3DS

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 10 Comments

Wii

1. The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
2. Kirby’s Epic Yarn
3. Donkey Kong Country Returns
4. Mario Sports Mix
5. Sonic Colors

DS

1. Pokemon Black/White Versions
2. Super Scribblenauts
3. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Miniland Mayhem
4. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future
5. Sonic Colors

3DS

1. Paper Mario
2. Mario Kart
3. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
4. Kid Icarus: Uprising
5. Star Fox 64 3D

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

“Nintendo understands that it has lost so much money with piracy on the current DS that it is working on something to prevent that on future hardware. On the DS it was really the very first time that Nintendo software was pirated, so it took us all by surprise very quickly. The new hardware will be less easy to exploit and copy. In the last 24 months the market for DS has collapsed for software but people are still buying the hardware.” – Ubisoft EMEA MD Alain Corre

We’ve heard a lot of developers weigh in about the 3DS’ improved functionality of preventing piracy, and most companies seem pleased with what Nintendo will be implementing. Still, it’ll be pretty tough to prevent pirates from finding workarounds.

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 0 comments

This information comes from Bill Sullivan, a designer at High Voltage…

“It’s easy to work with incrementally improved technology but the 3DS isn’t just another step in a set direction, it’s a completely different path. It’s very exciting to brainstorm for a system with multiple cameras, touch-screen capability, 3D visuals, and motion control. We already have hundreds of ideas for our games that break the mould and free our minds from limitations that we have had in the past.”

High Voltage has dabbled with handhelds a bit in the past, but most of their work has focused on home consoles. So I’m not too sure that the company will fully support the 3DS. Still, it’d be nice to see at least one project from the developer on the portable.

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 2 Comments

DSi/DSi XL price drop/3DS

– Price drop
– Not too big of a deal
– Commenters were wondering why Nintendo is trying to move DSi systems off the shelves
– Still pretty high at $149.99 for the DSi, $169.99 for the XL
– In 2004, the DS debuted at $149.99
– Sam thinks the price drop is because Nintendo didn’t sell as many DS units as they usually do last month
– Jack would have been more inclined to think the 3DS would be coming out soon if Nintendo brought updated software to GamesCom; mostly everything was unplayable at E3; Jack says even easy things like Ocarina of Time 3D and Star Fox 64 3D weren’t playable
– Scott’s crazy theory: If Nintendo were to announce a deal with Netflix or a 3D movie company, they’ll push the system out early just to have as a movie-watching system

Read More

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 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.”

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 4 Comments

– Developed by Smack Down Productions
– Action-RPG
– Set in medieval Japan
– Cel-shaded graphics
– Monsters fall from the sky
– Projectiles come out of the screen
– Quests like Zelda
– Action like Dragon Ball Z
– Battles take place in arenas
– Quick-time events
– Fire, earth, wind and water for attacks
– Should take about 10 hours for the average gamer
– Devs. looking for a publisher

This information comes from Benadiba Lawrence, CEO of Smack Down Productions…

“…The gameplay of the title is not revolutionary, but we wanted to give gamers a real immersion with additional For example, many effects of verticality. It will include towers, floating castles, breathtaking drops, etc.. “

Source

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 6 Comments

This information comes from issue 258 of Nintendo Power…

Goichi Suda (Suda 51) – President & director, Grasshopper Manufacture:

“My first impressions of it was, ‘This is the toy of the future.” You can feel just how far and how fast games have evolved when you see the Nintendo 3DS. We’ve entered an era where we can bring worlds that we can almost touch and feel to life. Thus far, 3D has only been expressed with 2D. I think we’ve graduated from that and reached an age of expressing real depth through 3D with the 3DS.”

Matt Bozon – Creative director, WayForward

“I’ve stood in line for a lot of Nintendo unveils over the years, but even expecting to be amazed, seeing the Nintendo 3DS in person induced a sort of visual shell-shock. The system is as hypnotic as Turkish Delight and looks like a Hogwarts newspaper. The demos that showed games, movies, and photography in the third dimension had to be seen firsthand to be truly appreciated, with elements popping off the glass or dipping into the distance. When my play time was over and the friendly (but strong) Nintendo lady wrenched the system away, my phone, laptop, and other devices became flat, boring wastes of Z-space by comparison. But what excites me the most about this fancy pants is that it’s in the hands of Nintendo, so the games are going to be as brilliant as the machine itself. Can! Not! Wait!”

Read More

Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, General Nintendo, News | 7 Comments

The latest issue of Famitsu featured a discussion between Smash Bros. and Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai and Dragon Quest series producer Ryutaro Ichimura. The two had a lot to say, and covered various games/series such as Smash Bros., Kirby, Kid Icarus: Uprising, Dragon Quest. Additionally, the two talked more broadly about gaming and conversed about such points as attracting new gamers. You can check out what the two had to say below.

“A lot of people around the world have interacted with Smash Bros., and a lot of Japanese people have interacted with Dragon Quest. In that aspect, they’re both games that’re easy to approach and easy to play with.” – Ichimura

“Kirby’s Dream Land was the first game I ever made, but I had no intention of making it a mainstream game. I really narrowed down the audience to beginners only. That’s because, at the time, no matter how much fun the Super Mario Bros. games were, they were still too tough for normal people and kids. I could feel people drifting away from games, and it bothered me. In the midst of making Kirby, a lot of the team started wondering if we were maybe making it too simple. But I think it was necessary for us to consider people who hadn’t played a game before, and I think doing that earned us fans that wouldn’t have been around otherwise. That’s the same creative approach I take with Smash Bros. It hasn’t changed at all today.” – Sakurai

“I grew up playing the Dragon Quest games ever since I was a grade schooler, and they served as a gateway to this great new realm of gameplay called RPGs to me. I’ve gone from playing them to making them, but I can’t afford to let myself forget about what it’s like as a player. I need to make a game that anyone young or old can pick up and unwittingly get addicted to.” – Ichimura

“The thing I always have the most difficulty with in DQ is the hero character, who never speaks and never gives his own opinions. If the hero shows his own emotions, that runs the risk of alienating the player.” – Ichimura

“We generally don’t have the characters talk in Smash Bros. either. That can makes things interesting sometimes, or maybe boring sometimes… With Brawl, we had game modes that played out with the story, and they wound up being like these silent films where we had to keep each character’s personality but couldn’t have them talk. It’d be easier to have them talk, but that’s unfair to the characters in the game who can’t talk, so we decided to keep all of them silent instead.” – Sakurai

“I don’t think there are many games today that really attract new people. That’s why I think games need to be simplified a bit. Kid Icarus might be called a FPS or a third-person shooter, but if you took someone who didn’t know games and gave him the latest FPS and a controller with ten buttons and two analog sticks and told him to start playing, he’d never be able to. That’s why Kid Icarus is really easy to control. It gives people who gave up on the genre a chance to take a step back into that world. Even though I’m a pretty hardcore gamer, I think that’s very important.” – Sakurai

“That’s something you can do because you’ve delved so deeply into the genre and are so familiar with essence of what makes it fun. You’re able to lower your sights precisely because you have a heavy gaming habit. I really understand that, but as a producer, I suppose my approach is different. The way I see it, the main issue before us to figure out how to make games proliferate in the realm of entertainment. One way to do that is position the game front and center, then prepare a bunch of alternate entryways that aren’t games, like manga or anime or merchandise. Having all these entryways results in a single piece of entertainment, and as a producer, I feel it’s my job to link all that together.” – Ichimura

“I suppose our root motivation is the same. Kids and normal people can’t create games, so that’s why we’re here to make them instead. We need to keep ourselves aware of that going into the future.” – Sakurai

Thanks to Robert for the tip!

Source

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

This information comes from Warren Spector…

“I’m as excited about that device as I was at E3. If anything, I’m even more excited. True 3D with no glasses, great visual quality, adjustable so every human can see 3D—c’mon, it’s a fantastic little thing. I go on Amazon pretty much every day just to see if they’re taking preorders yet. The day they do, I’m clicking “buy.” I love the thing. I think it’s great.

…The coolest thing about the 3DS and about stereoscopic 3D without glasses is that I have no idea what I would do. I would never say that game development is a solved problem. With movies, the position of the sprocket wheels hasn’t changed for 100 years, right? Making movies is a solved problem; it’s just about creating compelling content. Game design and development is not yet a solved problem, but it’s pretty close. I pretty well know how to start, what kinds of games I want to make, kind of how to make them, and how long it takes, and what sort of people you need. And then I think about what impact is stereoscopic 3D going to have on what I do for a living, and I go, ‘No idea.’

So the coolest thing to me is that all of a sudden there’s a new kind of challenge that I have no idea about. Any developer who’s saying, ‘Oh yeah, I’m working on a 3DS title and I know how to do it—I’m making a flight sim where it looks like you’re really flying,’ it’s like, OK, you haven’t thought hard enough. There’s more that we can do with the 3DS than just saying, ‘Oh look, there’s a crate between me and my target.’ There’s got to be. But what it is, I have no idea—and that’s exactly why I would love to just have six months, a year to just play with the 3DS and see just what the heck it does afford you and how it does change game design.”

Well, I have a suggestion for Mr. Spector: Duck Tales for the 3DS. He certainly sounds like he’d be open to making a new Duck Tales and there is interest from fans. So it seems like a good idea to me!

Source