Will You Wii U?

Written by John Rios

Nintendo stepped out at E3 2011 and revealed their “next-gen” console, which is really a controller-centric device called the Wii U. From its early looks, the Wii U puts the focus on an oversized tablet controller, which features a massive 6.2-inch touchscreen. The overall bulk of the controller means that it’s going to be a bit of an unwieldy device, with a bit of a 'learning curve' for your hands. The controller incorporates many elements of a Wiimote, such as motion control. The Wii U tablet can be used together with Wiimotes and other accessories like the Wii Balance Board, to create some interesting combinations for gameplay. The controller is backwards compatible with all Wii games, however Wii U is no longer compatible with the Gamecube games.

The actual console looks like a beefed up lovechild of the Wii and Xbox 360, without the Gamecube controller ports. Nintendo did tout a lot of third party support with a compelling sizzle reel of upcoming games. What Reggie failed to mention - until after Nintendo’s press conference - was the fact that the reel was culled from Xbox 360 and PS3 games in development. Reggie did state that Wii U’s graphical performance will be on par with the other current-gen consoles.

The most intriguing element of the Wii U is that it takes the touchscreen tablet angle to its logical extreme: the device is a wireless window into the game console such that if the TV is otherwise occupied, the game can be played in full on the Wii U controller instead. This means that if someone else wants to use the main screen, you can keep playing your game on the console and access it via your touchscreen tablet. This takes a lot of the onus off being tied to the television set in the middle of the living room, and could open up a lot of different opportunities for social gaming in the same room, or around the house. This will depend heavily on the strength of wireless range that the Wii U is capable of maintaining.

Nintendo has sold over 86 million Wii units across the world, so they’re confident that they have a giant consumer base to work from. The primary concern that hung over the Wii, and what kept several developers flagship titles from gracing Nintendo’s now last-gen console, has been the platform’s overall horsepower. That problem is being resolved with the Wii U, which has the processing power to produce 1080p HD video content, something that anyone more than a social gamer must be thrilled with.

As an avid Nintendo fanboy, I always look forward to what the Big N brings to shows such as E3. The Wii U is no exception. I’m cautiously looking forward to the new console, and would love to see actual games harnessing the Wii U’s full power. Tech demos and footage from other systems can only go so far. A day after the announcement of Wii U, Nintendo’s stock saw a 5% drop to the lowest level it’s been in recent memory. It seems as if both investors and consumers alike may be skeptical of Nintendo’s direction. Currently, Nintendo is keeping tight-lipped with information such as launch date and price point for the Wii U, so there is still have a lot of details to look forward to. 

But I want to know what you all think. Will you Wii U?

Nintendo Wii Successor Project Cafe Gets Shot

Here it is folks. Speculative, but the Dell Mini Tower look-a-like you see in the shot above is your Nintendo HD system, "the most developer friendly SDK the industry has ever seen," Project Cafe.

Again, take the above with a grain of salt, however I would bet on the shot being an accurate representation of Project Cafe. In the past weeks the rumors have been increasingly accurate, and Nintendo has finally confirmed the upcoming console's existence and will be offering a playable model at E3 2011. Is it really that hard to believe that the image above is what it is? 

There are some reasons for skewed belief. Nintendo doesn't do black at launch, they keep the party a white affair for the most part. Also, the box itself is too nondescript. Nintendo is known for their quirky design choices, whether or not they can be classified as gimmicks is another arguement, but the fact remains that Nintendo's design choices are eye catching. Granted these could be attributed to a prototype model that has little more than its guts fully realized of yet, but E3 is just over a month away. If what's been leaked is actually a prototype mock of what Nintendo's new baby, they better be hard at work getting it gussied up for the big reveal this summer. 

Will you be buying Nintendo's HD console?

via Destructoid

Nintendo Has "No Plans" For a Western Release of The Last Story

Sadness! With The Last Story just 10 days from release in Japan, in speaking with VG247, Nintendo states they have "no plans at present" to bring what looks like what could be the Wii's best game evar to the West. What the blud, Nintendo? Unaccepting of the vague "at present" crap, Destructoid dug a little further with developers Mistwalker, who countered with the equally vague "Thank you for your concern. More info to come." C'mon son, get we get some straight talk?

Noble denizens of the interwebz are not going to take the lack of western release lightly, as an online petition with over 8,000 signatures has sprung up in an attempt to get some closure on the whole ordeal. I really doubt Nintendo passes on bringing The Last Story to the states, petition or not, but I could be wrong.

