Nintendophiles 02.25.09: Dead Space Extraction, Sonic and the Black Knight, More

Posted by Theo Fraser on 02.25.2009

The latest iteration of Nintendophiles focuses on the newly-unveiled MadWorld multiplayer co-op mode, the first details of Dead Space Extraction, Sonic and the Black Knight’s target audience, the MadWorld producer’s next project, Rockstar’s thoughts on the DSi and more! Come on in to catch up on the week’s biggest Ninty news.






Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the 411 Games weekly Nintendo-only news report, Nintendophiles! Thanks for joining me again this week. I'd normally use this area to chat some random stuff about gaming or my general well-being, but this week I wanted to spotlight a little tidbit of news. EA sent an email round a couple of days ago advertising their EA Sports Season Opener event in San Francisco this March, promising news on all of the big EA Sports titles such as Fight Night, FIFA, EA Sports Complex and more. Most importantly for us, however, is the further confirmation of Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 "featuring MotionPlus." Oh yes. MotionPlus Golf could be absolutely tremendous, and with a brand name like Tiger Woods, this has money written all over it. I'm not particularly a golf fan, but if you are I imagine you're dancing around in your underwear right now.

---

MadWorld co-op confirmed: Double the fun, double the gore!

It's rare that a week goes by here in Nintendophiles without me mentioning the awesomicity (yeah, its word now, I just made it) of MadWorld in the run up to its March 10th US lauch, and this week is no different. However, this week the awesome factor was ramped up a couple of notches with the following announcement, revealed as part of the latest official trailer.





Your eyes do not deceive you. Less than a month away from launch, a two-player co-op mode is revealed to the public. And despite the very brief demonstration shown in the clip, it appears to be fun and intuitive. I really hope we'll see more from this multiplayer mode in the weeks leading up to the on-sale date. A multiplayer co-op is nothing to sniff at, by all means, but I'm intrigued as to whether or not Platinum Games have hidden away a Versus Deathmatch mode of some sorts. Being a title focused on brutalising your opponent and finishing them off in the most sadistic way, I wouldn't be at all surprised to find it included in some format.

As shown in the video, co-op play will be split screen, and SEGA have confirmed that it will only be via local multiplayer, so don't start getting your hopes up for online MadWorld killing sprees. Who knows, maybe that kind of thing could make it into a potential sequel...

---

MadWorld producer already working on new IP
Credit: Developmag

Whilst we're on the subject of MadWorld, the title's producer (Atsushi Inaba) has spoken to one particular source with regard to his future projects, once MadWorld has shipped. Let's take a look at what he had to say...


Develop Mag: What are your ambitions for the studio and the Japanese games market in 2009?

Atsushi Inaba: We have been developing games since we started this company. We've got big titles coming out this year, MadWorld releasing very soon and Bayonetta later this year, and we hope they're both going to do very well. I'm also planning for a new IP but I can't reveal any details yet, as I'm sure you'll understand.


Naturally, there's no guarantee that this future IP will end up on a Nintendo platform, but MadWorld has clearly garnered a lot more attention than Bayonetta, so Inaba may realise the gap in the market on the Wii for the kind of titles he wishes to produce. It's also interesting that the question is in regards to 2009 projects. Could this new IP already be well under way and on schedule for a pre-Christmas launch? We'll have to wait until MadWorld ships to find out. I'm completely biased of course, but I'd really love to see more of his work on the Wii. Perhaps even a DS effort, to see how he gets on with Nintendo's handheld hardware. MadWorld on-the-go, anyone?

---

Rockstar look forward to DSi launch
Credit: Aussie-Nintendo

The Nintendo DSi now has a firm US release date of April 5th, and many are wondering exactly how it will fare considering it is basically just a ‘marginal' update on the already popular and successful DS hardware. Rockstar seem optimistic about its success, however, with regard in particular to the effect it will have on the sales of Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars. Released within a few weeks of each other, it is not a far-fetched concept that some GTA enthusiasts will be persuaded to purchase a DSi purely for the latest entry in the franchise. Rockstar's General Manager, Neil Stephen, recently spoke out the nationwide debut of the DSi and how it will likely benefit sales of Chinatown Wars.


Neil Stephen: The launch of a new piece of hardware into the DS family will garner a new level of buzz and get some more hype going for the system. I think anyone releasing high profile titles on the DS will definitely benefit from that. We also think there is the potential to attract lots of new owners into the market, particularly from our fans who may have played our GTA titles on the PSP.


A DSi/Chinatown Wars bundle would be a very smart move on Nintendo's part to capitalize on this, but no such plans have been put into motion as of yet. But yeah, I totally see Rockstar's line of thinking here, they must be thanking their lucky stars that Nintendo decided to release a ‘new' handheld to partially coincide with the launch of their new GTA title. It's a no-brainer that it'll likely result in increased software sales. Rockstar Q1 sales figures are likely to soar, mark my words.

---

Dead Space Extraction: First Look
Credit: Dose.ca

As mentioned two weeks ago here at 411 Games, EA are bringing the acclaimed Dead Space series to the Wii, and now the first details have begun to emerge, including an impressive debut trailer. First of all, let's check out EA's official press release, printed in full below.


Built from the ground up and developed exclusively for the Wii, Dead Space Extraction is a prequel that reveals the events leading up to Isaac Clarke's mission on the USG Ishimura in the original Dead Space game released in 2008. Dead Space Extraction will marry the innovative motion controls of the Wii Remote with a frenetic first person perspective to create a new action-packed horror experience.

