Nintendophiles 10.21.09: New Mario, Nintendo & HD, Super Guide, Nvidia and more!
Posted by Theo Fraser on 10.21.2009
This week’s Nintendophiles covers the unofficial announcement of a new Mario game, Nintendo’s altering stance on HD gaming, more details on the Super Guide, Nvidia helping to develop Nintendo’s next handheld, and more! Check it all out inside!
Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome back to Nintendophiles! I was all ready to write an introductory spiel in an awful mood based on the dismal week I've had, but then everything corrected itself today. I broke my phone last week, but a replacement came today, free of charge, so that's a big plus. I also managed to lose my debit card yesterday and feared it stolen, but found it today in my local supermarket. Some kind-hearted person had handed it in. Yay. I also landed two awesome acting roles, and to top it all off, I beat my mate 6-2 on FIFA this afternoon, which was the icing on the cake. So all in all its ended up OK. Quick, before something puts me in a bad mood again...Tidbit News of the Week!
~ CoD4: Reflex to offer PC-like controls. Yes, Treyarch are claiming that the Call of Duty 4 Wii-make will control like a PC keyboard-and-mouse shooter, thanks to what they call ‘Precision Aiming Mode'. This keeps your crosshair in the centre of the screen, even as you turn, giving you much greater control, ensuring the camera won't totally freak out on you, as is often the case in other shoot ‘em ups.
~ EA to put an end to their core-oriented titles on Wii? According to reports, Dead Space: Extraction has not sold well at all. The issue with this is that DS:E was EA's ‘test game' to see if the Wii market really was a profitable avenue for core-oriented titles. If sales don't pick up, we can say goodbye to EA's attempts at appealing to core gamer.
~ Miyamoto looking at user-created content? Nintendo could be preparing to take a page out of the LittleBigPlanet playbook and start to explore user-created content. "Interactive experiences are going to continue to broaden and we'll see a lot more user-generated content going forward. I've always had an interest in those kinds of creative tools, so I will definitely be open to ideas like that in the future," said Miyamoto-san. I'm loving the sound of this!
Brand new Mario title in development
Credit: Joystiq
E3 gave us Super Mario Galaxy 2 and New Super Mario Bros. Wii, two completely unexpected Mario titles, coming out of the blue to wow us and send Nintendo fans into a state of euphoric glee. This time, the announcement of a new Mario game comes from...Twitter. Yes, Charles Martinet (the voice of Mario himself) revealed via his Twitter account that he had been providing voice work for a brand new, as-yet-unannounced Mario title.
Martinet:Awesome new Mario Game! And it's not NSMB Wii, and it's not Galaxy 2, but it's going to be crazy fun!
We have no idea if it's something of the scope of Galaxy or NSMBW, but Martinet's words suggest some kind of new concept for Mario. He's kinda ‘done it all' when it comes to the Italian plumber, so I can't see him getting excited about a sequel or the kind of title we're used to from the Mushroom Kingdom's acclaimed hero. But what platform could this title be intended for? Another AAA Wii game? The next DS killer app? A first-party WiiWare offering? Or will it just end up being a simple DSiWare application?
In an interesting (and perhaps rather telling) turn of events, the Tweet has since been removed. Nintendo trying to cover something up, eh? Without wanting the rumor-mill to spring into overdrive, could this actually be a sign that the title in question is for Nintendo's next-gen console, with the company wanting to erase all mention of the game until they are fully ready to debut it to the world? Whatever the case, Charles Martinet appears to be very happy about it. I have no idea if he's a reliable source for a title's quality but for some reason I feel reassured...
Miyamoto says Nintendo is ready for HD
Credit: Industry Gamers
Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has consistently expressed no real desire to enter the high-def realm of gaming, but according to the company's visionary designer, Shigeru Miyamoto, Nintendo could well be heading that way very soon, most likely with the shift to the new console in a couple of years. The company originally shied away from any kind of HD-integration in lieu of their plans to attract the mass market and widen their fanbase to include the oft-talked about ‘casual gamer', as at the time it was felt that HD-users were in the significant minority. Come 2009, however, and it's a very different landscape. Attributed mainly to the recession, consumers are staying in rather than going out for entertainment purposes, and so high-def TVs are becoming an acceptable and sometimes necessary expenditure. It would seem that Nintendo are finally catching up to the times.
Miyamoto:I don't think there's anything wrong with pretty graphics, and if I'm a consumer that has an HDTV, I'd want to be able to play my games with nice graphics too. And I think as we've seen the penetration rates for HDTV increase, we're going to see video games and Nintendo's games move along in step with the progression of technology. What I don't think is necessarily true is that the graphics itself is something that's going to make the gameplay experience better. So we're still going to focus on the gameplay, but we'll take advantage of the technology as it comes out.
