I have to admit, Sony had quite a show yesterday. It wasn't the games that impressed me (we knew about pretty much all of them anyway). It is pretty funny that both Microsoft and Sony have a Mario Kart clone in the works, though.
No, the interesting part of this conference was the motion control demonstration using a combination of the EyeToy and a... glorified flashlight.
Sony's new controller kicks Microsoft Natal all over town for a variety of reasons, not the least of which being that it looks a lot further along and more in line with what we can expect of modern console technology. (As I alluded to yesterday, Natal is too far-reaching to make good on many of its promises.) But despite what I consider to be a Sony win, there are still a couple of very important problems to overcome.
Perhaps the biggest question is, where were the games? We saw a terrific tech demo, but heard nothing about what kind of software support might be on its way for the hardware - either first-party, or more importantly, third-party. Sure, it looks cool and all, but how can you say this controller comes out next year without making a tangible, good-faith effort to tell us what you're going to do to make it profitable?
Where Microsoft afflicted itself with this same problem at the beginning of the week, remember that Nintendo had multiple games prepared for the debut of the Wii Remote mere years ago. The technology isn't going to sell on its own: you need something fun to go with it.
The second issue, which might not be so important if we weren't talking about a company that's hemorrhaging money out of every orifice, is the question of how this product is going to be packaged and marketed. Sony's motion solution offers no significant advantages over the Wii Motion Plus, yet it's arguably more complicated and possibly more expensive to produce. (This depends on whether Sony ends up using the $30 EyeToy, or whether they need a more sophisticated camera to get the results they want. The "wand" controllers could cost even less than the Wii Remote if they don't include any more technology than was demonstrated yesterday.)
In addition, the Wii Motion Plus comes out next month, and this Camera Wand combination is supposedly at least 9 months away. (My guess is that it will be delayed.) It's clear that neither Sony nor Microsoft will be capturing any of the Wii's casual audience no matter what - it's far too late in this generation's life cycle for that, and the Wii's new attachment is getting a huge head start anyway.
Ultimately, therefore, the success of Sony's new peripheral leans heavily on its hardcore adoption. The potential is there, but it could go either way; On the one hand, the "hardcore" have traditionally raised their noses at any hint of motion control. On the other hand, already we are seeing arguments from both Microsoft and Sony fanboys about which company has the better motion control solution. This means that their disdain might have been simple hypocrisy all this time - not an objection to motion control at all, but rather a jealousy of Nintendo's incredible success with the concept.
We will see in time.
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High Voltage Software is trying too hard. Seriously. The first Wii-related news everyone will read today is the announcement of Gladiator A.D., another achievement under the belt of "Mature" gaming on the little white console.
Now, people might be right when they say that Mature-rated games have an audience on the Wii that's been largely untapped, except in limited form with titles such as No More Heroes and Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles. But as evidenced by sales figures from other major releases which were supposed to rescue Nintendo from the casuals (Mad World, anyone?), it's clear that actually tapping this market is not easy at all.
That's why everyone needs to take a deep breath and stop screaming, "it's Mature! Everyone who's been asking for Mature games on the Wii needs to buy this!" about games which we haven't even seen, much less experienced. For the most part, these cries stem from a desire for more "mature games" on the Wii - where "mature" means extra blood and swearing. For some reason, people expect a Mature rating to turn a game into a wonderful work of art that will sell gangbusters and rid the Wii of the horrible casual stigma it's acquired over the past three years.
My prediction: it won't happen. Certainly not with Gladiator A.D., and likely not with any other title, either past or future.
To make the Wii attractive to gamers who prefer blood and guts, there must be a sizable library of quality, Mature-rated games on the console. The problem is, no matter what High Voltage Software or Sega do, they can't single-handedly create the required volume of games. And for most other development studios, the target for Mature games has already been decided: Xbox 360 and PS3 owners.
That doesn't mean Wii developers shouldn't create Mature games for Wii owners, of course. It just means they need to stop approaching Mature game development from the same angle they would use for the Xbox and Playstation. Electronic Arts is trying a different tactic with the upcoming Dead Space Extraction. I don't know whether it will work, but it has to have a greater chance of success than Gladiator A.D..
I certainly commend High Voltage for taking the initiative, pretty much before anyone else (The Conduit), to deliver content that operates as an alternative to the casual flood of minigames. But before they go too much further, it's probably time for them to take a closer look at what's succeeded on the Wii and what has failed, and see how they can adapt their Mature visions appropriately.
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Greetings, everyone! I've been quite busy lately, and to be honest there hasn't been a lot of exciting news to talk about anyway. But Satoru Iwata changed all of that with a pretty interesting keynote address at this year's GDC.
The new SD card functionality for the Wii has me hopping pleased, but yet another reveal proved to be even more exciting to me: The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks.
The trailer below isn't the greatest quality, but it'll have to do until Nintendo releases a direct feed. In any case, after the vast disappointment of Twilight Princess and the surprise fun factor in Phantom Hourglass, I'd have to say the upcoming DS title excites me to no end.
Edited: To add the direct feed trailer.
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Sequels can be a pretty mixed bag. On the one hand, they can give us some incredible gems (Spark Man rocks the house). On the other, they often result in halfhearted or unfulfilled ideas shoveled onto a populace that's coming off the highs of a terrific franchise (Tomahawk Man, anyone?).
Sequels also give us - yes, I'm going there - more installments of Harvest Moon than anyone should have to play in a lifetime. That's why it was a little amusing to see Harvest Moon creator Yasuhiro Wada say in a Eurogamer interview that over-reliance on sequels is a worldwide danger to the games industry.
Regardless of the irony, he's right, of course. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that most video game sequels have no business being made at all. They're simply a sure-fire way to cash in on an IP that happened to be a hit with gamers the first time out. More often than not, sequels will let you down.
You see, most sequels try too hard to be both new and old simultaneously. You get a few fresh faces, maybe some graphical enhancements, but it's all the same basic story told over again. (Either that, or the developers change everything that was great about the original game in the first place.)
Why were the moves between Super Mario Bros., SMB 2, and SMB 3 so successful? Because everything was new, of course. Heck, Mario 2 (or Doki Doki Panic in Japan) was a completely different game. Mario's third outing returned to the format of the original platformer, but made so many meaningful additions that it was essentially a brand new idea. The controls were tighter, your bag of tricks was far more versatile, and the world had many new mechanics that the first Super Mario never dreamed of.
Super Mario World was a great game, but it failed to achieve the success of Mario 3. The gameplay leap between installments was much shorter. Nintendo employed mostly the same mechanics in the SNES release, and although the production values were obviously high for the time period, it was basically just Super Mario Bros. 3 with a flashier coat of paint.
Incidentally, the same concept can be applied to game hardware. Although we've seen some marvelous sights since the good old debut of 3D-capable consoles, in many ways nothing has changed since the mid-90s - nothing, that is, until the Wii exploded onto the scene a couple years ago. The Wii landed on shelves during a time when upgrading your gaming machine was nothing more than an avenue to better graphics and maybe higher-fidelity sound. Suddenly you have a piece of hardware that changes the way the world looks at video games. Instant success - a Super Mario level of success, no less.
By the way - I have nothing against Harvest Moon. I loved the original game and played it endlessly. But how many sequels came out before we finally saw a true innovation in the IP from the incredible Rune Factory spin-off? After investing so much time in the first game, I tried to get up the interest to try the N64 successor. It had some cool new stuff, but it was the same game. I bought another version on the GBA a few years ago, but only played it for a couple of weeks before I realized, once again, that there was nothing new in it. We now have three Rune Factory games. As far as I'm concerned, that's enough, and it's time for Harvest Moon to find yet another direction that will take the franchise into new territory.
