Category Archives: Wii

The return of the Wii

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This year’s Gamescom, which is still in full swing, looks to be all about the shrinking of SKUs and their price tags. Sony announced a price drop on the PS3 to around £200 for the model with the smallest HDD (160GB) as well as the bizarre relaunched PSP which will have no Wifi connectivity, only UMDs and will cost £90. The move is a complete 180 to their last push for the PSP, the PSPgo that famously had no UMD support in an effort to create a market similar to that of Apple and Android where all games are bought digitally via PSN. That, for lack of a better word, failed leaving Sony to turn back to good old UMDs. After all, some companies didn’t even release their games onto PSN but did have disc-based versions. I can’t help but think Sony are flogging a dead horse by releasing yet another PSP when the PSVita is just around the corner but getting a device under £100 does strange things to people and seems to instigate fresh interest in old hardware. Good luck to them, the PSP was a great little handheld and deserved more support than it received.

Speaking of wanting to revitalise a disappearing platform, Nintendo too had a relaunch of their own, the new smaller Wii. It also looses something from the previous model, the ability to play GameCube games. That’s probably not a big deal what with some of the more popular titles having Wii ports and like Sony, Nintendo are hoping to do what they can to gain the most money out of the last few official months of a product’s lifecycle and streamlining features means less cost to produce and more profit to sell.

Along with the revealing of another Wii was the confirmation that The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will be coming to stores on November 18th (20th in the US). Because of this, plus a price drop and the release of a new model, general manager of Nintendo Germany has told Reuters (via GoNintendo) that he believes the Wii will have a healthy and profitable Christmas:

“We have seen an enormous increase in sales since [the price cut] and this gives us another indication of what will happen in the Christmas season.”

It’s a definite possibility since many Wii owners have been clambering for the next home Zelda game ever since they finished Twilight Princess (I know I have) but most likely these people already own a Wii so won’t pick up a new console. That is unless they sold theirs after the lack of titles caused it to gain dust under the TV. A price drop and redesign could them see a lot of ex Wii owners pick up another console just to play Skyward Sword and then hopefully go on to play the other great games they’ve been missing, Like Donkey Kong Country Returns and GoldenEye 007 Wii. I am a little dubious as to whether consumers will buy a Wii just on the strength that it’s cheaper and smaller because the insane eBay bids and hysteria surrounding the system not too long ago would suggest anyone who really wanted a Wii already has one. But sales figures and the power of a brand often surprises me so who knows, this Christmas may be the right time for a lot of hesitant families to finally grab themselves a slice of Nintendo pie.

But that does bring up another question. If the new Wii does indeed sell exceptionally well would that impact the launch of the WiiU? There’s yet to be any firm date for the tablet-controlled console so Nintendo could still shuffle their early 2012 plans for hardware and unknown whether the sudden and severe price reduction on the 3DS has forced them to rethink the RRP for the WiiU. Nintendo may not have the luxury anymore to launch a device and make turn a profit straight away so if the GameCube-less Wii boosts sales they may want to coast on it until the very last minute. Then again, there’s pressure from Sony who are set to release the PSVita towards the end of the year in Japan and Q1 2012 for the rest of the world. The ability to link the PSVita to a PS3 would make it a potential competitor to the WiiU so Nintendo might not want to wait too long before unleashing their HD beast. So may questions, so many ‘what ifs’ but one thing’s for sure, the 3DS should enjoy a decent holiday. That at least is a little more certain.

Nothing is free, not unless you’re Nintendo

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One thing Nintendo needs to focus on the most for this generation and beyond is rallying support from third party developers. They tried and arguably failed to do this right off the bat with the 3DS by withholding the best first party software to allow third party titles a bit of breathing space. A kind and possibly dangerous gesture that makes the recent news all the more odd. According to Nintendo World Report (via My Nintendo News) third party devs aren’t currently able to release free software through the 3DS’s eShop. And no freebies means no demo either or at least not unless you want to pay for them.

At this point in time, anything that appears on the eShop that isn’t by Nintendo must be at least 200 yen which is why Capcom’s demo for Nazo Waku Yakata recently went live on the Japanese store for said price. It was thought that Capcom were just trying to make a quick buck out of the consumer but evidently not.

