Star Ocean: The Second Story R comments on visual style and how it’s different from HD-2D
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
When Star Ocean: The Second Story R was revealed, some may have thought that the game is using an HD-2D art style like Octopath Traveler and Triangle Strategy. But while the two are similar in some ways, they’re actually different.
Producer and director Yuichiro Kitao clarified things in a recent interview with Famitsu. Kitao explained that the backgrounds “were made with real time 3D, and the characters were drawn with a special shader in a way that really sticks in the player’s memory.”
Pokemon Company COO says Game Freak “excels” at new Pokemon designs, younger staff joining and contributing ideas
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
The Pokemon Company chief operations officer Takato Utsunomiya has again commented on Pokemon designs and Game Freak specifically.
Utsunomiya recently said in an interview that coming up with new ideas on that front “is an area that Game Freak really excels in.” Another aspect of creativity stems from the fact that younger staff are now becoming a part of the company and are “creating new Pokemon or coming up with new ideas for Pokemon”.
More: interview, Pokemon, Takato Utsunomiya, top
Pokemon Company on pressure of keeping younger generations interested
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
The Pokemon Company chief operations officer Takato Utsunomiya has weighed in on the pressure of keeping the younger generation interested in the franchise.
Part of the reason why Pokemon has been so successful is that kids that originally grew up with the games, anime, trading cards and more are now adults and remain fans today. Getting new fans on board helps maintain that popularity.
Pokemon Company thinks it still has “a long way we can keep going” on new Pokemon designs
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Pokemon designs have been made across nine different generations and with over 1,000 creatures, but it sounds like there’s still plenty of room left in the tank when it comes to new ideas.
As part of a group interview at the 2023 Pokemon World Championships, The Pokemon Company COO Takato Utsunomiya was asked about challenges in coming up with new designs. This doesn’t appear to be an issue as new generations of developers will bring about their own ideas. Utsunomiya also doesn’t believe having a lot of Pokemon is a problem and mentioned: “we probably still have a long way we can keep going.”
Nintendo president talks not resting on laurels, “harsh battle” getting people to spend time on games
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Nintendo is at an all time high right now. The Switch is one of the company’s best-selling systems ever, The Super Mario Bros. Movie was an incredible success, and it’s still pursuing different opportunities like Super Nintendo World. However, that doesn’t mean Nintendo is resting on its laurels.
Furukawa spoke with NHK and noted that the company needs to continue “putting out things that people truly want”. He pointed to the fact that there are many forms of entertainment, and it’s “a very harsh battle” ensuring that people are still interested in video games.
More: interview, Shuntaru Furukawa, top
Nintendo boss on company’s approach to new tech
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa has weighed in on how the company approaches new technology.
In an interview with NHK translated by Nintendo Everything, Furukawa indicated rather than pursuing tech for the sake of it, it’s instead about “how they can lead to revolutions in the act of play itself.” Also mentioned is that Nintendo is pursuing new technology in general, but isn’t focusing on one specific area.
More: interview, Shuntaro Furukawa, top
Pokemon Company “having conversations” about how to ensure game quality with regular releases
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News | 0 comments
According to Takato Utsunomiya, the chief operating officer of The Pokemon Company, conversations are being had about how to keep up the series’ regular releases of games while also maintaining quality.
While Pokemon Scarlet and Pokemon Violet were well received from a gameplay standpoint, things came to a head last year when some fans expressed disappointment from a technical level. Performance and glitches were a problem in particular. Months later, things still aren’t at where some players had wanted.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope dev not worried about the game’s sales
Posted on 8 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
A lot has been made of the sales for Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope, with CEO Yves Guillemot previously saying that the game underperformed. He also recently spoke about how the company should have held off launch for the Switch’s successor.
Series producer Cristina Nava has now chimed in, and indicated that the studio isn’t concerned about the sales of Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Like the previous entry, Nava believes turn-based tactual experiences are slow burners and this one “will grow” over the years.
MercurySteam talks working with Nintendo on Metroid Dread, says development wasn’t chaotic
Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments
MercurySteam CEO Enric Álvarez has discussed working with Nintendo and the development of Metroid Dread. This comes as part of an interview with Gamereactor.
The Switch title marked the second collaboration between the two sides following Metroid: Samus Returns, a remake of the Game Boy game Metroid II: Return of Samus. Álvarez said both companies “have an excellent understanding of each other”. He indicated that Nintendo is open to new ideas while MercurySteam was “hungry for leaving our own mark on the franchise.”
More: interview, MercurySteam, Metroid Dread, top
SEGA and Sonic Mania dev explain why Sonic Mania 2 didn’t happen
Posted on 9 months ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
With the success of the original game, some were surprised by the fact that we never ended up seeing Sonic Mania 2. It turns out there was actually some initial interest on SEGA’s part, but things ultimately weren’t meant to be.
Classic Sonic is now going in a new direction with the previously-revealed Sonic Superstars. Arzest is taking the lead with Naoto Ohshima (who worked on the series’ original games) on board for the project, but the Sonic Mania team isn’t involved.
