News: Get Your White Yoshi For Mario Tennis Open at Tesco

Following last week’s news that you can get a black Yoshi as a playable character in Mario Tennis Open by scanning a QR code at selected Asda stores, Nintendo has this week teamed up with Tesco to continue the Yoshi Chase across thirty stores in the UK.

On Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd June, you’ll be able to collect your white Yoshi from the following supermarkets:

• Solihull Extra
• Redditch Extra
• Bristol Homeplus
• Cardiff Extra
• Broughton Chester Extra
• Bidston Moss Extra
• Coventry Arena Extra
• Long Eaton Extra
• Hull St Stephens Extra
• New Oscott Extra
• Silverburn Extra
• Fort Kinnaird Homeplus
• Prescot Extra
• Leeds Seacroft Extra
• Stockport Extra
• Irlam Extra
• Lakeside Extra
• Milton Keynes Kingston Extra
• Newcastle Upon Tyne Extra
• Bulwell Extra
• Portsmouth Extra
• Gallions Reach Extra
• Chesterfield Extra
• Swindon Extra
• Southampton Homeplus
• Southend Extra
• Sadhurst Extra
• Borehamwood Extra
• Warrington Extra
• Leicester Hamilton Extra

Did you manage to get your hands on the black Yoshi, and is the white dinosaur being distributed near you? Do you plan on collecting him if so?

News: Atlus Confirms Shin Megami Tensei 4 for Nintendo 3DS

Atlus seem to like Nintendo handhelds, don’t they? Confirming earlier this year that they are bringing two Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor games to Europe on both the DS and 3DS, a third game is now also on the way; this time Shin Megami Tensei 4 – the first numbered, ‘main-series’ entry in the franchise since Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne on the PlayStation 2, which released seven years ago.

Although no details, artwork or screenshots have been released just yet, Atlus are set to launch an official Japanese website at megaten4.jp tomorrow.

News: Jett Tailfin to be Unveiled for Wii U at E3

In the run up to E3 we’re sure to be flooded with snippets and hints of what’s to come as developers build the hype about their games, so a few surprises are inevitable, but this one completely swam under the radar. With hardly a ripple about the game until now, Maximum Games have announced they are to unveil Jett Tailfin for the Wii U at next week’s gaming conference.

Those of you with an Android device may be familiar with the name as Jett Tailfin Racers THD was released for the OS in April of this year – the Wii U version shares the same undercurrent as its smaller sibling, albeit with greater depth. A racer with a difference, featuring numerous shortcuts, players are encouraged to find the best path to the finish while using the environment and its occupants to simultaneously help them and hinder their opponents.

Racing as characters such as Phil A. Salmon, Hal Hammerhead, Tim Lapia, and John Sturgeon, among others, players will encounter sea creatures such as electric eels and octopuses which not only curtail your racing line but also can be used to impede other racers. As well as the main racing circuit, featuring environments such as Atlantis Metropolis, Hawaiian Islands, Ship Graveyard, Pirate’s Island, and more, the game includes a collection of mini-games, but other than some names – ‘Clam Ball’, ‘Sharks and Minnows’, and ‘Fishnet Tag’ – no gameplay information for them has been released as of yet.

Created and developed by Hoplite Research, LLC and Ilusis Interactive Graphics, Jett Tailfin will feature motion-blur shaders, advanced lighting effects and a large roster of characters with attributes that mimic real fish.

It sounds interesting and, as Manny Granillo, president of Hoplite Research, LLC explains, Jett Tailfin is not only innovative, but also accessible to all ages:

“We are excited to team with Maximum Games, a company that understands innovative gameplay, and we are pleased to put forth a game that players 8 to 80 will enjoy!”

So, at least you know your Granny won’t feel left out when you’re racing through the high seas.

Jett Tailfin will also be coming to the 3DS, called Jett Tailfin Racers – we look forward to the watery unveil next week, when we can properly dive in. Have you played Jett Tailfin Racers THD on Android? Are you looking forward to the Wii U unveil?

News: New Castlevania 3DS Details Arise

Just hours after revealing a brand-new Castlevania game for the Nintendo 3DS, we now have a plethora of new details from Nintendo Power magazine, including information that tells us that the game mainly plays in 2D and 2.5D, has gameplay that harks back to the DS games, and makes use of the 3DS’s StreetPass and SpotPass functionality.

