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Zoonami "happily dedicated" to Wii
CVG chatted with Zoonami's Martin Hollis (best known for his involvement with Goldeneye 007 and Perfect Dark while at Rare) about his game design philosophy and his current projects. As happens in developer interviews, the subject of a possible Wii game came up. Hollis responded: " We are happily dedicated to Wii, which is a very exciting console indeed, and are working on multiple projects." The Zendoku developer also stated boldly that "I also believe that Wii will change the world." Of course, besides the obvious sales benefits of developing software for a popular system like the Wii, and the suitability of the system for puzzle games and other casual fare, it also seems that because the Wii is such a social phenomenon, developers can get good press just for saying they like it. Which, for Zoonami, is good, because who knows when they'll get a game out?
Everything you ever wanted to know about Zendoku
If you've heard that Zendoku is a fusion of sudoku and martial arts, you might have wondered why. We don't blame you; on the face, it certainly seems like an unusual combination, but Pocket Gamer's interview with Zendoku creator Martin Hollis reveals the inspiration behind this unusual puzzler, and much more as well. So what's the story? It's simple, really. "Sudoku needed some ninjas," Hollis said. Frankly, what doesn't need a ninja or six?Now that the question of inspiration is out of the way, the next logical question is: how does one mix puzzles and action? In Zendoku -- which uses symbols, not numbers -- the puzzle board, if you will, is the field of combat. Completing a row, section, or column initiates an attack -- and those attacks are played out in microgames. It all sounds good on paper, but we'll have to give it a try to see if it's any fun in action. It may be promising, but sometimes you just want to finish the puzzle, you know?
Zoonami announces Zendoku for the DS
Zoonami, the Cambridge-based developers, have announced they will be creating a new puzzle game called Zendoku for the DS. Publishing duties for the game will be handled by Eidos Interactive and it is said to combine "exciting puzzle battle action" with Sudoku gameplay. Other details on the title have yet to be revealed, however the press release does confirm wireless multiplayer without elaborating whether said support will include Nintendo's Wi-Fi Connect service or not.
