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Dragon Quest designer digs the Revolution
Speaking at a fancy launch event for the European PS2 debut of Dragon Quest VIII: Curse of the Enormous Subtitle, the project lead, series producer and generally creepy looking guy Yuji Horii talked about everyone's favorite wand-waving wonder and the implications it might have for the gamer. He expressed excitement at the Revolution's interface, noting that the feedback one gains from playing with it would be very rewarding to players. "You do something, and it reacts to you. It's human nature that to have some feedback from your actions is rewarding." While it's important to point out that just about every game on every console provides feedback to your actions, the point Mr. Horii is no doubt trying to make is that your motions with the Revolution controller will directly correspond to the on-screen motions of your character. Dance Dance Revolution is one game that does exactly that, no doubt the reason for my chronic addiction to it. So, does this mean we can expect a Dragon Quest game for the Revolution? According to the Eurogamer article, that's "TBD" (to be determined). Well, at least that's better than a "no", right?
ATi on the Revolution graphics chip
In the midst of this year's Consumer Electronics Show, the guys over at Revolution Report managed to corner ATi's Public Relations Manager and fired off a few questions regarding one of the major unknowns in the Revolution--the graphics. Not an awful lot is revealed in the interview, but it is made clear that the graphics solution (codenamed Hollywood) will not be based off any existing PC technology."It is designed the same as the Flipper was -- from the ground up for a specific console. Totally different sort of architecture from what you might find on the PC." The interview also reflects Nintendo's current stance regarding how well the Revolution compares to the polygonal power of the Xbox 360 and the PS3...which is to say, a non-stance. ATi reiterates that the graphics capabilities are not a specific highlight and only serve the purpose of cementing the console's ability to be a fantastic provider of original games. The Hollywood chip most likely won't be in the same league as the one found in the Xbox 360 (both are designed by ATi), but it would be a mistake to assume that Revolution games will be completely ignoring visuals in favor of gameplay. On a seperate note, isn't the choice of Hollywood as the name of the Revolution's graphics chip interesting? The real Hollywood is known for its constant flow of sequels, remakes, tired content and general lack of originality. "Yup. Irony can be pretty ironic sometimes."
Jim Merrick and Nintendo part ways
In case you didn't know, Jim Merrick was Nintendo of Europe's senior director of marketing. Oh, and Nintendo is this company that makes really cool games and stuff. And by "part ways", we mean Jim Merrick has decided to leave his position in the company in order to chase after his other dreams, possibly ones involving fishing and easily obtainable sticks of dynamite. As the generic press statement from Nintendo says, "After nearly 12 years with Nintendo, the last three of which were at Nintendo of Europe, Jim Merrick has left the company to pursue other opportunities. We thank him for his many years of valuable service and wish him luck in his future endeavors."Why should you care? For one thing, there's no European equivalent of The Reggie, and so the job of bringing Nintendo's name, image and games to the public is made all the more difficult and all the more important. As much as we'd love to think that we live in a utopian society where good games alone are enough to guarantee commercial victory (though they do play a large role, as witnessed with the DS), the fact of the matter is that people won't buy something they've never heard of. With the huge success of the DS in Europe, Mr. Merrick must have been doing something right in that respect. Let's hope his successor doesn't disappoint.
Sonic racing to Revolution?
