It's Wii U launch day!

Finally it's here in Ireland! Good luck on getting your console if you're buying it today and enjoy! I'm not going to get one yet as there are too many things I need to be sure of before doing so. I will get one eventually though.

I hope you'll play the hell out of Mario U. I sure would!

Trying out the "Denpa" Men demo

This came out today on the eShop. It's an RPG with big ideas, sensible minimalist designs and perfected gameplay. This kind of game is a big part of the future!

The demo lasts a decent amount of time and when you finish up with it, you can make save data that's transferrable to the full version! Splendid!

Supposedly it works by detecting different Wi-Fi hotspots. It doesn't download anything from them, it just produces a character every time a hotspot is simply detected.

Nintendo of Europe are giving away a free 3DS "full-price" download game to everyone who registered an XL

http://www.nintendo.co.uk/News/2012/Join-the-Nintendo-3DS-XL-family-and-get-a-free-download-game--678984.html

Wow. I didn't expect this... it's great though.

I got lost navigating the site trying to find where to apply for this promotion but I finally found it. What you do is log in to your account and on the very page you find yourself afterwards you click the right arrow on the flash banner and the promo is there.

Wii Mini compatible with most Wii software except for Manhunt 2

Only joking.

I'm not joking about the Wii Mini though. It's real and it's coming out in Canada.

Like the first revision of the Wii, it doesn't have GameCube compatibility but it doesn't have Internet access either. So that means no buying Virtual Console games?

I want to see all sides of it and to see it in action because I have some questions. Is it a top loader? Does it have USB ports & an SD card slot? Are there really over 1300 Wii disc games out there? Does it have a built in laser that zaps any copy of Manhunt 2 that comes within 20 metres?

Oh please let one of these things be true.

Nintendolife's USB storage guide for the Wii U

Man this Nintendo Wii U is complicated... People are talking about extra USB hard drive storage in the same way PS1 users used to talk about linking their consoles together: noone really knows how to do it and noone really bothers to explain. That is until now!

http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/11/guide_using_usb_storage_with_the_wii_u

Here's a very nice looking illustrated guide. I haven't read it myself but it seems comprehensive. Nintendo has their own guide as well like they way they recommend that a hard drive with its own power supply be used.

Sounds well and good that the Wii U doesn't have to strain to cope with all that extra work I suppose. It's just that well... When I think of multiple power supplies I think of the AVGN reviews of the Mega Drive add-ons that required their own power supplies. It's the concept of bold new technology but implemented in an imperfected way, and that's not very characteristic of Nintendo.

Virtual Console game removals suck.

This issue makes me depressed. Here I am promoting the Donkey Kong Country trilogy but for all the wrong reasons. From today the three games aren't available to purchase from the Wii Shopping Channel anymore and I've been in a mad rush for the past few days talking about them because of this threat(effectively speaking).

I wasn't entirely happy when the R-Type games were removed but the removal of DKC, one of the greatest game trilogies ever makes me feel very sad. The fact that I'm talking about them during their removal event more than I ever have, makes me feel worse. What if this type of blogging encourages a publisher to do this more and with ill intentions?

This time round I'm willing to give Nintendo the benefit of a doubt: There could be a temporary quality assurance issue what with the Wii U coming out and everything. Of course, this theory of mine could very well turn out to be false. Time will tell.

Last chance to buy those DKC games off the Wii Shopping Channel

This is it. Today's the last chance to get them.

I know this is yet another reminder but it's important.

Just.... why take them off at all? It's a horrible thing to do. I won't forget this and I want answers.

Reminder: The Donkey Kong Country games are being taken off the Wii Shopping Channel this Sunday

Why? I don't know... just thought I'd say it again because they're some of Nintendo's best games.

They won't be available to buy but the shopping channel says you can still download them from there afterwards if you bought them already.

Watching Nintendo Video: Big Buck Bunny, Harold & Kumar trailer

Big Buck Bunny's quite a nice CG feature... so far anyway. Nintendo Video is releasing it in so many parts of an already short animated film. I read a little up on it and it's an independently made cartoon. It looks so professional and it does seem to have an edge as opposed to something mainstream that would have to abide to all sorts of rules. I'll continue to watch it in these NV sized bits, for now I'm on part 2.

There's also a trailer for a Harold & Kumar straight to DVD Christmas Special which is an odd thing to find here(or anywhere for that matter).

The best example of add-on content I've seen.

Fallblox has new levels being released by Nintendo in the form of QR codes.

The advantage of having this rather than some company's server is that the new content can be saved as JPGs and distributed by anyone.

MechaGamezilla, the Irish Consolevania

Ok what I said in the title may be bold of me but seriously this man is talented. Go check out his YouTube channel as soon as you can please.

http://www.youtube.com/user/MechaGamezilla/

Watch all the videos too. The first one is a review of Tomb Raider II which cleverly portrays it as a clone of Namco's tank game Battle City(it's because Lara moves like a tank right? ohohohohoho).

The recent one about E3 2012 is what made me truly notice the guy when I saw it as a part of ChuckieDregs episode 2 (which itself is a nice return for Consolevania's Ryan MacLeod). My favourite part was where Link was giving directions through the Lost Woods in a northern accent. Moments like that are good for the Irish video game fan's heart!

Got 3DS Letter from Taku Sugioka, director of Pullblox

Nice surprise to see this today. It was sent to everyone who bought Pullblox and it was a nice message thanking us for playing the game and that the sequel Fallblox is out in the eShop. It also had a link to the game's section of the eShop.

I already bought the sequel so I didn't need to follow it.

Donkey Kong Country 1, 2 and 3 are being removed from the Shopping Channel

You can redownload them if you bought them already but I just have to ask why are they doing this?

They're some of the best games on the VC and it's not like there are licensing issues or anything... Nintendo themselves own the rights to those games.

I consider these games essential and they run smoother than any unofficial emulator I've tried them on so be sure to buy them before 25th of this month!

Bear in mind though, we still have no idea what the Wii U's proprietary Virtual Console is going to be like so think carefully about all this.

Reggie visits fans queueing for the Wii U launch!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jkaYNtD55-I

Isn't this nice! I really enjoy stuff like this. That Triforce guy wasn't there and I bet he regrets it. I kinda wish I was there so I could StreetPass Reggie's Mii. I wonder if it's a special one like Iwata that wears gold pants? I also would've shouted out during the "request a game from Reggie" part that I want Dragon Quest X and VII and Rocket Slime to come out in Europe!

Imagine if I went to a Wii U launch here in Ireland and Satoru Shibata appeared like this? It would be pretty cool to get his StreetPass too. If that really did happen I would go up to him and tell him that I bought Pokémon Typing and thought it was awesome. Then he would look me straight in the eye, shake my hand and say:

"You are a true Irish Nintendo Fan".

t'would be brilliant...

Got my third NSMB2 StreetPass challenge

This one's coin score was just over 2000 coins so it wasn't too difficult to beat. It doesn't tell you what the score is initially before you complete the three stages and that made me think there was some special reward for beating the score on my first go but that wasn't the case at all.

Virtue's Last Reward has a demo on the eShop

I nabbed this demo today when it came out and had a try. The puzzles are quite decent but you're moving around in this fairly clunky 3D environment. It doesn't feel that great to look around a room this way and the camera panning is stuttery.

Aside from Alice's immediate appeal of being this lovely, tall, busty amazonian there's nothing particularly interesting about the characters but they're not too bad.

The "Saw"-like theme still isn't my favourite and it seems that just like 999 for the DS by the same developer, it seems like it's going to be a game that's not particularly remarkable but is overall ok and does the job of getting you through your bus/train commute.

The game has an auto/skip feature, which I hope will be handy in the full game! A good skip feature ought to be compulsory in these types of games.

Do we have to rebuy our Wii VC games if we want to only use the Wii U VC? (Part 1: The New Wii U VC)

The beginning of an investigative series! Everyone's asking this and noone but Nintendo has clear answers and they're not giving them Nintendo-Directly.

There will be a Wii U VC and it will be completely different to the Wii VC. The Wii VC will still be accessible on the Wii U through the Wii application. So based on my understanding it will be like this:

Here is the inside of a Wii U. On the left is where our Wii VC games will transfer to. On the right is where the new Wii U VC will be, completely separate from the one on the left. The one on the left will not be playable on the Wii U game pad but the one on the right will be.

Do we have to rebuy our Wii VC games if we want to only use the Wii U VC? We don't know yet! We just know that the two Virtual Console systems are completely different.

Paper Mario Sticker Star getting less than 90% in some reviews...

Some people are a little worried and upset about the change in the new Paper Mario game. The basic attack in RPGs is usually free but in this game you have to use stickers to attack which deplete and can be replenished by buying more stickers with coins you collect. That's basically the one thing I know about this game from hearing about it and the one thing I expect will potentially upset people the most — the economics are completely different. I'm open to trying it out!

Come to think of it, what happens if you run out of both coins and stickers? Is that a thing that can happen?

NES Ninja Gaiden for 3DS VC? Get me Ninja Gaiden Shadow!!

The NES version of Ninja Gaiden is coming out for the 3DS VC this week. One nice thing about this is the fact that it's a Euro cheaper than the European Wii VC release.

However, Ninja Gaiden Shadow for the Game Boy is what I'd rather have for the 3DS VC. I have fonder memories of it even though it is shorter.

Got my second NSMB2 StreetPass challenge

This guy's Mii didn't have a smarmy face like the last one but he had a record of over 15k coins in the mushroom pack.

It took some amount of practice but I finally managed to beat his record with a total of over 17k coins. I had to try again and again through trial and error and things not going according to plan as well as scoring just shy of beating his record.

It took so long to actually do it I ended up passing the 200k coin benchmark! The challenge from the last StreetPasser got me through 100k!

Angry Video Game Nerd Movie trailer!

Official Cinemassacre link! :

http://cinemassacre.com/2012/11/10/avgn-the-movie-trailer/

I've been waiting a good long time for this! I'll have to wait longer again of course but at least we have the trailer here and it looks fun! I guess some things had to change for it to be done as a movie but I'll look forward to seeing it all the same.

