There is a lot of skepticism concerning the Wii U, and I can’t rightfully say whether or not it’s well founded. Back at E3 last year, I did have a chance to play with one, and watch a video on it’s possible capabilities, but I don’t know how that is going to translate to the actual product when it releases. The demo version was rather delightful to play with, but there was only so much you could do with it at the booth.

During the latest investor conference for the company, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata told us that “NFC functionality” would be a feature of the Wii Pad. This Near Field Communication is best described by the recent Skylanders game, which used a peripheral to read physical toys and put them in the game. Using this wireless distribution of information, you can integrate all sorts of different planes into one gaming experience as Iwata explains:

“By installing this functionality, it will become possible to create cards and figurines that can electronically read and write data via noncontact NFC and to expand the new play format in the video game world. Adoption of this functionality will enable various other possibilities such as using it as a means of making micropayments.”

While we don’t know the full capabilities of this function just yet, it makes me think that Nintendo is going to deliver on all the hype they’re giving it. You can expect to see the Wii U popping up on shelves around the holiday season of this year. There’s still no word of pricing just yet though as we have no idea what the hardware is going to be like.

Remember back in December when we told you that you can get games using your Club Nintendo coins? Well that system is still going on, however there are finally some new games to choose from. There’s even an N64 classic that is just too good to pass up.

Newly added for the year you can grab Dr. Mario for 100 coins, The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for 150 coins, Kirby’s Dream Land for 100 coins, and Dr. Mario Express for 150 coins. It’s great considering Majora’s Mask is available, and it was one of the best games for the N64 right under The Ocarina of Time. Dr. Mario Express is a DSiWare game, though it can only be redeemed here as a 3DS download.

If you’ve managed to save your coins up, you can pick up these games right now. They will be available until January 31st, at which point the games will be cycled out. Go ahead, grab Majora’s Mask! You know you want to. You can pick the games up at the Club Nintendo site.

A lot of gamers nowadays are constantly on the go. When it comes to traveling, keeping your games portable makes all the difference when it comes to making the choice in what to play. Gamers are playing more games on their phones, tablets, and handhelds now more than ever before. When companies propose a new handheld device, they go through a lot of pros and cons before it ever makes it to market.

One of these cons is the whole concept of portability. When it comes to things like disc drives, there is a big challenge in how to incorporate the idea into a device that works. When a demand is great enough, however, the right provisions can be made just so the gaming can commence, no matter where you are. That’s what happened with The Envision, which allows players to take their Gamecube gaming on the go.

ModRetro member Jonathan Shine concocted this creation when he sought out to find a solution to the disc drive error. The Envision is Shine’s homemade version of a portable Gamecube, but it doesn’t operate in the way you’d think. The device works off of saved information on SD cards instead of using the disc drive like a normal system would. You can see The Envision in working order below, and head here for tech specs and photos of the finished product. Way to go Jonathan! Keep it up!

The internet site Stitch Kingdom picked up on some news regarding a certain favored Disney character most recently. In a newsletter published by the company, some details have revealed the confirmation of Epic Mickey 2, a sequel to the dark tale that paints the character in a whole new light.

A survey was published as well from within Disney, and it also reveals some news. It looks like the upcoming game could be coming to the PS3 and Xbox 360 in addition to the Wii, and it could bring with it a brand new co-op mode. In this new mode a player will control Mickey while the other fills the shoes of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Here’s what the full survey looks like:

“Disney Epic Mickey 2 is the latest game in the critically acclaimed Disney Epic Mickey videogame series. In this all-new action-platforming game available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii, Mickey embarks on an epic journey and is pulled back into a world filled with Disney’s forgotten characters. Players can choose to play single-player as Mickey or for the first time players can also choose two-player split screen mode. In the two-player mode one person can play as Mickey wielding magic paint and paint thinner to dynamically change the world and the second player can play as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit – Walt Disney’s first cartoon star – with the power to fly like a helicopter and use electricity to fight or friend enemies and solve challenges. Team-up and choose your path to save this forgotten world because the choices you make will alter the story and change the end of the game!”

The first game had some slight camera issues, but otherwise was accepted with great reviews. It was an intensely fun game and told a new story that fans of young and old could enjoy. I’m excited to see another Epic Mickey title hit the scene, and the new co-op mode will add even more to how great the game performs. Aren’t you filled with magical excitement to see Mickey pick up his paintbrush once more?

This has been one great year for gaming. There were plenty of titles that arrived this year that made jaws drop, wallets empty, and hearts flutter all throughout the gaming community. There were so many, in fact, that it was difficult to keep up with them all.

Lucky for us, Youtuber MalcomWKlock has taken some time out of his busy schedule to help us remember just what 2011 has brought us. In a video that’s just under 2 minutes in length, we get to see a snippet of each title that’s graced us with its presence.

Not only is the video cool and educational, it’s set to some pretty sweet tunes. We see all of our favorites like Batman: Arkham City and L.A. Noire to Alice: Madness Returns and Rage. To muse on this past year in gaming, check out the video below. After watching it, what would you choose as your favorite games of the year?

