This information comes from Team Ninja head of development Yosuke Hayashi…
“The 3DS in and of itself is easy to develop for. It’s a handheld platform, which makes it relatively easy from a development standpoint. But being 3D, other than just the specs, we have to figure out how to use it well, how to use that effect. That’s something we’re having fun with, trying to figure that out. Up until now, 3D [in games] has not been an everyday experience. We think that with the 3DS, this will be the first time that anybody can get a 3D experience just about anywhere. It’ll be just a part of everyday life. So we’re trying to put out a 3D fighting game and see how that goes, and learn from that experience. We’ll go from there to see where 3D should go, and how we can use 3D to make a deeper experience in the future.”
“We knew that we’d be asked about the past, and about Team Ninja going forward, and what that’s going to mean. We know that in making a new Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden we’re going to be compared to our past titles. We’re prepared to be judged by our work. We want people to take an honest look at the work that we do. If we were to make a new franchise that would be the easy way out, because people would have nothing to compare it to. But for us to go back and say we’re going to make a Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive, and we’re actually daring to do that, that’s a statement for us. We’re prepared to back that up with the games themselves.”
An easy platform to develop for is a pretty big factor in getting third-parties to support a certain system. In this case, the 3DS is probably somewhat close to the DS. I’m sure a lot of developers are happy about that!
Nintendo Wii
North America:
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
2. WipeOut: The Game (Activision)
3. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
4. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
5. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
Japan:
1. Wii Party (Nintendo)
2. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
3. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
4. Metroid: Other M (Nintendo)
5. New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Nintendo)
UK:
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Nintendo)
2. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
3. Dance on Broadway (Ubisoft)
4. Lego Harry Potter (Warner Bros)
5. Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board (Nintendo)
Nintendo DS
North America:
1. Professor Layton and the Unwound Future (Nintendo)
2. Club Penguin: Elite Penguin Force – Collector’s Edition Bundle (Disney)
3. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
4. Pokemon SoulSilver Version (Nintendo)
5. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
Japan:
1. One Piece: Gigant Battle (Bandai Namco)
2. Tokimeki Memorial Girl’s Side 3rd Story (Konami)
3. Eigokoro Kyoushitsu DS (Nintendo)
4. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
5. Tomodachi Collection (Nintendo)
UK:
1. Jam with the Band (Nintendo)
2. Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies (Nintendo)
3. Tetris Party Deluxe (Nintendo)
4. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo)
The Wii was released in 2006. Five years before that the GameCube was released. Same for the Nintendo 64. If history holds true, we could be seeing Nintendo’s newest console as soon as 2011. What features would it sport? Which third party developers will make games on it? What does Nintendo need to do in order to preserve itself as #1 in the next cycle of consoles? Let’s take a look, shall we?
WiiWare
Adventure on LOST ISLAND – Hidden Object Game (Ateam Inc., 500 Points)
Word Searcher (Digital Leisure, 500 Points)
DSiWare
myDiary (Nnooo, 200 Points)
Petz Hamster Superstar (Ubisoft, 800 Points)
Petz Nursery (Ubisoft, 800 Points)
Word Searcher (Digital Leisure, 500 Points)
A number of Wii owners are experiencing a mysterious bug in Metroid: Other M that, if encountered, will not allow the player to continue. The issue is related to a door on the far side of a lava pit, found in Sector 3. If that door happens to be red, it will not open as there is no alternative route to the next area. Don’t expect Nintendo to come up with a quick and easy fix anytime soon, though. Even though the company is aware that the title is causing problems for some gamers, a Nintendo Customer Support representative was only able to recommend loading an older save if possible or simply starting over.
Thanks to Captain N for the tip!
Matt Bozon/Sean Valesco/Adam Tierney on their interest in the 3DS…
Matt Bozon: “We are full speed ahead. Personally I’m a big fan of 3D comics and (I’ll say it) Virtual Boy. So, this is everything I love with none of the negative elements that keep those kinds of things trapped in offbeat or nostalgia circles. 3DS is a true stereo visual experience that needs no special equipment. It’s going to fly off the shelves, and we’ll be there with the rad games.”
Sean Valesco: “I love the glasses-less 3D, it’s amazing. I’ve wanted analog control forever, and the extra processing power means we can do a lot more, too. The only caveat is that the top screen and touch screen are much more differentiated than the DS, meaning that you can’t ever touch the 3D gameplay. It will be interesting to see how developers tackle this hardware, but needless to say I am over the moon!”
Adam Tierney: “I like that I can finally see something in 3D without having to wear goofy glasses. I’m very excited to be working on the system.”
