NintendoRevolution
Latest
Revolution Fanboy posts lame April Fool's joke
"Well, that was a bit crap," said Revolution Fanboy reader Fletch Trommel upon reading the latest post on a reasonably popular Nintendo blog. "I hate it when these writers feel pressured into creating creating fake news stories and embarassing photoshop images just because it's April 1st. Most of the stories are so ridiculous and completely forget that the whole point of the day is to trick people!"Readers were presented with a seemingly innocent Saturday morning article by regular and internationally despised blogger, Ludwig Kietzmann, written in his usual smug and slightly offensive tone. "It was written in his usual smug and slightly offensive tone. Little did I know that the whole story was FAKE! It totally wasted at least five seconds of my life." That was the response from Jenny Trifuga, a long-time reader who immediately vowed to cease visiting the site. "That was the last straw. If they can't give me definitive news around the clock on a console that hasn't launched yet, I'm not interested."Though it would seem that Revolution Fanboy did more harm than good with the falsified article, several people, including Josh Frenowski, claimed that they enjoyed it. "They totally had me until I realized what the date was, and I just had to laugh about it. I could totally see Nintendo releasing Metroid Prime: Piñata Hunters for the Revolution." Another reader, going only by the online name of "OrlyOwl2005", insisted that it was the greatest piece of writing in the site's history. "It's the only good thing they've ever written. I think they should write fake news stories all the time."When quizzed about the reception of the article, author Ludwig Kietzmann could only shake his head and say, "I don't know what I was thinking. Even my mother was disappointed in me, and she's gotten all the shines."
Iwata on cheap games, mass storage and in-game advertising
CNN's Chris Morris recently had an interesting discussion with Nintendo mastermind, Satoru Iwata, about the future of the Revolution, a future that seems to be far less expensive than other console manufacturers would have you believe. There's plenty of insight to be gained from this article, but we'll highlight some of the important bits here and provide some commentary. Satoru Iwata, president of Nintendo of Japan, told me last week that while the company has no control over what its partners ask for their games, "I cannot imagine any first party title could be priced for more than $50." [emphasis ours]Though that may strike you as excellent news, further inspection reveals that it barely means anything at all. Based on this information, third-party publishers could still luridly ask you to fork over $60 for their latest adventure starring an obnoxious, skateboarding lemur. Nintendo is only putting an economic ceiling over their own games, a ceiling shared by that of Microsoft's Xbox 360 games. Of course, one could speculate that a far lower price ($40) could be in store, but then we'd also expect $35 DS titles to go down just a bit. It's also worth considering that, given the Revolution's cheaper development costs and comparitively weaker specifications, publishers won't need to throw multibillion dollar titles at the machine. Then again, they might just be bastards and charge an invisible next-gen fee. At least you can take solace in that you'll probably be playing more of Nintendo's games than EA's games.
Weird Revolution Mockup #3: Ico Unfriendly
We thought it would be good for a laugh to look back at some of the Revolution controller designs that crept onto the Internet back when the system was nothing but a codename, a promise and a cheeky smile on Satoru Iwata's face. These are the Revolutions that weren't...and thankfully so.A sort of uneasy feeling of indecision settles over us when viewing this particular controller design, as if our body and mind can't come to an agreement over how to respond to it. At first, we're quite inclined to profusely vomit, as if this disastrous experiment in 3D modelling triggers some sort of bodily defense mechanism, urging us to stare at the intimacies of toilet bowl as opposed to the purple manifestation of pure unwieldiness. The other conflicting action we find ourselves compelled to perform is to start up a Viking-themed rock band and play hardcore remixes from the Ico soundtrack. At least that way we'd constantly be on a globetrotting tour and never have to worry about being impaled during a heated videogame session. [Image from Gear Live.]Previously: Weird Revolution Mockup #1: The Identity Crisis Weird Revolution Mockup #2: The Vacuum Nun
Animal Crossing over to Revolution
