Dcubed

Nice. Looks like it bounces back at you somewhat. I wonder if Link's shield might also do that for other projectiles...

The Iwata Asks is out now! http://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/#/3ds/pokemonxy/0/0 POKEMON Z FEATURING FULL S3D SUPPORT CONFIRMED!!11!! BTW, @Serebii @Debug Mode @Ike When/If your copies arrive, I don't suppose you can test to see if they work on foreign 3DS consoles? I have a sneaking suspicion that X&Y are the first region free 3DS games...

The only reason why I would have faith that they haven't butchered the game with that new Bravely Second system (and the associated micro transactions) is because Nintendo are localising/publishing the game and I have full faith that they would refuse to publish the game if you couldn't play it in the traditional manner... (much like how Nintendo refused to publish Project Zero 4 when Tecmo refused to patch the game breaking bugs in their buggy mess of a game - if the actual core game of BDFF was ruined in order to accommodate this microtransaction crap, it would go against Nintendo's public stance on this kind of F2P/DLC microtransactions and as such, they wouldn't be publishing the game) I have zero faith in Square Enix's ability to not fuck up a good thing on their own though... Makes me worry for Theatrhythm Curtain Call... (though hopefully the sheer potential for DLC songs is enough to satisfy their greed...)

Well! Looks like a localisation is all but confirmed now. Nintendo are gonna be bringing a playable demo of MH4 to an upcoming Spanish expo called Salón del Manga XIX! http://www.nextn.es/2013/10/conoce-lo-que-llevara-nintendo-al-salon-del-manga-xix-monster-hunter-4-estara-en-su-stand-sabeis-que-significa/ It's gonna be the Japanese version of the game, but it will be there (They did the same thing with The Last Story and Pandora's Tower before they were officially announced for localisation - at least in France at the French Japan Expo)

Suppose it's only fitting that I post this... We all know what the bolded means... Also, FF5 iOS for visual reference... So yeah... This is the new face of Square Enix. Fuck their amazing legacy! Fuck their fans! Fuck everything!

Is your Wii U connected to your Receiver via HDMI? If not, there's absolutely no way for you to get surround sound (no, a HDMI to Optical adapter will not work). If your Wii U is not directly connected to your Receiver via HDMI, you will only get 2 channel stereo for Wii U games (Wii games can still get DPL2 via phono cables though); no exceptions.

Hmm... Let's see. I can buy Resident Evil The Mercenaries 3D either from the eShop for £7.99 oooorrrr I can buy it from Nintendo's online store for £39.99... Tough choice!

Hmm... Odd. Only one of my copies has shipped... Edit: Yay! Y shipped too! Fun times tomorrow!

Hmm... Pics of my packagex are up, but they haven't shipped them yet...

Samus' missiles even more useless than ever before confirmed!

Didn't they already release a SNES 2? Hell it's also available in portable form too

SOOOO GOOOOODDD!!! I love how they're actually taking advantage of the new swooshy 3D camera for actual gameplay purposes The wait till February will be a hard one... Oh! Also, this looks familiar

Disgusting. S-E really don't give a crap anymore do they? At least put out DQ8 on 3DS before doing this! (Even a straight port would've made them a ton of cash and the console can handle it with ease - at least do that before shitting out this mobile crap!) Well... Looks like DQ11 may not be a 3DS exclusive (if it even gets a version at all) anymore...

Both X & Y's payments (getting X for myself and Y for my sister) have been taken for me on Shopto!

Well... They haven't actually showed off any games from Wii Sports Club other than Tennis or Bowling yet, so they may well still be planning on using the Gamepad like in that video for Golf and Baseball (here's hoping!)

And suddenly as if from nowhere! Looks amazing! Especially the 3D camera sections!

Well well well! Looks like yet ANOTHER new console has joined the fray! This time from Madcatz! (yes that very same Madcatz that made all those knockoff controllers that graduated to making very high quality fighting game arcade sticks) Instantly reminded me of this thread. Crazy! How many is that now? Wii U, Xbone, PS4, Vita TV, Ouya, Gamestick, Steam Machines (3 variants), Nvidia Shield and now M.O.J.O! It's just nuts!

Yup! It's amazing how such a small little change can completely transform the game. I've actually gotten a few game overs! (IN WIND WAKER! FOR REALS! ) In fact it's actually harsher than in Skyward Sword (since you can't sit down to recover health). From the start of the game you actually can't heal at all until you actually get to the fairy outside the Boss room in Dragon Roost Island's dungeon! (With the exception of those two pieces of heart that you can get from Windfall Island on your first visit). Also, jump attacks from Darknuts do 4 hearts of damage... Yeah... ... You suddenly find yourself not being so careless anymore in Hero Mode!

Nah, they all made good use of the two screens - even the single player only games. As for your second point, you're right. The way that the dual screen gameplay works on Wii U is very different from how it works on DS & 3DS and that's something that games should be designed around. Nintendo Land, Game & Wario (for some of its games), ZombiU and TW101 (the dual screen sections) all take advantage of the fact the Gamepad is outside your peripheral vision, unlike the DS/3DS' two screens, having the shifting of your focus become an actual part of the gameplay! Stuff that works on the DS & 3DS doesn't necessarily also work on Wii U. You have to design around that difference... But ultimately my point is that we should be demanding more games like ZombiU, The Wonderful 101, Wii Party U, Game & Wario, Spin the Bottle and Nintendo Land. Games that could not be made on any other platform!

