Batman: Arkham Origins takes place early into the career of the caped crusader. According to developer WB Montreal, Origins will show off a "rawer, scarier Batman." So, of course they got the voice of Sonic the Hedgehog to play Batman this time around. (We're not kidding.)
Read more: The surprising voice actor behind the new Joker »
Game Gear emulation on 3DS earned high marks from us when it launched, but its output since launch has been notably low. So low, in fact, that the three initial launch titles are still the only ones available. Nintendo has plans to change that, with a veritable flood of Game Gear titles making their way to the 3DS Virtual Console.
Although Nintendo won't have a bombastic E3 keynote presentation like its competitors, that doesn't mean the company is going to sit idly by during the show. Instead, the company announced plans to give fans the opportunity to participate in this year's activities. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime outlined a plan to let players try the company's E3 lineup without flying to Los Angeles.
Nintendo outlined a slew of release dates during today's Nintendo Direct, which focused on its release plans for the summer. You'll be able to play Pikmin 3, The Wonderful 101, and Game & Wario before autumn (technically) begins.
Updated with additional details from Sega.
Sega's next Sonic the Hedgehog game, Sonic Lost World, will be exclusive to Nintendo Wii U and 3DS. "The onetime rivalry between Mario and Sonic has grown into a friendship that has never been closer," Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime said in the announcement.
According to Nintendo, this announcement demonstrates "the commitment we have to bringing great games to the Wii U platform." This comes a day after EA officially announced it was not developing games for Nintendo's latest home console.
Read more: Agreement covers 'next three titles' of Sonic franchise »
Fans that produce "Let's Play" style videos of Nintendo content will no longer be able to earn any ad revenue. The publisher has issued a "content ID match claim" on content that features audio or video of a certain length from its games. Offending videos will not be taken down from YouTube, but instead will feature advertising that will go directly to Nintendo--not the uploader.
YouTube user Zack Scott wrote an open letter on Facebook saying that "filing claims against LPers is backwards" and that because of Nintendo's actions, he can no longer play their games. "I won't because it jeopardizes my channel's copyright standing and the livelihood of all LPers," he added.
Capcom has finally announced a US release of Ace Attorney 5. However, instead of giving the 3DS sequel such an easy-to-follow title, the US version will be called Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney - Dual Destinies--a title we think sounds better suited for the Layton crossover.
Dual Destinies begins like a thrilling season of 24, with the game's iconic court room destroyed. "It's down to Phoenix Wright and his team at the Wright Anything Agency to discover the cause of the destruction," Capcom describes. "Players will have to battle it out in court against Gaspen Payne, the younger brother of Winston Payne from previous Ace Attorney titles, as they defend the accused."
The Starship Damrey, part of Level-5's second round of bite-sized eShop games from noted Japanese developers, is coming on May 16. The text adventure from genre pioneers Kazuya Asano and Takemaru Akibo has you searching for clues in the far reaches of space.
A Link to the Past is getting a proper sequel on 3DS. However, one new feature felt a bit out of place for the franchise. In the 3DS adventure, Link can attach to walls and become a flat 2D painting. While the power was used to good effect in the dungeon's puzzle designs, it didn't feel like it belonged in a Zelda game.
Producer Eiji Aonuma would disagree, however, explaining that the ability actually comes from a previous Zelda game: Ocarina of Time.
Disney Infinity is including standard mission types alongside a more open-ended Toy Box mode. The Toy Box was pioneered in Toy Story 3, and Disney Interactive and Pixar naturally figured it would be a fit for Infinity as well. A new trailer shows the progression of the mode.
Nintendo is selling refurbished 3DS and DSi XL systems directly on its website. "Authentic Nintendo Refurbished Products" are, according to the manufacturer, "the only refurbished products in the market that have been cleaned, tested, and inspected to meet Nintendo's high standards." They also come with a one year warranty.
Nintendo's jump into digital gaming has been a success so far. But, there's much more to do than simply offer retail games as downloadable titles on the eShop. Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata knows this, saying that "we think that digital distribution of packaged software is only the first step in expanding our digital business." The future of Nintendo lies in expanding their digital offerings to include free-to-play, and even games with subscription fees.
TT Games and Warner Bros also detailed the pre-order bonuses for Lego Marvel Super Heroes today, capturing the combination of Legos and classic comic characters. These came alongside a new trailer that showed a handful of the already-announced heroes confronted with Galactus.
The next Scribblenauts could add a dose of superheroism with the addition of characters from DC comics. 5th Cell is reportedly working on a game to feature the pop culture icons, and will debut it for PC, Wii U, and 3DS at this year's E3.
Nintendo will not have a "large-scale presentation targeted at everyone" for E3 this year, the company has announced. With both Microsoft and Sony likely prepping bombastic presentations focusing on their next-gen efforts, the Wii U and 3DS manufacturer is opting to host "smaller events" that are more "focused" during the annual trade show.
"During the E3 period, we will utilize our direct communication tools, such as Nintendo Direct, to deliver information," Nintendo president Satoru Iwata said, adding that Western gaming media (like us) will have access to a "closed hands-on experience event."
Read more: E3 will focus 'mainly' on Wii U games that will launch this year »
"Could be that they're going to flash back and forth between present-day and origin-time period ..."
- isochronous See all 7 comments