Online Heroes of Ruin demo and more

Talk about a first: tomorrow you can try Heroes of Ruin's multiplayer mode either in local or online play. Here's what else is up for Europeans tomorrow.

3DS Demos

Heroes of Ruin (Square Enix) — Try out one of four classes and play online or in local multiplayer with three others. The game hits Europe next week but you can give it a go first.

3DS Download Software

3D Solitaire (Zen Studios, £2.70/€3) — 3D solitaire might not sound like the most exciting proposition, but with Zen Studios in charge this might be worth a pop. We'll have a full review for you soon.

3DS Virtual Console

Tumble Pop (Game Boy, G-mode, £2.70/€3) — Tumble Pop's Vacuulator is one of a select breed: a vacuum device used to suck up mutants, robots and aliens in a quirky action platformer. We'll bring you a review very soon.

DSiWare

Devil Band – Rock the Underworld (CIRCLE, 500pts) — You must become the most evil force in the universe by recruiting an army of fans and blasting your musical message out to the world. CIRCLE has a mixed history on DSiWare so we're not sure what to make of this; stay tuned for our review soon.

So there you are, that's what's available tomorrow. Who'll be questing online with Heroes of Ruin?

Read more...

The PS Plus motherlode

You bought your PlayStation Plus subscription before E3, right? Good, because today you get loads of free games. Here's what's available today for North American users.

PlayStation Plus

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
inFAMOUS 2
Little Big Planet 2
Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine
Just Cause 2
Saints Row 2
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light
Hard Corp: Uprising
Choplifter HD
Zombie Apocalypse Never Die Alone
Sideway NY

PSN Games

BANG BANG RACING ($9.99)
Bang Bang Racing is a brand new, top-down arcade car racer for the whole family! Choose from 20 sleek racing cars, eight different skins and nine exotic reversible and variable tracks around the world.
ESRB rated E, File size 209 MB

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown ($14.99)
This definitive version of the VF5 series includes overhauled fighting mechanics, new characters, new single player & online multiplayer modes and more.
ESRB rated T, File size 1.91 GB

PS3 Full Games

Madagascar 3: The Video Game ($39.99)
In Madagascar 3: The Video Game, adventure with the entire cast of Madagascar including Alex the Lion, Marty the Zebra, Gloria the Hippo and Melman the Giraffe.
ESRB rated E, File size 3.84 GB

LittleBigPlanet 2 ($39.99)
Join Sackboy in a completely new adventure – filled with new abilities, new gameplay rules, innovative tools and a smarter LBP Network, evolving the whole PLAY CREATE SHARE experience.
ESRB rated E, File size 4.7GB

Game Demos (free)

BANG BANG RACING DEMO
Bang Bang Racing is a brand new, top-down arcade car racer for the whole family! In the demo version, choose from two sleek racing cars, two different skins and two variable tracks, one in Europe and one in Japan. Cones and exploding barrels will put your driving skills to the test. In the demo, you can play alone against the AI or in 2-player split-screen multiplayer!
ESRB rated E, File size 209 MB

The Pinball Arcade Trial
You can now play exact recreations of the all-time greatest pinball tables from Williams, Bally, Stern Pinball, and Gottlieb together in one game. Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail.
ESRB rated E10+, File size 207 MB

Sorcery Demo [[Sorcery review]
Sorcery is a fast-paced action adventure where your PlayStation Move controller is transformed into a powerful magic wand, immersing player in a unique fantasy adventure like never before. As the sorcerer’s apprentice Finn, it is up to you to master the arcane arts and defeat the Nightmare Queen. Use an intuitive spell-casting system to master an arsenal of different spells and combos. Collect rare ingredients and return to your alchemy bench to brew your own powerful magic potions.
ESRB rated: E10+, File size: 597 MB

PS Vita Demos (Free)

The Pinball Arcade Trial
You can now play exact recreations of the all-time greatest pinball tables from Williams, Bally, Stern Pinball, and Gottlieb together in one game. Every flipper, bumper, sound effect, and display pixel has been painstakingly emulated in astonishing detail.
ESRB rated E10+, File size 115 MB

PS3 Add-ons

Atelier Meruru: Hanna ($3.99)
The General Store owner Hanna joins the team! She’s ready to follow Meruru and go out in search of new gathering locales! This will allow you to recruit the in-game character Hanna into your party and experience all-new character-related events.
File size 111 KB

