Day: 29 August 2017

Miiverse is closing on November 7th, forever

by Casey Mcstefan, posted in Nintendo, Videos

Sad news today folks: Nintendo is shutting down the brilliant Miiverse on November 7th. The Wii U era really has come to an end.

What’s more, the company has stated that there are no plans to offer a future version of Miiverse on the Switch, or indeed, a similar service down the line.

Nintendo of America answered the following questions about the end of Miiverse on their site:

Why are you shutting down Miiverse?

We started the Miiverse service in 2012 along with the launch of the Wii U system because we wanted to provide a space where users could share their feelings about games with each other. Thanks to users’ support throughout the years, we think we were able to achieve that goal. We decided to end the service at this time because, among other reasons, many users are shifting to social networking services.

Users can download their old Miiverse posts (without comments or messages from others) by visiting http://miiverse.nintendo.net and registering before the Miiverse service ends on Nov. 7, 2017 at 10 p.m. PT. Once registered, users will receive an e-mail via Nintendo Account mail a few weeks after the Miiverse service ends, which will include a unique URL to download their past Miiverse posts.

When will the Miiverse service end?

  • Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT
  • Once the Miiverse service ends, users will not be able to access Miiverse on Wii U, any of the Nintendo 3DS family of systems or an Internet browser on PCs and smart devices.

Will the Miiverse icon still be displayed on the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS Home Menu?

  • Yes. The Miiverse icon will continue to appear, but an error message will be displayed when it is pressed.

Many games use Miiverse as a major gameplay feature, including Super Mario Maker for Wii U. What happens to those games when Miiverse shuts down?

  • Super Mario Maker (Wii U): Users will still be able to share levels, but will no longer be able to comment on them.
  • Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS): While users will still be able to play Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars and complete all 88 levels in the main game, the Community feature will be discontinued, preventing players from sharing levels and receiving additional Stars. As there will be a limit to the number of Stars that can be obtained, not all objects may be unlocked from the Workshop.
  • Splatoon (Wii U): Miiverse posts will no longer display in Inkopolis Plaza or the game’s stage maps.
  • Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS (Wii U, Nintendo 3DS): The Miiverse stage will still be playable, but Miiverse user posts will not display in the background. Players will also be unable to post replays to YouTube/Miiverse, share stages or create tournaments.
  • Mario Kart 8 (Wii U): Players will not be able to upload game-play videos to YouTube since they also post to Miiverse at the same time. The tournament function will also not be available.
  • Super Mario 3D World (Wii U): In Super Mario 3D World, the Miiverse posts that appear on the course select screen and when selecting courses will disappear. Players will still be able to collect in-game stamps, but not post them to Miiverse.
  • Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U): In Xenoblade Chronicles X, the BLADE report feature will no longer be available.

Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Tipping Stars will be losing major features. Will you continue selling the game?

Yes, the game will continue to be sold. Users will still be able to complete all 88 levels in the main game, and create and play their own levels locally.

Will Miiverse posts still display in Wara Wara Plaza on Wii U?

Moving forward, default Miiverse posts that appear during offline mode will be displayed in Wara Wara Plaza.

Will Wii U Chat still function after the closure of Miiverse?

The Wii U Chat service will be discontinued with Miiverse on Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT.

Can users still view their old Miiverse posts once the service is shut down?

Users can download their old Miiverse posts (without comments or messages from others) by visiting http://miiverse.nintendo.net and registering before the Miiverse service ends on Nov. 7, 2017, at 10 p.m. PT. Once registered, users will receive an e-mail via Nintendo Account mail a few weeks after the Miiverse service ends, which will include a unique URL to download their past Miiverse posts.

Will there be a similar service to replace Miiverse on Nintendo Switch?

Currently, Nintendo has no plans to implement any services to replace Miiverse, but the Nintendo Switch system includes features for connecting with Facebook and other social networking services.

END

There you have it. What a brutal end to one of the friendliest virtual places on earth. Make sure you register ASAP to have a copy of your old Miiverse posts, and silly drawings, before they’re gone forever.