Gameshout is carrying word that our old friend Sonic may very well be headed to Nintendo's next-gen machine. What makes this bit of info and rumor all the more interesting is that this new Sonic may be different than the other new Sonics (you know, the ones that have already been announced as in development for the Xbox 360 and PS3).Could this be the start of developers taking true advantage of the Revolution's unique control capabilites? We'll keep our fingers crossed that Sonic Revolution will be more than just a port.[Via Gameshout]
Survey says: Virtual Console shaping up nicely
"Virtual console? That isn't anything like the Virtual Boy, is it?"As your spine and 20/20 vision will attest to, the Virtual Console and the Virtual Boy are thankfully very different things. For one thing, the Virtual Console actually lives up to its illustrious title, being able to take the shape of past Nintendo consoles (excluding the Virtual Boy) at the press of a button and allowing you to play some of your favorite games of yesteryear. It's certainly one of the Revolution's most appealing features, but the exact specifics up until now have been...well, not very specific at all.This may have something to with the fact that Nintendo appears to still be deciding about a lot of things regarding the feature. As a leaked marketing survey (complete with menu mockups and a list of games!) uncovered by 1up seems to suggest, they're not quite sure on how games will be delivered to the player and how exactly the costs will be managed. Gauging by the questions asked in the survey, Nintendo may be considering 3 different service models: Purchase: You'll pay a set price for the game of your choice, download it and then play it whenever you want. Rental: You rent the games for a specified period of time. This could be implemented in a number of ways, possibly having you download the game and then "unlocking" it for a month. Subscription: You pay a monthly fee which opens up the entire Virtual Console library for your playing pleasure. You download games and get to play them as long as you continue being a subscriber. We reckon the subscription model could work if it was reasonably priced and the library continued to grow consistently, but otherwise the ancient tradition of paying a fee and permanently receiving a game has always made sense to us. What's your take? Also, be sure to check out the full article for the list of Virtual Console games that appeared in the survey!
Shiggy on Saito and smiling
Make no mistake - if even the simplest of phrases escapes from the mouth of legendary game designer Shigeryu Miyamoto, we'll be grabbing our nets and chasing after it as if it were a fluttering and fleeing butterfly. In a recent issue of Famitsu, the man had some good things to say about Yoot Saito, creator of the voice-controlled Seaman game and the forthcoming Pinball / Real-time strategy hybrid, Odama (also enhanced for the Gamecube microphone). After praising Saito's understanding of how "games go together", Miyamoto was keen to impart some additional wisdom when it comes to game design, no doubt reflecting his current mindset for developing games on the Revolution. Apparently, the trick to a good game is implementing something new that has you smiling all the way to the end. "Before making a game, one must understand precisely how it will end." "A game that keeps a smile on the player's face is a wonderful thing."He also reiterates Nintendo's back-to-basics-for-something-new mantra: "Nintendo's theme for 2006 will be 'Create new fun.' 'Spread the fun of games to everyone.' To do this, we must return to the beginning, to recapture the essence that made people who enjoy games even now enjoy them in the first place." But what about fancy graphics? "Presentation' is not what kind of picture you paint; it is how you behold your beholder." So, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then the beholder of the beholder will see the beauty depending on how he beholds the eye of the beholder...which has the beauty and....yeah. We'll have to think about that some more.
"Hip" European Revolution postcard
Whether they're extending a foreign arm of warmth and happiness across the ocean or if they're merely reminding Europe that the Revolution will be released over there too is uncertain, but the guys over at Jeux France have found themselves on the receiving end of a hip Nintendo postcard of sorts. Now, Nintendo and the concept of "hip" haven't exactly been the greatest of friends in the past, so it comes as a relief to see that they have finally come to understand each other. Because when you think "hip", you obviously think "shirtless guy striking cool poses".Hopefully this greeting card doesn't indicate that "shirtless guy striking cool poses" is an integral part of their forthcoming Revolution marketing campaign. Not that we have anything against shirtless guys striking cool poses (heck, we do it all the time), but we were under the impression that a unique new control method and Nintendo games were slightly more appealing than say, shirtless guys striking cool poses. Perhaps we've got it all wrong?[via 1up]
Another Revolution patent unearthed
