Interview with Renegade Kid
Posted on 13 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, Features, Wii | 7 Comments
Renegade Kid has created some of the most impressive games for the DS since the company was established in 2007. And just a few days ago, their third title for the handheld – Dementium II – made its way onto stores shelves. Renegade Kid owner and director Jools Watsham recently took some time to answer a few questions for us about his latest game and discussed other topics, which included the possibility of developing for Wii and his thoughts about the 3DS.
Nintendo Everything: Your most recent game, Dementium II, was just released last week and it looks like hands-down the scariest game on the DS system. What was the greatest challenge for actually bringing a tense, scary feel to players on a handheld system?
Jools Watsham: I think the most important thing, and one of the most difficult, is to create an authentically creepy atmosphere. We also pushed ourselves to produce a ton more variety in environments and enemies, which took a tremendous amount of work.
NE: Another thing that’s terrifying about Dementium II is the boxart – Who came up with such an awesome illustration?
JW: I agree, I think it is fantastic. This is very unglamorous, but SouthPeak hired a talented design company who came up with it. I expect SouthPeak’s PR Queen, Aubrey Norris, had something to do with it. đŸ™‚ The image was sent to me one day and I was just blown away. I immediately thought it looked incredible, and I felt honored to have such a wonderfully disturbing image for our game.
Pachter: Only 3DS will be interesting from Nintendo at E3, Nintendo looks bad long-term
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 15 Comments
The following information comes from Wedbush analyst, Michael Pachter, who was asked which company he’d rather be at E3…
“It really depends on this 3DS and how good it is, because I don’t think Nintendo has anything else. Nintendo is on the verge of – certainly not dropping into third place or anything – losing its dominance, because I really truly believe that Sony Move is the Wii HD. I really believe it. That’s been my quote: I told everyone a Wii HD was coming this year, it just happens to say PS3 on the box. It is the Wii HD.
That’s a very easy upsell for Sony to say, ‘If you have a Wii and you really want to play high-def games on your new big high-def TV, we’ve got ’em.’ Sony is a winner and Nintendo is a loser on the console side, because the Wii Vitality Sensor isn’t going to excite anybody. But the 3DS will. If you look at Nintendo’s line-up, everything we care about is either out or known by now.
People are going to like Microsoft more than we expect. Microsoft isn’t concerned about the gaming community with Natal, they’re concerned about the gaming community’s mothers and girlfriends. I really do think the gaming press has completely missed the mark on this one, that Natal is not intended for you to get up there and pretend you’re holding a rifle and playing Call of Duty. It’s intended for your mum to use the frickin’ 360 to download a movie or watch Netflix and to make it less intimidating. The cool thing about Natal is the voice command. ‘Xbox on.’ I mean, that’s cool. People will really like it when they see it and they begin to appreciate what it is.
But I will say Sony up, Microsoft neutral and Nintendo down on the console side.
If the 3DS is anything like those little 3D point-and-click cameras, because that screen technology is pretty cool and I’m sure it is that, it will really get people excited. Question is: what does it cost? If they get $189 for a DSi XL, do they think they’re going to get $300 for a 3DS? I don’t know. Maybe they will, but that’s a tough purchase for me. The 3DS is coming along at a really good time for them. I don’t think it’s good for the DSi XL. If they launch the thing [the 3DS] prior to holiday, I can’t imagine why anybody would buy a DSi XL this holiday.
Longer term, Nintendo does really start to look bad as Apple really starts to push the iPod Touch as a gaming device, and that’s happening this holiday. Again, the gaming press hasn’t figured it out. The gaming press doesn’t really understand the 12-year-old customer, nor do you guys care. Who plays DS games? Them, not us. Nintendo’s got problems this year but the 3DS will make them look great at E3.
That’s the manufacturer side. On the publisher side: Microsoft looks really good, they have a lot of content this year. People get psyched about Halo and Alan Wake will have just come out… Fable III. They have good content. I’m not sure who else anybody cares about. It’s all sequels: this year’s Call of Duty, etc. We’ve had a front-end-loaded year. We might see the Call of Duty action-adventure game but I don’t think anybody is going to get excited about that.
This is more a hardware show than in the past.”
Hmmm…I don’t even know where to begin here. The 3DS will be interesting for sure, but what about Zelda Wii? I have a good feeling that title will end up impressing quite a few gamers. Also, we know relatively nothing about the 3DS. Sure, it plays 3D games, but what else? There are bound to be other features for the system. Don’t forget that have yet to see any software for the handheld as well.
