Project Cars (tentative title), a racing simulation game, might be coming to the Wii U as well as the Xbox 360 and PS3. The game, which is currently in development, is uniquely using community feedback to improve and change the game.

The whole point of WMD was creating a game where you’re listening more to the fans than you are to the publisher. I don’t want to suggest that publishers are evil, but we’d rather ask the community what cars they want in the game and what tracks they want in the game, and then we know that the game we’re making is the one that these people want to buy.

Players sign up to a website called World of Mass Development and are granted access to regularly released builds of the game. They are then free to comment on how the game can be improved.

Project Cars is set to release in 2013.

In the latest Skyward Sword-related Iwata Asks segment, our favorite President of Nintendo talked with Eiji Aonuma, the game’s producer; and Hidemaro Fujibayashi, its director. During the segment, Iwata pointed out that five years is a long time to develop a game and that it would be nice if they could do it in three.

Iwata:
You have limited time and people, so there’s bound to be something left over. But five years is a long time. (laughs) Can’t you do it in three years next time?

Aonuma:
Sorry! You’re right! (laughs wryly)

Fujibayashi:
Sorry, I’ll think of something that can happen in three years!

While lighthearted company reflection is hardly a confirmation that the next Zelda will be out in 2014, it’s nice to know that they hope to cut down the time it takes them to develop the game. After seeing the E3 Zelda tech demo, I’m not sure I can wait five years for another console Zelda game!

According to what Jim Ryan, the boss of Sony of Europe, told Eurogamer TV at a recent PlayStation Vita press conference, the PlayStation 4 may be released a bit earlier than everyone expected. He states that, in relation to the Wii U 2012 launch and the rumored Xbox 2013 launch:

I think we would consider it undesirable to be significantly later than the competition [with the next PlayStation].

‘Undesirable’ is a bit of an understatement here. History has shown that companies that get their console out into the market earlier in a generation tend to do better. Waiting until the near end of the planned 10-year PlayStation 3 life cycle would not only forfeit the next generation, but essentially skip it outright.

So are you going to wait out the PlayStation 4, or will the Wii U keep you happy for most of the generation?

Reggie spoke on how Nintendo plans to approach the development of Wii U projects now that his company has a powerful HD platform to work with. In a nutshell, he wants to really drive the controller’s touchscreen and connectivity features home as the console’s defining features, and thinks the Wii U has a chance of achieving a Wii-like impact on the industry if they play their cards right.

The Wii U has to deliver a differentiated experience that can only be brought to bear through the use of these two screens. If all we do is a beautiful game in HD, it’s been done before. We have to take advantage of the second screen, we need to take advantage of the connectivity that the system will offer and, if we do that, we believe that we will yet again disrupt the market the same way we with DS and Wii.

Confident words. If Reggie speaks the truth, we’re in for some fabulous high-definition treats next year.

Tecmo Koei released nine beautiful screenshots of Ninja Gaiden 3 today. Note that they’re from the Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 version of the game, and not the Wii U version known as Razor’s Edge, but you can expect the latter to look every bit as good as these. They were accompanied by the following description in Tecmo Koei’s press email to me:

In these screens, Hayabusa is transported to the expansive modern city of Dubai.  Challenged with all new enemies such as the Alchemist Forces, faced with traps and new threats, Hayabusa must adapt quickly.  As his cursed arm inflicts unbearable pain and suffering the more he kills, he must continue to fight for his life and complete his mission.

Hit the break for the screens! Just one warning, though: there’s blood. A lot of blood.

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It takes a long time to make a game, so it’s not uncommon for a console launch to be full of games that were once in production for another system. It seems that Killer Freaks from Outer Space is one of those games, originally having been proposed for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

More surprisingly, however, is that the game was also designed as an installment in the Raving Rabbids franchise, entitled ‘Killer Rabbids‘. Apparently, the franchise didn’t fit into their target audience, so they removed the obvious traces of Rabbids from the game, though the imprint of the original design still remains. The only question is… was this change made back in the game’s PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 days, or does Ubisoft see a mature audience in the Wii U’s future?

Ubisoft’s Yves Guillemot confirmed that work is already underway on the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed series, which is due for release next year.

I have the pleasure to announce today that there will be another full-fledged Assassin’s Creed title next year. It will be another major release, and we will be communicating more about it in the coming months.

Although there is no specific mention of the Wii U, we know that an Assassin’s Creed game is in development for it and this is likely it.

We received a tip from an EA intern with some very interesting information pertaining to the Wii U’s online system. Our source, who wishes to remain anonymous, claims that her information comes from a network engineer whom she is friends with. As with all news from anonymous sources, it’s difficult to determine its authenticity. But what we received sounds plausible and even explains Peter Moore’s relentless excitement for the Wii U.

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At their last investor relations meeting, Tecmo Koei revealed that Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is slated to be a Wii U launch title. It’s looking like a very solid game so far, so it’ll be great to have it there right out of the gate.

What’s more, Amazon are already taking pre-orders, so if high-thrill ninja action sounds like your kind of game, you might want to head over and put your order in.

In a recent interview, Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma has been discussing the future of the Zelda series and how he feels they can’t “go back” to traditional button control.

I don’t think we could go back to button control, especially after creating something that’s as natural to use as the interface that we have with the Wii Remote Plus in Skyward Sword. I think Nintendo will continue to have that focus on motion control and we’ll see that continue to evolve. And the hardware as well, in a way that will let people control things very naturally just using their own motions.

Though little is known about the game, Zelda Wii U is probably already the most anticipated game heading to the console. When questioned about the game, Aonuma showed interest in combining motion control with the tablet:

We’re looking at how we can combine that new controller with something like motion control, and perhaps use the new controller in such a way that it becomes a new item that you’re able to use to make the game feel fresh and new.