Dragon’s Dogma: From A Different Sky – Part 3 ($0.99)
The third of the ‘From a Different Sky’ series, you will need your wits to clear all 10. Check the Pawn Guild to begin!
File size 707 KB

Dynasty Warriors 7 – Original Costume Pack 6 – 9 ($4.99 each)
Various costume packs.
File size 28 MB – 38 MB

Sniper Elite V2 Assassinate The Fuhrer ($9.99)
One bullet can change history. The Ultimate Mission. The Ulimate Shot. Kill Hitler.
File size 309 MB

SoulCalibur V add ons (x4) ($1.99 – $2.99)
Various add on content.
File size 133 KB – 25 MB

Street Fighter X Tekken Add ons (x12) ($0.99 – $17.99)
Various add on content.
File size 100 KB each

Test Drive Unlimited 2 Add ons (x3) ($4.99 – $8.99)
Various add on content.
File size 100 KB each

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Add ons (x21) ($4.99 – $14.99)
Various add on content.
File size 76 MB – 163 MB

Worms Ultimate Mayhem: Customization Pack ($4.99)
The Worms Ultimate Mayhem “Customization Pack” features hilarious new additions to extend the already vast array of customization options available in the game, including a number of crazy new hats, glasses, gloves, x5 new speech-banks and x5 new gravestones. The “Customization Pack” also includes x5 new weapon payloads for the Weapons Factory.
File size 212 KB

Rock Band 3

Build your Rock Band library by purchasing these song game tracks. For song credits, visit www.RockBand.com.
“DOG DAYS ARE OVER” – Florence and the Machine ($1.99)
“POWER AND THE PASSION” – Midnight Oil ($1.99)
“TEEN ANGST (WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW” – Cracker ($1.99)
File size: 28 MB – 46 MB (singles)

Rock Band Network v2.0

“APOLOGY REJECTED” – These Hearts ($1.99)
“EXAMINATION” – I Am Abomination ($1.99)
“IN A HURRICANE” – Blame Ringo ($0.99)
“RIDDLE ME THIS” – Anarchy Club ($0.99)
“THE DEVIL’S IN THE DETAILS” – Aesthetic Perfection ($1.99)
File size: 20 MB – 35 MB (singles)

PS Vita Add-Ons

Ridge Racer Add ons (x2) ($1.99 – $2.99)
Various add on content.
File size 1.26 MB – 5.36 MB

Updates

Deus Ex: Human Revolution (Ps3 Full Game) – Price Change (PS3) (now $29.99, original price $39.99)
Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection Digital – Price Change (PSP) (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
Hamsterball (Sale) (PSP) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Digital) (Price Change) (PS Vita) (now $19.99, original price $39.99)
LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (PSP Digital) (Price Change) (PS3) (now $19.99, original price $29.99)
M.O.Z.O.X. Space Salvager – Minis (Price Change) (PS3) (now $1.99, original price $1.49)
Need For Speed: The Run (Price Change) (PS3 Full Game) (PS3) (now $29.99, original price $39.99)
Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus (Sale) (PS3) (now $6.99, original price $9.99)
Sly 2: Band of Thieves (Sale) (PS3) (now $6.99, original price $9.99)
Sly 3: Honor Among Thieves (Sale) (PS3) (now $6.99, original price $9.99)
Smash Cars (Sale) (PS3) (now $7.49, original price $14.99)
Wakeboarding HD (Sale) (PS3) (now $4.99, original price $9.99)

Game Videos (free)

Aliens: Colonial Marines Suspense Trailer
Assassin’s Creed III Gameplay Reveal Trailer
Batman: Arkham City – Harley’s Revenge Trailer
BEYOND: Two Souls E3 Trailer
Darksiders ii – Behind The Mask: Death's Story
Disney Pixar Brave: The Video Game Announcement Trailer
DmC Devil May Cry E3 2012 Trailer
DUST 514®: E3 2012 Beta Gameplay Trailer
E3 Press Conference Video Part 1 – 3 (PS3 Store Only)
Hitman: Absolution Attack of the Saints Trailer
LittleBigPlanet™ Karting E3 Trailer
MAD RIDERS DARREN BEERCLOTH VIDEO DIARY
MAD RIDERS MASTERS OF MOVEMENTS POWERED BY DEGREE MEN
MAD RIDERS MILES DAISHER VIDEO DIARY
MAD RIDERS TRAVIS RICE VIDEO DIARY
Papo & Yo Developer diary #1
Papo & Yo E3 2012 Trailer
Skullgirls Launch Trailer
Sly Cooper Thieves in Time Vita Annouce Trailer
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Dev Interview
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Trailer 1
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Trailer 2
Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Trailer 3

