Two for One Rumor Mill: Shovel Knight Amiibo apparently REAL!

That Shovel Knight Amiibo that people have been talking about like crazy? According to the UK editor of Destructoid (gross I know, but still) that thing is real.

According to this tweet from her, at least, it is.

Here's a picture of what it is supposed to look like, apparently:

Rumor Mill: New Mario Kart 8 DLC leaked on Youtube?

A video from Youtube channel Gamer Central was posted alleging that a New Super Mario Bros. U themed DLC pack for Mario Kart 8 was coming to the Wii U eShop. The supposed leak is classic blurry Youtube fare, but the level of effort is pretty impressive for a fake.

The quick ad spot seems to announce Bowser Jr., Kamek, Birdo, and Nabbit as new characters to race in Mario Kart 8. Also two unspecified mystery characters were present. Also announced in the ad were 8 new tracks and 4 new vehicles. Somewhat interesting stuff - but more curious is what is happening at Nintendo lately? Operational security seems to have been abandoned.

Anyways here's the video:

EVO 2015: Zero Wins Smash 4 Tourney with Amazing Combo

In case you missed the Super Smash Bros. 4 Competition at EVO 2015 this weekend, you missed a doozy of a competition. Particularly this incredible finish by the Smash Bros. Invitational Champion and possible best Smash 4 player in the world, the scarfed wonder Gonzalo Barrios, a.k.a. ZeRo. A comeback which shall be forever immortalized as "The Hoo-Hahppening"

Other spectacular highlights from the Smash 4 tournament included this absolute slap in the face by Abadango, playing Wario, against his long time rival Dabuz playing Rosalina. Dabuz completely fell asleep and Abadango was quite right to shake his posterior at him.

Even though unbeatable champion ZeRo may have reigned supreme in the end, I think Abadango was the real star of this competition. His Wario game is unreal and he wields those farts like surgical ass missiles. His Pac-Man abilities are impressive as well. Watching him wash over his foes with a tidal wave of projectiles is far and away the best use of Pac-Man seen yet.

The Waft Destruction

Here's the Abadango vs. ESAM match, which is an absolute roller coaster. Highlights include the entire first set and Abadango's spectacular use of projectiles at 8;20, 9:25, and the finish of the 2nd set at 11:25. The finale in the 3rd for the match was really a joy to watch. Abadango might not have won the tournament but he won the hearts and respect of neckbeards everywhere.

Part 1

Tiny Part 2

For more information about the Smash 4 Tournament or EVO in general, be sure to check out their official website. 

Rumor Mill #3: Animal Crossing Amiibo Festival to have Online Play?

Nintendo's showing at E3 2015 without a doubt raised a few eyebrows. In light of Satoru Iwata's passing and Nintendo working on NX it makes some sense they weren't able to put together the most amazing show. E3 Conferences tend to be bipolar as well; one year a company will put on a great showing and the next year that same company will totally shit the bed. Nintendo is no different.

This year a number of games were really the subjects of a lot of fan frustration - sorry you never got a chance, Federation Force. But I experienced the most bottom harm due to Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival for several reasons. First, a traditional Animal Crossing game for Wii U would be a slam dunk. I expected that either at this E3, or certainly the next, an AC game would be announced for Wii U. I also expected it to have a great deal of Amiibo support and compatibility.

I did not expect the game to be entirely Amiibo based and completely mandate their use. Even though the game will come with Amiibo, I still think that is lame. Today I have learned some new information which at least makes me a little more optimistic: an anonymous photograph of a promo box for Amiibo Festival confirmed there will be online play. Which has been conspicuously absent from the Mario Party series entirely.

Hopefully now that Nintendo is going full retard with Amiibo they will start making other smart game design decisions as well. They have some making up to do after E3.

Bayonetta 2 Demo Impressions

"It's not Christmas without caviar." said Bayonetta, while fighting a detailed behemoth with her good friend Jeanne. Shortly thereafter Jeanne's soul is dragged into the deepest pit of Hell by a abomination of appendages, leaving you to fight a Satanic dragon birthed by a skyscraper. This entire scene would make the creators of even the most absurd anime blush, but this sort of chaos is bread and butter for a man like Bayonetta director Hideki Kamiya and his games. The Devil May Cry and Viewtiful Joe creator received a lot of criticism for choosing to make Bayonetta 2 a Wii U exclusive after the first game was released on PS3 and Xbox 360 - and those criticisms have some validity certainly. But it's not too concerning because Bayonetta 2 feels right at home on Wii U.

All the classic Kamiya staples are present in this short demo alone; insane, high-flying, combo-based combat, monstrous yet beautifully detailed foes to dispatch, appalling dialogue, and of course, an appropriate and tactful perspective on women's sexuality. Kamiya's sensibilities may have made him some enemies, but even his harshest  critics cannot deny his eye for outlandishly entertaining, apocalyptic hack-and-slash action. The Demo looks and plays superbly; the combat is well designed and encourages variety and strategy. The controls are responsively and the visuals are outstanding. Any individual who believes the Wii U to be "underpowered" is invited to give Bayonetta 2 a go.

I highly encourage Wii U owners to try the Demo. And hopefully, when Bayonetta 2 is released October 24th, Kamiya and Platinum games can finally have a hit instead of another sleeper. Well, I'm not going to get my hopes up though.

Wii U Super Mario 3D World Bundle Review

So I finally pulled the trigger and got a Wii U. After missing the Mario Kart Bundle back in May I knew I was going to jump on the next decent one that came along. The New Super Mario Bros. U option wasn't really doing it for me, but SM3DW and Nintendoland included for $300? That's a deal to get behind. I would have definitely liked a free game to download though, like they included with the Mario Kart deal. Times not as desperate for the Wii U it would seem.

Naturally it comes with all the bells and whistles of a new Wii U console - console itself (duh), fancy new tablet controller or "GamePad", Sensor bar for games that require the Wii controllers, and all the doo-dads and accessories (cables, chargers, stands, warranty and Club Nintendo miscellanea). It was a pleasant surprise to find physical copies of Super Mario 3D World and Nintendoland in the box. Download codes seemed like the only possibility. Why not, really? Save some money on the packaging of the two games. But Nintendo decided to do us a solid so good on them.

The console and controller both work very well out of the package and feel quality made. Not so impressive was the software updating that was necessary before it could be used. It took nearly an hour and a half to download all the updates and play some video games. It makes sense that two years of updates would take some time, however.

If you have been holding out on getting Wii U, and it seems like a lot of people are finally coming around, this may be the bundle to finally jump on. If you hesitated back in May, I'd suggest going for this one before they run out too. Or if you really wish to wait, word has it there will be a Smash bundle in December.

Almost forgot to mention, they're giving a $25 gift card at Target if you buy the bundle. So. chop chop.