Category: nintendo

Miyamoto Announces New Zelda for Wii

evolution-of-linkNintendo had a pretty good showing at E3, but one thing was missing that irked some people: a new Zelda for the Wii. Well, irk no more, because 1UP has revealed that during a roundtable discussion, Shigeru Miyamoto unveiled plans for a new Legend of Zelda game for the Wii, due out in 2010. The reason it was not shown at E3 is the team wanted to focus on defining the concept of the new Zelda game rather than waste time on a demo.

1UP also reports that

During the discussion, Miyamoto briefly showed an image from the game featuring a mature Link barely visible through a broken wall. Although the picture only showed Link from behind, a short girl in a long robe stood in full view at Link’s back. Wearing a crystal necklace and emanating a blue aura, she gave off an otherworldly look

Joystiq adds, in their own report, that it could possibly be a Motion Plus exclusive, but that the details are not finalized.

Excited? Dismayed? It sounds like they are trying to make Zelda fresh again, which would be welcome news, especially after seeing the footage of the new Metroid game.

Source: 1UP

Source: Joystiq

Nintendo E3 Presser Highlights

nintendoHere are the big points of the big N’s press event today:

  • Looks like those reports of a new Mario Wii game were right. However, they shocked everyone with a new Super Mario Bros. game – with 4 player co-op! Plays a lot like LittleBigPlanet from the looks of it. It will also be out by X-Mas!
  • Wii Fit Plus is out in late 2009. Oh joy.
  • Wii Sports Resort uses the new Wii Motion Plus for enhanced movement – isn’t this what the Wii was supposed to do to begin with? However, the sky diving looks cool, also there will be basketball and archery.
  • Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 packaged with Wii Motion Plus. Neat.
  • Red Steel 2 also comes packaged with Motion Plus and can only be played with the peripheral. Gameplay looks pretty sweet, and love the new art style.
  • Square Enix announced Final Fantasy Crystal Bearers, a new open world RPG headed exclusively to the Wii. That’s what I’m talking about. The system sorely needs more RPG’s.
  • A new DS Mario and Luigi RPG called Bowser’s Inside Story is coming at the end of the year. Those games are fun, but they really need to change the formula.
  • Next, they teased everyone with a “legendary RPG announcement”. No, it’s not Zelda. Turns out it’s Golden Sun DS. Meh.
  • Cop, a new DS game from Ubisoft, looks like a rip-off of Chinatown Wars, only it might be even better.
  • Wario Ware DIY for the DS lets you design your own games. Could be cool, but due to Nintendo’s fear of the Internet, I can’t see this going anywhere.
  • Facebook is coming to the DSi. That’s two systems now. You can upload your pictures of yourself with a squished head!
  • Every presser is bound to have a wtf, and Nintendo unleashed one with the Wii Vitality Sensor. It’s a pulse reader that helps you relax? Seriously, they just showed a pic of Iwata in a recliner with his eyes closed and the thing on his finger. Wtf Nintendo. Games, please.
  • Super Mario Galaxy 2! This one’s got Yoshi in it apparently. I have to say, that’s a pretty cool announcement. Any new 3D mario game is a total bonus. No date given, though.
  • You know it’s bad when Reggie has to come out and say “I read the blogs, too”, and has to defend Nintendo’s hardcore-ism. After that, he showed off Sega’s Conduit, Dead Space: Extraction and Resident Evil: Darkside Chronicles. Nothing too exciting here.
  • Oh snap. A new Metroid game dubbed Other M is being made by Team Ninja, the Ninja Gaiden dudes. It’s a mature game with awesome third person action and platforming elements. Coming in 2010, and holy crap it actually looks cool. Maybe one of the best announcements at E3 to date.
  • Kind of weird that Miyamoto didn’t make an appearance. I’m guessing that means we won’t be seeing Zelda until next year.

I have to admit, while most of that was a snoozer, the Project M reveal at the end was incredible. Check back throughout the day and these bullets will be updated with links to videos and screenshots.

What’s the coolest news from the Nintendo event? Discuss!

Rumor: New Mario Game to Be Unveiled at E3

mario2Well, get your rumor counters going, because they’re going to be running wild for the next day or so. Since the first E3 press conference is tomorrow (Microsoft), things are going to be flying off the Inter-tubes left and right.

