The Big N5 of the Week - Over Ruled!

Hello everyone! Welcome to another edition of the Big N5; where we bring you the best news of the week while Japan is busy whipping fingers screaming "Objection!" to men wearing top hats! 

5. Nintendo reveals the crazy beta prototypes for the Wii U Gamepad. 
What you're staring at is not GE microwave cover from the 80's, but the actual first prototype for the Wii U Gamepad. It looks...futuristic? A Wii Zapper with a video screen was also considered for Nintendo Land. You can read and see all the craziness in the Iwata Asks Interview link I just provided. 

4. One man sets out to make a full 3D first-person Pokemon game.
It might seem too impressive (especially incorporating a Minecraft Pokemon mod in it's design), but this is shaping up to be an interesting fan made game - made by one person nonetheless. The music needs some work, but for a game that's going to be free, you got to give the guy a nod for trying.

3. Nintendo blocks European gamers from buying 18+ Rated content at certain times of the day. 
What the heck, Nintendo? The blocking is due to parental controls, which Nintendo stated further with this statement: "We have thus decided to restrict the access to content which is unsuitable to minors (PEGI) to the 11pm - 3am time window." At this time Nintendo assumes that all adults only play games at late nights and early mornings, and won't say whether they'll take down the parental block or not. Hopefully the outcry from angry gamers will put sense into their heads: We need sleep!! 

2. Nintendo Direct: Pikmin 3, bells n' whistles, and delays. 
Last week's Nintendo Direct gave us more images and gameplay videos for Pikmin 3; showcasing the game's beautiful graphics and detailed environments. That's all the Pikmin 3 you'll see for awhile however, since the game has been delayed until Q3 2012. Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon has also been delayed for Q2 2012. Ouch. On a better note, Harmo Knight has been slated for localization in NA and Europe sometime in Spring 2012 on the Nintendo eShop. 2012 is looking to be a good, though late, year for Nintendo gaming. 

1. Capcom releasing Street Fighter X Mega Man for FREE this month! 
Miss your Mega Man fix? We all do, son don't worry. But get ready to control your body, because Capcom is releasing Street Fighter X Mega Man on the PC FOR FREE on December 17th! Granted, it started out as a fan game, but Capcom took it under it's wing and gave it a touch up- and what am I kidding, IT'S FREE. IT'S OFFICIAL. IT'S MEGA MAN. IT'S STREET FIGHTER. IT'S FREE. DO YOU NEED ANY OTHER REASON TO NOT BE EXCITED?!?! Merry Christmas Mega Man! Great to see you back in action!


And Merry Almost-Christmas to all of you! Join us back next week for another installment!
 

The Big N5 of the Week - Over Ruled!

The Big N5 of the Week - Deck the HALs!

Whoa, how long has it been? We've haven't had a Big 5 in over a month! Never fret, because we're back to bring you a total of three Big 5's until the world ends this month! Ahem...let's see what's happening in the world of Nintendo...

5. USB Port let's you use PS2 controllers on your Wii U??? 
The heading says it all...it let's you connect up to two DualShock PS2 controllers for use on the Wii U. How would anyone use this is a question no sane mortal can answer. It's is unfortunately (?) only available in Japan at the moment...if that is unfortunate for you.


 

4. Why HAL is named "HAL". 
In an interview with the dev team that created ZombiU, Iwata dropped the bomb on why HAL Laboratory, the team in charge of Kirby and Smash Bros, is called "HAL" of all things: “We were exactly the same in that sense. Ubisoft was named after Ubiquity because you wanted to be everywhere in the world and HALwas named as such because each letter put us one step ahead of IBM! (Laughs)” So there you have it. Nintendo watched too much Space Odyssey 2001! Take it any way you want but that's pretty hilarious!

3. Nintendo planning massive reconstructure for 2013 - Miyamoto stepping. 
Go to Destructoid for full story. Not only will a major reconstruction plan be in affect next year, but Nintendo legend Miyamoto will be stepping down for more small projects. This may be disappointing to some, but note that Miyamoto hasn;t been directly at the hem of some major projects for some time (Pikmin 3 is an exception). We'll be expecting bigger and greater things from Nintendo in years to come. 

2. Cardboard cut-out Wii U Pads are very popular it seems.
If the crazy bid for a cardboard UPad that reached 10k wasn't ridiculous enough, guess what took it's place when it was taken down: yup, more cardboard UPads! They seem to be pretty popular so...get yours before they're all sold out? Hey, Free Shipping!

1. Final Nintendo Power Issue pays homage to the first issue. 
If you haven't gotten your final NP magazine yet, then here's what it looks like. A nod to the very first issue's clay animation photo taken way back in 1988. The legacy of a great magazine ends. Good bye Nester. Good bye NP editors who made every page turn something special. You were awesome. Thank you for the journey.