And you know what that means: Fishing games. Well, that and a wonderfully addictive celebration of neighborly etiquette and non-threatening anthropomorphism. Spot that description on the box of the forthcoming Animal Crossing Revolution, a title which series creator Katsuya Eguchi mentioned briefly at his own GDC speech last week. Mr. Eguchi explained that it was a fun challenge trying to design a game around a brand new interface and that the Revolution game would largely build on the DS version's accomplishments. The series is essentially leaping from home console, to portable, and back to home console again. It hasn't changed fundamentally in that journey, but perhaps the leap to Revolution will take things in a new direction.We certainly can't imagine a better fit for Nintendo's online network than Animal Crossing, especially where massively multiplayer online fishing battles are concerned. The controller should also provide plenty of interesting ways to interact with the items and inhabitants of your town, most notably in allowing you to beat the evil Tom Nook over the head with a freshly baked baguette.[Via Gamasutra]
Revolution name destined to Go away
Though Satoru Iwata failed to use any name other than "Revolution" in his recent GDC keynote, it's now been officially confirmed that Nintendo's next-generation console will be given a new and presumably improved label sometime before its glorious release. In an interview with IGN, Nintendo's PR master, Beth Llewelyn, quite bluntly states that the name we've come to know and love (and plaster all across our website) will be adorned with cement shoes and sent to the bottom of a lake:IGN: Is Revolution the final name of your new system? Beth: No, it's not. IGN: So it's definitely a codename? Beth: It's a codename. IGN: And it's going to change? Beth: It is going to change. Goodbye Revolution, hello...Nintendo Go? When queried about the recent and supposed leaks regarding the latter name, Beth claims that she has no idea what that is. "I have no idea what that is. I haven't been on the Internet yet today, but I have no idea what that is." Sounds like a marketing non-denial to me. We'll be glad to lay this minor mystery to rest when E3 comes around and return to what's far more important - the games!
GDC Recap: Retro Revolution
The keyword that was bandied about during Satoru Iwata's speech at the Game Developer's Conference was "disruption". Through the DS, Mr. Iwata illustrated how Nintendo was disrupting the mechanistic game industry by creating new and unusual games, some which may not even have been considered as games if Nintendo hadn't pushed the idea that maybe, just maybe, exercising your brain was just as fun as exercising your trigger finger.Unfortunately for some (particularly us), the attention placed on Brain Training meant that not much information was revealed regarding that most secretive of next-generation consoles. Sure, Nintendo's strategy of unsettling the games industry is equally applicable to the Revolution, but what we really wanted was a few more cold, hard facts. Undoubtedly the biggest Revolution news (which we completely failed to predict) to emerge from the speech was Nintendo's announcement that the "best" Genesis and Turbo Grafx 16 games would be available on the Virtual Console service. What exactly "best" entails has yet to be seen, but we're fairly confident that we'll have once again the opportunity to wise fwom our gwaves.Iwata also implied that original content would likely be hitting the Virtual Console, possibly in the form of smaller games generated by independent developers. With plenty of retro power already backing it up, the service would truly enjoy the best of both worlds if it could obtain unique games on par with the Xbox 360's insanely addictive Geometry Wars. Let's just hope that the machine's 512MB storage capacity gets upgraded between now and E3, lest we constantly be switching SD cards in and out. It looks like we'll have to wait until E3 before we get any more substantial news on the Revolution front. And yes, that's still the console's name. For more coverage on Iwata's keynote, check out Chris Grant's ramblings over at Joystiq by clicking the "Read" link.
Virtual Console: Sega and Hudson games are a go!
Our trenchcoat-clad Joystiq informant, Christopher Grant is currently listening in on Satoru Iwata's GDC keynote and has informed us that Sega and Hudson have announced full support for the Revolution Virtual Console. To be more specific, the "best" titles from the Sega Genesis and the TurboGrafx will be available on the system's download service. Well, I guess that's not very specific at all. Regardless, I believe I speak for everyone when I say: Holy yes!More news (and a more fleshed out post) as soon as we get it.
