It's May, and Mario Kart 8 is so close we can smell the strategically-placed banana skins. But the red plumber is under more pressure than ever before as he takes his position on the starting grid. The Wii U is in desperate need of a saviour right now.
With everyone speculating Nintendo's next move, it's unsurprising that rumours of new Nintendo hardware have surfaced again. The sources, speaking to multiple outlets, claimed that Nintendo would have some new tech to show off at this year's E3. According to one of these 'insiders', it will have something to do with the Nintendo Fusion console that bubbled up back in January.
Nintendo has since denied the reports, stating that it'll be sticking to software at its E3 event. As we've already said, it would seem far too early to announce any sort of Wii U successor - though a Wii U slim, or a new iteration of the 3DS, wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility, despite Nintendo's denial.
And then comes all of that 'quality of life' hardware that Iwata said Nintendo is working on. We're told we can expect to see the system revealed before the end of the current financial year, but an E3 reveal seems highly unlikely for something that will be unrelated to gaming in the traditional sense.
Anyone with an ounce of gaming knowledge will know that Nintendo dabbled in a few other businesses before moving into video games. Those days are well behind it, but it's a legacy that could give Nintendo the confidence to branch back out again. Whatever's coming, it sounds like it's going to be different to anything we've seen from this company before.
PS Nintendo recently dropped the whole Mario Kart 8 soundtrack and it's proper glorious. Start your nostalgia engines.
Star Wars 1313
When Disney struck down development on Star Wars 1313, it was as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror. Devastated doesn't even cut it.
Not only did the game sound cool (a young Boba Fett and a plot set around Tauntaun smuggling) but turns out it looked mighty fine too.
Star Trek Into Darkness artist Bruno Werneck has revealed some of his concept work from the game, showing off some rather sumptuous environments.
Seven new images show off what Lucasart's third-person action title could have looked like. Essentially, it's classic Star Wars meets Blade Runner - and who can argue with that?
Tomodachi time
Over the last couple of weeks, we've found ourselves awkwardly fumbling for an answer to this one question again and again and again: "What the hell is Tomodachi Life about?"
It's not an easy game to label, but perhaps it's best described as a collection of small but wonderfully weird moments. Like Animal Crossing, it asks you dedicate a small chunk of your time each day to maintaining accord on your island. Characters have wants to be satisfied, relationships to be formed, rap battles to partake in.
And you're just sort of poking with a big stylus from above, helping it all to happen.
Your islanders won't die from neglect but keeping them happy is the key to success. It's hilarious. It's strange. It could be a smash hit.
This week on TechRadar's Tomodachi Island, we discovered:
- Pierce Brosnan loved his new 50s Japanese decor
- Bane's really good at building sandcastles
- Karl Kennedy from Neighbours is still in a strange place
- But not as strange as this guy
Cawl-o-Dooty: Spacey Edition
The new trailer for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare can be pretty much summed up as follows:
MEN. BIG SHOOTY GUNS. THE FUTURE. KEVIN SPACEY. HOVERBIKES.
But hold on - a Call of Duty game that has something sensible to say about American imperialism? One that acknowledges the complexities of democratisation and doesn't just follow the rhetoric of 'the West is best'?
That said, he is the bad guy...
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It's that time of the year! Activision has revealed the new Call of Duty trailer for this year's instalment.
While you're at it, take a look at the latest Call of Duty Advanced Warfare details, including its release date.
