Most Recent: Wii U

Nintendo Download: Shovel Knight, Castlevania III, Wii Sports Club, more

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The time to dispense shovel justice is upon us. Yacht Club Games’ Shovel Knight is now available to download through the Nintendo eShop for the Wii U and 3DS. The ridiculously retro side-scroller has been available to Kickstarter backers since yesterday, but now everyone will get the chance to slam a shovel down upon the group of evildoers known as The Order of No Quarter.

While Yacht Club strived to make Shovel Knight as authentically 8-bit as possible, an actual 8-bit game is available to download this week via the Virtual Console. 3DS and Wii U owners are now able to purchase Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse, one of the franchise’s best games.

If you’re looking for something a little newer, Nintendo also released the final two games in the Wii Sports Club collection: Baseball and Boxing. All five games can be downloaded individually from the eShop, or you can wait until July 25 to purchase the retail compilation.

More information on all of these titles (as well as many more) can be found after the break. (more…)

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Hyrule Warriors: Tecmo Koei Japan has released new trailers for Zelda and Impa too

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Does anybody else remember when Impa was a frail old woman who collapsed after sending Link on his way to rescue the Princess in the original Legend of Zelda? Yeah… that’s not the Impa we’re going to get in Hyrule Warriors. Like the Link trailer they released last week, Tecmo Koei Japan has given us a glimpse of this Impa in a brand new trailer for the game. Between using a sword that’s taller than she is and the jagged scar across her face, this Impa is wicked intimidating.

The publisher has also released a new trailer featuring Zelda herself. The Princess uses magical light abilities to vanquish the monsters threatening Hyrule including a phantom bow and a portal that rains down meteors. She is no damsel in distress.

Hyrule Warriors will be released in Japan on August 14. We in America will get a chance to hack and slash our way through Hyrule on September 26. Both trailers can be found after the break. (more…)

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Game Critics Awards has announced their Best of E3 2014 nominees

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The Best of E3 2014 nominees are in, and Evolve is currently leading the pack with six nominations (Best of Show, Best Original Game, Best Console Game, Best PC Game, Best Action Game, and Best Online Multiplayer). The rest of the Best in Show games all have multiple nominations as well – Alien: Isolation, Batman: Arkham Knight, Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, No Man’s Sky, and Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege. After all the attention it’s gotten, I’m surprised Sunset Overdrive isn’t on that list, but it’s on a few others.

Check out the full list of nominees after the jump.

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Dig into Shovel Knight’s launch trailer right here

Shovel Knight will be released for the 3DS, PC, and Wii U on June 26. Hey… that’s this Thursday!

In honor of this momentous occasion, Yacht Club Games has released a brand spanking new launch trailer for the game. The trailer gives us a good look at the game’s NES-style platforming action as well as a pretty great background track.

Once again, Shovel Knight will be available on June 26. My digging implement is ready.

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Mario Kart 8 Mercedes GLA DLC officially coming to US this Summer

The Mario Kart 8/Mercedes GLA commercial is still as terrifying now as it was three weeks ago. But now, the terror is closer than ever. Nintendo has announced that the DLC will be available in the US this Summer:

Look at that picture! Mario’s nefarious, wild-eyed and angry expression is only a prelude to his murderous overtures. Like he’s going to pull off to the side of the road and pretend he has car trouble. Then, when someone stops, he’s going to stab them with a hook and shove them into the GLA’s roomy trunk. The 14.9 cubic foot trunk of the GLA has enough space for Bowser, Yoshi, and Princess Peach. With the seats folded down, the trunk expands to 29.5 cubic feet, enough room for Donkey Kong too… if he sees something he shouldn’t have.

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Tecmo Koei Japan has released a new Link-centric trailer for Hyrule Warriors

This beautiful new trailer for Hyrule Warriors, released by Tecmo Koei of Japan, should get your sword hand tingling. It’s got Link wiping out scores of bad dudes. I especially loved his use of bombs!

Hyrule Warriors will be available for the Wii U on September 26.

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Shigeru Miyamoto wants to bring Minecraft to 3DS, Wii U

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Minecraft, the blocky Swedish sandbox hit available on pretty much every platform except those bearing the Nintendo brand, is a title the House of N could certainly use to further the booming sales that followed from the launch of Mario Kart 8. Even its creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, thinks that the Wii U is an ideal platform for the game, tweeting in December that “a Wii U version makes sense.”

When Stephen Totilo caught up with Shigeru Miyamoto and Shinya Takahashi at this year’s E3 Expo, the Kotaku writer wanted to ask them about it. Miyamoto revealed he had not played Minecraft, but was aware of the game and likened it to Nintendo’s newly announced Mario Maker. It was Takahashi, General Manager of Nintendo’s Software Planning & Development department, that offered a more positive quote for those hoping the game may still wind its way onto the Wii U:

We’ve always thought internally that using the GamePad would probably make for a Minecraft that’s very easy to play. And, of course, if we were to do something with Minecraft on the 3DS, similarly we would probably do it where it would be easier to play and could probably reach a lot of kids.

However, grounding expectations, Takahasi said that the game is not as popular in Nintendo’s native Japan as it is in the US or Europe. Yet, when pushed on the subject, it was Miyamoto who had the last word: “Maybe we’re meeting with them! Who knows?”

Was Nintendo’s most famous developer joking, or could Nintendo be meeting with Mojang to help bring their seminal title to Wii U and 3DS? Hopefully we will find out soon.

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New Releases: Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, Grid: Autosport, Xblaze, More

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Believe it or not, a good variety of new games will be available on store shelves this week.

We start things off with Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark, which will be released for the PC, PS3, PS4, Wii U, Xbox 360, and Xbox One. High Moon Studios originated the War For/Fall of Cybertron series of Transformers game, but they’re out for Rise of the Dark Spark as development duties were given to Edge of Reality by Activision. A handheld companion to Rise of the Dark Spark, developed by WayForward, will also make its way to the 3DS this week. And if you’d prefer your cars to be non-transforming, Codemasters will release Grid: Autosport for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 this week.

Also available this week is Xblaze: Code Embryo, a PS3 and Vita “visual novel” spinoff of Arc System Works’ popular BlazBlue fighting series.

A complete list of this week’s new releases can be found after the break. (more…)

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