Could be a long wait

We all wanted Nintendo to show what Retro Studios is working on, but we saw nothing of its mysterious project during yesterday's E3 conference. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime has assured fans the developer is hard at work, but we probably won't get to see it for quite a while.

Speaking to IGN, Fils-Aime said:

If I disclosed what Retro is doing, I would have the president of Retro literally calling me right now saying, "Reggie, what are you doing?" We love that people are interested. We love surprising people. I remember getting the questions before we announced Donkey Kong Country Returns. And I loved unveiling that. So... Rest assured, the team is hard at work. But I'm not gonna tell you what they're working on.

Curses, that so very nearly worked. IGN then asked Fils-Aime if we could expect to see the title "soon", prompting the disappointing response:

Likely not.

Probably time to put those Retro hopes on the back burner until next year.

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Happy day

Short but snappy: the dreaded friend codes are gone on Wii U.

Shane Satterfield from GameTrailers.com received the good news this morning.

Oh yeah, was confirmed to me today that friend codes are gone for Wii U.

Wii U's Miiverse is now the central hub for meeting people and making friends on Wii U, and with online accounts we should all be exchanging usernames instead of nonsensical 12-digit numbers by the year's end.

We imagine this news will make you very happy indeed.

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Talks up first-party

How long is a piece of string? And how long is a console launch window? Nintendo says it'll publish several games in the Wii U launch window, but how big a span of time is that? Leave it to Reggie Fils-Aime to explain.

Fils-Aime told IGN Nintendo sees the launch window as spanning a fairly lengthy period:

It's launch plus the following three to four months.

The good news is that everything first-party we've seen is currently slated for the launch window:

Everything that we've shown from a first-party perspective is definitely launch window.

So from Game & Wario to Wii Fit U, it should all land during that three or four month period and avoid a repeat of the 3DS situation, where Nintendo revealed games in 2010 we're still waiting for in the middle of 2012.

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Ubisoft's got eight games on the way to Wii U, but few look as beautiful as Rayman Legends. Don't believe us? Here's a five minute gameplay video running in 720p.

Rayman Legends is exclusive to Wii U and supports five players: four using Wii Remotes and one using the Wii U GamePad to play as Murphy, a helpful little chap who can destroy enemies and open new paths for the other players.

Sadly we might have to wait quite a while for Rayman Legends: while Ubi's other titles have a holiday 2012 release window, Rayman's release is still "to be announced".

[youtube:FT9UGGGiYXA]

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3DS remake Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry's Wonderland 3D has shot to the top of the Japanese charts with an incredible 513,183 units sold in its first week.

The much-anticipated release sent 3DS hardware sales over 100,000 units, shifting 101,075 in a week, a near-90% increase on the previous week's 55,212 sales. Thanks to Dragon Quest, 3DS hardware sales were twice the number of every other console combined.

DQ's 513k sales make it the second fastest-selling 3DS game yet in Japan, just shy of Monster Hunter 3 G's first week tally of 521.959.

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Maybe next year

Shigeru Miyamoto's talked in the past about working on smaller projects, but the only project of his we saw at E3 2012 was Pikmin 3. He's assured Joystiq he is still working on something but we probably won't see it until next year.

People like to ask me if I want to do a small project with a small team. I do like working with a small team, and I'm working with a number of small teams on a lot of different ideas, but the problem is because of all these different roles that I have to fulfill, it takes me a long time to write the design document. Maybe this time next year I'll have something ready to show you that perhaps will illustrate that idea.

You better.

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Then and now

Last year's reveal of New Super Mario Bros. Mii underwhelmed some last year, but this year's screenshots of New Super Mario Bros. U look a lot better. We've put together a gallery comparing screenshots from last year's technical demonstration to this year's game.

The overriding impression we get is that the backgrounds have been most visibly improved, but character models also appear a little sharper and less 'jaggy' than last year. We're not going to say it's the most beautiful Wii U game we've seen so far — our gallery of gorgeous Wii U screenshots should emphasise that — but it looks like it still has some sharp and shiny visuals to share.

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[youtube:K4pJnV5OxPI]

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Get sporty

You can indulge your desire for football this week with a new EA Sports bundle, go toe-to-toe with a brilliant SEGA fighter and get some good bargains on games and DLC too. Here we go.