And thank you readers for waiting so long for us- ahem, okay me- to return to our weekly special. May we live long and prosperous in the land of Nintendo! See you next week.

The Big N5 of the Week - Deck the HALs!

The Big N5 of the Week - I'm a-ridin' on a-pony!

Hello and welcome to another rendition of The Big N5!

5. HMV apologizes for the misleading 3DS XL ad. 
HMV has something to say about last week's embarrassing 3DS XL ad with a photoshopped second analog stick: "It's apparent this was just one particular store being a little over-enthusiastic - and the poster has been removed. If it's caused anyone any issues then we're sorry, but I'd say it doesn't take much to work out this doesn't represent the company's retail offer for this release." Thanks for being a good sport, HMV. Now don't go photoshopping a second screen on the Wii U control pad!

4. New Super Mario Bros. 2/Demon Training heading to Japan's 3DS eShop.  
Starting July 28, two downloadable games will be heading to the Japanese 3DS eShop: New Super Mario Bros. 2 for 4,800 Yen ($61) and Demon Training for 3,800 Yen ($48). Don't be alarmed by the high prices, since the American dollar is weak in Japan, and the American downloadable versions will be the same price as the physical copies. NSMB2 will be released in the U.S. on August 19th. Demon Training's release is TBA.

3. Nintendo claims Wii U will be important for the world. 
In a Gamasutra interview Iwata expresses how it's not all about being first in the console spotlight: "Being first in the next generation race is not important at all," he tells Gamasutra. "One of the reasons we believe this is the time for Nintendo to launch the Wii U is it's going to be important for the world." Later in the interview he discusses about the 3DS hardware sales, and the potential for the Wii to still produce more games, but didn't go into any specifics about the Wii U's price tag. He closes with this statement about graphics power: "We have not changed our strategy. In other words, we just do not care what kind of 'more beef' console Microsoft and Sony might produce in 2013. Our focus is on how we can make our new console different than [others]." Amen. Hopefully all three future systems can thrive in harmony.

2. My Little Epona T-shirt sells out on TeeFury.com. 
Bronies and Zelda fans alike got a nice treat this week when the 'My Little Epona' T-Shirt was up for sale on TeeFury.com on Friday. Created by Julia "JellySnail" Whittles this adorable Zelda/MLP fancry to both fan services. It is sadly not available any more.   

1. 30 Obscure facts about Mario. 
You think you know Mario games? Well did you know that Goombas are called Kuribos in Japan? That Kamek was going to be a playable character in Mario Kart 64? Here's 28 more facts you probably didn't about your favorite plumber!












Thanks for reading and have a great week!

The Big N5 of the Week - I'm a-ridin' on a-pony!

Big N5 of the Week - Batteries are running low!

Welcome back to another weekly installment of the Big N5. Let's get down to it to this week's latest news:

5. HMV ad shows 3DS XL with two analog sticks. 
Talk about false advertising. This HMV ad clearly shows a photoshopped second analog stick on the 3DS XL. Also, if you look close enough you'll see they also misspelled "Volcano" as "Vulcano". The 3DS XL is not coming with a built-in second analog stick any time soon, so please be good boys and girls and STOP COMPLAINING.


 

4. Bad Dudes getting a Kickstarter sequel.
Were you a bad enough dude to save the president in the 80's? Well thanks to Kickstarter you'll be able to do it all over again, because Bad Dudes 2 is in the making! If you're bad enough dude to fund it then...you're a very bad good dude!


 

3. Wreck-It-Ralph star coming to Sonic and Sega All-Stars Racing Transformed. 
The star of the upcoming Disney CGI film wreck-It-Ralph was revealed to be a playable characters in SEGA's sequel to All-Stars racing. View more images here and see how many other SEGA characters you can spot. (SPOILER: I see Shinobi!)

2. Unreal engine 4 will be scalable for Wii U.
Good news for those hoping for news on the Wii U's specs. An interview with Mark Rein Epic Games produced the following quote on what to expect with UE4 technology on the Wii U: "I'll state that I don't think it's our intention to bring Unreal Engine 4 to Wii U, but Unreal Engine 4 is going to be supremely scalable.

"We'll run on mobile phones and on a wide variety of things, so if a customer decides they want to port an Unreal Engine 4 game to Wii U, they could. But Unreal Engine 3 is a really good fit for that platform." though it's undetermined if developers will even use this engine, it's great to know that the Wii U will not be too far behind graphics-wise in the next generation.

1. Ultimate 3DS XL battery test. 
How does the 3DS XL'x battery life compare to the other past gen Game Boy's and DS's? Watch this video and see for yourself. If you love to see the 3DS XL trounce the PS Vita this other video might just make your day. 