It’s a piece of gaming history after all…

As for the decision from Nintendo to do this? In our view, it’s way too soon considering the Switch has only been out since March. Miiverse was an innovative take on social media, and it deserved a lot more than this. The fact there seems to be no future plans for the service, in any form, only makes it worse.

Battlegrounds becomes 2nd most-played game on Steam

by Matt Parker, posted in Videos

Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds (or PUBG, as it’s known) was the most-played game on Steam this weekend. Beating out long-time favourites like CS:GO and DOTA 2, PUBG sat atop the concurrent user list with 877,844 players online at the same time.

Takeaways:

  • 863,708 people were all playing PUBG, on Steam, at the same time this weekend.
  • DOTA 2 still holds the all-time record, with 1,291,328 concurrent players.
  • PUBG still hasn’t technically been released. The early access title has been available to purchase since March 2017.

It’s pretty incredible to see such a new game become so established in such a short amount of time and with such a small budget behind it.

This is all happening before the game’s official release and before it’s available on PS4 or Xbox One. One can only imagine how many players will be playing PUBG in a year’s time. Winner, winner. Chicken dinner.

Sonic Mania Review – A Familiar Rush of 16-Bit Nostalgia (PS4)

by Chris Wheatley, posted in Reviews

The Sonic franchise has grown tiresome and abundantly stale over nearly two decades now, but the series continues to churn its legs, desperate for a break. The latest release from the famed Blue Blur, Sonic Mania, gives longtime fans the title they’ve been waiting for since the 16-bit days. No more clunky and confusing 3D adventure games, and out with the sub-par graphically enhanced, mechanically flawed 2D attempts at revamping the classic feel. Sonic Mania is here, and it delivers.

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The Sonic community shouted valiantly for a rebirth of the tight and responsive 16-bit blue hedgehog, and – though it took awhile – the Sonic the Hedgehog developers finally responded. Using the ingredients that made Sonic the icon he was in the 90s, Sonic porting professional – Christian Whitehead – and developers Headcannon and PagodaWest Games delivered a 2D, side-scrolling title so spot on with the originals, one could easily mistake the new release for a 16-bit Genesis remake.

Speeding through new level designs, obstacles and a variety of branching pathways, Sonic Mania also delivers a few classic levels from the early years of Sonic the Hedgehog. With familiar platforming areas and enemies, these re-visited classics are now extended with tons of new areas to explore, where most new enhancements come when running through the second acts of levels. Completely revamped and re-imagined, new level designs introduce exciting platforming mechanics, surprising new areas, dangerous enemies and tough bosses – all with their own tactical advantages, and disadvantages.

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Special stages make a roaring comeback, starting with the return of the iconic 3D sphere trotting stages from Sonic 3 and Sonic & Knuckles, which reward you bronze, silver and gold tokens redeemable for secret unlockables. Introducing a new method of retrieving the precious Chaos Emeralds in the new “Big Ring” stages, players will have to put their skills and reflexes to the test in these new racing-style challenges.

Scattered in hidden areas across all levels, the coveted Big Ring teleports the player to new areas where they’ll be faced with chasing down an alien UFO that’s holding one of seven powerful Chaos Emeralds. Racing around what essentially resembles a small go-kart course, there are obstacles to dodge, rings to collect and more blue spheres to gather as you close in on the alien UFO. With a decreasing timer made up by your ring count, your speed set to a permanent Mach setting based upon your sphere total, and cliffsides, spike balls and shortcuts to keep the player acting quickly and precisely, these new additions keep the challenge of collecting all seven Chaos Emeralds exciting and new.

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Making your way through the nostalgic feel of the old Sonic games, you’ll be able to play as the 3 most recognizable characters – Sonic, Tails (or Sonic and Tails paired together) and Knuckles. Every level contains numerous pathways, loopy-loops, floating platforms, climbable walls, all of the familiar item boxes including the useful standard, fire and lightning shields and tons of hidden areas – in which some are only obtainable by certain characters. Using Knuckles‘ popular glide technique and rock climbing skill, Tails‘ flying technique and Sonic’s famous speed and essential skills, players are sure to find tons of secrets like special items, 1-ups and Big Ring stages.