Suda51 very interested in Switch
Posted on 7 years ago by Fernando in News, Switch | 11 Comments
Goichi Suda, best known as Suda51, is the famous video game developer that brought us Killer7 on GameCube and No More Heroes on Wii. The studio Grasshopper Manufacture, to which he’s the CEO, is now promoting the remake of the very first game they made – The Silver Case. VG247 had the opportunity to conduct an exclusive interview.
At the end of the conversation, Suda51 is asked about his plans in the near future, to which he replies that he’s excited about Switch:
“I want one. Nintendo always makes really cool, interesting hardware that gives us new things to do. On the Wii, not to brag, but I feel that I made a game that used that Wii technology in one of the best ways. I want to find a cool new way to play using what Switch offers.”
Maybe we’ll get a whole new game from Suda51 that takes advantage of the hybrid capabilities of Switch in the future. Remember, Grasshopper Manufacture is a confirmed partner…
Creator on what inspired Muramasa: The Demon Blade
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii | 6 Comments
Muramasa: The Demon Blade was one of the most visually striking games on Wii. The action game possessed a unique style, and was heavily based in Japanese mythology.
Glixel recently caught up with Muramasa’s creator, George Kamitani, as part of an interview opportunity. When asked about what inspired the title, he explained:
“I had consecutively done fantasy titles so I wanted to do something different. The concept for Muramasa: The Demon Blade came from the idea of presenting a ‘ninja Princess Crown’ concept to the person who created the arcade game Ninja Princess at Sega. The story for Odin Sphere was inspired by Shakespearean theatre so if I was going to make a Japanese version, I felt that the setting should be inspired by kabuki, so I collected a lot of kabuki scripts. I also referenced a lot of Japanese classical literature, but the old language was very difficult. And I was somewhat nervous to use Japanese mythology, so there’s more Buddhist theology in the game.
Visually, I was influenced by block prints from the Edo period, and I imitated the ink-wash painting style using bright, vibrant colors. I was also influenced by the classic Manga Nippon Mukashi Banashi anime where there’s a certain comical element to the background. I tried to create an authentic environment that’s different from a realistic style.”
After releasing on Wii many years ago, Muramasa: The Demon Blade came to the Japanese Wii U eShop in 2015. Unfortunately, it’s still not out in the west.
Trio of devs share preliminary Switch thoughts – power, NVIDIA development, what they’re excited for
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 59 Comments
Well before NX was known as Switch, GamesTM spoke with three developers about the system. The UK magazine previously caught up with DrinkBox co-founder Graham Smith, Rebellion Developments co-founder Chris Kingsley, and Zen Studios VP of Publishing Mel Kirk. Now that we’re starting to get an idea as to what Switch actually is (though much more so next month), GamesTM once again posed some questions to these game makers.
You can read the full Q&A about Switch in this month’s issue of GamesTM. However, we did pick out some excerpts below. Smith, Kingsley, and Kirk shared some thoughts about Switch’s power, developing with NVIDIA hardware, and what they’re most excited about.
More: DrinkBox Studios, interview, Rebellion, top, Zen Studios
Circle Entertainment has interest in Switch
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 12 Comments
Circle Entertainment has put out a ton of games on the eShop over the years, so it’s no surprise that the company is interested in Switch. The publisher did actually attempt to apply for a Switch licence. However, CEO Chris Chao says “Nintendo wants us to be patient.”
That being said, Chao has some concerns about Switch. Since it supports engines like Unity and Unreal, developers will be able to easily make titles, and he’s unsure if the quality level can be maintained. Smaller developers surviving with a lot of competition could also be problematic.
Chao told Nintendo Life:
“Right now we are focusing on 3DS, Steam and PlayStation (probably VR); we tried to apply for a Switch license and Nintendo wants us to be patient. Personally I am a little bit worried about Switch (not the hardware), but I’m still willing to work on the platform.
If you want to know my worries, I have to say that if this platform can easily port the likes of Unity and Unreal, for gamers that’s cool to see so many titles come out, but how can we make sure game quality will stay at a high level? Maybe some indies will port 5-10 titles in 2 months; it’ll be hard for small developers to survive on the platform with such huge competition.”
More: Chris Chao, Circle Entertainment, interview
BioWare rules out Mass Effect Andromeda for Switch, but leaves the door open to the possibility
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 26 Comments
BioWare producer Michael Gamble is officially ruling out Mass Effect Andromeda for Switch. Gamble published an inconclusive tweet in October, but has now clarified that the game won’t be on Nintendo’s new platform – at least not initially. Gamble did leave the door open to the possibility in the future, indicating that it’s something that could happen if the fans clamor for it.
