Snakebyte has today announced its new range of peripherals for the Wii U, which is launching at the end of November. The peripherals are all for the GamePad, and they will be available on launch day. First up we have the guard: pack, which is a silicone sleeve for the GamePad, a screen protector, and an ergonomic pen-shaped stylus. It costs €19.99. Next up is the silicone: sleeve, which covers the GamePad, and has an antibacterial coating that kills germs. This costs €14.99. Face:shield (pictured) is a protective front cover for the GamePad, with a stylish aluminium look and openings for all the buttons. This also costs €14.99. Screen: protect does exactly what you’d expect, shielding the touchscreen from scratches. It costs €4.99. Control:stand gives a secure footing and an ideal viewing angle on the Wii U GamePad when watching videos or playing games, and costs €4.99. Finally, we have the stylus: pack, which contains four different coloured stylus pens to use on the Wii U GamePad. This pack costs €7.99.

Source: Snakebyte

SEGA has announced that it will be bringing Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed to the Wii U on November 30. Fans will get to compete across land, water and air in amazing transforming vehicles that change from car to boat to plane mid-race. Drift, barrel role and boost to overtake your rivals, or use your weapons tactically and unleash your All-Star move to gain the advantage. The online mode can handle up to 8 players, and features a huge range of modes and challenges, including Grand Prix, Battle arenas and a world tour.

The game features more than 20 legendary All-Stars, including new, iconic characters from the world of SEGA, all your faves, in fact! SEGA has also just published a new video today to announce the inclusion of Wreck-It Ralph in the game, the new Disney star from the movie of the same name. Cannot wait to see Ralph and Sonic in the same game! No word as yet as to how the Wii U version will differ from the other versions, or how the GamePad will be used.

Source: SEGA

Nintendo has today announced details of its special Wii U Deluxe Digital promotion, which lets people who buy the Wii U Deluxe set earn points when they buy downloadable games. The points can then be redeemed on digital content in the Nintendo eShop. All Wii U Deluxe Set owners who buy digital content for Wii U, including downloadable games in the Nintendo eShop and download codes sold at select retailers, can earn points with a value equivalent to around 10% of the Nintendo eShop list price for each purchase. For every 500 points earned, players will get a code worth $5 in credit, which can be redeemed either on Wii U or Nintendo 3DS games. The promotion will last from the Wii U launch date on November 18 until December 31, 2014, although the Deluxe Digital Promotion website won’t launch until December.

"From day one, we want Wii U owners to experience the full breadth of great downloadable games and content available for the console," said Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. "The Deluxe Digital Promotion is our way of encouraging Wii U Deluxe Set owners to explore the Nintendo eShop and discover how Wii U offers an incredible combination of fun, innovation, convenience and value."

Source: Nintendo

Nintendo has today released new details complete with a new trailer for Tecmo Koei’s forthcoming Wii U game, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, which is due for release on January 11. The Wii U version of the game will have several features that will be exclusive to Wii U, including the return of Dismemberment, restoring enemies’ ability to fight with severed arms or legs; Ayane as a playable character; a character-progression system; Ryu and Ayanne playable in co-op mode; Test of Valor battle areas; Wii U GamePad functionality, including swift weapon changes or Ninpo attacks; and additional playable characters, which will be available as free downloadable content.

In the game, the enigmatic warrior Ryu Hayabusa must fight to lift a curse that threatens to destroy him. And now, players will have more weapons than ever at their disposal, with the choice doubled to six from the previous three: Sword, Claws, Scythe, -Dual Katana, Staff and Kusari-Gama. Each weapon will have its own unique strengths, and the number of available Ninpo has also increased to three from the previous one.

Source: Nintendo

Nintendo has today announced two new Wii bundles that will particular appeal to families. The first bundle includes a white Wii console with matching Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, as well as Ubisoft’s multi-million selling Just Dance 4 game, and will have an SRP of $129.99. The second bundle consists of Activision’s smash hit Skylanders Giants, as well as a blue Wii console with matching Wii Remote Plus and Nunchuk, plus a Portal of Power, two Skylanders characters, and an exclusive Giant Skylander. This second bundle will have an SRP of $149.99. Both bundles will be released on November 4.

“These bundles give consumers a way to enjoy some of the hottest new games for this generation’s most popular console at an attractive price,” said Steve Singer, Nintendo of America’s vice president of Licensing. “Together with our third-party publishing partners, we’re delivering maximum value for families who want to get the most for their home entertainment dollar.”

Source: Nintendo

Nordic Games’ We Sing series is one of those solid franchises that you can always bank on for sheer entertainment value. With each new instalment they don’t really tinker too much with the actual gameplay, or even with the whole look of the thing, but they really don’t need to when it works so well as it is. The main difference with each new game in the series is of course the style of music that is featured, so by now if you’ve got the whole set, you should have most genres of modern popular music covered. The latest We Sing instalment, which has just been released exclusively for Wii, is We Sing 80s, which is perfect for the holiday season, invoking nostalgic memories and laughter aplenty as you (attempt to) sing along with 30 of the classic pop hits of the golden (or otherwise, depending on your point of view!) era, such as Cameo’s Word Up!, Tears for Fears’ Shout, Kylie Minogue’s I Should Be So Lucky, and Queen’s I Want to Break Free.

What I always love about We Sing games is the way they manage to combine fun with technique. The fact that someone such as myself, who is as tuneful as a howling wildebeest in a thunderstorm, can still manage to enjoy the game and even get some decent scores here and there, really is huge testament to the deftly tilted difficulty level and scoring mechanics. The more notes you hit, the higher score you’ll get, with Star Notes points awarded for hitting hard notes, but you don’t have to be a pitch-perfect First Soprano to have... [Read More]