Breath of the Wild: Time line revealed?

We (like 98% of the gaming community) are very excited about the latest Legend of Zelda. Whether on Wii U or Switch the game looks great and certainly has people talking.

WARNING: Some might consider this article spoiler but we're only presenting officially released images via trailers and press releases. For the sanity of all involved, I'm not going to dive into the deep end of the lore and just focus on the visual reveals.

So you've been warned, still here? you sure? cool, lets jump right in.

One thing that has been a hot topic for fans ever since the initial announcement, Nintendo's promo materials has highlighted a... thematic similarity to the original NES Legend of Zelda. The wide open and seemingly unsettled Hyrule had players guessing the title could be set after Skyward Sword.

Then we started to see gameplay at E3 and suddenly we saw an interesting figure pop up, a Korok. A Wind Waker exclusive race and descendants of Ocarina of Time's Korai kids.

The post-Wind Waker theory gained more traction as a Rito appeared in a trailer. The Rito like Korok is a Wind Waker exclusive evolution of a classic (and in WW extinct) OoT race the Zora (still not happy about fish people becoming bird people when the world floods).

You add that one of the in-game items references "the great sea" it cements the post WW timeline. case closed then, sure Nintendo could release more nostalgia-infused artwork but that's just promo stuff, it's not like they could do anything to change our view of the timeline...

and... that is clearly a Zora and yes there was a Zora in WW but that was a ghost and so doesn't count.

That brings us to 'now' we've had Miyamoto and Aonuma answer some quick fire questions, they confirm some stuff (some seem jokey) and one such detail was that Breath of the Wild does take place after OoT

Watch us ask Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma 51 rapid-fire questions about Zelda, Mario, and the Switch. https://t.co/p0aJ2hdNlA pic.twitter.com/5KQJvm6cqv

— Game Informer (@gameinformer) February 8, 2017

We now seem to have some pretty final confirmation as Gameinformer has unveiled a returning character from WW which counter-intuitively suggests the gap between it and Breath of the Wild isn't that extreme.

The floating merchant Beedle returns, this time switching (HA) out his boat for giant beetle themed backpack. Now is this the original Beedle or is he one of his descendants? This question is instantly dismissed as we now must ask is THIS Link a new hero or his he the adult form of WW/Toon link? guess we'll find out in a few weeks.

Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild launches March 3rd on Wii U and Nintendo Switch.
In related news, Amazon has fresh stock of both the Grey and Neon version.

Abe's Take
I need to play this game, like right now!

Nintendo Switch Rumour Dump

So something odd happened, Youtube streamer OBE1Plays was 'Intensely' streaming a Splatoon match when it was interrupted by now famous Nintendo Switch leaker Laura Dale.

Suddenly the stream ended and a Nintendo rumour fest began. OBE1Plays claims to have exclusive leaks for his "12 days of Switchmas" and this starts with both confirming that the next Assassin's Creed game will see 'release parity' across X1, PS4 and Nintendo Switch, which would be nice as on the Wii U version of Assassin's Creed III arrived 5 weeks later than is 360/PS3 cousin. The Wii U's gamepad made the poorly built wilderness map a lot easier to get through and reach the actual fun parts of the world. ODE1 also confirms the AC game in question is Egyptian themed, which could mean some Aladdin flashbacks.

@OBE1plays @YouTube I've heard as much on AC release parity, Ubi want day one release. Good luck on your 12 days. Fingers crossed for you.

— Laura Kate Dale (@LaurakBuzz) December 28, 2016

The two's live stream can be viewed here but the stream is 30 minutes long and so here is the cliff notes created by Nintendo Life's Dan Thompson. You'll all so see some notes by me in Bold.

• There's a record button on the left Joy-Con. We've previously assumed that button to be an NFC reader.
• There will be no friend codes, DeNA is helping Nintendo with the networking. 
• The leak from Reddit user 'Genos' is fake.
• Laura was asked if there was the possibility of Red Dead Redemption 2 or Overwatch coming to the Switch. Regarding Red Dead, she stated that there's almost no way it's going to happen due to Rockstar's relationship with Nintendo. She assures that Overwatch wouldn't be there at launch, and the two stated that it would require a massively overhauled port due to the 'always-online' nature of the title. This bit seems off to us if Overwatch can't come to Switch that rules out other every MMO and "always online" titles like Destiny, Division and others like Rocket lead. The 3DS doesn't feature mobile internet but that hasn't stopped two MMOs in Japan (Monster Hunter Frontier and Dragon Quest X)
• Don't expect a delay for the Nintendo Switch.
• Laura was asked about voice-chat, before she was going to answer she asked if she could say anything due to OBE1 releasing a video detailing it out soon. This basically confirmed the fact that it's going to be included, smooth move guys. This isn't too helpful as the Wii U supported voice chat but not as a system wide feature.
• The system will have Bluetooth, not sure to what extent. One assumes the Pro pad and Joy-Cons are not wired USB devices.
• The Joy-Cons will be available to be purchased separately at launch date. Docks will be purchasable after 6 months and will be 'cheap'.
• There won't be a bundle that includes the Pro Controller, they will be purchasable separately.
• The battery will last around 3 hours with everything at maximum. We know from Unreal code that the Switch can throttle performance to 60% in portable mode so if 3 hours at max, then 5-6 hours at 60% is possible
• The charging port is USB and will easily and quickly charge the system. Yay, power banks!
• Only expect three virtual console Gamecube games at launch, they will be optimised for their original resolutions.
• At launch, there will only be one colour of the Switch, and it will be the default grey. However, there's a slight chance that there will be multiple colours after launch. Pretty sure every Nintendo system after the SNES got multiple colours after launch.
• The right Joy-Con has an IR pointer akin to the Wiimote, this will allow touch-screen functionalities while docked. 
• The entry bundle for the switch will have 32GB of onboard storage, Micro SD card support will extend to 128 GB. hard limit or will players be able to risk larger cards? also, yay Micro SD!
• When asked about Mass Effect Andromeda, she brought up the point that Mass Effect 3 sold horrendously on Wii U and that there are no plans to release the title. This isn't exactly a 'rumour' as the developers have already ruled out a port. I'm sure EA knows full well why ME3 sales was low on Wii U *cough* trilogy *cough*

Separately Ms Dale is still unsure on whether if the Breath of the Wild will be on the Nintendo Switch at launch, From her sources she believes that Mario Switch will be a launch title whilst Breath of the Wild will hit later. Whilst I don't have the sources of Ms Dale, the fact that Tantalus has games in development for Switch does make my "Zelda-delay-sense" tingle. (Tantalus are the studio behind the HD remakes of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess) though it would seem utterly bizare to rob the Switch of all that "wild hype" in favour of any brand boost from Super Mario Run.

