Nintendophiles 11.05.08
Posted by Theo Fraser on 11.05.2008
WarioWare returns to Nintendo’s handheld via DS Ware downloads, Viewtiful Joe rears his head once again, The Conduit finally finds a publisher, High Voltage make plans for new Wii titles, updated Wii and DS software sales and a new House of the Dead: Overkill trailer aims to show us why it’s “the hardcore we’ve all been waiting for”. All that awaits you inside the latest instalment of Nintendophiles!
So...Election Day, all said and done! At the time of writing, there's still a fair few hours to go, so I don't know the final result, but allow me to give me heartfelt congratulations to Obama. Obviously, the world has been looking at the political landscape in great detail, but what did we all miss with regard to the Nintendo happenings of the past 7 days? Read on to find out!
New WarioWare headed to DSi through DSi Ware downloads
Credit: Edge Online
The popular WarioWare mini-game series is set to return to help show punters the capabilities of the new DSi technology. This time, however, instead of taking the form of a full-blown retail game, you'll be able to purchase each of the mini-games separately from the DSi Ware download service.
WarioWare Photograph is the name floating around currently, although it is not known right now if this refers to a mini-game in particular or if this is the name for the entire download package. As you might expect, the new mini-games look to focus primarily on exploiting the new camera technology included in the DSi hardware. Rumors suggest some of the games will play like those of the PS2's EyeToy, which would be quite cool but make you look like a total dick if you play it in public. You're likely to raise a few eyebrows on bus journeys, that's for sure.
The WarioWare downloads are scheduled to launch alongside the DSi Ware service, which goes live at some point in December in Japan. No word on when the Western world will see either the service or the latest WarioWare, but judging by the success of past titles, we'll no doubt receive it at some point, probably in the same manner as a ‘launch download' to coincide with the service debuting in the US.
"The hardcore you've been waiting for" – House of the Dead: Overkill trailer impresses
I'd imagine the majority of my readers are ‘core' gamers, in which case it's probably a safe bet that you're keeping a close eye on House of the Dead: Overkill, in the hope that SEGA can offer us a hardcore title that Nintendo seem to be unwilling to do so at present. SEGA themselves evidently think this to be the case, as they proclaim in their latest trailer so aptly with the tagline, "The hardcore you've been waiting for." I'm not sure an on-rails shooter can offer the complexity that we might expect from a ‘proper' hardcore title, but judging by what we've seen so far, it's certainly shaping up to be THE definitive light-gun title. Promising...very promising indeed!
Viewtiful Joe returns in Tatsunoko vs Capcom
Credit: Cubed3
Whilst being more of a cult hero than a bonafide gaming superstar, there are undoubtedly a fair share of fans of the Viewtiful Joe series that first graced the Gamecube back in 2003. Those fans should be delighted at the news of the protagonist's [partial] return as a playable character in the highly anticipated fighting game, Tatsunoko vs Capcom, which launches in Japan on December 11 as a Wii-exclusive title.
I have never heard of any of the Tatsunoko properties, and although I'd never pretend to be some kind of all-knowing gaming expert, I'd wager I'm not the only one to be left in the dark. This of course raises the question of whether or not we'll ever see the game on these shores. Doubtful, but stranger things have happened.
The revelation came as part of a Capcom conference a short while ago, and photo evidence below shows the Viewtiful One in action:
Hopefully this is a sign that the Viewtiful Joe franchise isn't dead (he hasn't been seen since the closure of Clover Studios last October), and that Capcom have plans to resurrect it on Wii. You could do some pretty fun stuff with a gesture-based system to activate the time controls; one can only hope that Capcom see the potential as well. Henshin-a-go-go, baby!
SEGA on board to publish The Conduit
Credit: IGN
When I last brought up The Conduit, High Voltage's eagerly anticipated alien-blaster, I mentioned that the development team still hadn't found a publisher. Last week, just after Nintendophiles had gone to press, it was announced that publishing giant SEGA had taken up the task of bringing the title to Western territories (no word on a Japanese release as of yet). A finalized release date hasn't been settled, but we now have a firm Spring 2009 period to look forward to.