Pre-keynote Iwata interview sets lofty goals
Dean Takahashi over at The Mercury News conducted an interview with Satoru Iwata yesterday, gently quizzing him about what topics his "Disrupting Development" speech would encompass and what we can expect from the Revolution (or is it the Nintendo Go?) during E3. Perhaps the boldest statement to come from Iwata is how many users he expects to make use of the online service."Our concept is to get 80 percent to 90 percent of the players online. That was the reason we build Nintendo WiFi networks. You can expect this to continue with the Revolution."That's a lofty goal to set, but we're certain that the Nintendo Wi-Fi service's monthly subscription (currently set at a pleasing $0 a month) will give it a big boost in those respects, along with the allure of downloading classic Nintendo games for the Virtual Console. The question is, how much will those cost? Iwata doesn't provide an answer, but does assure us that the shortages faced by the Xbox 360 (and almost assuredly the PS3) won't be a problem for Nintendo's machine."Microsoft had problems with strategy. There were markets where they had consoles left on store shelves. I think I understand where their problems were. I don’t want to give an answer because I don’t want to give them any help."That's great, Mr. Iwata. Would you mind sharing that info with the guys in the DS Lite department? Read the rest of the excellent interview for some more interesting insights regarding the Revolution's lack of HD support, its 3rd-party developer situation and overall strategy. [Via Joystiq]
Revolution to be called Nintendo Go?
Engadget has received an image that, if the mysterious sender is to be believed, is a snap of one of Nintendo's Japanese presentation slides intended to introduce the Revolution's new name: The Nintendo Go. Though this has every chance of being a hoax, it's worth entertaining the possibility that this is the real deal. The logo seems similar in design to that of the Gamecube and, if you're feeling particular abstract, you might even see a d-pad exploring multiple dimensions in there. Fake or not, we like it. The truth is mere hours away.In the meantime, what does your instinct tell you?
Weird Revolution Mockup #2: The Vacuum Nun
We thought it would be good for a laugh to look back at some of the Revolution controller designs that crept onto the Internet back when the system was nothing but a codename, a promise and a cheeky smile on Satoru Iwata's face. These are the Revolutions that weren't...and thankfully so.Today's mockup quite obviously resembles a vacuum cleaner, and so it is with great difficulty that we resist making equally obvious "it sucks" jokes. We'll try and be more creative. Though this attempt takes on the actual console and not the controller (or...does it?) it's still pretty bizarre. And by "bizarre", we mean "crap". Perhaps we're just not looking deep enough, not seeing the wonderful functionality this design provides. Okay...we see...a nun in there somewhere. Seriously, we see the extremely wide and pale face of a nun, preserved beneath a dainty black habit. Her blue, disc-devouring mouth is a bit frightening, however, so perhaps we should fall back to the vacuum cleaner image. Or better yet, we'll compromise: It's The Vacuum Nun.Previously: Weird Revolution Mockup #1: The Identity Crisis
Weird Revolution Mockup #1: The Identity Crisis
We thought it would be good for a laugh to look back at some of the Revolution controller designs that crept onto the Internet back when the system was nothing but a codename, a promise and a cheeky smile on Satoru Iwata's face. These are the Revolutions that weren't...and thankfully so.We've deemed this one The Identity Crisis since, well, it's obviously not sure what the heck it wants to be. Just when we became comfortable with the idea of it stepping off a spaceship and demanding to see our leader, it suddenly took on all the properties of a pretentious sculpture created by an art student with a personal vendetta against ergonomics. Then again, it could also be some sort of infomercial-bought upper body exercise machine, in which case the inevitable fate of standing in a corner and gathering dust seems all too fitting.And stop picturing yourself using the thing. You look ridiculous. It's like you're trying to fly a plane, drive a car and cover up your shame at the same time.
Miyamoto on PS3: We're not competing
In a recent interview with the Guardian Gamesblog, esteemed game designer Shigeru Miyamoto was questioned about Sony's recent announcement of a PS3 delay. Rather than respond with an assortment of boomerang jokes, Mr. Miyamoto calmly stated that he simply doesn't view Sony's machine as competition. "It depends on what expectations people have of the PS3 and Revolution. Sony has taken a long time to create their machine but it is obvious that the direction we are taking is different to the PS3."It may seem like an arrogant stance, but when your machine literally eschews traditional controller design and the current trend of cramming more technological power into a box, it's a fair statement to make. He goes on to say that rather than taking on the other two corporate giants in terms of graphical power, Nintendo would rather stick with what they do best and create appealing games that strike a balance between technology and playability. On the other hand, it would perhaps be unwise to think that the PS3 (or Xbox 360) and Revolution aren't competitive in a traditional sense. After all, the end goals of providing a gamer with his entertainment are the same. The execution and mindset may differ, but it still boils down to giving you the games you want to play. Nintendo may very well be going after the untapped casual market but hardcore gamers, who fall under Sony and Microsoft's marketing umbrellas, are sure to be just as interested in the Revolution. What say you?[Via Eurogamer]
Miyamoto: Twilight Princess uses Revo controller
Has the saga finally come to a climactic end? It would seem that we can finally lay this epic opera of speculation, magical allusion and straightforward denial to a well deserved rest: According to a Nintendo of Europe interview with recently knighted design genius, Shigeru Miyamoto, The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess will take advantage of the Revolution controller."I would say that we are progressing well with completing it. And one of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller.”Now, how exactly one would take advantage of the Revolution controller is up for debate (get your mind out of the gutter, please), though we're quite prone to the idea of tossing boomerangs, swinging swords and ensnaring innocent fish. For the rest of the interview, you'll have to either get a bothersome Nintendo VIP membership upon following the link or pay a visit to the GAF forums. [Via GamersReports]
Beyond Good & Evil 2 bound for Revo?
Jeuxpo has posted an article in which they state that Beyond Good & Evil 2 is not only in production, but that it will be released on the Revolution sometime in 2007. Though the mere thought of such a possibility makes our eyes water, our knees tremble and our faces contort in some sort of freakish hyper-smile, it should be noted that the article cites absolutely no source or information to back its claims up. Unhappy face emoticon!Anyone that's finished the phenomenal original knows that the epic story of government propaganda, alien abduction and talking pigs absolutely demands a continuation, but it would be a mistake to base easily crushed hopes on a news article that's somewhat lacking in substance. Regardless, we'd be very upset if Beyond Good & Evil 2 didn't eventually arrive in some shape or form. We'll pray to Carlson and Peeters every night until it does. (If that reference is lost on you, consider this a stern warning to go and play Beyond Good & Evil. Stern, we say!)[Via GamersReports]
You may rise, Sir Shiggy
Eurogamer reports that masterful game designer Shigeru Miyamoto is set to be awarded with a knighthood in the Order of Arts and Letters next week by the French Minister of Culture. Though the ceremony will sadly be devoid of pompous accents, damsels in distress and fire-breathing dragons, one can easily draw parallels between the crusades of a knight against an evil king and Mr. Miyamoto's strive for innovation in a tough industry. But really, we just want to picture Shiggy running around in a suit of armor and lopping off limbs (it's only a flesh wound). He'll be joined on the occasion, which marks a first for game designers, by Frederick Raynal (Alone in the Dark) and the disinctly awesome Michel Ancel (Rayman, Rayman 2, Beyond Good & Evil, King Kong). Though we'd prefer they be rewarded with large cash prizes and instant sequel greenlights, a fancy French knighthood is at least indicative of some well deserved recognition for this trio of extremely talented game designers. Seriously, play their games.A further note of interest is that, unlike a British knighthood, the recipient of this award does not get to attach a regal "Sir" onto his name. That's quite a disappointment, what with "Sir Shiggy" having such a great ring to it. Are there any other game designers worthy of knighthood?
