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Nintendo Announces Raft of New Games, 3DS Details
A major theme for Nintendo's presentation was the arrival of classic franchises on new systems. This includes a new Kirby game for the Wii, entitled Kirby's Epic Yarn. It's a sidescrolling platformer with a new art style based on a yarn theme, and it's due out this fall. In sharp contrast to Kirby's cartoony graphics was Nintendo's next presentation on Metroid: Other M, which had visuals in the same vein as other popular shooters, showing Samus fighting her way through intricate 3D stages to fight some nasty-looking alien monsters. Other M was given a release date of August 31. Just in case that wasn't enough nostalgia for you, they next showed a new project from Retro Studios: Donkey Kong Country Returns. It's (another) platformer, but with its own unique style and feel, and it's planned for the holiday season.
From there, Nintendo shifted its focus to the upcoming revision to their portable console, the 3DS. Since it's impossible to show the 3D effect on stage, they contented themselves with showing off software and features, but they also brought a massive amount of test consoles, so you can expect to see hands-on reports coming out in a day or two. The 3DS has a slightly larger screen on top — 3.5" instead of 3" — and the bottom screen is a touchscreen. There's an analog nub, an internal gyro-sensor, and a 3D slider, which will control the level of depth you see on screen. You can turn it to maximum, turn it off, or anywhere moderate level of depth in between. There are two camera lenses on the back, which will allow you to take photos in 3D. In addition to the 3D effect, they've also made more standard improvements to the graphics hardware, which has apparently impressed some of the developers working on games for the 3DS. They also briefly touched on the 3DS's communications capabilities. Apparently it will silently look for updates, new maps, ghost data, rankings, and more regardless of what game you're playing, communicating over Wi-Fi or through connections with other nearby consoles.
Headlining the software side of the 3DS was the announcement of Kid Icarus: Uprising, another return to a very popular franchise of old. Granted, it's tough to judge a game by its trailer, but the graphics looked extremely good for a portable system. Nintendo said that in addition to games, the 3DS would play 3D movies as well, though details are sparse as to what will be available and how. But their real concern was the perception that the system would have too few games to interest customers, so they went out of their way to list a bunch of developers and game projects that are targeting the new system. The list is really, really impressive: Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear Solid, DJ Hero, Saint's Row, Madden, FIFA Soccer, Nintendogs + Cats, Ridge Racer, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Mario Kart, Star Fox, and more.
A WHOLE raft?????
>>>"you hold the Wii Remote and Nunchuck like a sword and shield, and swing naturally at enemies. "
Can't I just hold my controller and tap a button, like I did with Zelda Twilight Princess?
"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it." - historian Evelyn Beatrice Hall
But I thought this was the year that the PS3 caught up and pushed the Wii into irrelevance? I guess not yet...
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According to Kotaku, the effect completely fails if you move out of its small window of effectiveness. So much for playing the game in a truly portable way :\.He goes on to mention that the 3D camera on the back works excellently and was a joy to use, however, and I can definitely understand that.
"Our country is not nearly so overrun with the bigoted as it is overrun with the broadminded." -Archbishop Fulton Sheen
So every article I've read so far has stated that Nintendo is mum about the technicals of the 3d system, there is no indication of what 3d system it is using.
But this is Slashdot, surely someone must know?
I would guess it uses a lenticular lens, but would love to see some more details...
They may not make the most muscular systems, but they know how to do family fun (and milk franchises until they scream). I would definitely have a Wii if I had kids. But I would feel a little silly as a grown man playing a Mario or Kirby game.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
So has Nintendo finally decided they are going to give gamers actual substance rather than just "wiggle the Wii remote around" fluff? I'd really, really like to play my Wii some more but until now it seems like all Nintendo seemed to care about is 30 year old moms. I really didn't consider myself a "hardcore" gamer till the Wii came out.
So is it time to finally start buying Wii games when these come out? Or will Nintendo try to make these appeal to 30 year old moms again?
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
I find it highly ironic that the MGS game that the 3DS will have features a main character with no depth perception.
(Taking a revolver shot to the eye does that).
Non impediti ratione cogitationus.
There's a reason Nintendo is still in the video game industry 25 years after releasing the NES.
Microsoft: We have a camera, like the EyeToy, but newer! And a quieter console! And a copy of WiiSports and some other games.
Nintendo: New system! New DonkyKong! Pilotwings! Metroid! Kid Icarus! Nintendogs! GoldenEye! Massive 3rd party support! Zelda! Mario Sports! Kirby!
As I type this, Sony is just getting their conference started. If they had any hopes of getting some thunder, they're in deep trouble. Short of announcing some really compelling games for the Move and an introductory bundle price of $40 (not going to happen), they won't top Nintendo.
PS: That PSP Sony keeps claiming isn't dead? The one the PSP Go was supposed to show was "still in the game"? If the 3DS isn't the final nail in it's coffin, nothing will be.
