Nintendo was nice enough to send us a copy of Super Smash Bros. for Wii U early and we’ve been busy beating each other to a pulp. Leading up to the launch we’ll be playing tons of Smash and making videos. Which modes or characters do you want to see in glorious HD. Let us know and we’ll try to get more videos and stream on Twitch before the launch on Nov. 21.
For the first time ever, anyone can create 2D Mario levels using the Wii U GamePad controller. Making courses is easy, simply use the GamePad touch screen to easily drag and drop elements in your levels. Players can instantly playtest and edit their creations on the fly. With the tap of an icon, you can even switch the visual style between classic 8-bit Super Mario Bros and the HD world of New Super Mario Bros U. Mario Maker definitely looks like a unique title, check out the screenshots and trailer below.
via Wii U – Mario Maker E3 2014 Announcement Trailer – YouTube.
Visit e3.nintendo.com at 9 a.m. PT to watch the Nintendo Digital Event livestream. In the meantime, be sure to visit the site regularly for the latest E3 updates and announcements.
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
One month from today, Mario Kart 8 will be driving players wild with anti-gravity racing action. To get people revved up for the Wii U game, Nintendo released a new Nintendo Direct video that announced some additional news nuggets, including a Mario Kart 8 Wii U bundle, a free downloadable game offer for Wii U owners who buy Mario Kart 8, details about online features, cool new characters and devastating new items.
Some of the new information announced today included:
Mario Kart 8 Wii U Bundle: People who don’t yet own a Wii U system will find it easy to get in on the action. On May 30, Nintendo is releasing the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Set bundle that includes a Wii U Deluxe Set system, a Mario Kart 8 game, a red Mario Wii Wheel accessory and a red Mario Wii Remote Plus controller, all at a suggested retail price of just $349.99.
Get a Free Digital Game: People who buy Mario Kart 8 and register the game with Club Nintendo before July 31 will receive a free Nintendo eShop download code for an additional Wii U game. Players can grow their Wii U digital game collections by choosing from one of these well-received Wii U games: New Super Mario Bros. U, Pikmin 3, The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD or Wii Party U. That’s a two-for-one deal featuring some of the all-time great Wii U games. This offer also applies to people who get the game in the Mario Kart 8 bundle or digitally in the Nintendo eShop.
Online Multiplayer: Up to 12 players can race together online in four different multiplayer modes, as long as everyone has a broadband Internet connection. Like to trash-talk your friends while you’re preparing for a race? You’re in luck! Mario Kart 8 lets players chat with one another in the lobby area using the Wii U GamePad microphone or text phrases as they wait for their friends to join. Players also can create public or private tournaments for which they specify the day of the week, the time and the rules. Per tradition, players will be able to race against ghost data from friends or even the top 10 worldwide racers. They can try to beat them or just pick up a few tips and tricks from studying the best. If you beat the development team’s ghosts, you’ll get cool stamps for use in Miiverse posts.
Mario Kart TV: As previously announced, players can watch their highlight racing reels, rewind them, play them in slow motion or upload them to Miiverse. They can watch the world’s most popular highlight reels and comment on them. But players with Google accounts can also upload their reels directly to their YouTube channels.
New Items: Items are what make Mario Kart games so balanced. No matter how skilled racers are, they’re just a blue Spiny Shell away from disaster. A well-timed item can also turn defeat into victory in an instant. The new Super Horn blows away all other items – literally. Sounding the Super Horn issues forth a sonic shock wave that blasts away everything in the vicinity, including other drivers, Red Shells and even blue Spiny Shells. It’s a potent asset, especially for drivers trying to maintain their lead. Mario Kart 8 also introduces the Crazy Eight, a swirl of eight different items that lucky players can use one by one.
New Racers: Two new playable female characters make their debut appearances in Mario Kart 8. New heavyweight driver Pink Gold Peach glows with a golden light and makes a nice counterpart to Metal Mario. Baby Rosalina shows up for a play date with other Baby characters. As in past Mario Kart games, players can again choose to play as their Mii characters, which rounds out the field of racers to an even 30.
Mario Kart 8 is now available for pre-order at major retailers throughout Canada. A deposit may be required for pre-orders. See individual retailers for details. For more information about Mario Kart 8, visit http://mariokart8.nintendo.com.
via Press Release
If you’re looking for a Wii U today wouldn’t be a bad day to pick one up, Nintendo has some great Boxing Day deals on hardware and games. Deluxe Wii U set is on sale for $249 and the best Wii U game available Super Mario 3D World is only $34.99. Also the 2DS is on sale For $99 and many of the best 3DS/2DS games are on sale for $14.99. Check out the deals below:
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
Have you ever thought to yourself, “you know what would be awesome? A Dynasty Warriors game, but with Zelda”? Well, worry no more, as Nintendo has announced a new Zelda Title, being created by the team over at Tecmo Koei that is responsible for the Dynasty Warrior games, to do just that. Take a look at the trailer below.
