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Nintendo developer video compares Super Smash Bros. on Wii U and 3DS


Nintendo has released a new developer video detailing the differences between the Wii U and 3DS versions of its recently announced cross-franchise brawler Super Smash Bros.

Director Masahiro Sakurai notes that "the total number of characters [in the Nintendo 3DS version] is the same as the Wii U version, but some of the stages will be completely different."

In addition: "In the Nintendo 3DS version, there will be more stages based on handheld games, while themed stages from home console games will be on Wii U."

Both games also boast a unique graphic style. The Wii U release focuses on primary colors and visual effects, while the 3DS version has cel-shaded characters in order to make them easier to see.

The Super Smash Bros. official website profiles every character announced so far, including newcomers from Animal Crossing and Wii Fit. Super Smash Bros. is set to launch in 2014.

Batman: Arkham Origins PS3 'Knightfall' content detailed

The Batman: Arkham Origins 'Knightfall' content for the game's PS3 version consists of challenge maps tied to the Knightfall storyline, as well as the Azreal-themed suit and the "early television show skin" revealed in Sony's E3 conference. Origins Senior Producer Ben Mattes told Joystiq the maps are "specific to the Knightfall storyline" and will include "appropriately themed characters and enemies."

The piece of Knightfall content developer Warner Bros. Montreal is "really excited about" is the early television show skin, AKA the 60s Batman skin of the KAPOW! and BLAM! era. So, did Warner Bros. Montreal consider bringing in a certain Adam West to provide vocals tied to the skin? When asked about that possibility, Mattes took a long pause before simply restating, "Early television show skin." Holy skirting the question, Batman!

On the subject of specific versions, Mattes also confirmed to us the Origins will have specific functionality on the Wii U, but he wasn't prepared to go into details.

"We're not talking about specific features but we're encouraging people to imagine," Mattes told us, "We obviously paid to attention to the Wii U platform and what sort of functionality makes sense for that platform."

We also asked him about whether or not the Wii U would receive the same DLC as other versions, given the speculation about the system possibly not receiving the Deathstroke content. Mattes told us WB Montreal is "not yet talking about" DLC and its relationship to the different platforms.

Nintendo pictorial booth tour

Nintendo
Nintendo's booth showcases the company's friendly atmosphere, featuring whimsical statues and vehicles for photo opportunities. Princess Peach playing cuddly cat woman is adorable, but so are the super-sized Pikmin.

Those looking for a photo memory can hop in a Mario Kart or take a non aquatic ride on the Wind Waker boat. Yes, we asked if the boat was seaworthy. It isn't.

Batman: Arkham Origins doesn't feature Kevin Conroy after all

After some confusion, we've clarified Kevin Conroy doesn't feature in Batman: Arkham Origins at all. Origins Senior Producer Ben Mattes told Joystiq, "We've got Roger Craig Smith, he's our Batman. Troy Baker, he's our Joker. Kevin Conroy, he's not part of this game."

Initial reports indicated long-time Batman voice actor Conroy wasn't in Origins. He then announced at the recent Dallas Comic Con that he'd been working on "the next Arkham" game. Shortly after, Craig Smith was officially unveiled as Origins' younger Batman, leading to speculation Conroy might be involved in some kind of retrospective role.

However, it now emerges Conroy was apparently talking about another Arkham game in development, perhaps at series dev Rocksteady Studios - Warner Bros. Montreal is the studio behind Origins.

That would seem to be backed up by Spong's report from last month, which noted a Twitter account ascribed to Conroy tweeted "Confusion in Dallas! I am in new ARKHAM GAME coming soon, NOT ARKHAM ORIGINS coming this fall." The tweet was deleted shortly after being posted - we're not sure if the world's greatest detective is needed for this one.

Skylanders: Swap Force to hit PS4 and Xbox One at launch

Skylanders Swap Force to hit PS4 and XBox One at launch
During an E3 demo today, Skylanders executive producer Scott Krager announced that the newest entry in the series, Swap Force, will launch "day and date" for both the XBox One and PlayStation 4 -- though the specific release date (or dates) for these consoles is still unknown.

In the meantime, some good news: in keeping with the series' tradition of cross-platform compatibility, the next-gen versions of Skylanders: Swap Force will use the same figurines as the current-gen titles, due to release for 3DS, Wii, PS3, Xbox 360, and Wii U October 13 in the United States.

Wii Fit Trainer will battle the bulge in Super Smash Bros.

Wii Fit Trainer announced for Smash Bros
In a "one more thing" moment at the Nintendo event this morning, it was announced that the Wii Fit Trainer will join the battle in Super Smash Bros.

This follows this morning's announcement of new characters The Villager from Animal Crossing and Mega Man.

Bayonetta 2 to include two-player mode

In addition to Bayonetta 2's single player experience, the game will also feature a two-player mode. The feature was just announced at a Nintendo E3 presentation. There are no further details at this time, but we'll be sure to follow up.

New screenshots of the Wii U game have also been released, which show off monstrous angels and Bayonetta's adorable new pixie cut in equal measure.

Wii U games for Best Buy events announced


Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed the games that will be playable at the company's E3 special events at Best Buy this week.
  • Mario Kart 8
  • Super Mario 3D World (for Wii U... yeah, it's confusing)
  • Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
  • Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD
The demos are playable from 4-8PM local time on Wednesday, June 12, and 1-5PM local time on Saturday, June 15. Here's a list of locations, and updates can be found here.

