“What Mr. Miyamoto has shared is that if the first Galaxy was maybe more inviting in terms of all the audiences, what Galaxy 2 is going to be is maybe a little more Nintendo fan / harder gamer focused. A little tougher. The use of Yoshi makes it a little more challenging. We showed some of the snippets of some of the activities — it’s a bit more challenging. It’s going to be, if you will, for more of that passionate Mario fan who grew up getting challenged with Super Mario World. It’s going to be much more in that area.” – Reggie Fils-Aime
This is pretty good news! One complaint surrounding the first title was that it was a bit on the easy side. Sure, some of the later stars were difficult, but obtaining 60 stars was a breeze.
Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto was absent from Nintendo’s E3 press conference this year. However, he will be hosting a round table later today. This event is actually where Super Smash Bros. Brawl was unveiled. Could gamers be in for a similar treat tonight?
“We’re all about surprises. We will show that game when it’s ready. At the right time. Close to when it’s going to be launched. It’s not there yet. But Mr. Miyamoto still has his roundtable to do, so maybe you’ll see. Maybe you might get that surprise after all…If you look at how Mr. Miyamoto has interacted in our press conferences, it’s been a wide range — everything from making an appearance at the end in 2004 to being on hand to do a demo. This year, given all the content that we had, we thought it would be best for him to go in-depth with a handful of games during his developer’s roundtable and that’s what he’s going to do later today…Again, we’re always trying to surprise you. So we’ll see.” – Reggie Fils-Aime
Nintendo began this console generation with the Wiimote, the first controller to feature heavy motion controls for a console. But yesterday, Microsoft showed that they will eventually launch Project Natal, which, naturally has been receiving comparisons to the Wii remote. So what is Nintendo’s stance on Natal? Reggie Fils-Aime explains:
“It’s interesting. You could make the argument that the health genre, like Wii Fit, is becoming red ocean — there’s a lot of different content coming out. You could say that in the future, that potentially active playing might be a red ocean in the future depending on what happens with our two competitors. For us, we’re making precision control a reality today. What we’re showing with Wii Sports Resort really takes the way you handle the controller to a whole new level. So for us, we’re focused on the reality of today of how to drive that in an important way within gaming. We’ll let our competitors talk about what might or might not be in the future.”
Platform: Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi
Genre: Role-Playing Game
Players: 1
Rating: RP (Rating Rating)
Release: 2010
Developer: PAON
URL: www.Nintendo.com
Suggested Retail Price: TBDTake Command of the Greek Squad
Glory of Heracles features the eponymous Greek hero in a pick-up-and-play role-playing game that has a rich storyline in a Greek motif and a deep battle system. The story begins when Heracles washes up on a beach with amnesia. Players must journey far and wide to figure out Heracles’ story and unravel the mysterious pasts of the other main characters in this new adventure. The game uses ancient Greece as its backdrop, and players can visit cities like Sparta and Athens on their travels.FEATURES:
• Players travel the countryside to meet new characters, collect helpful items and gain experience.
• Strategy is key during battle, but once the fighting is over, players can gather the spoils of war. Some items might be rusty and in need of polishing at a shop in town, while others might require a blacksmith to forge them
into something even more powerful.
• Players will be treated to animated cut scenes on the screens of their Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi™ systems.
• Players can opt to use the stylus or +control pad and buttons to control movement in the game, while the touch screen is required to complete optional challenges used to power up spells or skills during battle.
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action
Players: 1-2
Rating: RP (Rating Pending)
Release: TBD
Developer: artoon
URL: www.Nintendo.com
Suggested Retail Price: TBDIntroducing a New Spherical Smash-Hit Hero
Span Smasher combines the hands-on fun of tennis with the nonstop action and instant gratification of pinball. Smasher (name not final) is a floating ball with a lot of personality. When his island paradise is threatened, Smasher springs into action. He bounces around and smashes into barriers, aided by the motions of players and their Wii Remote™ controllers. Players use just one hand to swat him toward the objects they want him to smash, and he does the rest.FEATURES:
• Players who finish each section with three coins will receive a pearl. With three pearls, players can move on to the boss stage of that particular level.
• During the game, Smasher and his friend take on different abilities and characteristics that change the way they look and act to keep the challenge fresh. For instance, they might become huge, split into multiple balls or turn to metal.