Shiggy to have live webchat
Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of that lovable portly plumber and chicken-abusing Hyrulian, is to be conducting a live webchat this Friday via Webchats.tv. While the duration of this most magnificent event is only 30 minutes (being held between 2 and 2:30pm EST), Shiggy will in fact be taking questions. Here's your chance to try and squeeze some more Revolution information out of him. What questions would you like to ask Miyamoto-San? [Via Gamecloud]
Tecmo and Ntreev's Revolution Project
Tecmo and Ntreev have launched a mini-site for their upcoming Revolution title Pangya. While the site is very light on the content, it's hefty on the indecipherable Japanese characters. Oh, and there are some screenshots too. Obviously, the inclusion of those infamous Nintendo Press Release shots means this title will use the wonderful new control-scheme the Revolution plans to provide (we're guessing you'll pretend the remote is a golf club). Embedded in the mini-site is a .pdf file which, in turn, links to the Pangya website, where you can see how the previous Windows-based games played through juicy trailers. These trailers seem to showcase gameplay along with some of the implementation possible with the Revolution controller (look at the first trailer and see how your character is selected and spun around using a click-and-drag-type interface). Just substitute the mouse with the new remote! Even though the Xbox 360 is producing amazing visuals now (with the PS3 promising to sometime in the future), are these graphics that bad in comparison? Not in the least. If the Revolution can produce comparable visuals and offer its products for a lot less, its battle against the 360 and upcoming PS3 may not nearly be as tough as many would suggest. [Via Revolution Advanced]
Atlus denies Revo Trauma Center...for now
Given that the game largely involves slicing open people's pulsating internal organs, we were quite excited to hear about the supposed confirmation that Trauma Center was coming to the Revolution. So excited, in fact, that we hastily contacted someone at Atlus and demanded (or pleaded for, depending on how you look at it) further information. We spoke about a few things, but the official line is the one you may not like.As it stands, Atlus officially denies the IGN "confirmation" of a Revolution-based Trauma Center sequel. Now, we'd be willing to place a substantial bet on the game appearing eventually, possibly as soon as E3--the only point of contention here is that Atlus has not officially said anything about the game. Given how well the original title made use of the DS touch screen, it would seem almost painfully obvious that the franchise is a surgically precise fit for Nintendo's controller. Sometimes a denial is all we need to confirm our suspicions. (Subtle, Ludwig. Real subtle.)[Thanks Tomm!]
Squenix comments on Revo Final Fantasy
Ambiguous promises? Check. Non-committal concepts? Check. No discernibly valuable information? Check. Why, that must mean we're once again dealing with a developer's comments on their upcoming Revolution games! Holy yes, what wealth of information awaits us today? The news comes from Square Enix president, Youichi Wada, and is directly concerned with the upcoming Revolution version of Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. You may remember the Gamecube version for its intricate bucket-carrying gameplay and its colossal, quadruple GBA requirement for maximum multiplayer enjoyment. Regarding the sequel, Mr. Wada revealed that the game would feature "online capabilities, magnificent graphics, and an intense use of the revolutionary control of the platform."Mr. Wada then shocked all by stating that the game would involve a whiny, spiky-haired teenager saving the world from an ancient evil. Ah, we jest. Online, cooperative multiplayer sounds like an excellent progression for the series, if indeed we can read that far into the mentioning of "online capabilities." As for affirming the presence of pretty graphics and use of the controller, well, that's hardly unexpected. If only these developers would cease taunting us with their dangling, dripping pieces of steak. We just want some information we can sink our teeth into. Perhaps we can expect the DS to interact with the game in the same way the GBA did with the Gamecube version?[Via Revolution Advanced]
Sony working on "Revolution Killer"?
Some truly juicy rumors tend to pop up in Gamespot's regular Rumor Control feature, and this latest one is no different. According to an insider at Macromedia, the company responsible for the hugely popular Flash software (and now apparently working on a Flash Lite for the PS3 and PSP), Sony is preparing to turn the Playstation 2 into a Revolution adversary. The company apparently plans to release a motion-sensitive controller that would cooperate with the Eyetoy and thus turn the PS2 into a bastion for weird and unique games. Ha. Now, if we were to assume this were at all true, it would be easy to see that this scheme does make a lot of sense. Given its age and market penetration, the PS2 could match the Revolution in terms of price and, thanks to this new controller, at least partially in terms of weird input device. It would no doubt be a very attractive alternative to developers, especially since the PS2 would already have a 100 million unit lead on the Revolution. Sounds like a great move, doesn't it?There's just one problem. Should Sony implement this plan, they'd be doing it based on the incorrect assumption that the Revolution's unique control system is its secret to success. Now, that's somewhat true, but a key ingredient is being overlooked. The Eyetoy seemed like a pretty innovative control system, right? Now, let's list all the awesome Eyetoy games we've played.Oh, well there's...the one with the ninjas and...window washing...and...err...The games! We're interested in the Revolution because of the games--the possibilities that a new control system brings to the developer. Just slapping a crazy new peripheral onto the PS2 isn't going to automagically create wonderful new games. The Revolution's controller is merely a means to an end, after all. This doesn't mean Sony couldn't pull out some classy games for this device, but it certainly seems as if they're approaching this endeavor from the wrong angle. And hey, if this is "Revolution Killer" is anything like their "Halo Killer", it might be fair to expect the Revolution to die quite quickly...of laughter, that is.
