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Dyack: Nintendo a 'silent partner', Eternal Darkness IP ownership 'complicated'
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/xbox/Dyack_says_Eternal_Darkness_IP_ownership_is_complicated'; In the final part of X3F's interview series, Silicon Knights President Denis Dyack said that the question of who owns the Eternal Darkness IP is, "a complicated question with a complicated answer," while at the same time confirming that Nintendo is still a "silent partner" with the developer."That's a question we've never answered," he said. "At the end of the day, it's not time to even talk about those things for various different reasons. You know Nintendo, who's still our silent partner, a lot of people don't know that, we have a great relationship with those guys. It's not time to talk about Eternal Darkness 2." Dyack went on to say that, despite some reports to the contrary, SK has never announced ED2 to be in development.Dyack also discussed his one console theory, and how the consolidation of the developers and publishers support his claim that the industry is moving towards a one-console future, adding that Silicon Knights is not opposed to being acquired by a publisher. He also said that the company's next game will be "very different" from Too Human, declining to elaborate further.
Mod that: 5 of our favorite GameCubes
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/5_Great_GameCube_Mods'; With the Wii almost two years old, we thought we'd check in with our old pal, the GameCube, and present some of the wonderful things people have done with it. Hit the button below to check out five of our most favorite GameCube mods. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } Click here to continue >>
Born for Wii: Rogue Squadron
Lock S-Foils in Attack Position. Not only is it a line any self-respecting nerd will recognize instantly, it's also the basis for many a successful video game from days gone by. It all started in 1993 with Lucasarts' X-Wing, which brought Star Wars to PC gamers in a big way. For the first time, they were really in the cockpit, fighting the Empire in glorious (by 1993 standards) 3D. However, it was the 1994 follow-up, TIE Fighter, that refined the flight-sim, Rebel-hunting gameplay to a buttery smooth degree of excellence. Well over a decade later, TIE Fighter still finds itself on many "Best of" lists. On the console side of things, however, it's an entirely different series that drew inspiration from the mighty X-Wing.Star Wars: Rogue Squadron on the Nintendo 64 took players outside the cockpit (at least, by default) of the beloved X-Wing, but still placed them in control of the craft, offering an experience that was more shooter and less sim than the successful PC games. However, it was the superior Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II, released in 2001 with the launch of the GameCube, that brought the spirit of the X-Wing to consoles. Developer Factor 5 and Lucasarts also collaborated on a third entry in the series, Rebel Strike, which lacked the "wow" factor Rogue Leader had in 2001, but did little to harm the good name of the trilogy. Now, nearly five years later, Factor 5 has been off doing other things, when they really should've been working on a new entry in a series that may just have been Born for Wii. #ninbutton { border-style: solid; border-color: #000; border-width: 2px; background-color: #BBB; color: #000; text-decoration: none; width: 100px; text-align: center; padding: 2px 2px 2px 2px; margin: 2px 2px 2px 2px; } .buttontext { color: #000; text-decoration: none; font: bold 14pt Helvetica; } #ninbutton:hover { text-decoration: none; color: #BBB; background-color: #000; } NEXT >> %Gallery-29879% Every week, Born for Wii digs into gaming's sordid past to unearth a new treasure fit for revival on the Nintendo Wii. Be sure to check out last week's entry in the series, Dark Sector, and for more great titles that deserve your attention, take a look at Virtually Overlooked.
Flute Link performs at Otakon 08 with pestering Navi
Tossing aside the standard temporal ocarina for something a little more complex, a "Flute Link" cosplayer performed on stage at this year's Masquerade show at the Otakon 2008 in Baltimore, bringing Navi in tow. It's a great performance, although it's hard to tell when she's playing live and when it's pre-recorded (for demonstrationg of her live performance, we also embedded a video of Flute Link performing Tetris with an Otaku band.And for anyone who ever wished Navi would get her what for, keep watching until about the 4:25 mark. Video embedded after the break.[Via VG Cats]
July NPD: Everyone sees red, Nintendo still on top
After everyone saw gains last month (with one devilish exception), July's NPD figures revealed North American hardware unit sales declined across all companies, but otherwise the list is the same as it was in June. What's starting to unnerve us is Nintendo's data. To be able to say a company went from 666 to 555 (a difference of 111) is a bit creepy, dontcha think? In terms of software, the Xbox 360 version of NCAA Football 09 barely eked out Wii Fit, while Wii Play w/remote still manages to move up a slot from 5 to 4 this month. Here are this month's NPD hardware sales figures:- DS: 608K175K (-22.35%)- Wii: 555K111K (-16.7%)- PS3: 224.9K 180.1K (-44.5%)- PSP: 221.7K 115.3K (-34.21%) - Xbox 360: 204.8K 15.2K (-6.91%) - PS2: 155.5K 33K (-17.6%)You'll find the top ten in software sales after the break.
