Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 20 Comments

Curious about why Japanese RPGs are having a more difficult time finding an audience in the West recently, Nintendo Power asked Square Enix Executive Producer Akitoshi Kawazu why he thinks that this is happening and what developers can do to change the situation. Kawzu, however, doesn’t believe that RPGs is the only genre receiving less attention. Rather, he feels that Japanese games as a whole aren’t as popular overseas. Kawzu mainly pointed to the fact that “the technology isn’t on par with Western games” and that “developers are losing their passion to stick with their vision.”

“Aside from a few well-known titles, games from Japan are receiving less and less attention, regardless of if it’s an RPG or not. I feel that it has something to do with the marketing abilities of Japanese publishers, as well as the games themselves.

The technology is not on par with Western games, and it also seems like developers are losing their passion to stick with their vision because they are being overwhelmed by costs or market trends. It’s necessary for each individual developer to constantly be up-to-date with the latest computer and game technologies. It is also important for development teams and groups as a whole to support technological advancement. It is impossible for one person to keep up with all the skills necessary for game development on his own. On top of this, developers need to take on a project with the confidence and strength to stick with their vision. Everything I mentioned here applies to me personally, as well, and they are all things I would like to bring to fruition with my next project.”

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, Videos | 1 Comment

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 1 Comment

This information comes from Tetsuya Nomura’s Twitter account…

“Weather sure is nice. Good morning! Last night I talked with Taba-chan about various things. 3rd Birthday of course as well as about Agito. The staff that played Re:Coded are excited and the anticipation for 3rd Birthday is growing too. It seems the trailer for the other title occuring with Re:Coded is catching a lot of attention.”

It isn’t entirely clear what Nomura meant by “the other title occurring with Re:coded.” One possibility is that he was referring to Kingdom Hearts 3D, since that’s the only other new KH we know is officially in development. It’d be nice if Nomura clarified things on his Twitter account!

Source 1, Source 2

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 12 Comments

Akitoshi Kawazu, the producer of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers, is working on an unannounced RPG. The news comes from issue 258 of Nintendo Power, though the magazine didn’t have any additional information to share. There is only small note that states his next game “remains a secret for now, but you can bet it won’t play things safe.”

Even though we’re hearing about this through a Nintendo publication, it doesn’t necessarily mean the project will end up on a Nintendo platform. Still, one would think that it’s likely that Kawazu will work on the Wii again, or possibly the 3DS in the future.

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 0 comments

Super Famicom:

Romancing SaGa 3

Virtual Console Arcade:

SonSon
Exed Exes
Super Hang-On

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, News, Wii | 0 comments

Virtual Console

Mario Tennis 64 (1000pts N64 – Nintendo)

DSiWare

Action Puzzle Rabi x Laby (200pts – Silver Star Japan)
Arc Style: Furo Jump!! Guilty Gear Gaiden!? (500pts – Arc System Works)
Dungeon RPG Pikudon (500pts – Intense)

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 0 comments

Course: N64 Skyscraper
Objective: Time trial
Restriction: Wii Wheel only
Tournament date: 9/1 – 9/10

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 2 Comments

Metroid: Other M – Wii – 9
Shank – 8
Valkyria Chronicles II – 8
Starcraft II: Wings of Liberty – 9
R.U.S.E. – 8
Dead Rising 2: Case Zero – 6
Kane and Lynch 2: Dog Days – 7
Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light – 7
Limbo – 8
Mafia II – 8
Castlevania: Harmony of Despair – 7

Thanks to joclo for the tip!

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 4 Comments

There is a strong chance that we’ll hear more about this game next weekend. Nothing has been confirmed at this point, but Bit.Trip Beat is a likely candidate to be revealed at PAX.

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 5 Comments

This information comes from issue 258 of Nintendo Power…

– Depth for experienced gamers
– Team wants to make the game accessible to a widge range of players
– Simplified controls
– Controls rundown: “L” to fire, slide pad for moving, stylus for aiming and camera movement with the touch screen
– Pit can fire while diving to the side
– Some moves from Super Smash Bros. Brawl will be in the game
– Many of Pit’s attacks are being kept secret
– Game officially takes place 23 years after the original
– Final showdown with Medusa
– “Uprising” has three meanings: uprising/revival of Pit/Kid Icarus, the uprising of the underworld army, and the literal uprising of Pit flying into the sky
– No gyro scope and motion for the main game
– Instead they will be in a number of “additional features and attractions” outside of the main adventure

This information comes from Masahiro Sakurai…

“At the time when the original Kid Icarus came out, there was an overall trend of very serious games like The Legend of Zelda and Metroid. But Kid Icarus was a slightly mroe comical, lighthearted type of game. So it was important to maintain that. For example, in this new game, Pit talks a lot as he’s fighting. And rather than being serious and steadfast about the mission at hand, you’ll find him joking and being more relaxed and casual.”

“One thing you might notice in the trailer is that Pit changes weapons a lot. You might even see him without a weapon at all, but with a sort of tattoo pattern on his arm. I can’t go into a lot of detail, but the weapon variation is a very key and interesting part of the game. And another thing to draw attention to is the way that Pit’s shots sometimes curve – that there seems to be a sort of auto-aiming going on.”

“The game has a relatively simple design for a reason: we wanted it to be ready close to launch. Of course, there are a lot of hurdles to overcome during the course of any game development, so I can’t say with certainty that it will be ready at launch, but I’m definitely working with the intention of releasing the game as soon as possible.”

“In a word, I was touched [by the reaction at E3]. A lot of effort was put into the trailer – fitting everything into two minutes and pacing the scenes to show them at the right time; having them match the music, the mood, and achieve the desired effect. A lot of thought was given to how the fans would react to certain elements. So, my most earnest reaction to the fans’ response is that of utmost happiness; I’m absolutely, totally happy about it.”