Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
    Welcome to Nintendo Forums. We hope you enjoy your visit.


    You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


    Join our community!


    If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

    Username:   Password:
    Add Reply
    December Nintendo News
    Topic Started: Dec 30 2013, 04:01 AM (434 Views)
    Brendan
    Member Avatar
    Pokémon Trainer
    So before I start with more big news, I will start with the small news: Zelda was announced for the new Samsh Bros. 3DS/Wii U owners had trouble getting on eShop. Nintendo fixed it. Pokemon Bank and Pokemon Transporter is delayed for both North America and Japan. Nintendo said they will get it on eShop as soon as possible. 'Nuff said.

    On to the highlights of last week:

    Nintendo Reiterates Confidence That the Wii U Can Compete

    Posted Image

    The Wii U's year to date, though undoubtedly showing upward momentum of late, hasn't yet hit the targets that Nintendo has set. It's looking like a statistical long shot that it'll come particularly close to the company's nine million sales target for the financial year, which will have Satoru Iwata and boardroom colleagues bracing themselves for tough questions in their Q3 and end-of-year financial briefings.

    Yet still, we'll see how December sales have performed — after much-improved but still modest sales in November — with the weekly results from Japan showing numbers going in the right direction. There's also little doubt — only reinforced in the most recent Direct broadcasts — that if Nintendo gets its various projects and partnership projects out of the gate at regular intervals, 2014 could deliver a regular flow of big brands and titles to cater to a variety of audiences.

    The word if is a big one, of course, but Nintendo of America's vice president of corporate affairs, Cindy Gordon, has reiterated the company's confidence in continuing improved Wii U momentum this Holiday season and beyond. As has become common, the messaging is all about varied games for all the family at an affordable price:

    "We’re feeling really good about our ability to compete. We’re standing apart offering variety and value. There’s no question that we are the best offering for families this year and that Nintendo is the best choice for family gaming."

    Wii U "More Than Capable" Of Providing The Core Project CARS Experience, Says Developer

    Posted Image

    Project CARS is a unique game in more ways than one. A rival to the likes of Gran Turismo and Forza, the racer has been crowd-funded and is being developed with the assistance of more than 35,000 backers. Alongside Kickstarter, Slightly Mad's Worlds of Mass Development platform could revolutionise the way games make their way to market — and that makes Project CARS one to watch.

    The studio — which has previously worked on the Need for Speed: Shift and Test Drive franchises — has always insisted that the Wii U port of the game would live up to the promise of the other editions. However, with the recent news that the PS3 and Xbox 360 versions had been dropped in favour of focusing on the PS4 and Xbox One, some Nintendo fans were rightly concerned that the same thing might happen to the Wii U edition. Thankfully, Slightly Mad's Creative Director Andy Tudor has moved to calm such fears.

    Speaking to Red Bull, Tudor said:

    "The Wii U is more than capable of providing the core Project CARS experience. Sure, some super-high-level graphical effects may not be possible but in comparison it also offers a unique interaction experience via the GamePad controller, with the second screen potentially becoming your track map overview, rear-view mirror, telemetry, or simply mimicking a real race car steering wheel whilst you use the gyroscope to drive."

    Plus there are great possibilities to extend our existing WMD community into the Mii Community with discussion and sharing of content and ideas. There’s no realistic racing game on the Wii U currently yet. Project CARS provides a Forza or Gran Turismo-like experience for those gamers and it’ll be something to really show off what the system is capable of.

    Animal Crossing: New Leaf Climbs Back Into the UK Top 20

    Posted Image

    The last UK chart results before Christmas are in, and they show a largely steady week with minimal changes, albeit with some discounts or last minute rushes moving some positions around. The best story from Nintendo's perspective is Animal Crossing: New Leaf, which climbed eight places in the all-format charts from 25th up to 17th.

    Elsewhere, the 3DS is well represented. The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds is next up in 21st, with Pokémon X & Y in 24th and 25th place; further down we have Professor Layton and the Azran Legacy and Mario Kart 7 in 34th and 38th places respectively.

    You have to go down to the lower reaches to see Wii U titles — Super Mario 3D World has dropped to 33rd spot, whereas New Super Luigi U and New Super Mario Bros. U sneak into 39th and 40th places.

    There are undoubtedly positive results in some territories for Nintendo, though the UK sales continue to struggle against stiff competition, albeit with the ongoing positives from the 3DS.

    Clash Of Clans Creator Supercell Doesn't Want To Compete With Nintendo

    Posted Image

    Supercell's Clash of Clans and Hay Day are two of the most popular and profitable games on the iTunes App Store, but the company behind them is relatively new — Supercell was only founded in 2010.