And that concludes for this week's Big N5. Join us next week as we hop on Yoshis' back and play English croquette in the London Olympics! (SPOILER: It's rigged for the Yellow Yoshi to win.)

Big N5 of the Week - Batteries are running low!

The Big N5 of the Week - Fox! Items! Final Destination!

The Big N5 returns this week with more Nintendo news! Let's get down to it:

5. Miyamoto wants Metroid and Star Fox on Wii U. 
Good news for Metroid and Star Fox fans: Miyamoto has recently quoted that he'd love to see these series on the Wii U. "With Metroid it's very easy to imagine some interesting implementation for Wii U. I think that having another screen with the gyro built in really gives you a lot of interesting opportunities for development, and we can bring a lot of our games to life in a completely unique way with that. I feel like the possibilities of the GamePad for Metroid could be really fantastic. There's certainly a lot that you could do there for that game." You can read the quote about Star Fox here. While this doesn't confirm anything yet, you can bet we'll be seeing these titles in the near future.

4. Club Nintendo yearly Gold and Platinum rewards revealed. 
If you were lucky enough to hit Elite status on Club Nintendo this year, you can choose a free item from an assortment of free games from Majora's Mask and Metroid II, to posters and playing cards. Most of the items are available for both Elite status members, so make sure to check it out and snag a free gift.

3. Majora's Mask Record breaking speedrun. 
In one playthrough a loyal gamer has beaten the speedrun of Majora's Mask by completing the game in just 6 hours 6 mins 26 secs. You can view his performance here if you have 6 hours to spend at least.

2. New Pokedex 3D Pro Japanese Trailer. 
A  new trailer for the upcoming Pokedex 3D Pro has been revealed via the Japanese Nintendo Channel. The updated application will feature no fewer than 727 Pokemon sprites with animations (No, it's not a Gen 6 preview, it's all the Pokemon and their alternative forms). Boasting also a new Challenge Mode to test your knowledge on Pokemon trivia and an updated AR viwer to view all the present Pokemon, Pokedex 3D Pro proves to be greatly improved from the last application. The application will be released in Japan on July 14, and a Fall release date is slated for everywhere else.

1. Mighty Switch Force HD announced for Wii U eShop.
View full image.
The 3DS eShop hit Mighty Switch Force is coming to Wii U eShop, courtesy of WayForward. With beautifully redrawn graphics, Wii U controller support (you can even play the game on the Wii U pad alone), and bonus new content, it's shaping up to be a completely new experience. The game is being aimed at the Wii U launch, so you won't have to wait long to play this beauty. Also worth noting that another WayForward title, Shantae, will be re-released on the 3DS Virtual Console! A release date has not been determined yet, but expect a release this summer.

 Thanks for reading and catch us back as Sunday; same place...hmm, maybe not the same time. Have a good one!

The Big N5 of the Week - Fox! Items! Final Destination!

The Big N5 of the Week - Reggie has FURY!

Huge stories for our Big N5 today. Let's see what happened in the world of Nintendo this week: 

5. Pokemon Global Link 2.0.  

After a two week hiatus of site maintenance the Pokemon Global Link is now back up and running, with exciting new features. Pokemon Black and White players can now instantly connect with other players without a Union Room, and use the new XTranseiver and Entralink to play new mini-games with other people from around the world, which boosts prizes and EXP, while increasing the number of people in the Black city/White Forest. And lastly, players can connect to the dream World seamlessly via Wi-fi. Be sure to check it out! 

 

4. Reggie calls out unsatisfied fans. 

Didn't like this year's E3? Reggie has something to say about that: "One of the things that, on one hand, I love and, on the other hand, that troubles me tremendously about not only our fanbase but about the gaming community at large is that, whenever you share information, the perspective is, 'Thank you, but I want more.' 'Thank you, but give me more.' I mean, it is insatiable. And so for years this community has been asking, 'Where's Pikmin?' 'Where's Pikmin?' 'Where's Pikmin?' We give them Pikmin. And then they say, 'What else?' For years, this community have said, 'Damnit Reggie, when you launch, you better launch with a Mario game.' So we launch with a Mario game, and they say, 'So what's more?' I have heard people say, 'You know, you've got these fantastic franchises, beyond what you're doing in Smash Bros., isn't there a way to leverage all these franchises?' So we create Nintendo Land and they say, 'Ho-hum, give me more.' So it's an interesting challenge." Take it however you must, but you have to give him credit for having guts. 