It’s perplexing why Nintendo aren’t easily allowing demos on the store when they’ve become integral to a lot of smaller games’ success. What better exposure is there than the chance to play a small part of a game for free? It works well for most (i.e good) XBLA titles that must have a demo version and is a method that Nintendo really must accept instead of fighting against on their platforms. Restricting third party content isn’t going to win developers over especially on the 3DS.

The reason again most likely stems from Nintendo president Satoru Iwata’s fear of low budget and free-to-play games devaluing the software and even developers themselves which I tend to agree with. But demos don’t fit into either of these categories and should be viewed differently. Hopefully they will be too what with the eShop being so young and Nintendo showing they are willing to conform, albeit slowly, to current online video game practices.

GoldenEye 007 Reloaded is real, people

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UPDATE: Activision put out a press release today confirming the existence of the game and how it’ll be running on a brand new engine. But the graphics won’t be the only new aspect. Here’s the most interesting chunk of the press release: “GoldenEye 007: Reloaded is a contemporary James Bond experience featuring HD visuals and realistic environments running at 60-frames per second, akin to today’s elite action games. Additional to the legendary story campaign, the game introduces the brand new ‘Mi6 Ops Missions’ – new, distinct levels separate from the campaign that span the varied environments from the story and challenge players to complete different Assault, Elimination, Stealth and Defence objectives. GoldenEye 007: Reloaded also takes multiplayer to new heights, maintaining and improving its renowned four-player split-screen action and adding full, adrenaline-pumping 16-player online matches with more maps, weapons, characters and game modes than ever before.”

ORIGINAL STORY: A good few weeks ago there was some stirring online about something called GoldenEye 007: Reloaded which slipped out from Activision. Suffixing and name with Reloaded generally means some form of upgrade when it comes to video games and in this case, it looks like last year’s neat remake of an N64 classic is to be remade all over again.

GoldenEye 007 for the Wii was a fun FPS that took the original ideas from the iconic N64 launch game and amended them to fit within the contemporary Bond timeline. As always, there was grumbling from ‘hardcore’ fans who were desperate for the ill-fated HD port of Rare’s GoldenEye to become a reality but since that simply will never happen (too many companies hold separate chunks of the IP for it to ever come out) GoldenEye 007 was considered a suitable alternative. I enjoyed it and like the glory days of my youth, its multiplayer component was hugely entertaining. From the screenshots bagged by Videogamer.com, Reloaded appears to hoik up the graphics for a release of the remake onto PS3 and Xbox 360. But little more is known of the project just yet with more details said to be coming in the next few days at the San Diego Comic Con so there could be more additions other than sparkly new visuals (interestingly enough, the Wii game used the same heavily altered IW Engine which ran the SD Call of Duty games. This could mean the HD GoldenEye 007 would use the original IW Engine).

Even though I already own the Wii version, I may have to pick this one up too. Like I said, I really enjoyed playing it on the Wii but it came at a cost; the controller. Choosing not to re-learn how to play an FPS using the Wii remote and nunchuck, I bought a Classic Controller which did work well but still not as comfortable as an Xbox 360 pad and subsequently shortened my playtime. My fingers are crossed that the transition to HD consoles brings with it a tightening of controls on the relevant pads. And anyone grumbling how GoldenEye 007 Reloaded still won’t be close enough to the N64 version, this is probably the closest you’re ever going to get.

Wii U’s launch will better that of the 3DS

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The launch of the 3DS may have started with promising sales but quickly became a bit of an issue for Nintendo. Accused of not having quality titles and lacking any real impetus for typical Nintendo fans to buy a system at launch, NoA president Reggis Fils-Aime recently admitted the faults saying the 3DS has now moved into a new phase. One with two superb first party Zelda titles and a fairly well stocked online store with more games in the coming weeks and months ahead. But Nintendo isn’t out of the woods just yet and are still having a little trouble persuading people to buy a 3DS. This is something president Satoru Iwata wants to avoid with the Wii U.

In a shareholder meeting, Iwata echoed Fils-Aime’s admittance (via Gamespot) of a less than stella list of launch games (though I didn’t think they were all that bad) and said how the company are carefully looking at ways to prevent it: “We also must reflect on the fact that we were not able to launch Nintendo 3DS at a time when a sufficient number of strong software titles were ready,” he said. “In order to avoid the same thing from happening to the Wii U, we are considering details, such as what software is suitable for the launch, more carefully than ever before.”

One of the more infamous reasons for Nintendo not releasing more first-party games for the 3DS launch was to allow third-party titles some breathing space since Nintendo consoles are often considered only good for Nintendo games. Once again the company fell victim to this but it didn’t help when publishers thought re-hashes of old games would be acceptable for day one of the device. Given that thought, you can imagine a greater urgency being put on a Wii U Mario, Zelda or Mario Kart being ready for its release next year. Nintendo may also be leaning on third parties to get Wii U versions of multiplatform games ready to land alongside the system what with the desire for the Wii U to be viable competitor to the Xbox 360 and PS3. If it could arrive with games that look and play like those found on the other HD consoles, that would be a positive turn. More often than not, systems launch with average experiences in a time when developers are new to the type of technology on offer. But the Wii U is meant to sit alongside platforms that have been out for years which maybe an advantage when trying to port games over.

Whatever happens in 2012 when the Wii U is supposed to come out, I would be more surprised if Nintendo didn’t keep their promise of a strong launch line up. They’ve learned an awful lot with the Wii and DS in terms of the kinds of gamers they can attract, the online experiences expected from consoles and how developers will work with them and with all these points I feel Nintendo are heading in the right direction. They promised a better online area and we have that in the eShop. They wanted to appeal to a wide variety of people and with the right game, even the most hardcore gamers can enjoy the Wii and with new Wii U controller offers an input less jarring than a Wii remote and nunchuck. So far so good, lets see where this new promise takes us eh?

Wii 3DU?

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We’re still yet to know the full force of Nintendo’s upcoming Wii U and what it’ll be able to do with all its fancy new insides but the general consensus from the big N to Sony and Microsoft is “anything you can do, we can do better… or at least similar.” One area Nintendo could choose to pursue is that of 3D TVs, a place Sony is claiming dominance in this generation but for Nintendo, it isn’t something they’re all that fussed about even though the Wii U is technically capable of supporting 3D.

President Satoru Iwata told the Mercury News (via My Nintendo News): “If you are going to connect Wii U with a home TV capable of displaying 3-D images, technologically, yes, it is going to be possible, but that’s not the area we are focusing on.” The immediate thought which springs to mind is why would they? They already have the 3DS which champions a future of glasses-free 3D media and use this fact in its marketing. Iwata touched on this when giving his full reasonings against the idea of a 3D TV experience: “When it comes to 3D, we already have the 3DS, and each owner of the Nintendo 3DS is capable of viewing 3D images. However, when it comes to the home console, it depends upon the availability of 3D TV sets at home, which, unfortunately, is not expanding enough.”

He summed up his point by saying it would be a waste of time and money to focus on making the Wii U 3D compatible out the box and instead prefers to dedicate their time to enable “each Wii U owner being able to have an equal opportunity to enjoy it.” A little ironic when a Wii U owner may not be one person but a whole family and that family will have to share the unique controller since only one comes with the machine and won’t be available to buy on their own. But still, Nintendo’s hesitance to follow a new trend in technology is why the Wii became so popular and also why the Wii U is desperately needed. Rather than developing a machine for HD TVs, Nintendo chose to stick with standard definition because five or so years ago, the penetration of high def televisions was significantly lower than SD. As time went by, Plasma and LCD screen became the norm and the Wii started looking less and less impressive. Now we’re at a similar split in the market with 3D TVs yet to really prove themselves.

However, I do think there is a little difference and Nintendo maybe right to not worry about 3D just yet. While there’s a number of TVs capable of showing 3D, there isn’t a massive incentive to upgrade if you already have an HD TV. The crossover from standard definition sets was driven by things like Blu-Ray discs and a growing number of HD televisions stations. But broadcasting in 3D takes a lot more bandwidth and what we have in place is already struggling, be it via something like Sky or the internet. So leaving this functionality out might not be as problematic for Nintendo as it was to hold off from HD graphics. Then again, for the sake of not repeating the past, it may be in beneficial for them to at least make it so the Wii U can be patched to include it at a later date if needed.

