MercurySteam heaps praise on Nintendo, says Nintendo made them a better developer
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 29 Comments
Nintendo surprised everyone at E3 in June by announcing not one, but two Metroid games. One of those titles, Metroid: Samus Returns, is just a few days away from launch.
Rather than making the game internally, Nintendo partnered with an external developer on the project. MercurySteam, best known for working on the Castlevania: Lords of Shadow titles, handled the bulk of development. Nintendo was still very much involved, however, and series producer Yoshio Sakamoto played a key role in Samus Return’s creation.
MercurySteam head Enric Alvarez chatted with GamesIndustry about what it’s like working with Nintendo, stating:
F-Zero’s creation inspired by Nintendo of America’s criticism of Famicom Grand Prix and Batman
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 6 Comments
Nintendo delved into the origins of F-Zero in a new interview shared this week to promote the Super NES Classic Edition. It’s only in Japanese at present, though an official English translation from Nintendo is coming soon. For now, Siliconera did translate one interesting excerpt about how F-Zero came to be.
Director Isshin Shimizu, designer Takaya Imamura, and main programmer Yasunari Nishida were involved in the discussion. Shimizu spoke about how Nintendo of America criticized the Japan-exclusive Famicom Grand Prix, which fired him up. That, along with Batman, ultimately inspired the creation of F-Zero.
Here’s what Shimizu, Imamura, and Nishida said:
More: F-Zero, interview, Isshin Shimizu, top
Reggie: focused on Switch supply for the holidays, open to TV / movie partnerships, faith in AR
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 27 Comments
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime appeared at Variety’s Entertainment and Technology Summit in Los Angeles today. Reggie commented on a few topics, such as Switch supply, potential TV / movie partnerships, VR / AR.
First, on the topic of getting enough Switch units out there for the holidays, Reggie noted:
“Certainly the demand is there, and our supply chain is there (to hit the 10 million goal). Are we going to have enough for the holiday? That’s what we are focused on.”
More: interview, Reggie Fils-Aime, top
Suda51 has a lot of love for Switch, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes is a perfect fit
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 9 Comments
In an interview with Destructoid talking about Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes, director Suda51 had many positive things to say about Switch. Translator James Mountain relayed the following:
“He feels that the Switch has a lot of possibilities as a console. There’s a lot of new things it’s trying out as a piece of hardware. There’s a lot of things he’d be able to do by putting the game on the Switch that he wouldn’t be able to do putting it on another console. So far, everyone’s been really supportive for him. The console itself is fun and easy to develop for. And as far as the type of game this is and the way controls are going to work out, it’s a perfect fit.”
Suda51 will be using the Switch Joy-Con in a number of ways in Travis Strikes Again. The method of charging the beam katana from the original No More Heroes games will be returning, and you’ll be able to play with a single controller. Suda51 intends to bring back features from the old games and potentially implement some new ones.
Nintendo on the creation of Star Fox 2, the SNES controller, and more
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 8 Comments
Just like with the NES Classic Edition, Nintendo is producing a series of interviews centered around the games included in the Super NES Classic Edition. First up: Star Fox 2. Shigeru Miyamoto, Takaya Imamura, and Tsuyoshi Watanabe were all brought in for the discussion.
All three developers talked about the creation of Star Fox 2, why it was cancelled, and bringing it back for the SNES Classic Edition. They also spoke about making the original controller for the SNES, among other topics.
Continue on below for the full interview.
Splatoon 2 dev on why Salmon Run isn’t always available online, map rotation
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 73 Comments
The new Salmon Run mode in Splatoon 2 can be played locally at any time with friends. Online, however, is another story. Nintendo has set times in place throughout the week when the mode is available.
As part of a chat with Rolling Stone, designer Jordan Amaro (a rare western developer working at Nintendo in Japan) commented on why Salmon Run isn’t always playable online. Here’s what he had to say about the subject:
I’m not allowed to speak on it, because I’m not the game director. What I can say, and what I think can be said, is that there are lots of reasons. You have to trust us that if you could play Salmon Run online anytime, that would result in a worse experience for you and everybody.
More: interview, Jordan Amaro, Splatoon 2, top
Pokemon CEO told Nintendo that Switch wouldn’t be successful before it launched
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 174 Comments
There’s one last noteworthy excerpt from Bloomberg’s interview with Pokemon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. As part of the discussion, Ishihara spoke about he initially doubted Switch’s success, and even told Nintendo as such.
Ishihara added that he “came to realize the key to a successful game is quite simple: software with absolute quality leads sales of hardware.” He did acknowledge Switch’s early success, but Ishihara feels that it needs to take another step to reach a wider audience. While the potential is there, “one shouldn’t overestimate its potential.”
Ishihara’s full words:
More: interview, top, Tsunekazu Ishihara
Pokemon CEO on what Switch means for Pokemon, not ruling out accessories, more
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 20 Comments
Aside from Pokemon GO, Switch was another topic Bloomberg brought up during its interview with Pokemon CEO Tsunekazu Ishihara. Ishihara kept quiet for the most part about the upcoming game for Nintendo’s console, but spoke about the system in more general terms.
Ishihara said that Switch provides an opportunity to create something “that goes deeper and with a higher level of expression.” Playing on an HD TV also affords “a whole different world with graphics and sound.” Ishihara also wouldn’t rule out releasing accessories.
Ishihara shared the following:
More: interview, Pokemon, top, Tsunekazu Ishihara
Suda51 “definitely” wants to make No More Heroes 3 if Travis Strikes Again is successful
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 14 Comments
After many years, No More Heroes finally has a new entry in the series with Travis Strikes Again. It may not be No More Heroes 3, but it’s a entirely substantial addition to the franchise that fans have been craving for many years.
During an interview with VideoGameChooChoo, director Suda51 clarified what sort of game Travis Strikes Again is, noting:
“Well again, it’s not a direct sequel to No More Heroes 2, though they are directly related and take place in the same universe. Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes takes place seven years after the events of No More Heroes 2. As you’ve probably noticed it’s ‘Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes’, so ‘No More Heroes’ is more a subtitle, there’s not a number on it. This isn’t a direct sequel and it’s not No More Heroes 3, but it does address some of the things that happened in No More Heroes 1 and 2. While it is sort of a continuation of that stuff, it is not a direct sequel partially because No More Heroes is about one assassin against other assassins, and this isn’t like that. This isn’t exactly a spin-off, or something like that, and while it’s not a direct sequel it is something of a stepping stone on the road to No More Heroes 3. So the way I’d like people to think of this game is like the beginning of a new battle for Travis, a new series within the series.”
Suda51 was further asked if he intends to follow up in the future with a numbered sequel. He said this was a case, before adding: “If this succeeds I definitely want to put out a 3 someday.”
Suda51 strongly suggests that No More Heroes: Travis Strikes Again will have multiplayer
Posted on 6 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 3 Comments
Like we heard towards the end of last week, Travis Strikes Again: No More Heroes will allow users to play with just a single Joy-Con. Director Suda51 isn’t forgetting about that other controller though. And in an interview with Polygon, it was strongly suggested that the game will feature multiplayer.
Suda51 teased:
“As far as what’s going to happen with the other Joy-Con, at this point technically it’s still a secret. [We’re] going to be releasing information at some point in the future, [but] as you can see, there are … two main characters, so draw your own conclusions, if you want.”
Assuming Travis Strikes Again includes multiplayer, this would be the first entry in the series with the functionality.
