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DS Daily: When is it enough?
Since we've got awesome new details on Mario & Luigi 3 to digest on, we've been thinking sequels. They're nothing new and the idea of the sequel isn't going anywhere. But, when does a franchise just overstay its welcome? Any franchises you think need a reboot or should just plain go away? When do you find a series has lost what it so great in the first place? We're looking examples here, people. Oh, and with this being such a broad topic, it's okay if you talk about non-DS games. We'll allow it just this once.
BioShock has 'potential' for numerous sequels, suggests 2K boss
2K Global President Christoph Hartmann says BioShock could have plenty of sequels, but he promises the company won't "cash in" on the franchise. Speaking with MCV, Hartmann states that with the "right twist of innovation," the series has the potential to span, oh, six parts ... "as Star Wars did." (BioShock 6: Revenge of the Lil' Sithsters, anyone?)Although Ken Levine might be giggling all the way to the bank with sequel royalties, we'd like to see how BioShock 2: Sea of Dreams turns out before we get excited about a six-part aquatic epic. Also, wasn't Star Wars just a trilogy? Please, join us in our denial.
Rumor: Wii Fit 2, Wii Rhythm Heaven on the way
Japanese game magazine Game Labo is sometimes hilariously off base with their wild rumors (like when they had Dragon Quest IX heading to PSP or when they teased a redesigned Wiimote with a rechargeable battery), but sometimes they hit the nail on the head (in the very same issue as the Dragon Quest thing, they scooped everyone on the imminent release of the DS TV Tuner). 1up shared the latest rumors from the magazine, which include a couple of rather half-heartedly masked Nintendo rumors. One, about "Game Company 'N'" and a sequel to "its fitness game 'W'" is pretty clearly about Wii Fit. According to the magazine, a sequel to the megahit exercise game is on the way, adding stretching and massage to the directed activities, and potentially featuring endorsement from a "certain former U.S. Army instructor." Considering that Wii Fit is, like, a cultural institution, we are not surprised at all to hear about a sequel.Also unsurprising, but about five million times more awesome if true, is the rumor that the same Game Company N is working on a Wii version of the DS "Rhythm game 'R'," or Rhythm Tengoku. Since the DS rhythm minigame collection turned out to be a big hit in Japan (and had better be a hit in the US, people), this makes total sense.Also rumored is that Bandai Namco is going to make a ton of Tales games for every platform. Wow, such insider information. We also heard somewhere that EA is working on some games about playing sports. Don't go preordering just yet -- these rumors are just that, rumors, and may just be junk some guy made up. But it's plausible junk!%Gallery-4745%
Monolith reflects on Disaster non-sales, mentions a sequel
It is difficult to envisage a second Disaster: Day of Crisis game, for two reasons: How any follow-up could top the unlikely mélange of disasters (earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis, terrorists, bears) that featured in the first game is beyond us. Perhaps an asteroid? Sales of the first game. Or the lack thereof. Nevertheless, developer Monolith Soft is at least open to the idea of a Disaster 2. In an interview with Cubed3, Director Keiichi Ono revealed that "...there were so many wonderful options [in the game]. We would like to see the possibility for them, if we have chance to develop the sequel..." The sequel? Or a sequel? The difference is pretty crucial! While we're not exactly taking that as rock-solid confirmation of Ray's return, it's an interesting remark.To bring us back down to earth, Nintendo's Hitoshi Yamagami reminded us of why the first game might not even come to North America, describing how Disaster is "performing lower than expected" at the tills.%Gallery-30942%
Rumor: Elite Beat Agents 2 listing appears
Click for to embiggen! Even the tiniest hint about a confirmation of Elite Beat Agents 2 -- a game that would surprise no one and thrill nearly everyone -- is like the skies opening up to shine a light onto the Earth whilst the angels sing. Well, get to singing, angels, because this listing from the Nintendo UK press site shows Elite Beat Agents 2 right underneath Elite Beat Agents. Could it be? Maybe. Maybe even probably ... but we'll have to wait for some sort of official confirmation to be certain.
EA hints at Dead Space movie and sequel
Dead Space may only just be releasing in Europe today, but it seems EA's plans for the game don't stop there. Talking to Variety, Executive Producer Glenn Schofield talked about his plans for licensing the story out to other media. There are already Dead Space comics and an animated prequel movie, Downfall, but they are also "talking about novels. We don't have a toy deal yet, but we're but looking into that."Not only novels and toys, but Schofield is also "talking with movie studios right now. We have been all along. By doing this now, we could have a movie that bridges the gap between the two games." Hold on, did he say "two games"? It's obvious they're willing to franchise the hell out of this game, but it's also clear they're not willing to compromise on quality. Schofield goes on to say that "the difference with this is we need to go in and say, "This is not a $10 million movie." Sure somebody could make it, but that's not what we are looking for. It's an expensive movie. What we're doing, say, with movie producers is handpicking our producer. We get approval on the scriptwriter, director and those sorts of things." We're really enjoying Dead Space and would love to see a live action feature film and a sequel, as long as they're not shameless cash ins. From the looks of it, that's the last thing the dev team wants. We look forward to further developments.In the same article EA's president, Frank Gibeau, mentions sequels for both Battlefield: Bad Company and Army of Two. No specific details were given regarding the whats and whens.[Via GameIndustry.biz]
Bethesda: 'Fallout 4 before 2018'
Fallout 3's radiation sickness hasn't even begun to set in and already people are talking about another sequel. Understandable, given the pause between Fallout 2 and next week's post-nuclear follow up stretched on for a decade, a wait that Bethesda's executive producer Todd Howard even admits was a touch much. "I think it's good for people to miss things," Howard commented to Reuters. "Ten years between 'Fallout' is a bit long, but I think there's this nostalgia factor." In fact, the report notes that Howard thinks waiting three years or so is about right, though Bethesda's Pete Hines gives the inevitable sequel a wider berth. The company's VP of public relations tells Edge that it would be more accurate to expect Fallout 4 "before 2018" (since Howard did say 10 years was too long to wait). Geeze, by that time, we'll probably be living in our own apocalyptic wasteland, and Fallout will just be the game we play when we go outside. [Via Edge Online]
Wii Warm Up: No sequel for you
We've got quite a few sequels coming down the pipe: No More Heroes is getting another shot at the big time, and eventually, so is Red Steel. Even Sin & Punishment and Wii Sports are getting sequels! We're pretty excited about most of the sequels on our radar, but sometimes, we get a little bit of do-not-want-itis over a follow-up. Any sequel upcoming that doesn't really do it for you?
Blizzard's next MMO: Not World of Warcraft 2
We've seen "help wanted" ads coming from Blizzard for more than a year now, asking for developers to offer their services on a "Next-Gen MMO". Following the respective announcements of Starcraft II and Diablo III, however, the rumor mill stopped revolving on this particular topic. We expect prognostication to pick up following this recent revelation from Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime -- whatever the new project is, "it's not going to be a World of Warcraft sequel."Not only will this news lift the spirits of those who can now rekindle their hopes for a Lost Vikings MMO, it should reassure Azerothians who may have feared that their MMO of choice might be replaced. According to Morhaime, Blizzard has no intentions of replacing their cash cow, hoping instead to create a new title that can operate alongside WoW. Our productivity shudders at this notion.