Some fresh news just broke from Japan as a news service printed that a new Mario game is scheduled to be shown by Nintendo this week at E3, and will release in Japan as soon as the end of this year. Let’s hope it’s a proper Mario game and not a new Mario Party or something like that. Considering Mario Galaxies was such a hit with the Mario alumni out there, this is definitely some exciting news. Now I’m just holding on to my hopes that a new Zelda game will be shown as well, since it’s been even longer since the last one of those.

So who’s excited about a new Mario Wii game?

Source- 1Up

GamerSushi Asks: What Would You Do If You Ran Sony/Nintendo/Microsoft?

consolewarWith E3 just around the corner, everyone seems to have an opinion about what’s going to happen or what should happen. So I got to thinking: what would I do if I were running any of the Big 3?

Honestly, for Nintendo, I would keep doing what they are doing, but also I would try to get more of the classic Nintendo franchises out there to lure the hardcore gamers. Wii sales are finally tapering off, so if you can lure in those older gamers with a solid library then I think they will really show their dominance. Also, more Virtual Console games. One game a week ain’t cutting it.

For Microsoft, I would give up any hope of competing with Nintendo using motion controllers and stick to what works: hardcore gamers and buying exclusives for the 360. Microsoft doesn’t have nearly the number of Triple A exclusives for this year that Sony does so if they can hold their lead they will likely reload for next year. Look for a new Gears game to be announced at next years E3. I would also dump Rare. Their time in the sun is gone and I think they will only cost Microsoft money now.

Sony, despite the constant negative press, is not as far behind as you might think. They are only 6.5 million consoles behind Microsoft and since they started a year later, that isn’t too big a lead. 2008 was not Sony’s year for exclusives, but 2009 is. Killzone 2 and Infamous have already landed and more are on the horizon, including Heavy Rain and what the hell Kojima has planned. I have heard rumors of a MEGATON announcement that Sony has planned at E3, but I have no idea what it is, if anything. Sony needs to keep adding to the PSN and getting franchises that people associate with Sony, like God of War, Gran Turismo and Final Fantasy. If it means shelling out the big bucks, then I would do it.

What would you guys do to crush the competition?

Gamer Conversations: Mario

mario1Welcome to a new GamerSushi feature, Gamer Conversations, where Anthony and I attempt to actually have a civil conversation without the GameCop/LameCop or other personas. These are just casual talks about some of our favorite gaming icons, ideas or stories. Best of all, you guys get to join in when it’s all done.

Today’s topic: Mario. He’s everyone’s favorite plumber, and has been a thing of legend amongst gamers for decades now. The most interesting part of this Nintendo mascot is that he means something a little different to everyone.
Continue reading Gamer Conversations: Mario

Last Year’s E3 Promises

e31We all know what E3 means. It’s the time of year when we get sandwiched by video game news galore, and announcements from every corner of the gaming kingdom. Not only do we hear from the developers we enjoy, but also from the big 3 of the console wars: Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo. Each year, they regale us with tales of things to come. So how truthful are they?

A writer over at Kotaku took the time to analyze last year’s E3 promises from each of the major console makers, in order to see who told more fibs and who did the biggest exaggerations. Surprisingly enough, it seems that all of them did a pretty good job at predicting the things to come. See for yourself:

  • Microsoft E3 2008 promises
  • Sony E3 2008 promises
  • Nintendo E3 2008 promises

    • So, how do you think they all did? And who had the best year? Personally, from the looks of it, it seems that Sony may have edged out the competition in terms of truth-telling, and they’ve even given us several great reasons to pick up their new console since then. Thoughts?

    Source- Kotaku

    Today’s WTF: Nintendo Likes to Tease

    nintendo-skirtI know, harping on Nintendo for not making many hardcore games lately is a little old hat, but they just make it so darn easy to pick on them sometimes. Especially when they say ludicrous things. Take these recent comments from an interview with Denise Kaigler, Nintendo’s VP of Corporate Affairs, which insinuate that Nintendo is totally fine with the teasing relationship they’ve created with their disgruntled fanbase.

    But absolutely, I will give you that hardcore gamers have an insatiable appetite for everything Nintendo, and we love that! We love that. When we get to a point where core gamers say, “OK, Nintendo, enough! We don’t need any more games from you guys….” None of us wants to be put in that position, right?

