Aside from showing off a bunch of footage for the upcoming Luigi’s Mansion 2/Dark Moon (depending on where you live), Nintendo went ahead and announced a significant new expansion to New Super Mario Bros U, in the form of New Super Luigi U. It basically remixes the game, changes up the story and all 80 levels to better take advantage of it’s new lead, Luigi! There’s no exact date or price for the game, but it’ll be hitting sometime this year. Following that up is the shock announcement of a new entry in the Mario & Luigi RPG series, Mario & Luigi: Dream Team, heading to the 3DS in Summer 2013. The setup is that it takes place in Luigi’s dreams. Yup. Finally, Luigi will be a playable character in the newly announced Mario Golf World Tour, also hitting the 3DS (and developed by Camelot).

Though despite the bold and welcoming declaration of the Year of Luigi, Nintendo had plenty of new announcements for their non-Luigi software. Such as the 3Ds version of Animal Crossing (subtitled New Leaf) hitting Europe on the 14th of June, a few days after the 9th of June in the US. No word on an Australian date, but it shouldn’t be too far off. Hopefully. Though we also got the surprise announcement of a 3DS port of Retro Studio’s Donkey Kong Country Returns, now titled Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D. It’ll also be hitting later this year. The rest of the news wasn’t as exciting, but we did receive confirmation that there’s gonna be another Nintendo Direct next week, focusing on third party 3DS games. This particular nugget of info was announced during the Japanese show, so it’ll be interesting to see what they come up with.

Thoughts? Aside from wholeheartedly supporting the concept of the Year of Luigi, it delights me to no end hearing of a new Mario & Luigi game, because they’re always pretty damned great. And hey, compared to the other Mario RPG franchise, at least it’ll be a good RPG game on the 3DS. Mario Golf also interests me, but I’m seriously worried it’ll turn out like Mario Tennis where it’ll lack a large number of appealing features and dropping the RPG mode of the prior games. Luigi’s Mansion looks great, and I loved the idea of New Super Luigi U as DLC. Donkey Kong also interests me, but I’m really praying that a lot of the motion control stuff from the Wii game gets turned down or dropped, it was the one part of that game I really wasn’t a fan of.

Otherwise, seemed like a good show. Very hyped for next week.

And though I still don’t quite ‘get’ it, after some time using various services, there may be some merit to the idea.I’m not going to lie: Whenever I watch some TV or even play games, I always technically have a second screen with me. I either have my iPod, my phone or even my tablet with me. I’m usually fooling around on Twitter, Facebook or checking out other sites.

The most time I’ve spent using a second screen for anything would have to be Xbox’s SmartGlass. Surprisingly, it’s one of the few things from Microsoft that is progressive and interesting, but at the moment there isn’t much on offer that actively uses it or makes for a compelling argument to use it.

My only real experience using SmartGlass has been with Forza Horizon, which uses the second screen as a GPS. It’s a handy little tool which allows you to select a route and change it if necessary, all without accessing the in-game GPS menu. It’s not at all required to fully appreciate the game, but it’s a neat idea that kinda works.

There are other games that use the tech quite brilliantly. Take Dance Central 3, which allows you to cue up tracks in the game’s endless “Party Mode,” so if you’ve got a track you want to play and don’t necessarily want to go back to a menu to pick it, there you are. It doesn’t break the flow of the game, it doesn’t respond in an immediate repeat…it just works. There’s similar functionality in the Wii U version of Just Dance 4. It all means you can just have fun with the damned game. That, and it’s hilariously evil fun to troll people using stupidly complicated dance moves.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t really seem like this is the case with the majority of the Wii U’s launch line up. Most of the games just seem to slip into the ‘hey that’s neat’ niche that the Forza Horizon’s GPS stuff falls into, be it pushing the map onto the second screen, easy weapon/power switching, or co-op elements. All useful elements certainly, but nothing really…interesting.

I suppose it can’t be helped; after all, it is the launch window. It’s not like we’re going to see anything truly unique right out of the gate, nor would it be expected of third parties to go too crazy on the ports. Though I’m rather keen to check out the third party situation a year from now; I’m hoping that someone other than Nintendo does something cool with the tech.

While the Wii U and Smartglass are recently released tech, there’s one other player that hasn’t taken any advantage of potential second screen capabilities: Sony. Even back when the PSP was still in its prime, they never really seemed to do anything with it. Remember how Gran Turismo 5 was meant to use the PSP as a rear view mirror? Remember how it never happened?

