[Official] Wii U thread

[Bob Singh]

^ Nintendo's Wii U launch game lineup outed?

Wii U Patent Applications Describe Zapper and Charging Dock

'Black Ops 2' Zombies for Wii U? Treyarch Hints at Nintendo Version

[avelanch]

http://www.washingto...ORFU_story.html

AP NewsBreak: Ubisoft assembling ‘Avengers’ video game for Kinect, Wii U

Disney, Zade Rosenthal, File/Associated Press - FILE - In this undated file image released by Disney, Chris Hemsworth portrays Thor, left, and and Chris Evans portrays Captain America in a scene from “The Avengers.” “The Avengers” are teaming up for a motion-control video game. Ubisoft on May 9, 2012 announced a partnership with Marvel to create a game based on the superhero alliance for Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U console and Microsoft’s Kinect system for the Xbox 360.

By Associated Press, Updated: Thursday, May 10, 7:00 AM

LOS ANGELES — Now that they’ve saved the world on film, “The Avengers” are teaming up for a motion-control video game.

Ubisoft Entertainment announced a partnership Thursday with Marvel Entertainment to create a game based on the popular Marvel superhero posse. The game will be titled “Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth” and will be released for both the upcoming Wii U console from Nintendo Co. and the camera-based Kinect system for the Xbox 360 from Microsoft Corp.

“The idea that we’re making a motion-control version of ‘The Avengers’ is a unique proposition if you compare that to superhero games of the past,” said Tony Key, Ubisoft’s vice president of sales and marketing, in making the announcement to The Associated Press. “This is the perfect type of game for that because these characters are very action oriented. They’re always fighting and throwing things.”

“Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth” will focus on such characters as Captain America, Iron Man, Thor and the Hulk fending off an invasion of genetically altered Skrull aliens. The title will feature more than 20 characters from the Marvel universe and would be based on the “Secret Invasion” comic series, not the recent film.

No release date was announced, but Key said the disc-based title is expected to launch after Nintendo debuts the Wii U later this year. The successor to Nintnedo’s Wii will feature high-definition graphics, increased online capabilities and a touch-pad controller. He said more details about the game would be unveiled at next month’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.

The game will be the latest addition to Ubisoft’s motion-control arsenal. Previous titles released by the Canadian publisher that rely on gesture-based devices include the artsy shooter “Child of Eden,” street brawler “Fighters Uncaged,” superhero dueler “PowerUp Heroes,” the “Your Shape” fitness franchise and top-selling “Just Dance” series.

“Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth” will mark the first time that the “Assassin’s Creed” publisher has developed a game based on a franchise from Marvel, which was purchased in 2009 by The Walt Disney Co. The developers previously worked with “Avatar” director James Cameron to craft a third-person 3-D action-adventure game set on the planet Pandora.

Sega created each of the games pegged to the films of “The Avengers” forerunners, including last year’s “Thor: God of Thunder” and “Captain America: Super Soldier,” but there was no console game released this year alongside director Joss Whedon’s blockbuster “The Avengers,” just the mobile game “Marvel’s The Avengers” and Facebook title “Marvel: Avengers Alliance.”

Fans freaked out last year over unofficial footage and concept art posted online of a first-person “Avengers” game that was reportedly in development by THQ Inc. The footage of Iron Man, the Hulk, Captain America and Thor battling the infamous Skrull was yanked by Marvel from YouTube. A representative for Marvel declined to be interviewed for this story.

Traditionally, games based on Marvel movies have been released around the same time as their super-powered counterparts to benefit from parallel buzz. The open-world action-adventure title “The Amazing Spider-Man” from Activision Inc. is set for release June 26, ahead of director Marc Webb’s film of the same name on July 3.

The big-screen adaptation of “The Avengers” starring Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Chris Evans as Captain America, Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Mark Ruffalo as the Hulk, Scarlett Johansson as Black Widow and Jeremy Renner as Hawkeye has smashed box office records, earning $207.4 million domestically in its opening weekend.