    Oh, certainly not Nintendo. I know I hate being bombarded with lots of great gaming options to choose from. Hit the jump for the rest of the ridiculousness.
    Continue reading Today’s WTF: Nintendo Likes to Tease

    Today’s Awesome: Team Fortress 2 Meets Smash Bros

    We’ve all seen mash-ups, and while they are either hit-or-miss, this one is particularly sweet. Someone took the original Smash Bros 64 intro cut-scene and re-filmed it completely with GMod, using Team Fortress 2 characters. And it totally works. Definitely jealous of this idea and the execution. Team Fortress 2 meets Smash Bros 64. Who would have thought?

    [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bbH632PSpw[/youtube]

    GameCop Vs LameCop #6

    GameCop vs. LameCop is a feature where Anthony and I argue about video game issues, playing the role of either the GameCop or the LameCop as we do so. We switch roles each time. The GameCop has your best interests as gamers at heart, while the LameCop is just what he sounds like: a total loser.

    This week, we tackle several issues including multiplayer in single player games, Nintendo’s lackluster GTA: Chinatown Wars sales and E3 predictions.

    Continue reading GameCop Vs LameCop #6

    Wii: Red Steel 2 Trailer

    While the first Red Steel game for the Nintendo Wii wasn’t a whole lot to write home about, the 2nd one is supposed to kick things up a notch. With the addition of Motion Plus controls and an updated art style, things are actually looking rather smooth, to say the least. I have to say that the new Red Steel 2 trailer shows some promise. I’m a big fan of the cel shaded style, though I wish these Wii trailers would actually show us more gameplay rather than dudes doing things no sane person in their right mind would do while playing a game.

    Seething In SimCity

    simcity-winceAs newly elected mayor of SimCity (thanks to my Virtual Console) I pledged to finally do what I had never been able to when I originally played this as a kid: create a town with a population of 500,000 citizens. As I write this, I have 460,000 people and things have been running very smoothly…until now.

    See, my citizens have developed a case of the dreaded, “We So Stupid” Syndrome. For those of you that don’t know, WSSS is a horrible disease that affects people all over the world, not just in video game simulations. I have used all the land in my city. I have been a decent leader, who built all industrial zones around the edge of town, minimizing pollution. Of course, that didn’t stop the little artificial bastards from bitching about it!

    I built all their houses far away, so the only time they would ever enter an area with anything less than pristine air would be…IF THEY WORKED THERE! And if you work in a place that pollutes the air, but rather than get a job at the mall (I built lots of those, too!), you would prefer to blame the mayor for the desecration of the air, which you in fact cause by working there… kill yourself.

    No, wait. I need you for the population count. Which brings me to next point: if I build a residential zone, I want houses built there, not schools or hospitals! All I want is to cram enough of these little morons into the limited space I have available to me (apparently, invading the neighboring towns is out of the questions) in order to get to the half million mark to get that damn Mario statue I have always longed for. And these fools decide to build 14 hospitals and 12 schools, including 2 hospitals right next to each other!

    Well, I certainly hope there weren’t that many sick or enfeebled people in 13 of those hospitals because I got a little trigger happy with my bulldozer and kinda demolished them all. Course, my little resiliant Sim-tards decided to rebuild one of them right in the same spot. I felt like the Joker in The Dark Knight, walking out of Gotham County General, tapping that detonator. Eventually the mooks learned their lesson. And as for those schools, well…that was just fun. Don’t worry, I left one of them standing. Too bad it’s all the way on the other side of the river! Good luck with that commute everyday!

    sim3-winceSpeaking of commutes, when you to a certain point, the Sim-jerks start getting uppity and demanding things. “Residents Demand A Stadium” started flashing on the bottom of the screen. Well, sure they do. But that’s going to raise the tax rate and if it dares hover anywhere over 3%, they start tea bagging each other! I mean, throwing tea parties. Or something. Then they wanted an airport. Now, I am not a cruel leader. I like to think of myself as a benevolent dictator. So I granted them their airport. Hell, can’t be bad for growth and business right?

    Wrong. Literally 2 minutes later, a plane crashed. So either I built my airport just before happy hour ended or I have terrorists running around my city, which is a giant problem since I didn’t build any fire departments. And we all know fire departments is how you fight terrorism. So I had to lock the city down for a bit, demolish the nuclear power plants in order to prevent any yellow cake from getting stolen and then I realized I had better destroy any bakeries as well, because I am pretty sure they have yellow cake, too.