The biggest beneficiary on the sequel hype train is the developer. The beneficiary of any new game should be the customer. If developers can get back to that basic premise, they'll soon find that they don't need sequels.
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In a move that surprises only the oblivious, Sega plans to release a late 2009 sequel to the smash hit Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games. This time it's a trip to the winter-themed festivities to be held in Vancouver in 2010.
As expected, there will be both Wii and DS versions. The Wii edition will incorporate balance board support (what snowboarding game is complete without it?), while its DS counterpart boasts wireless multiplayer.
You can check out the official web site as well, but it's little more than a teaser video at the moment.
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Yes-sirree, Atlus is right back at it again. Its current DS lineup not enough for you? Then rest assured, friend, that more is on its way. Though we've been aware of the game's existence for a while, the prolific developer has now made Knights in the Nightmare official.
In this latest title, you'll take on the role of a ghostly wisp who's taken things upon itself to get a long-dead kingdom back up and running. How will you accomplish this? By resurrecting the kingdom's knights! Here are the key bullet points, as given by Atlus:
- An experience unlike any before it -- Incorporating strategy RPG, real-time strategy, and shooter elements, you've never experienced a game like this. Control a Wisp with your stylus and activate the souls of deceased knights to aid you in destroying foes on the map. Enemies fire bullets in multiple directions, making it vital for players to master the unique touch controls.
- Over 100 playable characters -- Find and recruit the ghosts of seven different classes of knights from your kingdom, and learn of their pasts, hopes, dreams, and untimely deaths. Sacrifice their souls to one another to balance their skills and create your ultimate party.
- A tale from two perspectives -- This twice-told legend entangles you in a dark and brooding tale that is simultaneously examined through events both past and present. Complete the adventure to unlock the ability to play through the game with a new narrative twist, placing the antagonist in the starring role.
Knights in the Nightmare is set for release on June 2 and will be priced at $34.99.
Gallery: Knights in the Nightmare
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A multilingual NeoGAF user stumbled upon Square Enix's announcement of a delay in the Japanese release of the long-awaited Dragon Quest IX. Rather than coming out on March 28th as advertised in 7-11s everywhere, the release date has been shoved back to July 11th - over three months.
Unfortunately, this little change probably means a more extended wait for the game in other territories as well.
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MTV Multiplayer's Stephen Totilo has been privileged enough to get a preview copy of the upcoming DS title, Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure. In his latest blog entry, he reveals a few details about the gameplay mechanics as well as showcasing a few of the bosses we'll face when the game comes out on March 17th.
As we already knew, players will be able to switch back and forth between platforming and puzzle-solving action. Enemies you defeat in the upper screen will drop into the puzzles below, where you'll have to clear them a second time to be rid of them completely. On the bright side, solving puzzles will result in some nifty power-ups in platforming mode.
What's now been revealed is that Hatsworth's bosses will also dump new blocks into your puzzles, causing all sorts of dual-screen mayhem. For example, in battling Lady D, you'll see from the screenshot that she's capable of creating bothersome vines which not only fill your puzzles, but also grow up to become obstacles on the upper screen.
The second boss, Lance Banson, on the other hand, drops musical notes that affect the puzzles in a completely different way.
Check out Stephen's full expose for more info, or take a look at the screenshots in our gallery below.
Gallery: Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
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A NeoGAF member with a particularly large Club Nintendo registration library reports that he's received a special thank-you card and letter for his love of Nintendo products. He surely won't be the only one to receive such a gift, and it shows the Big N's attitude toward its customers remains just the same as always. The letter reads:
Dear Chris,
During the transition from My Nintendo to Club Nintendo, I noticed just how many product registrations you have on file, and I was very impressed!
I can tell you are a huge Nintendo fan, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your years of support. It's loyal fans like you that make Nintendo strong.
Thank you again for being such a great supporter of Nintendo!
Sincerely,
NINTENDO OF AMERICA INC.
(signed) Reggie
Reggie Fils-Aime
President & COO
Hop past the break to see the list of games that scored Chris this letter.
