Nintendo talks about the rush to get Metroid Prime 2 finished in just 2 years
Posted on 2 weeks ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Wii | 0 comments
Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe, the producer of Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, has spoken about the rush to get the game finished as quickly as possible.
Metroid Prime 2 came out for the GameCube in 2004, which was just a couple of years after its predecessor. Tanabe reconfirmed that a multiplayer-focused Metroid Prime “1.5” was once considered, but Retro wanted “to create a robust, standalone sequel”.
Tanabe shared in the new Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective book:
Retro wanted new cutscenes for Metroid Prime Remastered, but Nintendo decided against it
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
A new detail has been revealed about what could have been for Metroid Prime Remastered, which is that the game came close to having new cutscenes.
This was something that Retro Studios actually wanted to pursue for the Nintendo Switch release. However, Nintendo ultimately vetoed the idea. Kensuke Tanabe, the game’s producer, explained that “the cutscenes were not created solely for dramatic effect; they also played a role in conveying gameplay-relevant information to the player.”
Metroid Prime producer says the game “could be called a miracle”, talks clashes between Nintendo and Retro
Posted on 1 month ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in GameCube, News, Switch, Wii | 0 comments
Metroid Prime ended up as one of the most acclaimed Nintendo games of all time, but the path getting there was far from easy. Series producer Kensuke Tanabe recently opened up about the game’s development and working with Retro Studios in the upcoming Metroid Prime 1-3: A Visual Retrospective book.
As we’ve previously heard, Retro Studios was initially working on several games that were mostly scrapped. The company shifted all of its focus into creating a Metroid game following a visit from Shigeru Miyamoto.
More: Kensuke Tanabe, Metroid Prime, Retro Studios, top
Paper Mario dev: team has “almost complete control” over creative direction, Miyamoto barely involved
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
There’s been a lot of talk regarding the direction of the Paper Mario series as of late. One comment that recently made the rounds came from producer Kensuke Tanabe, who said that the team is no longer able to “modify Mario characters or to create original characters that touch on the Mario universe.” Although that is a notable restriction, it sounds like they have a significant amount of creative control otherwise.
Speaking with Eurogamer Germany, Tanabe said the team has had “almost complete control over the creative direction of the game” going back to Paper Mario: Color Splash. It also sounds like Shigeru Miyamoto is not really involved at this point.
According to Tanabe, which we’ve translated as follows:
Paper Mario dev unsure if the series will continue to move away from RPG roots
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments
Paper Mario has continued to stray farther and farther from its original RPG roots over the years. These days, the games are much more adventure-focused. The change in genres has been a conscious decision from the development team, but according to producer Kensuke Tanabe, nothing is set in stone when it comes to future titles.
Recently, Eurogamer Germany asked Paper Mario: The Origami King producer about the decision not to feature heavy RPG elements in Origami King. Tanabe said in response (as translated by Nintendo Everything):
Paper Mario: The Origami King dev on decision to feature stationery bosses, timer mechanic
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Paper Mario: The Origami King has a number of bosses known as “Legion of Stationery”. These enemies come in the form of pencils, sticky tape, and more.
German outlet PCGames recently asked producer Kensuke Tanabe about the decision to have these bosses be regular objects instead of “normal” bad guys. Regarding that, Tanabe mentioned:
Paper Mario: The Origami King dev says he feels the need to change the battle system in every game
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in General Nintendo, News, Switch | 0 comments
Paper Mario is far from a static series. The games have moved away from traditional RPG roots, dabbling with different genres and ideas. That experimentation even extends to the battle system, which certainly holds true with the latest entry, Paper Mario: The Origami King.
In an interview with German site PCGames, producer Kensuke Tanabe commented on the approach to battles for this new game. When asked if there was a drive to change combat up from previous titles because it might have become stale or if it’s a natural evolution, Tanabe said:
Paper Mario: The Origami King producer elaborates on series’ NPC restrictions
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Around the release of Paper Mario: The Origami King, we heard from producer Kensuke Tanabe that the team is no longer able to modify Mario characters or make original characters that extend to the Mario universe. Tanabe has now commented on the situation further as part of an interview with GamesRadar.
Tanabe mentioned that the developers can’t “graphically represent individual characteristics” like age and gender when it comes to the Toad NPCs. He added that writer Taro Kudo “has been grappling with this difficult challenge since Paper Mario: Sticker Star”.
Tanabe’s full words:
Paper Mario devs on using different ideas, player feedback, trying to please all fans
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
As part of a new interview with VGC, Paper Mario: The Origami King producer Kensuke Tanabe and assistant producer Risa Tabata have weighed in on fans’ reception to the series starting with Sticker Star.
Tabata said that the team avoids using the same idea twice since they want to “create new gameplay” and offer players “positive surprises”. Tanabe noted that he does check out some fan opinions after a game launches, but with cases in which he “can’t address those opinions exactly as fans want”, he tries to pursue “new, fun ideas.” Tanabe ultimately said “it’s difficult to satisfy certain fans with the adventure game direction if they think of Paper Mario games as simply being RPGs.”
Here’s the full roundup:
Paper Mario: The Origami King dev wants to offer fans “new experiences and surprises” instead of relying on previous gameplay systems
Posted on 5 years ago by Brian(@NE_Brian) in News, Switch | 0 comments
Following the first couple of Paper Mario games on N64 and GameCube, some fans would argue that the series has experienced some bumps in the road. Whereas those initial entries stuck to the tried-and-true RPG format, latter titles started to venture in different directions. Most would say that the low point of the series was Sticker Star, which de-emphasized battles and featured throwaway stickers as its primary mechanic.
Nintendo and Intelligent Systems are now giving Paper Mario another shot with The Origami King, which launches in just a few weeks. The game will have another alternate take on battles with a ring-based system.
Speaking with Game Informer, Nintendo producer Kensuke Tanabe indicated he’s more interested in trying new ideas rather than relying on familiar gameplay systems:
