| New Play Control! | |
|---|---|
 New Play Control! titles in Japan | |
| Publisher | Nintendo |
| Platform | Wii |
New Play Control![a] is a series of first-partyGameCube gamesported to theWii byNintendo. Games in theNew Play Control! series feature enhancements such as widescreen support, enhanced graphics and the implementation of the Wii'smotion controls with theWii Remote andNunchuk.[1][2]
Nintendo initially announced theWii de Asobu Selection range of games for Japan in a presentation on October 2, 2008, confirmingPikmin andDonkey Kong Jungle Beat would launch later in the year,[3] whilst a spokesperson for Nintendo of Europe confirmed days later that the series would also launch in Europe.[4] In Japan,Pikmin andDonkey Kong Jungle Beat launched in December 2008 and were followed throughout 2009 byMario Tennis GC,Pikmin 2,Chibi-Robo! andMetroid Prime 2: Dark Echoes.[1] 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 aNintendo Selects game instead of aNew Play Control! game;[5]Chibi-Robo! was never released outside Japan.
Despite being based on GameCube games,New Play Control! games do not use the Wii'sbackward compatibility to supportGameCube controllers.
Pikmin andPikmin 2 allow players topoint and click with the Wii Remote to whistle and throw Pikmin.Mario Power Tennis draws on the swinging motions seen inWii 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 andMetroid Prime 2: Echoes use the same control functions, which are first featured inMetroid Prime 3: Corruption. An early prototype of the control scheme had already been used with a technical demo version ofMetroid Prime 2, first seen when the Wii Remote was initially announced.[2]
Other changes have been made to the games other than the updated controls and improved graphics.Donkey Kong Jungle Beat features new levels and modifiedlevel design for existing levels to give the game a more traditional platforming feel.[6]Pikmin allows players to roll back their game saves to previous days, erasing only a recent part of the save file, though this did not carry over toPikmin 2.[7]Metroid Prime andMetroid Prime 2: Echoes feature some of the additions introduced inMetroid Prime 3: Corruption, including the achievements system, unlockable content and the ability to take screenshots.[8]
Four of the games,Donkey Kong Jungle Beat,Mario Power Tennis,Pikmin andPikmin 2, have been universally released asNew Play Control! games, thoughPikmin 2 did not carry the moniker for its North American release as it was released three years after the rest of the series. The twoMetroid Prime games were bundled withMetroid Prime 3: Corruption and released in the limited editionMetroid Prime: Trilogy compilation, which launched in 2009 and was given only one limited edition print run, being discontinued soon after release.[9]Pikmin 2 was not released in North America until June 2012, when it andMario Power Tennis were released as budget games in theNintendo Selects range;[5] these versions of the games do not feature reversible cover art or the New Play Control! moniker, instead being marketed as classic Nintendo GameCube games with enhanced Wii controls.
Each game in theNew 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 noNew Play Control! branding, except on the game's logo.
Following the introduction of Wii games onNintendo eShop onWii U in January 2015, several of the games have been released on the platform without theNew Play Control! branding.Metroid Prime: Trilogy was the first to launch in Europe and North America, where it became available in January 2015; it was later followed in 2016 byDonkey Kong Jungle Beat,Pikmin, andPikmin 2.
| Game | Japan[10] | Europe[8][11][12][13] | North America[14][15][16] | Australia[5][17][18][19][20] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[8] | 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[note 3] | March 12, 2009 | April 24, 2009 | June 10, 2012 | May 14, 2009 |
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