Now with the PS Vita, Sony are giving it another shot by further integrating it with the PS3. There’s a growing group of games that use the Vita as an additional controller; hell, there’s even a growing group of games that mingle Vita players with PS3 players. Yet there’s nothing at the moment that’s coming close to a using it as second screen.

In their defence, a lot of the current and potential second screen offerings from Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft are all still quite ‘new’, but there isn’t anything out there at the moment that truly sells you on the concept — and yet, I really want it to succeed. There are definitely some interesting ideas that could exist, it’s just going to take a while to get there.Though it could be worse — it could at the #desperate level that television has gotten to…

Come back on Thursdays for more thoughts and views from the NG+ cast and crew.

[Image credits: Microsoft, Sony]

This wouldn’t be the case if things had been done differently.

To this day, I believe the Wii could have left a far better legacy if it had distinguished itself from the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3, and not just with its motion controls. Let’s face it: “Two Gamecubes duct taped together” was an apt description for the Wii’s hardware. There was no way it could keep up with the AAA games which dominated the other consoles. The Wii had already carved out a new market with hitherto non-gamers, so why not expand a little further and promote smaller titles?

Let’s face it, AAA games require AAA budgets, and not every studio or developer has these resources on hand. The Wii would have been perfect for titles that excelled in gameplay rather than presentation. It would have been the perfect box for ‘B titles’ and indie games; let’s not forget that the Wii came out not long before the indie scene exploded.

It’s not as if nobody took up this opportunity. One of the earlier games of interest was Cing’s Little King’s Story, a Pikmin-like game with a charming aesthetic and many, many hours of gameplay. I wanted to see more games like this, more little titles that wouldn’t be produced on other consoles just because it didn’t meet the Fong Shading requirement. Unfortunately, we saw little of this during the Wii’s life. Sure, there were some quality titles in the past year — Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, Beat the Beat: Rhythm Paradise — but these were the rains that broke a long, bleak drought.

Nowhere is this wasted potential more evident than the WiiWare digital platform. Originally touted as an area for developers with a smaller budget to sell their games, it received little traction from developers. Again, there were a number of solid games made exclusively for WiiWare such as Gaijin Games’ Bit.Trip series, but the WiiWare release list eventually devolved into a cesspool of shovelware titles like “Aha! I Found It!” Hidden Object Game.

It’s not like Nintendo were trying their best to foster third party talent on their console; developers criticised the WiiWare service for it’s 40MB size limit and the 6,000-sale minimum before Nintendo would begin paying developers.

Nintendo weren’t even really trying with their own games. Throughout the console’s life, we saw all the old titles rolled out as if Nintendo were marking off a dusty old checklist. We had another Mario Kart, another Zelda, another Mario Party, another Super Smash Bros., another Mario sports game. We also saw Super Mario Galaxy, which can objectively be considered a masterpiece, but this and other nuggets of excellence were the exception rather than the rule. Let me put it this way: The only new Nintendo franchises released during the Wii’s cycle were Wii Sports and Wii Fit.

Who is, in the end, to blame for the Wii’s legacy? Is it Nintendo, who failed to make a compelling argument for motion controls in favour of treading previously worn ground? Is it the developers and publishers, who couldn’t figure out a way to utilise the Wii and instead just released shovelware and minigame compilations? Is it the players’ fault for demanding more of the same rather than supporting the few interesting titles on the platform? Looking back, it seems like all parties played a role in the Wii’s current position.

The Wii could have been more than the that box that brought motion controls to the gaming world. If Nintendo and developers were willing to embrace the platform as an area for experimentation, and if Wii owners weren’t so easily placated by the gaming equivalent of a clip show, we could be saying very different things about this console. Instead, as we head forward into a new console cycle, we’ll most likely forget all about the Wii. It will become a historical artefact, a totem of Nintendo’s shifting priorities, a console that could have been something special, but ultimately wasn’t.

Come back on Thursdays for more thoughts and views from the NG+ cast and crew.

[Image credits: BBC, MMGN, Nintendo Life]

No word yet on the pricing of Accessories, but I wouldn’t expect them to be cheap at all… [Cloney]

[Original] The Wii U has kinda been shrouded in mystery since it was initially revealed way back at E3 2011. Sure, we knew most of the key details – but there was still plenty we needed to know about Nintendo’s leap into the current generation of hardware. Thankfully, the next few days are set to pretty much reveal the last key details about the system – starting with the final specs, as well as when it’ll be out and how much you’ll be playing able to get the damned thing. 