Got a new Kirby jigsaw in Puzzle Swap

Got a SpotPass message today telling me that there was a new puzzle and to celebrate, I was granted one piece. There are quite a few Kirby ones now.

I spend all my Play Coins in SP Quest and I don't do an awful lot here. I wonder if that frustrates other StreetPassers when people don't have pieces? The pink ones for example are tough to get as they're StreetPass exclusive.

Epic Mickey 3DS has a demo

Excellent! This is the kind of game we need demos of and I was hoping this game was going to get one. It's on the American eShop now and I would really like it if we got a chance to download it too.

Shantae and the Pirate's Curse announced by Nintendo Power!

Well the magazine isn't going quietly and that's a nice thing. The last few issues of Nintendo Gamer had very similar covers to each other apart from the Rhythm Paradise Wii one. Anyway...

New Shantae is always good! :) I love these games (especially the first one) and it's a nice treat to see this new one be announced. It's a direct sequel too... I wonder if this is one of the "episodes" that WayForward were originally working on when they first announced Risky's Revenge all those years ago?

Another thing, I hope this is reasonably priced. Charging me 12 Euro for Risky's Revenge and then porting it to iOS —a range of machines that don't have any buttons— while charging less than 2 Euro was a really stupid idea. If you did it the other way round, the people who paid 2 Euro wouldn't think that your game has shit controls.

Nintendo of Europe's new site design, no game release feed...

Nintendo of Europe's site looks nice enough now and it has some unnecessary things gone that took a while to load. I even like the Zelda 2 "I AM ERROR" reference when a page isn't found.

What I don't like is the way the game release feed is gone. That was extremely handy and kept me informed and coming back to the site regularly! "What's new for me to buy this week?" I'd say to myself while looking at the handy dandy list. I also said stuff like "Those cunts at GameStop keep changing the release date for the new Paper Mario. At least this list won't let me down!" and it never let me down, unlike GameStop, which often lets me down.

It's Wii U month!

I don't talk an awful lot about Wii U. It's because I'm only interested in playing NSMBU. As I write this Nintendo of Europe is doing up their website. There's gonna be Wii U stuff coming at me in the places I frequent online but I doubt they'll excite me any more about anything else.

What can I blog about really regarding the Wii U? Maybe I can do some commentary on bits and pieces of the hype in the run up to its launch. Hype commentary is potentially bad so I'll try my best to do bits and pieces that interest me.

For example, I read on GoNintendo that Hori is releasing an arcade stick for the Wii U in the UK without its *shudder* Tekken licensing decor. Thank goodness for that, I have the Tatsunoko vs Capcom stick and I couldn't be bothered with the game. The decor looks kind of daft then. The Hori logo is good enough for me.

Giving Metroid 1 a serious go

I've been playing Metroid lately and I've gotten further than I have with any previous attempt. I just got the Screwattack ability and I am tearing through enemies who'd normally be a pain.

I'm playing the 3DS VC version and I'm drawing a map as I play with the Game Notes feature. It's quite handy and I have a colour choice between black, red and blue so I'm doing black for the paths and red and blue for the doors. I wonder if the choices available aren't a coincidence? :)

My impressions so far, well, I find the game to be awesome in the proper sense of the word. It makes me feel scared, tired and like it's too much to handle but I still feel like an intrepid adventurer and that's a really good feeling. The labyrinth in which the game takes place has all these tunnels that often look the same and often connect to each other which makes it something you couldn't really commit to memory straight away and to even draw the map as you play makes me anxious because I'm afraid of messing it all up.

Mind you, it's not as overwhelming as trying to draw a map for the Duncan Factory in Earth Bound Zero. The map in Metroid is like being in a hospital you've entered for the very first time. The space pirates are basically giant bugs right? Well, they've built this labyrinth in the same way colonies of real life insects build all these crazy looking networks of tunnels underground. Just imagine trying to navigate them as a human.

Got my first NSMB2 StreetPass challenge

Today I StreetPassed this NSMB2 player who had a higher coin total than mine and had a Mii with a smarmy face.

The moment I saw his face I knew I had to beat the crap out of his record. After doing so — and without using the white raccoon suit unlike him — I did it and managed to get over the 100k benchmark too!

The only thing that would've been more satisfying would be if I could see the smarmy grin wiped off his Mii's face.

"2 players through local hotseat mode."

60Hz NES Gradius 1 is on the 3DS VC now and I immediately bought it for 4.99 as I love Gradius. On the eShop it has this funny little phrase where it tells you the number of players. Literally it means 2 players alternating, just like Super Mario Bros.

Edit:

excerpt from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotseat_(multiplayer_mode)

"Hotseat or hot seat is a multiplayer mode provided by some turn-based video games, which allows two or more players to play on the same device by taking turns playing the game. The name hotseat started as a reference to playing a PC game and trading seats with the other player."

So it's something well established... You learn something new everyday!

Game Grumps' Kirby satisfies :)

Ok ok so we didn't get the Mad Monster Mansion episode of Banjo-Kazooie for Halloween, but this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxF9B2V_uW8

more than makes up for it when Egoraptor screams at Jontron to watch out for the mummies :)