Ninja Gaiden 3’s official website launches + 12 new screenshots

Tecmo Koei have launched the official website for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, a game that’s coming not only to the Wii U, but the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 as well. The site features some basic information about the game as well as two videos and a generous helping of screenshots, which you can see after the break.

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Pre-order the Zelda: Skyward Sword CD + Gold Wii Remote bundle on Amazon!

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword Bundle

UPDATE: It appears that the golden Wii Remotes have run out, as the Wii Remote bundle’s order page is now 404’ing. However, you can pre-order the non-bundle version of Zelda: Skyward Sword from here – and it still includes the limited edition Zelda Symphony CD.


Amazon have started taking pre-orders for the bundled version of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword that comes with a golden Wii Remote Plus and a music CD from the Zelda Symphony. It’s a great deal, because for just $20 more than the game alone, you’ll get a Wii Remote Plus with it – and a golden one emblazoned with the Hylian crest, at that.

The CD will only be included in the first production run of the game, and the bundle is limited-edition, too, so if you want that or the beautiful Wii Remote, you’d better get your pre-order in soon.

Miyamoto hints at full body tracking for Wii Fit U

Wii Fit U

In addition to practically confirming that a Wii Fit game is coming to the Wii U, Miyamoto hinted very strongly in a recent Iwata Asks interview that the controller’s camera would be capable of Kinect-style full-body tracking.

Miyamoto: I can’t really talk about it in detail, but we’re working on new ways to do training exercises with Wii Fit, like using the camera, you can place it against something and play while the game looks at your status.

Iwata: It certainly seems possible from an engineering standpoint that the camera will recognise you if you position the new controller to look at you. Moreover, it would be much more accessible if all you have to do is to hold it, press a button and stand on the Wii Balance Board.

Motion tracking was a function I mentioned in a community feature a while ago, but there has been some doubt about whether the controller’s camera would actually be good enough to make it happen. Kinect, after all, is a combination of an infrared camera, a colour camera, and an omnidirectional microphone array, while the Wii U seems to have little more than a simple webcam. But it seems we can put those doubts aside, if Miyamoto and Iwata are this confident in the camera’s abilities.

Iwata Asks: An interview with Miyamoto about the Wii U

Iwata Asks

Nintendo have published an Iwata Asks interview they conducted with Miyamoto focusing on the Wii U. If you’re in the loop with the blog, you probably won’t find any major surprises in there. However, it’s a good piece of reading that provides a great recap on the design philosophy behind the Wii U – “deeper and wider” – as well as a few hints at future projects. Check it out!

Runescape might come to the Wii U

 

Runescape Logo

Mark Gerhard, CEO of Jagex, is enthused about the possibility of bringing Runescape to the next generation of home consoles.

I think they [Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo] will open up their platforms a bit more, liberate them a bit more. It’s just a matter of time. But we’re well placed to be on all devices soon so we can have a global community.

He stated that there were no technical limitations that kept them from creating a console version of Runescape before, but that Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo were unwilling to allow cross-platform play (so, those playing on a PlayStation 3 would not be able to play together with those using an Xbox 360, for example). However, he has high hopes that the big three will loosen up a bit in the next generation.

Silent Hill producer speaks about the Wii U

Want to see Silent Hill on the Wii U? If yes, then you might be happy to hear that though producer Tomm Hulett hasn’t had a chance to check it out yet, he seems optimistic about the prospect of Silent Hill on the Wii U.

Wii U, I haven’t had a chance to check out yet. I was driving to LA during the press conference and I couldn’t see it at Nintendo’s booth. I heard some things about it. I was in charge of Shattered Memories which was designed for the Wii. I thought we did really cool stuff with motion control, so I’m sure there are some cool things we can do a touch screen in front of you and you can take it with you. Hopefully, in the future I will get a chance to see it and we can come up with some cool stuff for Silent Hill.

Silent Hill: Shattered Memories on the Wii received somewhat favorable reviews from critics and it would be great to see the series come to the next Nintendo console.

Fox gave Gearbox a lot of freedom with Colonial Marines

In an interview with GameSpot, Gearbox’s Brian Martel mentioned that Fox has given them a lot of freedom to develop Aliens: Colonial Marines including exploring the aliens’ life cycles and creating new aliens.

They’ve given us a lot of freedom at 20th Century Fox. Fox has been really cool about it. They want us to stay within the canon of the movies, so this game takes place after Alien 3. But it is a spiritual sequel to Aliens, so it really lets us be in the boots of the Colonial Marines. But Fox also let us delve into the aliens hive life-cycle and those kind of things. So we’ve been able to dig in there and kinda create new aliens that make sense for gameplay because making a game is very different than making a movie, so you need different requirements. But they’ve been very cool with it, so its been a very exciting experience to work with those guys.

Brian Martel also noted that fans of the series will enjoy the game and that they have been listening to fan feedback. Aliens: Colonial Marines will be releasing for the Wii U in 2012.

Aonuma shares more Zelda Wii U ideas

In the latest issue of Nintendo Power, Eiji Aonuma shared some more thoughts on a Zelda Wii U game. The dual screen action is one of the things he is most excited about.

I really think [having two screens is] one of the most exciting features of the system. Unlike the Nintendo DS, there’s distance between the television and you and your other screen. That really allows for some different interactions, some of which you saw [at E3]. For example, imagine having the contents of Link’s satchel available to you on the screen of your controller, and using elements of the pouch to interact with gameplay on the television.

He also went on to share more ideas on how the controller could enhance Zelda gameplay.

With The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, we had the Nunchuck and Wii Remote sort of stand in for the sword and shield that Link carries. But in a game for the Wii U, I can definitely see something like the controller itself becoming the different items that Link is using, allowing you to interact with the game world and with the game items in a very different way.

Rumour: Wii U is Nintendo’s “best idea in ages”, hardware issues will be resolved

According to this last report from 01net, the Wii U is Nintendo’s “best idea in ages”, and Nintendo are confident that they’ll get their current hardware issues fixed.

As for the Wii U, despite its serious problems of development – you can be sure – will be resolved, it is probably the best idea we have had for ages.

The press, like players, do not seem to fully realize the potential of this revolutionary machine. It’s a whole new way to create and play before us. And given the graphics quality achieved by the hardware of the present generation, I think the technical superiority of our future competitors in the market for machinery room will not weigh heavily in the balance, faced with what we will bring in terms of gameplay . U The Wii is the future of gaming. You will not soon realize it!

It’s definitely a more uplifting bit of news than the last piece from 01net, but as with any unsourced rumour, don’t treat it as fact. The same article predicted that Iwata is on the verge of losing his job, and further fueled the rumour that Nintendo would re-release the 3DS with a second Circle Pad next year – both of which don’t exactly sound plausible.

Submitted by Nub Cakes! 😀 (via)

12 Minutes of Metro: Last Light Footage

For those who missed the other gameplay videos of Metro: Last Light, THQ have conveniently put together a video showing all three of the videos they released as well as extending the original scenes. As well, there is an entirely new scene.

Metro: Last Light will be gracing the Wii U sometime in 2012.