Dragon Quest X Could Come to Wii U

Square Enix considering releasing title for both Wii and Wii U.

During its investor meeting today in Japan, Square Enix CEO Yoichi Wada stated the company may consider releasing a version of Dragon Quest X that's compatible with both Wii and WIi U.

As reported by Andriasang, Wada was asked about the status of Dragon Quest X for Wii now that Nintendo announced its next console. He said Square Enix is currently investigating ways to make the game work for Wii U.

It should be noted the Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii software, and that Square Enix is likely looking to add support for the console's touch controller rather than overhauling the graphics. Nintendo previously released two versions of The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for both GameCube and Wii.

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Report - Wii U 50% More Powerful than PS3?

According to some developers, Nintendo's new console has 50% more power than extant consoles.

Speculation has emerged that the Wii U is 50% more powerful than PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Industry Gamers has quoted Sterne Agee analyst Arvind Bhatia as saying, "Some of the developers we spoke to indicated to us that the console will have 50 per cent more processing power compared to the PS3 or Xbox 360. This is yet to be confirmed by Nintendo."

But this conflicts with the remarks of John Carmack, id Software's technology chief. Speaking to Gamespot, he said that "the technology level on there brings it up to parity with the other consoles."

At the moment this is all just speculation, of course, but a few weeks ago IGN made its own Wii U - see what we put under the hood and the results we got out of it.

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E3: Wii U Close to the Finished Design

Unlikely that the form factor of the Wii U will change radically before its launch.

President of Nintendo America Reggie Fils-Aime has revealed that the Wii U and its controller on display at E3 this year were "quite near final" in terms of their designs.

Aesthetically, the Wii U unit is consistent with the familar, white, minimalist design of its predecessor.

It's a little bigger. But according to Fils-Aime, speaking to VentureBeat, "The size is driven by the componentry and what's inside... when you compare it to any of the competitive systems, it's still dramatically smaller."

Fils-Aime also took the opportunity to stress that the controller was not a portable device, and was very different to a tablet in terms of functionality.

"It is a connected experience to the base console," he said. "It talks with the base console. It interacts with other Wii accessories whether that is a Wii Remote Plus or a Wii Balance Board."

Are you happy with Wii U's design? If anything, what would you tweak?

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Working up a Sweat in Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics

Two of gaming's biggest icons up sticks from Beijing to within earshot of the sound of the Bow Bells.

As we're walking into the Tower of London, they're helping out the Queen (or a very good impersonator). Further on, past the hordes of tourists peering at the magnificent prison-fortress through their camera viewfinder, there's a room full of seriously-suited business men and a sharply-dressed athlete or two. It's the most incongruous places to show off Mario & Sonic at the London Olympics we could have thought of.

Getting hands-on with the games, it's obvious the Wii version hasn't changed much from the version that sold a kajillion copies a couple of years back; the character line-up is identical, with four-player play and almost all the events from the first game returning. The styling has shifted to match the London background, which is thankfully more iconic to most gamers than the equivalent areas in Beijing were; Big Ben looms in the background, the horses ride beneath the Greenwich Observatory and badminton matches take place in the Wembley Arena.

There are just four new events: horse-riding, canoeing, football and badminton. The equestrian event (horse-riding to you and me) is played extremely straight and could have been pulled straight from Pippa Funnell; characters have to make their way atop a pony around a obstacle-riddled course in the shortest time possible. Canoeing is a two-player co-op game, which is all about your team's rhythm - paddle together and you'll zoom ahead. Badminton feels like a very light version of Mario Tennis or Virtua Tennis, with automatically-moving players wafting their rackets at the shuttlecock. If a player messes up their shot the opponent has a chance to do a special smash move, which is normally unstoppable. We didn't get to see the football, sadly.

Chrono Trigger Wii-Bound in America

Jump back in to a classic.

Back in March, we wrote about the news that Chrono Trigger was coming to the Wii's Virtual Console in Japan. Today, we got confirmation straight from Square-Enix that Chrono Trigger is indeed coming to the Virtual Console in North America. And better yet, we now have a release date and price.

Chrono Trigger, the classic SNES-era Square RPG, will find its way onto the Virtual Console this coming Monday, May 16th. Downloading Chrono Trigger will cost you $8.

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Nintendo's New Console Could Cost $400 and Have Two Distinct Controllers

"Stream" is reportedly one of the possible names for the new system.

Project Café may be the code name of Nintendo's next console but "Stream" is rumored to be one of the names in consideration for the final product.

New details being reported by IGN besides the possible name include its internal components -- it will carry a "revamped" AMD R700 GPU and a triple-core IBM PowerPC chipset with faster speeds than those of the Xbox 360's processor -- and its Xbox 360-like size. The system will resemble a modern-day Super Nintendo and, based on the estimated costs to produce it, could cost between $350 and $400. Of course, those prices could drop the longer Nintendo opts to wait to release the system. IGN also says the system will indeed have a touchscreen-equipped controller that can have games streamed to it from the console.

 

Jobs Axed At Disney Interactive Studio

Up 50% of staff to go as firm repositions as digital-only publisher.

Disney Interactive Studio, the House of Mouse's gaming arm, is said to be axing 'as many as half' of its 700-strong staff, as it repositions itself as a digital-only publisher according to a report in Variety.

The restructuring of the studio will see it move away from being a 'packaged goods company' - "As part of setting a strategic direction for future success in the digital media space", said a statement from Disney.

The publisher most recently responsible for Tron: Evolution and Disney's Epic Mickey recently saw a change in upper management following the departure of Disney Interactive Media Group head Steve Wadsworth in September 2010, with John Pleasants CEO of Playdom, the social gaming firm that Disney acquired for $763 million in late July, taking over the reins of the studio.

New Yuji Naka Game Announced

Sonic's creator is hard at work.

Nintendo's official UK magazine is reporting that Sonic the Hedgehog's creator Yuji Naka is hard at work putting together an all-new 3DS adventure, and it will be an original title.

Called "Tenkuu no Kishi Rodea" in Japanese, the title will apparently see Yuji's newest hero soaring skyward -- flying through the clouds and shooting enemies there. Of course, the earth below won't be ignored either, as the title will also feature gameplay segments with players running along the ground.

The title won't be exclusive to the 3DS, however, as it's been further announced that a Wii version of the game is also in development. Could both editions essentially be the same game this time around, or will we see different designs for each platform? We'll find out for sure soon.

Just Dance 2 Sales Pass 5 Million

Series to date has sold over 10 million units.

Ubisoft wasn't kidding around when it proclaimed the dance genre was the new king of music games.

The published said today it has sold over 5 million copies of Just Dance 2 to customers worldwide since the game launched back in Oct. 2010.

Mario Sports Mix Has Final Fantasy Characters

Moogle, Cactuar and more join Miis and possible a Dragon Quest character.

Square Enix is the developer of the latest Mario sports game, Mario Sports Mix. And just as they did with DS's Mario Hoops 3-on-3, they'll be bringing a little bit of Final Fantasy into the Mario universe.

Nintendo has confirmed that Ninja, White Mage, Black Mage, Cactuar and Moogle will appear in the game as playable characters. They'll be joined by "Mii," which seems to imply that you'll be able to use you own custom Mii character.

HAWX 2 Wii Review

Where's the ejection handle on this thing?

Don't let the name fool you -- HAWX 2 for Wii is not the same game as its Xbox 360/PlayStation 3 brethren. It's a different story, different missions, different characters, different... well, pretty much everything. This isn't necessarily a bad thing all the time. HAWX 2 for PS3 and 360 was a pretty so-so title with promise but poor execution, and the idea of a more accessible interpretation of its dog-fighting combat has merit. Unfortunately, HAWX 2 for Wii does not. It feels like a bizarre attempt to cash in on the HAWX brand (a brand whose success is questionable to begin with) with a game that bears little resemblance to the main series save that there are planes in it.

HAWX 2 Wii sets itself apart from the PS3 and 360 versions immediately with an on-rails shooting sequence through a bizarre landscape that seems more at home in a sugary platformer than a series about the world's most elite pilots. This is added to by cartoon pilot portraits that appear next to some pretty questionable dialogue which establishes that HAWX 2 for Wii is telling a strange personal story that has more to do with personal grudges and family antagonism than any believable modern conflict.

The Last Story to Feature Online Play

Cooperative and competitive modes for up to six players, from the creator of Final Fantasy.

There's one tiny feature of The Last Story that Nintendo forgot to reveal all this time. The upcoming Mistwalker RPG has online support. And we're not talking about download content. The game will let six players get together for online play sessions.

