New Play Control!
| New Play Control! | |
|---|---|
 New Play Control! titles in Japan |
|
| Publishers | Nintendo |
| Platforms | Wii |
| Platform of origin | Nintendo GameCube |
| First release | Donkey Kong Jungle Beat December 11, 2008 (Japan) |
| Latest release | Mario Power Tennis and Pikmin 2 (as Nintendo Selects titles) June 10, 2012 (North America) |
New Play Control!, known as the Play on Wii Selection (Ｗｉｉであそぶセレクション Wii de Asobu Selection)[1] in Japan, is a series of Nintendo GameCube games redeveloped by Nintendo for Wii. Games in the New Play Control! series feature a number of enhancements, most notably the implementation of Wii controls with the Wii Remote and Nunchuk,[2] as well as the inclusion of widescreen support and enhanced graphics.[3]
Contents |
Background [edit]
Nintendo initially announced the Wii de Asobu Selection range of titles in a presentation on October 2, 2008, confirming Pikmin and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat would launch later in the year,[4] whilst a spokesperson for Nintendo of Europe confirmed days later that the series would also launch in Europe.[5] In Japan, Pikmin and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat launched in December 2008 and were followed throughout 2009 by Mario Tennis GC, Pikmin 2, Chibi-Robo! and Metroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes.[2] In the same year, New Play Control! launched in Europe, North America and Australia, though not all games were made available worldwide: Pikmin 2 did not launch in North America until June 2012, when it was released as a Nintendo Selects title instead of a New Play Control! title;[6] Chibi-Robo! was never released outside Japan.
Changes [edit]
Pikmin and Pikmin 2 allow players to point and click with the Wii Remote to select and direct units. Mario Power Tennis draws on the swinging motions seen in Wii Sports to perform various swings, while it is also possible to move the character with the control stick if the Nunchuk is attached. Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes use the same control functions as first seen in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. An early prototype of the control scheme had already been used with a technical demo version of Metroid Prime 2, first seen when the Wii Remote was initially announced.[3]
Other changes have been made to the games other than the updated controls and improved graphics. Donkey Kong Jungle Beat features new levels and modified level design for existing levels to give the game a more traditional platforming feel.[7] Pikmin allows players to rollback their game saves to previous days, erasing only a recent part of the save file, though this did not carry over to Pikmin 2.[8] Metroid Prime and Metroid Prime 2: Echoes feature some of the features introduced in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, including the achievements system, unlockable content and the ability to take screenshots.[9]
Release [edit]
Four of the games - Donkey Kong Jungle Beat, Mario Power Tennis, Pikmin and Pikmin 2 - have been universally released as New Play Control! titles. The two Metroid Prime games were bundled with Metroid Prime 3: Corruption and released in the limited edition Metroid Prime: Trilogy compilation, which launched in 2009 and was given only one print run, being discontinued soon after release.[10] Pikmin 2, which was released in Japan, Europe and Australia in 2009, was not released in North America until June 2012, when it and Mario Power Tennis were released as budget titles in the Nintendo Selects range;[6] these versions of the games do not feature reversible cover art or the New Play Control! moniker, instead being marketed as classic Nintendo GameCube titles with enhanced Wii controls.
Each game in the New Play Control! series features a standard cover art, explaining the premise of the series, as well as each game's original Nintendo GameCube cover art. Each game's cover art is reversible; reversing the cover shows the original version of the cover art with no New Play Control! branding, except on the game's logo.
Games [edit]
Official series [edit]
| Game | Japan [11] | Europe [9][12][13][14] | North America [15][16][17] | Australia [6][18][19][20][21] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chibi-Robo! | June 11, 2009 | Unreleased | ||
| Donkey Kong Jungle Beat | December 11, 2008 | June 5, 2009 | May 4, 2009 | June 18, 2009 |
| Mario Power Tennis [note 1] | January 15, 2009 | March 6, 2009 | March 9, 2009 | March 26, 2009 |
| Metroid Prime [note 2] | February 19, 2009 | September 4, 2009[9] | August 24, 2009 | October 15, 2009 |
| Metroid Prime 2: Echoes [note 2] | June 11, 2009 | September 4, 2009 | August 24, 2009 | October 15, 2009 |
| Pikmin | December 25, 2008 | February 6, 2009 | March 9, 2009 | February 26, 2009 |
| Pikmin 2 | March 12, 2009 | April 24, 2009 | June 10, 2012 [note 3] | May 14, 2009 |
- ^ Also a Nintendo Selects title.