EA sees a trilogy in Mirror's Edge
With its developer already inking comic book deals and counting the dollars, euros, yen, and copper farthings it expects to rake in from a projected three million copies worldwide, Mirror's Edge staying a one-off affair may have seemed unlikely ... and is now so totally not one. In an interview with AusGamers, DICE senior producer, Owen O'Brien, reveals that the game – launching next month – will be the first in a planned trilogy.O'Brien commented: "The story we're telling at the moment is kind of a trilogy, a three-story arc," adding that, "certainly for these first couple games, it's all about Faith." Faith being the protagonist of the first (and now, it seems, second) Mirror's Edge – or, you might also say, what EA has in the franchise. O'Brien also mentioned that the second game in the freshly-minted series may pack a level editor, saying: "It's something we're probably going to look at for the sequel." He also said that, "We want to make the level editor as easy to use and intuitive as the game is. And that's going to take us quite a lot of time." In other words: the first dose of rooftop running action – complete with its recently revealed time trial mode – will have to keep us happy for a good while. [Via GameSpot]
Random Final Fantasy rumor of the day
It doesn't look like Square Enix is spending much time on the Wii, but rumor has it that the company may change their tune and throw the little white console one of its favorite bones: a port. Producer Takashi Tokita of Final Fantasy IV The After: Return of the Moon -- the game's mobile sequel -- recently dropped some hints that the game may be making its way here in some form. "Currently [the sequel] is available for mobile phones in Japan. We'll do our best to make this game available for our overseas audiences as well," he said. So your first thought would be the DS, right? Not according to the folks at RPG Site, who tapped mysterious (and unnamed) sources at Square Enix in their quest for more information. The result? Hints that the game may be reformatted for Wii. We would assume WiiWare, but who knows; they're porting Chrono Trigger, after all, without a hint of a graphical upgrade.Right now, this is the king rumor in all of rumorland, meaning it's completely out there and not too reliable, but it's interesting, to say the least. Have any thoughts on the chances of this one?[Via videogaming247]
DS Daily: Whither Professor Layton?
So, uh ... we all bought Professor Layton and the Curious Village, right? If not, trust -- you are really missing out. But that's not the point of today's morning chitchat. No, instead we'd like to ask a burning question: where the hell are the other two Layton games? We hoped to see them announced at E3, but it didn't happen. Think the second one will be announced before the end of the year?
Dyack: Ownership of Eternal Darkness IP is 'complicated'
Our greener, slightly more hi-def colleagues at X3F recently had a chance to sit down with Denis Dyack, famously outspoken founder and president of Silicon Knights. Although Dyack and Silicon Knights have been working with the others in recent years, the company does have a history of working alongside Nintendo, perhaps most notably when Ninty published cult favorite Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem on the GameCube. Since it was released in 2002, the fan clamor for an Eternal Darkness follow-up has been considerable.Regrettably, the signs given by Dyack here (at around the 4.30 mark) aren't encouraging. The sticking point seems to be the issue of who owns the Eternal Darkness IP, something which Dyack describes as "a complicated question with a complicated answer."That said, he also reveals that Nintendo is a "silent partner" with the developer, and that the two companies have a "great" relationship. "It's not time to talk about Eternal Darkness 2," he concludes. The chances of an Eternal Darkness sequel on Wii seem a little slimmer after watching this, and that makes us sad pandas.
GC 2008: Konami rolls Kororinpa 2 our way
Along with Dewy's Adventure, Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz, and the massively under-rated Mercury Meltdown Revolution, Kororinpa proved that the Wii was the only place to be for enthusiasts of rolling. And now it's rolling back! Konami just announced a sequel to its vowel-heavy game at Leipzig, carefully tilting a trailer and 20 screens in our direction. Finally, another use for our Ball Bearing Maze Special Salver!Over 100 stages will feature in Kororinpa 2, as well as multiple difficulty levels (maybe even difficult levels of difficulty this time), a swish-looking course editor, multiplayer for you and three fellow rollers, and Mii integration (which is now as important and common as having graphics). So long as it also has a better camera, we're already on board. Oh, and boxart that is half as wonderful as that of the original PAL game. Like, seriously, how perfect is this? Expect it early next year.%Gallery-30046%[Via press release]
VC Friday: Sequel week
Game sequels often suffer from a reputation of being weaker than their predecessors, but that hasn't stopped Nintendo whacking a whole pile of them on the PAL Virtual Console this week. The M-rated Splatterhouse 2 leads the charge, bloodied lead pipe in hand, and is joined by Samurai Shodown II, Pitstop II, and Ecco Jr. (okay, so that's not a sequel in the strictest sense of the term, but a spin-off for the kids). Here's what that little lot will cost you: Ecco Jr. -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Splatterhouse 2 -- Mega Drive -- 800 Wii Points Samurai Shodown II -- Neo Geo -- 900 Wii Points Pitstop II -- Commodore 64 -- 500 Wii Points * * As usual, Australia misses out on the Commodore 64 game.Footage of all four is past the break -- try listening to six minutes of Pitstop II's engine effects without going insane.
Konami openly discusses Elebits sequel
Without outright saying "Hey guys, we're making an Elebits sequel," Konami Product Manager Gregg Nolan has discussed aspects of a new Elebits Wii game in an interview we found behind the fridge at Siliconera.When he says "new," Gregg means new -- this won't be a port of forthcoming DS title Elebits: Adventures of Kai & Zero, but a totally fresh Elebits experience, one which follows on from the story in the first game, and overlaps with the characters and environments in the DS title. DS/Wii connectivity has been discussed within the team, though no decisions have been reached yet. You may now commence whooping loudly.
Wii Warm Up: Dreaming of WiiWare
You know what the best thing about hanging out with JC is? Hearing him gush about Mega Man 9 and how he got a ton of time to play it. It's kind of the same thing with me and Wario Land: Shake It!, I assume. But, what's important is the question we have to ask.So, in thinking about what other retro dream sequels we could see on WiiWare (Earthworm Jim 3, for example), we'd like to know what you all can come up with. So, let's hear it! What retro dream sequel would you like to see?
E308: Wii Sports Resort announced [Update 1: Screens!]
To some, Wii Sports is almost synonymous with the Wii itself, so you can paint us totally unamazed to hear that there'll be a follow-up. Wii Sports Resort will launch in Spring 2009, shipping with one of those fancy new Wii MotionPlus add-ons and a special Wii Remote jacket to house your elongated Wiimote.The theme here is beach games -- perfect for people like us who don't particularly enjoy going outside, let alone baring our flesh. On stage at Nintendo's E3 press conference, we were treated to demos of games such as Disc Dog (lobbing a frisbee for your dog), Jet Ski (self-explanatory), and a sword-jousting minigame in which players attempt to knock each other off of a platform. So, who's excited?[Update 1: First screenies!]%Gallery-27709%
High Voltage already daydreaming of Conduit sequels
Ask most gamers -- or gamers like us, at least -- about sequels, and you'll be greeted with much eye-rolling. Here's one follow-up we can get behind, however: a sequel to High Voltage's promising sci-fi shooter, The Conduit. What's that you say? The Conduit isn't even out yet? Well, who cares? Certainly not High Voltage's Eric Nossinger!Chatting to That Videogame Blog, Nossinger revealed that The Conduit has "enough story [...] and enough ideas" to justify making further The Conduit games, though admitted that sales would influence whether such follow-ups were developed. "We're building a brand with The Conduit," added colleague, Matt Corso (remember our interview with him?), dollar signs spinning in his eyes. Let's not forget to keep our eyes firmly on the first one, eh, chaps?%Gallery-25003%[Via Go Nintendo]
Zack and Wiki: Quest for a Sequel is fruitless
Oh, Zack & Wiki, what an overflowing treasure chest of delights you were; your demanding (yet fulfilling) puzzles and vibrant, cute visual style won us over in a heartbeat. Even though you consistently made us feel thick, we'd still do anything to spend just another hour in your puzzley company. Even that meanie Yahtzee liked you! Alas, a new adventure featuring the pirate and his monkey is looking increasingly unlikely. Capcom bossman Christian Svensson seemed to rule out a follow-up on the Capcom forums, noting that he "[wasn't] so sure there will be [a sequel] on any reasonable timeline." That doesn't mean we'll never get one, of course, but we wouldn't go expecting Zack & Wiki 2 in the next decade or anything rash like that. We can't say we blame Capcom, either -- remember how the company was forced to drop the game's price just three months after it launched in the States? That's probably not an experience it wants to revisit. %Gallery-3283% [Via Nintendo Everything]
