Lost in the shuffle of Nintendo’s Wii U and 3DS announcements comes the news that the fourth Professor Layton game, Professor Layton and the Last Specter, will be available on the DS this Fall.
Developed by Level-5, the game will sport a “baffling number of puzzles” and is the first story chronologically, making it a prequel to the entire Professor Layton saga. The Japanese release of The Last Specter included a full-length RPG, Professor Layton’s London Life, that was unlockable after the main game was completed. Let’s hope that makes it across the Pacific as well.
Announced in Japan earlier this year, Nintendo has used the E3 Expo to confirm the North American release of two new Kirby games.
The imaginatively titled Kirby Wii is a side-scroller where Kirby gains special powers based on the item he’s holding. You can get a good look at the variety of these powers in the trailer above. Kirby Wii will be released for the Wii (surprising I know) this Fall.
Kirby: Mass Attack will be coming to the DS on September 19 and it takes a different tack for a Kirby side-scroller. Kirby has been dropped into some kind of world where everything is huge and the only way he can save the day is to gather up a gang of Kirbies to fight off the giant monsters. That’s right, in this game a gang of torch-wielding Kirbies will swarm a big monster and then eat him to death. Don’t believe me? Check out the trailer after the break.
Not the most original of headlines, but what are you going to do? It explains very succinctly that Ubisoft’s Michael Jackson: The Experience will be available for the 3DS and PlayStation Vita this Fall. As does the game’s debut trailer, which you can view above.
Both versions make use of each handheld’s touch screen to match Michael’s choreography with stylus motions on the screen. Actually, I’ll let Ubisoft tell it:
Players will be invited on an interactive journey into Michael Jackson’s artistry, which will set a new benchmark for handheld rhythm games. Using the tactile screens of both consoles, the players move in line with the choreographies on screen to increase their score and bring to life the environments of 15 of Michael Jackson’s hit songs that span his solo career. As players continue to improve and have fun, aiming to become the ultimate performer, they unlock bonus content along the way such as Michael’s special outfits or “power-up” gloves.
The gameplay will be an all-new experience on both platforms. Using the tactile screen, players will draw a series of shapes according to the beat and the choreographies of the Michael Jackson avatar on the screen. By chaining together moves, they will progressively unlock spectacular special effects and other animated background elements, all while being able to watch the avatar perform. During timed freestyle moments, players can even create their own choreographies from a set of classic Michael Jackson moves.
Players will rediscover 15 settings inspired by Michael Jackson’s music videos and stage performances, such as the ghoul-infested graveyard dance from Thriller, the luxurious Palace of the Pharaoh from Remember the Time, the seedy underworld nightclub from Smooth Criminal, and many more. And in addition to the exciting gameplay, gorgeous cinematic cut-scenes will retell these fantastic stories in eye-popping detail.
If there was any doubt the Wii U wouldn’t match up with the PS3 or Xbox 360, it’s gone now. Nintendo has released the system specs of their tiny behemoth and the console appears more than capable of carrying Nintendo into the HD age.
In addition to being backward compatible with all Wii games and accessories, the system will support SD/SDHC Memory Cards or an external USB hard drive for storage. It will also support a “proprietary high-density optical disc” for game storage (basically, no switching discs) and a variety of video outputs including 720p, 1080i and 1080p.
Hit the break for the first images of the new controller as well as a summary of the system specifications, straight from Nintendo.
Kratos’ PSP outings, God of War: Chains of Olympus and God of War: Ghost of Sparta, will soon make the jump to the PS3 in the God of War: Origins Collection. Available this September, the compilation will bring stereoscopic 3D to the God of War series for the first time. Be sure to check out all the brutality in the official E3 trailer above.
After playing a video showing some of the industry’s top developers singing the praises of the Wii U, Nintendo unveiled the third party lineup that’ll be available for the system:
Aliens: Colonial Marines
Darksiders II (which will be a launch title)
Dirt for Wii U
Metro: Last Light
Ninja Gaiden III: Razor’s Edge (working title)
Tekken for Wii U (with a stylus-powered character creator)
Batman: Arkham City (which elicited cheers from the crowd)
Assassin’s Creed for Wii U
Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon Online
Unnamed Electronics Arts games
Unnamed EA Sports games
So basically, every hot PS3 and Xbox 360 game is also in development for the Wii U. While BioShock Infinite wasn’t on the list, Irrational’s Ken Levine was included in the developer montage and seemed very impressed with the Wii U.
After discussing a variety of prototypes of possible Wii U software (including New Super Mario Bros. Wii with a Mii included in the action!), Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime announced the first third party Wii U game: Lego City Stories. Developed by Lego gurus TT Games, Lego City Stories will be an open world Lego game that includes “a whole city full of Lego vehicles.”
No release date was announced, but it’ll be exclusively available for the 3DS and Wii U.
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata just announced that a version of Super Smash Bros. is in the works for the 3DS and the Wii U. The games will link up “in some fashion” and it’ll be developed by Kid Icarus: Uprising director Masahiro Sakurai.
No release date (or any other information) was announced.