Here’s Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate‘s confirmed feature-list so far:

• Direct sequel to Lords of Shadow
• Gameplay is reminiscent of Dawn of Sorrow and Order of Ecclesia
• Polygon-based graphics
• Primarily plays in 2D and 2.5D
• Occasionally shift into a fully 3D environment
• Mirror of Fate encourages non-linear exploration and discovery
• Developed by MercurySteam
• Pick up 25 years after the end of the events that played out in Lords of Shadow
• Trevor Belmont steps up to stop Dracula
• This is not the same Trevor we know
• Gameplay stretches across time
• Players will be able to control Trevor’s descendant, Simon Belmont
• There are two other unnamed characters in the game as well
• Switch between the four characters and predetermined points
• Work through Dracula’s castle during different time periods
• Each warrior boasts different abilities
• Explore the same castle with marked differences between each character
• Some paths may be blocked off due to characters not sharing the same abilities (like double jumping)
• Simon wields the Vampire Killer whip
• Trevor utilises the Combat Cross that made its début in Lords of Shadow
• Sims can use throwing axes and burning oil
• Simon can also summon mystical guardians to fight for him or protect him
• Use the touch screen to leave notes for yourself
• Mark places that you might like to revisit later
• SpotPass and StreetPass will come into play

The game’s producer, Dave Cox, has revealed why he is bringing Mirror of Fate to the Nintendo 3DS, and what he would like to achieve with its release:

“We felt that traditionally Castlevania games had done well on  handheld, and indeed found a home there to a certain extent. The whole team really felt we could do something special and memorable on the format that would immerse players totally. The N3DS has allowed us to create something totally unique and exclusive to the format that we think players are going to absolutely love.”

It is also said that Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate is a direct prequel to Lords of Shadow 2, so Konami have two new Castlevania titles in development, it would seem. While the consoles the latter is set to arrive on haven’t been confirmed, rumours have suggested that it could see a Wii U release, so, as per usual at this time of year, keep your eyes on Nintendo Invader for the latest news from E3.

News: Castlevania Coming to 3DS

Since making its début on the NES back in 1986, Castlevania has been a recurring franchise on Nintendo’s platforms – especially its handhelds, with nine titles appearing across the Game Boy, Game Boy Advance, and Nintendo DS.

As many would expect (and rumours suggest), with a new Nintendo handheld comes a new instalment in the Castlevania series, and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate – a sequel to the PS3 and 360′s Lords of Shadow – is the title of Trevor Belmont’s first foray into the world of 3D gaming.

As a 2.5D platformer with “impressive combo moves”, it looks to step away from the traditional 2D formula that has worked so well for the series in the past. Nintendo Power magazine has also revealed a few new details regarding its controls and enemies; here’s the list of confirmed features so far:

• Deep combat mechanics
• Involves Trevor Belmont
• Fight with Trevor’s version of the Combat Cross
• Strong attacks with X
• Wider-reaching attacks with Y
• Secondary Weapons like the boomerang-like glaive and electric bomb – use these with A
• Grab enemies with R
• Block and dodge with L
• Involves light and shadow magic returns
• Earn experience points to unlock new combos – including launching does into the air, smashing enemies down to the ground, and more
• Includes skeletons, axe-wielding undead, and more

Have you played any of the previous Castlevania games? Do you like the sound of Mirror of Fate‘s feature list so far, and are you looking forward to the inevitable full reveal at E3 this year?

News: Cooking Mama Bundles for Wii, DS, Coming This August

Forget Gordon Ramsay. He’s a kitten compared to Mama when she gets angry. He shouts a lot; her eyes burst into flames… so potential chefs beware because gaming’s cooking Queen is set to be hitting the Wii and DS with not one, but three combos this summer. Bundle packs, that is.

Majestic Entertainment announced today they are soon to be releasing Mama’s Combo Pack Volume 1 and Volume 2 for Nintendo DS, and Mama’s 2-Pack for Nintendo Wii – classic Mama value packs for those who missed out on the culinary goodness the first time around. Majesco Entertainment’s Chief Executive Officer, Jesse Sutton, explains:

“We’re extremely proud of our Cooking Mama franchise that grew from one genre-defining game on Nintendo DS into a 13 million unit sales triumph across multiple platforms. Mama’s charm and simple yet addictive gameplay formula have transformed millions into interactive cooks, crafters and campers. Our Mama Combo Packs combine these classic experiences to offer new fans Mama’s best content at an unbeatable price.”

Mama’s Combo Pack Volume 1 for the DS contains the game that introduced us all to the kitchen – Cooking Mama – and spin-off title, Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures. In Cooking Mama, the titular cook teaches players how to create 96 dishes using the stylus to mix, chop, fry and prepare the food – the only downside in the best-seller being that you can’t eat any of it. In Camping Mama: Outdoor Adventures, get some fresh air (you’ll need it after all that cooking) as you play as Mama’s son or daughter on a camping trip. Set across 38 levels with 100 different games, you interact with wildlife, brave the weather conditions, set up camp and go on a treasure hunt.

