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It's no secret that the Wii U is in poor shape. No one is denying that Nintendo has failed to push the Wii U message adequately to either the enthusiast gamer or the mass market. And when Ubisoft moved back Rayman Legends to release alongside the 360 and PS3 versions, I think we all understood deep down that Ubi was nervous about the console's sales potential.
I just don't think anyone could have guessed it was this bad.
Looking at the stats from the January 2013 NPD, Gamasutra reveals that the Wii U during its first three months has sold 38% less than the Wii in the same span of time. Because no hard Wii U numbers we reported, we do a little arithmetic to arrive at a third month total of roughly 55K, lower than any of the previous generation's consoles' worst months with the possible exception of the Wii in the past year. In comparison, the 360 was able to hit a strong 281K.
But before we discuss what exactly this means, let's take a look at what games charted.
Aliens: Colonial Marines has turned out to be more than just a bad game. It's a confusing story of allegations, outsourcing, and potential deception on a considerable level. The biggest mystery to come out of this debacle is the question of who actually made the game. Nobody's entirely sure.
It was rumored Gearbox outsourced development of at least the campaign to TimeGate Studios, a claim SEGA itself denied. However, with TimeGate, Demiurge, and Nerve Software all credited as having a hand in the project, this situation is as clear as a cracked window covered in black paint.
Then there's a Reddit post by an anonymous writer who claims to be an ex-Gearbox developer, and a followup post from a self-titled TimeGate employee. These two posts really throw a wrench in the works.
Here's a rundown of everything that's happened so far!
Once again, Nintendo held a streaming event that gave us a little more insight into the world of the Big N. Although there wasn't really any new Wii U news, and there was a distinct lack of third party involvement, we got loads of new 3DS info.
Whether you're a interested as a curious jaded Nintendo fan, or a diehard fanboy, here is everything that happened at today's event.
Aliens: Colonial Marines has been one of my most anticipated games every year for over half a decade. My love of anything distinctly related to Xenomorphs, as well as my general high regard for the majority of Aliens games released over the years, made it a sure winner in my book.
At the start of every year, it made my "most wanted" list, but every single year, it was delayed, consistently pushed back for one reason or another. Rebellion's Aliens vs. Predator, released in 2010, was a playable but disappointing runner-up, and I remained convinced that, with Gearbox's guidance and love for the license, Colonial Marines would be the Aliens game I'd waited for my whole life.
Boy, do I miss Rebellion's Aliens vs. Predator.
Earlier this week, Nintendo's Shigeru Miyamoto claimed his company had failed to "communicate the value" of the Wii U to consumers, a turn of phrase that struck me as quite amusing. As a fan of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, all I could think of was the first stage of Dennis Reynolds' system of seduction, the D.E.N.N.I.S. System, whereby he "demonstrates value" to sucker a woman into falling for him.
After thinking about it (and reading the Destructoid community's reaction to the Nintendo/Dennis connection), I started to realize Nintendo and Always Sunny's lecherous sociopath have way more in common, and that the D.E.N.N.I.S. System may well be applied to the company's business strategy in its entirety.
Nintendo might be taking lessons from the show as it perfects the art of seducing fans and breaking their hearts for its own sordid gains.
The next Skylanders is the last thing fans were probably expecting as there's three major changes going on with Swap Force, the new entry in the series. For starters, it's not developer Toys for Bob making this one. Vicarious Visions, the team responsible for the 3DS version of Skylanders Adventure, and the Wii U version of Skylanders Giants, is in charge of making the core versions this time around (With N-Space doing the 3DS version and Beenox handling the Wii version).
I'm not even going to give you a second to doubt another studio handling things here -- Vicarious is really bringing it. The studio is using a new graphics engine that can very easily be mistaken for a Pixar movie. Seriously, it's that good looking.
The biggest changes, though, are with the new toys. Swap Force is adding 32 new Skylanders heroes, 16 of which you can pull in half and fuse different top and bottom parts together to create new Skylanders. Take that in for a second. That's a total of 256 unique combos.
We already knew that Crystal Dynamics had some issues with bringing the latest Tomb Raider reboot over to the Wii U, but they recently made light of the lack of a Wii U version again, amidst a petition created by gamers unhappy with the move.
To put the rumors to rest, Crystal Dynamics Creative Director Noah Hughes had this to say about a potential Wii U version of the game:
All three [consoles] are really trying to deliver roughly the same experience but delivered best on each platform, and I think something like the Wii U often asks you to do something unique based on a unique interface. That’s something as a gamer I love but it’s something you don’t want to do half-heartedly as a developer.
The question is: do you really have to do something unique with it to consider your effort more than "half-hearted?"
Or can it just be a regular ol' port with the GamePad as a controller, like any other port ever?
I think you know the answer to that.
This whole "Virtual Console 30th Anniversary" thing has been a bit confusing for all of us. So here's the scoop now that the dust has settled: on certain dates this year, you'll have the opportunity to download select games on the Wii U eShop for 30 cents, for a limited time.
That's it. There's no catch, it's just a promotion to get people into the eShop -- like a virtual doorbuster sale.
It's not a "trial" version of the game that ends after 30 days -- you just pay the 30 cents and you get to keep it. All Wii U Virtual Console games have full GamePad remote play support, and the ability to fully customize your controls.
