European citizens looking to join up with The Wonderful 101 can give it a shot later today, when the demo arrives on the Wii U eShop. As revealed at the end of the European version of today's Wonderful 101 Nintendo Direct, the demo of Platinum Games' superheroic effort will be available on the continent as of 4PM BST/5PM CET.

There was no mention of a demo in the North American stream, indicating it may take a bit more time to arrive on this side of the ocean; the game is out in Europe on August 23, and doesn't come to North America until three weeks later on September 15. Platinum Creative Producer JP Kellams tweeted the US version is due soon.

At least this morning's Direct provided plenty of info on the game, including the various ways you can use the dozens of heroes around you to save the day. There's also a chunky new seven-minute trailer to tide you over until next month.

Update: The Wonderful 101 demo is now also available on the North American Wii U eShop.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata says the company's chief differentiator is its invention and introduction of hardware and software, and how having those different teams under the same umbrella.

"What I believe is that Nintendo is a very unique company, because it does its business by designing and introducing people to hardware and software – by integrating them, we can be unique. And because we have hardware and software developers in the same building, they stimulate each other," Iwata tells CVG.

This approach, Iwata says, has cemented fandom in Nintendo's lineup of franchises. And why not offer Nintendo games on competing platforms? With such a stable of system sellers at its disposal, Iwata thinks it'd be short-sighted for Nintendo to offer its games elsewhere.

If he wasn't "concerned about the long-term future of Nintendo at all," Iwata says putting Nintendo games on other systems may lead to "some short-term profit." Ultimately, it's Iwata's responsibility for the long-term that prevents him from ever "providing our precious resources for other platforms at all."

Iwata, who this year took on the role of Nintendo of America CEO in addition to his duties as company president, got his start at Nintendo as a programmer for HAL Laboratory, the outfit responsible for creating Kirby, the Mother series (Earthbound) and the Super Smash Bros. franchise. He has served as president of Nintendo since 2002.

On this week's eShop menu, there's a fine-looking Wii U dish in DuckTales, which has been Remastered for modern tastes. Maybe pick that up with a 2013 vintage of Spin the Bottle, which we recommend sharing with a few lively friends. If you'd prefer something to go, you could always try a double helping of Italian with Mario & Luigi: Dream Team on 3DS.

Wii U

• DuckTales: Remastered (Capcom, 1 player, available August 13)
• Spin the Bottle: Bumpie's Party (KnapNok Games, 8 players, $8.99)
• Romance of the Three Kingdoms IV: Wall of Fire (Tecmo Koei, 8 players, $7.99)

3DS

• Mario & Luigi: Dream Team (Nintendo, 1 player, available August 11)
• Smash Bowling 3D (Big John Games, 1 player, $4.99)
• SteamWorld Dig (Image & Form, 1 player, $8.99)
• Tangram Style (Moving Player, 1 player, $6.99)

Cubemen 2 will head to Wii U's eShop in either late 2013 or early 2014, the game's publisher Nnooo announced via press release. Developed by 3 Sprockets, Cubemen 2 is a 3D strategy game in which players guide their Cubemen armies into battle against both human and computer opponents to defend and attack enemies.

Though games like Monster Hunter 3 Ultimate include 3DS and Wii U cross-platform multiplayer, Cubemen 2 will be the first game in which Wii U owners can play online against PC, Mac and Linux players. Since the game already launched on Steam in April, myriads of existing user-generated levels will be available to Wii U players as well. Nnooo hasn't set a price for the Wii U version, though the game is currently $7.99 on Steam.

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CastleStorm may be approaching the gates of Wii U, PS3, and Vita after being listed for the three platforms by German ratings board USK. Zen Studios' eclectic fusion of Angry Birds and tower defense has already hurled itself at XBLA, Windows 8, and Steam this year.

Zen didn't deny the Wii U port when asked by Nintendo Everything, telling the site it intends "to bring CastleStorm to as many platforms as possible." The Hungarian studio has plenty of experience with the newly listed systems, having sprung Marvel Pinball, Star Wars Pinball, and Zen Pinball 2 upon all three in recent years. Also, as evidenced by Marvel's Pinball's appearance on seven platforms to date, Zen is fond of the odd port or two.

Nintendo opened the floodgates on the Wii U's indie offerings in a video today, showing 18 different games coming to the system from European and Australian developers.

Head past the break to see the list of games shown in the video. Among things missing from the video were release dates for some of the games, which is a blessing given the state of our wallets right now. We do know that Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams launches this month on Wii U and Ittle Dew will head to the system this fall or winter.

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Retro action platformer Rex Rocket will be coming to Wii U, Nintendolife reports. Rex Rocket's Kickstarter backers received an update confirming that Nintendo has approved developer Castle Pixel as a Wii U developer. The Wii U version should arrive "sometime after the official PC game release," which is slated for this January.

Castle Pixel's Robert Maher tells Joystiq that an iPad port is also being tested, and some of its touch features should make it into the Wii U version. Maher is also still interested in 3DS, PlayStation Vita and PlayStation 3 ports, though they may have to wait until the Wii U version is completed.

Disney Interactive reported an operating income loss of $58 million in Q3 2013, 38 percent greater than the loss in 2012's third quarter (operating income measures money brought in after costs, but before taxes). Disney's video game arm brought in revenue of $183 million this quarter, down 7 percent from last year. At least Disney Interactive is consistent.

Disney attributed the losses to the lack of new consoles on the market and a decrease in its social games sector following an acquisition in Q3 2012. The decreases were offset by growth at Disney's Japan mobile business, the company said.

The financial report doesn't mention April's closure of LucasArts or its imminent Disney Infinity series, which takes a page out of Activision's Skylanders playbook.

Nintendo has filed a lawsuit against HackYourConsole.com, a site that offers DS and 3DS flashcarts, devices that allow owners to play pirated games on their systems.

Nintendo's press release to the media stated that the site "has developed a global business focused on selling unauthorized copies of Nintendo games and game-copying devices (such as the R4 device) used to circumvent the technological protection measures contained in the Nintendo DS family of hand-held systems." One of the products offered on the site is a portable hard drive that's pre-loaded with 200 Wii games. Which, you know, is probably super-illegal.

"The website operator, for a fee, also provides services to hack and modify the Wii console and allow the play of illegal software," Nintendo added.

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Nintendo has announced a batch of new old games are coming to the 3DS Virtual Console. First is the NES port of Donkey Kong, due on August 15, followed by the NES port of Tecmo Bowl sometime next month.

Super Mario Bros. 3 is also on its way later this year, to both the 3DS and Wii U eShops. Finally, Nintendo assures lauded Game Boy Color platformer Wario Land 3 is "coming soon" to the 3DS.

Both the Wii U and 3DS Virtual Consoles have been busy lately: Capcom just recently completed the Mega Man hexalogy on the 3DS, with more of the blue bomber arriving in the coming months. And, late last month on the Wii U Virtual Console, Nintendo finally re-released Earthbound.

While today's Nintendo Direct didn't provide much info on Mario-themed games, it did offer a couple of plumber-themed tidbits for Super Smash Bros. and Rayman Legends.

Starting with SSB, Luigi became the 14th officially confirmed character for the 3DS and Wii U brawler. The younger Mario sibling appeared in all the prior Smash Bros games, so it would have been a shock if he wasn't featured in next year's entry.

Secondly, Nintendo revealed Rayman Legends will include Mario & Luigi skins on the Wii U. Rayman can don Mario's red garb, while Globox can become glamorous in green. Ubisoft's press release notes the costumes can be unlocked after 20 minutes of gameplay.

The Wii U version is, for certain reasons, not the only one coming to retail shelves next month. It'll be joined there by Xbox 360, PS3, PC, and Vita siblings when the game launches in North America on September 3, and in Europe a little earlier on August 30.

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Nintendo announced an Animal Crossing-themed app for Wii U during its Nintendo Direct presentation this morning. The app, titled Animal Crossing Plaza, allows players to post messages with screenshots and QR codes from 3DS game Animal Crossing: New Leaf via SD card to the series' new Miiverse community. The plaza itself is similar to the Mii Plaza, except adorable critters from the Animal Crossing series now run around instead of Miis.

The Animal Crossing Plaza is available now for free in the Wii U eShop. Nintendo says the service will be available through the end of 2014.

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While we were totally aware the Wii U port of The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD was arriving in October, Nintendo dated it for October 4 in Europe in today's Direct broadcast.

However, Nintendo of America didn't provide a date in its presentation, so the game remains in its October release window in North America. We'll have to wait to see what release date washes up on North American shores in the near future.

Update: And it's so over. Check out all the news here.

It's that time again. Stretch those legs, place some fruit sustenance nearby, and make sure your body is ready for another Nintendo Direct workout. One thing you don't have to move is that cursor, because you can watch today's Direct right here on Joystiq.

Mario HQ says today's Direct covers "new details on previously announced" 3DS and Wii U games due this year, all of which probably translates into a ride on the Release Date Train, since there are a fair few Wii U and 3DS games due in 2013 that are minus specific ETAs.

Highlights include Super Mario 3D World, Wind Waker HD, Wii Party U, and Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze on the Wii U, and on the 3DS Ace Attorney: Dual Destinies, Mario Party, and A Link Between Worlds - so expect these games to show up today.

Of course, there may not be any release date announcements. The Direct could just be Nintendo boss Satoru Iwata sailing around the Japanese coastline, struggling to explain the features of Wind Waker HD as the unruly tides thrash against his sailboat, waterlogged produce strewn in the waves around him. Not that that wouldn't be entertaining.

As ever, you have a choice of three broadcasts to tune into; North America's Direct is up top, while Europe and Japan's are below the break. All three streams are scheduled to set sail at 10AM ET (7AM PT, 3PM UK time), and when's all said and done we'll have all the newsbits ready for your perusal.

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Pokemon Rumble U hurls itself at North America on August 29, landing on the eShop with a $18 price tag. The Poke-brawler uses NFC tech to 'scan' figurines into the game, where up-to-four players can rough it up in 100-monster skirmishes. There are 18 figurines, available at GameStop for $4 a pop, but it's worth noting they aren't needed to play the game.

Wii U owners hoping for a little Bethesda-brand steampunk/open world/pseudo-historical/massively multiplayer whatever may want to start grazing other pastures, as Nintendo's console is nowhere to be seen on the publisher's horizon.

"None of the game's we've announced are being developed for the Wii U, so it's guaranteed that none of those games are coming to Wii U," Bethesda VP of PR and marketing Pete Hines told us at QuakeCon, with regards to The Elder Scrolls Online, Wolfenstein: The New Order and The Evil Within. "Will any future ones come out? I can't say for sure, in our near-term focus it's not on our radar."

"It's largely a hardware thing," Hines said, explaining that Bethesda's mantra is to "make the games that we want to make, on whatever platforms will support them as developed." Giving an example, he said that The Elder Scrolls Online "likely would have" been released on Xbox 360, but that it "just wasn't possible" due to hardware limitations. Specifically referencing future announcements for the Wii U, Hines said that "it remains to be seen what the future holds."

This differs from the Wii U publishing reservations we've heard of from other companies, in that Bethesda's decision is based on hardware limitations, rather than the Wii U's lackluster performance at retail. EA, for instance, isn't bringing this year's installments of FIFA or Madden to Nintendo's platform due to the limited size of the console's installed user base. Similarly, Ubisoft was so confident that the Wii U would be unable to support the kind of sales it needed for Rayman Legends, that it delayed the game's release and extended its availability to other platforms.

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Square-Enix's latest financial numbers (PDF) are a bit mixed. The publisher posted a loss for the first quarter of its fiscal 2014, but said loss is an improvement over the loss posted during the same period last year. Specifically, Square-Enix posted net sales of 24 billion yen ($245.3 million), down from 24.9 billion yen ($253.7 million) during Q1 last year. The company recorded a net loss of 493 million yen ($5 million) an improvement over last year's loss of 2 billion yen ($21.1 million).

Outside of Square-Enix's overall performance, the Digital Entertainment arm of the company (i.e. video games) showed some growth, with net sales of 11.5 billion yen ($118 million) and an operating income of 1.3 billion yen ($13.4 million), up from sales of 11.3 billion yen ($115 million) and a 111 million yen ($1.1 million) operating loss last year. Even so, Square-Enix cited "weak" sales of console games, as no major titles were released during its first quarter. Meanwhile, its browser and smartphone titles have been making "smooth progress" and the Wii MMO Dragon Quest X "has been showing steady performance."

The financial statement reiterated comments from earlier this year – when the company posted a $134 million loss – noting the rapid spread of mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, while the console game market becomes increasingly competitive. These changes have already led to major restructuring, in particular a lot of executive shuffling.

Going to PAX Prime? The organizers of the annual Seattle show, which runs from August 30 through September 2, have just posted the full schedule online and it's a doozy.

Peter Molyneux's story time session will kick off the show on Friday morning. Other notable panels cover how Naughty Dog pitched The Last of Us, a roundtable with Grifball experts, a Firaxis Games talk and the requisite games journalism panels that happen every year. Then there's the PAX 10, a gathering of ten top indie games as chosen by 50 industry experts, which will be showcased on the floor.

It's going to be a hectic show, so you'd best start combing through the packed schedule if you're planning on spending that long weekend bumping elbows with your fellow enthusiasts in Seattle.

Splinter Cell: Blacklist will not feature an offline co-op component on Wii U.

Producer Liu Jun has confirmed the news with NintendoLife, citing the pressure to ship the Wii U version alongside other platforms as the reason behind the missing feature. "In order to ship at the same time as the other consoles, we unfortunately weren't able to delve into this feature. But we think Nintendo gamers will be really excited to get the game at the same time as other consoles."

Ubisoft Shanghai is the lead developer on the Wii U version, which looks like it'll offer some useful WiiPad functionality when it launches later this month. Outside of the omission of local co-op play, the Wii U version features are identical to its PC, Xbox 360 and PS3 brethren.