Nintendo revealed the Japanese launch details via its whenever the hell they feel like it Nintendo Direct liveshow (all in Japanese, which was thankfully translated by NeoGAF user Cheesemeister and 8-4′s John Ricciardi), in which Nintendo head Satoru Iwata confirmed that the system will be launching in Japan on December 8th, and for a first, will be launching with two versions – a Basic and Premium model. For the Basic model, you’ll be shelling out $322 AUD, while the premium model will set you back around a cool $386 AUD. Though don’t take that to heart just yet – those prices were converted from the Japanese (26250 and 31500 Yen, respectively), and it’s kinda unlikely Nintendo Australia will be matching that. Though you’d hope Nintendo AU don’t match the price of a Wii U Gamepad, which’ll set you back 13,440 Yen, or in local currency, a cool $166 AUD.

As for the differences between the two models; on a basic level, the core differences are that the Premium version contains a stand for the system, a charging dock for the gamepad and a stand for the gamepad (don’t worry, those come separately). It also comes in black, with 25GB onboard storage. The Basic version comes in white, with a paltry 8GB on storage. Nothing was mentioned about any methods to increase storage, but you’d have to imagine there’s some compatibility with SD Cards, much like with the Wii.

But the most significant difference is that by purchasing a Premium version, or what’s known as the “Nintendo Network Edition”, you’ll be entitled to a 10% rebate from the purchase of a full game and be able to apply it to an eShop game until the end of 2014. Not to mention that with WiiU retail games also coming in downloadable flavours, it’s not a bad incentive to Nintendo to encourage users to download more from its digital services.

Otherwise, viewers were treated to some specs that somewhat surprising. The system has 2GB of memory, with a split of 1GB for the OS and 1GB for games. Discs have a total capacity of 25GB, the system will output in 1080i and is powered by a GPGPU. No idea what it stands for. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg – there’s going to be more information within the next few days, so stay tuned.

Yeah, about that…

Before we go on, there were a number of noticeable absences from this press conference. Many people have already noted that Nintendo neglected to announce a launch date or price for their console; we may have to wait until TGS for that. But there was also a lack of on-stage gameplay here. Granted, previous live demos haven’t exactly been the most dignified, but I would have appreciated seeing some of the new games in action.

Speaking of which, Pikmin 3. The game introduces a new Rock Pickmin type, and you can now control up to four leaders at once, even to the extent of picking another leader up and throwing them to a desired point. Aside from that, it is the familiar Pikmin game that people have been requesting for years.

The wait for a new New Super Mario Bros game, on the other hand, hasn’t been as long.  If you’ve played any Mario game, then you’ll already have a good idea of how New Super Mario Bros U will pan out. There’s the usual array of new items, including a sugar-glider suit and as a dinosaur that shoots bubbles. The most interesting new feature is the integration of the Wii U Gamepad, which will allow a fifth player to interact with the environment and assist the other four players.

This is part of one of Wii U’s bigger selling point. Reggie Fils-Aime pulled a lot of lines from his swatch of corporate phrases – “New disruption”, “[Manufacturing] a new experience” – but there was one phrase that got used so often, it approached drinking game levels: “Asymmetrical gameplay.” This is in reference to the Wii U Gamepad’s screen, and how it can provide a gaming experience separate from what’s on the TV screen. This could prove interesting, particularly since it was confirmed that the Wii U will support two Gamepads at once.

We got a practical application of this with a Wii Fit U trailer (yes, there is a Wii Fit U coming out, try not to look so surprised). One of the game’s uses for the Gamepad is to allow exercise to continue even if the TV is being used for something else. I hope more games will utilise this feature. There is also a pedometer peripheral, the Fit Meter, which can be used to track steps and calorie loss. …I hope more games will utilise this peripheral?

Nintendo also announced SiNG (Working Title), a karaoke game. The less said about this one, the better, lest we tarnish our brand new website with Carly Rae Jepsen talk (although it would certainly boost out search engine results, as would ONE DIRECTION, #QANDA and E3. Hang on…)

The show then moved on to third party titles. WB Games went on stage to announce Batman Arkham City: Armoured Edition, effectively a port of the existing Arkham City game. The game will use the Gamepad for, among other things, inventory and Batarang steering. They also announced Scribblenauts Unlimited, which will introduce a narrative, multiplayer as well as deeper customisation – finally you can create that unholy dog-car hybrid of your dreams!