The latest issue of Jump reveals the surprise feature. Players will be able to access a "Raid Lobby" area to take part in cooperative and competitive play. In competitive play, six players face off against one another using the game's battle system. Cooperative play has six players team up to fight powerful bosses.

Amazon Japan Reveals its Top 10 Games of the Decade

Nintendo, Square Enix occupy all but one position on the chart.

In celebration of ten years of operation, Amazon Japan has posted a list of the ten most popular games it has sold (via Kotaku Japan). The number one title of the past decade was Dragon Quest IX, the mega-hit Nintendo DS RPG released last year.

Rock Band 3 Fender Stratocaster Guitar Priced, Dated

The Squier will run you a steep $280, but then again, it is a real guitar.

Rock Band 3 is on store shelves now, but it'll still be a few months before one of its most impressive features is available to all would be-rockers out there: Fender has announced that their Rock Band 3 Squier Stratocaster guitar, which is an actual six-string musical instrument that can also be used with the game, will be released on March 1, 2011, and cost $279.99.

Donkey Kong Country Returns Official Trailer



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Michael Jackson Game Includes Glove

Two new songs announced - Speed Demon and Dirty Diana.

A special edition of Michael Jackson: The Experience for the Nintendo Wii will include a replica white glove famously worn by the King of Pop. The packed-in glove will only be available at launch in specially marked boxes at no additional cost.

"One of the most iconic symbols of Michael Jackson's music and performance legacy is his signature glove," shared Tony Key, senior vice president of sales and marketing, Ubisoft.

No Wii Price Cut This Holiday

Satoru Iwata rules out lower price for this holiday.

Nintendo has ruled out the possibility of a Wii console price cut this fall and instead will focus on special retailer deals or adding software or accessories to the package.

When asked about a possible price cut today in Tokyo, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told the Associated Press there are no current plans. "Of course, we cannot say it will never happen, but we are not thinking of it for the near future," he said.

"Those who really wanted it would have already bought it so now we need to reach those who considered it but never got around to buying it."

A price cut would certainly help Nintendo fend off declining Wii hardware and software sales. The company saw sales fall 33 percent for the second fiscal quarter.

Nintendo will release a new Red Wii bundle this holiday that includes the new Wii Remote Plus controller, a hybrid of the original Wii controller and the Wii MotionPlus add-on.

The company will also look to boost profits when it releases the Nintendo 3DS worldwide early next year.

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Going Ape Over Donkey Kong Country Returns

Nintendo let us tool around with the final version earlier this week. And yes, we love it.

Nintendo held an event earlier this week that gave us lucky game enthusiast professionals the opportunity to plow through as much of Donkey Kong Country Returns as our hands (and our patience) would allow. Of course, I was there front and center, on the first day ready to get my gorilla on.

This hands-on experience showed us the game in full context, complete with the full introduction cutscene that explains the scenario in this Retro Studios-developed revisit to the Rare original platformer. In Donkey Kong Country Returns, DK's banana horde has been stolen. But this time it's by a troupe of tiki critters who've hypnotized all the critters in the jungle to do their bidding. But when one of those tiki dudes tries his hypnotic song on Donkey Kong, it doesn't exactly take…and the first thing you do is send that guy flying with a mean right hook out of your hut.



Now it's up to Donkey Kong and his pal Diddy Kong (complete with Nintendo logo-emblazoned red ball cap) to head through the jungle and take back all the bananas that have been lost along the way, as well as help his hypnotized buddies get back their senses.

Michael Jackson The Experience Smooth Criminal Gameplay



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Wii to be Top Holiday Seller, Analyst Predicts

Michael Pachter sees the Wii rebounding and having a strong November and December.

Though its sales figures in recent months may be less than we're used to seeing, especially compared with the increased sales of both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the Wii will be the top selling game console in both November and December, according to Wedbush Morgan Securities analyst Michael Pachter.

"I don't think that Nintendo's holiday season is in trouble at all," he told IndustryGamers. "The Wii has dropped from first to third, but the new models for Xbox 360 and the launch of PS3 Move had something to do with that, and it's likely only temporary. I think that Mr. Iwata is right when he says that the Wii is more of a holiday purchase, as the core audience has long been satisfied, and the more casual audience comprises the much larger portion of the addressable market."