- ^ a b Outside of Japan, these Metroid games are only sold with the Metroid Prime: Trilogy and cannot be purchased individually.
- ^ Only released as a Nintendo Selects title in North America.
Other ports [edit]
Several other GameCube titles have been partially or completely ported to the Wii:
- The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess debuted as a Wii launch title, but was also released for the GameCube a month after.
- Donkey Kong Barrel Blast was originally designed for use with the GameCube and DK Bongos, but was released for the Wii with Wii Remote and Nunchuk support instead.
- Capcom has ported a number of GameCube Resident Evil games to the Wii, though without the New Play Control! branding. These include Resident Evil, Resident Evil 4, and Resident Evil Zero. Players may use a GameCube controller or a Classic Controller in addition to Wii Remote support.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ Jean Snow (October 3, 2008). "New Wii-Specific Pikmin in the Works". Wired. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
- ^ a b John Tanaka (October 2, 2008). "First Look: Wii de Asobu Pikmin". IGN. Retrieved October 5, 2008.
- ^ a b Lucas M. Thomas (October 2, 2008). "Presenting the "Play it on Wii Selection"". IGN. Retrieved October 8, 2008.
- ^ Tom Phillips (October 2, 2008). "GameCube Titles Heading To Wii". N-Europe. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ Nathan Whincup (October 2, 2008). "GameCube Remakes Also In Europe". N-Europe. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ a b c "NEW PLAY CONTROL! PIKMIN 2 - Nintendo Games". Nintendo.com.au.
- ^ "New Elements for Play it on Wii Selection Titles". IGN. November 12, 2008. Retrieved November 12, 2008.
- ^ "New Features for Wii Pikmin and Mario Tennis". IGN. December 10, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
- ^ a b c "Experience Samus’ story like never before as Metroid Prime Trilogy comes to Wii". Nintendo.co.uk. July 9, 2009.
- ^ Robert Purchese (January 11, 2010). "Metroid Prime: Trilogy discontinued in UK". Eurogamer. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
- ^ "Play on Wii Selection". Nintendo. (Japanese)
- ^ "NEW PLAY CONTROL! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat hits Wii on June 5!". Nintendo.co.uk. May 5, 2009.
- ^ "Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis powered up and ready for Wii!". Nintendo.co.uk. January 20, 2009.
- ^ "NEW PLAY CONTROL! Family Grows With Pikmin 2 And Donkey Kong Jungle Beat". Nintendo.co.uk. March 12, 2009.
- ^ "Pikmin and Mario Power Tennis Lead Nintendo's New Play Control! Lineup". Nintendo.com. March 9, 2009.
- ^ "Three Incredible Games Just Got More Awesome: Metroid Prime Trilogy Heads to Wii". Nintendo.com. May 22, 2009.
- ^ "Pikmin 2 Makes Its Canadian Wii Debut, Joins Mario Power Tennis in Nintendo Selects". Nintendo.com. May 23, 2012.
- ^ "NEW PLAY CONTROL! Donkey Kong Jungle Beat - Nintendo Games". Nintendo.com.au.
- ^ "NEW PLAY CONTROL! Mario Power Tennis - Nintendo Games". Nintendo.com.au.
- ^ "Metroid Prime Trilogy - Nintendo Games". Nintendo.com.au.
- ^ "NEW PLAY CONTROL! PIKMIN - Nintendo Games". Nintendo.com.au.
External links [edit]
- Official website (Japanese)
- New Play Control! at Nintendo.co.uk
- New Play Control! at Nintendo.com.au
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