Abe's Take

It's not long before we can call time on these rumours as we're less than a quarter of a month away from the full reveal by Nintendo. 

Wii U Production ends

After denying reports that the Wii U was ending its production "that week" Nintendo's Japanese website now has this to say.
"近日生産終了予定"

Which we're reliably informed (by Google) means "production to end soon". The Wii U so far has sold about 13.36 million units which means it's Nintendo's worst selling home console because apparently the Virtual Boy counts as a handheld (I know right?) however it did manage to beat out another great console that fell short, the Sega's Dreamcast (9.13 million)

Obviously, this is all in order to make room for Nintendo's new system which is set to deliver the most used feature of the Wii U... off-TV play.

Abe's Take
So what now for the Wii U's left "in the system" that need to be sold? Same thing it needed 6 weeks before the Xbox One was announced a deep price cut. The last of the units need to be sliced down to £100 probably with a game. Throw in some heavy marketing, sprinkle with more of the systems hit games on Nintendo select and get rid off the last of the stock.

Rumour: Smash Switch Port/Amiibo Delayed

And we're back to Nintendo Switch rumours, it was nice writing about Metro and Mass Effect for a change. Today we seemingly have a rebuttal to another rumour intentionally/accidentally using today's source.

Today's report come from our pal (they don't know that) Laura Dale. Today she is reporting that Super Smash Bro's 4 is coming to the Nintendo Switch but will not be available at launch but will hit some point in the first 6 months after launch. Unlike the previous rumour (that other places linked to) Ms Dale sources are not saying this will be a "director's cut" or that it will feature any new content beyond the original DLC from the Wii U. They are also unable to get any confirmation on Gamecube controller support or if the 3DS exclusive levels will be ported across too.

However, this port might of coming at a cost for Amiibo fans Dale's sources say that the Bayonetta and Cloud Amiibo will be delayed so they can be launched alongside "Super Smash Bros for Switch".

Source

Abe's Take
Something pinged in my head as I was writing that last part as both Bayonetta and Final Fantasy are rumoured to be seeing Nintendo Switch ports/sequels.

The life expectancy of my Wii U will probably be determined by how true these rumours of ports and director cuts are. The Wii U holds the crown for multiplayer get-togethers and will probably hold it until the Switch gets games to replace it.

Rumour: Nintendo Switch to get Wii U "Director's Cuts"

Here's me digging into Xenoverses 2's multiplayer so I can finally finish the review and a little blinking light on my phone inform me of yet another Nintendo Switch dump. Dear news-minions; Prepare the salt!

Oddly no, these rumour's do not come from Laura Dale but instead from a site (Mobiepicker) I had not heard off until today.. oh wow that's a lot of salts the minions have brought me.

[please not the source has either intentionally or accidently set up their information right next to Laura Dale's she is NOT the source of this infomation]

NFC ID
The source of today's rumour dump reports that the Nintendo Switch will support "player ID cards" that act as a means of continuing your progress on another Switch, taking your unlocked content to a friends version of the game eg your Mario Kart progress, they even go on to say its possible for the cards to transfer some games temporally (though we struggle to believe anything outside of the Virtual Console could be transfered via an NFC card). Apparently, this was developed as a sort of bypass of the systems battery life. These cards will be available to buy for $10, with custom versions sold through the Nintendo Store, and one will be included in the box.

It is interesting to note the Wii did have the ability to store select data, Mii's mostly (though I do recall saving a version of my hunter on the Wiimote on Monster Hunter Tri) on the Wiimote itself so this isn't without precedent.

Director's Cuts
Before the reveal, it was speculated and "leaked" repeatedly that 'key' Wii U titles will see a 2nd life on "the NX" as remasters. The Nintendo Switch reveal came along and gave those rumours a high five and a punch in the guy. Two of the long rumoured game appeared in the trailer but showed curious differences to the Wii U titles. Mario Kart had a new character and 2 item slots, whilst Splatoon teased a heap of new customization options. The idea that these expanded versions would appeal to both Wii U owners and non-Wii U owners who "missed" them. In what is either wishful thinking or the most consumer friendly move 'mobipicker' also reports that Nintendo will be offering these remasters for free for digital owners of the originals and say that Nintendo is working with retailers to allow gamers to trade in the physical copies for a free digital code/discount on physical version. Directors cuts of Mario Kart, Splatoon and Smash Bro's will be available at launch.

This is a bit iffy to us as Nintendo is known for charging for Virtual Console releases on 2nd platforms Wii-Wii U, for example, had an upgrade cost, admittedly the Wii U VC did boast some more features but still seems a million miles from FREE UPGRADES. However, we do expect these titles to see ports on Switch as other great Wii U games have ported to 3DS to make up for the Wii U's reach (Hyrule Warriors, Yoshi Wolly World, and Mario Maker)

Super Mario Switch
Or that is its working name according to their source is set to be an "amalgamation" of the series (3D entries like 64 and Galaxy) and will feature power-ups (LIKE EVERY MARIO EVER) that allow players to access different areas. They go on to say that some levels will connect to one another, the example given has a 2D level connecting an ice hub area to a desert level (this sounds like the hidden levels in 64.) Finally, they say the game will feature co-op but to keep the game from descending into the same anarchy as 3D world will be limited to 2 players.

It's hard to say this is real or not because it mostly describes a 3D Mario game, though I do like the idea of a more focused 2 player co-op Mario in the Style of Mario 64/Sunshine.

Price
Finally, they claim to have details on three bundles for the Nintendo Switch

• 'Basic' bundle ($260) - Switch, Joy-Cons, dock, NFC ID, and (maybe) the controller mount
• Mario Bundle ($300) - The basic bundle with Mario packed in.
• Zelda bundle ($340) - Basic bundle, Zelda and a pro controller.

That's the sort of ballpark everyone has been saying the Nintendo Switch needs to be to compete with Xbox 1 and PS4.

Abe's Take

on the whole its all very viable but the fact that none of the other leakers isn't saying the same thing it seems off. It is worth noting so far they haven't outright disagreed with it (outside its weird structure either intentionally or accidently linking it to Ms Dale) but then again this is the sort of stuff people expect with a new system launch. We are 69 days from the reveal, just how many more rumours could there be!?

RUMOUR: End of Wii U/Capcom Multiformat Odds

Oh phew! was starting to think there wouldn't be any Nintendo Switch rumours today but here we are with some freshness.

Wii U's Death?

Whilst Nintendo has been repeatedly confirming the 3DS will carrying on after Switch they have been quiet on the Wii U. They once said the (then) NX wouldn't replace both systems but since it's reveal, the Wii U hasn't been mentioned and now Emily Rogers has apparently confirmed with her sources that the end is sooner than we'd think.

This is correct. I'm hearing production officially ends this month. https://t.co/WQL8cPqIIK

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 1, 2016

Okay, then let's get more specific. Wii U production is ending this week. https://t.co/qYZvOnnFxw

— Emily Rogers (@ArcadeGirl64) November 1, 2016

It's no the first time we've heard the Wii U will meet it's official end this year but this week? damn!

UPDATE: Eurogamer says their sources also confirm the Wii U's death this week.

Capcom's Multi-format 
Capcom is a desired third party for Nintendo Switch, as Monster Hunter sells portable systems like no other title that isn't Pokemon and us at GK-UK had instant flashes of Street Fighter when in the reveal you had two people playing on one Switch (Fun Fact: each Joy-Con has enough inputs for Street Fighter). Even back in the days of the NX rumour mill, people discovered that Resident Evil 7 was trademarked for "video game cartridges" alongside the usual disk and digital options, which lead to speculation it could see a Switch port. After all, Nintendo has since confirmed Capcom as an "official partner" for the Switch

However, the Wall Street Journal's Takashi Mochizuki has thrown a cloud of doubt over Capcom bringing their multiformat titles to the Nintendo Switch

Capcom says Sony and Nintendo approach game business differently, not that simple to make multi-platform games

— Takashi Mochizuki (@mochi_wsj) October 28, 2016

If this is a roadblock to the likes of Street Fighter V or (preferably) Ultra Street Fighter IV from appearing on Switch, it should at least in theory block Monster Hunter (outside of the MMO) from heading back to Sony, which out of the two IP's is probably better for Switch.

Abe's Take
It's sad to see the Wii U officially end but it's the right thing to do, with a new system 5 months away and super little on the way for the machine.

And regards to Capcom I would love to see Monter Hunter, Resident Evil, Dragon's Dogma and Street Fighter on the Switch but I do have to rate Street Fighter in particular chances as very low. If Microsoft can not get USFIV on backwards compatibility then it's likely Sony has the IP locked down.

Nintendo Switch Talk and Reports

It's been a busy few days and there's been a lot of rumours that nearly fill a tweet, so we decided to bundle them all together with some information from the Nintendo quarterly report, and sprinkle that with some comments from developers and analysts. 

Quarterly report
Today is Nintendo's shareholder meeting and we're getting little tidbits from Nintendo which gives us some insight

• Nintendo is "confident" that consumers won't confuse the Switch as a 3DS refresh
• Nintendo reconfirmed there would be no further announcements this year.
• Nintendo hasn't set a price, won't be sold at a loss BUT Nintendo is "listening to Consumer conversation" on it. 
• Nintendo expects to ship 2 million units this fiscal year, which ends March 2017. So basically they expect to move 2 million units at launch. 
• Unsurprisingly the Wii U and 3DS haven't done well this quarter with the NX silently dominating the conversation.
• Lifetime sales of the Wii U are 13.36 million units and 92.35 million games. 
• Lifetime sales of the 3DS are 61.56 million units and 293.40 million games

We also got a look at how Nintendo's first party titles have sold.

Mario Kart 8 - 8.00 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. U - 5.45 million pcs.
Super Mario 3D World - 5.19 million pcs.
Nintendo Land - 5.13 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Wii U - 4.99 million pcs.
Splatoon - 4.57 million pcs.
Super Mario Maker - 3.73 million pcs.
New Super Luigi U - 2.74 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - 1.98 million pcs.
Mario Party 10 - 1.94 million pcs.
Pokémon X/Pokémon Y - 15.64 million pcs.
Mario Kart 7 - 13.94 million pcs.
Pokémon Omega Ruby/Pokémon Alpha Sapphire - 13.18 million pcs.
SUPER MARIO 3D LAND - 10.98 million pcs.
New Super Mario Bros. 2 - 10.60 million pcs.
Animal Crossing: New Leaf - 10.34 million pcs.
Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS - 8.35 million pcs.
Tomodachi Life - 5.30 million pcs.
Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon - 5.03 million pcs.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D - 4.52 million pcs.
Pokemon OR/AS - 1.3 million pcs (this figure is for Q2 only)
Kirby: Planet Robobot - 1.08 million pcs. (this figure is for Q2 only)

For comparison PS4 first party exclusive: Uncharted 4 has sold 4.20 million units and Black Ops 3 that released on 5 platforms sold 23 million.

Rumours
Laura Dale, who first broke the Switch's form has some more info from her sources. First, up the Nintendo Switch won't be sold in any bundle without the dock, to be clear there will be no "portable only" option. This doesn't mean there won't be one down the line, just not for a while IF it happens

Secondly she The Joy-Con R (Right) apparently has an "IR pointer" for games that use the touchscreen, obviously, this reconfirms her previous rumour that the Switch has a touchscreen.

The guys at King Avery Games has cleaned up the image of the Nintendo Switch Pro-controller and believes the pad doesn't have a headphone port. That is assuming of cause the (surprisingly 'used) looking controller in the trailer isn't a dummy. You can see for yourself

Talk
These are not rumours, as they're simply people saying things themselves or making predictions.

