The Wii software library is pretty much on life support right now. So, what will power the respirator? Gamecube, of course.
Nintendo has announced two new additions to the Wii library. Coming June 10th are Wii re-releases of two Gamecube classics: Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin 2. Best of all, they join the "Nintendo Selects" line, meaning they'll be available for $19.99 each.
Diablo III is coming out next week. That is all. Oh wait, no, it's not, we're also getting Max Payne 3. No biggie. And A Game of Thrones, and Sonic 4: Episode 2, and PixelJunk 4am, and... and...
Gamers really wanted to meet their maker, apparently. Prototype 2 topped software sales in April, the latest sales figures from the NPD show. Other strong performers include Shacknews Game of the Year The Witcher 2, which was recently re-released on Xbox 360. MLB 12: The Show also stayed on the top 10, proving Sony's investment in the franchise was a wise one.
However, prepared to be dismayed by Kinect Star Wars' performance. It was the top-selling exclusive of the month, proving that being terrible won't dissuade purchasers.
The Amazing Spider-Man holds the rare distinction of being a superhero movie licensed game that actually looks pretty good. We're still going with "cautiously optimistic," but if the good buzz has convinced you to pre-order the game, Activision has detailed the playable characters you can snag for doing so.
The long-delayed game La-Mulana has been canceled for WiiWare, after publisher Nicalis made the executive decision not to publish on the platform. The publisher called it a "tough call," but says that WiiWare simply hasn't retained the market power that it had when development of the game began.
Read more: 'Near impossible to sell sufficient units on Wii' »
LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias, the beautiful platforming sequel that was originally released for WiiWare in 2009, is coming to iOS devices. This move isn't entirely surprising, since the first LostWinds followed the same path to mobile devices, but it could be a good mobile title, provided the controls are effectively adapted for touch-screens.
With the Wii pretty much dead until the arrival of the Wii U, Nintendo of America is desperately looking for new content to push to store shelves. That's perhaps the only thing that can explain the sudden and surprising decision to re-release Pikmin 2 on Wii so many years after its original release.
First released on Gamecube in 2004, Pikmin 2 was retooled to take advantage of Wii Remote controls. The updated release hit Japan and Europe in 2009--with no US release in sight.
"Let's kick that ball!" The famous footie chant will once again ring out this fall, as Konami has announced PES 2013. The wholly expected next annual installment in the Pro Evolution Soccer series is, according to Konami, "the most faithful recreation of modern day football to date," though it seems both PES and FIFA toss similar claims about every year.
Watch: Cristiano Ronaldo stars in the announcement trailer »
Rayman Origins was widely regarded as one of the best platformers of last year, and in a year with a new Mario game that's no joke. And, it even made Ubisoft a profit. So, it doesn't come as a surprise that Ubisoft appears to be considering a sequel.
Nintendo is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Kirby franchise by releasing a compilation disc "featuring all your favorite Kirby games" for Wii. Unfortunately, the company didn't offer much more than that in the announcement, leaving fans wondering exactly what will make the cut.
This isn't the first anniversary compilation to hit the Wii. For Mario's 25th anniversary, the company issued a Wii re-release of Super Mario All-Stars.
Unsurprisingly, Mass Effect 3 topped software sales in March, the latest sales figures from the NPD show. In fact, it was a great month for new games, with a number of new releases comprising the top 10. Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City's number two performance shows that negative reviews could not deter fans of the franchise. The PlayStation-exclusive MLB: The Show dominated 2K Games' multiplatform effort, Major League Baseball 2K12. The success of Street Fighter X Tekken, Mario Party 9, and Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm Generations shows the wide array of tastes sated by March's games. 3DS also found a winner in Kid Icarus Uprising, which "would have been among the top selling individual SKUs for the month of March" had NPD not combined sales data across multiple platforms.
What do gamers want? Innovation? Brand new experiences? Of course not.
Media tracking organization Nielsen surveyed gamers to see what their most anticipated games are for the remainder of 2012. Unsurprisingly, franchise titles topped the list. With the exception of The Last Story on Wii, nary an original title could be found on the top 10 lists for every platform.
When I previewed Epic Mickey 2 two weeks ago, there was plenty to talk about--cooperative play, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and support for multiple platforms. Developer Warren Spector also gushed about the music and the songs.
Now, he wishes he hadn't gushed so much.
Dedicated game consoles aren't dead, but in the future they won't be the market force they have been in the past, according to game designer Will Wright. While Wright acknowledges that consoles will probably never go away completely, he predicts they'll lose their "mainstay" status.
Spider-Man is one of our more kinetic superheroes, usually felling foes with a mixture of quick wit and acrobatic moves. So for The Amazing Spider-Man, based on the upcoming movie of the same name, it only makes sense that the game will incorporate the PlayStation 3's motion controller, the Move.
"Mario Power Tennis is not new to the Wii library, it is simply being added to the Nintendo ..."
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