Nintendophiles 09.24.08

Posted by Theo Fraser on 09.24.2008

Nintendophiles resurfaces on 411mania to bring you the first ever details on GTA: Chinatown Wars for the DS! Plus, more Final Fantasy coming to WiiWare, the latest Sonic Unleashed Wii info, Phantasy Star Online makes its DS debut, and new Tom Clancy Wii titles are in the pipeline. Check out this week’s edition to fulfil all your Nintendo needs!





First of all, a huge thank you to Mark Salmela for filling in for me two weeks ago at very short notice after Drew Robbins had some computer issues (and big thanks also go out to him, as he'd 99.9% written that week's Nintendophiles, only for Word to scrap it all, just for funsies). Of course, the column was bastardised with B3yond the Report shenanigans, not to mention showing a picture of the Legend of Zelda Phillips CD-i game, which in some circles is pretty much akin to bringing up the subject of rape and child molestation at a five year old's tea party (or so I would imagine...I have never actually brought up such a topic in those circumstances) but then all was forgiven as soon as I laid eyes upon a Lolcats picture. Many a hungover morning has been spent trawling through various Lolcat sites (so much so that my cookies may have begun to resemble that of a cat fetishist's), so I was positively overjoyed. Anyway, props to Salmela for stepping up to the plate, and I'll be happy to return the favour down the line...although his readers will be subjected to eleventy bajillion Dixie Kong pictures.

Secondly, major apologies to all of YOU, as 411 Games went without a Nintendophiles submission last week. As I mentioned 3 weeks ago, I was in the process of moving to my new university accommodation and didn't have the internet set up, and I got muddled up about which weeks I had arranged cover for. Nevertheless, I'm back for a massive dollop of Ninty goodness this week, so sit back and let the week's glorious Nintendo news wash over you like a...like a...cool breeze? After 3 weeks I seem to have lost the ability to think up metaphors...




First Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars details unveiled
Credit: Nintendo Power

Even the most optimistic of Nintendo fans would be hard pressed to call Nintendo's E3 2008 anything more than a ‘mixed bag', but let us not forget that it heralded the sensational announcement that Grand Theft Auto was coming to the Nintendo DS. Speculation over what form the title would take has been rampant in recent months, but the waiting is over as Rockstar revealed the exclusive details to Nintendo Power. Unfortunately, at present there are no official screenshots, but quite a few magazine scans have been making the rounds, so you shouldn't have to look too hard to find them if you're desperate to check out how it looks.



Yeah, this is still the only thing even remotely resembling something 'official'


Now then, to all you GTA fans out there; breathe a sigh of relief. Chinatown Wars doesn't stray too far from the usual formula at all; it's your typical sandbox, open environment, which means you can expect all the staples you're used to from the Playstation (and now Xbox 360) predecessors. How have Rockstar managed to do all this on the DS? Well, the game takes on an isometric camera view (don't worry, it's really not as bad as it sounds and is actually more top-down than you'd expect), and the graphical style is unlike anything Grand Theft Auto has ever attempted, with the visuals being cel-shaded. Objects, cars, characters and the like are all distinguished from the backgrounds via black borders, so it will always be clear what you're looking at. It's hard to describe the graphical style without seeing it for yourself, but personally I think it looks wonderful, and the cartoonish cel-shading fits the tongue-in-cheek nature of the game to a tee.

Being a DS title, you'd naturally expect some form of touch-screen implementation, and Rockstar have really jumped on board with this feature, making it an integral part of the game. The touch screen interface is presented like a PDA, which you'll use to send emails, store contacts, navigate the city map (the proceedings take place in the familiar setting of Liberty City), activate GPS, and managing the protagonist's stats. These statistics can then be transferred to the Rockstar Social Club via Wi-Fi, which is a neat little feature, although this is the only thing we know about Wi-Fi and any sort of multiplayer as of yet.

"Tasteful" touchscreen minigames are in, and I love the way they've stressed the ‘tasteful' part; no Hot Coffee incidents here, thankyouverymuch. The Nintendo Power scans show you having to turn the keys in the ignition to start a car via swipes with the stylus. As long as they don't become an annoyance, little touches like that should help to make the game intuitive and reasonably deep.

To make the game more ‘on the go' friendly, each mission will have a shorted play time than the ones you'll find in console GTAs, and will have more of an arcade feel. Also, if you happen to fail a mission, you'll be given the option to jump straight back into the action, instead of having to go through the whole rigmarole of activating the mission and driving to the required destination again, as is usually the case. I've been crying out for a feature like this, so this is definitely a welcome addition.

Rockstar are boasting no load times or frame-rate issues, which is quite a feat considering the number of pedestrians and cars capable of being displayed on screen at any one time, not to mention the presence of real-time weather effects and a 24 hour day/night cycle. The majority of Liberty City as we have come to know it has been recreated in cel-shading, although alternative routes have been put in place to accommodate the handheld system. Clearly, Rockstar are pushing the hardware, and all the signs are there for Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars to become one of the most technically impressive DS titles we've yet seen. The company always deliver a great debut trailer for the GTA series, so expect that along with some in-game footage to follow in the coming weeks.


As an interesting side-note, Rockstar co-founder Dan Houser recently commented on why the decision was made to develop for the DS instead of the Wii with regards to the GTA franchise, and his remarks make a future Wii iteration doubtful.


Houser: It didn't feel natural to us, I guess. It really was that the DS felt like it had a lot of interesting challenges that would be totally different from what we'd done in the past.

The stylus and the chance to use mini games in that way was really interesting and exciting to us, and we thought we could integrate seamlessly between those two modes. And it would be the chance to make something really good on a handheld with our handheld-focused team.

That was really why we went that way. We haven't really done any concrete, major thinking about the Wii, one way or another. They're sort of separate issues.




Sonic and the ‘Werehog' give Unleashed new gameplay mechanics
Credit: Nintendo Power

Sonic Chronicles has been completed and is due to ship this coming Monday for the DS, and I am absolutely psyched about that one as I am a self-professed BioWare fanboy. Yeah, seriously, they could offer me a steaming turd in a DS case and I'd probably still praise them to the moon. Still, the ‘Dark Brotherhood' isn't the only Sonic title we can look forward to over the next few months, as Sonic Unleashed is gearing up to give console owners their dose of the Blue Hedgehog this Christmas.

Much of the talk concerning the title up until now has revolved around the 360/PS3 iterations, with SEGA staying relatively quiet on the Wii front. Admittedly, that can often be a cause for worry (TNA iMPACT I'm looking at you…although that's not as if the next-gen versions are particularly better) but in this case it doesn't seem so. SEGA have evidently spent the time hoping to perfect two different control schemes and gameplay mechanics, which were featured in this month's issue of Nintendo Power magazine, finally giving Nintendo fans an in-depth look at what they can expect. So let's break down what we now know.





Your time throughout Unleashed will be split between Sonic's two personalities; ‘normal' Sonic, and the Werehog (the evil, shadowy version of Sonic we saw in early artwork for the game, also pictured above). It is currently not known exactly how much time you'll spend with each personality, although it has been revealed that Sonic only transforms into Werehog at night. Judging by the deep control system employed in the Werehog sections, it looks like the split will be roughly 50/50.

