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Nintendo Wii U games montage: Darksiders 2, Aliens: Colonial Marines and more

You know that list of games we posted earlier today? They came from a Nintendo U promo reel, shown during Nintendo's E3 2011 press conference. We've got the video for you now, in full-on HD -- yeah, we feel just as awkward typing out "Nintendo" and "HD" in the same sentence as much as you must feel weird reading it. We all better get used to it!

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Nintendo press conference wrapup: You, we and Wii U

Many predictions were issued concerning the moniker of Nintendo's new home console -- we were personally pulling for Project Cafe, indicating the device would possess cappuccino capabilities -- but none managed to nail down the system's real name: The Wii U. Unfortunately not many other details were announced, as evidenced by our Bingo card above. Check out all the stories that came from the conference below, and sound off in the comments!

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Hands on with the Wii U controller

Immediately after introducing the Wii U and its bizarro controller, Nintendo gave some press the opportunity to play a selection of demos with the device. With the limited time I had before running to tell you about what I played in my limited time, I chose "Shield Pose," a distinctly Rhythm Heaven-like minigame designed to show off the motion controls in the Wii U controller, which I'm going to coin the "WiiPad" right this second.

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Wii U is 1080p; has HDMI out, internal flash memory, SD and USB storage support

While Nintendo was blowing minds this morning with the announcement of its new console, the Wii U, the company's Japanese press site was quietly releasing all the juicy specs of the upcoming machine that we hunger for. As mentioned during the presser, the console will output games in high definition, now revealed as ranging from 480i to 1080p. Moreover, the Wii U will output HD by employing HDMI.

As far as internal storage goes, it's still unclear whether or not the Wii U will come packed with an HDD, but the specs sheet does amorphously detail "internal flash storage," as well as an SD slot and the ability to use USB storage. Notably, the list points out that the USB storage will allow for external HDDs. And while the disc slot gives us the impression that Wii U games will be disc-based, Nintendo has yet to reveal its medium of choice.

Nintendo teases new Rhythm Heaven, Mario Party 9, Kirby titles

Though Nintendo didn't do its traditional "Here are a bunch of logos of games we're making," it couldn't resist a little info dump at the end of the company's press conference. Shown on a screen as attendees exited were logos for [deep breath] The Rolling Western, Paper Mario, Super Fossil Fighters, Rhythm Heaven, Fortune Street, Kirby Mash Attack, Kirby Wii and Mario Party 9.

What systems are these games for? Who's making them? We have no idea. Have a nice day!

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition available July 12, $30


The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition, originally spotted back in May, will officially launch in North America on July 12. Priced at $29.99, the bundle includes the core game along with Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles. It will be available on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC.

The North America pack also includes Collector's Steelbook case with Daedric symbols, making of Oblivion DVD, game map and a $10 mail-in rebate offer on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and a Skyrim strategy guide.

Take a closer look at the Wii U's crazy controller

You've seen the press conference, you've read all about the games in development for the Wii U, and now we've got our first hands-on with the Wii successor's enormous, crazy controller. We'll have a full writeup for you as the day goes on, but we figured you might wanna take a closer look at the pseudo-tablet right now.

Infinity Blade sales surpass $10 million

ChAIR Entertainment's Infinity Blade for iOS is a conquering hero of sales, surpassing $10 million in sales during the first six months of release.

"Infinity Blade's success proves that triple-A gaming experiences can be hugely successful on iOS and that there is a valuable, pent up demand for premium content like this," said Mark Rein, vice president and co-founder of Epic Games.

ChAIR parent-company Epic also took the opportunity to note that the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), the free edition of Unreal Engine 3, has reached 800,000 unique installations.

Ubisoft developing 'hardcore FPS' exclusively for Wii U, four other titles revealed

Beyond the news today that Ubisoft is bringing Assassin's Creed to Nintendo's Wii U, the French publisher also announced a handful of other titles currently in development for next year's console. Among the list of established IPs -- Assassin's Creed, Rabbids, Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online -- Ubisoft also announced a "revolutionary first-person shooter for the hardcore audience."

Moreover, the shooter is being developed "exclusively" for the Wii U. Perhaps you're not too into shooters? The company is also working on a "multi-sports game" with family applications. A ... awesome? Anyway, while none of the games will be playable at E3 this year, Ghost Recon Online will be shown off on the show floor, so we'll be sure to take a peek at our earliest convenience.

Nintendo showing off prototype Wii U demos at E3 this week

Nintendo just announced the Wii U on stage at its E3 press conference, and while the new controller is interesting, we're all wondering just how powerful this "HD" console is. Game Informer's seen the demos shown off on stage in person, and apparently it's about as nice as you'd imagine: Not quite as high quality as the other HD consoles, but definitely better than the standard Wii.

Nintendo doesn't have actual games to show yet, but there are a few interactive demos running. Chase Mii has Mario characters running around a maze and uses the Wii U controller's screen to track other players in the game. Battle Mii uses traditional Wii controllers as well as the Wii U controller, and GI says controls are a little tighter and quicker than the traditional Wii can handle (though the gyroscope in the new, presumably still a work in progress, controller is still a little awkward). Finally, Shield Pose has you moving the Wii controller around to try and block called shots coming in from a pirate ship, and is supposed to be fun in a sort of follow-the-leader way.