Revolution Report has done it again, uncovering another patent filed by Nintendo regarding their upcoming Virtual Console service. Nintendo's newest patent application, filed yesterday, is for a "Game information storage medium and game system using the same." Revolution Report has a synopsis of the major details of the application including: Nintendo planning on bundling classic titles with newer titles on one medium Potential Game Boy and DS emulation Possible Revolution / PC connectivity Old games can be updated with new looks Possibility for other content providers to deliver games through Nintendo's service. Pretty exciting indeed! Check out the rest of the details to see what Nintendo's got in store for us. [Thanks, Mephy]
Magazine reveals Revolution details: Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Donkey Konga
While it's not exactly the kind of publication we thought would break all sorts of Revolution news, National Geographic Kids Magazine was invited by the Big N to test out the top-secret Revolution controller in Tokyo. They report, "The Revolution will be available later this year. You'll be able to use it with games you already have as well as with new games. Here are some old favorites and a few of the things you'll be able to do with this revolutionary new controller."Wow! Let's break that down a bit: The system will be out this year. You can believe they got this straight from Nintendo and it is consistent with earlier rumors. 2006. Done. Backwards compatibility is of course something we've known about for awhile; however, the "old favorites" mention is so provocatively vague! They list The Legend of Zelda, Super Smash Brothers, and Donkey Konga. Question is, are they listing games or franchises? If they are listing games, does this mean the "old favorite" versions of these games (Wind Waker, Twilight Princess, Melee) will use the Revolution controller to slash a sword or work as a shield? Nintendo recently said they "made no announcements" regarding such functionality. This of course does not mean there is no such functionality. If they in fact meant "old favorite" franchises, can we infer there are next-generation versions in the works? Did they get hands-on time using the controller? Are all three games in active production, complete enough to be shown to the press? Either possibility is far more than they've shown in earlier press demos, where they used simple gameplay demos with crude graphics to emphasize the interface. There is, of course, the possibility they were shown those same demos, and were told by Nintendo what they could expect, to snazz up the story a bit more... but why invite them out to Tokyo for just that?Fine, we admit: Nintendo has us wrapped around their precious little finger, making us feel like awkward teenagers, gaping at a pinup of the Revolution controller in our proverbial high school locker, swooning over every little nugget of news, knees buckling whenever Shiggy or Reggie open their mouths... how much longer can we stand it?Read on for the rest of the images.[Updated: Nintendo has stated this is "all still speculation." Boo![Big thanks to John for the images!]
Revolution will cost less than $299
The Revolution will cost less than the Xbox 360. That's Satoru Iwata's latest droplet of Revolution-based information, and it'll no doubt help fuel rumours of low-priced launches, although some launch speculation can now be safely laid to rest.It makes sense for the Revolution to come in at a lower price point than the 360, although we don't know how much the 360 will be selling for once the Revolution is launched--here's hoping the games are cheaper, though.[via Engadget]
Next-gen console size comparisons
Here at Joystiq, we love comparing the size of different things. Ignoring for a moment the deep-seated psychological trauma behind it all, we've found this image which takes PS3 and Revolution mockups and compares them to the Xbox 360, Xbox, PS2, slimline PS2 and Gamecube. Whew. Hit the 'Read' link for the full image.It looks a fairly realistic mock-up, with the Revolution winning "tiniest console by far" award, stealing the crown from the slimline PS2. However, if the Revolution really will be that small, we can't help but wonder how large the power supply will be in comparison.[UPDATE: 4 color rebellion point out that the picture of the Revolution is misleading, as the CDROM wouldn't actually fit. They've fixed the scaling here.][via digg]
Hideo Kojima's into spanking?
There's a thin line between genius and madness, and it seems that Hideo Kojima finds himself treating said line like a drunken driver during a sobriety test. According to a Gamebrink correspondent at the Digital Interactive Entertainment Conference held in Kyoto, Japan, Mr. Kojima expressed his desire to make a DS game revolving around the mechanic of spanking ladies. "The only interesting thing to come out of it was Kojima talking about wanting to make a game with the DS where you used the controller to spank girls asses... at least that's what I THINK he said!"Now, this is surely just a hilarious translation error and shouldn't be considered as "news" by any means. Besides, we all know that a spanking game would be so much better suited to the Revolution. We can easily envision sitting on our couches and whacking imaginary buttocks with our Revolution remotes, complete with accompanying moans and smacking sound effects. So easily, in fact, that we've already signed up for therapy. [Via Joystiq]
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.
