Nintendophiles 02.28.08

Posted by Theo Fraser on 02.28.2008

Could Valve be developing for the Wii as we speak? It’s entirely possible. Check out that top story, as well as more on Sonic Chronicles, the lowdown on the new “Wii Pay and Play” service, what’s going on with Smash Bros. Brawl in Europe and a look at how the Wii version of Okami is shaping up.






This should have been a very happy time for me, as No More Heroes was scheduled to go on release in the UK tomorrow, but NO! It's been pushed back two WHOLE weeks! Fourteen agonizing more days, I just don't know what to do with myself. I've been playing some killer7 to get me in a suitable SUDA 51 mood, but it's not the same. I want me some Travis Touchdown, damnit!

As far as personal news goes, I made my TV debut last night in an episode of Torchwood, the spinoff of Doctor Who. Sure, I'm on camera for all of 3 seconds, but hey, it's a start! I had a damn good time filming it back in August last year, so it's cool to see it all come together (even if the whole episode was rather kooky). It may have been only 3 seconds but by God, for those 3 seconds I was like TOTALLY awesome. A BAFTA-worthy performance for sure!




New Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood details revealed
Credit: NGamer





As a huge RPG nut and a long-time Bioware fan, my anticipation for the team's upcoming DS Sonic RPG has been high ever since it was first unveiled, which is why I tend to hastily grab any snippet of info regarding the game, treating it as something akin to gold dust. It's no different this time, as new details recently emerged from the Bioware camp, somehow managing to further increase my eagerness to get my hands on this game.

First up, the nature of the story in relation (or should that be contrast?) to previous Sonic games. The game's tone is said to be much darker, although this doesn't really kick in until the second half of the game, after the heroes move away from the more recognisable surroundings that form the basis of the first few chapters, which we've glimpsed in early screenshots. I'm glad to see Bioware taking it in this direction, which should give us one of the freshest Sonic experiences we've played in years. He's been all airy-fairy for far too long; a deeper adventure is certainly called for, and Bioware look to deliver in that respect.

Combat is said to take a page out of the Mario and Luigi manual, putting focus on the timing of your attacks and various context-sensitive reaction tests, all of which are selected from a menu a la most turn-based RPGs. Stylus control is the order of the day, and whilst your basic attacks are merely point and click affairs (i.e. select the Attack option from the menu, sit back and watch the attack unfold), Power Moves are where you'll really do damage (at the cost of draining Fatigue Points) and are suitably the most engaging attacks to pull off. Upon choosing a Power Move, two circles will appear on screen, centred around your foe(s). The outer ring will decrease in size, and when the two meet, simply tap the screen to unleash the attack at full force. Naturally, variations on this method occur as you take on new characters and moves, and special Team Moves will be pulled off in similar fashion, albeit more challenging and draining to do so.

Speaking of stylus control, your basic character movement will be stylus-driven, making the exploration sections feel like Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, which I'm sure you'll agree is no bad thing whatsoever. PH is still widely considered to be the best DS game currently on the market, so taking an aspect from it that works incredibly well is a very smart move.

Finally, it appears that different character stats and abilities will be just as crucial outside of battle as they are in the midst of a horde of enemies. Character-specific context-sensitive areas are littered around the playing field, so you'll have to bring out the required avatar to progress further. As you'd expect, Sonic is key for speed sections, and Tails more than shows his worth in flying sections, but other character abilities aren't quite so obvious and will be revealed down the line. Nice to see that battles won't be the only fully interactive part of the game; you'll have to be thinking on your feet just to get through the overworld! That's a welcome change from the usual "get from Point A to Point B" type of thing that plagues most generic RPGs. Already, Sonic Chronicles is showing flashes of brilliance, and I personally cannot wait to see more.







Fall Brawl for UK Smash fans
Credit: 1UP

I had been trying to ignore the fact that Nintendo hadn't given a solid release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in PAL territories, but in the back of my mind I was admittedly rather concerned. And with good cause, as it turns out!

A recently recorded podcast for 1UP mentioned how Reggie Fils-Aime was asked about the UK releases of Mario Kart Wii and Wii Fit, and why they were being released there before the US. His response was apparently along the lines of "because they won't get Brawl until Fall."

GAH! After hearing that, I spent a full two days in a state of near-paralysis from the shock, and Nintendo were eerily quiet, neither confirming nor retracting Reggie's alleged statement. Eventually, Nintendo DID respond, directly to 1UP, but disappointingly only gave a very vague answer, maintaining that, "A release date for Super Smash Bros. Brawl in Europe has not been announced."