    Crisis averted, I think. I saw one of our planes take off and fly over the city, so I am going to assume that was my personal army on its way to Borat’s country to deliver giant cans of whip-ass to anyone who speaks a different language. With any luck, I will manage to sardine some more Sim-fools into my city and get that Mario statue and finally achieve a boyhood dream. Wow…games sure do make you feel like a loser sometimes, but God, is it worth it.

    Anyhow, what’s the hardest you’ve ever worked for an in-game secret?

    Nintendo’s Struggle to the Top

    nintendo-fallAs if we didn’t all know, Nintendo is currently at the top of the heap in terms of the console wars of this generation. Not only are they kicking ass in terms of that market, they are also dominating worldwide in the handheld market. People are buying their products like hotcakes, and the execs are probably sleeping on their beds made of money and gold bars while they giggle themselves to sleep.

    But it wasn’t always like this. While Nintendo is now once again synonymous with gaming, there was a time when the company struggled, hopped on its last leg, and then took a series of chances that have now put it back on top. Edge Online just did the first in a series of articles documenting Nintendo’s fall during the late 90’s, starting with the Nintendo 64 and some of the decisions that went into that.

    It’s definitely an interesting read, and they talk specifically about the greatness of design in games like Mario 64. It’s worth pointing out that Nintendo seems to design consoles and products specifically around Miyamoto games (Nintendogs for the DS, Mario 64 for the N64, Wii Sports for the Wii), and it hasn’t always lead them to success.

    What do you guys think of the article? How many of you remember Nintendo’s fall?

    Source- Edge Online

    Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks Trailer

    I’ve never played the Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass for the Nintendo DS, but I hear that it’s a solid and really fun handheld title, if not one of the better Zelda titles. Nintendo has just introduced a new DS Zelda game, Spirit Tracks, which might just continue the goodness. I have to say that some of the gameplay on here looks like a sweet time. Count me interested!

    Did any of you play Phantom Hourglass? Thoughts?

    Analyst Says This is the Last Console Generation

    console-warCould this be the last generation of consoles? Apparently, that’s what analyst Michael Pachter thinks, and it’s his job to come up with this kind of stuff, I guess.

    Here’s what Pachter-Man had to say:

    I think we’ve seen the last generation of consoles… [Third party publishers] are not going to support a PS4 or Xbox 720. The content is not going to change in any meaningful ways because the publishers can’t afford it.

    He also believes that Nintendo might upgrade the Wii at some point, but that both MS and Sony are going to stand pat with what they’ve got. Personally, I think we’ll probably see at least one more round of consoles, but he might not be too far off the mark. What do you guys think? Is this the last console generation?

    Source- 1UP

    Wii Fit Passes Halo 3 Sales in US

    wii-fitYikes. If there’s one game that you just assume that everyone and their mom owns, it’s probably Halo 3. Well, at least that’s what I assume anyway. Not so, though, if the latest sales numbers are to be believed.

    After less than a year since its release, Wii Fit has surpassed Halo 3 in sales in the U.S. Last month, the official number for Wii Fit rose above the 6 million mark, while Halo 3 has sold about 5.9 million since its release in September of 2007.

    So, is this yet another sign of the apocalypse? Personally, I didn’t realize that they had been able to keep Wii Fit in stock enough in order to sell this many of them.

    Source- VG247

    Wii Fangirl Rant

    (The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of a Wii fangirl that wii_gift_17Anthony made up for the purposes of humor and irony. They do not reflect the views of GamerSushi.com. In short: it’s a joke!)

    You know, being on top isn’t easy. Having a Nintendo Wii is so rewarding, yet exhausting at the same time. In between my playing the most popular video game system in years, I constantly have to defend myself against attacks from the “hardcore” gamers. These mouth-breathers, so busy bathing in their bloody games full of filth and cursing, seem to think that the Wii is a lesser system than their giant boxes of boredom. I mean, the PS3 is so large and bulky that if a leopard came at me, I could kill it! And I’m an 11-year-old girl!

    There are so many great things about the Wii that these hardcore gamers can’t see. By the way, I may be young, but I know “hardcore” is a type of adult entertainment found on the Internet a lot and for most of these people, it’s as close as they are ever getting to a person of the opposite sex. And plus, look at my amazing grammar! You don’t see such good spelling anywhere on those hardcore message boards, do you? See what I did there?

    A lot of these people talk about how dumbed-down Wii games are. What a joke! “Super Smash Bros Brawl is so easy! Just hit ‘A’ to win!” Well, Smarty-Pants, try it. Hit “A” over and over and see what happens. Super Smash Bros Brawl is a game of intricate strategy. You have to do more than hit “A”. Often, I have to jump to get items, dodge attacks and mash ALL the buttons in order to win! And even that doesn’t always work. So if you are having problems winning at this game, maybe you aren’t as hardcore as you think you are, tee hee.

    The other game they like to cry about is Mario Kart Wii. They use some term called, “Rubber-band AI”, which means the game actually tries to help the people losing. What’s so wrong about that? When I first played, I beat my big brother 3 times in a row! I made an amazing comeback by getting Blue Shells, Bullet Bill and a TON of Mushroom Turbo Boosts! I went from 12th place to 1st in half a lap! He was so mad and he said a lot of very bad words about Nintendo. So you see, that’s why I think rubber-band AI is so good because my big brother needs all the help he can get!

    Another thing they don’t like are Friend Codes. But Friend Codes are made for pretty little girls like me! They protect me from all the evil guys I see on “To Catch A Predator” and that hang out at my bus stop offering me candy. So now, those guys can’t get to me online when I want to make Miis of myself and all my friends! Plus, even the non-creepy guys always want to talk to me and they like to curse when my brother plays Halo, so I am glad I don’t have to deal with them.  Nintendo seems to think that everyone online is a pervert, so who needs them?I have real friends in the real world, I don’t want friends online. That’s what WebKinz and Myspace are for!

    So for all those hardcore gamers out there that seem to hate on the Wii and us younger gamers who have fallen in love with it, I would like to say one thing: get a life! Just because you have great graphics, diverse gameplay, accessible online gaming and lots of games who’s favorite color is brown, doesn’t mean that you have it all. I have the Wii and when Nintendo releases the Wii 2 in a year or so, with graphics that are slightly better and a touch screen you can stick over your TV screen and play DS games on, you will be even more jealous than you are now!

    Review: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

    dqiv5Before there was Final Fantasy, before there was Mass Effect, there was Dragon Quest (Dragon Warrior previously). Dragon Quest was the RPG that focused on gameplay, grinding and consistency. It left the cinematics and mind-blowing graphics to other JRPGs, focusing on creating a fun world to explore with awesome monster designs and old-school notions. It’s actually more popular in Japan than Final Fantasy is. Shocking, no?

    Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen was previously released in the United States in 1992. On the NES. If you were wondering why you never played it, that would be the reason. Sad to say, its also my reason. But now we have the DS release from this past October. Bringing the game into the new century with a few tweaks here and there and updated visuals, this is a must have for any RPG gamer.
    Continue reading Review: Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen

    Nintendo Releases List of 120 Games I Don’t Want

    punchoutwiiOk, I kid, maybe I want one or two, but even that might be stretching it. Nintendo recently unveiled a whole ton of games coming out this year with release dates, and put them all together for us to see and ogle. Problem is, I’m just not that interested in anything that they have listed, giving more credence to the selling of my Wii.

    The only two games that I have even the slightest desire to play are probably the new Punch Out game as well as the exclusive Indiana Jones title, but beyond that, I feel very much “meh” about it. I’ve said before that while I don’t and have never hated Nintendo, they’re just baffling me this generation, and I’ve been severely disappointed in their complete lack of games. So what are they? Check the list out after the jump.
    Continue reading Nintendo Releases List of 120 Games I Don’t Want

    Dead Space Extraction Equals Rail Shooter

    At least, if the new trailer can be believed, that’s how this game looks. I guess Nintendo Wii owners aren’t going to get a proper port of Dead Space after all. The new game is titled Dead Space Extraction, and while there is a mix of both cut scenes and what looks to be proper gameplay at the end, one thing seems to stand out- it looks more like House of the Dead in space rather than the game we all know and love.

    Does anyone else find that disappointing?

    Microsoft Wants to Buy Motion Control Company?

    microsoftWith Nintendo currently dominating the console (and video game) market as a whole, it becomes no surprise that others, namely Microsoft and Sony, would want to follow suit. I mean, who’s not interested in making money hand over fist the way Nintendo is?

    Apparently, Microsoft is interested in buying an Israeli VR firm 3DV. The technology specifically has to do with using your hands in front of a camera to manipulate objects in 3D space. So yes, it’s a form of motion control, and Microsoft has got their “do want” hats on as the two companies are now in talks.

    So does this confirm it? Will the other consoles be moving towards motion controls? Is this a good thing or bad? Go!

    Source- CNET