I watched the ArsTechnica live coverage. Just about everything they announced, I wanted. The one exception was WiiParty, but I'm sure there are tons of people who will buy it.
Comment forecast: Bits of genius surrounded by a sea of mediocrity.
I don't think you'll be able to from the demo. They had enemies in it you had to cut at a specific angle and such.
I'm pretty hopeful for this. The sword fighting in Wii Sports Resort is fairly convincing. Port that into an actual game like Zelda, and it should be fun.
Did anybody stop after reading the line about interacting with the world via paint and paint thinner? Why do I have a feeling that halfway through the game Mickey will become enamored with the other uses of paint thinner.
I remember seeing this game title listed in the back of the Official Nintendo Players Guide as an "upcoming game."
This may have been in development hell for longer than Duke Nukem Forever!
Isn't it a little strange that none of the big console makers (Sony, MS, Nintendo) havn't announced plans for a next generation console? I mean christ..how long have the current-generation consoles been out for now..4 or 5 years?
Franchise? What franchise? Kid Icarus isn't a franchise! They only ever made the one game! A sequel 30 years after the original is kind of pushing it, people. New ideas, new ideas...*sigh*.
Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
A major theme for Nintendo's presentation was the arrival of classic franchises on new systems.
That’s just marketing speak for “We’re way too pathetic to have the balls to go with something new, and even if, we’re completely out of ideas, which is no surprise, considering how we treat our employees.”
The sad thing is, that it’s not a Nintendo thing. Rather the opposite. The whole “industry” has become like this.
Someone should put up a site that allows you to focus on what’s really new.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
Meanwhile countless Wii's are gathering dust and the biggest selling accessory for the DS is the R4 card.
The problem for Nintendo is games. They don't sell all that well. Yes, they got the hits but go to your local game store and look honestly at the shelves of DS games and ask "which one do I want". What percentage? 1%? 2%? I got an R4 card myself and I sampled a lot of games but most barely get beyond 5 minutes of play before I truly know: "No way".
And there is more to staying in business then selling well. You got to sell well enough to fund the next round of the console wars. Sony and Microsoft (especially Microsoft) are not going away. Neither is Apple. These companies got more spending power and can continue to fund the next round of consoles at a loss if need be. Nintendo can't.
The 3DS SOUNDS interesting, OR will it be a Virtual Boy? A power glove? They have got it wrong before. If the 3D doesn't work or gives people headaches or even worse, there are only a handful of games for it, then it could fail. Or gaming could simply switch to the mobile phone. People have been predicting the end of the dedicated MP3 player. But why not the end of the dedicated gaming hardware?
Might the 3D element be a desperate move by Nintendo to offer something the iPhone can't? Yet? 3D tech isn't mature yet. I for one will be very interested in seeing a non fanboy review of the 3DS before I order it, from Japan directly like I have with all my Nintendo handhelds. Yes, I am a regular customer (of their hardware at least) but I also remember the failures from the past and that not all "new" gaming concepts make it. Gosh, I still got the readme.txt of System Shock telling me about support for Virtual Reality Helmets. What ever happened to them eh? WHERE is my VR helmet?
Why do I think the 3DS might fail? Quick, do a check of your favorite DS games. How many are 3D? Most of mine are 2D. Are my favorite 2D games going to be forced into a 3D jacket just to show of a smaller screen? (Smaller then XL)
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
So it's not "truly portable" if you have to hold it in both hands, so it's right in front of you?
Because hardly anybody wants to play a portable game system that way...
Most people seem to see the GameCube era as being profitable for Nintendo only because they didn't sell their system at a loss, but otherwise see it as being mostly a failure.
This is a very Americentric view. While the GameCube may have lagged behind in sales in the USA, worldwide it was pretty close to XBox sales (22 million vs 24 million), yet nobody seems to cite the XBox as a failure. Both, however, lagged significantly behind the PS2, which continues to sell and has reached over 140 million. (However, lack of compatibility in the modern PS3s and rumored frequent hardware failures of older PS2s may play a role here).
However, it also seems to be completely ignoring the juggernaut of the GameBoy Advance, which until the release of the DS, was selling better than the PS2. The GBA ended up reaching over 80 million sales.
The DS, which started at the tail end of the GameCube era (2 years before the Wii) has managed to sell more than 128 million units, which is getting close to the level of the 140+ million that the PS2 has reached.
Yet, people keep on buying into the myth that Nintendo only held on last generation because they don't sell hardware at a loss. Sony killed wiped the floor with both MS and Nintendo in the console front last generation, but Nintendo has been killing in the handheld market for more than a decade now, and doing quite well for themselves in the console market now.
So while you concede they have done well, I think you greatly underestimate how well.
Does anyone know much about the technology behind this?
Is it something more than glorified head-tracking ?
N...
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After reading his blog, I now find myself being pissed off at the mainstream gaming press, gaming fanboys and analysts most of the time. They say such stupid things.
Seriously as soon as I read "Mickey can interact by using paint thinner" I thought Disney had finally broke down and sold mickey out...
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