“For us, that obviously raises the brand itself to an even higher level, and that’s good for our video game because we have an opportunity to reach a broader audience than just the guys who love comic book characters,” said Key, who added that “Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth” would be family friendly despite the game’s focus on fighting.

Marvel’s superheroes have been a dominant presence throughout the history of games. They most recently assembled for the Capcom brawler “Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3” and the Activision Inc. role-playing sequel “Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2.” Gazillion Entertainment is currently developing a free-to-play online game featuring them called “Marvel Heroes.”

could be great... or horrid.

[avelanch]

http://www.digitaltr...s-debuts-at-e3/

Rumor: ‘Star Fox Wii U’ from Metroid Prime creators, Retro Studios, debuts at E3

May 9, 2012 By Anthony John Agnello

Get ready to execute barrel rolls with a touch screen controller because Star Fox is coming to Wii U.

Nintendo seems to have finally learned its lesson after the Nintendo 3DS: Don’t put out a new machine without a solid line up of classic franchises to go with it. The Wii U should have plenty from the sounds of things. Shigeru Miyamoto said in April that both a Wii U New Super Mario Bros. game and a Pikmin for the touch screen console will be shown off at E3 in June. If a new rumor from the U.K. is correct, Star Fox Wii U will also be on hand.

Techtroid claimed on Friday that, according to a source inside Nintendo, Star Fox Wii U will make its first appearance at E3. Q Games, the creators of Star Fox and the team behind more recent entries like Star Fox Command of Star Fox 64 3D, reportedly won’t be the team behind Star Fox Wii U. Retro Studios, the creators of Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country Returns are allegedly handling the new adventures of Fox McCloud.

Retro is a great studio with a solid track record working on Nintendo’s classic franchises. Still, it’s worrisome to hear that anyone but Q Games is working on the game. The only games in the series not handled by Q Games, Rare’s Starfox Adventures and Namco’s Star Fox Assault, were both pretty atrocious.

I'd buy that the second it comes out. Retro studios is amazing, and if they do with Starfox what they did with Metroid I'd be ecstatic.

[Guest]

Marvel Super Heroes is essentially The Avengers 2, with the exception of all the superheroes picking each other off before reaching Thanos. I have such fond memories of it, and it has always been overlooked because of Marvel vs Capcom. Great choice.

It has a fantastic soundtrack too.

Meanwhile, this is all I can think of when I see that the console's name is "Wii-U".

[avelanch]

Meanwhile, this is all I can think of when I see that the console's name is "Wii-U".

yeah, there's a rumour the name will be changed at this e3, and I REALLY hope it is true.

[Bob Singh]

Avengers: Battle For Earth coming to Wii U

Final version of Wii U dev kit has shipped to developers?

^

Beautiful Wii U controller 3D render

Wii U menu and user interface mockups

^

Nintendo Wii U comic trolls Microsoft and Sony

^

New Wii U Zapper revealed in patent application

^

Killer Freaks From Outer Space artwork

[avelanch]

Nintendo Wii U will have cloud storage

Mark Raby, May 15th 2012

The days of losing your memory card are truly about to be over. Joining the PS3 and the Xbox 360 in the cloud game, Nintendo will apparently bring the option of storing game save files and user profiles to the Wii U. It’s hopefully part of a bigger initiative from the company to make the next console truly and fully connected to the Internet, something the Wii is sorely missing.

Nintendo has gained a lot of rightful accolades for a lot of things. It is a marketing powerhouse, it knows how to connect with its fans, and when it comes to its killer franchises, it never cuts corners. But there’s one thing that hasn’t been associated with Nintendo for decades – the bleeding edge of technology. But offering cloud saving will take it at least in the right direction.

Apparently, the service will give users 512 MB of storage, which should be enough for dozens of save files. Unfortunately, this doesn’t exactly give Nintendo a competitive advantage. Both the PS3 and Xbox 360 have cloud saving options, but it is good that Nintendo is catching up when it comes to online connectivity.

http://www.slashgear.com/nintendo-wii-u-will-have-cloud-storage-15228468/

[avelanch]

Amazon.com says Wii U games retail at just $49.99, Nintendo says: “No comment.”

