Nintendo Land gets permanent price drop, selling for $29.99

The Big N has permanently reduced the price of their Wii U launch title Nintendo Land in North America. It had previously sold for $59.99 and now has a MSRP of $29.99. Retailers seem to have gotten the message as Best Buy, GameStop, and Amazon have revised the pricing info on their detail pages for the game.

As you may recall, Nintendo Land was bundled with every Wii U Deluxe Set in the region, which means most North American gamers who picked up the console should already have a copy, as sales of the Basic Set lagged far behind those of the high-end model. If you are curious to see what the game has to offer, you can watch IGN's video review after the break.

Nintendo announces Skylanders Swap Force Wii U Bundle

Nintendo has announced a new Skylanders Swap Force Wii U Bundle which comes with quite a lot. It includes a white Wii U Basic system with 8GB of storage and a Skylanders Swap Force starter pack, which includes a copy of the game, a Portal of Power, and three figures, including Ninja Stealth Elf, Blast-Zone, and an exclusive color shift Washbuckler. A collector poster, trading cards and sticker sheets are also packed in as well. To top it off, a copy of Nintendo Land is included too. The package will be available starting November 15th and will be priced at $299.99.

You can check out reviews of both games via the following links:

Skylanders Swap Force - Video Review by GameSpot

Nintendo Land - Video Review by IGN

Nintendo Land - How to earn coins in the Plaza

GameXplain has uploaded a video that shows how you can earn coins in the Nintendo Land plaza without even playing any of the attractions. The key is to activate Miiverse. Nintendo is really trying to promote their new social network. Video after the break.

Nintendo Land attraction Balloon Trip Breeze has fast-forward mode

GameXplain has uploaded a video of the Nintendo Land attraction Balloon Trip Breeze which demonstrates the mini-game's fast-forward mode. Pressing ZL or ZR will double the speed of scrolling and object movement, allowing players to get through levels faster. The downside is that the movement of your character remains the same, which means it will be harder to avoid taking damage from enemies and objects. It should still come in handy at certain parts of the game when the action is low. Video after the break.


For more posts on Nintendo Land, including video reviews, click here.

New details about the development of Nintendo Land

In an interview with Famitsu, the team behind Nintendo Land spoke about the game's development, revealing a number of interesting facts. Here are a few interesting excerpts:

"The Wii U is a game system with a completely new structure, so we wanted to have a full line-up of games that allowed gamers to experience the system's features straight on. So out of all the prototype programs we put together, we made a collection of games that made decent enough use of the TV and the Wii U Gamepad." -Katsuya Eguchi, Producer

Once the prototypes were functional, the team tried to tie them in with various franchises based on their gameplay.

"Generally it was easy to match the gameplay from the prototypes with one series or another," said "For example, a game with air and ground battles works well with Metroid. There was a time when Metroid Blast was going to be a Star Fox title, but the prototype featured this vehicle that hovered around like a helicopter and we figured that'd never be a good match for an Arwing." - Yoshikazu Yamashita, director

"I'll admit that some of the tie-ins, like Donkey Kong and Octopus, might be stretching it a little. With the way the courses are designed, we were originally thinking about making Donkey Kong's Crash Course into an Excitebike or 1080 Snowboarding title at first." -Takayuki Shimamura, co-director

The games may look very simple, but they have a lot of depth to them. Surprisingly, the team who created The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time actually put together The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest.

"With that game (Zelda Battle Quest), that was the developers of Zelda: Ocarina of Time seriously making a Zelda for Nintendo Land, so the project document for that game was this really thick tome. We tried to produce a lot of stages for each of the attractions. With all of them, you can 'beat' them if you put in a little effort, but that's just the first set, and there's a nearly equal number of stages unlocked afterward. These stages are set up to be a lot harder, so I don't think you'll run out of stuff to play anytime soon." -Yoshikazu Yamashita, director

Producer Katsuya Eguchi explained that the game does not have online multiplayer because they felt the game worked best when played by people in the same room.

"Nintendo Land's multiplayer attractions work because of the communication shared between the people playing them, so they were set up from the start to be something people in the same room could enjoy." -Katsuya Eguchi, Producer


"We've played the games with a 'no talking' rule in place, and it's amazing how much that changes the balance, even with us devs." -Takayuki Shimamura, co-director

Source: Famitsu via Polygon

For more posts on Nintendo Land, including video reviews, click here.