• The scenery of the game scrolls to present Smasher with new obstacles and rewards. Players must angle their swings to help Smasher bust through barriers or collect keys to unlock the next segment of the game.
• Smasher can hang back at the edge of the screen to power up for an even bigger burst of energy. But if he remains motionless too long, he might get eaten by the multi-headed dragon that pursues him.
• Span Smasher is used with the new Wii MotionPlus™ accessory, which adds even greater precision to players’ swings.
Platform: Wii
Genre: Action
Players: 1-4
Rating: RP (Rating Pending)
Release: TBD
Developer: GREZZO
URL: www.Nintendo.com
Suggested Retail Price: TBDWarriors, Attack!
Line Attack Heroes is a fast-paced, melee action game that requires quick thinking and smart strategy. Players command a line of fierce warriors who launch an attack with a flick of the Wii Remote™ controller.FEATURES:
• Players are on a quest to discover the missing pieces of a dragon statue. Along the way they encounter a variety of enemies who have different attack techniques.
• When enemies are conquered, they become a part of the main character’s attack line and impart their abilities to him.
• Players must use different attack strategies to conquer the various bosses. For example, one attack sends the line of warriors spinning toward enemies in “crack the whip” fashion while another shoots them all forward in a straight line. Line Attack Heroes requires players to think fast and strategize when choosing their heroes and assigning their formations.
• Up to four players can compete or cooperate in multiplayer mode.
• The brilliantly detailed and colorful design of the game showcases a number of interesting stages, including a kabuki theater and a magical land filled with giant toys.
Platform: Wii
Genre: Shooter
Players: 1
Rating: RP (Rating Pending)
Release: Q1 2010
Developer: TREASURE
URL: www.Nintendo.com
Suggested Retail Price: TBDResurrection of a Classic
Players engage in nonstop shooter action as they’re propelled through this run-and-gun style game. Isa and Kachi are being hunted. They go on the run and on the defensive, shooting everything in sight. Sin and Punishment 2 is the long-awaited sequel to the Japanese Nintendo 64™ cult-classic shooter. It brings a frantic arcade sensibility to a post-apocalyptic world. Fans who can’t wait for the sequel can replay the original game by downloading it fromthe Virtual Console™ section of the Wii™ Shop Channel.FEATURES:
• Players can run on foot or take to the skies with a jetpack or hovering skateboard-like device to dodge enemy attacks or get a better lock on their targets.
• Players can fire at targets in the distance or switch to sword attacks for close-range targets.
• The Wii Remote™ controller’s pointing ability is used to aim weapons, while the Nunchuk™ controller is used for positioning and maneuvering.
• Numerous settings include beautifully rendered cityscapes and dramatic underwater tunnels, all populated by fierce enemies.
• It’s all about the multiplier. The better a player’s skills, the more points are earned, and the bigger the bonus. Players will want to play the game again and again to beat their personal best on each level. The better the performance, the bigger the multiplier and the higher the final score.
Finding, Cleaning, Collecting and Fighting Dinosaurs
Fossil Fighters blends the timeless human fascination with dinosaurs with the fun of building a collection. The game lets players build a collection of more than 100 fantastical dinosaurs known as “vivosaurs.” This new game incorporates elements of discovery, tactics and strategy as players try to get the best vivosaurs on their teams to battle it out on the field.
Platform: Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi
Genre: Role-Playing Game; Collecting
Players: 1-2
Rating: E (Everyone) – Crude Humor, Mild Fantasy Violence
Release: Aug. 10, 2009
Developer: RED Entertainment
URL: www.Nintendo.com
Suggested Retail Price: TBDFEATURES:
• Players dig for fossils and use the touch screen of the Nintendo DS or Nintendo DSi™ system to hammer, chip, drill and brush away the bits of rock around the fossil. When their efforts result in the buildup of dust, players blow into the Nintendo DS microphone to blow the dust away.
• The game rates players on how well they handle the fossils during the cleaning process. The more carefully and completely a player cleans a fossil, the more powerful the vivosaur will be in battle. Vivosaurs can also gain more power through battles.
• Players must collect various parts of each vivosaur. The head must be found first to bring a vivosaur to life while the body, arms and legs can be added to increase its power on the battlefield and imbue it with special powers.
• The game features an engrossing role-playing storyline and vast environments for players to explore.
• Players can connect wirelessly with friends to battle or trade their fossils.