After signing the petition, all that's left to do is wait. While you're waiting, why don't you watch this extended cut of TLS in action, then go cry to yourself in a corner as you lament the possibility of never being able to play the game? By time you're all done with that, check back here, and maybe we'll have word from Nintendo by then!

CES11: A Fistful of Nyko

Written by Mark Hagan

We know what you’re thinking, just another set of third party controllers and devices we don’t want or need. Trust me, I know where you're coming from. When it comes to choice of controllers, especially in the console world, quality has usually been in the hands of the parent company. In the past, licensing restrictions and simple competing economics forced 3rd party manufacturers like Nyko to choose cheaper materials to undercut their 'parents'. Now it seems those days are far behind.

Nyko came out, excuse the pun, guns ‘a blazin’ at this year's CES. They introduced a new line of impressive PlayStation Move peripherals -- the assault rifle inspired Power Shot and pistol modeled Perfect Shot -- for all your digital marksmanship needs. The Power Shot can be configured to be used with or without both halves of the Move system by way of a removable grip which can house the navigation controller, and can also be turned toward the left or the right, making it a comfortable fit for southpaws as well. The wildly popular Wiimote Perfect Shot will see an upgrade with the Perfect Shot Pro, the main difference being added vibration feedback. Though no colors have been finalized for the PS3 or Wii versions, the digital camo paint job we got our hands on was pretty badass, so we're going to hope that colorway makes it onto store shelves.

The PS3 also sees two new gamepads that we were really impressed with. Named Raven, one variant comes in the standard Dual Shock layout, the other features alternate Xbox 360-inspired analog stick placement. In both of its forms, the Raven has L2 and R2 triggers, as well as a toggle switch on its back to swap the mapping of the 1 and 2 buttons. Supremely handy for the PS3 games which require you to aim and shoot with L1 and R1 respectively, and very good news for the Dual Shock haters out there. The weight and velvety feel of the controller had all of us drooling to pick one up immediately. I was so impressed with the feel of the Raven, I would drape myself in them if it were socially acceptable.


The 360 wasn’t neglected despite Microsoft's harsh third party licensing restrictions. Though the days of RROD seem to be behind Redmond, the infamous Intercooler accessory got a very stylish upgrade to match the new Xbox 360 Slim body. The Intercooler STS diverts the hot air jetted out of the console's side vent to the front of your system, and in theory away from your home theatre setup, or whatever you may have stacked near. The “TempSmart” technology also enables the device to automatically sense when and how hard the cooling system needs to work. Though I'm skeptical of its practicality, it does turn your 360 into a Ferrari-looking monster of sex appeal, but the question remains, what is the Intercooler STS compensating for? We’ll leave that for you to decide. The black gloss finish may make your matte black 360 Arcade look a tad out of place, if aesthetics are you’re thing.. And we know they are.

Nyko will also be releasing some very cool controller docks for the PlayStation Move and Nintendo Wiimote. The LED notification rings had us mesmerized when we dropped in our exhausted motion controllers. These charge bases will be available in dual and quad charge configurations, assuring even Goro or Kintaro's controllers will never run out of juice.

The 3rd party peripheral world is a scary one. It is usually a case of buyer beware and you get what you pay for scenarios. Nyko has really raised the bar the last few years and have produced well built and attractive add-ons and game pads. Look for most of these products to hit store shelves early this spring at incredibly reasonable prices. Stay tuned for more news when they release.

Check out the gallery for more shots of Nyko's upcoming products!

Our Favorite Low Budget Games of 2010

As the year comes to a close, it seems as if everyone and their mother is dropping their two cents on the best and worst games of 2010. To set our list aside, I want to try something different. Since you can go to just about any place on the internet to find a best of the year list, let's try this:

Our Favorite Low Budget Games of 2010

VVVVVV by Terry Cavanagh (PC, XBLA)
It doesn't get much more simple than this. Commodore 64 inspired graphics, three button gameplay, and a soundtrack of banging chiptune beats. Released in January of this year, VVVVVV captured gamers' hearts with its simple allure, and breaking point difficulty. The plain, outdated look on its face belie VVVVVV's complexity, which feels almost like a Metroidvania game circa the 1980s. 

Super Meat Boy by Team Meat (PC, XBLA)
Based on the successful Newgrounds flash game Meat Boy, Super Meat Boy picks up where its predecessor left off; by making you want to kill yourself. Fans of fast action platformers and punishing twitch-reflex difficulty immediately fell in love with Super Meat Boy. Team Meat made some enemies along the way, like PETA and lamers who wanted a fun and relaxing gaming experience, but sometimes you need to break some heads to get to the top.

Limbo by Playdead Studios (XBLA)
Limbo earned a healthy buzz mostly for its "art game" presentation as completely black and white. In its entirety, Limbo never strays from it's noir style; the characters are little more than blobs of shadow, though the backgrounds are detailed and beautiful. Music is left out in favor of ambiance. With plenty of tricky platform puzzles to solve, Limbo is a slightly disturbed yet hauntingly lovely slice of low budget gaming.

Shank by Klei Entertainment (PC, PSN, XBLA)
Shank is one super pissed off badass motherfucker looking for revenge on the dudes that ruined his life. What better means to do this than a gory side-scrolling stylized action game with slick hand drawn graphics and an epic southwestern soundtrack? While the story wasn't the best, the insanely fun fighting and on-the-fly weapon switching made stringing together combos pleasing for both your eyes and your id.

Minecraft by Markus "Notch" Persson (PC)
What would this list be without Minecraft, arguably the low budget title of 2010. Technically, Minecraft was released in 2009, but it only really began to blow up this year. Starting as a one man job, Minecraft is a game where you can pretty much build anything you want, from the simplest log cabin, to a god damned working CPU. After an incredible increase in popularity this year, Notch hired some more people and created a development company funded strictly by Minecraft sales. As of December 29, 2010, Minecraft has over 2,750,000 registered users, and over 900,000 purchases. Not too bad for a one man project.

Our Most Disappointing Blockbuster Games of 2010

There were tons of gaming disappointments in 2010, some more unforeseen than others. It's easy for a small studio with limited funding to make a bad game, but when a big budget gaming blockbuster goes wrong, it's that much funnier. So without further ado, let's take a look.

Our Most Disappointing Blockbuster Games of 2010

Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar San Diego (PS3, X360)
By no stretch of the imagination is Red Dead Redemption a bad game, in fact, most outlets have it pegged as the game of the year. I however, am growing increasingly critical of Rockstar's games, which is why I found RDR to be a huge disappointment. As a fan of westerns, be it movies or games, I was incredibly excited to hear of an open world western done by Rockstar. There was so much potential, so much that could be done to create a new experience. Beautiful graphics and involving story aside, in the end, Red Dead Redemption ended up feeling too much like a reskin of the Grand Theft Auto series, which felt like a crushing blow and a waste of potential to do something fresh.

Fallout: New Vegas by Obsidian Entertainment (PC, PS3, X360)
In late 2008, a game by the name of Fallout 3 snuck up on me and held me prisoner from the real world for an unhealthily long period if time. The follow up to one of my favorite games of recent memory had to be good, now that the developers had some time to work out the kinks of the original, as well as listen to and implement community suggested changes. Nuts to that! Development was handed over to Obsidian Entertainment from Bethesda Game Studios, and Obsidian didn't really feel like making any tweaks. The moved the story to Vegas and called it a day! Fallout 3 while awesome, wasn't perfect. There was plenty of room for improvement to make the experience even better, but why put in extra work when you can move copies on the strength of the series' name?

Fable III by Lionhead Studios (X360)
The simplistic yet involving Fable series has always been a joy to play, even if it did seem like the game was built to be played by a 12 year old. 2008's Fable II had an interesting story to go along with a dreadfully easy, but enjoyable combat system that delivered an entertaining experience from start to finish. Fable III claimed it would allow you great moral decisions, as the purpose of the third and final entry in the series, is to start a revolution as you see fit. Unfortunately, most of the game's decisions were binary, and rigid, leaving little room for experimentation. You're forced to make promises to allies to earn their trust, and in a turn for the anti-climactic, only at the end of the game are you allowed to renege on your word. 

Epic Mickey by Disney Interactive Studios (Wii)
The name Warren Spector is held in high regard to just about everyone in the gaming industry. Deus Ex, Thief, System Shock, and now Disney's Epic Mickey. One of these things is not like the other! Working with Disney, the talented Mr. Spector became all about the mouse, seemingly living, breathing, and pooping Disney. Unfortunately, his Epic Mickey turned out to be a convoluted mess, where teases of a dark, steampunk tale where Mickey would be responsible for the fate of other characters was way overblown. The morality system seemed like no more than a throw in, with no real weight on the outcome of the game. The controls were spotty, with Wiimote support seemingly added last minute just for the sake of motion controls. Level design, story, graphics, it all left much to be desired.

NBA Elite by EA Sports (PS3, X360)
The NBA Live series has been releasing yearly installments since 1992, and since 1995 under the Live moniker. In 2000, 2K Sports threw their hat into the basketball game market, and had been steadily outperforming the Live series since. With Michael Jordan appearing in their latest title, along with other classic ballers of yesteryear, it seemed like the Live series would have to do something drastic to outdo NBA 2K11. So they decided to change their name to NBA Elite, because people like new and improved names, right? Countless bugs, missteps, and general fuck ups later, the game was outright canceled, and the world would be without a yearly EA NBA sim for the first time in almost 20 years. 

Get Deep with The Last Story's Battle System

With each passing day I become more and more enamored with Nintendo's The Last Story, and you should feel the same. I can't imagine why you wouldn't anyway. The latest details gives us an in depth look at The Last Story's battle system thanks to our Far East Side friends at Andriasang.

Much like typical RPG battle fashion (perhaps more regularly found in MMORPGs) you can see the main character Elza utilizing moves such as pulling enemies, kiting enemies into area-of-effect magic spells, and holding enemy aggro while the teammates coordinate big damage attacks. Then we see some unusual, but welcome tactics, such as running through an allies fire spell area to imbue your weapon with an elemental upgrade, or sweeping a slash through a heal spell to disperse the effects to your entire party. That's thinking outside of the box, melikes.

If you're thinking The Last Story's system is reminiscent of an MMORPG, you would be right. Creator Hironobu Sakaguchi has stated he feels the game plays a bit like an MMORPG in the sense that you undertake this long and involving quest with a party of six friends who are actively engaging in conversation. The difference, of course, being that your companions are computer controlled, and the conversations are most likely scripted.

Still no western release date for what could be one of 2011's best RPGs, but rest assured Nintendo can feel the hype building here for what could be Sakaguchi-san's final masterpiece. 

Retro City Rampage Has Good News and Bad News

So which do you want first, the good or the bad? Fuck it, you're getting the bad news first, so deal with it! Retro City Rampage has been delayed until summer 2011. Dammit! That's an awful long time to wait for what looks like the greatest 80's nostalgia orgy since The Expendables.

To make up for the delay, the game will see some additions, such as more missions and extra playable characters. The Xbox 360 version will also include dopeness such as widescreen support, character creation, video replay, and challenge modes. Wait, did I just say Xbox 360?! Yes, that's your good news, the game has been officially announced for Xbox Live Arcade. As if the nifty header image wasn't clue enough. 

Actually, I guess if you're a Wii fan you get double bad news. The Wiiware version of Retro City Rampage wont release until Fall 2011. Creator Brian Provinciano apologizes for the delay, but a dude's gotta eat, and apparently Wii exclusivity wont pay the bills. Sorry Wiitards!

via Destructoid

The Last Story Will Be Awesome, Book It

Why am I such a fanboy for The Last Story? Probably because it looks incredible (for a Wii game), the battles occur in real time, the character design is fresh and interesting, it's headed by the legendary creator of the Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi, and to add an extra touch of omgwtfawesomesaus, the equally amazing Nobuo Uematsu is handling the music. Yes, the same Nobuo Uematsu that's composed every almost damn Final Fantasy game ever released. I have an inkling that this game is going to be good. 

Andriasang has a great round up of The Last Story's features and modes, including competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes. They also talk story, skills, abilities, magic, and even the newly announced Wii bundle. If you're just hearing about this game now, or you're not completely sure about if it'll be a worthy purchase for your Wii, check the details and prepare to preorder. 

Oh, my bad, did I say preorder? The Last Story hasn't been announced to Western release yet. Let's go Nintendo, you're making us fanboys a little nervous. 

The Last Story Gets Online, Customization

Wii-xclusive action RPG The Last Story continues to move toward its January 27th release date in Japan while periodically reminding us here in the West how awesome it's going to be.. And that we don't have a finalized release date for it yet! 

Andriasang gives us a recent update on Nintendo's upcoming hotness, which will include 6-player online cooperative and competitive modes, orchestrated through the in-game "Raid Lobbies". The cooperative mode allows you to pick your favorite character, and face off against giant baddies with 5 teammates. The competitive mode allows you to pick your favorite character and face off against 5 of your teammates. Everyone is a winner! The implementation of online play in what already looks to be a kick ass adventure saddens me a bit that The Last Story wont make an appearance on PS3 or 360, though I suppose any reason to fire up the Wii is a good reason. 

Customization will be a big part of The Last Story, as your character's appearance will change as you add different pieces of armor and new weapons. You'll even be able to recolor your equipment to put a very personal spin on the fashionable gang.

That's pretty much all the details there are regarding multiplayer and customization thus far, but as the game is just two months away, I'm sure we'll be hearing more very soon. An English announcement can't come soon enough.