Gamble said:
“Yeah, not right now, no. We’re not planning on it. If the Switch launches and everyone’s just yammering for Mass Effect, who knows. We never want to close doors like that.”
Several years ago, EA published Mass Effect 3 for Wii U’s launch. That was handled by Straight Right, the same team that ported Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
More: BioWare, EA, interview, Mass Effect Andromeda, Michael Gamble
Square Enix on why Dragon Quest hasn’t been as popular as Final Fantasy in the west, keeping the series fresh
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 45 Comments
Square Enix owns two big franchises: Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. Yet even though Final Fantasy managed to make a big splash in the west, Dragon Quest has still been trying to attain the same sort of success.
Dragon Quest executive producer Yu Miyake touched on this topic in last month’s issue of EDGE. He said Final Fantasy’s western popularity in comparison to Dragon Quest is something Square Enix has “been thinking about a lot internally”.
Miyake brought up a few different reasons in the interview. For one thing, “the source of nostalgia is different” in Japan and the west – Dragon Quest on Famicom and Final Fantasy VII on PlayStation respectively. He also believes that Square Enix should have originally given a greater effort with Dragon Quest’s localization. Finally, Miyake said that the cartoon-like aesthetic of Dragon Quest may not immediately connect with western gamers.
Miyake left some encouraging words, saying that “the age of people who are playing is rising” and there’s a greater interest overall as well. Square Enix is also trying to “soften up the ground for Dragon Quest XI” with its spinoff titles.
Miyake’s full words:
More: Dragon Quest, interview, Square Enix, top, Yu Miyake
Yacht Club Games on Shovel Knight’s cameos
Posted on 7 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 2 Comments
Shovel Knight has been popping up in more and more games as of late. The character even made a cameo appearance in Azure Striker Gunvolt 2 earlier this year. In 2017, Shovel Knight will be showing up in Yooka-Laylee as well.
David D’Angelo of Yacht Club Games was asked about Shovel Knight’s cameos in a recent feature on Nintendo Life. He had this to say about the character being featured in other studios’ games.
“Typically with our cameos the developers have reached out to us as they were excited about the possibilities of having Shovel Knight in their worlds. It’s really thrilling for us to see Shovel Knight in new environments, so we’re happy to be a part of the fun. Honestly, we usually don’t have to do much from our end as all the developers we’ve worked with have been top notch and very respectful of the IP. Yooka-Laylee was an especially fun one though as we created the 3D model in-house. It was enjoyable to leave the second dimension for a bit! Gunvolt was incredible – it was amazing to work with Masaya Suzuki to design the Shovel Knight sprite. What a legend!”
Former Nintendo designer on the creation of Game & Watch, Game Boy, DS
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in DS, General Nintendo, News | 4 Comments
This month’s issue of Retro Gamer features an interview with Satoru Okada, a former designer at Nintendo. Okada worked at the company for about 40 years, and was directly involved with the creation of various hardware.
Some excerpts from the interview are now available. Below, you can read excerpts from Okada about the Game & Watch, Game Boy, and DS. You might be surprised to learn that late Nintendo president Satoru Iwata wasn’t initially interested in the idea for dual screens…
Paper Mario: Color Splash dev on paint inspiration, approach to combat, says team put in its full effort
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Wii U | 22 Comments
Game Informer has now published its full interview with Paper Mario: Color Splash producer Kensuke Tanabe. Tanabe was asked about a variety of topics, including the inspiration behind repainting the world, whether the team ever considered ditching combat entirely, and the team’s sense is for what fans of the Paper Mario series would like to see in the future.
Continue on below for a roundup of Tanabe’s notable responses. Read the full interview on Game Informer here.
Reggie on Nintendo going with existing franchises vs. new IPs, Mario’s lasting appeal
Posted on 8 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 13 Comments
Nintendo has a solid stable of franchises ranging from Mario to Zelda. From time to time though, they’ll introduce something completely new. During the Wii era for example, Nintendo offered up its own take on the shooter genre with Splatoon.
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime was interviewed during the TV documentary series
Unlocked: The World of Games, Revealed. As part of that, he was asked how Nintendo decides between using one of its iconic characters or something completely new.
Reggie explained in response:
