Nintendo seems to be having a run of bad luck.

After announcing that it has cut sales predictions for the Wii U and 3DS worldwide, Nintendo stock prices took a hard tumble.

Wii U sales predictions were dropped from 9 million to just 2.8 million, while the 3DS was moved from 18 million to 13.5 million for the fiscal year ending March 31st, 2014.

Their stock price as it stands at the time of writing is $14.89. That’s a drop of 17.04%, compared to the beginning of the week when China lifted its ban on console sales. Nintendo’s share price stood at $19 after that announcement.

After the launch of the Wii back in 2006, Nintendo Stock prices peaked at $76 in 2007 and have been falling slowly ever since.
This latest cut in sales figures means a net loss for Nintendo, and Nintendo President and CEO Satoru Iwata apologised to investors for this. He also stated he wouldn’t be resigning but he won’t be making any management changes in the near future.

Where will this leave Nintendo, and what will the future hold for them?

Mirror’s Edge was an interesting title that didn’t quite work, so when EA’s Patrick Söderlund stepped forward in June last year and said a sequel was always going to happen, it came as a slight surprise to the rest of us. But even if Mirror’s Edge 2 is on it’s way, Rhianna Pratchett, who wrote the first one, isn’t on board. She’s a self-described “casualty of that [Mirror’s Edge] development process,” and wishes the new team all the best.

“Go with God, I say,” she Tweets. “Create cool stuff. We always need more of that.” When Pratchett came on the team, Faith was nothing more than a template; Pratchett created the character, and continued her adventures in the DC comic book version. Oddly enough, the comic was a prequel, and so is Mirror’s Edge 2, but that doesn’t seem to make a difference to EA; presumably the comic isn’t canon.

Pratchett’s sanguine about the whole thing. She knows she’s just hired help, and nobody from the studio’s talked to her in years, so she gave up on that possibility a while ago. “It was a difficult project for all,” she Tweets, “and I no longer have any contacts [at DICE].”

EA’s open-world Mirror’s Edge 2 adventure hasn’t got a release date yet, but when it does come out it will be for PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

How would you describe the plot of a Mario Game? Dull, Repetitive, Mundane.

NO!

Super Mario 3D world not only brings the Moustachioed Tradesman into the Next Gen, but has a simple and fresh take on the usual kidnappings that occur in this apparently peaceful world. Instead of Bowser targeting peach he’s got his grubby mitts on the Sprixie. A tiny race of pixie people that rule over the beautiful Sprixie Kingdom (points to Nintendo for originality)

The Sprixie Kingdom is full to the brim with interesting enemies and new ally’s, but fret not all you veteran Goomba stompers, all the old favourites from Koopas to Piranha Plants make a comeback in this new world. And it’s not just Mario’s boots that are smooshing Bowsers minions, the Princess, Toad and the mighty green thunder are here to help Mario save the Sprixies.

This is the first and foremost reason why 3D World is such an interesting Mario title. The four characters all act and move throughout the level differently:

Mario

Standard movement speed, Standard jump height, Mario is the easiest character to play as his balanced motion allows the player to move through the levels with grace making the most of the level design.

Luigi

Standard movement speed, Increased jump height, The Vert Vindicator’s increased jump height allows him to plan his aerial acrobatics with precision allowing for maximum stompifacation. This peculiar jump arc does however make some of the levels a bit more difficult making Luigi overshoot allot of easy to reach platforms. Luigi is on for more skilled Players

Peach

Slow movement, standard jump height, So why play as peach she is considerably slower that all the other characters and jumps exactly the same height as Mario … Because she can float, that’s right, difficult jump just float over it. Over shot, float back to safety. That’s right even when it’s the princess out on the adventure she has it easy … really easy (at least she learnt to control her powers of PMS this time) Peach is a great character for you younger siblings if you’re trying to educate them in how to properly game. But personally I believe that they should experience the trial by fire that we had to deal with which is why my sister has to complete Ninja Gaiden for the NES before she can have her Christmas presents … it’s been two years.

Toad

Decreased jump height, Batshit Crazy speed, Toad is an insane little mushroom his stubby legs can’t propel his far but my god can he move. He darts around the levels with almost no control and his decreased jump height you have to be damn sure you know what you are doing. This shrimp dude is reserved for masters only. (I really don’t like his blue spots though … just seems weird)

There is also a secret fifth member but you’re going to have to put some serious hours in to find out just who that is (or just internet it if you want to spoil everything … honestly you and your attention span)

So that’s the characters what about Sprixie Kingdom, because what is a character but a vessel for us to explore (honestly if I start talking like that again toss me down a warp pipe) the world is in a word Enveloping almost more so than any Mario world before, I think only World and 64 are on par with how the world makes you feel.

Every level is unique and exciting from Japanese Pagoda Labyrinths to poisonous Piranha Plant infested PuffProd Peaks. The atmosphere of this game sucks you in and gives the game crucial “oh just one more level” aftertaste that will have you glued to your WiiU for hours. And yes there are a few levels that take advantage of the WiiU’s more Gimmicky features but they are subtle and make certain levels feel more involved and mysterious.