Mama’s Combo Pack Volume 2, also for the DS, combines cooking with craft. Mama has brought her friends along to judge your culinary skills over 80 recipes in Cooking Mama 2: Dinner with Friends, while Crafting Mama has you cutting, painting, sewing and molding while you create such things as candles, mugs, jewellery and quilts over 40 different projects.

Mama’s 2-Pack for the Wii enables you to turn your Wii Remote into every cooking utensil you can think of. Cooking Mama: Cook Off features over 300 ingredients, 55 recipes, and head-to-head modes against either the computer or another player, while Cooking Mama: World Kitchen has you cooking dishes from around the world, and even facing off against Mama herself.

That’s a lot of cooking… who’s doing the washing up? Mama’s Combo Pack Volume 1 and Volume 2 for Nintendo DS, and Mama’s 2-Pack for Nintendo Wii are due to be released in August. Will you be cooking with Mama?

News: No Metro: Last Light for Wii U?

Despite THQ confirming a Wii U version of its sequel to Metro 2033 during E3 last year, THQ’s global brand manager has informed Digital Spy that 4A Games, Last Light‘s developer, is not working on a Wii U specific version, and a port only “could” happen at this moment in time.

“Not at the moment, it’s not in development. No I don’t think it was a bit too early [to show the game at E3].

“We just really wanted to focus on what we knew, focus on PS3, 360 and PC.

“The verdict is out on what we can do to maximise the code for the Wii U, and we’ll see [what happens].”

Sad news for those hoping to get their hands on what looks to be one of the biggest games to release early next year, although there’s still a small chance we’ll see a Wii U release.

Were you looking forward to playing the game on the Wii U? Do you think THQ should work on a Nintendo-specific version which utilises the new controller?

Source: DigitalSpy

Gallery: Metro: Last Light

29/05/12 – The first artwork for THQ’s Metro: Last Light has been released.

Rumour: Developers Get Final Wii U Dev Kits: Extra Power, Voice Commands, Facial Recognition?

The Wii U hype train left the station a while ago, and with Nintendo’s E3 presentation a mere week away, it’s surely going to be gathering a lot of steam in the next seven days. Following on from our Wii U rumour article last week, hot on its heels arrives yet more information, and rumour or not, it’s certainly interesting…

Nintendo have sent out the final version of their Wii U development kits to third-party developers which, so-say the folk at NeoGAF, have a slight increase in power over previous units and apparently have additional features such as voice commands and facial recognition.

According to a NeoGAF forum member:

• Nintendo’s “v5″ dev kits were sent out earlier this month.
• They are branded “Mass Production” (meaning final version).
• Compared to the v4 version, the v5 saw slightly improved performance when Nintendo tested game engines on them.
• The system has 2x the power of the Xbox 360.
• The v5 has an original aspect that the v4 lacked.
• And, intriguingly, the final version has at least one additional good news…

What the ‘good news’ means is anyone’s guess (a Miyamoto plush toy, perhaps?), but if that wasn’t exciting enough, the Wii U controllers apparently have a host of new (or previously unmentioned) features. Those supposedly already available to developers are:

• Facial Recognition (similar to how Xbox’s Kinect works).
• The ability to suspend games (as with the 3DS).
• Multitasking (the ability to swap back and forth between applications).

While other rumoured/likely features are:

• Video Chat from the Operating System (suspend a game to take a call).
• Voice Commands.
• The ability to capture screenshots and gameplay footage which can then be manipulated (drawn on, etc.) and/or sent to friends.
• The ability to watch a friend’s gaming session online.

We don’t know about you, but here at Nintendo Invader we are getting quite feverish at the thought of being able to throw projectiles in Mario Kart with a wave of a hand over the touchscreen, or shouting orders at Pikmin. We’ll find out if any of these features are true in a week, by which time we expect the hype train to have accelerated almost to the point of derailment.

Are you hoping any of these features will be on the Wii U? Which ones would you be looking forward to using if they were? Can you think of how they could be incorporated into games? Let us know in the comments.

News: Inazuma Eleven Wii Trademark Filed for Europe

While us Europeans have had our fair share of handheld football RPGs in the form of Inazuma Eleven and its sequel, we never had the chance to get our hands on a Wii spin-off that released in Japan last year; although that looks set to change in the near future.

Level-5 has filed a trademark for Inazuma Eleven Strikers in Europe, meaning that we could possibly see a release date revealed at E3 in just over a week’s time, providing Nintendo’s picked up the publishing duties – and as this was the case with Level-5′s previous localisations, this seems extremely likely.

Would you look to pick up Strikers for Wii should it make it over here in the Wii’s final months?

Source: Siliconera.com