Pokémon Rumble U has been announced for the Nintendo Wii U and it will be released on the eShop in North America on August 29th, 2013 for $17.99USD and in Europe on August 15th, 2013. A random assortment of eighteen Pokémon Rumble U NFC Figures, including Pikachu, Victini, Deoxys (Normal Forme), Eevee, and Genesect, will be available at GameStop for a suggested retail price of $3.99 each. Those wishing to purchase the initial 18 NFC figures will at least have to pay $71.82USD and that's only if they don't get duplicates, which is unlikely. Pokémon Rumble U NFC Figures are optional and are sold separately packed in a concealed capsule. All prices are before taxes.

Press Release - North America

Toy Pokémon embark on a fun new adventure this August in the first Pokémon game for the Wii U!

Get ready for a new game in the Pokémon Rumble series, Pokémon Rumble U! Pokémon Rumble U uses the features of the Nintendo Wii U system to let you experience Pokémon like never before. Intuitive controls let you easily play through your quest solo or with friends. Pokémon Rumble U will be available in North America on August 29th, 2013, exclusively via the Wii U Nintendo eShop.

Pokémon Rumble U features every known Pokémon through Pokémon Black 2 and Pokémon White 2, and hundreds of moves to master in battle. And the more Pokémon you defeat, the more Pokémon you can befriend, each with different strengths and weaknesses that will shape your battle strategy.

Your Pokémon Rumble U adventure begins when some Toy Pokémon get swept down a river and wash up along a strange riverbank. You must guide your Toy Pokémon back to the shop where the mishap began while battling other Toy Pokémon along the way!

Up to four players can enjoy multiplayer battles, featuring cooperative play to defeat the strongest enemies with teamwork, or friendly competitions to see who can defeat and befriend the most Pokémon.

For the first time on the Wii U, special Pokémon Rumble U Near Field Connection (NFC) Figures will be available to link up with Pokémon Rumble U via the Wii U GamePad. These Pokémon Rumble U NFC Figures will show up inside your game. The Pokémon Rumble U NFC Figures are optional and will be sold exclusively at participating GameStop stores starting August 29th.

Look for Pokémon Rumble U on August 29th in the Nintendo eShop, and keep checking Pokemon.com for more details on this latest Pokémon Rumble game!

Press Release - UK

Nintendo of Europe & The Pokémon Company International today announced the upcoming Wii U Nintendo eShop release of Pokémon Rumble U: a fun packed action game, with intuitive controls and wild battles.

Pokémon Rumble U is the tale of the Toy Pokémon’s great adventure: after a mishap in the Toy Pokémon Shop, a few Pokémon capsules are swept down a river and washed up on a strange riverbank. Our heroes set out to find their way back to the Toy Pokémon Shop. Along the way our heroes discover all is not right: Can you help our friends discover why some of the Toy Pokémon are fighting each other, and what the enemy Pokémon are plotting?

Featuring every last one of the 649 Pokémon that have been discovered as far as Pokémon Black Version 2, and Pokémon White Version 2, with hundreds of moves to master Pokémon Rumble U will provide hours of entertainment for fans and new comers alike.

Pick up and play controls will allow players to jump in and play solo, or with friends, as they accompany our intrepid heroes on their quest to return to the Pokémon Toy Shop. They will pass through a variety of fun-packed locations, like Sparkly Playland, Mysterious Forest, and Blue Sky Park.

In Pokémon Rumble U the more Pokémon you defeat the more Pokémon you can befriend: different types of Pokémon have different strengths and weaknesses, so strategies can be developed to exploit these factors in battle.

Other surprises and pick-ups will crop up along the way - which will help strengthen the team, restore health, or cause damage to the opponents. Pikachu and friends will encounter Giant Bosses, and players can even use the Wii U GamePad to set off Touch Bombs when faced with many Pokémon in battle at once!

Up to four players can enjoy multiplayer battles: with cooperative play to defeat the strongest enemies with team work, or head to head battles to see who can defeat and befriend the most Pokémon in one go.

The game launches on August 15 th exclusively for download via the Nintendo e-Shop on Wii U.

Source: http://www.pokemon.com/us/pokemon-news/vg_pokemon_rumble_u_announce-2013-07-17/

$4+tax is WAY too much for these NFC figures as they aren't really that good a quality model. The Takara Tomy figures in Japan are cheaper and better quality than these. Even the new Happy Set toys http://www.pocketmonsters.net/imageboard/thread/3641 that come for free look better. While the idea is good for the NFC's and people have thought since Nintendo announced the feature for Wii U that Pokemon + NFC would be a great idea but they've priced it wrong in North America. 200yen in Japan was a better price but still a lot when people might want to collect all the sets.

Agreed, $4 seems pretty expensive especially when you don't even know what figure you're getting. The polygonal look of the figures has always seemed kind of weird to me too and I can't imagine really wanting to collect them for display either - they would mainly only serve to unlock the pokémon in the game and $4 is a lot to pay for that.