Unlike Sonic's previous Wii outing Sonic and the Secret Rings, the SEGA mascot won't be on-rails this time; you'll be able to move him around with the nunchuk's control stick, with the Wii remote's A button letting you jump. Sonic fans can sleep easy tonight; there's still lots of jumping to do! The series' trademark sense of speed is retained, and will be enhanced with the presence of new abilities, such as the Quick Step and Drift manoeuvres. Quick Step is a particularly welcome addition if you ask me, taking the form of a simple side dodge, performed by holding B and tapping the control stick in the direction you want to dodge. Remember how in the original Sonic titles, you'd build up to a crazy-fast pace, only to crash straight into the path of an enemy without any warning? Unleashed gives you one last tool of defence, assuming your reflexes are lightning quick. Drifting is basically a device allowing you to maintain your speed as you turn corners, activated with either B or Z, depending on which way you intend to drift. It's not clear why this might be important, although I'd assume there will be a few levels against the clock, and this ability will stop you from losing a few precious seconds here and there.

It's the Werehog's control scheme that really seems to put the Wii's motion sensing capabilities to use for both combat and exploration purposes. Playing as the Werehog in the game's third-person perspective sections, hand-to-hand combat plays a significant role, with the nunchuk and remote controlling his/its left and right hands, respectively. Chain your hits together to rack up some combos and deliver special blows. Simple to get the hang of, but what separates it from deteriorating into a mere hack-n-slash affair? The Z trigger helps to block enemy attacks, giving you the perfect opportunity to perform a grab and/or throw with the B trigger, at which point you can literally throw your opponent with a swing of the remote. This should provide an extra dimension to the proceedings.





Other remote functionality includes climbing poles with a hand-over-hand gesture, raising the nunchuk and Wii remote in turn to physically enact the motion of climbing, as well as the ability to raise gates by pulling both devices sharply upwards simultaneously. But the coolest of all has got the be the facility to grab onto midair enemies and swing from them, using the Wii-mote like a pendulum to build up some momentum before flinging Werehog up to higher levels.

With the title headed towards a November release date, I'd certainly feel a lot happier had I seen more of the game by this point. Of course, we've seen bugger all on Disaster: Day of Crisis, and the first reviews from Japan have been incredibly positive, so it's not unfeasible that this will still rock your socks off. My main concern at this point is how much depth there will be to the game; the ‘normal' Sonic levels sound like they'd be great in short bursts, and controlling Werehog may be fun at first, but I get the feeling they'd both quickly lose their novelty. I hope I'm wrong about that, as it's about time consoles get a really good Sonic game again. Sonic has been gold on the DS in the past few years, so it shouldn't be asking too much to get that translated to the bigger screen.



Final Fantasy IV-2 on WiiWare?
Credit: Cubed3, RPGsite.net

Final Fantasy IV for the DS only arrived on UK shores a mere two weeks ago, but if this latest rumor is to be believed, I better hurry up and complete it quickly, as a full-blown sequel could be winging its way to the WiiWare service in the near future.





The screenshot pictured above is from the Japanese mobile-only game, Final Fantasy IV: The After, where you play as the son of Cecil and Rosa, the two main characters of the original. The game is available in episodic format (making it ideal for WiiWare), and with over 1 million downloads to its name, it's safe to say it's pretty popular. Whilst the West has been left in the dark, Square Enix are looking into doing something about this.

In an interview with RPGsite.net, Square Enix representative Takashi Tokita (who has worked on all FFIV projects) was asked if Final Fantasy IV would ever be remade again on next-gen console, touting the success of the recent DS remake as indicative of the current market. Tokita responded,


We just remade it, so it's a bit of a stretch... [Laughs] Currently the sequel, FINAL FANTASY IV the After: Tsuki no Kikan is available for mobile phones in Japan. We'll do our best to make this game available for our overseas audiences as well!


Now here's where it all gets a bit sticky. RPGsite.net claim that off the record, Square Enix mentioned that there is a strong possibility of bringing FFIV: The After to the WiiWare service, thus allowing the title to be played worldwide.

If the title were to be released, WiiWare is absolutely perfect. FFIV has now been remade for the GBA and the DS, so it would be a bit cheeky of Square Enix to expect fans to pay full-price for a sequel that only builds upon the original in terms of storyline. As a WiiWare product, going for around 700-800 points an episode, I'd find it a much easier chunk to swallow.




