Nintendo at E3 – a look back – E3 2002 and E3 2003
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in Features, GameCube, GBA, General Nintendo, Videos | 0 comments
Two videos for the price of one tonight!
Unfortunately, there isn’t much footage from Nintendo’s E3 2002 conference. That leads to more trailers rather than content directly from the briefing. We did end up with one of the first clips from F-Zero GX, as well as new looks at titles such as Super Mario Sunshine and Zelda: The Wind Waker.
E3 2003 was certainly more exciting from the perspective of available footage, but it is sort of known as one of Nintendo’s duds. Two big aspects were highlighted during the conference: GameCube to Game Boy Advance connectivity and partnerships. Zelda: Four Swords and Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes were arguably the two biggest announcements. Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles was made public as well. Shigeru Miyamoto popped up on stage to reveal that he was working on a Pac-Man title for the GameCube… which was kind of Nintendo’s main announcement for the show.
Check back tomorrow as we take a look at Nintendo’s E3 2004 conference, featuring the unveil of Zelda: Twilight Princess.
Nintendo still has interest in Advance Wars
Posted on 11 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, GBA, General Nintendo, News, Podcast Stories | 0 comments
The 3DS has yet to see a new game in the Advance Wars series. In fact, there hasn’t been an entry since Days of Ruin’s release in 2008.
Although there haven’t been any new Advance Wars developments in a few years, there still is quite a bit of interest in the franchise.
In the Fire Emblem: Awakening 8-4 interview published today, Nintendo director Genki Yokota said:
“Well, whether it’s Fire Emblem or the Advance Wars, we never want to put an end to any series we’re involved with. We always want to make games that provide a lot of fun to gamers, so if we have the chance, we’d certainly like to make another [Advance Wars] title.”
Nintendo Power ranks the top 285 Nintendo games of all time
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, 3DS eShop, DS, DSiWare, GameCube, GBA, News, Podcast Stories, Wii, Wii Shop Channel | 6 Comments
As part of its send-off festivities, Nintendo Power compiled a list of the top 285 Nintendo games of all time. The magazine specifically chose the number since 285 issues were produced since its inception in 1988.
We have the entire lineup of games below – yes, all 285 games! Head past the break for the listing.
WayForward on future Wii U and Miiverse support… past e-Reader interest
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News, Wii U | 0 comments
Mighty Switch Force! Hyper Drive Edition likely won’t be WayForward’s last Wii U game.
WayForward creative director Matt Bozon explained how the studio could approach the console going forward:
“If it’s anything like DSiWare, we’ll test the waters a bit and then try to roll out something a bit heftier. That’s a prediction, not a reveal of some secret project. I just see a lot of patterns in the way we work. Multiple Wii U retail titles for sure, and Wii U eShop exclusives are very likely too. From my own experience, the system is a game changer.”
Hyper Drive Edition director Austin Ivansmith also showed great interest in support Miiverse going forward:
“We’re definitely supporting it. We’d also like to try some innovative ideas with Miiverse, since there could be options for sharing data of some sort.”
One final, random tidbit from Bozon. He revealed that WayForward had hoped to get involved with GBA’s e-Reader, but “that’s the one that got away.”
“Heck, we even tried to get on the card e-Reader back in 2002 and got – as far as I know – the only external US dev kit. But alas, that’s the one that got away.”
Miyamoto: “very likely” he’ll return to unrealized GCN-GBA link ideas with Wii U
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, GBA, News, Podcast Stories, Wii U | 0 comments
In an interview with GamesMaster this month, Shigeru Miyamoto said that it’s “very likely” he’ll return to ideas that weren’t realized with the GameCube – Game Boy Advance link system.
Nintendo originally revealed the functionality at E3 2002. It allowed players to unlock modes, extras, and other content. One of the first games announced to support the functionality was Pac-Man Versus. Miyamoto noted that it was “a really interesting game”, but “it was rather hard for everyone to own four GBAs at the same time.”
Miyamoto told GamesMaster:
“I think it is very likely. I cannot tell specifically what ideas I used to have at the time which might be realized this time around. But as you might recall, at one of the E3 shows several years ago we showcased a game of Pac-Man Versus, which was a really interesting game. Unfortunately however it was rather hard for everyone to own four GBAs at the same time.
“But at that time still it was not very easy or accepted. [Now, with Wii U], it’s not just creators outside the company are finding fascinating possibilities to be able to realize a game dream come true.”
Thanks to joclo for the tip.
Blizzard considered “Diablo Junior” for GBC/GBA
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Blizzard’s Diablo series could have come to a Nintendo handheld.
According to author David Craddock, who is about to release a book about Blizzard North, reveals that a small team made a proposal for “Diablo Junior” following the release of Diablo II.
Junior would have been a prequel created for the Game Boy Color and/or Game Boy Advance as a single-player title. There were plans to release three cartridges, much like Pokemon. Each would feature a unique hero and items that could be traded across the different versions.
Craddock notes that the project was ultimately shelved “because of the steep production costs associated with developing handheld games.”
“Following Diablo 2’s release, Blizzard North split into two teams … kind of. One team immediately started in on D2’s expansion set, Lord of Destruction. The other team went into spitball mode, kicking around ideas for a new IP. But several other developers ventured into groups of two or three and put together proposals for smaller projects. One of those was given the working title Diablo Junior, a game tentatively planned for the Game Boy Color and/or the Game Boy Advance, depending on market share and other business-y factors. Diablo Junior was intended as a single-player-only prequel to the original game. Taking a page from Pokémon’s book, the team wanted to release three cartridges, each packing a different hero in the warrior-rogue-sorcerer vein as well as items that players would have to trade for in order to collect. Heroes started in a unique town before heading into dungeons and wilderness zones. Diablo Junior was ultimately put out to pasture (absent of cow levels, I’m sure) because of the steep production costs associated with developing handheld games.”
Iwata talks all about handheld gaming, threat of smartphones, and more
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in 3DS, DS, GBA, General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata has fielded a number of questions relating to handheld gaming – competition in particular. Head past the break for his comments on what it would take for his company to stop making dedicated gaming handhelds, the threat of smartphones, how the two platforms differ, and more.
Neat Metroid Fusion Easter Egg: GameCube cameo
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, GBA, News | 0 comments
Nintendo Easter Eggs never cease to amaze me. This latest one, despite being a smaller nugget (and perhaps known for awhile), is still pretty darn neat.
Basically, the GameCube has a cameo appearance in Metroid Fusion. It’s embedded in at least one of the game’s exhaust fans.
Take a look below:
Can you spot it in the image? If not, head past the break to see its location!
Shin’en shows off its prototype GBA racer
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News, Videos | 0 comments
A couple of months ago, Shin’en dished out some information on a never-released futuristic racing game featuring 3D polygons. The studio has now released a short video of the prototype in action – you can find it above.
Shin’en discusses canned GBA racer with 3D polygons
Posted on 12 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GBA, News | 0 comments
Shin’en is one of the most dedicated and technically capable Nintendo developers, and they’ve been making games for many, many years now. We’ve seen the company pull off some impressive visuals on the Game Boy Advance, DS, WiiWare, and 3DS.
When the GBA was still alive and kicking, Shin’en was working on a racer that incorporated 3D polygons. Shin’en boss Manfred Linzner feels that the studio’s prototype was “amazing”, but it was shelved “because we had too much retail work to do at that time.”
According to Linzner:
“We had a racing game on GBA that used 3D polygons. We still have that prototype – and it’s amazing – but it was never finished because we had too much retail work to do at that time.”