Not really the kind of answer we were looking for, Nintendo. I don't want to look greedy or whiny, as it's awesome that European gamers get to taste Mario Kart and Wii Fit before anyone else in the Western world, but Smash Bros. is easily the Wii's most anticipated title right now, and it's painful to think that we'll be waiting another half a year to get our hands on it. The issue, if there is one, is unknown, but rumors circulated that there simply wasn't the capacity to produce enough copies of the game to satiate worldwide needs (as the title is still doing incredibly well in Japan, and Nintendo are of course gearing up for the massive US launch in under two weeks), and it wouldn't be worth their while opening up a new production factory. Trouble is, Nintendo never like releasing titles over the summer period, as that's typically the poorest time of the year for gaming (thus potentially leading to poor initial sales), so if they can't feasibly get the game to UK shores by June, the Fall launch will almost be a certainty. Of course, if it's not a production issue, it could be to do with localization and/or the PAL Nintendo WiFi Connection (as our internet is, on average, much poorer than others), in which case there's absolutely nothing anybody can do, and it's just a waiting game. I can't see that Nintendo will sit on an official date for too much longer, so let's all hope they take their fingers out and give us something to work towards.




Valve planning to develop for Wii?
Credit: Cubed3





News from the Game Developers' Conference last week continues to trickle out, and an interesting little tidbit worked its way onto the net the other day, as it was reported that Doug Lombardi (Marketing Director for Valve) had mentioned a potential future project for the Nintendo Wii.

Lombardi was asked about Left 4 Dead possibly being brought to the PS3 in the near future, and then went on to speak about various console ports of popular Valve titles (namely the Half Life series) and how they have upped their production of console titles, instead of being solely focused on PC gaming. Doug then went on to say:


"If Valve were to develop in-house for another format, it would be the Wii. It's growing, there's already a huge user-base, and it's fun. Source [Valve's main development engine] is really scaleable. We can do that."


He sounds very confident about the Source engine being successfully utilised for the Wii, which makes me wonder if they've already made preliminary tests and actually have a Wii Source engine up and running. Whatever the case, it's great to see more support for our little white box of joy. I needn't bother talking about how insanely good a Wii-mote controlled version of Portal could be, as that pretty much speaks for itself. On the other hand, I'd love to see what Valve could do unrestricted by the bonds of porting a game that was meant for other platforms, creating a title from the ground up specifically with the Wii in mind. The Valve guys are an extremely talented bunch, with an obvious creative flair, so naturally their first motion-controlled project would have high expectations from the get go. That sets quite a bit of pressure on them, but then again Valve are one of the few development teams that I would fully trust to deliver a top notch experience on their first effort. That's just the way they roll.




Nintendo to introduce "Wii Pay and Play" service
Credit: IGN, Kotaku

In other GDC-related news, Nintendo unveiled plans for a new aspect of the Nintendo WiFi Connection and general internet functionality; the "Wii Pay and Play" service. As the name implies, a small charge would give you access to new content, much like current functionality on Xbox Live and the Playstation Network. It should be pointed out that this will not replace the Nintendo WiFi Connection as it exists right now; it will merely be an additional feature that will be utilised by select games. According to reports, the technology is "retroactive," meaning that upon its launch, we could very well download extra levels or bonuses for Super Mario Galaxy and the like.

Nintendo were quick to state that they don't want to fool their consumers, which is why "Wii Pay and Play" compatible products will carry a clearly marked red "Pay and Play" logo in addition to the standard blue logo that other WiFi connection titles bear.

Scouring the usual message boards after this news hit the web, it seems that gamers were quick to condemn Nintendo's decision to charge for this additional content. But I see no problem in it whatsoever; if anything, it's a good thing in my book. This is not just Nintendo asking you to part with your money for the privilege of playing online; the service appears to be used for extras and bonus content, such as new maps or levels, perhaps a new racer or fighter for Mario Kart or Smash Bros down the line. 360 and PS3 owners were able to download an additional 24 songs for Guitar Hero 3, but Wii owners were left in the dark in this respect. Now, however, this "Pay and Play" service provides us with the opportunity of downloading such material. Sony and Microsoft have used such a system very successfully thus far, so it's only natural and sensible that Nintendo would try to get in on it.




Capcom show off awesome Wii Okami trailer

Pure sweetness right here, folks. Okami looks to have lost nothing in the translation from PS2 to Wii, and with smoother controls and a few added gameplay elements, I can't see this being anything less than an absolute classic. Add this one to the ever-growing list of "Must Buy Wii titles".







The 411 Games Crew

Going 8-Bit debuted in the 411 Games Zone this past week, so let's all welcome writer Jacob Lopez to the team! He kicks off things in grand style, with a look at Nintendo's Gaming Legacy. Obviously, this is your first port of call as a fellow Nintendophile!

Vincent Chiucchi covers all the fallout from the Game Developers' Conference last week in the latest edition of The Select and Start News Report, including a breakdown of the main key note speeches. Make sure you don't miss out on that one.

The SIXAXIS News Report by Mark Salmela covers all the latest Sony news, including the big story of Phil Harrison resigning from the company, and everything from the Sony camp at the GDC event.

Tommy Coloma's Negative Edge News Report looks at Persona 3, in particular the "Dick in a Golden Wheelchair". Enough said, really, go check it out!


That'll wrap things up at this end for now. I bought Final Fantasy XII: Revenant Wings a couple of days ago but have been so busy I haven't had a single chance to play it! I've finally got a spare moment so I think I'll pop it in...

Oooooh, pretty FMVs! *Drool* OK, I think I need some alone time with Vaan and co. now. Um...that didn't sound quite so sleazy in my head. See you all in 7, guys!

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