They never said that! Why on earth do you keep parroting this? The very first trailer for the console showed off various different uses of the two screens working in tandem! Their flagship launch title (Nintendo Land) was all about how the two screens could be used together for assymmetric gameplay - hell even NSMBU bigged up assymmetric gameplay with Boost Mode. Off TV play is just one of the various ways that the Gamepad can be used. The fact that it is the easiest and laziest way you can add a USP to a Wii U version of a game is why it is the most common use of the Gamepad's functionalty in 3rd party titles. Nintendo, Ubisoft and Capcom have actually made good use of it in their titles. My main point of concern is with how Super Mario 3D World doesn't seem to use it for anything other than revealing hidden objects and holding enemies in place (stuff that could be done just as well with the Wiimote & chuck and stuff that HAS been done before in SMG 1 &2 and in NSMBU) and how they've not shown any creative uses of it in any of their 2014 titles. Now I wouldn't expect something like SSB4 to really make good use of it, but its pretty odd that they don't have any upcoming 2014 titles announced that do (it's possible that MK8 might still use it for some extra modes that take advantage of assymmetric play - much like S&ASRT did with its Wii U exclusive multiplayer mode, but we haven't seen anything like that yet...).

It's not just about having only 1 TV or multiple ones. If you wanted to carry on playing in another room, it's a PITA to unplug the console and take it elsewhere. Off TV Play however is super convenient! Just press a button and carry on uninterrupted! It's a great feature and it shouldn't be downplayed (it's enough of a selling point that I would happily choose a Wii U version of a multiplatform game, JUST for that feature alone), but it's not the main reason for the console's existence. It's something I would expect and demand in a multiplatform release or in something like Smash Bros or Mario Kart where having a strong focus on dual screened gameplay doesn't make much sense, but for an exclusive title where I expect game design boundaries to be pushed (like, say Zelda Wii U or Wii Party U), I would demand that they make the best possible use of that dual screen gameplay - to the point where Off TV Play is either unviable or completely impossible.

YOU'RE TOO SLOOOOWWWW!!!

Yup, me too...

Off TV Play is great and all, but that's just an extra... I bought the console because I want ground breaking games like Nintendo Land and ZombiU! I want games that use the Gamepad's functions and the two screens in exciting and creative ways like Wii Party U, The Wonderful 101, Wii Fit U (minigames) and Game & Wario! NEW styles of play. NEW experiences. THAT's what I want to see from Nintendo consoles! Even TWWHD, Pikmin 3, Resident Evil Revelations and Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate make great use of the dual screen setup, despite being initially designed for other consoles (even though the latter two just replicate what the 3DS' bottom screen did). These things are FAR more interesting and important to me than mere Off TV Play. Which is why its conservative use in Super Mario 3D World and DKCTF is immensely disappointing for me I'm sure they'll be great games, but it's a shame to not see them make more interesting use of it in those games (especially since Mario titles are usually made to show off what the new hardware can add to game design). Off TV play is nice for generic multiplatform games, VC releases and games that don't lend themselves to dual screen experiences (like Smash Bros or Mario Kart - where the Gamepad is used as a top down map, just like the DS & 3DS MK games), but that's not why I bought the console and that's not what Nintendo made it for. It's for creating all new experiences and enhancing gameplay in other ways! As an aside, I hope that they plan on using the Gamepad in Wii Sports Club in the same fashion as that original teaser video! A Wii U without the Gamepad is just a turbo charged 360 with Wiimote support. Who the hell wants that!? That's pointless and boring!

This week's charts are out... http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110032 Wind Waker is No5 in the Individual Formats chart and No4 in the Combined Formats chart! Pretty much the best result we could've hoped for. Beaten out by only GTA5 and Fifa 14 in the Individual Formats chart and by those two games' combined versions along with F1's combined sales in the Combined Formats chart. Not bad, but sadly there's no word on how or if Wii U hardware sales have been affected. That being said, I've been keeping an eye on its Miiverse activity in all regions to get a general idea of how its been doing... Unsurprisingly, it hasn't done that well in Japan (TW101's US and EU Miiverse activity numbers are still individually ahead of TWWHD's in Japan for instance...), but in the US it may well have had an impact... If we compare it to Pikmin 3's Miiverse activity in the US - that game managed to reach 60,000 users by the end of September (where that month's NPD tracking ends). The game supposedly sold around 120,000 (retail and digital combined) copies in the US by the end of August (so it would've had significantly less Miiverse users back then). Now, TWWHD managed to reach just over 50,000 Miiverse users by the end of September (and as of today, now stands at 73,312 - boosted no doubt by the game's US retail release a couple of days ago). Now, remembering that TWWHD was released on the eShop and as part of a price dropped console bundle on September 22nd in the US, while a good few of those TWWHD users no doubt bought the game digitally via the eShop directly, I reckon it's safe to say that the majority of those Miiverse users had bought the console bundle pack (which came with a digital copy of the game). While it's hardly a scientific form of measurement, it seems to be a positive sign that TWWHD may have had an effect of hardware sales; at least in the US (assuming a similar ratio of Miiverse users to sales as with Pikmin 3, TWWHD may well have sold north of 120,000-130,000 in the US during those 10 days of sales; and with the majority of those sales coming from console bundles, I have a good feeling that TWWHD and the $50 price drop may have pushed Wii U hardware sales up to around 80-100K during September ). And of course Zelda is about as popular in Europe as it is in the US... (Miiverse users for TWWHD in Europe are currently 30,289, but of course they would also include retail game sales so they're less telling than its US counterpart. For comparison's sake, Pikmin 3 as of today stands at 40,990; so TWWHD is clearly selling at a much faster pace than Pikmin 3 did in Europe at least ) Overall, the signs are looking good