With that said, Nintendo has revealed the full list of exact dates for all of the planned games, so make sure you bookmark this page as a reference!
Look, I like my Wii U. I really like it. Nintendo came at us with yet another weird, innovative system late last year, packed full of gaming potential and open to a crazy amount of control schemes and options. And Miiverse -- what a breath of fresh air! While it's still early in the game I feel comfortable saying that Nintendo knocked it out of the park as far as console launches are concerned.
But I'm playing another Mario game with my Wii U. And while it's a great Mario game, and while I'll always have love for the mustachioed plumber and his brother, I don't truly feel fulfilled with the Wii U just yet. The launch line-up was respectable, but I've blown through it all already, and there still is something missing from the initial offerings.
Nintendo and Monolithsoft are working on something for Wii U, and I want whatever it is. The team behind Xenoblade Chronicles have something beautiful lined up, but all we got this morning from this morning's Wii U Direct broadcast were a few short snippets of gameplay. Whatever it is looks big and open, and it features parties of three going at big beasts, not unlike Monster Hunter.
When dude hopped into a mech at the edge of a cliff and flew off into the sunset I felt a rush of goosebumps come over me, starting from my knees and ending up at the very top of my head. And then they fought in these mechs! Oh My GOD!
It all ended with a big painted 'X' on the screen, telling us that the Xeno series will continue on Wii U.
As for what we know, Kunihiko Tanako, the character designer of two of my favorite games ever, Xenogears and Xenosaga, is on board. The music from Japanese film and TV composer Hiroyuki Sawano had me all choked up. Finally, Tetsuya Takahashi, the director of Xenogears, Xenosaga, and Xenoblade is at the helm. How could this not be the best thing ever made?
Sorry, still freaking out here.
Nintendo today announced that it has an all-new Zelda game in the works, but admitted it'd take some time to reach us. However, it did have something very exciting to satiate hungry Zelda fans in the interim -- The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker Reborn!
A full HD remake of the classic GameCube title, Reborn is slated for release in Fall and will feature one of the prettiest games of all time getting even prettier. It'll feature some gameplay tune-ups to make it more of an elegant experience, it can be played on the GamePad, and there'll be Miiverse integration.
Looking at comparison images, this is no mere upscale. Nintendo can make its games look gorgeous now, and it seems committed to getting Wind Waker as gorgeous as can be. More textures, more details, more eye-tonguing glory. Most exciting.
Is this fluid in my pants? I think this is fluid.
In my pants.
Atlus x Nintendo? Shin Megami Tensei meets Fire Emblem? Two of the best franchises ever to grace game consoles? Dungeon crawling meets strategy games? My Nocturne teased?
As you can imagine, I lost my sh*t after seeing the tease video clip from this morning's Wii U Direct broadcast. I'm still hyperventilating.
Almost nothing in the way of details was released, though. It will likely be a Wii U title, and it's currently in development, but that's all we know. My guess? Something tactical. And that would be fantastic by me.
Satoru Iwata says that this collaboration is an example of Nintendo's new approach for game making. I approve. One-thousand times over, I approve.
Want to know what's coming for your Wii U and/or 3DS? Nintendo has us covered with a list of first- and third-party releases for both systems as well as their respective eShop titles. Hell, they even threw in the kiddie DS titles.
As an RPG nerd I'm really pumped about what's coming for the 3DS in the next few months. Both Etrian Odyssey IV and Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers will keep me going through summer. And I'm already losing my sh*t over Fire Emblem Awakening.
What are you looking forward to on the 3DS or Wii U? I know -- don't tell me: The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct, right?
There's not a lot I remember about the rampant imagination of childhood, but most of the good memories came from the depths of my toy chest. Pitting Aliens against Transformers. Imagining Cloud Strife's sword slicing through Foxhound's ranks. On occasion, a friend would come over and contribute to the chaos until it ended with crying, a fight, and a broken yet replaceable (but totally irreplaceable in my eight-year-old mind) figurine.
This basis of mashing properties together is probably why we have M.U.G.E.N, Girl Talk, and comic book crossovers. There is something forbidden and alluring about bringing together things that were conceived in different worlds. So when Disney Interactive brings together its movies, TV shows, and Pixar hits this summer for Infinity and provides an allotted virtual space for play, will it be like the messy, epic battles that once happened on my living room floor? Or will it feel like a cash grab riding on the coattails of Skylanders?
Last week, we asked you in the Destructoid community to pick your most anticipated games of 2013. After a week of intense vote-counting, we're ready to share the results!
The voting was extremely close; so much so that the top three games were separated by only a few votes each. Keep reading to see how it all played out!
Last month, Alessandro Fillari brought you a preview of The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct. I attended the event with Alessandro and we both thought there were some good ideas behind the project. A lot of work still needed to be done, though -- especially with the visuals. Developer Terminal Reality may have been able to make things work out alright if the game was releasing towards the end of this year.
As we found out today, The Walking Dead: Survival Instinct will be coming out March 26, 2013 in North America for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii U. Oh boy.
Remember that fan-made trailer we all thought was real? While it wasn't an official trailer, it was in fact put together using gameplay footage. It's the same exact gameplay we saw at our preview session less than a month ago. It's hard to have any hope at this stage when Survival Instinct is due out in less than three months.