Early listings for Wii U games suggest that Nintendo plans to keep new titles affordable. We look at the evidence that suggests you will only have to plunk down $50 clams for New Super Mario Bros. Wii U.

Nintendo shareholders and fans don’t often share worries. Both groups for example are anxiously awaiting the release of New Super Mario Bros. 2, one because entries in the series produce close to $1 billion in sales over a couple of years, and the other because THIS ONE MIGHT BRING BACK THE HAMMER BROS. SUIT OMG! There worries don’t typically jive. The business-minded see a new Metroidand get concerned about profits, where fans wonder if it’ll properly depict Samus as a powerful bounty hunter in a skintight leotard.

In an unusual moment of shared purpose, both groups are worried about the Wii U being too expensive. The expectation is that

Wii U will cost at least $300 when it comes out this fall, a hefty sum considering the device’s horsepower similarity to the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Both groups can rest a bit easier about the price though as temporary retailer listings hint that Wii U will continue the Wii’s trend of keeping games themselves at more affordable prices.

NeoGAF user shinobi602 noted on Wednesday that Amazon’s listings for announced Wii U titles like Ninja Gaiden 3 and other, unconfirmed games like Tekken and Dirt are all listed at $49.99, making them $10 cheaper than new Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 titles.

Digital Trends reached out to Nintendo to see if the publisher could confirm that disc-based Wii U games would in fact be just $50. A Nintendo representative unsurprisingly told us, “Nintendo does not comment on rumors and speculation.”

There is however plenty of evidence to suggest that Nintendo will stick to that price point.

The first is the aforementioned price of Wii games. In 2005 and ’06 when the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 released, games retail openly embraced the $60 price point for new games, but Nintendo knew that its success would be in appealing to budget-minded consumers. Core games that spend big on games meanwhile would be mollified by a lower price because of the lower graphical fidelity of games on the system. Since the Wii U is positioning itself, like the Wii, as the low-tech console of the next generation of machines, it’s smart to continue the trend.

The other evidence is Nintendo’s stated commitment to keeping retailers happy as it transitions into a wider digital distribution business. The company said in its April announcement that

Wii U games will be available as both discs and downloads that retailers were free to price digital games however they please. Cheap discs will keep people coming into stores, leading to solid sales as well as happy retail partners.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/amazon-com-says-nintendo-wii-u-games-retail-at-just-49-99/#ixzz1v4NQVfcN

[avelanch]

Wii U can have 'great success', claims Ubisoft

Video game publishing giant, and one of the leading Wii U games developers, Ubisoft is "extremely happy" with the functionality and use of Nintendo's new Wii U console.

Although it may seem fishy coming from the company that's currently positioning itself to be the leading third party publisher for the new console, Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot seems extremely confident in the Wi U's potential.

"What is really interesting is the fact that we have this tablet that allows us to bring totally new gameplay, and also brings the possibility to have a lot more social functionalities, because you can have now a screen to play asynchronously with your friends, to receive challenges and to really have a screen to communicate with your friends. That is going to help tremendously the experience in video games," Guillemot said during the Q&A portion of Ubisoft's annual earnings call.

He added: "We feel that the more we grow, the more use we will have for social functions in our games. And the new gameplays - a lot have been invented in other platforms, so there are lots of new ideas that will come to console. So that will help to bring new games with good functionalities, and be very good in turn at usage."

"So all this tells us," he went on, "that the machine can have a great success, because it will bring to families a good machine. And this will be for gamers but also for all the social games that are generally sold on the Wii. Going after those two types of populations will give a good chance for that machine to have a great success," Guillemot concluded.

Back in April, Tony Key, senior VP of sales and marketing at Ubisoft, teased the the company has "big plans for the Wii U" which we've slowly seen more and more of in the recent weeks.