Iwata: Wii not near the end of its life cycle, 3DS formal name not too far away, more
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 1 Comment
Here are another round of comments from Iwata, who was responding to questions at the Q&A session of Nintendo’s investors briefing last week…
Iwata on whether there will be a jump in development costs in moving from 2D to 3D…
“If a game is originally made as a true 3D space, you make the 3D image by drawing two lines, one matching the left eye and one matching the right eye, so converting a game that already takes place in a 3D world into 3D is not all that difficult. If you try to make something that’s not in a 3D world into 3D, you’ll probably have some cost. However, I don’t really feel that there’s any substance to that. Naturally, you won’t make a game interesting by just making the visuals 3D. It’s when you offer an interactive experience in the 3D visuals as part of a set with something that is interesting that you first have value as entertainment. Regarding this, there’s still no foundation, and it’s an area that requires trial and error. It is that trial and error alone that could see an increase in development cost. However, the trial and error is there for any development where you try to make new entertainment experiences, and not just 3D.”
Iwata on whether there will be surprises at E3 other than the 3DS…
“I can’t say if there will or will not be surprises. If, for example, I said, ‘there will be a surprise,’ there wouldn’t be any meaning, as everyone would be disappointed because of anticipation being exceedingly high.”
Iwata responding to 3DS rumors…
“When we made the 3DS, we wanted to make it into a platform that would attract a wide variety of things, from high end games to extremely casual games.”
Iwata on decreasing Wii sales…
“The target of 18 million units that we gave for this term is itself a high target when you consider that four years have passed since the system’s release. If, in the games that we release this year, one were to make it big — explode like we hadn’t expected, it is, of course, possible that we’d exceed last year. However, making announcements of earnings forecasts on the basis of the assumption of such an explosion would be irresponsible for the management of a public company.”
Iwata on the possibility of Nintendo limiting Wii resources in favor of the Wii’s successor…
“We are in no way thinking the Wii is near the end of its platform cycle so we will limit our investments.”
Iwata on the 3DS’ real name…
“We’ve said that it will be released during this term, so the announcement of the formal name will not be too far off.”
Iwata also commented on software prices/space for the 3DS. Nintendo’s President stated that prices are determined by third-parties and details can only be provided over time.
Additionally, Iwata provided an explanation as to why the 3DS was announced before E3. Apparently Nintendo is interested in having other companies showcase their software for the system at the event. Because of this, other developers outside of Nintendo would become aware of the portable’s significant features. Before information was released to the public and speculation ran wild, Nintendo revealed the 3DS.
Last but not least, Iwata noted that is is possible that consumers will be hesitant to purchase a DS as a result of the 3DS announcement, especially in North America. However, he does not believe it will have a huge impact because the current DS buyers are not similar to people who immediately go out to purchase a system like the 3DS.
Iwata on Wii successor, social gaming, 3DS
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 1 Comment
The following information comes from the Q&A session of Nintendo’s investors briefing last week.
Iwata on the Wii’s successor…
“As soon as a new system is complete — from the very moment it is complete — we’re thinking about the plan for the next game machine. We believe there’s still more we can do with the Wii.”
Iwata on social gaming…
“If you ask why we make game consoles, it’s because we believe that ‘offering experiences that cannot be done on other devices’ is our life line. With that meaning, offering software for a multi purpose multimedia device is, for us, an area of work that we have least interest in.” And driving the point across further, he said, “If we were to stop and do nothing, the current game system framework would probably become antiquated, but because we continue to offer new things, we don’t feel at all that this will happen. We’ve not once thought things like ‘we’ll be behind the times, so we should enter social games.'”
Iwata on health concerns for the 3DS/turning 3D on and off…
“This isn’t limited to just kids, but we’re aware one in some tens of people, including adults, have difficulty with three dimensional visuals. So, while the 3D image is a special feature of the 3DS, we won’t force the player to use the 3D functionality. By making it so that the player can at all times play with [the 3D feature] off, we believe we can comply with those who have difficulty with the 3D view or those who are worried about their childs’ eyes.
Iwata on the 3DS’ target audience…
“I see no foundation for that statement (3DS targets core gamers). We definitely do not feel that 3D targets heavy users. However, we have a feeling that, until you’ve seen something that makes you say ‘Of course, when used like that, it’s clearly a 3D game that anyone can play,’ you can’t be convinced, so we hope that you’ll make the decision in the future when you’ve seen something solid.”