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GoNintendo reports that, despite Namco Bandai's staunch disinterest in releasing Fragile into foreign territories, XSEED Games would love to bring the game to America. Quoted directly, a representative from XSEED said:
We’ll see what we can do about Fragile, we’d love an opportunity to work on it but of course the final decision doesn’t rest with us. Afraid can’t share any details, but we’ll keep trying.
If you want Fragile, it certainly wouldn't hurt to shoot off an email to comments@xseedgames.com and let XSEED know! Perhaps Namco Bandai will relent upon hearing the level of support the game has here.
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YouTube via Nintendo Everything
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Okay, okay. So 2007 was the Year of the Wii. 2008? Pretty much the same story. Now 2009's come around, and it looks like the Wii gets yet another year of shocks and surprises... starting with Dead Space, a "hardcore" game if there ever was one, being brought to the console.
That's not all. According to EA's John Riccitiello, Dead Space Wii "is absolutely going to be the quality of fear factor of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions." No half-hearted porting effort here. Electronic Arts has allowed the Wii's popularity to get away from them for two years, and now they want in on the profits.
Our prediction: M-rated titles like Mad World, Cursed Mountain, and Dead Space will be the mark we remember in the turning point for third-party support on the Wii. Reggie Fils-Aime said recently that game developers didn't "get" the Wii, and that they won't "get it" until they start making their best content available for it. The day is now at hand.
Will the push for these games end in triumph or in failure? That remains to be seen. But as long as companies are experimenting, we wouldn't mind a version of Bioshock for the Wii.
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WayForward Technologies' light-based puzzler promises to be an interesting concept. The company has announced a release date on its web site, and it looks like we'll be able to enjoy the downloadable title on February 9th for 800 Wii Points.
From WayForward's description of the game:
LIT is a 3D horror action puzzler that follows Jake, a typical, apathetic, slightly emo teenager, who’s trapped in his high school when it’s overrun by dark creatures. Players must guide Jake through 30 classrooms, using the available light sources to create paths to each exit. The goal is to reunite Jake with his girlfriend Rachael, who’s also trapped in the school and calls Jake from time to time on the school’s phone system. Stay in the light and Jake’s safe. Step into the darkness and he’s pulled under.
In addition to light puzzling, the game features 5 boss battles against dark faculty members, an unlockable challenge mode, multiple endings, level select mode, and a second playable character. LIT will be released soon, exclusively on Nintendo’s WiiWare platform. Until then, keep your eyes here for the latest details on this game. And hit the sections below for screenshots, debut trailer, concept art, and a free downloadable soundtrack to the game.
Via WiiWare World
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Bubble Bobble is one of those timeless titles that pretty much every gamer's heard of, even if they haven't played it. It was one of my personal favorites back in the NES days - my brother and I played it endlessly. The true beauty of the game lies in its incredible simplicity, its stuck-in-my-head-all-day music, and its permanent replayability.
From the screenshots release by Famitsu, it looks like the franchise is about to make a triumphant return that preserves the feel of the original game. It's more of a remake than a sequel - and I, for one, have no complaints. The four-player action is the only new feature I'd need to consider it a buy.
Check out several more screenshots over at Famitsu.
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Akinai Games, YUKE'S downloadable gaming division, has finally dated the WiiWare release of Evasive Space, the non-shooter developed by High Voltage Software. The title lands on Nintendo's service just over three weeks from now, on February 16th. In addition, their press release also reveals we'll be able to obtain it for a mere 1,000 Wii Points.
From the press release:
Key features of the game include:
- Guide Konki through 20 hazardous space missions spanning four worlds
- Deftly pilot your ship with innovative use of the Wii Remote’s infrared pointer capabilities
- Pick up items and ship upgrades to enhance skills and increase your chances for survival
- Four person multiplayer matches locally on your home console
- Compete for best times with Nintendo® Wi-Fi Connection online leaderboards
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