Skip to main content

Minecraft hits Wii U with off-TV play, bundled customization packs

A Wii U version of Mojang’s sandbox building sim Minecraft launches today via the eShop alongside a varied selection of add-on content previously released for other platforms.

Minecraft: Wii U Edition is the only port of Minecraft to include off-TV play, a feature unique to Nintendo’s console. Players who download Minecraft: Wii U Edition can play the game on either an HDTV or directly on the Wii U’s GamePad.

Recommended Videos

The Wii U version of Minecraft otherwise boasts a set of features comparable to previous ports for Sony’s and Microsoft’s consoles. While off-TV play in Minecraft: Wii U Edition is an option, the game otherwise does not offer any platform-specific touchscreen functionality.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

Minecraft: Wii U Edition includes a selection of skin and texture packs that were released as paid content on other platforms, including the Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts 2 Skin Pack, Natural Texture Pack, City Texture Pack, Fantasy Texture Pack, and Festive Mash-up Pack. Sixteen additional add-on packs are also available via in-game microtransactions.

Capcom, meanwhile, makes a strong showing in this week’s eShop update with a trio of Game Boy Advance Mega Man games available via Nintendo’s Virtual Console service. New on the Wii U this week is a Virtual Console port of the side-scrolling action-platformer Mega Man Zero 4 and two versions of Capcom’s turn-based RPG Mega Man Battle Network 5.

Players can pick up the Team Colonel and Team Protoman versions of Mega Man Battle Network 5 starting today for $7 apiece. “Game content is the same for Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Colonel and Mega Man Battle Network 5: Team Protoman,” Nintendo notes, “but NetNavi chips and other items may differ.”

Other games launching via the Wii U eShop this week include the roguelike adventure title Temple of Yog and the arcade-styled aerial action game Island Flight Simulator.

The updated Nintendo 3DS eShop now hosts downloadable versions of the 2D action game The Legend of Dark Witch 2 and The Delusions of Von Sottendorff and His Square Mind, a narrative-based adventure game featuring a series of environmental puzzles.

Danny Cowan
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Danny’s passion for video games was ignited upon his first encounter with Nintendo’s Duck Hunt, and years later, he still…
NYT Connections: hints and answers for Saturday, March 8
New York Times' Connection puzzle open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Connections is one of the best puzzle games from the New York Times. The game tasks you with categorizing a pool of 16 words into four secret (for now) groups by figuring out how the words relate to each other. The puzzle resets every night at midnight and each new puzzle has a varying degree of difficulty. Just like Wordle, you can keep track of your winning streak and compare your scores with friends.

Some days are trickier than others — just like other NYT Games favorites The Mini and Strands. If you're having a little trouble solving today's puzzle, check out our Connections tips and tricks guide for some good strategies or check out the hints for today's Connections puzzle below. And if you still can't get it, we'll tell you today's answers at the very end.
How to play Connections

Read more
NYT Strands today: hints, spangram and answers for Saturday, March 8
NYT Strands logo.

Strands is a brand new daily puzzle from the New York Times. A trickier take on the classic word search, you'll need a keen eye to solve this puzzle.

Like Wordle, Connections, and the Mini Crossword, Strands can be a bit difficult to solve some days. There's no shame in needing a little help from time to time. If you're stuck and need to know the answers to today's Strands puzzle, check out the solved puzzle below.
How to play Strands
You start every Strands puzzle with the goal of finding the "theme words" hidden in the grid of letters. Manipulate letters by dragging or tapping to craft words; double-tap the final letter to confirm. If you find the correct word, the letters will be highlighted blue and will no longer be selectable.

Read more
NYT Mini Crossword today: puzzle answers for Saturday, March 8
The Mini open in the NYT Games app on iOS.

Love crossword puzzles but don't have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? That's what The Mini is for!

A bite-sized version of the New York Times' well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time (the average puzzle takes most players just over a minute to solve). While The Mini is smaller and simpler than a normal crossword, it isn't always easy. Tripping up on one clue can be the difference between a personal best completion time and an embarrassing solve attempt.

Read more