Fans of the Metal Gear Solid series will appreciate the new accessories for Nintendo’s 3DS from Hori. The company is releasing a new themed set of accessories for the handheld in celebration of the Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D title. With these items you can help prevent yourself from lying naked out in the field.

The accessory set comes with an olive collectible carrying pouch, a “Protect Cover” for the outside of the 3DS, a stylus, lanyard, and a set of camouflage stickers for the inside of the system. It’s a perfect set for anyone looking to grab some collectibles, as well as those who want to take their camo skills to the next level.

Players can pick up this set for ¥2,981 in Japan when the game launches on March 8th. Hori releases their accessories here in the states as well, so you can look out for them on Amazon. If you’re looking to pick up some of these sweet accessories yourself, you can start looking for them when the game releases.

Many Skyward Sword fans were certainly aware of the game-breaking bug that prevented players from moving further with the game, and have been dealing with it as best they can. When Nintendo responded with their “if you’ve done this you’ve gone too far and it sucks to be you” attitude, it raised a lot of frustration within the community. With many of us crying out, Nintendo has responded again to the issue.

This time they’ve tackled the issue at the source. There is now a special channel on the Wii that’s been named the “Legend of Zelda Data Restoration Channel.” This channel will offer a downloadable patch for the game that will fix the issue. Right now the channel is only live in Japan, and it’s in the works for the US and Europe.

We’ll make sure and update as soon as the patch is live, so keep an eye out. It’s great that Nintendo is making the step to fix the bug for players, and they’ve earned more respect among the community. We just cannot go without playing our Skyward Sword. You know how it is.

As an early adopter of the 3DS, I’ve been eagerly awaiting Nintendo’s announcement concerning the final games included in their Ambassador Program. For those not familiar on all the details, all 3DS owners who accessed the Nintendo eShop before August 12th were given access to the Ambassador Program. This essentially entitled you to 20 free classic Nintendo games that were set to be released throughout the course of the year.

Why was Nintendo so generous? Well, I imagine it had something to do with the lofty price cut that they delivered around the same time. They knew that early buyers wouldn’t be happy to hear that had they waited a few months, they could have paid $80 less. Nintendo then announced the first 10 games, from the NES era:

• Super Mario Bros.
• Donkey Kong Jr.
• Balloon Fight
• Ice Climber
• The Legend of Zelda
• Metroid
• NES Open Tournament Golf
• Wrecking Crew
• Zelda II – The Adventure of Link
• Yoshi

These were made available earlier this year, with the final 10 GBA titles to be released by the end of the year. Five of them were announced, with the others left as a mystery. Well now we finally have confirmation not only of those titles, but of their release date as well. Or at least the release date for Japan. Those in Japan will be able to download their games tomorrow. Unfortunately Nintendo hasn’t specified when the rest of us will be getting the following games:

• F-Zero (“Maximum Velocity”)
• Super Mario Advance 3
• Zelda: The Minish Cap
• Fire Emblem – Seima no Kouseki
• Kirby & the Amazing Mirror
• Mario Kart Advance
• Mario vs Donkey Kong
• Metroid Fusion
• Wario Land Advance
• Made in Wario

Nintendo has recently detailed their first quarter lineup, and details for release dates on some anticipated titles have been detailed. The company announced some details on 3DS titles, WiiWare titles, and even a special piece of hardware that we’ve all been wondering about.

First up is the Circle Pad Pro attachment for the 3DS. It will be a GameStop exclusive and will cost around $20. It’ll be available starting February 7th. As for 3DS software, Kid Icarus got slapped with a release date of March 23rd, which isn’t too terribly far off. Along with this, Rhythm Heaven Fever will be gracing us on February 13th, and it’ll come with a suitable price tag of $29.99.

As for the Wii, Mario Party 9 will drop on March 11th, but before that PokePark 2: Wonders Beyond is set to bust out on February 27th. For the eShop, titles like NightSky, and VVVVVV will be hitting sometime during the first quarter of next year. This is about all that’s worth the mention from the lineup, but you can see the full list here.

If you were a gamer back in the day when the Game Boy was the big handheld, then you’ve no doubt heard of the Game Genie. During those days the Game Genie worked as a cartridge that connected to the handheld, and once connected it allowed the player to manipulate codes for their favorite games that gave them tons of different enhancements.

Hyperkin has just announced a new version of the Game Genie that is meant to work specifically for the Nintendo DS system. The item will work with all of the current DS versions, like the 3DS, DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, and original DS. Features of the Game Genie are:

• Available at Amazon.com
• SRP: $19.99
• Compatible with 3DS, DSi, DSi XL, DS Lite, DS
• Over 60,000 Codes for More than 300 Titles
• Back up and Swap Games
• Upgradeable via the DS WiFi Receiver (*Note: Only DS Systems with built-in WiFi can receive direct upgrades to the Game Genie)
• Download New Codes at www.thegamegenie.com
• Listen to mp3 Music

If you’re looking to pick up one of these sweet products, you can grab one from Amazon. The Game Genie will also be making a showing at the Consumer Electronics Show 2012, so you can look for it there. For the price, this new Game Genie isn’t bad. Besides, it’s always fun to waste enemies with unlimited missiles, right?