Slashdot Mirror

slumpy writes "An article Gamespot is running states that Resident Evil 4, the highly anticipated exclusive from Capcom, will no longer be for Gamecube only, breaking the deal they had with Nintendo. Does this show Nintendo's third-party support dwindling even more?"

Thanks to GameSpy for its 'Pixel' column discussing the problems inherent in translating classic remakes to modern consoles. The author argues plaintively: "For reasons both technical and probably cultural, most video game companies not giving their reissued classics the polished, flawless presentations that they deserve." He explains of Mega Man 2 from the forthcoming Mega Man Anniversary Collection for PlayStation 2: "The low-res, 256x224 graphics of the original NES game have been line-doubled for display on the PS2, are run in an interlaced (flickery) screen mode." He also laments: "Believe it or not, things were a good deal better back on the original PlayStation and Saturn... Looking back, the 32-bit era was a golden age of classic game reissues, with great products like Irem's R-Types, the Namco Museum line and the Capcom Generations series offering 99% accurate renditions of dozens upon dozens of classic video games", although it's suggested "the 32-bit renaissance was more likely due to technical limitations than actual care on the part of the developers."

CuBeFReNZy writes "Game-Science has an article mentioning: 'Capcom held a meeting today to show off their newly formed development team, Clover Studio.' The team showcased their first titles: a Viewtiful Joe conversion ('will include Dante, from Capcom's Devil May Cry series, as a playable character') to the PS2, Viewtiful Joe 2 ('new co-op gameplay') for PS2 and Gamecube, and Ookami ('toon-shading engine... nature adventure') for the PS2."

CuBeFReNZy writes "Game-Science has an article mentioning: 'Capcom held a meeting today to show off their newly formed development team, Clover Studio.' The team showcased their first titles: a Viewtiful Joe conversion ('will include Dante, from Capcom's Devil May Cry series, as a playable character') to the PS2, Viewtiful Joe 2 ('new co-op gameplay') for PS2 and Gamecube, and Ookami ('toon-shading engine... nature adventure') for the PS2."

Thanks to GamerDad for its editorial discussing videogame characters/settings that excessively ape popular culture. The writer summarizes: "A new evil is spreading throughout the industry to stifle gameplay and original game characters, the need to set games in 'cool' or 'hip' settings that meet with mainstream approval", and points to Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil, which he says underwent a "...last minute change in the main character to make her more Gen X compatible." He continues: "For Jak II, developer Naughty Dog seems to have wanted to incorporate every possible 'hot thing' in gaming, from a goateed main character to dark themes." But he concludes by lauding some "breakout successes" in terms of original characters, including Halo's Master Chief and Viewtiful Joe.

Thanks to 1UP for their 'Cinemascope' feature interviewing notable videogame designers about their favorite movies. Many favorites have relatively little direct connection to the subject's videogame work, but Viewtiful Joe's Hideki Kamiya chooses (TV series) Kamen Rider, and the piece elaborates: "Both Kamen Rider and Viewtiful Joe are about normal guys who become masked superheroes, right down to using the phrase 'Henshin!' (Japanese for 'transform'") to power up." Warren Spector also points out: "Everyone thinks Deus Ex was influenced by The Matrix, but it really wasn't. Other than throwing in a cheat that textured the world with a bunch of scrolling green text, a la The Matrix, we were so far along in development on Deus Ex by the time we saw The Matrix there wasn't time for us to have been influenced even if we'd wanted to steal stuff!"

Thanks to IGN Xbox for their hands-on feature on Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden, claiming that Star Wars:Knights Of The Old Republic "...has some competition for game of the year" on Xbox. According to the effusive preview, "While the original Devil May Cry made it fun to juggle enemies with your gun and then slice them in half with your sword, Ninja Gaiden one-ups Capcom's classic with a combat system that is more free-flowing and naturalistic than any 3D action game I can remember." The game, a sequel to the classic NES title, is "...tentatively set to ship Holiday 2003."

More companies are announcing their line-up for E3, and one of the most interesting rosters comes from Capcom, who now have an E3 preview page up on their site. Highlights include Resident Evil: Outbreak (the online Resident Evil for Playstation 2) and Onimusha Blade Warriors (more of a fighting game?), as well as other new Maximo and Onimusha titles, though sadly there are no screenshots available there. Also announcing their product line-up are Eidos Interactive, whose press release mentions Thief and Deus Ex: Invisible War from the Spector-headed Ion Storm, plus interesting Legacy Of Kain and Tomb Raider sequels. Finally, a preliminary list of E3 titles bundled out of Sony Europe by Eurogamer includes Gran Turismo 4, Syphon Filter: Omega Strain, Eye Toy (using your Playstation 2 plus a camera add-on), Ratchet and Clank und Jak and Daxter sequels, and plenty more. Excited yet?

More companies are announcing their line-up for E3, and one of the most interesting rosters comes from Capcom, who now have an E3 preview page up on their site. Highlights include Resident Evil: Outbreak (the online Resident Evil for Playstation 2) and Onimusha Blade Warriors (more of a fighting game?), as well as other new Maximo and Onimusha titles, though sadly there are no screenshots available there. Also announcing their product line-up are Eidos Interactive, whose press release mentions Thief and Deus Ex: Invisible War from the Spector-headed Ion Storm, plus interesting Legacy Of Kain and Tomb Raider sequels. Finally, a preliminary list of E3 titles bundled out of Sony Europe by Eurogamer includes Gran Turismo 4, Syphon Filter: Omega Strain, Eye Toy (using your Playstation 2 plus a camera add-on), Ratchet and Clank und Jak and Daxter sequels, and plenty more. Excited yet?

More companies are announcing their line-up for E3, and one of the most interesting rosters comes from Capcom, who now have an E3 preview page up on their site. Highlights include Resident Evil: Outbreak (the online Resident Evil for Playstation 2) and Onimusha Blade Warriors (more of a fighting game?), as well as other new Maximo and Onimusha titles, though sadly there are no screenshots available there. Also announcing their product line-up are Eidos Interactive, whose press release mentions Thief and Deus Ex: Invisible War from the Spector-headed Ion Storm, plus interesting Legacy Of Kain and Tomb Raider sequels. Finally, a preliminary list of E3 titles bundled out of Sony Europe by Eurogamer includes Gran Turismo 4, Syphon Filter: Omega Strain, Eye Toy (using your Playstation 2 plus a camera add-on), Ratchet and Clank und Jak and Daxter sequels, and plenty more. Excited yet?