David Gibson of Macquire (the guys who preemptively got disappointed in the switch before its reveal and downgraded Nintendo's status) believes the Switch will cost $250 and will sell roughly 10.6 million units a year.

Mark Lipacis of 2Jefferies & Co" believes that Nvidia is going to make between £200-320m a year, they too think the first year sales of the Switch will be 10 million units (or as low as 4 million)

DrinkBox Studios the extremely talented guys behind GKUK favourite Guacamelee are impressed with the Nintendo Switch and has publicly asked for some Dev Kits.

It seems the Switch has sparked something within Hideki Kamiya (director of Okami, Bayonetta 1, Vanquished and Scalebound) as he is "kind of" interested in porting Wonderful 101 to the new device. We already know his studio Platinum Games is an official partner for the Switch which lends some credit to an old rumour that PG was working on Bayonetta 2.

Abe's Take
whilst the market analysts are bullish on the Switch (they seem to either want a Nintendo branded PC or a phone) the developer and gamer response have been overwhelmingly positive, So it reasonable to think we can expect these Switch rumours to keep on coming. Nintendo expecting to ship two million units in a month suggests we could see the Switch launch in the part way or late into March.

Nintendo Switch Size Comparisons

Nintendo's upcoming system is promising a unified home and handheld experience which is an impressive goal but with such a promise there are questions of how do you marry these two extremes of gaming. 

Handhelds gaming needs portability and battery life, home games, on the other hand, need a large clear screen and power. Well it appears today we are getting a look into one of those aspects as the guys at King Avery Games have made some handy images comparing the 3DS XL to the Switch

So it appears the console main body (no Joy-Cons) is slightly wider and taller as a closed 3DS XL, and it looks like the console screen reaps the benefit.

But how does the whole package compare against the Wii U's gamepad that was "unwieldy" to some? well KAG thought the same and produced this other handy comparison.

As you can see the Switch manages to cut down the Wii U's bulk whilst increasing the size of the screen. Whilst we don't know the spec of the screen I think it's safe to assume is resolution (been rumoured to be 900/1080) above the 3DS and Wii U's screen.

Abe's Take

This is roughly what is was expecting but I'm impressed with its size and it's certainly less unwieldy than my Vision 8 Tablet for Xbox One streaming. That's device is most certainly not portable and is more than a little tiring to hold for extended periods. 

 

Monster Hunter Direct!

Well, we've been talking a lot here about the possibility of Monster Hunter on the NX and then suddenly this appears.

Update: The official website says the Direct will not feature the Nintendo Switch or Smartphones

Original Story:

2016年10月27日（木）20時よりモンスターハンターシリーズに関する情報を、カプコンの辻本さんからインターネットをご覧のみなさんに直接お届けします。#NintendoDirectJP https://t.co/ChUHY5FAuX

— 任天堂株式会社 (@Nintendo) October 24, 2016

Nintendo Japan is having a (currently) Japanese exclusive Monster Hunter Direct on Thursday the 27th at 20:00 Japanese time, which is about 12pm if you feel inclined to watch it.

What could be discussed? Monster Hunter Stories has already been released in Japan, so unless the game is getting some large DLC that seems unlikely. Current favourites are Monster Hunter X-G (Generations Ultimate to western fans) or an MH for Nintendo Switch. well I guess we'll find out in a few days

Abe's Take
Monster Hunter stands out as a franchise that'll benefit from the "dual nature" of the Switch. Global MH fans have been very split but equally vocal in the past about wanting mobile and home experiences.

Look back: Super Mario World

Yesterday was the SNES' American 25th birthday. Lots of the web celebrated the glorious day but to us in the GK-UK office because... well the US SNES was an ugly, blocky, purple monster with disgusting Parma-Violets sweets (that I also hate) for pad buttons.

Whilst we wait till next April for the EU 25th for our full celebration I've decided to give a quick look back/review at my personal SNES highlight Super Mario World, which along side Street Fighter II  was one of the most played game on me and my brother's shared SNES.

Super Mario World is the first game I have a clear memory of completing and I remember 4 year old me sinking so many hours in to it searching for hidden routes, the alternate Yoshi, and competing in home made challenges against my brother (such challenges I am certain will soon become drinking games).

SMW is an all round fantastic SNES game as the graphics, gameplay and music are all top tier. The sprite work is nicely detailed whilst maintaining the bright colours that instantly invoke memories of Saturday morning cartoons. The work that went into the art clearly paid off as the title still looks great today (for an 16bit 4:3 game in an 1080p HD 16:9 era). The music and sounds are all highly effective any body who played the game in their youth will react to hearing the Haunted House theme with a cold sweat. In fact take a listen (the below is an 60 part playlist of the entire OST, so enjoy) All the music was composed by Nintendo's own musical genius Koji Kondo, using only a electric keyboard. One thing that stuck out to me was the ways they manipulated the music to the level/events with cave levels featuring the theme slowed and echoing, where as in underwater worlds the music is more waltz like creating a wave like feel, and any time you hop on an Yoshi Bongo's accompany the main track.

The games difficulty starts nice and easy before adding in more and more levels of complexity, the difficulty curve is nicely balanced and creates a rewarding sense of progression. Super Mario World added in several new abilities for the man of 'stache included the "feather cape" which whilst initially seems to be a simply reskin of the Raccoon tail and Tanooki suit but gave greater control of Mario/Luigi's flight allowing players to gain more air by swooping down and pulling back up (a skill that would go on to serve games in other titles such as the Arkham Games) plus you know, capes are cool. The other addition that ended up sticking around was everyone's dinosaur pal Yoshi. 

Yoshi gave players a larger jump, an extra hit of damage, the ability to snatch enemies at range, and an heartless ejection system: that would save Mario from a pitfall drop whilst sending his loyal dino to his doom. Yoshi also possessed unique abilities depending on the colour of the Koopa shell he was holding in his mouth. Red shells gave him fire breath, yellow shells gave Yoshi ground pounds and blue (purple) shells gave Yoshi wings, Rainbow shells gave him all the powers, and finally green shells did... well nothing you spat them back out. these abilities could also be overridden by riding one of the alternative colour Yoshi hidden in the special world. These guys would ignore the shells colour and instead granted abilities based on their own.