DS gets Phantasy Star reboot
Credit: PSO-World, Nintendo Dream

We've known for some time that the Phantasy Star series was coming to the DS, but details were scarce. Japanese publication Nintendo Dream were able to gain a first look at the title, and thanks to various net translations, we are able to bring you everything you need to know about Phantasy Star Zero and why fans should start getting excited this instant.

The first significant development is that SEGA are hoping to broaden the franchise's appeal, opening the game up to those who have never played a Phantasy Star game before. This is partly why the DS platform was chosen, as it has one of the largest, most widespread and diverse audiences around. As such, the game is set in a brand new world with fresh characters, and the series overhaul is reflected in the ‘Zero' portion of the title.





It certainly looks pretty, doesn't it? That's bound to be a catch for some of the graphics-whores out there, but SEGA are hoping to attract gamers with the title's unique gameplay and MMO features. Whilst voice chat hasn't made the cut, the game will include a mini Pictochat of sorts, replacing the old Symbols chat system, allowing you to draw/write/scribble whatever you want before broadcasting it to the players in your local vicinity.





Wi-Fi options haven't been fully disclosed, but apparently you'll be able to play with people you've never met before; whether or not this means Friend Codes are out the window is another matter, but at least it sounds as if it will be relatively straightforward to take the game online and interact with your fellow Phantasy fans. PSZ (PS0 I suppose) launches in Japan on Christmas Day, which roughly translates as a Summer 09 Stateside release.




Tom Clancy games coming to Wii…eventually
Credit: Game Daily



Perfectly suited for motion control, could H.A.W.X. make an appearance on Wii?


Are you a fan of Tom Clancy games? Feeling betrayed that the Wii has been left in the dark? Fear not, my modern warfare-minded friend, as Ubisoft frontman Yves Guillemot has confirmed that some kind of Tom Clancy title will make its way to the Wii at some point; they're just not entirely sure when or what it will be.


Guillemot: Tom Clancy will appear [on Wii] at one point. We need to make sure they [look good]. We have engines that were created for the next-generation consoles. We had to re-engineer a certain number of engines to be sure we could use the quality of the machine. Even without the [high-end] graphics, the experience can still be very interesting. ... To make sure we can create good enough products [on Wii] or products better than Nintendo's takes time. That's why you don't see many products, but you will see more and more in the future.


Hmm, promising. Splinter Cell: Double Agent was the last (well, first and only) Clancy title to appear on Wii, but Ubisoft messed up the controls as they weren't terribly familiar with this whole motion-sensing lark back then. There's been no mention of Conviction being ported across, so are we in store for a Wii-excusive Clancy title, built from the ground up? That would really be the best case scenario, so let's hope Ubisoft take their time with this one and give us something that might match the heights of recent Clancy titles on other platforms.




The 411 Games Crew

Vincent Chiucchi's Select and Start News Report brings you a ton of Mega Man 9 news, Sony's legal issues regarding God of War, complaints against EA for their DRM inclusion with Spore, the EA/Take-Two buyout and much more!

Joe Roche has another edition of The Full Circle: 360 News Report, covering the past 7 days in the world of the Xbox 360.

Wario and Kirby return to store shelves, as detailed by Drew Robbins in this week's Coming Attractions.

Derek Robbins takes you through the Top 10 Most Important Gaming Franchises Today in the latest edition of The 10th Hour, and if you're familiar with Derek's various likes and dislikes of the gaming industry, I think you'll be very surprised by the results!

Achievement Unlocked by Rod Oracheski offers up some ideas on how some top 360 games could revamp their Achievements list.

Toddo takes over Working Title for one week only, taking issue with cliffhanger endings that get no follow-up.

Chris Evans and the PC Centric Extravaganza is 411's one-stop shop for all your PC gaming needs.

Deal or No Deal is a ‘worthy' entry into the Hall of Shame, presented by Vincent Chiucchi.

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