A brief history of Treasure's shooters
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/The_legacy_of_Treasure_Shooters'; Whether you're a fan of shmups or wish to throw a pile of dictionaries at us for using such an egregious portmanteau, you could learn a thing or two from DS Fanboy's tribute to the shoot-em-up kings at Treasure. From 1993's Gunstar Heroes (released last year as a Virtual Console title) to this year's Bangai-O Spirits, the piece covers all of the developers' projectile-favored games (sorry Dynamite Heddy fanatics). Click here and get edumucated.
Wii Menu hacked to pieces
Homebrewer Crediar has recorded a video of a truly epic series of Wii Menu hacks that pretty much bust the system open. All kinds of hacks are on display, both cosmetic and substantial.Most notably, Crediar has opened up the system not just to discs from every region, but channels (which suggests Virtual Console games), and, according to the text included with the video at DCEmu, GameCube games as well. The Wii's "rescue menu" (used to boot diagnostic discs, apparently) can now be used to boot all discs. And then, for fun, the health warning and the background music were disabled. Now that's just showing off.
Born for Wii: Viewtiful Joe
Don't you just hate it when a menacing antagonist reaches through the screen at your local cinema, absconds with your girlfriend, and forces you to obtain all kinds of awesome powers in your quest to rescue her? Okay, so maybe it doesn't happen that often in the real world. But if you've played one of the best games of last generation, odds are it's a familiar story. Viewtiful Joe was released for the GameCube in 2003 as one of Capcom's exclusive titles for Nintendo, though the exclusivity deal didn't last long; just like Resident Evil 4 and Killer7, Viewtiful Joe was released on the PS2 as well. Side-scrolling beat 'em ups are few and far between in the 3D era, but Viewtiful Joe brought back the genre in a big way, with stylish action and movie-inspired powers that shame the competition. And while the gameplay is the real meat of what makes Viewtiful Joe great, the game's sharp wit, pop-culture inspiration and wonderful setting really elevate the experience. Viewtiful Joe 2 continued the tradition, but it's been over three years since the sequel's release, and the series' two spinoffs, Red Hot Rumble and Double Trouble, don't satisfy this gamer's desire for a fully-fledged Viewtiful sequel. Trilogy, anyone? %Gallery-29024%
Mega Man 9 gets even more authentically retro
Mega Man 9 will feature the graphics, sounds, and gameplay of yesteryear, and Capcom has now confirmed that it will be playable with virtually any old controller that can be slotted into the Wii.This means that the Classic Controller and GameCube pad are both fair game, but here's the best bit: purchase the appropriate adaptor, and you'll be able to die repeatedly while using an original NES controller. As if Mega Man 9 wasn't already looking like the kipper's knickers, it just found a way to get even better.%Gallery-26790%
Which Nintendo system favored third-party publishers the most?
You would think DS, no? That's exactly what we thought, as the handheld is home to more amazing third-party games than any other console in recent memory, but that is not the case. It turns out, the SNES was the best Nintendo console for third-party publishers. Who would've known?Keep in mind, though, that this is merely based on Aeropause's own evaluation and may not be representative of how much money publishers made on each system, or the quality of the titles they released on said platform. It's more or less based on an article in the latest Nintendo Power where the staff ranked their top 20 games for each Nintendo system.What do you all think? Which Nintendo system had the greatest batch of stellar third-party titles in your eyes? We're going to stick with DS. It seems like a no-brainer to us.