This is one of the first ‘official' responses I can remember where the company hasn't flat out ignored the significance of high-def gaming. However, it's also nice to see Miyamoto rooted firmly in his original standpoint; that visuals are most definitely secondary to gameplay. Whatever kind of next-gen console the company end up unveiling, we can be sure it's primary focus is on providing the same awesome gameplay experiences we've been accustomed to from Nintendo for the past 24 years.
Internet-connected Wii owners ‘in for a surprise'
Credit: Cubed3
In response to praise levied at Nintendo for their recent batch of updates to the Nintendo Channel (new videos, increased depth and general added user-friendliness), Nintendo representative Denise Kaigler let slip a juicy morsel of info to excite all Wii owners who have their consoles connected to the internet.
Denise Kaigler:We're all about providing our fans with surprises, so here's a tease for you: We're working on a little surprise for those who connect their Wii to the Internet, so keep your eye on the Nintendo Channel for that announcement to come in the near future.
Apart from the fact that it's pretty cool we'll be getting some kind of surprise, it's noteworthy that we're actually being told about it in advance. Normally when it comes to the Nintendo Channel and Nintendo's online offerings as a whole, we don't receive any kind of forewarning or advance notice. Even the big Virtual Console releases aren't hyped; you'd have to actively seek out the ESRB ratings to have any clue what's hitting the download service over the following month. So for a Nintendo representative to announce an impending surprise...well, it's certainly different. The Nintendo Channel already offers downloadable DS titles...could we finally see the implementation of downloadable Wii demos? Something radical like the elimination of Friend Codes? Something as crazy as a new game announcement? Sure, they're not gonna make the Zelda announcement online, but would they consider unveiling a Pikmin 3 trailer, maybe even F-Zero? All this being said, I refuse to get my hopes up just yet. It's probably a bunch of free downloadable menu skins...
When I last looked at the updated details on Nintendo's new ‘Super Guide' concept in relation to the upcoming New Super Mario Bros. Wii, it was being translated from a German site, leaving some areas rather muddled and unclear. This past week, Miyamoto gave the official word on how the feature functions, clearing up the matter on whether or not the mode can actually be used to complete a level.
For starters, it turns out that the mode will only ‘reveal' itself if you've died more than eight times in that particular level. If you have, a green block will appear at the start of the level, and a simple Mario jump into the block activates Super Guide, hopefully showing you where you're going wrong. At this point, Luigi tags in and takes over from Mario (hey, Luigi finally has a good use!), and a visual effect/cue will be added to show the mode is engaged. And while you can take direct control of Luigi (i.e. testing out the section of gameplay without fear of dying), if you're successful you still won't complete the level; you'll have to deactivate Super Guide and try it as normal as Mario.
Despite putting the game on cruise-control, Super Guide won't reveal the game's best kept secrets or hidden paths; it will show the basic route to the goal, helping the rookie to complete the game while leaving the expert to attempt the challenges of their own accord. A special icon will appear on the title screen if you manage to complete the game once without activating Super Guide. Like the stars by your online username in Mario Kart, they look insignificant, but deep down we all know they mean so much.
Speaking of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, I think it's about time we look at the newly released trailer...
Looking good, my friends, it's looking very good indeed. The first review is in (UK's Official Nintendo Magazine), rating it 96%, and while they often show a touch of bias, it at least shows us that this is another traditional Mario instalment we've all been craving so badly.
New Nintendo handheld to be powered by Nvidia
Credit: Develop-Online
The Nintendo DS arrived in stores back in 2004, and with its 5 year anniversary rapidly approaching, many are naturally looking towards the future, especially with persistent rumors pertaining to Nintendo's impending unveiling of a new handheld. While we're some way off of hearing anything official (Nintendo stuck to their guns with the old ‘we don't comment on rumor and speculation' line), reports tell us that computing technology company Nvidia will lend their talents to Nintendo, providing their capabilities for the ‘DS 2' (purely a term of conjecture at this point) by producing a ‘system on a chip' device known as Tegra. For those wanting the specifics, Tegra is an ARM-based processor with on-board GeForce graphics, and can be found in smartphones and devices such as Microsoft's Zune HD. It would be very easy to start speculating what kind of gaming device Nintendo are preparing for us, bearing this information in mind, but with the lack of other details it would be a waste of time, not to mention probably rather damaging, as Nintendo reportedly won't be officially announcing anything until the end of next year.
For those looking for a little more proof than this wild guesswork presents, it should be noted that Nvidia and Nintendo have very recently worked together, with Nvidia providing tools such as the PhysyX SDK to third party developers specifically for use with the Wii. A natural progression would be for the company to add their expertise to Nintendo's handheld division. It's unlikely we'll hear any more on this before the year is out, but I'd keep an eye on those Nintendo trademark updates for clues over the next couple of months.