Recently, Ubisoft announced Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth for the Wii U and Xbox 360 Kinect. Other Ubisoft games for the Wii U include Assassin's Creed 3 and Killer Freaks from Outer Space. Rayman Legends was also recently leaked via a Wii U demonstration video in April showing off some impressive NFC technology similar to that of Activision's Skylanders.

"Our goal is to continue to grow the brand with geographical expansion, and new platforms like Wii U," Ubisoft's financial presentation stressed.

Will the Wii U be as promising as Ubisoft is making it out to be? It definitely sounds intriguing, but it looks like we'll have to wait until E3 to find out more about the system.

http://www.gamezone.com/news/wii-u-can-have-great-success-claims-ubisoft

[avelanch]

Ubisoft Planning Seven Titles For Wii U Launch

Major Announcement Also Teased

Published: 18:51, 16/05/2012 by Aran Suddi.

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot has spoken to investors following the release of the company’s financial report.

One of those points has been that Ubisoft will have five casual titles and two core titles ready for the Wii U’s launch. Yves Guillemot also teased that at E3 Ubisoft will unveil an ”unannounced major franchise.”

Guillemot also spoke about development costs and said that new generations are followed by increases in costs, but he felt that Ubisoft would make up for those costs in online and free to play income, including Settlers Online and Ghost Recon Online.

http://www.thesixthaxis.com/2012/05/16/ubisoft-planning-seven-titles-for-wii-u-launch/

Current Wii U games on the way from Ubisoft include: Killer Freaks from Outer Space, Rayman Legends, Assassin's Creed III, Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online.

[Bob Singh]

Amazon.com says Wii U games retail at just $49.99, Nintendo says: “No comment.”

FIFA 13 in Development for Wii U

Eminem to promote new Wii U computer game?

[avelanch]

Wii U patent shows off Wiimote-to WiiPad pointing and dragging

by David Hinkle on May 18th 2012 6:30PM

A patent filed by Nintendo in October of last year has just surfaced online, suggesting a neat feature for the Wii U. The patent outlines a feature in which the player can use the Wiimote to grab things from the television and transport them over to the Wii U tablet.

In the example provided, the player is under attack from a UFO and uses the Wiimote to move a character from the TV to the safety of the tablet. Sounds like an interesting feature, though we're not looking forward to taking a bath in radioactive liquid so we can grow that extra arm to use all this stuff.

sounds to me like this will be more suited to social media functions (dragging and dropping pictures and save games and the like) from one device to the other.

[Bob Singh]

BREAKING NEWS

NEW WII U CONTROLLER

COMPARISON

[Bob Singh]

Aliens: Colonial Marines Wii U version will be the best looking one

[avelanch]

NEW WII U CONTROLLER

COMPARISON

looks like they are going with actual analog sticks instead of the circle pads on the 3DS. good choice imho.

[avelanch]

Rumor: Star Fox and Metroid Teaming Up on Wii U

The most unlikely crossover is the subject of one insane rumor.

by Richard George MAY 19, 2012

With only 15 days until E3 2012, a rumor regarding Retro Studios' next game is beginning to spread. The same blog that broke news of PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale late last year, Paul Gale Network, is now reporting that Retro's Wii U game will actually be a crossover between the Star Fox and Metroid franchises. However, PGN is cautioning that even it is unsure about the validity of this information. In other words - reserve significant amounts of doubt for what you're about to read.

Apparently teams at Retro were split between working with the Star Fox franchise or developing a new third-person action game that also involved air combat. Nintendo proposed an alternative, which is now being called 'Star Fox - Metroid: Fusion Saga.'

The project's story is simple enough. During an intergalactic warp, Fox and his crew crash into Samus Aran's ship. Samus is sent crashing to an unknown planet below. Missions then unfold as Fox attempts to find Samus while she explores the world around her. Eventually the two Nintendo icons meet to confront Fox villain Andross, who is attempting to harness the power of the symbiotic Metroid creatures.

