Aonuma shares some more thoughts on Zelda Wii U

While speaking to Nintendo Power, Eiji Aonuma shared some more thoughts about what features could be included in Zelda Wii U. While he didn’t go into any detail claiming that it would spoil the reveal of the game he did speak about how the touchscreen controller could be useful in a Zelda game.

“But one thing I certainly find myself liking is a lot – that you saw in the Wii U Zelda HD experience – is the idea of being able to pill your map onto a separate screen and really make use of that separate display in order to make your adventure more exciting and more streamlined. That is certainly something I find very appealing.”

I think we can definitely bet on being able to select items and view maps using the controller screen in not just Zelda but other games as well. Aonuma also reiterated that the art style for Zelda is still ‘up in the air’.

“Really, this time around it was more about seeing what we can do with the Wii U. In making the experience, we had the Twilight Princess art style as a base more or less to gauge what we were doing. But for a Wii U Zelda in the future, there’s no art style or design direction that’s been laid down – we’re very open to distinct possibilities.”

Harvest Moon Creator hoping to bring a game to the Wii U

Harvest Moon Creator, Yasuhiro Wada has said that he is hoping to bring a game to the Wii U. When asked whether he was interested in making games for the 3DS he had this to say:

“I’ve got a 3DS game in the pipeline right now, and I’ve got another game that we haven’t decided the platform on, but which I am hoping to bring to Wii U.”

Wada didn’t go into any more detail about the games he had in mind but it definitely sounds like a game from Wada will be making its way to the Wii U sometime.

Wada also spoke about the console’s potential.

“Right now it feels like a home console version DS and I mean that in a good way,I think there is a lot of hidden potential there, so I am right now thinking up new modes of play. I really enjoy times like this!”

 

Famitsu carries out Wii U poll

Gaming magazine, Famitsu have polled their readers on how they are feeling about the Wii U. The results from the Japanese public have not been overly positive but neither are they overly negative.

The results showed that 38.3 percent of readers had a good impression of the Wii U after E3 whilst 33.7 percent did not have a good impression. The remaining 28 percent were currently undecided or just not interested in the console.

This is not the first time the Wii U hasn’t done overly well in a poll. Gaming website T3 have also polled their readers asking them which console they wanted more, Xbox 720, PS4 or the Wii U with the Wii U getting just 9% of the vote. However, the validity of these polls are very much in question.

Patcher would be surprised if Wii U was over $399

Everyone’s favorite analyst, Michael Pachter has said that it would surprise him if the Wii U launched with a price that was over $399. He also mentioned that the Wii U price “sweet spot” is $249.99.

It would surprise me a lot if the Wii U cost more than $399.99, and I think that the sweet spot is $249.99.  Pricing really depends upon where the other console bundles (PS3 with Move and 360 with Kinect) are priced at the time the Wii U launches, because people who don’t yet have a console are likely going to choose among the three offerings, and the biggest driver in the purchase decision is usually price.”

Price will definitely be an important factor in the Wii U’s launch, this was also noted by Square Enix’s Julian Merceron.

The price of the Wii U will be the subject of much rumour and speculation until Nintendo reveal what they mystery numbers are.

Epic are interested in the Wii U

The intrigue with the Wii U continues as Epic Games confirm that they are interested in the platform. In an interview with Industry Gamers, president of Epic Games, Mike Capps has said that they are interested in the Wii U even though they don’t have anything planned as of yet.

“We haven’t made an official announcement about that platform. And while we loved the Wii, it just wasn’t a fit to make a game that would go across Xbox 360, PS3 and the Wii. It just wasn’t possible. So going forward, we’re working with those folks and we’re very interested in the Wii U. At the launch event at E3, some of the products that you saw running on Wii U were based on Unreal Engine technology. So that kind of gives you an idea of where we are in that space. You can certainly use our engine on that platform – it’s a natural fit from a technology perspective,”

Wii U to get Professor Layton ports? Maybe

Japanese game developers and producers have been sharing their thoughts and opinions on the Wii U. The gaming website Andriasang have translated their thoughts.

Interestingly, Akihiro Hino, president and CEO of Level 5 said that because stylus-based games like Professor Layton can now be played, they can consider ports. He also said that the system could expand the type of game that can be played in the living room, so he’d like to think about these types of game in the future as well.

It does definitely sound like there is interest in bringing Professor Layton to the system. A HD Professor Layton collection would definitely sit well with me.

Square Enix: Wii U’s launch line-up needs to be strong

Since the Wii U’s reveal at E3 there has been both optimism and cynicism about whether Nintendo’s next console will be successful. According to Julien Merceron, Square Enix’s worlwide technology director the Wii U’s launch line-up and price will be crucial to the system’s success or failure.

“I’d say, don’t write off the console,” Merceron told VideoGamer.com. “For every console it’s the same thing: one of the most important things is going to be the launch line-up. We see that every time there’s a great title shipping on PSP, the PSP sales go up, and every time there’s a great title shipping on 3DS, the 3DS sales go up. If the audience and players can see that there are products for them, there’s definitely going to be wide adoption of Wii U. The things of utmost importance are going to be the pricing at launch, and the line-up.”

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Marvel Pinball coming to the Wii U

IGN reporters at Comic-Con have revealed that Marvel and developer Zen Studios have announced that Marvel Pinball will be available to download for the Wii U by the end of 2012.

The exact release date will be revealed closer to the launch of the game.

The game will also be coming to the Nintendo 3DS, PlayStation Vita, iOS, Android, and PC by the end of 2012.

The game received an 8 from IGN when it was released for the Xbox 360 arcade and PlayStation Network last year, commenting on its addictive gameplay and lasting appeal.

Insomniac Games discusses the Wii U

Resistance developers, Insomniac Games have shared their thoughts on the Wii U while speaking to Industry Gamers. CEO, Ted Price explained to the gaming website his initial thoughts on the Wii U:

“I was surprised. I wasn’t expecting a handheld controller of that size, and I wasn’t expecting a touch screen, so I think all of us saw a lot of opportunity in terms of how we could use that second screen with an HD screen at the same time.” He continued, “All of our designers and anybody on our team, I think their first thought is, ‘How could we use this to enhance our games in some way?’ Since every game is designed differently, there’s always a different opportunity. I don’t think, one size fits all when you’re talking about a controller like that. It’s got to fit the game that you’re making. We continue to be surprised by how people are using Move and Kinect and it’s a nice part of one’s toolbox.”

Their upcoming game Overstrike is currently slated for PS3 and 360 release but Insomniac Games haven’t ruled out a Wii U release.

“Since we haven’t talked about a release date, I don’t know if it’s too late or not [to bring Overstrike to Wii U as well]. You never know,” he told Industry Gamers. “For now, what we’re talking about though is that Overstrike is going to be out on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.”

Miyamoto was less involved in Wii U development

While speaking to the French website écrans Shigeru Miyamoto explained that he was less involved in the development of the Wii U than he was with Nintendo’s two previous consoles.

He was directly involved in the development of the Wii and GameCube systems but this time around he took a more advisory role.

“For the GameCube and Wii I was really deeply involved from the start and the design of the structure and development processes… for the [Wii U], I would say it represents the beginning of a transition with younger generations of Nintendo engineers who have been more involved in the development of the project. I am still very present and engaged myself, but less directly. It’s like I stepped aside: I followed step by step work and gave them advice.”