Super Mario World is available on the SNES, GBA, Wii, Wii U VC and New 3DS VC

IronFall Dev Announces a New Game

There are lot of talented indie developers out there but to us 3DS Game Knights there is one team that stands above the others. VD-Dev a 3 man team who crafted the remarkable IronFall, an impressive Gears of War clone for the 3DS. The game had its flaws but it played and looked brilliant, even managing to hit a solid 60FPS on both 3DS and New 3DS. Here take a look at the trailer.

Right so that's our gushing out the way and now its time for the reason why we've gather you here today. The three man superstar team has announced an brand new title 'RISE: Race the Future' a racing title inspired by Sega Rally, RISE is set in the near future where cars are equipped with "air lifting" technology which allows cars to keep racing even over deep water.

RISE will feature the classic arcade mode, a 'history' mode that allows you to unlock more cars and explore the games plot that will "reveal the true purpose of air lift tech". The guys at VD-Dev are teaming up with automotive designer Anthony Jannerlly, who unsurprisingly will be designing the titles futuristic cars.

Just look at that, how lovely is that! Money well spent recruiting Jannerlly. RISE will be hitting basically every single platform Xbox One, PS4, PC, Mobile, Wii U, and 3DS later this year. But interestingly it'll be hitting the Nintendo NX next year too. Which if we're not mistaken is the first (not Zelda) title announced for the system. lets have a look at the teaser.

Abe's Take
I am looking foward to this, every ingredient here is has me excited, and frankly I cant wait.
on a different note. I love how even this reveal gives us no clues on the Nintendo NX as the 2016 launch covers a wide range of forms and specs.

WEIRDNESS: Street Fighter II Mystery Solved

Street Fighter is not only one of the top tier fighting franchise but also lore spinning machine, however there is a habit of not committing to it and end up creating an awful lot of questions that they tend to outright ignore.

Well after 25 years one question has been answered. Yes the fate of Ryu's Master Goken's daughter "Little Miss" last seen in SF1... wait! she vanished from the story 29 years ago in Street Fighter 1... then what is this resolved mystery from the depths of Street Fighter, is it Shen Long? Because I'm pretty sure that was why Akuma now exists.

Oh it these guys. Excuse me whilst I scream in frustration.

Right I'm back the two characters are from the opening of Street Fighter II, Their names are apparently Max (left) and Scott (right). Their profiles have been shared on the Street Fighter sub-reddit, The pages are in Japanese but I'll post the translated information and the artwork here. UPDATE: Rewrote the bio's as the translated text was the worst kind of "Engrish" and didn't make much sense, for example here is the original bio text (Original pages are linked to their names below).

MAX
Boxer to be active in the heavyweight speed and technique to the weapon.

But decent influential person to participate in mixed martial arts tournament,

Behavior is poor causing the often problems are punished.

Gambling like a will is invested most of the prize money.

SCOTT

It is currently in the former boxer has been the bouncer of the bar.

Wage a street fight in the city of thugs opponent intense straight and opponent of the attack at high speed ducking dodge in a fine line.

Weekend seems to go the black bass fishing in the lake.

Name: Max

Height: 187cm

Weight: 93kg

Blood type: A

Birthday: April 1

Home Country: United States

Favorite things: Shiny things and gambling.

Dislikes: Serious things

Bio: An heavyweight boxer who uses his speed and technique to defeat his opponents.
Despite his in ring ability his poor behaviour eliminates him from prize fights and this doesn't sit will with his gambling habits, to continue funding his gambling habit he enters the World Warrior mixed martial arts tournament.

Abe: He sounds a lot like an non-Shadaloo Balrog

The Eye Of Truth Spies E3

Nintendo's plans for E3 has been rather controversial this year as they are claiming the entire event will be for just one game Legend of Zelda. Whilst the Wii U seems dead for the rest of the year the 3DS has "many unannounced" titles coming, them skipping E3 is eyebrow raising. However Nintendo's updated their E3 page.

That right there is pretty darn ominous.

The Nintendo's page reconfirms that E3 will see the world premier of footage of the Wii U and NX launch title, it's worth noting they wording suggests it's only the Wii U version that will be shown BUT entirely possible Nintendo is simply lying about what we'll see at E3

The E3 page is the same reveal footage from it's original reveal set to to ambient nature sounds, its rather pleasant. I have it playing away as I write this very article... Ah nature!

Whilst we're here lets do a little harmless speculating based entirely on the promo image. We have the Eye/lenses of Truth surrounded by what appears to be a circuit digram, which makes me instantly recall Link's fancy arrow and the mechanical enemy from that first trailer. The colouring certainly brings twilight princess to mind... though that could be because i'm currently playing Twlight Princess HD.

Abe's TakeOminous imagery aside, its going to be great to see the new Zelda title in action but the wait till next march is going to be soul destroying! Personally I do worry Nintendo might show off too much of the game as its their sole focus of E3.

Rumour: 2nd Nintendo Device Incoming?

So here we are waiting around for NX details to drop (even though it wont be at E3), carefully watching the web to see any information or hint at what the new system could be and it seems something else nearly sneaked on by.

A financial report from Yahoo Japan seems to of outed another device from Nintendo. Here is the article handy (via google) translated in to English, Its the third star/bullet point down. let me give you the important quote from the article

 "next-generation game machine "NX" and next-generation portable game machine to "MH (tentative name)"

Now normally I'd chalk this up to mistranslation or mishearing of the name but this directly states the NX and an separate handheld unit codenamed "MH", Which is actually a pretty fitting codename seeing as in Japan Monster Hunter is the kingmaker, you release a new entry on an device and that device sells out.

Now if the MH is real then this explains why we've been receiving wildly different information on the NX (less powerful than Xbox One powered by Nvidia Tegra/massively more powerful than PS4 powered by AMD Polaris) from all the sources, The wild selection of patents linked to Nintendo and even backs up earlier rumours that the NX would have a staggered release with a home unit launching first and then handheld unit launching later (other rumours had the order switched). Its also worth pointing out Gamespot US and AMD have repeatedly mentioned that "multiple systems" are heading to market. which we have all linked to Xbox One and PS4 revisions but could now mean MH too.