True to each franchise, Star Fox segments of the game are based on high-action, high energy third-person air and land-based combat, both in Arwings and on-foot. Conversely Metroid portions of the title are more isolated, lonely, and based on the first-person perspective introduced with Metroid Prime.

Again, whether this is a game fully in production, a proposed idea that never made it past the conceptual stage, or simply wishful thinking, is hard to say at this point. The PGN blog has proved credible in the past, but the concept seems so far-fetched it's still hard to believe, regardless of the source. Crossovers happen often in the industry, particularly with Nintendo characters, but why these two concepts wouldn't simply become their own titles - even if both were being developed by Retro - is difficult to understand.

However, with E3 2012 just two weeks away, we should know soon enough.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/05/19/rumor-star-fox-and-metroid-teaming-up-on-wii-u

[avelanch]

they might have been focusing on individual games for each franchise. that and casual gamers.

[Bob Singh]

I think you need to edit the first pictture on the front page.

try this picture. i got it from a different website

[Bob Singh]

Killer Freaks Wii U Development Began in 2009

[avelanch]

Ubisoft Lays Out Their E3 2012 Line-Up, Includes Wii U Exclusives

Author:

William Usher

published: 2012-05-23 13:18:23

The road to E3 is being traveled by many big, small and top-tier publishers, innovators and game designers. One of the biggest publishers in the world today announced that they will be attending E3 with a large line-up of various games, including brand new games for Nintendo's Wii U, amongst other blockbuster titles.

Yves Guillemot, Founder and CEO of Ubisoft commented in the press release, saying...

“This year’s E3 promises to be one of our biggest and best yet,” ... “We’re showcasing the strongest, most competitive collection of core titles we’ve had in years, innovative new games for new platforms and a broad lineup that has something for everyone.”

Ubisoft will have a new-found focus on digital-only games, as well as a few exclusives for the Nintendo Wii U. The press release hints at some explosive new announcements, too, which should be rather exciting.

It should also go without saying that big brand-name franchises under the Ubisoft label will also make an appearance, including the highly anticipated Assassin's Creed III, Far Cry 3, Rayman Legends, and Rocksmith.

Ubisoft also plans to bring gamers even closer to the event than ever before by allowing people on the Uplay platform to ask the design team questions about the upcoming titles.

E3 2012 is destined to be an interesting event not because of what we do know about it but because of what we don't know. Even though Microsoft and Sony say that they will not be announcing any new consoles there are still plenty of games and new franchises to look forward to, so hopefully Ubisoft will not disappoint.

You can learn more about Ubisoft's E3 2012 line-up and media assets by visiting the Official Website.

http://www.cinemable...ives-42810.html

Ubisoft confirms E3 line-up, streaming press conference

by Erik Johnson

about 22 hours ago

Ubisoft has announced its games line-up and press conference plans for E3 2012.

The publisher’s press conference will take place at 3 PM PDT on June 4th, and will feature trailers and gameplay demonstrations of new Nintendo Wii U and digital titles. It also promises to include special guests and surprise announcements.

The invite-only presentation will be streamed on YouTube, and exclusive backstage videos plus free content will also be available on Ubisoft’s player experience enhancement site uplay.com/e3.

The company is inviting gamers to ask questions to teams on its online service during the press event as well. The ‘best’ questions will be selected by a guest host and asked live during the press event.

Ubisoft also confirmed their floor presence at the show, with attendees encouraged to visit booth #1023 in the South Hall of the LA Convention Center to see/play titles such as Assassin’s Creed III, Rayman Legends, Far Cry 3, Rocksmith, and ‘many more.’

“This year’s E3 promises to be one of our biggest and best yet,” said Founder and CEO of Ubisoft Yves Guillemot. “We’re showcasing the strongest, most competitive collection of core titles we’ve had in years, innovative new games for new platforms and a broad lineup that has something for everyone.”

http://www.mcvuk.com...nference/096525