    However, the studio's incredible success — which was emphatically underlined by the recent $1.5 billion investment by Japanese telecoms giant SoftBank — has led many to call it "The Finnish Nintendo".

    Supercell CEO Ilkka Paananen is flattered by the comparison, telling EDGE magazine:

    "For me, if I think of Nintendo, the first thing that comes to mind is I love their games. I love their brands, their characters, how they've always focused on gameplay, how they've always taken their own route no matter what anybody in the industry thinks. If you mention Nintendo in front of people, you get a smile. If in 30 years I say 'Supercell' and the reaction is similar, then I think we really will have achieved something. I don't even want to compete against them. They are an inspiration. It took Nintendo 100 years to get there, so it's possible it will take us 100 years to get there, and that's why we need someone like SoftBank as a partner — someone who is willing to see us through the next 100 years."

    Supercell isn't the only studio from Finland which has cited Nintendo as an inspiration — Angry Birds creator Rovio has also said very positive things about the Japanese giant.

    Nintendo Dominates Festive Hardware Charts in Japan

    Posted Image

    The most recent Japanese Media Create game charts were revealed on Christmas Day, and will have certainly brought festive cheer to Nintendo HQ. In the last full shopping week before the big day there were major successes for the company in terms of both hardware and software, with the 3DS dominant and the Wii U maintaining its strong run.

    To begin with software, GungHo Online Entertainment's 3DS title Puzzle & Dragons Z maintains its number one position with a further 256,373 units, yet more sales of the portable's iteration to add to the title's phenomenal smartphone success. Pokémon X & Y follows in second place with impressive numbers, while the top 20 as a whole is dominated by 3DS software. There are a couple of Wii U positives, with Super Mario 3D World moving another 86,408 copies to come in fifth, while Wii Party U sneaks into the top 20; the results are below, with lifetime sales (physical retail only) in parenthesis.

    1. [3DS] Puzzle & Dragons Z (GungHo Online Entertainment, 12/12/31) – 256,373 (800,003)
    2. [3DS] Pokemon X and Y (Nintendo, 10/12/13) – 212,666 (3,572,829)
    3. [PS3] Shin Gundam Musou (Namco Bandai, 12/19/13) – 126,019 (New)
    4. [PS3] Drakengard 3 (Square Enix, 12/19/13) – 114,024 (New)
    5. [Wii U] Super Mario 3D World (Ninendo, 11/21/13) – 86,408 (327,514)
    6. [PSV] Shin Gundam Musou (Namco Bandai, 12/19/13) – 52,667 (New)
    7. [3DS] Animal Crossing: New Leaf (Nintendo, 11/08/13) – 41,137 (3,564,124)
    8. [3DS] Tomodachi Collection: New Life (04/18/13) – 38,405 (1,584,122)
    9. [3DS] Monster Hunter 4 (Capcom, 09/14/13) – 37,034 (3,067,313)
    10. [3DS] Inazuma Eleven Go Glaaxy Big Bang / Supernova (Level-5, 12/05/13) – 33,328 (155,488)
    11. [3DS] Attack on Titan: The Last Wings of Mankind (Spike Chunsoft, 12/05/13) – 30,363 (166,145)
    12. [3DS] Aikatsu! 2-ri no My Princess (11/21/13) – 29,223 (146,898)
    13. [3DS] Disney Magic Castle: My Happy Life (Namco Bandai, 08/01/13) – 28,562 (378,584)
    14. [3DS] One Piece: Unlimited World R (Namco Bandai, 11/21/13) – 28,108 (169,388)
    15. [3DS] Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon (Nintendo, 03/20/13) – 26,931 (985,442)
    16. [PSV] Puella Magi Madoka Magica: The Battle Pentagram (Namco Bandai, 12/19/13) – 26,363 (New)
    17. [3DS] Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo, 03/20/11) – 26,931 (2,205,807)
    18. [3DS] Sentouchu Densetsu no Shinobi to Survival Battle (Namco Bandai, 10/17/13) – 24,842 (158,239)
    19. [3DS] New Super Mario Bros. 2 (Nintendo, 07/28/12) – 24,154 (2,182,408)
    20. [Wii U] Wii Party U (Nintendo, 10/31/13) – 23,972 (119,100)

    In terms of hardware it's another excellent week for Nintendo. As would be expected from the software charts, the 3DS (both LL / XL and standard models) have seen impressive increases to be the dominant force once more. Perhaps more encouraging is the continuing growth in Wii U sales, with another notable leap seeing its weekly sales go into six figures — most likely for the first time since its launch over 12 months ago. More importantly it's the fourth consecutive week of upward momentum, boosting the userbase and — Nintendo will surely hope — further improving word-of-mouth and perceptions around the system
    Results are below, with last week's sales in parenthesis.

