Nintendophiles 07.19.07: The E3 Edition
Posted by Theo Fraser on 07.19.2007
E3 has been and gone, so it’s time to look back and reflect on all the major announcements to come out of the show. From the surprise of Bee Mario to
the welcoming of the next Mario Kart instalment, Nintendophiles is here to break it all down.
Well there you have it, another year, another E3 done and dusted. Before we get to the bulk of today's news, I'd like to direct your attention to Ramon Aranda's report of the Nintendo Conference at E3, as I'll be dealing with a lot of issues and stories stemming from that event. It would therefore be a good idea to familiarise yourself with the events and announcements that took place, courtesy of Mr Aranda's report.
We'll kick things off with Nintendo's big announcement at the end of their conference; Wii Fit and the Wii Balance Board.
So, as you'll have read from Ramon's report, Wii Fit is the latest Nintendo title to bring even more mainstream appeal to the console. Packaged with the Wii Balance Board, it will measure your weight and how your balance shifts. A glorified (wireless) scales, really. From the looks of it, you'll do a full body workout, utilising the Balance Board so as to record your sets/reps by means of an on-board pressure sensor. Whilst it's not a ‘game' per se, it's a brilliant move on Nintendo's part, capitalising on the whole Healthy Living lifestyle craze. Video games won't just be for greasy slobs; games like Wii Fit will be a viable alternative to a session at the gym, with less grunting and naked men. If it catches on like Wii Sports has, the Wii's mainstream appeal is going to skyrocket.
I know a lot of negative comments have been made about Wii Fit, such as how Nintendo are once again taking a step away from hardcore gamers, but I'd like to point out that we've only seen ONE title demonstrated that uses the Balance Board. Assuming Nintendo give the specs and some dev kits of the Board to third party developers, we could see some great things come of it. I imagine EA could do wonders with the board, especially for an SSX title, with you controlling your jumps with your feet on the board, spinning the Wii-mote in your hands to perform tricks. It could give an added level of immersion you couldn't possibly find on rival consoles. Wii Fit is bound to be cool, but I'm more interested in seeing what other developers come up with that utilise the Balance Board.
Lets-a go! It's Mario Kart Wii!
It had been rumoured for a while, and finally those rumours were confirmed at the E3 Nintendo press conference, as Nintendo revealed Mario Kart Wii for the very first time, albeit only in brief video form. Here's a shot of Reggie demonstrating the game at the conference, courtesy of the Mario Kart Wii forums.Not the greatest of shots, admittedly, but official screens are coming soon.
Very little was revealed, but a release date of early 2008 has been set, suggesting that progress is reasonably advanced in the game's development. Reggie Fils-Aime confirmed that the game will be online capable, which is tremendous news. It seems like Nintendo have pulled their finger out and are really taking the online market seriously. Let's just hope we don't have to use stupid Friend Codes though!
In regards to online play, Reggie commented on an online Battle Mode, which is presumably the same deathmatch-style Battle Mode from previous Karts, requiring you to use different Mario-themed weapons to destroy your opponent's 3 balloons. Previously, Battle Mode had been restricted to 4 combatants, so if we can up that count to something like 8, the online Battle Mode will be an absolute blast.
Also announced as part of the Mario Kart demonstration was that the game will ship with a brand new Nintendo-endorsed steering wheel. The Wii already has a third-party steering wheel, but it's rather crap, so I'm interested to see how Nintendo's offering will compare. Mario Kart GP Arcade uses a steering wheel and is a lot of fun, so it's certainly a promising concept.
Stealing the show...AGAIN!
Credit: IGN, Gamesradar
Anyone who visited the Nintendo quarters at E3 will tell you that Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption were the A-list stars of the show. From testing out Samus under her new Hyper Mode powers to Mario sprouting little wings and growing a furry black and yellow body, both demos were chock-a-block full of moments that wowed gamers, and it's clear that these two titles are the Wii's next killer apps.
There a numerous hands-on reports of both games floating around the web, so for an in-depth look into either game, go look those up. However, I realise that might be a bit daunting, as some reports go on for pages and pages about one tiny area of the game, so for the benefit of those who want a quick reminder of what to check out in more detail, read on.
Obviously, the big thing coming out of the Galaxy demo was Mario's transformation into Bee Mario. Bee Mario gets a massive thumbs up from me, reminiscent of Raccoon Mario, whom I had an unhealthy obsession with. As long as it's not overused, Bee Mario looks to be a great gameplay mechanic, with Mario able to hover/fly for a short period of time to reach higher levels. Luckily, Bee Mario probably won't be overused, as in the demo, the section occurs in an area named Honey Bee Galaxy, so I'd imagine this is the only galaxy in which it works. Of course, that begs the question...what other Mario powers await us? It's all very exciting, isn't it?! And gosh darn, doesn't ickle Mazza look cute in his Bee suit? Altogether now...AWWWW!!
Aside from Bee Mario, we finally had confirmation that yes, indeed, Super Mario Galaxy will be two-player enabled. Right now, it appears to be part of a co-operative mode, with the second player in charge of another on-screen pointer (directed by the Wii remote), which can help Mario by freezing enemies, pulling coins towards the player, destroying objects, and firing Star Gems at anything in Mario's path. The system wasn't working brilliantly at E3, but that's highly likely to be because of simple bugs which will be ironed out later. First reports indicate that it's all a bit limited, but it's possible that Nintendo just wanted to show off the gimmick, and will work on implementing it fully in the coming months. Stay tuned on that one!
One very insignificant area that nonetheless caught my eye were the water effects in the background. Everyone and their mother have commented on how good Super Mario Galaxy looks, marking it akin to some lower-end Xbox 360 titles, but it was the water that really impressed me, especially when you see the game in motion. In the Honey Bee Galaxy portion, there's a section where Bee Mario is floating around, making his way up onto higher platforms, and below him on the ground level is a fountain, with a circular stone wall surrounding it. The water constantly ripples as the fountain passes more and more water into it, and it just looks beautiful. That kind of detail alone makes this easily the best looking Wii game we've yet to see.
But hold your horses! Best looking Wii game? That should probably read "Best looking Wii game...apart from Metroid Prime 3: Corruption!"
"Stunning." "Amazing." "Dazzling." "Incredible." Each of these words have been used to describe MP3 in regards to the graphics, thanks to last week's E3 demo. Whatever the choice of words, it looks good! But it's not the visual presentation that you should be concerned with. No, it's the fact that nearly every single person who went hands-on with the game has said that the control scheme is near perfect. THIS is your revolutionary FPS...eat THAT, Halo 3!
Gesture motions have been intuitively added, so that there's plenty of opportunity to use them, but not so much that it gets tiring or boring or gimmicky. We already know about twisting the Wii-mote to turn handles and open doors, but how about the simple flick of a gesture to switch visors, pressing the minus button along with a directional motion. From what we've seen, MP3 has a heavy focus on technology, which I feel is reflected in this gesture-based system. Flicking the remote to select a visor just seems a lot like flicking a switch on a control panel. If you're aware of little things like that, you'll be sucked into the game's atmosphere, and Corruption will be all the better for it.
The lock-on function has been altered and sounds equally well-implemented. Pressing the Z button on the nunchuk will lock an enemy to the centre of your visor, just as the lock-on system worked in Prime 1 and 2. Here, however, your reticule will still be free to move, allowing you to make pin-point accurate shots; especially important when trying to focus on boss character weaknesses. With this in place, combat should never be a chore, allowing you to rack up headshots to your heart's content.
Finally, the other noticeable feature of Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is the atmosphere, and how it has been significantly ramped up over Samus' previous adventures. You're not the sole human in the galaxy anymore; you'll frequently bump into Fleet Troopers who engage you in conversation, even relating back to Samus' prior exploits, congratulating her for her efforts. The Metroid universe doesn't seem so bleak; you're not just fighting for your own existence. This time, you're part of a much larger battle of epic proportions. Voice work makes a welcome debut to the series, and gives the game a very cinematic feel. Samus naturally stays mute, but her surrounding companions chatter away, giving you background info and helping to progress the story. You'll feel a sense of camaraderie, which in turn gives you more of a purpose; you're fighting in this war against Dark Samus for their freedom, not just your own.
Corruption launches across North America on August 27th, a little over a month from now. You lucky, lucky people. Unfortunately, the European release has been pushed back until October. I REALLY do love England...*sigh*
Animal Crossing invades Super Smash Bros Brawl!
Looks like this is the nearest I'll get to Animal Crossing Wii for the time being (Yes, I am still bitter that there was no ACWii at E3. Damn you, Miyamoto, DAMN YOU TO HELL!). But what a tremendous idea this is! With Animal Crossing obviously having no combat, I never imagined the cast of characters having anything to do with Brawl, but this brings them into it perfectly.
The time of day and season the stage is played in changes according to when you play it (just like the real Animal Crossing), meaning that this will be a stage you'll come back to constantly throughout the year. But the best part? Play the game on a Saturday evening between 8pm and midnight, and look who comes to visit...
KK SLIDER IN DA HIZZLE~! I am praying you still get to hear his songs. Oh, this is just great. Life is wonderful right now!
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings US localization changes
Credit: IGN
IGN recently conducted an interview with FFXI:RW director and producer, Motomu Toriyama and Eisuke Yokoyama, regarding the game's US launch this Fall. Revenant Wings received rave reviews upon its April Japanese release, but it seems as though quite a bit has been changed since then.
For a start, the overall game balance has been heavily tweaked to suit the more RTS-familiar US territory. RTS games have typically sold very poorly in Japan (and that's if they're released at all), so Square Enix made adjustments to simplify proceedings for the Japanese newbies. For the NTSC version, the difficulty has been slightly increased, a brand new deeper dungeon has been added (for all the level-crunchers out there), new harder enemy units have been introduced, and enemy AI has been tweaked via new enemy gambits (which should be familiar to those who have played the game's older brother on PS2). Oh, and a new boss in the form of Yazmat has been added. Cool.
The guys were asked about the Square Enix initiative to develop epic RPGs on portable systems, and Toriyama had a very interesting response; "Right now we're in a trial phase and are experimenting." So FFIII, FFXII: RW, FFCC: Ring of Fates, and in theory FFIV, all on the DS, are still experiments? Considering how good they are (and how good they probably will be, in the case of FFIV), this is great news. What tricks are Square Enix keeping up their sleeves? Are there plans for a Final Fantasy DS game that properly uses the touch screen?
Also of note is that due to time constraints and the size of the DS cartridge, various implementations had to be dropped. Ideally, they had wanted to get voice acting in there, as well as some multiplayer elements. But the good news is that they'll be considering them for future titles. Mistwalker's A.S.H. (Archaic Sealed Heat, of which I featured in last week's Nintendophiles) will utilise a 2GB DS cartridge; the first of its kind (other DS games typically come on 1GB carts). It's possible that Square Enix could start using 2GB carts, in which case voice acting would certainly be feasible.
Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings is a fantastic looking game, certainly one of the prettiest DS titles currently on offer. The soundtrack is particularly of note, being of standard Final Fantasy high quality, so fans should definitely want to check that out. The game launches November 20th, and I'd recommend it to both FF fans and gamers wanting to try out a more approachable real-time strategy game.
Boogie on down to these tracks!
Credit: NGamer
Preview copies of upcoming Wii title Boogie have received rave reports, and already it is being hyped as "the next Guitar Hero." The game is out next month, but in the mean time, check out the full track list of what you'll be boogying away to this Summer. Naturally, all the songs will be covers/tributes, due to licensing issues.
ABC- Jackson 5
Don't Cha- Pussycat Dolls
Oops! I Did It Again- Britney Spears
Dancing Machine- Jackson 5
I Want You Back-Jackson 5
Kung Fu Fighting- Carl Douglas
Mambo No.5- Lou Bega
Milkshake- Kelis
Slave 4 U- Britney Spears
You're the One That I Want- John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John
Brick House- The Commodores
Canned Heat- Jamiroquai
Fergalicious- Fergie
Get Right- Jennifer Lopez
Get The Party Started- Pink
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun- Cyndi Lauper
Groove Is In The Heart- Deee-Lite
Karma Chameleon- Boy George
Let's Get It Started- Black Eyed Peas
Pop Muzik- M
Stars- Simple Red
That's The Way (I Like It)- KC and the Sunshine Band
U Can't Touch This- MC Hammer
Virtual Insanity- Jamiroquai
Walking On Sunshine- Katrina and the Waves
We Are Family- Sister Sledge
Baila Me- Gypsy Kings
Celebration- Kool and The Gang
Le Freak- Chic
Love Rollercoaster- Ohio Players
One More Time- Daft Punk
YMCA- Village People (AWESOME!!)
It's Raining Men- The Weather Girls
One Way or Another- Blondie
Bonus Tracks
Dancing In The Street- Martha and the Vandellas
Boogie Oogie Oogie- A Taste of Honey
Love Shack- The B-52s
Tu Y Yo- Thalia
SOS (Rescue Me)- Rihanna
That's a great line-up if you ask me; all the golden oldies and a few chart hits thrown in to appeal to the preteens. And Britney Spears. Anyway, seems like Boogie is definitely going to be a blast if the soundtrack is anything to go by. I can see my lunchbreaks slipping away from me...
The 411 Games Crew
Jordan Williams has more on the fallout from E3 in the latest edition of Working Title
The Negative Edge News Report features everything you're not talking about. Huh? Tommy Coloma shows us everything from Peter Moore's resignation to the negative impact of MySims on Wii and DS.
Mike Minotti fills in for Andrew Mellick this week, presumably as Mellick had a seizure after seeing the awesome MGS4 trailer. So, the Minotti SIXAXIS brings to you all the Sony news on Kojima's last Metal Gear game, a slimline PSP, Unreal Tournament 3 being time exclusive and much more!
Sean McCabe rounds up his SNK season in the latest Retrospective.