We'll look for all three demos on the show floor this week, so stay tuned for our own impressions on just what the Wii U can and can't do so far. There's not a lot of information available yet (the Wii U is due sometime in 2012, and there's no price listed at all), but already it looks like the Wii U will definitely shake up console gaming.

Update: The Guardian also got to play with the Wii U, and says the console will be HD via HDMI, and have internal Flash memory, along with SD and USB solutions for adding more. The system will be backwards-compatible with the Wii (which we heard at the press event), and play both discs and downloadable software.

Nintendo E3 2011 keynote, live from the Nokia Theater

Do you know what Nintendo's successor to the Wii will be called? No? Us neither. That's embarrassing too, because we're supposed to have the scoop on stuff like this.

But beginning at 9 a.m. PDT/12 p.m. EDT, we're finally going to know what Mario and Co. have planned for the year to come. Let's go!

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LEGO City Stories exclusive to Wii U, 3DS

Nintendo's Reggie Fils-Aime has announced one of the first third party titles for the Wii U. Entitled LEGO City Stories, it includes an expansive city to explore. Few details were offered, though it looks a bit like a family-friendly version of Grand Theft Auto. The title will be exclusive to Wii U and 3DS.

This is what the Wii U looks like

Here it is, folks -- the Wii's successor, the Wii U. It kinda looks like a Wii and an Xbox 360 had an adorable baby. We'll have better shots of the Wii U as soon as we can, but for now, here you go!

Update: We've got a more official shot (though similarly small, unfortunately) after the break.

Update 2: A more official, significantly larger shot just came into our tips box. The Wii U: Still adorable.

Update 3: We've got a full gallery of official shots now, just below.

[Thanks Evan!]

Wii U games revealed

With a new console, there needs to be games, right? And, uh, the Wii U has 'em. Nintendo's apparently winning over third-party developers, as several have pledged support with their titles. Here's a list of what was shown in a brief montage during the E3 2011 press conference:
  • Darksiders 2
  • Batman: Arkham City
  • "Tekken"
  • Assassin's Creed
  • Lego City Stories
  • Ghost Recon Online
  • DiRT
  • Aliens: Colonial Marines
  • Metro: Last Light
  • Ninja Gaiden 3: Razer's Edge
EA CEO John Riccitiello also pledged support for the Wii U: a brief montage hinted at Battlefield and Army of Two for the new console.

Smash Bros announced for Wii U and 3DS

Nintendo has announced that once Masahiro Sakurai is finished with Kid Icarus: Uprising that he'll be working on a new Smash Bros title. The game will be for Wii U and 3DS and work together "in some fashion." Details pending.

New HD Zelda hinted for Wii U

During the last few seconds on Nintendo's Wii U announcement video, we caught a quick glimpse of what looked like a new Zelda title, in which Link fought a massive, hairy spider. Game Informer is now reporting that it was indeed real-time footage. Nintendo wouldn't confirm whether or not an actual game is in development, but we'd say it's more than probable.

Make video calls, browse the web with Wii U controller

After the Wii successor, Wii U, was revealed this morning, Nintendo detailed two unique functions of the giant touchscreen controller: video calls and web browsing. Internet and the equivalent of Apple's FaceTime on Nintendo hardware? We're just as shocked as you are. We'll be sure to update you with more information as it comes in.

Wii U controller revealed

You can play games solely on the controller, which handles like a tablet and presumably includes the stylus we saw interacting with it during the reveal. It's got a 6.2 inch screen, is backward compatible with all Wii games, Wii Remotes and other accessories -- a video showed showed it being used with the Balance Board and as a Wii Remote, so it's got motion controls built in. An example during the reveal showed an individual using it in a golf game, just like a Wiimote.

It's got rumble, trigger buttons, bumper buttons, a touch-screen, microphone and speakers, and an accelerometer. It's also got a camera built in. Iwata says it's got support for the "widest variety of games can be supported" and can play games independently of the Wii itself. Oh, and it's HD.

Kid Icarus Uprising includes 3-on-3 multiplayer, AR card battles

Nintendo has announced that Kid Icarus Uprising will include an adversarial multiplayer mode. The footage shown during Nintendo's E3 press conference featured several knight-like characters duking it out in traditional deathmatch multiplayer. According to Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime, players will be able to challenge one another in 3-on-3 matches.

Fils-Aime also mentioned Kid Icarus themed AR cards. When placed next to one another, in-game character models spring to life and start doing battle. It's unclear exactly how this will function, though the implications for future Pokemon trading card games is kind of frightening.

Nintendo Wii U announced

Nintendo Wii U -- that's the name of Nintendo's next console ... thing. The new high-definition system and controller pair was announced during the company's E3 2011 press conference, and is due to launch sometime in 2012.

The controller features a large, touch-capable screen, paired with two circle pads, a directional pad, face buttons, a camera, a gyroscope and an accelerometer. Nintendo is positioning it as an entertainment sharing device, with video and gameplay working across the controller and your home console.

It's weird, you guys.



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