New Zelda not necessarily the new Zelda

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Cast your minds back if you will to the close of one century and beginning of the next. The time when Nintendo announced the GameCube at Space World 2000 and with it, a few technical spec videos one of which showing a realistic (for the time) looking Link battling a detailed Ganondorf in what was then thought as the next Legend of Zelda game. A year later, Wind Waker was revealed to be the official heir and the video shown alongside the GameCube was purely for show. Some people were pissed at the new cel-shaded art style instead of a more mature-looking Zelda but personally, Wind Waker is one of the best looking titles in the franchise and I’m not alone in that train of thought. Train being an appropriate word since the art style continued from Wind Waker, through Phantom Hourglass and onto Spirit Tracks on the DS.

This year’s E3 shares similarities to Nintendo’s Space World in 2000. Both saw new consoles, the GameCube and now Wii U and both had new looking Zelda games that according to producer Eiji Aonuma, don’t necessarily reflect what the final game will look like. Speaking with Wired (via Kotaku) about the Wii U and its E3 announcement, Aonuma called for a level of calm when discussing the next Zelda: “So when we show a graphic demo, people think, ‘Oh, this is what the next Zelda will look like,’ but that’s not necessarily the case.” The words are by no means final but if the video seen at E3 did resemble the final version, I don’t think Aonuma would be dismissive of it in this way.

Is it really such a big deal? Companies do this all the time with the Wind Waker switcheroo possibly the most famous. And more recently, Techland gave the impression that Dead Island was to be a poignant emotionally destructive experience through its debut video but positive previews claim it’s more slapstick than touching. I think for the Wii U’s Zelda showing, it was the first time anyone had seen Link in full HD and since a lot of buzz around the console is its ability to play high definition graphics, so when seeing an HD battle between the green-clothed hero and one mega arachnid, thoughts would naturally be filled with “omg, a Zelda like that would be awesome!”And it would be but Aonuma’s comments suggesting we should not expect it to look anything like that new infamous Zelda video is probably to try and avoid any angry fist-waving when Zelda Wii U is officially unveiled.

Reasons for not owning a 3DS – solved!

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What I took from Nintendo’s E3 press conference was a feeling of excitement for the future of its hardware. The Wii U may have a silly name but the controller itself looks like it could be a lot of fun and full of potential for developers. The 3DS has a number of first party games heading its way which usually means gamers will be in for a treat since Nintendo titles are rarely a bad thing.

However Sony are nipping at their heels with the PSVita, the all powerful dual-analog PSP successor that’s set to launch later this year for exactly the same price as the 3DS, $249. Nintendo were wise to release their handheld so early, avoiding too much comparison to the PSVita because at the time, its details were sparse. But was it too early? Did Nintendo shoot themselves in the foot by launching the 3DS without all the glitz and glam we’ve come to expect from a new piece of hardware? Nintendo of America boss, Reggie Fils-Aime doesn’t think so. He told Kotaku that day one sales for the 3DS were very strong as they were for the first week. There was a lot of love for the device from the people who bought one. But it was the people who didn’t that interested Nintendo more and when asked why they hadn’t parted with their cash, the response summarised the two main issues with the 3DS that Reggie believes has now been addressed; no big first party title and a weakened online experience. The missing eShop was apparently a bigger deal than initially thought.

In terms of a big first party game, I think Nintendo may have overestimated the appeal of Nintendogs + Cats. That was their big-hitter for launch but unlike the original Nintendogs, didn’t get systems flying off shelves. But now The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is out, Reggie is confident it will scratch the itch of anyone hungry for a Nintendo classic. And the coming months only brings more of these potential hits. “We’re going to follow with a steady drumbeat of Star Fox and Kid Icarus and two Mario titles (Super Mario 3D and Super Mario Kart 3D) and the Luigi title (Luigi’s Mansion 2).” That’s all well and good but the downside of course is the 3DS could then become just another Nintendo player with all the buzz surrounding their games and not those of third parties. Part of the reason why the big N didn’t release a true triple A game at launch was so that said parties weren’t then competing with Nintendo for sales. Commendable yes but evidently not what the consumers wanted.

