Nintendophiles 05.28.08
Posted by Theo Fraser on 05.28.2008
Nintendo withdraw from August’s Leipzig Games Convention, a Pokemon MMO is pitched to the Big N, a look at Viva Pinata DS and the first details on Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia are revealed. Check it all out in this week’s edition of Nintendophiles!
One of my good friends bought the complete Rock Band package on Xbox 360 last Friday, so I've been inviting myself round his house pretty much every day. Simply put, it's awesome (especially as the £180 spent purchasing the entire bundle wasn't MY money). My favorite track right now is Monsoon by Tokyo Hotel, which is only in the European version, although can be bought as downloadable content in the US. It's a good song, very catchy, and easy to pick up, which is especially important for the vocals, as that is the one area that is a little daunting to play if you've never heard that particular song before. The Wii version is out next month, and I'm very tempted by it, but I think that extortionate price tag is going to hold me back. We'll see...
Nintendo pull out of Leipzig 2008
Credit: Next-Gen, CVG
This past week, the decision was made for Nintendo not to attend this year's Leipzig Games Convention, held August 18th-20th. According to the press release,
"During the past months, the company has gained many positive experiences with smaller, local events and national promotional tours, where new gaming concepts for the Nintendo DS and Wii have been presented".
Nintendo are currently on a promotional tour of the UK, promoting the release of Wii Fit, which is all fine and dandy, but it's geared towards a game that is already available for purchase. Much like E3, the whole idea of Leipzig is for games companies to show off the titles they currently have in development, allowing the media to test them out months before they go on sale. So Nintendo are completely missing the point, right? Well, GM of Nintendo Germany, Dr Bernd Fakesch, revealed that,
"In order to inform our media and trade partners about upcoming titles as soon as possible, Nintendo Germany will start a nationwide road show right after E3 2008."
Veeeeery interesting. Could this be the start of a new PR initiative by Nintendo? Will Nintendo of America follow suit? It's certainly an appealing idea, as the hustle and bustle of E3 can be a bit too much for some people, so having the same material ‘on the road' opens up potential for increased exposure, which is always a good thing. In that respect, I can kind of understand their decision, although it very likely came as a bit of a slap in the face for the LGC convenors, especially as they've worked so hard to raise the prestige of the event since its inaugural year in 2002. The Games Convention project director has yet to respond to Nintendo's withdrawal from the event, but we are currently awaiting word, and I'm intrigued to see what tone they take. Will they be pissed off, or are they hoping to ‘part amicably' with the Big N? We'll find out in the coming days.
Pokemon MMO pitched to Nintendo
Credit: Nnooo.com, Cubed3
Quite an interesting one, this, although it very well could amount to nothing. Developer Nnooo (which simultaneously wins the award for both best and worst name ever), previously responsible for Pop on WiiWare, has revealed on their website that they have pitched an idea for a Pokemon MMO to Nintendo, or are at least in the process of doing so. Ever since the Wii's online capabilities were mentioned, the idea of a Pokemon MMO has been bandied around on message boards and video game journalists, as the concept of Pokemon lends itself to the genre tremendously. It's been years since the franchise has had any kind of drastic overhaul, and a transition to an MMO type of gameplay would give the series a much-needed facelift.
Of course, the whole idea is in its infancy right now, and Nintendo may flat out reject the pitch (assuming they're not hard at work on their own Pokemon MMO, that is). If Nintendo were open to the idea, they'd likely buy out the company, as they'd hardly hand over one of their most prized franchises to such a small-time developer. Still, it's far too early to get excited about anything. The Nnooo website indicates that the company has a few ideas for various titles, pitching ideas for an X-men MMO as well as an online multiplayer James Bond title and some kind of Battlestar Galactica game. What's the significance of this, you ask? Well, you have to wonder if the team are simply full of great ideas, or just desperately seeking a high profile project to put themselves on the map. That may be an extremely negative way of looking at things, but it's a gut feeling I'm getting.
Nintendo would never comment on rejected pitch ideas and concepts, but hopefully Nnooo will keep us all updated via their website. Stay tuned, I'll be covering the news on this story as soon as it breaks.
New Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise details emerge
Credit: Nintendo Everything
Development of Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise on the DS is nearing completion, and developer Rare have recently spoken about some of the various features implemented into game to get the hype bandwagon moving.
Fans of the Xbox 360 original will be pleased to know that the proceedings on Nintendo's dual screen are relatively unchanged, albeit with the enhanced form of stylus control, which can be used to draw grass with seed packets, or smack your possessions with a shovel. The shovel is a vital tool, as you'll need it to keep your garden tidy, using it to remove litter and the like.
Much like Nintendogs, you can tickle your Piñatas with the stylus to increase their happiness. Being prodded with a plastic stick isn't really my idea of a good time, but I guess if you're a Piñata then it's pretty damn good. ‘Chocolate Points' are obtained by selling your excess crops, which in turn can be traded in for objects and items that might entice new Piñatas to your garden. And if a poor Piñata dies, he/she/it is transformed into candy! How sweet!
The first visitor to your garden is Whirlm. Willy Builder (the puns there are infinite) takes care of building your house, and if you manage to get two Whirlms to shack up together, they will apparently "romance each other". *Shudders* It doesn't bear thinking about, really...
Aside from that, Rare weren't forthcoming about any other features, although it was noted that whilst you can send your piñatas to your friends via the Wi-Fi connection, no downloadable content will be offered. Hopefully there will be some kind of incentive for trading piñatas between friends, ideally opening up some hidden content. Viva Pinata: Pocket Paradise is scheduled for a release in the Fall, and is looking like a great fit on the DS.
Dracula returns to the DS (again) with Order of Ecclesia
Credit: Nintendo Power
The Castlevania series has found renewed success on the Nintendo DS with Dawn of Sorrows and Portrait of Ruin, both very respectable games and highly thought of by fans and media alike. As such, it should come as no surprise that Konami have given the go-ahead for a third DS outing, entitled Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia. Don't worry if you haven't got a clue what all this ‘ecclesia' stuff is; put simply, the Order of Ecclesia is a group that united after previously unsuccessful attempts at stopping Dracula. How very Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
Plot-wise, the story takes place in the mid 1800s, when one of the Belmonts goes missing. That's never a good sign! Shanoa is the female protagonist of the game, and uses what is known as ‘glyphs' as the source of her power. MP is drained every time she uses these, but it quickly recovers when she is not attacking. The weapons at your disposal will change depending on the environment you find yourself in, linked to your glyphs, as it is these glyphs that take on the shape of your weapon. The massive sword we see Shanoa swing in one of the pictures above is one such glyph.
In terms of longevity, it looks like this one will keep you going for some time, as there are reportedly over 20 locations, plus various sidequests, which are given to you by rescued villagers and taken on through the menu. Aside from Dracula, there will be no returning characters from previous Castlevania entries, which doesn't exactly bode well for that Belmont chap that goes missing at the start.
Regarding multiplayer, there doesn't seem to be anything particularly enticing, but you can start up a little versus competition, where damage received, hits delivered and item usage are all taken into account in order to decide on an eventual winner. Nothing to keep you entertained for hours, but a good distraction from the main adventure nonetheless. This multiplayer offering will be available over Wi-Fi, but so far there is no word on whether it is just limited to local Wi-Fi or if it can in fact be played ‘properly' online.
I'm not the biggest expert on Castlevania, but I have really enjoyed the two DS adventures, so I see no reason why we shouldn't have big expectations for this. Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is scheduled for a release later on in the year.
The 411 Games Crew
Mark Salmela has an update on Resident Evil 5 in this week's B3yond the Report, plus news on Bioshock heading to PS3, GTA IV royalty issues, the latest Playstation Store updates and much more.
Ramon Aranda is Working Out With Wii Fit, chronicling his experience in a 5-part special feature.
Vincent Chiucchi presents the Select and Start News Report, featuring news on Jack Thompson, the future of the Metal Gear franchise, Capcom at the movies and more!
Chris Scott brings you an ode to ROB the Robot in The Red Snifit.