The article seems to believe the NX and MH together will increase stock values by "dispelling Skepticism of monetization of mobile games" I.E. money coming from console sales not mobile sales.

Abe's TakeWith the 3DS in its twilight years, the Wii U failing to gain traction and the downfall of western Handheld/ Eastern Home sales. It was natural for us all to assume the NX was an hybrid device meant to replace both systems. Obviously if true we don't really know anything about the NX let alone the MH, they could still be two devices that share a library of games. An in house theory is the NX is going to be something... powerful and weird (like VR) and the MH will be a "traditional" handheld aimed at the current gen systems.

FEATURE: Don't buy New Gen Yet!

That's a pretty provocative title isn't it? It's not meant to rile up current gen owners (like myself), The X1, PS4 and Wii U have some amazing games both from internal studios and external ones but if you're not here with us yet (or are looking to jump ship), please just wait a few months.

So lets get round to that title and to why, Right now there is plenty of great deals on next gen systems but there is also non-stop swirl of rumours making those deals... not that much of a deal. We're at a cross roads right now. With things like new systems, VR, hardware updates and who knows what else at E3 all geared to throw the status quo straight out of a window.`

Wii U
Lets start with the most likely of the three. We know Nintendo has a new system on its way, currently codenamed: NX. What do we know about it? Not a whole lot if we're talking facts, we know Nintendo will give the world an real look at it during June's E3 event. This obviously makes the Wii U a slightly shaky purchase right now. We're only 90% certain that the NX is a home system to replace the Wii U. The only "certainty" according to rumour and analysts is that it'll launch in November.

Risk: High, its unknown if the NX will play Wii U games.

PS4
Now moving on to the middle likely one. This October Sony is launching it's VR headset for the PS4 but it wont plug directly into the console. instead the headset connects to a box (that actually looks like an baby PS4) that boosts the consoles specs to handle the demands of VR.

Why you should hold of? There is repeated reports of an updated PS4 being launched this year, unlike previous revisions like the PS2 slim this one is said to be an upgrade. Either names the PS4.5 or PS4K. The rumour says this version of PS4 will have the VR's extra grunt built into the console making the PSVR set up a little bit more entertainment center but these reports claim that this version of ps4 will (somehow) output games at 4K instead of 1080p.

Risk: Moderate to High, I personally don't think Sony would go the annual update route as this would start annoying customers as exclusive content starts appearing. I do however believe that they would release a PlayStation-VR, an PS4 geared towards VR having the extra grunt built in but coming with the PS-Move controllers instead of a DS4.

Xbox OneHere we are at the last one and the most confusing. Rumours began to swirl around when head of Xbox Phil Spencer said he didn't want to wait for a generational leap to improve Xbox one. This instantly lead people to believe Microsoft would release modular hardware updates so users could upgrade their machine for more performance. Spencer shot that idea down saying "I don't want fans opening up the Xbox with a screw driver". This led fans to believe that MS planned to release a similar to the rumoured PS4.5, A Xbox 1.5 if you will. Again Spencer shot this idea down.

So right now we have an concept "more xbox one power" but no idea how, the only remaining concept would be MS using cloud streaming to augment the Xbox one's processes.

Risk: Low to moderate. MS plans are unimportant right now as they have stated they want their games to be both backward compatible and forward compatible, we shouldn't see .5 exclusive releases. Hell from the sounds of it we could even be seeing some PC games come to X1.

Abe's Take
This article is hard to write as I don't like telling people to not get involved in gaming, right now there is some mind blowing, fantastic titles but I've also bought devices only for a better version to be announced a few months later. It's best to hunker down and wait till E3.

A Fresh NX Leak

Yep another day and another leak about Nintendo's mystery system. Today's leak comes from "Geno" of NeoGaf. Whose previous leaks include "next Pokemon will be 3D (X and Y), will feature a new fairy type", "The PS4 will run DX11 graphics like Unreal Engine 4 (which it did) "and that "Microsoft was developing a 360 projector (Ilumiroom)". So as leakers go he has a good batting average.

What makes today's leak so different as it gives us details on the actual machine. I'll post the original content below but I'll summarize here. It seems its it'll be an handheld with the power of the Xbox One but will also include a dongle that will allow the NX to stream to any HDMI screen. Which seeing as my living room as turned into a war for the TV with devices like the Lynx gaming tablet are only lessening the bloodshed. The idea has always been that the NX would be some form of hybrid and this seems like an easiest way of achieve that aim.

Another interesting detail is that the device has become an project to honour the late Nintendo President Satoru Iwata with NX meetings reportedly ending with the phrase “岩田のために!” which roughly translates “For Iwata!” (FYI google translate agrees) and that this "new" Nintendo mentality is driving them to develop a fantastic system and games for it. Geno quotes an employee "Have not seen this much forward momentum on a project since they launched the original Famicon" which at least sounds exciting.

Here's Geno's full rundown of what he knows.

1.  It has a wireless HDMI dongle that attaches flush to the back of the device. A user can pull it out and insert it into any display with a normal sized HDMI output and the devices uses an evolved version of the Wii U’s streaming tech to display in HD to the TV screen.
2. Allegedly the analog controls for movement has small motors in them for full haptic feedback. Meaning if you control a character and hit a wall, the sticks move away from the direction of that wall to simulate running head first into it. This can also be used for jerking when firing a gun, taking damage, moving over rough terrain, ect.
3. It can literally Bluetooth sync with everything, especially smart phone and tablets to the point where one feature is that it can answer phone calls and display text messages from your phone onto the screens itself so you don’t have to stop and answer your smart device.
4. The closest in terms of “power” it gets to is the Xbox One, but an app idea is Wii U x50 and Playstation Vita x100. The key is that all the tech is exactly the same hardware layout as the PS4 and Xbox One which then combine it with the OS’s strong emulation functions and compiler means that any game that can run of a Playstation 4 or Xbox One can easily run on the NX with near-zero modification to the original source code, especially if it runs in Android OS or Unreal Engine 4. This is allegedly why Nintendo has given out the dev kits so late, as one 3rd Party dev put it “It’s the easiest device we’ve ever developed for. You just take your code, compile it and it works.”
5. Look to Pokemon GO to get the idea of the type of social features that will be in NX that will take multiplayer, AR and the StreetPass concept to a whole new level.
6. The real strengths of the device is its usability and ease of use. Developers have described to me more than once that it visually and functionally looks as if “Samsung and the Nintendo 2DS” had a baby, in that it looks friendly but unlike what most people visualize a Nintendo device to typically look. The operating system, named NintendOS alone is very powerful and has so many modern features of mobile operating systems today that Nintendo is trying to be very careful in showing it off for fear that it would be mistaken as running Android. It also has a very strong networking functions as it ties into multiple devices and services allowing a very competent and pervasive eco-system designed to constantly involve the consumer’s lives.