Nintendo Voice Chat podcast summary
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 0 comments
Black Wii
– Nintendo finally releasing a new color in North America
– It’s been out in Japan/Europe/Australia
– Nintendo usually holds onto colors until sales slow down
– Comes out next week
– Will include WIi Sports/MotionPlus, still $199.99
– Craig really likes the look of it
– White system will also be sold as a bundle now
New Reggie interview (Wii/DS sales, brief 3DS mention, Netflix talk and more)
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, News, Wii | 2 Comments
“I don’t think anyone should write off anything Nintendo does as a gimmick. Nor should they assume anything Nintendo does will be successful. You’re talking about guys who came up with the concept called the Wii, and made it one of the most successful things to get new gamers into gaming. If I had a dollar for every time I had mocked both the controller and the console, I would feel silly, because we’d have lots of money, but we would have been really wrong. However, they also did the Virtual Boy. Everything about that, which seemed cool, wasn’t.
I am excited about it, though, because of what they’ve shown with the DS. I wasn’t a big believer. I thought, ‘Man, the PSP is going to destroy it,’ and I was wrong. And with the Nintendo Wii I thought the name was really bad, but now it doesn’t sound as stupid as when they first announced it. I’ve been proven wrong enough times by Nintendo.” – co-founder John Vechey
“On the other hand, the Wii is really great for everybody, but only Nintendo and a couple of other developers are making money off it.” – PopCap CEO David Roberts
“Nintendo is the only company that’s had great success on the Wii.” – co-founder John Vechey
A lot of people had doubts about the Wii and DS when they were announced. Dual screens? A console called “Wii”? Gradually, Nintendo was able to put much of the skepticism to rest. I have a feeling the same thing will happen with the 3DS.
Source, full interview here with more discussion including WiiWare/DSiWare
Japanese poll: Only 8.8 percent want to buy 3DS
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 6 Comments
The DS has sold incredibly well in Japan since it was released in 2004. That doesn’t mean that gamers are necessarily anticipating Nintendo’s next handheld, however.
1,059 people provided some responses in a goo Research poll and more than 42% of them said that they have purchased a DS. But when 702 of the participants were asked about the 3DS, only 8.8 percent indicated that they “want to buy” it. 55.8 percent, while interested in the system, stated that they do not plan on purchasing it for now and the remaining 35.3 percent just aren’t interested in the system at all.
What about you guys? Are you waiting to hear more about the 3DS before you really consider picking up the handheld? Or are you already convinced that you’ll be buying it when it comes out?
UK trade sources: 3DS to launch in October
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News | 3 Comments
“It’s a surprise – we were expecting it much closer to Christmas. But I suppose it gives Nintendo the opportunity to get it front and centre in people’s minds nice and early. In my experience, you don’t launch a product that early to Christmas unless you’re confident in it – and going to spend a lot of money on it. We’re reassured that Nintendo is going to give it some decent backing in Q4.” – a senior publishing source
It would make sense for Nintendo to release the 3DS in time for the holiday season. And when Nintendo first announced the system, we heard that it will launch before March 2011. I’d like to hear an official confirmation before I fully believe anything, though!
Jett Rocket details, 3DS interest from Shin’en
Posted on 14 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, News, Wii | 0 comments
This information comes from Shin’en’s Manfred Linzner…
– Jett (main character) can use his jetpack to fly short stick
– Jett explored the planet Yoroppa
– On this he landed Plant by an attack of “Power Posse”.
– There are huge levels to explore and to solve many puzzles.
– Even Action-Parts
– Snow World, a tropical area
– A total of three climate zones
– There are many different levels, different times of day and weather conditions
– In addition to jetpack and parachute, there is also the “Jet Boat” to cross over the sea, or plow with the “Jet-Snowboader” to the snow.
– Developers compare the graphics quality of “Jett Rocket” with that of “Super Mario Galaxy” because they use too many complex shaders
– Worlds and levels have nothing to do with “Super Mario Galaxy” together
– “Jett Rocket” is by the special moves very fresh and different from other platformers. ”
– “Jett Rocket can jump to about twice its height. It can he still use his jet pack. But there are also many gadgets that can make use of them Jett to go to higher regions.”
– “Jett Rocket” controls are more conventional. The Nunchuk is used for the speed and direction and cause the Wii remote buttons to jump and actions. Some of the special moves and actions using the motion sensor, and that makes a lot of fun. However, we did not want the player just shaking the remote control is constantly on. I think we have since found a very good balance. ”
– To the question “When can we expect with the release of the game?
Very soon. I would expect in weeks rather than months.”
Regarding the 3DS: “We are absolutely thrilled by the idea and we are determined to look closer.”
Thanks to Johannes for the news tip!