On to the soundtrack, 3D worlds music was recorded with a live orchestra and it really makes the worlds jump to life, steel drums for beach themes, Glockenspiel’s for snowy tundra’s and trumpets for just about everything else. The music I amazing all by itself and I’d highly recommend downloading the soundtrack.

P-P-P-Power Up: 3dWorld features two new power-ups to add to Mario’s arsenal the Cherry and the completely OP Super Bell, the Cherry has been synonymous in video games since the days of Pac-Man but in the Mushroom kingdom it grants our heroes more than mere points, the cherry duplicates our hero up to four times this is great for solving puzzles but lord is it difficult to control, every incarnation follows the same path making it easy to lose stragglers. Then we have the Super Bell this allows our heroes to don their car suits (there’s some furry joke in there somewhere) the cat suit allows the player to swipe, glide and even run up walls and the flag pole’s it’s game breaking and the only power-up you’ll ever need to destroy a level not only that the lucky bell allows you to turn into a cat statue similar to how the P leaf would let you become a tanooki statue in Mario 3.

All of these power-ups serve their purpose some may be OP but the challenging levels more than compensate giving the game a high risk reward feel. But there is one item, one awful item; one item that will literally ruin your game … The Golden Leaf this terrible abomination only appears after you die five times in a level. Not only does it let you fly infinitely and withstand any damage it actually stops you from every getting the completion bonus.

Let the box appear, hit the box if you want but for the love of all that is good…

DO NOT PICK UP THAT FUCKING LEAF!!!

touch the leaf once, be it through innocence or ignorance and the game will prevent the fifth character and secret worlds from unlocking in that save file you will have to restart the entire Fucking game.

(Sorry, Sorry just thought I needed to warn everyone but seriously don’t grab the leaf. Anyway Back To the Review)

What would a Mario game be without friends to play with … a hell of a lot easier for starters, but nowhere near as fun. 3D world will turn friends in to foes and turn a great gaming experience into a hilarious time, with each of you moving in different ways and fighting over the power-ups 3D World is great for anyone trying to have fun. And for all you live steamers out there this game is a must have, you never know what your moronic friend will do to screw you over and only one fact is certain … LUIGI WILL ALWAYS REIGN SUPREME!!!

Overall Super Mario 3D World is a must have for any WiiU user, Nintendo fan or otherwise and it rewards everyone who had faith in this console. So if you haven’t got one yet, get yourself a WiiU and this game and believe me you will feel like a child again. That’s not to say that Nintendo doesn’t need to keep up this momentum if 2014 sees allot of WiiU titles of this calibre this little Underdog may just bite back.

Super 3D World gets a:

1up out of 10

It’s the kind of run Nintendo’s been on lately, that even the company’s one piece of good news – the growing success of the 3DS – has to get a little gloomier.

With the Wii U a disaster, it’s 3DS sales that are making Nintendo’s money right now, but from here on in the Japanese company is going to have to give up a percentage of every wholesale sale of the handheld to another company.

That company is Tomita. A US judge declared last month that Nintendo has been using Tomita’s patented camera technology without permission, so from now until the end of the handheld’s life, “Nintendo must pay Tomita 1.82 percent of the wholesale price” on every 3DS sold.

That may not sound like much, but if the 3DS goes on to sell 100 million units, it all adds up. To a lot of lost money.

Original article here

First remembers classic NES Titles… then screws with them.

With Nostalgia being the “in” thing this decade – seriously, how many retro-inspired remakes, new games, sequels or complete re-releases of 80/90’s-Era Games have there BEEN since 2010? – it’s no surprise many turn to the NES for new game ideas. It’s also a commonly held belief – rightly or wrongly – that old-skool games offered much tougher or more cerebral challenges than games of today. So chalk one up to Nintendo for announcing the NES Remix game collection, available on Wii U eShop right now.

As the title suggests, NES Remix is a new game collection from Nintendo for the Wii U that takes 16 classic Nintendo games — from Super Mario Bros. to The Legend of Zelda – to offer you fresh challenges from each. At the start, the games are the typical NES titles with appropriate challenges to match – get a hole in one on Golf, for example; or ten 1-Up’s in a row by jumping off a single Koopa in Super Mario Bros. However, the game also offers a series of “Altered” challenges, which is where the fun really begins. Imagine for example, rather than having Mario rescue the woman kidnapped by Donkey Kong in Donkey Kong, you played as Link instead? Or what about Excitebike in the dark? There’s even whole Super Mario Bros. levels to complete with their own twists – turning the worlds icy, flipping it right-to-left…

As you complete each challenge, you’ll get the option to brag about it on the MiiVerse. But beyond this, you can also share level clear times to compete with friends and the larger community of Wii U players, injecting a large dose of competitiveness into the mix. Challenges can come from original or altered versions of Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Excitebike, Super Mario Bros., Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Clu Clu Land, Wrecking Crew, Pinball, Urban Champion, Baseball, Tennis, Ice Climber, Golf and Balloon Fight, for a total of 16 classic NES titles to challenge through.

NES Remix is available now on the Wii U eShop for $15 plus tax, though it may just be in America for now – we’ll stay tuned for further details.