All Articles: 3DS

2D Mario game coming to 3DS before Q1 2013

Posted on January 27, 2012 by John Scalzo

Nintendo’s quarterly financial briefings are always full of surprises, and this week’s was no exception.

During the investor’s presentation, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata revealed that a 2D Super Mario Bros. side-scroller will be released for the 3DS during Nintendo’s next fiscal year. That’s sometime between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2013 for those of us still using the good old Gregorian calendar.

We know that the game has been in development for at least a year as Shigeru Miyamoto revealed his involvement with a 2D Mario game for the 3DS during Nintendo’s October 2010 financial briefing.

See, there’s always something exciting happening at a Nintendo financial briefing.

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Christina Hendricks, Sean Faris to star in Need For Speed: The Run

Posted on October 19, 2011 by John Scalzo

Before Castle, Nathan Fillion starred in Drive, a TV show about an illicit cross-country road race. Today, EA has announced that his Firefly nemesis, Christina Hendricks, will star in Need For Speed: The Run, a game about an illicit cross-country road race.

Hendricks, who also stars in Mad Men and Ryan Gosling’s new flick (also coincidentally titled Drive), will be joined by Sean Faris (Ben from The Vampire Diaries) in the game.

Sean Faris is Jack Rourke, one of the best drivers around. Jack’s cockiness and arrogance has led him into a debt he can’t repay. The mob has put a price on his head, and it’s a lofty one. Christina Hendricks stars as Sam Harper, a woman with ambition, street smarts and a penchant for lightning fast cars. Sam is the only person who can help Jack. Sam fronts Jack’s buy-in for The Run, a cut-throat coast-to-coast race from San Francisco to New York with a prize of $25 million. With Sam as his eyes and ears, all Jack needs to do is win.

A demo of Need For Speed: The Run was just added to the Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Store. The full game will be available for the 3DS, PC, PS3, Wii and Xbox 360 on November 15.

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Nintendo Download: Pac-Man, NES Ambassador Titles

Posted on September 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

The big addition on Nintendo’s download services today is the 3DS Ambassador NES titles. But that didn’t stop The Big N from adding a few other games as well:

  • The 3DS eShop will receive a Virtual Console version of Pac-Man.
  • The Wii Shop Channel will receive a World War I-set tower defense game known as Trenches: Generals.
  • And the DSiWare Shop will receive House M.D.: Blue Meanie, an adventure game starring everyone’s favorite cantankerous doctor; and Go Series: Fishing Resort, a fishing sim.

More information on all of these games can be found in the weekly Nintendo Download newsletter.

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NCAA Football 12 is the valedictorian of July’s NPD chart

Posted on August 12, 2011 by John Scalzo

The NPD Group has revealed the top ten bestselling games for the month of July and NCAA Football 12 jumped to the head of the class. None of the rest of the month’s new releases managed to crack the list (including the awesome Earth Defense Force: Insect Armageddon or the alluring Catherine). Even the heavily-hyped Duke Nukem Forever was unable to maintain its place in the top ten.

With few new releases, only 17 titles were released during the month, gamers spent their money on other things in July. According to The NPD Group’s Anita Frazier, July was the “lowest month [for game sales] since October 2006.”

Maybe that’ll show publishers that the gaming community is pretty desperate for new games in the Summer. So maybe they shouldn’t backload every worthwhile game into the September-November period. In the meantime, check out the full top ten after the break. (more…)

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Natsume’s E3 lineup includes new Rune Factory, Harvest Moon games

Posted on June 1, 2011 by John Scalzo

Natsume has announced their E3 lineup and, predictably, it includes new games in the Rune Factory and Harvest Moon franchises. Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny will be coming to the PS3 and Wii while Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns will get a dual release on two dual screen handhelds, the DS and 3DS.

“We have a lineup of top-notch titles this year!” said Hiro Maekawa, President and CEO of Natsume. “We’ve got dancing, fishing, and exciting new entries in the Rune Factory and Harvest Moon series. No matter your age or tastes, we have a game for you!”

Hit the jump for full details on Natsume’s entire E3 lineup. (more…)

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EA unveils E3 2011 lineup; includes multiple unannounced projects

Posted on May 24, 2011 by John Scalzo

Electronic Arts has caught the E3 fever and the only cure is an hour-long show on Spike TV!

Geoff Keighley of GameTrailers TV will host “Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview,” a live broadcast of EA’s 2011 E3 press conference. The photogenic game journalist will be joined by EA CEO John Riccitiello and several of the publisher’s development teams to unveil their E3 lineup:

  • Experience an explosive, never-before-seen demo of Battlefield 3
  • Travel across the galaxy for a look at Commander Shepard’s final voyage in Mass Effect 3
  • Hit the pitch for a first look at FIFA Soccer 12
  • Discover what’s new in Madden NFL 12
  • Shred the mountains in the world premiere look at SSX
  • Experience the high-speed thrills of Need For Speed: The Run
  • Star Wars: The Old Republic and multiple “unannounced projects” will also be revealed during the broadcast

Gamechangers will air live on Spike TV on Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM (Eastern Time).

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Mortal Kombat decapitates the competition in April NPD report

Posted on May 13, 2011 by John Scalzo

It’s no secret that the video game community has responded to NetherRealm Studios’ Mortal Kombat reboot with a resounding “I love it.” But like Shao Kahn taunting a clearly inferior kombatant, the game also emerged on top of The NPD Group’s April 2011 sales report. And according to a tweet from Kombat creator Ed Boon, the game sold over 1,000,000 copies during the month. Flawless victory indeed.

April 19’s other big release, Portal 2, teleported its way to the top of the list with a strong #2 showing. Of course, it’s important to point out that a good portion of Portal 2’s sales were digital downloads through Steam, which isn’t counted by the NPD.

But the biggest surprise from last month’s top ten might be the absence of Sony’s SOCOM 4: U.S. Navy SEALs. The online shooter was also released on April 19th, one day before hackers took down the PSN. The service has yet to return and its offline status definitely contributed to SOCOM 4’s lackluster sales.

Hit the jump for the complete top ten of April’s bestselling games. (more…)

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Mario & Sonic officially going to the London 2012 Olympic Games

Posted on April 21, 2011 by John Scalzo

When the first two games in a series sell nearly 20 million copies worldwide, a third is almost inevitable. And when said game involves Mario and Sonic, you can probably forget about the “almost.” A leaked logo for Mario & Sonic at the London 2012 Olympic Games appeared last week, and today, Sega and Nintendo made it official.

In development at Sega for the 3DS and Wii, the acronym-tastic MASATL2012OG will feature over 50 Olympic events including new sports such as soccer and equestrian competitions.

“These games bring together two of the most beloved characters in the history of the video game industry in Mario and Sonic. As veterans of both video games and Olympic games, they will arrive in London as a formidable team to provide fun, competitive sporting activities that friends and family members can enjoy together,” said Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime.

A release date wasn’t revealed, but Nintendo and Sega promised they’ll announce one later this year.

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