3. Two games coming to 3DS VC every week in July! 

Nintendo hosted a post E3 conference on Nintendo Driect on Friday revealing some juicy new info on 3DS titles. But it wasn't just new titles that getting the spotlight: Nintendo also announced that two VC titles will be released every week for the 3DS, through July 5th to August 1st. The first title will be the classic Legend of Zelda, followed by The Sword of Hope IIand Kirby's Pinball Land the following week, with the next two weeks titles including Tumblepop, Kid Icarus: Of Myths and Monsters and Wario Land: Super Mario Land 3 at the rear of the current release list (wait, isn't that three in one week?) Sonic Blast and Sonic Labyrinth from the GamGear are also scheduled for a Summer release, but no specific release dates are given.  Please consider releasing GBA titles next, Nintendo!  

2. Namco-Bandai co-developing the next Smash Bros. 

Nintendo also revealed on Friday that the next Smash Bros. game will be co-developed with Namco-Bandai. Nintendo didn't reveal too much after that, but they did specify that the staff teams that worked on popular franchises Tekken, Tales, and Soul Calibur are the one's in the development working on the new Smash Bros. Will we see characters like Klonoa, Nightmare, or Pac-Man duke it out on the field? Cross your fingers and hope for more info come next E3.  

1. 3DS XL announced! 

And finally, Nintendo revealed the new 3DS iteration: 3DS XL. With a 1.5x bigger screen, it will make your 3DS games come to life like never before. Unfortunately, it does not have a right analog stick and it will not support the current accessory already out in GameStop, but luckily it isn't necessary if you're already used to using one analog stick. The system will cost $200 and will released in Europe on July 28th. NA release date is still TBA. 

Thanks for reading, and join us next week for 5 more reasons to be a Nintendo gamer! 

  

The Big N5 of the Week - Reggie has FURY!

Big N5 of the Week - Guns, Wii U's, and Kirbys Everywhere!

Our new news feature, depicting the top 5 best Nintendo stories from around the web. Updated every Sunday. Is your body ready?

	5. Rumor: Leaked Microsoft document revealed Wii U price tag? An apparent leaked Microsoft document describing the next gen Xbox, also had some stuff to say about the Wii U. The document described that the Wii U will cost $250, and being first in new console train line could "defend [Nintendo's] success in broad gaming segments" and "further erode console differentiation" by matching console hardware specs with PS3 and Xbox360. It was hard to say if the document was fake or legit, even though a $250 price tag is traditional for a Nintendo home console, but with the system being released with a gamepad controller, a $300 price tag would seem the most plausible. Unfortunately, the leaked document was soon taken down, so I can't offer any links.
	4. Jimmy Fallon thought Wii U was just a new Wii.   Yeah...you can watch it here. Thanks for adding more confusion to the already confused casual market that thinks this is just a new Wii accessory, Jimmy. The system needs all the help it can get.
	3. Keldeo Resolution form Revealed.  Teased on Tuesday in a magazine scan, Keldeo's new form was finally revealed this week showing off a more gutsy form of the newest Event Pokemon. According to Serebii Keldeo can only change form in B/W2 in Sangi Town while Terrakion, Virizion, and Coballon are in your party, and when Keldeo knows the move Secret Sword. Like the new form? Hate it? Tell us what you think!
	2. Kirby 20th Anniversary Game Line-up revealed.  Good news for Kirby fans: Kirby's 20th anniversary will not be in vain. The pink puffball's next foray will be a collection of his finest games for the Wii: Kirby's Dream Land (Game Boy) Kirby's Adventure (NES) Kirby's Dream Land 2 (Game Boy) Kirby Super Star (SNES) Kirby's Dream Land 3 (SNES) Kirby 64 (Nintendo 64), and will feature an on-disc history calender, a compilation CD, and some games will even include bonus content and new levels. It's every fan's dream collection of Kirby games all rolled into one! Happy birthday, Kirby; may your games live on for many, many more anniversaries!
	1. Miyamoto wants to make a FPS for the Wii U?  Source: Kotaku. You heard right. The man behind Mario and Zelda wants to someday make a FPS akin to Doom and Call of Duty for the Wii U. "I actually do kind of want to make a first-person shooter," he says, "but I don't have time." And also went on to specifics as how he'd make a FPS: "Rather than necessarily the question of 'What kind of weapon do I have?' in a first person shooter or 'What kind of effect does that have on an enemy?', I think that the structure of a first-person shooter is something that's very interesting," he said through a translator. "Having that 3D space that in theory you are in and being able to look around and explore that—particularly being able to do that in conjunction with another person—is very interesting." If anything it will not be your typical affair of a FPS, as shown how Miyamoto put his own spin on the RTS genre with Pikmin. Whenever he does decide to make a FPS, or whatever he does with the genre you can be rest assured that it will be like nothing we've played before.

Tune back next Sunday for other Big N5 of the week!

Big N5 of the Week - Guns, Wii U's, and Kirbys Everywhere!