Nintendophiles 07.09.08

Posted by Theo Fraser on 07.09.2008

One week away from E3, Nintendophiles is here to cover all the big stories, from an Elebits sequel on DS, what to expect from Sonic Unleashed on the Wii, and early details on Chrono Trigger DS, to info on a brand new DS RPG and why you should be very excited about it. Be sure to check out the final Pre-E3 instalment of Nintendophiles!




So we are 7 days away from the big E3 extravaganza, and things are really heating up. Despite all the rumors, Nintendo have remained guarded about their first-party line-up, saving that treat for their conference and big unveil next Tuesday. We've speculated enough here in the pages of Nintendophiles, so I'm content for the minute to sit back and await the surprises. Until then, let's take a look at everything Nintendo-related from the past week...



Elebits return in DS sequel
Credit: IGN

After months of rampant speculation (not to mention inevitability, as the franchise was always a natural fit for a handheld platform), a sequel to the Wii puzzle/adventure game Elebits has been confirmed for the DS, entitled Elebits: The Adventures of Kai and Zero, this time with more of an emphasis on the adventuring part.

Very little is known right now, but the game is confirmed to be set after the escapades of the Wii original, and the ‘story' (if you can call it that) follows the plight of the Elebits in finding the ‘Omega Elebits', who give them special powers and abilities, which in turn help you to progress into harder areas of the game. No idea as of yet who these Kai and Zero peeps are though. Gods of the Elebits, perhaps?

Finally, multiplayer modes have been discussed, with both local multiplayer and the Nintendo WiFi connection put to use. A Stateside release date has been pencilled in for sometime this fall, and fans of the original will no doubt be waiting with baited breath. It certainly looks the business if these early screenshots are anything to go by.







Sonic Unleashed on Wii: What to expect
Credit: Nintendo Power

The most recent edition of the official US Nintendo mag, Nintendo Power, features a look at Sonic Unleashed, which is currently slated for a November release on PS3, Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. SEGA have been keen to show off the pretty graphics for the Sony and Microsoft versions, but have been cagey about the Wii iteration. Thankfully, Nintendo Power have blown the cover off, and we now know a tonne of info regarding Sonic's return to the Wii.

In the article, SEGA mention their main aims for the title; that being to maintain Sonic's trademark speed whilst allowing for deeper and more refined gameplay in 2D and 3D, as well as give Sonic some new moves and actions to help freshen up the experience.

The stages of the game will share the same themes as the PS3/360 game, but will feature a different design so as to ‘fully take control of the Wii remote' (read: ‘because the Wii can't manage what we're doing on PS3/360'). Despite what was previously thought, the day and night cycle that will be included in the game won't be dynamic; instead, each event or location will have a set time of day. It should be noted that this applies across the board; the cycle isn't dynamic in the ‘next-gen' versions either, so Wii owners aren't getting stiffed here.

So what's all this about extra emphasis on giving Sonic new actions? All versions will feature the same actions, but on Wii, some of the actions will be mapped to motion control. As well as this, various combat sequences will utilise motion control in both the remote and nunchuk, although this ominously seems like it could end up being a case of "waggle-them-as-fast-as-you-can". I'll reserve judgment until I see it for myself. Quick Time Events are the name of the game as far as branching paths go, and this is likely where the speed element of the game comes in; I'd expect a few on-rails sections to crop up here and there. The emphasis on new moves and actions for Sonic comes to a head with the concept of "Action-Chaining", whereby you are rewarded with extra energy for pulling off ‘combos' of actions, stringing them together, leading into a special move of some kind. Whilst that all could easily end up being developer hyperbole, it's without question a promising dynamic to add to the Sonic formula.

The game will be strictly a single player affair on all platforms, and whilst some may criticise this oversight by SEGA, I am at least grateful that they've been consistent on this aspect. Imagine how pissed off we'd all be if it was JUST the Wii that wasn't getting a multiplayer!

As I mentioned earlier, the game is slated for a November launch, and with the title given top priority in the SEGA booth at E3, hopefully one of our 411 representatives will be able to garner a hands-on preview with the game. Make sure to keep an eye out for that next week when E3 rolls around.




Turn your stylus into a lightsaber
Credit: Gizmodo

Well I've seen it all now. The latest piece of official Star Wars merchandise is a set of light-up Lightsaber styluses for the Nintendo DS. Available from July 31st, these babies cost $16.99, and whilst I was aghast upon seeing that price for what amounts to a little piece of plastic, I've got to admit...they look kinda cool.





And you'll look ultra cool playing Star Wars: The Force Unleashed with REAL lightsabers, so...meh...it could be worth it if you're an avid Star Wars fan. Have they taken your fancy? Head on over to the Amazon.com page and slap down a pre-order!




Mega team assemble for new RPG outing
Credit: Famitsu

When developer Matrix Software announce that they are busy working on a new RPG for the DS, it's usually a cue for us role-playing fans to get excited; after all, the guys at Matrix are the ones responsible for the excellent Final Fantasy III & IV remakes. But then when you hear that Tecmo's Keisuke Kikuchi (famed for his work on the Fatal Frame series) is also on board as the game's producer, and you start to get that giddy feeling that this could really be something special.

Not only that, but the team features members from the original Grandia development team, plus Naoki Morita from Red Entertainment, who is well known over in the East for his role in the Japan-only Sakura Taisen franchise, and will serve as the director for this upcoming project. That's quite an eclectic bunch if you ask me.

Entitled Nostalgio no Kaze (which roughly translates as Wind of Nostalgio), the game is to see a Japanese release this Fall, with publisher Tecmo handling distribution. Assuming they still have workers left by that point.

Set in the 19th century, players will take control of Eddy, who just so happens to be the son of an English adventurer. Eddy's own adventure begins in London and ends up taking him and his crew around the world. As we all know, every adventurer needs a mode of transport, and as you might have deduced from the "Wind" aspect of the title, the power of flight plays a big role throughout the game. Eddy will commandeer an airship early on, and this will be used on the World Map to get you from one place to another, as you'd expect. However, airships will also play a more central role, as you'll need to utilise them for explosive mid-air combat against other gunships and the like. If this works in any similar format to the airship battles of Skies of Arcadia, we're in for a treat, as the Arcadia battles were often a highlight of the game. With the right balance between this and the standard hand-to-hand party-based combat, Matrix Software are surely onto a winner.

Progress is already reportedly at 65%, so the Fall release date is likely to stick. With such promising gameplay and an uber-talented cast of developers, we can only hope that someone sees the sense in bringing Wind of Nostalgio to the West.




Chrono Trigger ‘enhancement' comes to DS
Credit: Cubed3

File this one under the "didn't see it coming" category! Fans had been crying out for Square Enix to bring Chrono Trigger to the Virtual Console, but the Japanese RPG giant has done us one better, unveiling a DS update of the original.

Chrono Trigger is often heralded as one of the finest RPGs in existence, a fact we Europeans bemoan due to the title never reaching these shores. Square Enix evidently realise how treasured the SNES title was and don't want to tinker around with the original too much, which is why they've opted to give us an update, rather than a 3D remake a la Final Fantasy III & IV. However, they've been quick to attest that this is no mere port. Touch-screen functionality has been promised alongside dual screen presentation, and a new dungeon is being created specifically with all of this in mind. Even if it isn't a major overhaul of the game, it's Chrono Trigger, and it's on the DS...you simply don't argue with that.

The debut trailer below shows what you can expect from the DS version. Last week, the official site put up a teaser, showing a graphic of a swinging clock pendulum, and this week the site was updated with the trailer itself, officially confirming the game's existence.





As you'll have noticed at the end of the video, the game is scheduled for a Japanese release this coming Winter, so we're looking at a North American release well into 2009 due to all the localization etc. I dread to think how long it'll take to come out over here in PAL territories, but hell, I've waited 13 years; what's another 1 and a half, right?




The 411 Games Crew

The July Games Roundtable is here! Check out the 411 Games staff's thoughts on all the upcoming game releases this month, as well as a recap of the month that was.

The Full Circle: 360 News Report is brought to you by Joe Roche, who covers everything from a price drop for the 360, Halo Wars being shown at E3, and updates on Smackdown vs Raw 2009, to name but a few topics covered this week.

Derek Robbins and The 10th Hour present the Top 10 Games That Don't Need Sequels.

The Select and Start News Report by Vincent Chiucchi has more on the DS ‘enhancement' of Chrono Trigger, plus Rock Band 2, PS3 firmware updates and discussion on a whole host of other topics!

Mark Salmela presents B3yond the Report in the final step before E3. Look for all the news on LittleBigPlanet, Soul Calibur IV, SOCOM Confrontation and more.


And there we are! In 7 days time, we will know everything that Nintendo has in store for us for the next year. It's a prospect enough to make a grown man salivate! I'm actually going to be in France next week on a two-week little vacation, but the last time I checked, France had internet, so there should be no problem getting a special E3 edition of Nintendophiles up. Au revoir!

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