Nintendophiles 06.28.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 06.28.2007
Bioware jump on board the DS trail of success, as they announce plans to bring a Sonic RPG to the Nintendo handheld! But there are plenty of other huge announcements this week, with news of Contra 4 also heading to the DS, and original downloadable content for Wii users via something called “WiiWare”. It’s all inside!
I'd like to start off by sending out my heartfelt condolences to the remainder of the Benoit family, and all of Chris Benoit's friends and colleagues in the WWE. The news of his tragic death and the surrounding circumstances have still yet to really sink in. Without having Sky TV or full net access, I wasn't aware of the proceedings at the Vengeance pay-per-view or the Raw tribute show, and only found out yesterday morning at an internet cafe, of all places to hear such news. I have a huge amount of respect for Benoit, and his match against Kurt Angle at the 2003 Royal Rumble is my favourite match of all time. As such, I was totally blown away by the news, and at a time like this, all I can do is send out my best wishes to all those who were close to the Crippler.
Any kind of appropriate follow-up to that would be near impossible, so I'm just going to jump straight to the news.
Contra 4 to DS
Credit: CVG
Konami have recently revealed that they are bringing Contra 4 (working title) to the Nintendo DS, slated for a US release sometime later this year.
Contra 4 is a 2D side-scrolling action shooter, set two years after the events in Contra 3: The Alien Wars. This time, the heroes Bill Rizer and Lance Bean have to go toe to toe with a brand new enemy; the Black Viper!
In Konami's press release, the company said that the game "pushes 2D side-scrolling action in an all-new direction with gunplay that spans two full screens, original gameplay mechanics that grant players deadlier abilities than ever before, and frantic multiplayer functionality [for two-player co-op battles]."
Konami also extol the use of the dual screens, which have enabled them to create massive bosses that span both screens, much like in Sonic Rush.
New for the series is the introduction of the Grappling Hook, which will "let players grab onto elements of the environment directly above them." This sounds a lot like how the grapple beam works in Metroid Fusion on the GBA. In Contra 4, the hook can be used as a defensive tool, to hoist yourself out of harm's way, or as a form of attack strategy, to give you the best vantage point over the battle field. Konami promise "dramatic set pieces" as a result of this new addition, so it sounds like you'll be kept on the edge of your seat as you guide Bill and Lance away from the clutches of death to defeat the Black Viper.
The Contra series is [in]famous for being incredibly challenging and are the very definition of ‘hardcore gaming'. Whether or not this will be the case with this latest instalment remains to be seen, but it would be nice to think that this was being produced with the hardcore gamer solely in mind, as opposed to always pandering to the casual gamer, as many developers seem to be doing on the DS at present.
By the sounds of it, Konami are reasonably far in advance in regards to the development cycle, so I'd expect to see this at the ‘E for All' show, possibly in playable format.
Nintendo to unveil ‘WiiWare'; original content up for download on Wii Shop
Credit: CVG
Some pretty huge news here. By the time you read this, things should be official, but as of now the rumour is that Nintendo are about to reveal plans of their "WiiWare" scheme, a new option added to the Wii Shop channel, which will offer brand new, original content for Wii users to download.
Content will supposedly be a mix of games from the big publishers such as Ubisoft and EA (most likely downloadable game demos and the like) and indie developers who don't have the scope to release a game on a national scale.
The games won't be free; like other Wii Shop products, you'll need to spend your Wii Points to get your hands on them. Nintendo will decide on the price of the content as and when it's released. However, they won't have anything to do with the actual content of the games (save for checking for bugs and compatibility issues), meaning that a developer is theoretically free to put whatever they wish up for download. A possible avenue for the release of Manhunt 2, perhaps?
The big question mark is in regards to storage space. The Wii hardware contains 512MB internal memory, which would already be pretty maxed out if you're an avid Virtual Console downloader. So how can this problem be addressed, considering the fact that these original downloads are likely to consume more memory than VC titles? Early rumours regarding Nintendo's plans for the ‘E for All' show next month state that Nintendo will unveil an external hard drive for the Wii. Nintendo originally stated that they had no such plans when the Wii's specs were first revealed, but with the success of the Virtual Console, perhaps Nintendo have had a change of tune? All will be revealed in the coming weeks! Nevertheless, this is really tremendous news, as Nintendo had previously failed to deliver on its promise of original content on the Wii Shop Channel. Now, though, that looks to change in the coming months. The only problem that truly remains now is...how will I afford all those Wii Points?