Abe's Take
Now this dose sound very Nintendo like, releasing a non-god machine but in a unique form. Nintendo needs to win over the third parties and making the process utterly painless (CHEAP) would certainly help in that regard. Being an handheld devices first and a home unit second should help "lessen" the frustration of newer Wii U owners and help sell the device to people who all ready have either an X1 or PS4.

Something that keeps jumping out at me is the haptic analog sticks, I love the Xbox One's haptic triggers (when they are used) and the same haptic feedback as found in expensive steering wheels. Imagine playing a Zelda game and as you move into deeper and deeper snow the analog creates more and more resistance or in CoD they wouldn't need to make the in game gun recoil but the stick it self.

New Pokemon Game This Year, More NX?

Everyone has been waiting for the metaphorical other poke shoe to drop. By that we mean the 3rd version to Pokemon X and Y. Long assumed to be Pokemon Z (certainly helps that the new Legendary Pokemon starts with a Z and the new series is called Pokemon XY & Z) but this being the 20th Anniversary of those little monsters could something else be happening?

Today's rumour comes via SuperMetalDave64 again. Today the 'Metallic David' has claims that his unnamed source have showed him the NoA WiiU/3DS 2016 marketing budget. We'll get to the content of that in a minute. First his source gives us some interesting details such as that Nintendo is built in a cell like structure so no one section know the entirety of the big picture and suggest caution to any leak giving out two broad of information and that the NDA's regarding the NX means that each developer studio will only know of its own game.

Next up is that the Nintendo NX Launch games for 2016 besides Zelda NX and marketing focus remain hidden for now. The 3DS $56.25 million marketing budget for 2016 total whilst the Wii U $34.5 million marketing budget for 2016 total. With Zelda Wii U has $10 million with the possibility of the funding being switched to Zelda NX version depending on launch timing in 2016.

The 3DS  rumoured line up is a lot more "robust" than the Wii U, basically its list vs bullet points.

3DS release list 2016:

Spring-Early Summer

Mario and Sonic Rio 2016

Nintendo Selects Wave 1

Hyrule Warriors Legends

Disney Art Academy [this one is actually backed up buy a separate rumour]

Bravely Second

Code Name: “Caviar F” (casual friendly smaller budget game)

Metroid Prime: Federation Force

Summer

Code name: “Torte City” (big budget unannounced game for all gamers core/all ages)

Dragon Quest VII

Code name: “Cadillac” (casual friendly smaller budget game late summer)

Fall-Holiday

3DS Hardware Price Cut

Code name: “N-Stars” big budget game for all ages

Nintendo Selects Wave 2

Code name: “DMW2” possibly Disney Magical World 2

Dragon Quest VIII

Pokémon 20th Anniversary game, code-named “Niji” Japanese translation: “Rainbow” 

Before we move on to the Wii U list lets quickly talk about Pokemon. I'd doubtful Rainbow will be its actual title, though Rainbow would be a perfect title for an anniversary Pokemon game with traveling to multiple regions. (Though looking back most of the colours of the Pokemon games are red and blue, think about it.)

Turning over to Wii U the list mainly covers the first 4/6 months. First up is some Minecraft x Nintendo project that will launch in a few months. The source is quick to point out this is probably the Nintendo exclusive DLC for the Wii U edition. Next up is the news that currently Star Fox is on track for an April release. The summer will see the Wii U version of Mario and Sonic at Rio 2016

Apparently the 2nd half of the years is mysteriously light and only features an new wave of "Nintendo Selects" titles, one unannounced title, Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem and Zelda U.

Metal Dave's source explains this as the NX will be launching in 2016 at years end and that Zelda Wii U is being ported to the NX as a launch window game (so probably wont be out with the machine)

Abe's Take
All in all some interesting reading, I'm not sure of what to make of it yet but fortunately this rumour bundle is easy enough to verify. All of MetalDave's info comes from the one source and his details span the year. As time passes if events unfold differently to this list it casts greater doubt on his source. Damn E3 needs to hurry up. 

Nintendo Has Surprises!?

Can you smell that? it smells a little like a Direct is lurking about. 

New Nintendo CEO Tatsumi Kimishima dropped a micro bomb during an "Special Strategy Briefing" Nintendo has more unannounced games ready for launch "before the end of the year" on both Wii U and 3DS. Odds are these will be digital games over retail releases but Nintendo has pulled surprise retail launches in the past.

Whilst we don't know what these games are there is one rumour that keeps getting more and more evidence. Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD. So far data miners have found the games menu tile (the little picture that appears on the gamepad) and the games ID on the eShop. Today's extra evidence is the most "straw clutching" one yet.

This piece of art (top) accompanied today's surprise and is the source of today's extra rumour. You notice Link mimicking the Twilight Princess artwork (bottom) but with an cleaner, lighter style and wielding the Master Sword and looks a lot like an in game asset. Of cause this could mean anything, perhaps Smash is getting character costumes as DLC. It certainly wouldn't be the first time Nintendo used their fan's expectations against them.

Abe's Take
Since the passing of Iwata Nintendo fans have been waiting for a new direct but Nintendo has been happy just dropping release dates and details via it's social media pages. With the increase chatter of Twlight HD and confirmation that a new direct will be hitting this year, it seems thing might finally be getting back to "normal".

In regards to Twlight HD, I've always thought its was the prime candidate for an HD remaster with its darker setting and more realist take on the art style and would certainly help tide players over till Zelda U hits next year.