PS3 Games

FIFA 12 and UEFA EURO 2012 Bundle
This bundle unites the #1 selling sports franchise on the planet with the one of the biggest football events of the year. You get the award winning FIFA 12 and EA SPORTS UEFA EURO 2012™ expansion pack, the only officially licensed videogame of the 2012 European Football Championship. The expansion pack requires FIFA 12 (included) to play.
Price: £47.99,€59.99, PEGI: 3, Availability: Not available in AU,IN,IL,KW,NZ,QT,SA,ZA,AE.

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown
This definitive version of the VF5 series includes overhauled fighting mechanics, new characters, new single player & online multiplayer modes and more.
Price: £9.99,€12.99,AU$19.99, PEGI: 16, Availability: All, File size: 1.95GB

Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown Complete Edition
The Complete Edition includes the full Virtua Fighter 5 FS game in addition to all of the Character Customization Packs for the ultimate VF experience.
Price: £19.99,€24.99,AU$39.95, PEGI: 16, Availability: All

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? Football Bundle
Lace up those boots and shoot to score! The Who Wants To Be A Football Millionaire? Bundle brings together the core Special Editions game with the Football question pack – that’s 1800 questions, 600 of which are tailored to the world of football. Put your knowledge of the football to the test, and prove that your general knowledge is a cut above the rest with this all-encompassing bundle!
Price: £9.69,€11.99,AU$15.75, PEGI: 3, Availability: Not available in ZA

PS2 Classics

Shellshock Nam ’67
Compatible with PlayStation 3.
It’s 1967 and you’ve been drafted, soldier. Prepare to experience the fear, chaos and hell of the Vietnam War in a visceral 3rd person shooter. Stand shoulder to shoulder with your team as you fight to survive your first tour of duty, through napalm bombardments and deadly VC booby traps.
Prices: £5.49,€6.99,AU$11.45, PEGI: 18, Availability: Not available in Germany

minis

Farm Frenzy Pizza Party
Prices: £3.49,€3.99, PEGI: 3, Availability: Not available in Australia and New Zealand

PS3 DLC

telier Meruru: The Apprentice Of Arland

• Hanna
  Prices: £3.19,€3.99,AU$6.95, Availability: All

Dragon’s Dogma

• From A Different Sky – Part 3, Prices: £0.79,€0.99,AU$1.75, Availability: All

Dynasty Warriors 7

• Original Costume Pack 6-9
  Prices (each pack): £3.99,€4.99,AU$8.45, Availability: Not available in New Zealand

Rock Band Network

Desconocido (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
The Devil’s In The Details (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
The Fall Of Psilanthropy (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
In A Hurricane (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
Martyr To Science (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Riddle Me This (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
Examination (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Half Cab (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
Apology Rejected (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Availability: Not available in BL,HR,CZ,GR,HU,IN,IL,KU,LU,QA.RM,SA,SI,ZA,TR,UA

Rock Band 3

Bullet For My Valentine Pack 01 (£2.49, €3.99, AU$6.45)
DOG DAYS ARE OVER (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
I Am S/H(Im)E[R] As You Am S/H(Im)E[R] As You Are Me And We Am I And I Are All Our Together (£0.59, €0.79, AU$1.30)
Power And The Passion (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Scream Aim Fire (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Tears Don’t Fall (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Teen Angst (What The World Needs Now) (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Your Betrayal (£0.99, €1.49, AU$2.45)
Availability: Not available in BL,HR,CZ,GR,HU,IN,IL,KU,LU,QA.RM,SA,SI,ZA,TR,UA

Ridge Racer — x2 DLC (£1.19/€1.49/AU$2.45 – £1.99/€2.49, AU$4.25)
Availability: All

SoulCalibur V – x2 DLC (£1.59,€1.99,AU$3.45 -£1.99, €2.49, AU$4.25)
Availability: All

Street Fighter X Tekken – x12 DLC
Various content
Prices: (Free -£13.99, €17.99, AU$27.95)
Availability: All

Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown
Various content
Prices: (£3.69, €4.49, AU$6.25 – £9.99, €12.99, AU$19.95), Availability: All

Avatars

The Studio Avatars — Prices:(£0.21, €0.25, AU$0.45 – £0.79, €0.99, AU$1.75)

Who's up for some Virtua Fighter, then?

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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?

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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?

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