Nintendo plans to “rethink the conventions of Zelda” with next game in series

legendofzeldaThe first Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U will be this Fall’s HD remake of The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. But the first original Zelda game for Nintendo’s newest system (The Legend of Zelda Wii U) is going to look a little less familiar.

Eiji Aonuma, Nintendo’s overseer of all things Zelda, used today’s Nintendo Direct presentation to muse a bit on the future of the franchise. During his talk, he revealed that the team’s mission for the next game in the series is to “rethink the conventions of Zelda.”

According to Aonuma, rethinking the conventions of Zelda will involve setting aside some of the more linear aspects of the series (such as requiring that all dungeons be completed in order and playing the game by yourself) and creating something a bit more wide open. Aonuma didn’t come out and say the words “open world Zelda,” but he certainly planted the seed.

Aside from his team’s new mission statement, Aonuma also said he won’t be talking about the next Zelda in any kind of detail until the visuals are ready for a public demonstration. Hopefully, that’s sometime soon.

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Monolith Soft shows off their new Wii U RPG

Monolith Soft, the team behind the hit Wii RPG Xenoblade Chronicles, have been working hard on a Wii U RPG for some time now. Today, they feel ready to show off the first trailer.

Currently known only as X, Monolith Soft’s next game will feature character design by Kunihiko Tanaka, music by Hiiroyuki Sawano, and direction by Tetsuya Takahashi. As you might expect, X is an action RPG that features a lone swordsman doing battle with fantastic creatures… oh, and then he jumps into a transforming mech and takes on another massive monster from the sky!

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Nintendo announces Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD for Wii U

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The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker has divided Zelda fans ever since it was first announced at the 2001 Spaceworld show. Some love the uniqueness of the cel-shaded graphics while others say that the realistic Zelda demo Nintendo showed two years earlier would have been a better direction for the series. Get ready to hear the same arguments all over again.

During today’s Nintendo Direct presentation, Satoru Iwata announced that Nintendo will release a high definition remake of The Wind Waker for the Wii U this Fall. The game will also receive a “tune up [to] the overall game experience” and it’ll be compatible with off-TV play on the Wii U GamePad.

We’ll likely learn more about the Wind Waker remake as E3 approaches.

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We’ll see Super Smash Bros. 4 for the first time at E3 2013

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Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has announced that development on Super Smash Bros. 4 for the 3DS and Wii U is going well. But he also said that Director Masahiro Sakurai needs a little more time before he’s comfortable showing the game to the public. But we won’t have to wait very long to get our first glimpse of the smashing.

Iwata confirmed that the first screenshots and details from Super Smash Bros. 4 will be available at this year’s E3 Expo. Without confirmation of a playable demo, it’s unlikely that Super Smash Bros. 4 will make its way into stores this year. But we’re one step closer at least.

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3D Mario for Wii U, Mario Kart Wii U announced; will be playable at E3

mario-saluteNintendo’s latest Nintendo Direct presentation has just come to a close and company President Satoru Iwata made a ton of exciting. But none is more exciting (or least surprising) than the news that a “New 3D Mario Action Game” and Mario Kart Wii U are in development for the Wii U. Both games will make their debut at this year’s E3 Expo where they’ll be available in playable form.

No release dates were announced, but with playable E3 demos on the horizon, it can’t be long now.

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XBLA Today: The Cave

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Ron Gilbert collaboration with Double Fine Productions, The Cave, is today’s lone addition to the Xbox Live Arcade. Priced at 1200 Microsoft Points ($15), the adventure game promises plenty of the zany fun that Gilbert is known for:

The Cave is a new adventure game from Monkey Island and Maniac Mansion creator Ron Gilbert, and Double Fine Productions, the award-winning studio behind Psychonauts and Brütal Legend. Assemble your team of three from seven unlikely adventurers, each with their own unique personalities and stories, then descend into the mysterious depths to explore locations including a subterranean amusement park and a medieval castle, not to mention a fully armed and ready-to-launch nuclear tipped ICBM. The Cave awaits.

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Ni No Kuni, The Cave, Just Dance 4, Dust 514, Disgaea 2, more added to PS Store

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It’s another big week for Sony’s PlayStation Store this week.

This week’s big new release is Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch, Level-5’s collaboration with Studio Ghibli that has locked JRPG aficionados into a frenzy. And speaking of collaborations, adventure game The Cave marks the first team-up of Ron Gilbert and Double Fine Productions.

What else, what else… Today is the first day of the Dust 514 open beta and the PS2 Classic Disgaea 2: Cursed Memories has been added to the store to go with last week’s addition of the first game. Finally, Ubisoft has added a download version of Just Dance 4 to the PlayStation Store.

Hit the jump for more information on this week’s new releases (including Ninja Gaiden Sigma and a new PSP game) and check out the PlayStation Blog for an overview of this week’s new game add-ons.

Press Start to Continue

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Apply for Bethesda’s Elder Scrolls Online beta now

Are you itching to get your hands on The Elder Scrolls Online? Well, you’re in luck. Today, Bethesda opened registration for the game’s beta test at ElderScrollsOnline.com.

“We’re really excited to get the game into players’ hands,” said Matt Firor, game director of The Elder Scrolls Online. “We receive invaluable feedback through the beta process, and that helps us ensure that the game will be one of the best online gaming experiences ever offered — one worthy of The Elder Scrolls franchise.”

The Elder Scrolls Online is scheduled to be released this year exclusively for the PC. The start date and duration of the beta test will be announced at a later date. Good luck to everyone who applies for a spot in the beta.

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