3 day cycle and the save system works. Surely you can see that?

Yup, pretty much this. Maybe some details about Xenoblade 3DS and (hopefully!) the EU releases of Jam With the Band Pro, Dedede's Drum Dash, Kirby Fighters Z, Rusty's Real Deal Baseball, Devilish Brain Training and Collectable Badge Shop.

TOTAKA'S SONG HAS BEEN FOUND IN MARIO KART 8!!! Brilliant! (Now watch as everyone starts analysing every single sound Yoshi has made in every single game he's ever appeared in )

If you think about it, it makes sense. Look at OoT 3D and TWW HD. Both of those games were made in order to fix things that their designers held as regrets ever since they first released. Majora's Mask on the other hand? What regrets have any of the game's designers ever publically stated? As far as I know, it is none. So what value would a remake bring outside of better graphics? Pretty much nothing outside of a few things that the new hardware would bring (like touch controlled menus or gyro controls - things that these designers can indulge in with a new game anyway). Bringing Majora's Mask to a handheld allows them to re-imagine the experience and provide a new take that befits a different style of play. It brings value to the game that you would otherwise not get on a console without alienating fans of the original who would cry bloody murder at changing parts of the game for no good reason. THAT's why it makes sense! (That plus it allows them to re-use a lot of the tech and know how from OoT 3D - just like what happened with the original version of MM)

Yeah, there is a specific option for it. Just leave the MicroSD card with all of your game data that you want to transfer inside your source 3DS (and not the target New3DS) when you start the transfer. After doing the transfer, the New3DS will ask you if you are using a Micro SD card (with an adapter) in your existing old 3DS (it'll tell you by asking if you're using a normal SD or Mini SD Card in the old 3DS - you have to select "No" and then the New3DS will prompt you to physically swap the Micro SD card over from the old 3DS to the New3DS. This allows you to skip the arduous process of transferring over Game & Save data over Wifi, which takes an eternity!)

Demon's Crest AND Axelay!? HOLY!!! Over 8 years I have waited for Demon's Crest to come to the VC since it first started. It has always been my number 1 most wanted NES/SNES/N64 Capcom game and now it's finally here! And not only that, but it also comes with the best shmup that never got released on the EU Wii VC in the same week too! (it came out on the U.S. and, bizzarely enough, the AUS region VC services but never Europe ) Man! Now that's the kind of week that can get a guy excited!!

You're probably thinking of Crash City Mayhem (AKA Runabout 3DS).

They're changing it because it's being played on a handheld. The original save system just isn't a good fit on a console that is typically played in short bursts and likewise, if you're playing in short bursts, then it's harder to keep track of where everyone is and what they're doing because you forget where you are when you return to the game after a while. I always knew they would. MM is probably my favourite game of all time, but I can totally understand why it is not a good fit for a handheld as-is. Either way, it's certainly going to be a very different game to the original; which is great because I never felt that anything about MM really needed to be changed. It's not like OoT or TWW, which both had some really obvious issues that the designers always wanted to fix; so I'm much more interested in seeing a different take on MM than just a simple graphical overhaul.

That's gonna be a problem for importers... Brazil was the go-to region for a lot of people who bought stuff from the eShop there because they only ask for your postcode (and a British one can be entered just fine without issues). Hopefully there's another country that works for that or that nothing is blocked for people buying from Brazil... It is a problem for all physical imported goods. Brazil's import tax is sky high (around 600% + IIRC! ), meaning that most people who are interested will just buy from another region (or through the black/grey market) due to the gigantic differences in price. Microsoft however are able to get around it by actually manufacturing consoles there.