Ubisoft CEO Yves Guillemot also made an appearance, detailing how some of his company’s games will use the Gamepad. Just Dance 4 will allow players to select the choreography for his or her victims fellow dancers, while ZombiU will use the controller as “Sonar, inventory, scanner, sniper [scope], door hacker” and so forth. From the brief glimpses of gameplay, ZombiU looks decent – not as horribly majestic as yesterday’s trailer suggested, but promising nonetheless.

On that note, it will be interesting to see how the third parties will use the Wii U Gamepad. I imagine there will be about a year where it’ll be used solely for maps and inventory screens before developers spend more time with the controller and imagine some novel uses for it. It was the same case with the DS in its infancy.

The press conference wasn’t all about the Wii U, although it might as well have been. The 3DS got a brief mention, and a couple of previously mentioned projects got name checked, including New Super Mario Bros 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon. There will be a dedicated 3DS stream tomorrow with more details.

One of the more impressive shows was Lego City: Undercover, an open world adventure game. It looks like it will retain the goofy charm, platforming and collector hooks of previous Lego games while unshackling itself from the restraints of licences and linearity. That there is a Grand Theft Auto mission structure wrapped around it is just gravy. Quite simply, it looks fun.

The show closed with a lengthy demo of the Nintendo Land. It will take many of Nintendo’s brands and slot them in to a variety of minigames. By Reggie’s admission, the game is trying to be the Wii Sports of the Wii U, introducing players to the features of the new hardware; or, to put it another way, it’s a polished tech demo repository

Here, they showed off a minigame based off Luigi’s Mansion called Boo. Four players are trying to chase an invisible ghost around a maze, while a fifth player, who is using the Gamepad, plays as said ghost. It’s very evocative of Pac-Man Vs. for the Gamecube. I’m most curious as to how this game will be released, if it will be included with every console sold.

Considering how much information Nintendo needed to convey for its new console, this press conference ended up being light in meaningful material. Sure we got a Pikmin 3 announcement, but everything else we already knew or was of such little import that it wasn’t really worth the time in the lights.  It was more interesting following Twitter over the course of the presentation. The beginning was marked with a distinct lack of cynicism; by the end, the snark had well and truly returned.

But this is the same routine we go through every year. We go in to Nintendo’s press conference expecting a show, expecting to be entertained. And for a fleeting moment before reality kicks in, we are transfixed. Whether this is our fault or Nintendo’s is another discussion altogether, but we can agree that this presentation could have been improved with a bit more showmanship.

PS. At least there were plenty of candidates for The King of E3 2012, from Iwata’s Bananas to Zombie Reggie to, well, whatever the hell this is.

First and foremost, let’s talk about the controller. Now officially dubbed the “Wii U Gamepad”, the device hasn’t changed too much visually from when we saw it at last years E3. There’s been some changes in the button/stick placement, as well as some smaller ergonomic changes, but  the two things that stand out the most are the weird marking on the bottom left of the Gamepad, as well as a additional “TV”  control button in the lower right. The marking on the bottom left is the devices near field communication reader/writer, which will no doubt be used to all hell to provide extra content to your game. The TV button is just that – it allows you to control your TV, as well as look up local TV guides on the Wii U Gamepad.

In addition, they showed off another controller – designed partly for multiplatform games, but also for games that may demaned something even more comfortable. They call this the Wii U Pro Controller, which as you’ll see, should be a very familiar layout and design to those used to playing with a Classic Control Pro or most non-Nintendo consoles. So basically, developers kinda really don’t have much of an excuse to half arse the motion controls or not port their games over – the WiiU can basically do everything. Though it also appears that multiple WiiU Gamepads will be supported on the one device, which opens up some interesting possibilities.

But by far the most interesting thing that was announced was Mii Universe, or MiiVerse, for short. At its most simplest, MiiVerse is a Nintendo social network, allowing you to post messages, share screencaptures, see friends activities, in addition to operating the WiiU! You don’t ever have to leave a game to post a message, you can do it directly from the GamePad, as well as take video calls with people on your friendslist. Where it gets even crazier is that because MiiVerse is browser based, you’ll be able to access it from a number of devices, from smartphones to computers to tablets, the 3DS and more. Though sadly, that functionality won’t be too ready at launch – at the start, it’ll just be smartphones.

But Nintendo is taking a big gamble on MiiVerse, even confirming that it’ll be adding similar functionality to the 3DS. Which would be fantastic to easily take screenshots and send them to my WiiU owning friends or share them easily. But otherwise, not too shabby for a 30 minute presentation (which you’ll be able to watch below, in fully!). With Nintendo’s actual E3 show confirmed to be solely about Wii U, it’ll be interesting to see just what else they have left to show.