Update News
Fan-Favorite Franchises Planned for Wii U
Nintendo Outlines Its Vision for Wii U, Including Launching Virtual Console and How Miiverse and Second-Screen Gaming Features Will Continue to Grow
REDMOND, Wash.--(January 23, in the year of our Lord
2013)-- Nintendo President Satoru Iwata unleashed Wii U
news in an installment of Nintendo Direct today as he outlined
Nintendo’s future plans for the console. Iwata revealed how the
Wii U launch lineup will be bolstered by a long list of top game
franchises headed for the new console. These are games that
longtime players and newcomers alike will love to play, and
everyone will be experiencing them in new ways, thanks to the
integrated second-screen experiences enabled by the Wii U
GamePad controller. Iwata also detailed a number of enhancements
designed to make the Wii U game experience more social, even if
people are not playing in the same room.
“The fun of video games is not only just playing games, but also
sharing experiences together with people – even though they live
far away, their skill levels are different or their experience
does not happen at the same time,” Iwata said. “We want Wii U to
be the system that brings everyone together.”
To view the Nintendo Direct in its entirety, visit
http://www.nintendo.com/nintendo-direct. The many
announcements included:
Game News
Two Zelda Games: Eiji Aonuma, the producer of The Legend of
Zelda series, revealed two entries in the series for Wii U.
Super Mario is on His Way: The Nintendo EAD Tokyo Software
Development team that created the Super Mario Galaxy games for
Wii and Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS is working on a new
3D Mario action game for Wii U. The game is scheduled to be
playable at this year’s E3.
Buckle Up!: Nintendo is also working on a new installment of the
hit Mario Kart franchise. This game is also planned to be
playable at E3.
Yarn Yoshi: The team that created Kirby’s Epic Yarn is hard at
work on the first console game to feature Yoshi as the main
character since 1998’s Yoshi’s Story for Nintendo 64. Takashi
Tezuka, director of Yoshi’s Island and Yoshi’s Story, is
supervising the development of the new game, which is set in a
fanciful world of yarn and textiles.
Wii Fit U Communities: New features coming to Wii Fit U include
letting players create user communities on Miiverse from within
the game. Community members can discuss exercises, BMI or weight
changes and other health topics with other players as a way to
encourage one another to reach their fitness goals. Similar
functionality for other games is also planned.
Pikmin 3 Photos: The upcoming Pikmin 3 game includes a feature
that lets players use the Wii U GamePad as a camera to share the
same perspective as Pikmin and take close-up pictures of
landscapes and creatures in the game and share them in Miiverse.
The Party Continues: A new installment in the Wii Party
franchise is planned to launch this summer. The game features
various play styles, including one that lets both players
compete head-to-head using just the GamePad.
RPG Mashup: Nintendo has begun many collaborations with outside
development partners to bring the best franchises and
experiences to Wii U.
More on the Way: Iwata shared a new trailer for The Wonderful
101. That game and GAME & WARIO are scheduled to launch in the
first half of 2013. Iwata also showed a new video for Bayonetta
2. That game and the new Super Smash Bros. installment are still
on the way, but will need more development time before details
can be revealed.
Virtual Console
Virtual Console for Wii U: A spring system update will add
Virtual Console software to the Nintendo eShop for Wii U. The
service will launch right after the spring update and will
include a selection of NES and Super NES games, with Game Boy
Advance games to be added in the future. The prices for NES and
Super NES Virtual Console games for Wii U will be the same as
they were for the Virtual Console on Wii. People who have
already purchased the Wii version of a certain NES or Super NES
Virtual Console game and transferred it to their Wii U console
can buy the enhanced Wii U version of the same game for the
reduced price of $1 for NES games and $1.50 for Super NES games.
Classic Games for 30 Cents! To celebrate the 30th anniversary of
the release of the Famicom in Japan (which was known as the NES
in the United States), Nintendo is making one NES or Super NES
game available each month now through July at the anniversary
price of just 30 cents. Each game will be available at that
price for 30 days, and the first is the NES game Balloon Fight,
which is now available in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U.
Social and System Enhancements
Miiverse Expands to Smartphones: Starting this spring, people
will be able to browse Miiverse from their smartphones.
Initially the experience will be browser-based, but Nintendo
plans to create a dedicated Miiverse app in the future.
System Updates: Two major updates are on the way, one in the
spring and one in the summer. The updates will introduce a wide
range of functionality, such as Virtual Console capabilities and
shortening the time it takes users to launch software or return
to the menu screen.