Single-player games in Nintendo Land have multiplayer modes

Video demonstration after the break

GameXplain has discovered that all of the single-player games in Nintendo Land also have support for multiplayer in the form of an assist mode. Depending on which solo attraction is being played, one to four additional players can join in with Wii Remotes and help the GamePad player. To join in, all players have to do is press the A button once an attraction begins and then point the Wii Remote at the TV screen. Extra players can drop out at any time by pressing A and B on the Wii Remote at the same time.

Here's a quick overview of what Wii Remote players can do.

Yoshi's Fruit Cart
- Remove one piece of fruit in each level (gift boxes are off-limits)

Octopus Dance
- Pop bubbles in the background, releasing hearts to restore GamePad player's health.
-Shrink the little octopus by clicking on it
-Interact with objects in the background (doesn't really do anything)

Donkey Kong's Crash Course
-Create time bubbles which slow down everything inside, making it easier for GamePad player to react

Takamaru's Ninja Castle
-Hold enemies in place, making them easy targets and preventing them from attacking
-Doesn't work on boss characters

Captain Falcon's Twister Race
-Remove most obstacles (can also remove power-ups, so be careful)
-Only 50 shots per area

Balloon Trip Breeze
-Perform almost every action the GamePad player can by clicking on objects
-Move objects, destroy red spikes and balloon enemies with an exact hit
-Can't pop bubbles or balloons

Video after the break.

Nintendo Land - Video Review by IGN

Nintendo Land is receiving solid scores from critics, and while it isn't really blowing anyone away, the consensus is that it's still a lot of fun. It will definitely be one of the most played Wii U games of all time due to the fact that the majority of consumers are interested more in the Wii U Deluxe Set, which includes the title as a pack-in. For those of you who are going with the Basic Set and are curious as to whether or not you should buy Nintendo Land, you should check out IGN's video review. You can find it after the break.

Nintendo Land - 53 minutes of gameplay footage

For many gamers, Nintendo Land will be their first Wii U game since it's a pack-in with the Deluxe Set. The launch title has been getting solid scores in most reviews, and while it's not going to blow anyone away, it's still great fun. The staff of Giant Bomb have uploaded 53 minutes of gameplay footage, showing you what to expect when you first boot up the game. They show off a number of attractions, including The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest, Pikmin Adventure, Yoshi's Fruit Cart, Mario Chase, Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and the actual Nintendo Land hub of the virtual theme park. Video after the break.

Nintendo Land - Video Review by GameXplain

Nintendo Land will be many Wii U owners' first game, due to the fact that the majority of gamers seem to be going with the Deluxe Set, which includes the minigame compilation as a pack-in. GameXplain has posted their video review. You can watch it after the break.

Nintendo Land - Pikmin Adventure, Donkey Kong's Crash Course videos

Here are a couple of Nintendo Land gameplay videos. The first shows some Pikmin Adventure co-op, while the second shows a little of Donkey Kong's Crash Course. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land - Hub gameplay video

Nintendo Land features 12 attractions and we've heard a lot about them. One of things we haven't seen or heard much about is Nintendo Land itself, the "hub" of the game. Here are a few facts about the virtual theme park that were revealed in the October issue of Game Informer:

-Populated with Mii characters
-Players ride a train from attraction to attraction
-Players earn coins from attractions, which they spend in the hub for various items
-Winning pachinko games adds Nintendo memorabilia to the park

GameXplain has uploaded a short video of a Mii walking around Nintendo Land, as well as some footage of the pachinko game. I posted the pachinko video earlier in another article but it makes sense in this context so I've included it as well. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land videos: Luigi's Ghost Mansion and Coin Game

Here are a few short gameplay videos of Nintendo Land. The first shows a little of Luigi's Ghost Mansion, and the second one shows a coin-game that allows you to unlock prizes. It isn't a full-blown attraction and I hadn't heard of it until now. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land: Metroid Blast, Animal Crossing Sweet Day videos

Here are a few short gameplay videos of Metroid Blast and Animal Crossing: Sweet Day. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land - Mario Chase and Balloon Trip Breeze gameplay videos

Here are some short gameplay videos of Nintendo Land attractions Mario Chase and Balloon Trip Breeze. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land: Zelda Battle Quest - short gameplay videos

Here are a few short gameplay videos of the Nintendo Land attraction The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest. It's certainly not going to offer up any sort of epic experience the Zelda games are known for, but it still looks like a lot of fun. Videos after the break.

