Dinosaur Planet was originally planned as a Diddy Kong Racing/adventure game hybrid
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments
Rare was originally developing Dinosaur Planet for the N64. However, the project was cancelled, and ultimately saw a complete transformation. The final game ended up as Star Fox Adventures for the GameCube.
Former Rare staffer Phil Tossell spoke about what the studio initially had in store for Dinosaur Planet while speaking with Retro Gamer this month. Tossell revealed that the project “was supposed to be a hybrid of Diddy Kong Racing and an adventure game.”
“Actually, it was supposed to be a hybrid of Diddy Kong Racing and an adventure game. Every level would have some kind of track in it and a race as part of the story. It took a while to settle down…”
One reason why Dinosaur Planet turned into a Star Fox title was because of Shigeru Miyamoto’s feeling that some of the characters between the two were similar in appearance. To say the least, Rare welcomed the opportunity to work on one of Nintendo’s legendary franchises.
“It seemed like a no-brainer. They’re offering this great character from this great franchise! I was attached to Dinosaur Planet but I love the original Star Fox. Our only concerns were how we could fit it into this game we have.”
Thanks to joclo for the tip.
Wii U, GameCube celebrating anniversaries today
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Wii U | 8 Comments
Today is the anniversary for not one, but two pieces of Nintendo hardware. GameCube launched on November 18 in the states. The Wii U was released one year ago today in North America as well. Congratulations to both!
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Zelda: A Link Between Worlds director worked on plenty of Zelda games, Pikmin, and even Geist
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 0 comments
Wondering who directed The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds? That would be Hiromasa Shikata.
Shikata has worked on a bunch of Nintendo titles in the past – some of which may surprise you.
Shikata began making the backgrounds and fields of Zelda games, including Ocarina of Time, Majora’s Mask, and Wind Waker. You may be interested to learn that he created the design of the Kakariko Village windmill in Ocarina of Time and a great deal of Wind Waker’s Forsaken Fortress. Shikata also helped out with Twilight Princess as an assistant director and was a lead planner on Spirit Tracks.
Shikata also contributed to the first Pikmin, Geist, and Nintendo Land before eventually moving on to A Link Between Worlds.
Aonuma on fans’ new affection for Toon Link, thought cel-shading would be used in other games more commonly, no real budget constraints, more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Wii U | 5 Comments
GameSpot has put up a new article/interview with Zelda producer Eiji Aonuma. Topics include Toon Link, cel-shading technology, budgets, and more. You can find the Q&A rundown after the break.
Ubisoft was hesitant to go forward with Child of Light due to Beyond Good & Evil’s lack of commercial success
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Wii U eShop | 7 Comments
It’s no secret that Beyond Good & Evil did not perform up to Ubisoft’s expectations. While the game was met with a great reception from critics, it wasn’t a financial hit.
The fact that Beyond Good & Evil was essentially a commercial failure still causes Ubisoft to be cautious today. According to Child of Light creative director Patrick Plourde, the publisher was hesitant to move forward the project.
Plourde told GamesIndustry:
“If the game is a missed opportunity, then it’s going to be a missed opportunity for years. Even when I pitched Child of Light, they mentioned Beyond Good & Evil. They said ‘Beyond Good & Evil was not a success, and we made that mistake once.’ And it’s like, yeah, but it’s 10 years ago… If somebody tries something and fails, there are going to be repercussions for other people. For me it would be a shame if that happens. I don’t think people are malevolent or evil about that. It’s just if it fails, they’re going to be careful greenlighting other projects like that.”
Aonuma wasn’t a fan of Zelda’s GameCube tech demo, says remakes need to have a meaning, more
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 1 Comment
IGN has gone live with a new piece filled with quotes from Eiji Aonuma regarding The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD. There are quite a few interesting comments, including his thoughts on the original Zelda tech demo shown for GameCube, how he’s approaching remakes, and more.
You can find all of Aonuma’s quotes below. Also be sure to check out IGN’s full piece here.
More: Eiji Aonuma, The Legend of Zelda, top
EDGE readers pick the top 20 games of our lifetime
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories, Wii | 14 Comments
This month’s issue has a listing of the top 20 games of our lifetime, as chosen by the magazine’s readers. Here’s how the results panned out:
20 – World of Warcraft
19 – Majora’s Mask
18 – Vice City
17 – Chrono Trigger
16 – Portal
15 – Red Dead Redemption
14 – Bioshock
13 – Ico
12 – The Last of Us
11- Dark Souls
10 – Super Mario Galaxy
9 – Metal Gear Solid
8 – Shadow of the Colossus
7 – Goldeneye
6 – Halo
5 – Resident Evil 4
4 – Final Fantasy VII
3 – Half Life 2
2 – Super Mario 64
1 – The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with the list?
More: EDGE, list, Mario, Resident Evil, The Legend of Zelda
Japanese poll determines most-popular Smash Bros. characters
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Wii, Wii U | 4 Comments
Japan Game Users Association’s GameKun asked a whole bunch of men and women to pick their favorite characters in Smash Bros. How’d the results pan out? Head past the break for breakdown.
Aonuma will “say more” about Zelda Wii U at E3 2014, talks overworld openness
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories, Wii, Wii U | 7 Comments
A few months ago, Eiji Aonuma stated that Nintendo was considering showing Zelda Wii U at this year’s E3. It now sounds like we’ll be waiting for next year’s expo for a look at the new title.
When Mashable asked if Aonuma could say anything about Zelda Wii U, Aonuma replied: “I’ll say more at E3 2014.”
Aonuma’s comment was part of a larger interview about A Link Between Worlds and the series in general. He shared some rather interesting comments when it comes to openness in Zelda’s overworlds:
Aonuma on Wind Waker’s turnaround in reception, Twilight Princess visuals influenced by fans, more talk of HD tests
Posted on 10 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker was originally one of the most controversial Zelda games, at least from a visual perspective. The title’s initial reveal was less than smooth with fans wondering where Nintendo could be taking the franchise after showing the game’s “cartoony” graphics in a debut trailer at Space World 2001.
Following Wind Waker’s launch, a contingent of fans still downplayed the cel-shaded look. However, you could say that the public opinion has changed over the last decade. Wind Waker as a whole – including its timeless visuals – are now remembered much more fondly.
In an interview with Shacknews, Eiji Aonuma spoke about the turnaround in reception: