First 4 Figures finally announces their Mario line.Teaser Mario

Nintendo’s Former President Hiroshi Yamauchi Has Died

The Nikkei is reporting that Nintendo’s third president Hiroshi Yamauchi died this morning at 85. Yamauchi died of pneumonia at a hospital in central Japan and a  funeral will take place on Sunday. A spokesman for Nintendo said that the firm was in mourning over the loss of the former Nintendo president Mr Hiroshi Yamauchi, who sadly passed away this morning.

“Hiroshi Yamauchi transformed a run-of the-mill trading card company into an entertainment empire in video games. He understood the social value of play, and economic potential of electronic gaming. Most importantly he steered Nintendo on its own course and was unconcerned by the actions of his competitors. He was a true visionary.”

- Ian Livingstone, co-founder of Games Workshop and former chairman of publisher Eidos.

The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD Wii U Deluxe Set Unboxing Video

IGN’s Jose Otero unboxes the Wii U deluxe set that comes with Wind Waker HD. This set is available at retailers on September 20th for $299.99. The special edition Zelda Wind Waker HD 32GB Premium bundle is currently doing well in Canada, where it’s fifth on Amazon Canada’s video game best-sellers list.

The Box Art For The Legend Of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD Limited Edition

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD bundled with a Ganondorf figurine launches at GameStop on October 4th. The limited edition collectible stands at 5″ tall and is of Zelda series’ primary antagonist, Ganondorf, as he appears in The Wind Waker. The suggested retail price of the bundle is $54.99, but GameStop is currently selling it for $59.99. The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD will first be released in the Nintendo eShop for Wii U on September 20th, and then at retail on October 4th.

Kamiya Thinking About Bayonetta Spinoff Game For 3DS

Hideki Kamiya, whose star continues to rise with the recent release of The Wonderful 101 and the upcoming Bayonetta 2 on Wii U, has now stated he wouldn’t mind conquering Nintendo’s 3DS handheld as well. When asked about his aspirations for the 3DS at the Penny Arcade Expo, Kamiya revealed that he has thought about creating a Bayonetta spin-off for 3DS starring the game’s Jeanne as a history teacher. Kamiya also once again mentioned the idea of another Okami game. With all the new games Kamiya is considering, it will be interesting to see what the next project he delves into will be. The text of Kamiya’s statements appears below.

“Given the chance, I’d like to make a game based on Jeanne from Bayonetta, something that’s not as big in scale. Something….where she’s a history teacher and the kind of fun things that could come out of a scenario like that.

“If I could get away with it, I’d also like to come up with a spin-off of Okami, less focused on the grand idea of saving the world, but [rather] something focused on the smaller world of the fairy Issun