I won’t lie to you, I am being cautiously optimistic about this one, but I kind of like the idea. No word yet on an official name for the game yet, but we will let you guys know as soon as they tell us.
By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody
If you haven’t had the chance to pick up a Wii U, today is the day. Right now at participating retailers you can get a Wii U with a $50 gift card. Not does the Wii U have some great bundles available now you can use that $50 towards one of the many great games available for the Wii U like Super Mario 3D World. Other deals include some of the best 3DS games like Fire Emblem for $25, check out the link below for all the deals.
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
So, our friend Tom Ohle from Evolve PR and Khaled Ibrahimi, Cinematic Producer of Killzone 3 and longtime developer, have started a new Indie Publishing Studio called Renegade Machine. They have created this new studio to help indies find success. Using Tom’s knowledge of media and PR and Khaled’s knowledge of development, they intend to be the publisher that can help indies in whatever manor they may need it. As Tom puts it,
Perhaps a better answer is that we want ultimately want to help developers wherever we’re needed. I’ve spent a long time in video game PR/marketing — 12 years and counting — so certainly we’re able to help devs on the promotional side. My cohort Khaled Ibrahimi has spent his career on the other side of the coin — development, that is — and as such we’re able to help with production issues, dev pipelines, managing a virtual team and everything else you need to do to get a game out the door. We’ve also both been around the block enough times to be able to consult on business matters, make connections, help with distribution and so on.
We realize that developers often have a negative image of publishers: they force ideas on you, take too much money or just plain suck. We want to use our experience in working with publishers to build an appealing publishing option for a wide range of indie needs. To that end we’ve pulled together a survey. If you’re an indie dev, we’d really appreciate a few minutes of your time so we can truly understand what you’re looking for in a partner.
These guys are looking to change how publishers work with studio’s, bring new exciting games to market, and to really change the gaming landscape. If you want to learn more or are a developer looking to get in touch with these guys, head over to their website – Renegade Machine.
You can also follow them on Twitter:
Tom Ohle
Khaled Ibrahimi
Renegade Machine
I can’t wait to see the games that come out of this, it sounds exciting, and we wish them the best of luck!
By Dayne “Anjel” Cody
@DayneCody
Starting today thru Monday Future Shop and Best Buy Canada have an insane trade in deal that will unlikely ever be beat. Trade in any and I mean ANY PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 or Wii U game for your choice of Call of Duty: Ghosts, Assassin’s Creed IV and Battlefield 4 for PS3, Xbox 360, Wii U or PC. I can confirm that this is the real deal as you can see I definitely took advantage of this wicked deal. There is a limit of 1 game of your choice per trade but if you’re lucky like me you can make friends in line ask them to trade for you. (Thanks Jareth’s girlfriend and random dude behind me!) I was in line for about 2 and a half hours and there was still easily 400-500 people waiting in line. An added bonus is that these games are eligible for the Next Gen Upgrade deal where you can get these titles now and upgrade to Next Gen for only $10. Your milage may vary on this deal as reports are that some stores have already run out of stock. Thanks to my buddy Dustin who told me about this amazing deal.
via UPDATED: Future Shop offer: Trade one game for choice of new Call of Duty, Assassin’s Creed or BF4
WII SPORTS CLUB – TENNIS AND BOWLING NOW AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD
The five beloved sports from the original Wii Sports game – bowling, tennis, baseball, boxing and golf – are making a dramatic and competitive return on Wii U. Starting today, two of the five sports – tennis and bowling – are now available in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U.
The sports are being released individually as downloads in the Nintendo eShop, and feature HD graphics, enhanced controls via Wii MotionPlus technology, as well as a much-requested online multiplayer versus mode, so users with broadband Internet access can face off against friends and family members online. Players can choose to associate themselves with various state or regional clubs and can send messages to one another via Miiverse. People can play casually against members of their own club, or take on members of rival clubs to increase their club rankings.
Wii U owners who download Wii Sports Club will get a free trial pass that will let them play any available sports for a 24-hour period from when the Wii Sports Club game is started. Once the trial period ends, players can purchase two types of passes exclusively available in the Nintendo eShop: a Day Pass for $1.99 to play all available sports for a 24-hour period, or a Club Pass to gain permanent access to individual sports for $9.99 each.
For more information about Wii Sports Club, visit http://wiisportsclub.nintendo.com.
via Press Release
By Ricardo “Rico” Ferreira
@RicF
GEEKOHOLICS 
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