SEGA issued the following statement upon the news going public:
Simon Jeffery, President of SEGA of America: The Conduit is one of the most talked-about Wii games this year and High Voltage Software has only scratched the surface of the game in terms of what they have shown so far. They have proven that graphical and technological innovation can be exciting to the Wii market, and SEGA is thrilled to partner with a team that truly shares our belief in the Wii's gaming potential beyond the casual market.
High Voltage also sent out a press release with their thoughts:
Kerry Ganofsky, CEO and founder of High Voltage: High Voltage Software's partnership with SEGA to publish The Conduit represents an important milestone for this studio. SEGA shares our vision for the title and its tremendous potential, which is why we chose them from a long list of potential partners. With their support, we are confident that The Conduit will deliver the definitive shooter experience that Wii fans have been waiting for.
And on the subject of High Voltage...
High Voltage to continue development on Wii
Credit: Cubed3
With a publisher finally named for The Conduit, it's only a matter of months before High Voltage kick it out of the door and onto shop shelves. Which begs the question, what do High Voltage have in store for us next? Well, according to a recent interview with company VP/Chief Creative Officer Eric Nofsinger, the team will be sticking with Nintendo's White Box of Delight (TM). And by the looks of things, they'll be straying away from the safe territory of the FPS genre they've become accustomed to.
Nofsinger: That really is another area [RPGs] that can use a shot in the arm I feel. Keep your eyes peeled because in the near future we'll be announcing some other titles that we've already got underway in development. We feel that there are a number of genres that are poorly represented on the Wii for core gamers. We want to do games that are high quality. You know, that's what we are. I think it's a shame for what is our personal favorite system to be so underrepresented when it comes to core gamers.
Production on a new title usually begins a couple of months before the nearly complete title ships, so I'd expect to hear confirmation on their future plans before Christmas. The mere prospect of a core gamer-oriented RPG on the Wii is Christmas come early for me, so I'm positively elated!
Wii and DS software sales statistics
I don't often look at this sort of thing (the "business" side of Nintendo), usually preferring to stick to the matter of the games themselves, but I couldn't ignore Nintendo's latest financial statement, covering the period from April 2008 to September 2008, showing some pretty impressive figures. Scroll on down to take a look...
Nintendo DS
Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time/Darkness
~Japan - 0 [Not released]
~Overseas - 2,540,000
~Worldwide Lifetime Sales - 4,120,000
New Super Mario Bros.
~Japan - 150,000
~Overseas - 1,580,000
~Worldwide Lifetime Sales - 15,890,000
Mario Kart DS
~Japan - 200,000
~Overseas - 1,460,000
~Worldwide Lifetime Sales - 12,120,000
Bearing in mind these statistics are solely from a period spanning 5 months (barring the lifetime sales, naturally), I'd say that's something Nintendo can be extremely proud of. And check out the total Wii software sales covering the same period in each territory:
Japan: 1,800,000 million
USA: 23,530,000 million
Other (Europe, S. Korea, Australasia): 15,670,000 million
2008's been a good year for Nintendo in this respect, no question.
This is the first I have heard of "The Conduit" but it's something I will definetly have to keep an eye on! I hope this game is online, What a complete missed opporunity if not.
Seriously is there any other Wii Games worth playing online with the exception of Mario Kart? I used to own Medal of Honour 2 and it was a good game with Awesome Controls but it felt a little off Online. I'm glad I've got a PS3 to cure my Online Gaming Ills but the Wii in all its underprocessed, underpowered, un-hd glory is totally underused in this respect (and I love the channels, especially Everybody Votes) I'm not pointing the finger at anyone particular because I don't know if it's the technology, the developers or Nintendo (everyones new favourite punching-bag, not for the first time) but this must change! DIG IT!?!?
Posted By: Snedpop (Guest) on November 05, 2008 at 06:46 PM
online is confirmed for Conduit. they are looking into every match type imaginable for online. they also don't want to use the friend code stuff if they can avoid it.
Posted By: the guest (Guest) on November 05, 2008 at 08:20 PM
It's funny how games with awesome graphics get hyped up to the moon. Another proof that Nintendo messed up and drove away their hardcore fans.
Posted By: guesthehe (Guest) on November 06, 2008 at 09:33 PM