Week Beginning 10/19/09
~ Quick note before we begin. As you'll read, LostWinds 2 was released this week. It is supposedly fantastic, so I highly recommend you make the purchase. That is all. Proceed!
[VIRTUAL CONSOLE]
~ RYGAR - 600 Wii Points
The Blurb: The year is 19XX A.D. and the human race has been brought to its knees by the resurrected ancient Beast Lord. The people have brought legendary warrior Rygar back to life in order to save the human race. Armed with Diskarmor, a weapon that extends, you'll also make full use of your jumping abilities to venture through and clear all 27 stages. Appearing at arcades in 1986 as a side-scrolling action game, RYGAR received high acclaim for its beautifully rendered graphics, including waterfalls and a setting sun. As extra features, players can collect the five Powers of Indra to obtain special bonuses or gain 1,000,000 bonus points for finding hidden items. Also, the number of lives and the level of difficulty can be altered.
[WIIWARE]
~ LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias - 1,000 Wii Points
The Blurb: LostWinds: Winter of the Melodias is a sequel to the award-winning WiiWare launch title LostWinds. Enril the Wind Spirit returns to protect and guide young Toku by powering his jumps, aiding his glides and smashing his enemies. An evil adversary binds the fate of Toku's mother, Magdi, and the ancient Melodia civilization. To save Magdi, Toku and Enril must face new foes, enlist friends old and new, and wield incredible new powers - including the ability to switch the very seasons themselves - as they explore the diverse, richly interactive Chilling Peaks and Melodia City areas of the magical land of Mistralis. This enchanting, exhilarating, explorative game play experience is bursting with new ideas that make exceptional use of the Wii Remote controller. The awesome power of the Wind is back in the palm of your hand.
~ Shootanto: Evolutionary Mayhem - 500 Wii Points
The Blurb: Battle for the future in a world governed by the law of the jungle. As you move through the stages, your character evolves and your weapons and shooting abilities change. First, throw weapons by hand, then proceed to use tools and different types of projectiles. A cooperative two-player mode is also available. The controls are simple: Move the character with the control stick, adjust the crosshairs with the Wii Remote controller and shoot down targets while dodging enemy attacks. Getting hit by an enemy bullet or touching an enemy close to you will count as a miss. With each miss, you'll lose one heart; losing all hearts will end the game.
[DSIWARE]
~ Crash-Course Domo - 200 DSi Points
The Blurb: In Crash-Course Domo, you'll guide Domo across the finish line in six increasingly difficult bicycle races. Steer Domo around other racers and patches of rough terrain, pedaling as fast as his stubby legs will allow.
~ Hard-Hat Domo - 200 DSi Points
The Blurb: In Hard-Hat Domo, Domo is a construction worker trying to get to the top of a building. Match ladder colors to floor colors - using cans of paint, if necessary - to earn points and continue climbing higher. Reach the top floor to clear each of the four levels of difficulty.
~ Pro-Putt Domo - 200 DSi Points
The Blurb: In Pro-Putt Domo, Domo hits the green in an effort to win the world putt-putt golf championship. Domo competes to finish with the lowest number of strokes in either the nine-hole Small Classic or the 18-hole Big Open tournament. Along the way, he'll collect coins and earn bowls of meat-and-potato stew while avoiding bunkers and water hazards.
~ Rock-n-Roll Domo - 200 DSi Points
The Blurb: In Rock-n-Roll Domo, you'll control Domo as he takes the stage in search of fortune and fame. Hit the right notes in rhythm (using the touch screen, if desired) to rock the house. If your timing needs work, use the mixer to practice songs. Complete five different songs at a series of increasingly larger venues to help Domo become a superstar.
~ White-Water Domo - 200 DSi Points
The Blurb: Take control of Domo as he hops into his kayak and races the river rapids in White-Water Domo. Jump and paddle as you steer Domo through the treacherous rapids in an effort to cross the finish line as quickly as possible. Finish with one of the top three times to proceed to the next stage.
Posted By: Guest#7385 (Guest) on October 20, 2009 at 11:31 PM
What did they expect Dead Space to sell at this time of year?? I would have to guess that a majority of the Wii owners interested in it would likely have a PS3 or 360 that they played the original game on. With that being the case, there have been a ton of games that have came out or are coming out that would justify that users $50-$60 before Dead Space Wii.
They should've released it in the Summer or hold it until Jan-February if they wanted it to get noticed & sell a lot due to some of those gaming drought periods.
Posted By: Byzdalmyt (Guest) on October 21, 2009 at 01:00 PM
there's not gonna be a new console in a couple of years. Mainly because it would be a horrible idea.
Posted By: Big Lantern Ghost (Guest) on October 25, 2009 at 11:22 AM