Nintendo loses another round in controller patent lawsuit
Sony and Microsoft may have sorted things out with Anascape (otherwise known as the self-proclaimed ruler of all analog sticks) before things got too out of hand, but Nintendo has been busy fighting it out with the company in court, which resulted in them being ordered to dish out a hefty $21 million earlier this year -- a ruling that Nintendo naturally appealed. The big N is now facing another setback, however, as a US District Judge has rejected Nintendo's request for a new trial, which could potentially result in a ban on sales of Wii Classic Controllers, WaveBirds, and GameCube controllers (not to mention GameCube systems). To avoid that, Nintendo will apparently either have to post a bond or put royalties from the controllers into an escrow account. For its part, Nintendo seems to be remaining defiant, saying that it "was already planning to appeal this case to the Federal Circuit court," and that this new ruling "does not impact that decision." [Via Slashdot]
Some Nintendo controllers could get yanked from store shelves
Remember that recent lawsuit that didn't work out in Nintendo's favor? Then they tried to appeal and failed? Yeah, things aren't looking so hot for Nintendo right now. And the latest on this debacle, courtesy of Bloomberg, doesn't look good for the house that Mario built.U.S. District Judge Ron Clark denied Nintendo's appeal for a new trial. In Lufkin, Texas, Clark said that he planned to ban further sales of Nintendo's Wii Classic Controller, WaveBird controller and Nintendo GameCube, but must wait for another appeal from Nintendo (this one is headed to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit) to go through. Judge Clark is set to issue this ban tomorrow, unless Nintendo posts a bond or puts royalties into an escrow account, which will then stop the ban.Thankfully for Nintendo, the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers both have been recognized as not violating Anascape's patent. So, sales of each of these peripherals should not be affected by all of this.
Certain Nintendo controllers face retail ban
Nintendo could see its GameCube, Wavebird and Wii Classic Controller banned from retail shelves. Bloomberg reports that Nintendo has lost its attempt to overturn a $21 million patent-infringement verdict brought against the company by patent trolls patent holders Anascape Ltd. of Tyler, Texas. The house of Mario has a stay on the ban by putting the judgment amount in escrow until its case goes to the US Court of Appeals in the Federal Circuit.The Texas jury found the Wiimote and Nunchuk controllers did not violate Anascape's patent; previously, Sony paid off Anascape back in 2004 and Microsoft settled on May 1, just before the Nintendo trial began. Anascape argued for the ban because it wants to enter the market and Nintendo has "clogged the channel." Yeah, we're very much looking forward to seeing if the third-party Anascape controller ever gets released.
Born for Wii: Four Swords Adventures
The games in the Legend of Zelda series have evolved over the years into sprawling, epic adventures. But ever since the release of the original in 1986, one thing has remained constant -- Link, more or less alone, must save the world. Typically this involves finding the Master Sword, rescuing Zelda and sending Ganon packing for his evil deeds. Discounting the rightfully-maligned CD-i games, only once has the series truly deviated from this formula, resulting in the birth of a little game called Four Swords.Four Swords was a small multiplayer adventure added onto the Gameboy Advance port of A Link to the Past. It represented a new direction for the series, allowing gamers to link GBAs and work together to defeat the evil wizard Vaati. The game was successful enough to warrant a full-fledged console sequel in 2004: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventures. The GameCube iteration took most of the elements that made Four Swords a fun multiplayer experience and expanded them, incorporating a (slightly) more complex story and a longer quest.%Gallery-28272%
Top 5: Nintendo's Biggest "Mehs"
As the fallout of E3 rests upon the public, Nintendo finds themselves pelted by fierce criticism. Forum posts and blog comments have been predicting the assassination of the Wii core gamer. Not surprisingly, the most ominous declarations have been coming from within Nintendo's ranks. A civil war has been declared, and the fanboys are ready to revolt against the casuals. Though this core gamer is not ready to take sides, I will admit that Nintendo's press conference was quite underwhelming. It wasn't a complete and utter failure; the bigwigs at Nintendo made no bones about their intentions. Additionally, one can argue that the financial foundation of the casual gamer endows Nintendo with more capital to support first party efforts. And by having the most successful console, third parties are likely to focus resources on Nintendo's magnificent machine. Certainly, all parties had impressive titles associated with E3, such as Dead Rising, The Conduit, NHL 2K9, Wario Land: Shake It!, Mega Man 9, and plenty to be excited about on the DS. Though Nintendo didn't close with a Jobs-esque "one more thing" slobberknocker, they accomplished what they set out to do. Yet dissatisfaction remains: the definitive description of Nintendo's E3 presence is a resounding meh. Here is a look at some of the most famous "mehs" in Nintendo history. Not utter failures, mind you. Rather, items that were simply met with indifference. 5. The Super Scope - The Nintendo Entertainment System was offered in several different "bundles," with the most successful bundle containing the successful NES Zapper. The light gun was a relatively new concept and simple to use. Plus, my cousin's friend said you can totally shoot the dog if you get to the 50th level in Duck Hunt and enter the Konami code on the second controller. Like many successes of the NES, Nintendo tried to transfer the idea of gun play to the SNES. Thus, the Super Scope was created. While the Zapper was similar in appearance to a revolver, the Super Scope was shaped more like a bazooka. This proved to be uncomfortable and not nearly as cool as the original. Plus, the device relied on infrared instead of light flashes, which was found to be less precise. The nail in the coffin was that the Super Scope went through AA batteries like I go through cheesesteaks: in ridiculous numbers.