    3DS LL – 164,078 (130,710)
    Wii U – 109,113 (74,903)
    3DS – 68,522 (50,846)
    PlayStation Vita – 50,087 (30,440)
    PlayStation 3 – 24,573 (23,959)
    PSP – 9,905 (6,475)
    PlayStation Vita TV – 5,504 (5,506)
    Wii – 1,711 (1,197)
    Xbox 360 – 763 (536)

    Those are just the results that Nintendo needed, also showing that Wii U bundles and value are leading to increased sales along with new releases over the past month; whether the numbers will help the system to its targets, we'll see, but they're showing positive trends. The 3DS, meanwhile, continues to set impressive standards in the Land of the Rising Sun.

    Legend Of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Is One Of Ken Levine's Best Games Of 2013

    Posted Image

    While many of us would have preferred a brand-new Zelda adventure to play on our shiny new Wii U consoles in 2013, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD was the next best thing. A gorgeous remaster of a certified classic, the game kept many Nintendo fans happy this year — including Irrational Games creative director and co-founder Ken Levine.

    The man behind the critically and commercially acclaimed BioShock series has listed Wind Waker HD as one of his favourite games of 2013, saying:

    "A magical game about a floutist. What else do I need to say that hasn’t been said, except I was never one of those haters who didn’t like the way it looked on the GameCube, and it’s even better now."

    He also had space in his top ten for the likes of Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag and LEGO Marvel Super Heroes.

    Hopefully Levine's love of Link will result in his studio throwing some support in the direction of the Wii U. Back in 2011, Levine himself stated that Irrational had no plans to produce any titles for Nintendo's system, and more recently he has revealed that although he proudly owns a Wii U, it's for pleasure and not business.

    Sega Looking To Bring More Free-To-Play Titles To The 3DS

    Posted Image

    Sega is currently working on Initial D: Perfect Drift Online, a Free-to-Play 3DS title which is scheduled for release in Japan this Winter. Speaking to Famitsu, Toshihiro Nagoshi has revealed that the game is merely the start of a prolonged campaign to see how freemium gaming can work on a handheld console like the 3DS:

    "We don’t intend to stop with this title, and after looking over its results, we’ll think about what to do next. However, unlike games for smartphones, I believe there’s a perfect shape of ways to do things, somewhere out there, for the Nintendo 3DS. I believe that finding it will be our challenge, and in many ways, Initial D will be our first step.

    At the moment, I can say that we’ve been thinking about plenty of things. We have suggestions amongst ourselves like ‘wouldn’t this be a perfect game for a F2P title on Nintendo 3DS’ and many more. So when the time comes to talk about it… we’ll just leave it at that for now."

    Nagoshi also revealed that although Initial D is free to download and supports micro-transactions, it will be possible to play the game without spending any cash:

    "When there’s something special that you’d want, you can purchase points to get it, it’ll work like that. You’ll also be able to accumulate those points in the game by simply playing it."
    Posted Image


    My 3DS friend code: 1134-7907-6403

    Please PM me your 3DS friend code so I can add you.
    Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
     
    Togeshroob
    Member Avatar
    (Temporarily closed. ...Gwaargh!) *doo wee doo wee doo*

    Those sales charts, man... The 3DS is just an unstoppable monster...
    And yeah, the WiiU has been gaining some steam, for sure. While I don't think it'll ever become the runaway success like the 3DS is doing, I do think that it'll at least become a moderate "success" in terms of profit (something akin to N64/GCN).


    Anyway, like always Brendan, I really enjoy reading these and appreciate you puttin' em up!
    Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
     
    Brendan
    Member Avatar
    Pokémon Trainer
    Thanks! :D
    Posted Image


    My 3DS friend code: 1134-7907-6403

    Please PM me your 3DS friend code so I can add you.
    Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
     
    SunDown
    Member Avatar
    "The Enlightened"
    If Slightly Mad had any involvement in the development of Test Drive 6, I'm even more interested in Project Cars. I really loved that game.

    And I can't believe Super Mario 3D World is only in 33rd place on the charts. I'm seriously surprised by that. I guess Nintendo really needs to sell more WiiU consoles in the UK.
    Edited by SunDown, Jan 1 2014, 06:33 PM.
    NNID: NINTENBRO82
    Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
     
    1 user reading this topic (1 Guest and 0 Anonymous)
    « Previous Topic · First Party Discussion · Next Topic »
    Add Reply