Dead Space Extraction tells the story of a handful of space colonists desperately struggling to escape from a horrific infection on the Aegis VII mining colony deep in the furthest regions of space. The game introduces a new heroine to the fiction and as the crew fall victim to a mysterious contagion aboard the ship, it becomes clear that protecting her may be their only hope for survival. Dead Space Extraction introduces all new characters, weapons, enemies, puzzles and co-operative multiplayer gameplay.

"We could not be more excited to extend Dead Space into an experience exclusive to the Wii. Nintendo has a wonderful history in the horror genre and we are thrilled to build on that tradition with Dead Space Extraction," said Glen Schofield, VP and General Manager of EA Redwood Shores studio. "As we were developing Dead Space, we realized that there was so much of the story going untold. Dead Space Extraction tells that story with all of the intensity, blood and gore that fans would expect."

Dead Space Extraction is an EA Redwood Shores title and is scheduled to ship in Autumn 2009. This product has not yet rated by ESRB or PEGI.


Obviously the major overhaul here is the switch from third-person to first-person, but that should work in the Wii's favour, as first-person motion controls just seem to work much better than third-person. It's also a good move to completely set it apart from the 360/PS3/PC versions so as to avoid them being compared. Dead Space on other platforms looked gorgeous (if mutating flesh can be classed as ‘gorgeous'), and it's great to see that tradition continue in Extraction. Just check out the very first trailer to see it for yourself. In-game gameplay isn't clearly demonstrated, but later footage from the clip appears to be powered via the in-game engine, so the finished product will likely look very similar.





Now we get to the issues not covered by the press release. According to reports, the first-person aspect will accompany an on-rails type of gameplay, much like Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles and House of the Dead Overkill. Also new is a co-op multiplayer mode, which was completely absent from the original Dead Space, making the title rather essential for fans. Executive Producer Steve Papoutsis has already started hyping the new features and new system, hoping to get the word out early.

Papoutsis: We are confident we are pushing the Wii hardware harder than anyone has done to date. It would not be a Dead Space game if we did not deliver on the violence, horror, terror, and action from the original game.

High hopes indeed, and if they're really pushing the Wii hardware, we could be looking at our next ‘killer app' right here. If EA can improve on the groundwork set by SEGA in HotD: Overkill, this could prove to be the definitive on-rails shooter. Watch this [dead] space...

---

Sonic and the Black Knight – "For Casual Gamers"
Credit: Nintendo Everything, Casualgaming.biz





Those hoping the latest Sonic title on Wii would help get the series back on track may well be disappointed. With SEGA publishing The Conduit and MadWorld in the first half of 2009, they are covering all the bases on the hardcore gamer front, it would seem that they hope to appeal to their casual audience with Sonic's next outing. Sonic Team member Tetsu Katano recently spoke to various gaming press outlets about the finished product of The Black Knight.


Tetsu Katano: Sonic and the Black Knight is aimed at a younger, more casual audience. We've changed a lot of things, essentially. It's thinking as children; approaching things from their point of view, thinking what they want to see. Sonic is kind of a cheeky, edgy character, and so we like seeing Sonic challenge new things all the time. The Wii is a big part of it, because it appeals to a wider range of people who maybe have not played a Sonic game before.


Approaching things from a child's point of view? I can't see this latest title being all that challenging for core gamers then. Of course, that's not necessarily a horrible concept; it's nice to see a *good* game geared towards kids. It's just a shame that it seems to be at the expense of the Sonic legacy. By presenting a ‘true' Sonic game aimed at a much younger audience, it slightly cheapens the franchise and (dare I say it) further tarnishes the hedgehog's name. I won't complain too much; after all, Sonic Chronicles had more of a dark tone and in theory satiated the Sonic appetite of older fans, so it's important to balance things out with a lighter title such as The Black Knight. My concern is that with a title apparently explicitly aimed at children, you completely alienate the older audience unnecessarily. Super Mario Galaxy was perfectly playable by kids and very child-friendly with vibrant colors and fun characters to interact with, but there was PLENTY there for the hardcore gamer to enjoy, including some really taxing challenges. It's all about finding the right balance, and SEGA appear to have ignored that aspect with Sonic and the Black Knight.

---

The 411 Games Crew

Greg Bruno presents What If?, featuring some of the 411 Games staff looking at what would happen if Mario officially dumped Peach, if Master Chief and Kratos face off in a duel, if a WoW-killer MMO was to be produced by Molyneux and Wright, if an Anchorman RPG was made and more!

B3yond the Report by Derek Robbins discusses Killzone 3 already being in production, Sony's list of upcoming exclusives, as well as thoughts on Street Fighter IV.

Joe Roche and the Full Circle: 360 News Report focuses on a new Capcom announcement, GTA4: Lost and the Damned, Burnout Paradise's DLC cars,

411 Games: Fact or Fiction, starring the ever-so-sexy Theo Fraser going up against Andrew Kennedy, debating on topics such as future DLC for Legends of Wrestlemania, the potential success of the iPhone in the gaming market, the DSi launch, and Killzone 2, amongst a whole host of other topics.

Living LIVE reaches its tenth edition and is brought to you by Trace Aber.

Tommy Coloma keeps you up to date with The Release List.


On that note, I'll see you back here in 7 days! Have a good week, peeps!

Screenshots
All 1 Nintendophile Screenshots