Bioware head up Sonic RPG on the DS
Credit: IGN, CVG
This one came completely out of the blue, and I'm still reeling from the ramifications! It's like two MAJOR news items wrapped up into a lovely ball of awesomeness. Sonic the Hedgehog is heading into RPG territory...and Bioware are delivering the goods.
BIOWARE, BABY! THE masters of the RPG genre. Knights of the Old Republic, Jade Empire, Mass Effect...the list of quality RPGs made by these guys reads like a Who's Who of RPG gaming. Not to mention the fact that key staff members were involved in the Baldur's Gate and Neverwinter Nights series!
OK, let's look at the facts. Sega wanted to take the Sonic series in a new direction, and Bioware wanted to venture into the handheld market, so it's a natural fit. Sega know how capable Bioware are, being well aware of their previous track record, hence why they are quite so willing to hand over their mascot to the developer for the purpose of this project. In an interview with IGN, Ray Muzyka, CEO of BioWare Corp, had the following to say:
"Above all, we're committed to delivering a deep, compelling, unique and entertaining experience in this first BioWare RPG for DS. There are many fans of Sonic at BioWare and our love for the IP goes way back - I myself have an autographed (by the creators of Sonic) SEGA Genesis which is still plugged in side by side with my 360, Wii and PS3, and the main games I play on the Genesis when I go back to that system are Sonic I and II."
That's always a great start, as from the get-go we know that Bioware have a vested interest in making this project a success; they love Sonic and want to make the most of this opportunity.
I needn't mention the fact that if this sells well (which it will; it's Sonic...and it's Bioware), Bioware will likely be more than tempted to produce even more DS titles, so a handheld KOTOR or Jade Empire aren't completely off the cards. Can I get a hallelujah, sister?
Obviously, a Sonic RPG could be really cool, but I think the thing that has me most excited is just the idea of Bioware developing for a Nintendo platform, and the potential for future partnerships.
Of course, being an RPG, we'll no doubt be subject to all those awful secondary characters from the Sonic universe. Tails is fine, Knuckles I can live with (because echidnas rule!) but Blaze? Geez. Let's hope she gets killed off. Oh, and absolutely NO HUMANS are to be involved! Bioware, do not take ANYTHING from the Xbox 360 game ‘Sonic the Hedgehog'. I will personally come to your headquarters and throw Nintendo-themed goods at your windows, should you piss me off in that regard.
Ideally, I'd like to see a Super Mario RPG influence, with Sonic being forced to team up with Dr Robotnik/Eggman to combat an all-new evil, much like Mario had to join forces with Bowser in the Squaresoft-produced SNES game. Bioware are brilliant at including a wide array of mini-games to distract you from the main adventure, so fingers crossed they bring that trademark staple to the DS.
Some innovative touch-screen side quests and missions wouldn't go amiss either!
The game is due for a 2008 release, so it's very early days yet. The deal was literally formed only the other week, so I wouldn't expect to see any shots or trailers over the summer. The Tokyo Game Show in September is probably a likely date, but I'm open to being nicely surprised! Keep this one on your radar...I smell good things already!
Embrace the Dragon Blade!
A little bit of Youtube theatre for you now, with a quick look at Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, a Wii exclusive scheduled to hit stores in Q3. I'll take a deeper look at this next week, but for now, here's the first official trailer. And how good does it look, eh?
The 411 Games Crew
In the Fun Factor this week, Cory Moore goes to the arcades for a special look at Marvel vs Capcom 2.
Angry Gaming celebrates its 50th edition in style, looking at the survival horror genre, and all the bits you might have missed along the way. Check out the full column as Damian Sarcuni reaches his first 411 milestone.
Sean McCabe takes a break from the gaming world in this difficult week to present a Retrospective look at the life and times of Chris Benoit.
Vincent Chiucchi takes you through the entire Manhunt 2 saga in the latest Select and Start News Report, plus some more hype for all you Halo fans and much more.
The Negative Edge News Report also brings you some news on the Manhunt 2 front, as well as the ESRB (boo!). Plus, Tommy Coloma tells us why Sheng Long wasn't a playable character in Street Fighter: The Movie: The Game! Don't miss it.
