Without a doubt, Nintendo’s E3 2009 media briefing saw a rather large change over the year before. Hardcore gaming had a larger focus with announcements such as Golden Sun DS, New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Metroid: Other M. However, there were still a number of issues that were present at the conference. Specifically, the overall presentation was unorganized and dull.
Satoru Iwata seems to agree that there is room for improvement, though. Iwata was asked about Nintendo’s perception of their latest conference at the first quarter financial results briefing and said he understands that it is important “to look into finding a better way to demonstrate the products’ appeal better.”
“As for the media briefing at E3, of course we had many internal discussions after that. Honestly speaking, none of us at Nintendo thought that our presentation at E3 was as good as it could have been. It is apparent that we could not fully convey the charm of our products. In the past, Wii Sports and Wii Fit were naturally able to convey their appeal on stage since it was something no one had ever seen or imagined before. People seemed to capture the appeal of Wii Sports instantly and although there was some initial confusion with Wii Fit, its appeal did get through to the audience afterwards. This year, however, with the New Super Mario Bros. Wii, four people lined up with Wii Remotes was not a scene that no one had ever seen. Those who actually had the chance to play understood how the game would change with four people playing simultaneously, but we could not address that fun sentiment at the media briefing. Now we strongly feel that we need to look into finding a better way to demonstrate the products’ appeal better at E3 in these times where more people are watching it online via web cast not only in the U.S. but all around the world, than the number of audience who actually watch it in the theatre. In that sense, we learned many lessons from this year’s E3 show. After the media briefing, we had a domestic trade briefing in Japan. There we disclosed the black Wii console and red Nintendo DSi, which made a big buzz among game fans. It is also an important lesson for next year.”
As soon as The Conduit made its first appearance on IGN, the title seemed to have almost immediately garnered attention from major publishers. High Voltage slowed down the process though, and chose to collaborate with a company that would not hinder development of their title. After a few months, it was finally announced that SEGA would be publishing The Conduit. But you may be wondering the following: How did SEGA’s interest in The Conduit start and why was it decided that the company would be willing to publish the game? SEGA product manager German Fritsch provided an explanation in a recent Radio-Blodec podcast, which we’ve translated below.
“SEGA is expanding enough to reach all types of people and recognized that there is much potential in the different consoles. PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 have a more conventional demographic. In the case of Wii, it’s assumed, or it looks like, other publishers are thinking of making more casual games. But SEGA recognizes that there are gamers like all of us. We have a Wii to make use of the controls, SEGA wants to give players an opportunity to have fun with the console and The Conduit was the perfect title.”
Astro Boy: The Video Game (Wii) – E10+
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games (Wii/DS) – E
Dead Space Extraction (Wii) – M
Arthur and the Revenge of Maltazard (DS) – E
Arcade Zone (Wii) – E
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Smash-Up (Wii) – E10+
Monster Truck Mayhem (Wii) – E
SimAnimals Africa (DS) – E
SimEarth: The Living Planet (Wii) – E
Rabbids Go Home (DS) – E
Word Searcher (Wii/DS) – E
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box (DS) – E10+
Contra Rebirth (Wii) – E10+
Best Buy
Game Party (Wii) – $9.99
Ultimate Band (Wii) – $9.99
Blazing Angels: Squadrons of WWII (Wii) – $14.99
Six Flags Fun Park (Wii) – $14.99
Skate It (Wii) – $14.99
The Price is Right (Wii) – $19.99
My Fitness Coach (Wii) – $19.99
Deca Sports (Wii) – $19.99
Target
Animal Crossing: City Folk (Wii) – $44
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) – $44
Star Wars the Clone Wars: Republic Heroes (Wii) – $44
Guitar Hero Smash Hits (Wii) – $44
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (DS) – $24
G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra (DS) – $24
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (DS) – $19.99
G-Force (DS) – $24
Kirby Super Star Ultra (DS) – $24
Imagine: Makeup Artist (DS) – $24
Gardening Mama (DS) – $24
Thanks to Jake for the news tip!
With the latest DSi update, a behind-the-scenes change removed all types of flash card compatibility. The AK2I, iPlayer, and EZVi were all considered to no longer be working when users download the 1.4 firmware. However, it seems as though Nintendo’s latest security measures have been bypassed. A video of someone using the R4i cartridge, with the newest update, shows that at least one type of card is now working. It probably won’t be long before other flash cards break through the anti-piracy barrier as well.
Outside of first-party Nintendo titles, the Wii hasn’t been home to the most graphically superior games. MadWorld, Monster Hunter 3, and The Conduit are a few products that come to mind, but there aren’t a ton of other titles that stand out visually. However, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers’ character designer Toshiyuki Itahana believes that he’s working on one third-party game that is pushing Wii graphics to their “fullest potential.”
“We were extra careful about things like making sure to including exciting and heroic highlight scenes at regular intervals in the scenario, and using the visual capabilities of the Wii [console] to its fullest potential. Even right now, and for as long as time permits, the development team will continue to pour their efforts into the presentation and sound for a final product that looks and feels great.”
This is obviously an incomplete listing, as titles such as FFCC: The Crystal Bearers are absent.
