Nintendo Revolution
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Atari founder: Revolution rocks, triangles are scary
Ah, Nolan Bushnell. The man that created Atari, sold it off and later established the lucrative Chuck E. Cheese line of restaurants. That last part especially had us dying to hear what he had to say about the Nintendo Revolution, a feeling undoubtedly shared by the attendees at the Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference recently held in Kyoto, Japan. He had very good things to say about it, actually, but in doing so may have revealed an underlying and deeply rooted fear of basic geometric shapes. "If you look at today’s controller with triangles, Xs, squares and circles, it’s scary. It’s like a keyboard. People are interface phobic.”Ignoring the fact that keyboards have neither squares nor circles on them and tend to feature approximately 95 more buttons than a DualShock 2 controller, does the man have a point? Are today's controller's really so frighteningly complex?
Weird Revolution parody video
Remember that promo video Nintendo released for the Revolution? You know, the one where an old couple conducted an orchestra and a bunch of Japanese people acted like lunatics on their couches? Well, here we have a parody video of that. Revealing the flipside of innovation, the clip demonstrates some potential pitfalls of the controller's design, some of which result in unexpected displays of ultra-violence and weird toothbrush / porn combinations....Yeah.[Via Joystiq]
Revo Smash Bros. not developed by Nintendo?
Following from our previous post about the Smash Bros. series being reunited with its creator, Masahiro Sakurai, it seems that development on the Revolution version of the game may have started with a different development company altogether, a company which was most notably not Nintendo. The IGN article fails to reveal the identity of the mystery company, but does state that they had enough experience with the Gamecube version to satisfy Sakurai when he took over. Following his arrival, Nintendo set up some brand new offices to accomodate the entire development team who are, interestingly enough, using many tools and assets from Super Smash Bros. Melee in their design. That's the plan, at least, since most of said development team has yet to be hired. I guess when Satoru Iwata made that surprise announcement of the game at E3 2005, he really meant it as a surprise to everyone.
New Revolution shooter revealed
And it's the best shooter ever! Well, that's what developer NIBRIS have to say about Raid Over The River, a game they claim to be in the works for the Revolution. The current build of the supposedly seminal shooter is actually not running on a Revolution development kit but has instead been put together on a high-end PC. The development team is still waiting for a proper kit, but has chosen to move ahead with the game anyway, firmly keeping in mind the ways in which they plan to use Nintendo's unique controller. The game's project leader and tongue wrangler, Piotr Orlowski, admits that not only is the Revolution controller "like a beautiful dream," but he kinda likes Nintendo in general."Nintendo is our life. We have all of the Nintendo consoles; we are fans." We'll try to learn more about the game as development progresses, but for now, you can check out the rest of the article at Revolution Report and lovingly gaze at some screenshots and beautiful artwork at the game's official website.
Smash Bros. Creator Back For More
What is it about Super Smash Bros. that makes it so insanely addictive? Is it the frenzied four-player fighting? The magnificent mish-mash of Nintendo characters? Or is it simply the ability to punch Pikachu in the face? We're not sure, but having the word "SMASH" in the title is usually a good way to get us excited about something. The series really hit a high note with Super Smash Bros. Melee for the Gamecube, a note which may be surpassed by the upcoming sequel slated for the Revolution's launch.A good deal of reassurance can be found in the fact that the game's original creator, Masahiro Sakura, is returning to his comfy Nintendo office after having been away for two years, no doubt on some silly journey of self-discovery. The reason for his return? To head up a big development team that hopes to crank out a new Smash Bros. game just in time for Nintendo's next console launch. But how will the game work with the unique controller? Your guess is as good as ours.
More Revolution Info On May 9th
Nintendo must be really excited about their entry into the next generation, as they've already announced the date of their Pre-E3 2006 Revolution press conference. Jot this down in your dear diaries, your dark electronic fruit devices and your secretary's loyal brain:"9 May 2005 - The day Nintendo will blow the lid off the Revolution, revealing all of its features, upcoming games and hitherto unseen magical properties. Cancel any meetings I might have on this day, including my marriage to Sophie. I'm sure she will understand."Of course, if Sophie turns out to be less than obliging, you can rest assured that we'll be there in person to learn all the details and forward them to you as best we can.