Nintendo Land - Japanese overview trailer

Pretty good overview.

Here's a Japanese trailer for Nintendo Land which is almost 7 and a half minutes long. There is a lot of gameplay footage and some good shots of the GamePad's touchscreen in action. Video after the break.

Nintendo Land - launch TV commercial

Here is the official launch TV commercial for Nintendo Land. As you may have expected, they show how the GamePad allows 5 people to play simultaneously. Video after the break.

First reviews for Nintendo Land, New Super Mario Bros. U

Nintendo Land - 86%                                 New Super Mario Bros. U - 82%

The first Wii U game reviews are coming in courtesy of Games Master. One of Nintendo Everything's readers has the latest issue and wrote the following summary:

Nintendo Land
- “…Luigi’s Haunted Mansion, Animal Crossing Sweet Day and Mario Chase offer up some of the most innovative, raucous and party-fueling fun we’ve ever had with a console”
- Plaza is filled with all things Nintendo
- There’s menu music for each attraction that bleeps out in NES chimes
- Monita, the floating computer, guides you around the park’s features
- Spend winnings on pachinko-esque coin game
- Win a jukebox, day/night cycle button, and more
- Miis from your console and other consoles through the Internet
- Attraction mode: set up a Nintendo Land party; choose a time limit and player count and then head to a points-based tournament of mini-games
- Multiplayer games are fun, but GamesMaster says the single-player ones are sometimes forgettable
- A few games highlight “some seemingly inherent problems”
- Ex: Takamaru’s Ninja Challenge – “constant screen misalignment”
- GamesMaster says GamePad/TV crossover usually works best when done in tandem
- “As a discerning gamer, you may not find all that Nintendo Land has to offer to your liking, but should you fork out for a Wii U, you owe it to your family, to your friends and to everyone else you know, to bag a copy of this to go with it.”
- Graphics: 90%
- Gameplay: 86%
- Accessibility: 95%
- Lifespan: 82%
- Innovation: 92%
- Overall: 86%
- “An essential purchase for party lovers that whets the Nintendo appetite. Bring friends.”

New Super Mario Bros. U
- May look the same, but there are some “incredible tweaks”
- GamesMaster feels it’s easier than NSMB Wii
- Took under seven hours to complete
- More to the game outside of the main campaign
- Most of the innovation is saved for the final levels
- “Without wishing to spoil anything, we were surprised, excited, and twinkly-eyed during an excellent finale. It’s almost as if Nintendo suddenly realised that they were in fact working with a Wii U, with a game-changing GamePad and everything.”
- Hopes Nintendo will “build on this solid, if not mind-blowing, foundation.”
- Graphics: 82%
- Gameplay: 85%
- Accessibility: 90%
- Lifespan: 80%
- Innovation: 75%
- Overall: 82%
- “A great excuse for families to gather round the TV, and an enticing glimpse of Mario’s HD future.”

An 86% for Nintendo Land and an 82% for New Super Mario Bros. U. Out of the two games, I expected Mario to get the higher score. It will be interesting to see how the other critics rate them. When more reviews come in, we'll be sure to let you know.

GamesMaster via NintendoEverything


Both of these games are available for pre-order on Amazon via the following links.

New Super Mario Bros. U on Amazon

Nintendo Land on Amazon

Nintendo Land - Captain Falcon's Twister Race video preview with commentary

Captain Falcon's Twister Race is one of the attractions in Nintendo Land that hasn't really been covered by the press all that much. Fortunately, the staff of GameXplain have uploaded a video preview for the minigame in which they discuss what it has to offer, how it's played, and more. You can watch it after the break.

Nintendo Land - Yoshi's Fruit Cart, Octopus Dance, and Captain Falcon's Twister Race preview

Have a look at Yoshi's Fruit Cart and a few others.

GameXplain has uploaded a video preview of Nintendo Land which focuses on the three attractions we haven't heard much about  - Yoshi's Fruit Cart, Octopus Dance, and Captain Falcon's Twister Race. Almost 7 minutes of gameplay footage are shown while the details for each game are discussed, giving us a better idea of what to expect from the launch title. Video after the break.