Nintendophiles 07.05.07
Posted by Theo Fraser on 07.05.2007
I’ve got it ALL for you this week. Metroid? Check. Star Wars? Check. Brand new Wii and DS games? Check and check. That’s a lot of checks...so go ‘check’ it out. Ouch.
Welcome back, Nintendo fans! You join me for another big week of Nintenews, what with the build up to E3, meaning that there are plenty of topics to cover. So I'll save you my usual opening-ranty-thingy (after all, I've gotta get you to come back next week, eh?) and get straight to it.
God of War beater comes to the Wii
Credit: CVG
In last week's news report I showed you a trailer of a brand new game recently revealed on the Wii; Dragon Blade: Wrath of Fire, and promised to talk about it in more depth this week. If you missed the trailer, go back and check it out, as it looks really cool and the gameplay sounds particularly interesting.
It's a third-person action/adventure/fighter (hence the obvious links with God of War) and it promises to use the Wii remote and nunchuk in several innovative ways. Your character seems to employ the use of a massive fire sword that morphs and changes into a variety of weapons and items as you progress. Shown in the trailer, you can see the character go all Prince of Persia: Two Thrones as the sword modifies itself into a fiery whip. It's not clear if this is just for combat or whether you'll actually use it for a spot of acrobatics, but it's cool nonetheless. Another modification sees the sword change into a dragon's head to chomp down on your foes. But easily the best moment in the trailer (and what will likely be a key part of the gameplay) is when the sword sprouts a pair of wings (dragon wings at that!), allowing you to take on the motions of a dragon. And... get this...you'll have to flap the Wii remote and nunchuk up and down, simulating the wing movement, in order to keep yourself in the air. You'll look like a complete wally doing it, but damn, that sounds awesome!
What's more, we're likely to get a cracking good story, as the script is being written by Richard A. Knaak (he of the DragonLance series of books), who also wrote novelizations of Warcraft, Diablo and Age of Conan. It's in pretty safe hands, I think you'll agree.
An estimated release date is set for this Autumn, and I'd certainly expect to see more of this at E3. Development team Land Ho look to have done a tremendous job so far, so let's hope that translates to the final game. I'll be keeping an eye on this, so look for an update in the coming weeks.
Metroid Prime 3 slips a week...but LOOK AT THE PRETTY SHOTS!
Credit: Gamesradar
Yes, after all the excitement surrounding the fact that Metroid Prime: Corruption finally had a solid release date, it has been delayed...again. BUT FEAR NOT! It's only delayed by a week. Retro must be giving it an additional week's worth of awesomeness. So ladies and gentlemen, the date to mark down in your calendars is now August 27th. And anyway, we've waited so long for it, what harm does one more week do?
One more bit of bad news for you before we move on to the good stuff. According to Michael Kelbaugh (CEO of Retro Studios), Metroid Prime: Corruption will not be playable online.
"We opted to devote those resources to making a better single-player experience."
Which would also infer that there isn't a multiplayer of any sort included in the game. Now, I know a lot of people have got their panties in a bunch over this, but to be honest, what's the big deal? Call me crazy, flood my inbox with death threats, whatever, but personally, Metroid has always been a very single-player oriented series. The multiplayer deathmatch in MP2: Echoes wasn't particularly brilliant, so it's not like it was an area I was really looking forward to. I do love the deathmatches on Metroid Prime: Hunters, and in actual fact that could be a good argument against a Wii online mode; the DS game is still very much active online, and is perfectly adequate, so why bother if it will take away from the single player experience? And let's face it, if the single player is as awesome as it's cracked up to be, you really won't give a damn.
Alright, onto more positive matters. I needn't really say anything here, as your eyes have probably already skipped onto the picture below. So I could say anything really. I have a very large penis. Ha.
Good Lord, just look at it. How fantastic is that? "Wii doesn't do next-gen graphics" my white, English ass. I have no idea who that guy is, but he doesn't look very friendly. Judging by the size of him (Him? It?), he's a boss character. What's the betting those big red shoulders are his weak spot? I'd also like to bring your attention to Samus, at the bottom of the screen, who appears in her usual Bounty Hunter garb. Nothing particularly noteworthy in that, but...
TA DAAAAH! Different Suit Samus! In all likelihood, it's still the Varia Suit we're accustomed to, judging by the fact that her orange helmet remains and it's the same shape as her usual costume, but it's all been infected by Phazon. The grey shoulder pads are particularly reminiscent of Dark Samus, so there could be some kind of link there. The ‘backpack' booster jet is also different, presumably Phazon-enhanced, so I'm guessing this is the ultra-powerful version of Samus. Early on in MP3's development, we were told that in the story, Miss Aran gets infected by a large dose of Phazon, which she can utilise to her benefit (giving increased abilities), albeit with the cost of draining your energy. I'm just guessing here, but I'd assume this is what Samus looks like upon operating her Phazon powers. Whatever the case, Samus Aran has never looked this good. Which brings me to my final choice of screenshot for you!
That would normally be a pretty dull screenshot, but LOOK AT THE EYES! The reflection of Samus' eyes on the visor is just tremendous. On the Gamecube, we saw glimpses of her eyes on the odd occasion, but this is on a whole other level. It looks like Retro are really trying to characterise Samus in this game and amp up her personality, which is most important in the run up to the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl and the new Zero Suit Samus character. Plus, it just looks plain breath-taking. This will be one game you won't be ashamed to show your friends.
