Sega West boss Mike Hayes on whether it’s unfair to compare PlayStation Move to the Wiimote…
“Yes, I think that is unfair. Let’s not forget that Sony has launched hugely successful peripherals before. Whether it’s EyeToy or its controllers, Sony has been there and had great success.
But also, how bad is a comparison with Wii? It’s one of the most successful consoles of all time. For something like PlayStation 3, that surely allows a motion controller to do some pretty great things.
We don’t have a crystal ball, but would I bet a lot of my salary on Microsoft and Sony will make a success of these devices? I think the chances are high.
Microsoft are clearly taking Natal very seriously and spending a lot of money on it. Sony are doing the same – and they have the track record to go with it.”
Hayes on whether SEGA would consider a MadWorld sequel, possibly on different platforms…
“As Blackadder would say: ‘Yes… and no.’
It’s something we’ve looked at and it’s something we constantly talk about. But there are no firm things to discuss on that at the moment.”
Hayes on SEGA’s core Wii strategy and whether the company will reduce the amount of core games for Wii…
“No, not at all – you’ll see that at E3. One of the things is whether they’re super-mature – that’s a different thing. But the Wii market is huge. Going for the super-hardcore? Probably, the answer is not. But do we think there are edgy games we can bring out on Wii? Yes.”
I’d be totally shocked if a MadWorld sequel was released for Wii. It was a critical success, but a financial flop. I don’t think SEGA would be willing to risk another MadWorld title on Wii.
Thanks to jcr for the news tip!
This is starting to get confusing! First we heard that, at one point, there was a possibility that Metroid: Other M would be on-rails. But then we heard that Sakamoto was misinterpreted. Now, Sakamoto says that while the game isn’t on-rails, it does have some elements from the genre. Perhaps you’ll get a better understanding of the situation after you read the quote below…
“It’s impossible to say that there aren’t any remnants of design at all of a rail shooter, but no, this is not something we imagined as a rail shooter at this point…For example, if you were going straight on a control pad it is very much straight in the game. So while it is not an on-the-rail shooter, you will notice very much some guidance, especially when you are taking turns. We feel these are real positive experiences and additions to the game. If we had thought of making this from the ground up as a first-person shooter there wouldn’t have been nearly as many opportunities for us to bring fresh design ideas. It wouldn’t have been as fun. Similarly if we had aimed at it being solely 2D there wouldn’t have been as many opportunities here. Remember, 2D Metroid, if you just shot at the right height lined up at the target the bullets were going to hit the enemies. A lot of people played those games purely out of habit, because they were so immersed in that world at that time. As you said, some of those games you just couldn’t make now. They have a feeling that has been lost to some extent. But we wanted to bring a little bit of that old feeling back while melding that nostalgia with the evolution of the gameplay experience here.” – Metroid co-creator Yoshio Sakamoto
18 March 2010 – Puzzle fanatics better get their stylus ready, as Rooms: The Main Building launches on Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi on 21 May 2010. Packed with over 100 challenging and exciting puzzles, Rooms: The Main Building is designed to test the most ingenious minds.
Set in a dark and mysterious house called ‘Rooms Mansion’, the game plunges you into a virtual world based around 100 challenging sliding puzzles with a twist. In each room or level, you must think carefully and strategically to safely navigate your character to the room’s exit by sliding sections of the room, the same way as a slide puzzle. Your character can walk from tile to tile, but remember that only the tile that your character is standing in can be moved.
This is what the text on the map says…
“Ruli Island is located in the entrance of the only open bay of the continent surrounded by the mountains.
The place is gathered by wealth and power because of the linchpin of traffic and defense of the empire behind it.
A huge battery is enshrined, skilled knights and reckless mercenary soldiers prepare for the enemy’s invasion.
At the wealthy town of Ruli’s, the coquettish(?) voice is like intoxicated from the transient(?) party wraps around everything, despite the ground of entire empire being covered by corruption, while the neighboring castle is filled by a weird ghostly air with an eerie magical power.
Tonight as well, an evil spirit is lurking nearby, like it may be attracted to Ruli’s strange power.”
And here’s a few other details from the latest blog update…
– Sakaguchi wants people to feel like they’re really in Ruli City
– Residents of the city will have changing reactions, objects fly in the wind, there will be “desperate escapes”
– Team visited small towns in France/Italy for research, influenced the game
– Ruli City is the base of your adventures
– City is expansive
– Producer said if you walk a lot you’ll probably get lost
– Not many dead ends, many narrow roadways
– “There’s a reason for this type of setting. Please, walk around Ruli City aimlessly to experience that reason.”
Thanks to Robert for the news tip!