Born for Wii: Pikmin
When Nintendo's little purple cube was released in 2001, gamers were put in an unusual position -- the old standby, a Mario platformer launch title, was nowhere to be found. In the trusty plumber's stead was his brother, standing on his own for the first time in a ghost-battling adventure. There were other solid launch titles, of course, such as Factor 5's Rogue Squadron 2 and Nintendo's own Wave Race: Blue Storm. These were the familiar. And then there was Pikmin.Pikmin came straight from the mind of Shigeru Miyamoto, and like many of his landmark creations, it offered gamers something new. A delightful mix of strategy and discovery, Pikmin defied real-time strategy conventions and put gamers in charge of the smallest, most innocent army of creatures in gaming history. In 2004, Pikmin 2 brought a second protagonist to the series, allowing for far more multitasking and considerably more inventive puzzles. Four years have passed, and many of Nintendo's heavy-hitters have received sequels. Now that E3 is upon us once again, it's time for Nintendo to reveal their upcoming projects -- and what could possibly be more Born for Wii than Pikmin 3?%Gallery-27598%
Multi-platform handheld is an impressive mod
We've got to tip our hats to Bacteria for this one. A portable (although, you can easily argue just how portable the thing is) multi-platform handheld mod? Ambitious task, which hasn't been fully realized, yet enough progress has been made for us to realize that we have neither the technical know-how or guts to even attempt a project such as this. That doesn't mean we don't love checking out these kinds of mods.For a video, as well as a detailed account of the creation, hit up Bacteria's website here.%Gallery-22424%[Via Engadget]
Born for Wii: Beyond Good & Evil
When Friedrich Nietzsche wrote his famous philosophical work Beyond Good and Evil in the late 19th century, odds are he didn't think that it would be a source of inspiration for video games over a century later. Namco proved him wrong with their trilogy of Xenosaga RPGs, each of which had a subtitle referencing a Nietzsche work (such as "Jenseits von Gut und Böse"). But it's another wannabe trilogy that owes its moniker to Nietzsche that's up for recognition. Beyond Good & Evil was published at the height of the Christmas rush in December 2003, and despite its war-on-all-fronts release on the GameCube, PS2, Xbox, and PC, it simply failed to sell. The game received widespread critical acclaim, but competition from other games caused it to be given a jarring price drop mere weeks after its release. Even so, those in the know played Beyond Good & Evil and saw it for what it was -- a fantastic adventure with a unique world and an appealing cast of heroes. And though it took four years, Ubisoft finally gave a sequel the green light -- so it's time to show the original game some much-deserved love. %Gallery-27033%
Pokemon invade the Sporepedia
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/nintendo/Sporemon_Spore_Creature_Creator_meets_Pokemon'; Sure, Will Wright's Spore Creature Creator can let your imagination run wild ... but sometimes your imagination doesn't exactly go that far. Our friends at Nintendo Wii Fanboy have amassed a collection of Pokemon creatures from the Sporepedia. Each picture in the gallery can be added directly to your game by saving the picture into the Spore folder. Our Sporémons, let us show you them.
Song used in GameCube commercial spurs lawsuit
Another day, another lawsuit.This time, the big N is the one under the legal knife -- or was, since the plaintiff dropped the case a week after filing it for currently unknown reasons. Filed on June 12th and dropped on June 18th, Morgan Creek Productions felt that Nintendo's use of a song in a Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door commercial violated copyright laws, as the song was used without proper authorization.The tune in question is "You're So Cool" by Hans Zimmer, which appeared in the film True Romance. The complaint cites that Nintendo played the commercial "sometime within the past three years," which isn't very specific. This could be one possible reason why the suit was dropped, unless the companies happened to reach a quick, under-the-table settlement.In any case, you can watch the "offending" commercial above.[Via Game Politics]