E3 Titbits
Credit: Cubed3, Wired
The all-new E3 is coming up very shortly, and as usual at this time, rumours are flying around about what the big companies will put up for display. Nintendo are the first to comment on their line-up.
Talking to Wired, Nintendo stated that one of their most eagerly anticipated games, Super Smash Bros. Brawl, will not be playable at the show. Bummer. That's a definite blow to Smash fans, myself included, but Nintendo's reasoning is that they had to cut down what they wanted to show due to the limitations of the scaled back nature of this year's event. Fair enough, I guess. Apparently, Nintendo have other ‘key titles' that they feel deserve the spotlight.
Which brings me to the rumour that Nintendo will be demonstrating Animal Crossing: Wii at the show. With the DS version still selling by the bucket load, this would undoubtedly be classed as a key title. Being a massive fan of Animal Crossing, I of course would be ecstatic to see this appear on July 11th, and can only imagine the possibilities of a Wii version. Digging, picking fruit, maybe even dusting off fossils...all of that seems natural on the Wii-mote. Here's hoping Nintendo deliver the goods and make me a happy and contented Nintendophile.
Another rumoured key title is a Wii iteration of Mario Kart, so if this appears alongside Animal Crossing, I think we can forgive Nintendo for not showing Smash Bros! There have also been hints at Nintendo unveiling a brand new franchise at the show, but that's all I've heard about it.
Lastly, a tiny rumour circulating the web is that Nibris will finally be showing actual in-game footage (possibly in playable format) of their upcoming Wii survival thriller, Sadness. I really, really hope so, as I've been chomping at the bit to see what it's turned out like. Consider my appendages crossed!
Not too far away in a not so distant galaxy...
A couple of months ago, it was rumoured that LucasArts were planning a Wii lightsabre game to fulfil all the Star Wars fanatics' wildest dreams. In some minds, using the Wii remote to wield your very own lightsabre is what the Wii was invented for. Now, it's all been but confirmed, thanks to the events at the Hollywood & Games Summit in LA last week. LucasArts boss Jim Ward was asked about the possibilities of a Wii lightsabre game, and any developments regarding the matter, to which Ward replied:
"We're all over that, and internally we have already played a lightsabre game on the Wii. It's a lot of fun, and we'll get there."
YESSSSS! Tremendous news for a lot of people, I'm sure. Ward went on to say that the game's concept is pretty much all worked out, and said for us to keep our eyes open this Autumn. I very much doubt that's a projected release date, but possibly when we'll see the game in playable format. LucasArts usually like to deliver big time at E3, so let's keep optimistic that something will turn up at this year's show in two weeks.
DS finds its C.O.R.E.
Credit: CVG
I really like the sound of this one. Created by new Polish developer No Way Studio, this first person shooter is set in the year 2050, where top secret research is being carried out in an underground US facility (presumably something along the lines of Area 51) on the effects of a meteor strike a few years back. Cue all kinds of un-earthly beings trying to rip your face off.
Whilst I may cry in anguish at the surfacing of ANOTHER t.i.t.l.e.w.i.t.h.l.o.t.s.o.f.f.u.l.l.s.t.o.p.s (solely because they're an awful pain to type out each time), this looks like an extremely promising project from the get-go. From a purely aesthetical point of view, it's terrific, with dark and dingy corridors and incredible attention to detail. This, alongside Metroid Prime: Hunters, shows that the DS really knows how to pull off a beautiful looking FPS game. The Hunters reference is no coincidence, as C.O.R.E. will supposedly play a lot like Samus' first DS outing in regards to the control scheme, making use of the dual screens and touch screen features.
The studio's team leader, Lukasz Zarnowiecki, said that C.O.R.E. will include "a multitude of weapons, eerie enemies and primarily groundbreaking gameplay and original storyline". Personally, I would have steered away from the ‘groundbreaking gameplay' tag, as that's always cause for trouble, but it's great to see their enthusiasm, and even greater that the DS is getting a game targeted primarily at the more hardcore gamers. C.O.R.E. will be playable at the Leipzig Games Convention in August, with a scheduled release date pencilled in as Q4 2007. This should keep you going through the cold, winter nights.
The 411 Games Crew
Fact or Fiction, presented by Tommy Coloma, brings together Steve McHugh and Jay Bryant to bat heads and discuss the week that was in the gaming community.
Vincent Chiucchi brings you the Select and Start News Report, which includes a Rockstar-fest, with more news in the Manhunt 2 saga, and most importantly the new GTA IV trailer. Read it. Watch it. Love it.
Tommy Coloma covers more on Metroid Prime 3 not having an online multiplayer, as well as a big Capcom announcement. All of that and more are in this week's edition of The Negative Edge News Report
Elebits is the subject of choice this week in Cory Moore's The Fun Factor, so make sure you check that one out.
James McGee is looking out for the little guy in The Game Plan in the latest edition of his column, applauding the Big Three for their support of smaller developers.
Concerning next week's edition, I'm not entirely sure what's going to happen, as I'm actually supposed to be filming for the majority of next week. I've got a small part in the film "Brideshead Revisited" and the filming is over the next two weeks, so it's hard to tell at this point how much free time I'll have (and more importantly, how much internet access I'll have). I'm hoping to get one up, being that it's E3 week, but keep an eye on my Blog, and I'll try and update everyone. Whatever the case, I'll see ya soon!