As for the online experience, Reggie was defiant that the lacklustre efforts of last generation tech was a thing of the past. “We’ve just done the first network update. We’ve got the eShop up and running. We’ve got the 3D movie service still on track for the summer. We’ve got Netflix still on track for the summer. So I think we’re well underway to having that addressed as well,” he said adding, “we’re going to be back with strong momentum on the 3DS.” The eShop is considerably impressive compared to what we were given on the DSi and Wii. It kicked off with some great games and hopefully will continue to do so plus a 3D movie trailer for the Green Lantern begins the motion picture content Reggie speaks of. There is still the Aardman Animations exclusive shorts supposedly coming to the store plus 3D TV streaming from Sky so more interesting stuff on the way. But it’s still quite out of reach at the moment so not a back-of-box bullet point just yet.

Now that the two main objections for buying a 3DS have been rectified, will it be plain sailing from here on? I hope so for our sake but what is always going to be challenging for Nintendo is getting the message across to non-gaming enthusiasts that the 3DS isn’t a slightly upgraded DS but a whole lot more. You can’t show stereoscopic 3D through traditional adverts and the online functionality needs to be experienced first hand really. Back to the main point, did the 3DS launch before it was ready? I guess the argument really is doesn’t every system?

Spencer kinects with Halo Anniversary

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I have to admit, I loves me some Halo. Funnily enough, a game that puts a lot of emphasis on multiplayer is one that I happily play solo, buddying up for some fire fight action now and again but mostly I jump, shoot and squat all by myself. So you can imagine my excitement when Halo 4 was announced at E3. I was one of the lucky few who didn’t know it was coming so soon was wasn’t expecting it but was fully prepared for the remastered version of Master Chief’s first adventure, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary.

This November, Halo reaches its tenth birthday, hence the HD rerelease, and in that time the video game industry has changed dramatically thanks to the dominance of motion controls. The Wii arguably started it, Sony bettered it and Microsoft took away the controller all together, which is said to enhance certain games. You know, the whole ‘Better with Kinect’ tagline? With so many Kinect devices sold, it’s no wonder Microsoft are ramping up support and Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary is one of the first-party titles complete with Kinect integration. How? Right now, no-one really knows as the public only found out after Microsoft Games Studio head, Phil Spencer, gave an interview with Gamespot. Speaking about E3 as a whole, he said the companies aims this year was to talk of all the hardcore Kinect titles on the way. Games like Forza 4 and Ryse and “even games like Halo Anniversary.”

You can imagine the initial horror which springs to mind from the hardest of hardcore gamers. Controller-less Halo with hand-gestured shooting and Joy Ride-style Warthog driving. But in reality, it’s more probable that Kinect in Halo with be for things like grenade tossing or possibly melee attacks. And like Mass Effect 3 which also includes Kinect, you can guarantee the whole thing will be optional.

I’m all for developers finding interesting ways to introduce Kinect in traditional experiences. The way BioWare is doing it is exactly how motion-control should find their way into core games. But that’s still just the start. It’s when playing a game using both controller and Kinect feels seamless and not jarring, that’s what I want to see and fingers crossed, it’s what we will be seeing come next year’s E3 instead of the slightly awkward implementation in Ghost Recon this year. And does Halo, as a first person shooter, really need Kinect? Probably not. But I’m glad it’s being considered at least. Though if I find out waggling is being grotesquely forced into one of my favourite franchises, I’ll take it all back!

Nintendo E3 press conference 2011: My highlights

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Before Nintendo’s press event began, I readied my 3DS for the long-awaited firmware update and eShop scheduled for today. I hoped that during the conference, Nintendo would reveal some special download available as an E3 treat of sorts and they did just that. Kind of…

The show started with an orchestra playing a medley of music from The Legend of Zelda series. It was great to hear such classic tunes in such a classical way and as Shigeru Miyamoto pointed out when he came on stage, music is an important part of any Zelda game. But onto the eShop treat and as of today, The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening will be available to download. Yes, okay, we knew that was coming but another reason to check out the eShop nonetheless.

