Most Recent: Wii U

Heart Machine cancels development of Hyper Light Drifter on the Wii U and Vita

Posted on September 12, 2016 by John Scalzo

In a heartfelt new update to the game’s Kickstarter page, Heart Machine’s Alex Preston has confirmed that Hyper Light Drifter is no longer in development for the Vita and Wii U.

Most of the problems with the ports can be attributed to GameMaker, the engine Hyper Light Drifter was built in. When trying to recreate the game for the Vita, Preston said they forced the engine to do things it wasn’t designed to do, making performance suffer:

With the Vita, we worked for months to get the project to run well enough on the platform. The problem is we pushed the engine incredibly far and made it do things it wasn’t meant to do. So the native port option has not been performing anywhere near our standards and would require a lot of majot reworking and downgrading to fit on a lower-powered platform.

Preston first discussed the problems his team was having with the GameMaker engine on the Wii U back in February, and it looks the engine’s lack of support for Nintendo’s console finally killed the port. The developer also cited his own health issues as a major contributing factor in dropping both versions of the game.

Preston confirmed that any Kickstarter backer who originally request the Wii U or Vita version of the game will receive a full refund. Though an option to receive a download code for the PC, PS4, or Xbox One is also available.

Finally, Preston said that “a big update” for Hyper Light Drifter will be released later this month, so we should all be on the lookout for that.

Posted in News, Vita, Wii U | Tagged

Koji Igarashi delays Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night’s launch to the First Half of 2018

Posted on September 9, 2016 by John Scalzo

Koji “Iga” Igarashi delivered some bad news last night to fans of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night. The famed developer revealed that progress on the game isn’t going as smoothly as he would have hoped. To make sure it’s “done right the first time,” Igarashi announced that Bloodstained will miss its planned March 2017 launch. Instead, the game be released in the first half of 2018 for the PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, and Xbox One:

“The last thing I want to do is keep our backers waiting, but after receiving such incredible support, I feel responsible for delivering the best product I possibly can. Again, I offer my sincerest apologies.”

To help maintain his vision, Igarashi also confirmed that he’ll add a new development team so he can keep development of Bloodstained “fully on track.” Inti Creates is currently working on the game for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One (Armature is handling the Vita and Wii U port), but it’s unknown if this second team will work alongside them, or replace them.

Posted in News, PC, PS4, Vita, Wii U, Xbox One | Tagged

Nintendo Download: Ace Attorney Spirit of Justice, Jotun, Super Castlevania IV, more

Posted on September 8, 2016 by John Scalzo

Objection! You need to read all about the new games in this week’s Nintendo Download…

New to the 3DS eShop this week is Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Spirit of Justice, the latest game in Capcom’s Ace Attorney series. This time, Phoenix Wright and his colleagues will need to explore crime scenes, dust for fingerprints, and contact the dead to win the case.

Hopping over to the Wii U, the Nindies Summer Jam continues this week with Jotun: Valhalla Edition, an overhead action game from Thunder Lotus Games. The game features hand-drawn artwork and plunges players into the world of Norse mythology as Thora tries to enter Valhalla by provig herself to the Gods. Also available to download for the Wii U this week is Mario Strikers Charged, a Mario-centric soccer title that was originally released for the Wii in 2007.

Finally this week, we drop back down to the 3DS eShop for the digital launch of Super Castlevania IV. Originally released for the Super NES all the way back in 1991, it would be the last time that Simon Belmont battled Dracula in the franchise.

More information on all of these games (and a few other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged

New Zelda Amiibo coming December 2: 8-Bit Link, OoT Link, Wind Waker Link/Zelda 2-Pack

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

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While the crazed fervor for Amiibo figures has died down considerably since their 2014 debut, the collectible toys are still quite popular with fans, and Nintendo doesn’t look to be slowing down production on new figures anytime soon.

Earlier this morning, Nintendo announced plans to celebrate The Legend of Zelda‘s 30th anniversary with four new Amiibo figures, all of which will be available on December 2. An NES-inspired “8-Bit Link” figure will certainly get fans talking, and it’ll be joined on store shelves by another Link based on his Ocarina of Time appearance, and a two-pack that includes both Toon Link and Zelda from The Wind Waker.

These Amiibo figures will feature the same functionality as the other Link, Toon Link, and Zelda figures from the Super Smash Bros. series, but they’ll also provide special functionality in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild when it launches next year.

The exact specifics of this special functionality will be announced at a later date.

Posted in 3DS, News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged , ,

Nintendo Download: Axiom Verge, Zelda Skyward Sword, Picross 3D Round 2, more

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

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After looking to NES classics like Metroid and Contra for inspiration, Thomas Happ is finally ready to bring his retro-flavored side-scroller, Axiom Verge, to the Wii U this week. As the first game in Nintendo’s “Nindies Summer Jam” promotion on the eShop, Axiom Verge’s Wii U debut will offer Off-TV Play, Leaderboards, and a Speedrun Mode.

Two other games unveiled by Nintendo during this morning’s Nintendo Direct presentation are also now available to download through the Nintendo eShop. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, Link’s only full-length adventure developed exclusively for the Wii, is now available to download through the Wii U eShop. And over on the 3DS, players can chip away at a three-dimensional block puzzle in Picross 3D Round 2.

More information on all of these games (and a huge number of other new releases) can be found after the break. (more…)

Posted in 3DS, News, Wii U | Tagged ,

Bombs away! Link paraglides in the latest Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild mini-trailer

Posted on September 1, 2016 by John Scalzo

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I think Nintendo might have outdone themselves with the latest mini-trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

Link takes up paragliding in the new video clip, which was posted to Nintendo’s Twitter account yesterday. But rather than leisurely leap off a mountain and glide to safety, Link delivers death from above by dropping Bombs on a mob of enemies and using an exploding Arrow to get a bit of an updraft:

That’s just beautiful… and I also love the superhero-esque three-point landing right on top of the remaining mooks. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017. Probably after Nintendo releases a few dozen more mini-trailers.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

Bomb Arrows are back in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Posted on August 27, 2016 by John Scalzo

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I’ve lost track of how many mini-trailers for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild that Nintendo’s released over the last two weeks, but we got another one yesterday. This time, Nintendo devoted three-quarters of a minute to Link’s trusty Bow.

Specialty Arrows have played an important role in the Legend of Zelda franchise since the very beginning, and it’s actually impossible to defeat Ganon in the first game without the Silver Arrows (random thought… is Ganon some kind of werepig?). We don’t know if Link will be packing Silver Arrows in Breath of the Wild, but thanks to the latest mini-trailer, we know he’ll have access to Fire Arrows, Ice Arrows, and Bomb Arrows…

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will be released for the Wii U and NX sometime in 2017.

Posted in News, Switch, Wii U | Tagged

SteamWorld Collection will package together Dig and Heist on a single disc this October

Posted on August 25, 2016 by John Scalzo

Image & Form has announced a partnership with Rising Star Games to publish SteamWorld Collection, a disc-based compilation of SteamWorld Dig and SteamWorld Heist, this Fall:

Drill down into a platform, mining adventure game full of secrets, treasure and terrors in SteamWorld Dig, and discover a world of steam-driven robots, inspired by Western and Steampunk themes.

SteamWorld Heist on the other hand offers turn-based strategy with a twist: manually aim the guns of your robots, allowing for insane skill shots and bullet-bouncing action. Board, loot and shoot your way through enemy spaceships and upgrade your recruits with unique abilities, weapons and, of course, stylish hats!

The SteamWorld Collection will be released for the PS4 and Wii U this October.

Posted in News, PS4, Wii U | Tagged ,