PS3 Wallpapers (free)

Mix Superstar Wallpaper

Bundles

Icon’s 5-In-1 Minis Collection ($4.99)
ESRB rated E, File size 112 MB

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Complete Edition ($29.99)
ESRB rated T, File size 3.84 GB

How happy are you with your free games, then?

Read more...

Friend finder

It's no surprise that Katsuya Eguchi, the creator of Animal Crossing and hardware producer on Wii U, is already thinking about how to combine the two. Speaking at last night's developer roundtable, Eguchi mused on how Wii U's Miiverse social network could enhance Animal Crossing's community.

Eguchi said in the past people have had a hard time finding friends to share Animal Crossing with, and we'd agree: unless you know them in real life or frequent online messageboards and social networks, your Animal Crossing: Wild World probably feels more wilderness than Wild World. Now thanks to Miiverse, you should have a much easier time making friends and expanding your online community.

Eguchi said Miiverse is "a reliable and easy system to find friends online and become friends with them" thanks to each game having its own messageboard accessed during gameplay. A built-in friend request would certainly make adding new friends much easier, letting you share your Animal Crossing Wii U town with others around the world.

As the series' creator, of course Eguchi understands the fact you need to know who you're dealing with before you let them tread among your carefully planned town:

You want to be able to trust somebody before you become friends with them.

Sounds like AC's walled garden online will survive, but at least you'll be able to find more people to invite.

Nintendo Land has an Animal Crossing minigame called Sweet Day where four players try to gather (or 'steal') sweets while running away from Booker and Copper. You also get to dress your Mii as Tangy, which is good enough for the Animal Crossing nuts in the Nintendo Life office.

Read more...

Crash course

Nintendo's registered domains for some of the minigames we'll see in Nintendo Land as well as a domain for September Wii release Kirby's Dream Collection Special Edition.

Here's what the domain Bokoblins at Nintendo have been registering this week:

animalcrossingsweetday.com
donkeykongscrashcourse.com
gameandwario.com
kirbydreamcollection.com
kirbysdreamcollection.com
legendofzeldabattlequest.com
luigisghostmansion.com
luigismansiondarkmoon.com
papermariostickerstar.com
takamarusninjacastle.com
thelegendofzeldabattlequest.com
wiiuexperience.com
wiiufitmeter.com
wiiupanoramaview.com

It's interesting Nintendo registered a domain for Game & Wario considering it's said to be a temporary title, but then again so is the Wii U Panorama View, so Nintendo may just be covering its bases here.

Read more...

So what happened to Acid Ghost and Eminem appearing on stage, then?

All white on the night

We saw a whole lot of the black Wii U console during yesterday's E3 conference, but according to a Nintendo representative the dark shade might not be available at launch.

Destructoid reports a booth representative as saying the system will launch in white, with the black option available "someday".

It took years for the black Wii to follow its white counterpart, but hopefully we won't be waiting quite so long for a dark Wii U. Let us know which colour console you prefer in our Facebook poll.

[image:1]White...[/image]
[image:2]

Read more...

I love my job.

Keep it flowing

Nintendo's confirmed it's working on a system to transfer Wii save data, WiiWare and Virtual Console purchases from your Wii console to the new Wii U.

The good news came during last night's developer roundtable in a Q&A section, a Nintendo producer saying:

We are readying the system to be able to transfer saves and everything you've bought.

The producer didn't say anything about the logistics of the transfer — so we don't know if you'll have to keep your Wii console to send your content to Wii U — but at least Nintendo's working on it.

Read more...

Thanks for the kind words on our #NintE3ndo coverage - we have much more coming your way today and tomorrow!

Just saw the traffic stats for @nintendolife yesterday. All I can say is "wow" and "thank you"!