Bayonetta rocks a new do in Bayonetta 2 gameplay trailer


There's a lot going on in this Bayonetta 2 trailer. Angels are slaughtered, giant monsters are fought and plenty of flashy torture attacks are unleashed. At one point, Bayonetta sprouts wings. She's also sporting a new hairdo. Under normal circumstances, that wouldn't mean much, but given Bayonetta's relationship with hair, it's pretty significant.

New Monolith Soft game 'X' coming to Wii U in 2014


X, a new game from Monolith Soft, is coming to Wii U in 2014. "The goal is to create a large-scale open world that players can explore seamlessly," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said during the E3 Nintendo Direct stream today. Monolith Soft's previous game was Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles.

Super Smash Bros. coming to 3DS, Wii U in 2014; Mega Man joins fray

Super Smash Bros coming to 3DS, Wii U in 2014
During this morning's E3 Nintendo Direct, as promised, the Big N showed off the new Super Smash Bros. It's apparently just called Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS. The company announced the game will launch in 2014.

New characters not seen in the series before were The Villager from Animal Crossing and Mega Man has joined the crew. Previous combatants also shown included Mario, Kirby, Pikachu, Donkey Kong, Link, Samus and Bowser.

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Wii Fit U delayed to December

Wii Fit U, the latest entry in Nintendo's fitness series, has stumbled on the old jogging trail. Originally slated for the first half of 2013, the game will now be released in December. The news comes courtesy of Nintendo president Satoru Iwata in the company's E3 Nintendo Direct presentation.

As announced at last year's E3, the game will incorporate a special pedometer called the Fit Meter.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze hits Wii U in November [Update: Trailer]


Nintendo just revealed a new side-scrolling Wii U adventure for Donkey Kong, which also sees the return of Dixie Kong. Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze is barreling onto the Wii U later this year.

Update: Nintendo's press release notes Tropical Freeze is bringing its Donkey Kong brand of cool to the Wii U this November.

Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD hits Wii U in October


Nintendo just announced the HD remaster of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker sets sail for the Wii U this October. Nintendo also detailed that it's altering the original GameCube game's Tingle Tuner functionality with the Game Boy Advance. In the 1080p Wii U remaster it'll be titled Tingle Bottle, and will be compatible with Miiverse. The tingly feature will see Miiverse messages will appear in bottles on the shores of players' games.

Wii Party U announced for Wii U, coming in October

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata announced Wii Party U for the Wii U during the company's Nintendo Direct stream today. This sequel to Wii Party was initially announced at a January Nintendo Direct event, but now has a full title and an October 2013 release date.

A gameplay trailer for the game showed four-player mini-game competitions, including ones in which players race animals around a track and another where four players use one Wii U Game Pad. Wii Party U will include 80 different mini-games.wii party u

Mario Kart 8 races to Wii U Spring 2014


During today's E3 Nintendo Direct stream, president Satoru Iwata revealed Mario Kart 8 for Wii U. This new entry in the series will launch in Spring 2014. Last month, Nintendo teased not only a new Mario Kart, but also the new Smash Bros. and more. You can watch the ongoing Nintendo Direct stream here.

Super Mario 3D World pounces on Wii U Dec. 2013 [Update: Trailer added]


After years of seeing the New Super Mario Bros. series taking over consoles, Nintendo gamers are in for a treat this December: today's Nintendo Direct included the announcement of Super Mario 3D World for the Wii U, which includes a roster identical to the line-up of the 1988 NES classic Super Mario Bros. 2.

As indicated by its name, 3D World contains the same type of game play as its 3DS predecessor, but with an added cat-themed power-up for added cuteness, and the same multiplayer madness as the New Super Mario Bros. series. R.I.P. Blue Toad: we knew thee well.

Watch Nintendo's E3 Direct right here [Update: It's over!]


Welcome to the Nintendo Direct of Nintendo Directs in 2013 - the fully armed and operational Death Star of Nintendo Directs, if you will. Thanks to the House of Mario's decision to forego the traditional E3 conference, this morning brings a Direct broadcast that should be stuffed to the brim with announcements and games.

Nintendo's streamed presentations are often packed with news, but this is Eee Three, and it's a whole minus world of hidden gems. Nintendo has already promised us it'll be showcasing the new 3D Mario, Mario Kart, and Super Smash Bros games for the Wii U today, and we're sure it has plenty of other things up its Wii U and 3DS sleeves.

As ever, we've got the North American stream up top for you to watch right here on Joystiq, as well as the European and Japanese streams below the break. The whole shebang kicks off at 7AM PT/10AM ET (3PM UK) and we'll have all the news as it happens.

Update: It's done, check out everything that happened right here.

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Now Playing: June 10-16, 2013

Now Playing June 1016, 2013
Survive this week with The Last of Us...

Choose your platform to jump to a specific release list:

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Just Dance 2014 will have you moving and shaking this October


Ubisoft has announced Just Dance 2014, previously revealed through the Xbox Live Marketplace. The game will include six-player dances, DJ functions (where you can wave a hand around to move through songs), and a special "Party Master" mode coming to the Wii U. The tunes will be provided by pop artists as usual, including Pitbull and others.

Just Dance 2014 will be available on all next-gen consoles this October. Ubisoft tells us the game will be available in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa on October 1, October 4 in the UK, and then October 8 in the US.

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