Nintendo president Satoru Iwata teased information regarding their new system all through the conference but hesitated to mention anything until the last third. Until then, he and his colleagues focused on the 3DS showing a reel of games coming to the handheld such as Mario Kart 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Super Mario 3D, Kid Icarus and the surprise announcement, Luigi’s Mansion 2. An actual sequel to the critically acclaimed GameCube game with brand new locations and multiple mansions to explore. I never got round to playing the first game but it’s one of those titles that Nintendo fans always wished would get a sequel. And now it has. Mario Kart 3D looked a lot like the Wii version mixing old and new tracks but this time all in 3D. I’ll definitely buy it, probably get royally peed off by the blue shells and enemy AI but still love it to bits. Super Mario 3D once again treads within familiar Mario territory and is a cross between New Super Mario Bros and Galaxy if the gameplay video was anything to go by. And the inclusion of the Tanooki suit is now official. Joy! Another game that had fans pandering for a sequel was Kid Icarus and the latest footage of that looked really very slick. Quick, fast past action akin to Sin and Punishment. Sounds good huh? It’ll also feature a multiplayer mode for three-n-three matches as well as AR card battles.

That was the first party line up but what of third parties? Nintendo were quick to plaster publisher names everywhere at last E3 so this time we expect some actual footage. And we got a bit. A montage of games spooled across the big screen showing things like Resident Evil Revelations, Tekken 3D, Ace Combat 3D (Woo!!), and Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D. What’s more is that part of Nintendo’s eShop will house demos of both 3DS downloadable games and store bought titles. Hooray! Nintendo have finally learnt the importance of having demos readily available.

But the big announcement of the night was of course the new system. The successor to the Wii. The brand new way to interact with games. The future of both casual and hardcore experiences. The Wii U…. The wha? Yep, Nintendo went for a name more like a child’s impression of a fire engine than legitimate console but, like we learned at Sony’s press conference, there really is no good way to name your device anymore. More importantly, the way you control the Wii U is its real asset. It’s basically a tablet with buttons. For months, it’s been rumoured such a controller exists but no one really quite believed it. A touchscreen in the middle of a controller surrounded by buttons, a d-pad and analog sticks? Are you mad? I guess so because that’s just what we’re getting. The device isn’t a replacement for the 3DS, that would be ludicrous, it needs the Wii U unit, which looks like a smaller, rounded Wii, to stream information to it lag free (or so Nintendo promises) so you can either play games on the controller instead of your HD TV or together with it. There’s an immediate gimmicky quality about that but really, the potential for this new piece of hardware is through the roof. If the right developer can get hold of it, we could see some very interesting ideas.

Graphically, the Wii U will be comparable to the Xbox 360 and PS3 but Nintendo didn’t give any specifics on its power. They did show a video supposedly representative of what it can do which looked like something you’d see on today’s HD systems but it’s hard to really say since it was a show reel not in-game footage. But to show that Nintendo weren’t kidding when they said about appealing to every gamer not just the casual, they finished off the initial announcement videos of Wii Sports-like titles and went on to show a load of third party, hardcore releases that can also be found on the other HD systems like Darksiders 2, Batman Arkham city, Ghost Recon online, Assassins Creed, Dirt, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Metro Last Light, Tekken and Ninja Gaiden 3. Most if not all those games were gory in one way or another but the fact they’re coming to the Xbox 360 and PS3 means whatever fancy way of utilising the new controller can’t be too obscure otherwise Nintendo would be right back where they are with the Wii forcing devs to make alternative version of their games rather than straight ports.

All in all, Nintendo once again had the best press conference of all three major platform holders because of the first party titles and interesting new console. But from now on we can confidently mention third party games in that list of exiting reveals at a Nintendo conference. The Wii U should not only rid Nintendo of the gap between their hardware and everyone else’s but add a whole new and intriguing way experience its games. Well, that’s my hope for it anyway…