New Nintendo Detail Drops

We're Back! Again! Today might be a good day. Maybe its because of a poking to return form the US (woo a fan), maybe because its Nintendo dropped a load of info or perhaps its because a 2 year old called me Zod this morning. (its totally the Zod thing BTW)

Today was day two of Nintendo's financial results and whilst day one was all mind numbing numbers and corporate talk. (Short version: Profits, hardware and software are up.) However day two has dropped some important details about Nintendo's future. We also learned nothing about the NX and that Directs will be returning this year but in a different format.

Nintendo Account/My Nintendo

Today Nintendo finally revealed its Club Nintendo replacement "My Nintendo", the new service will spread across the Wii U, 3DS, NX, PC and Smartphones. Not only will My Nintendo operate a rewards program like its predecessor that will reward players for buying games but also playing them. Whilst this wasn't elaborated on I suspect that this will be an achievement system that would payout the new programs currency. My Nintendo will also "transfer game data between mobile games and console games via cloud bases data service" at the moment we don't know what game data means. Could it mean save data (cross-play) or actual games (cross-buy)?

The rewards covers digital content, original merchandise and discounts.

Not only will the be the new service but also a new account system. Hoping to make the process easier the new Nintendo Account can be set up using not only Nintendo Network ID but also, Facebook, twitter, Google+ and, "email and password". We don't know what this means for the NNID itself; if that means its being retired or as a separate tier much like Microsoft's email and Gamertag are linked but separate tiers . On that note its interesting that Microsoft's email service isn't mentioned directly in the list of services being able to setting up an Nintendo Account. It appears that Nintendo account will also handle your friends list, creating one uniform list for all your Nintendo gaming across devices.

The Nintendo Account will apparently track your purchases, Which hopefully means it'll act like a Microsoft account and let you download games to another system. (currently Wii U purchases are locked to the one physical device and have to be transferred manually.)

Ultimately this sounds like they are merging Club Nintendo, Nintendo Premium and bits of Miiverse into one system. My Nintendo and Nintendo Account will launch in March 2016

IP War
Okay so maybe war is a little 'dramatic' but according to Mr Miyamoto Nintendo is going to use their IP aggressively and "beyond licencing". Whilst they refuse to elaborate what this means its worth noting that the Nintendo Account is said to also link up with Theme parks, Movie theaters and, retail outlets. This all lines up with a lot of interviews with Nintendo executives where they have stated their intent to push their IP beyond their own games. (this spawned the now infamous "link should be played by a girl" comment.)

Nintendo on Mobile
Nintendo has finally unveiled its first mobile game and true to their word it wasn't what people expected. The internet was expecting some money squeezing Mario endless runner but what we got was Miitomo.

Miitomo appears to be a heavily modified multiplayer version of Tomodachi Life spliced with Miiverse. Its described as a free-to-start communication application and judging from the official overview below will be a hit in Japan and very odd in the west.

"The main character of Miitomo is you. First, you create your own Mii.

The Mii asks you a variety of questions and communicates your answers with your Friends’ Mii.

The people you will be able to communicate with are limited to your friends whom you have registered as Friends. We are designing this communication application to enable Friends to share information comfortably and securely.

In this way, instead of the users proactively sending their own messages, Miitomo has a unique characteristic that can be called “friendly communication starters” as your Mii will automatically dispatch the answers you gave to certain questions to your friends.

These “friendly communication starters” have an advantage that even the people who are less willing to send messages can easily participate. Another unique characteristic of Miitomo is that you may be able to find out unknown aspects about your friends or unexpected commonalities you share with your friend because Miitomo may pick up the topics that you usually do not discuss but would be willing to answer if asked.

What we would like to realize is, through such communication, you will be able to deepen friendly relationships and have more people with whom you can play games.

Both My Nintendo and Miitomo will be available in March 2016.

For reference, more than 200 million Mii characters have been created on our platforms, which means that many people around the world understand the appeal of Mii."

It dose sound like the sort of thing that will make millions in IAP's whilst the rest of the gaming community stands there confused that it's even making money.

Abe's Take
This all sounds rather promising and modern for Nintendo and sounds like a good foundation for the NX. I do like the sound of both My Nintendo and Nintendo Account. Admittedly I am a little down on Miitomo simply because its not a "game game" but I'm pretty sure Nintendo is entering the mobile market to make money, not to revolutionize it and Miitomo sounds like an IAP paradise.

Rumour: More Amiibo!

Today E3 unofficially began with Nintendo's Smash Bros direct, which dropped a lot of details that could of easily been in the main direct. Things like a new wave of Mii costumes and Street Fighter's Ryu.

There dose seem to be a theme to this year's E3, Premature announcements!. Over the last week Koei accidentally let loose a trailer for Hyrule Warriors 3DS, yesterday Bethesda accidentally shed light on Dishonoured 2's existence. Now we can add Nintendo of Spain to that list as they have sent out an email with this image

Four of these we already knew about. The Super Mario, Yarn Yoshi, Splatoon serieses, and the Animal Crossing Amiibo cards for the upcoming "Happy Home Designer" for 3DS. However this seems to confirm and Animal Crossing figure series and an pixel Mario.

Now there has been a lot of talk on a Wii U Animal Crossing entry that would also work with Happy Home Designer. The presence of figure Amiibo dose seem to suggest that is the case. It is possible that the cards are intended to fill the gap left by sold out figures (as Miyamoto originally mentioned) however Isabella has a different colouring and pose between figure and card, something they wouldn't do if they two ranges are "the same". I would hope though that the cards and figures work on each others games that's the case.

The Mario one is the most intriguing and instantly pinged in my brain as "limited edition". 8bit Mario is most likely tied to Mario Maker, and Mario's 30th anniversary. Each of the different Amiibo series have different bases but retain the same basic shape but this Mario one bucks that trend hence "limited edition ping".

Abe's Take
Despite all the stock issues Amiibo has been a huge hit for Nintendo and certainly is here to stay. I really like the look of the new Amiibo ranges. The Smash ones are far cooler but they all seem kinda small, where are the new ranges feel/look a bit more meaty. However I just don't see what Amiibo will add to a core Animal Crossing game considering they are mainstay characters no random villagers or Mario Maker (there was rumours that Amiibo would unlock character sprites).