The Nintendo 3DS has been on the market for quite some time receiving positive reception pretty much across the board. Quite obviously, the biggest selling point of the console is the fact that it features a glasses-free 3D display and a 3D camera. However, while this is certainly enough to lure people in, it’s going to be up to the game library to keep those people around.
As of now, the Nintendo 3DS definitely has some great games but hard hitting franchise like Zelda, Mario, Kirby and more have yet to make the jump. While we’ve known for quite some time that an Ocarina of Time remake would be making its way to the 3DS at some point in the near future, we haven’t heard of an official release date for a Mario 3DS title.
Luckily, Shigeru Miyamoto himself recently commented to Gamesblog.fr regarding the release date of Super Mario 3DS saying the following:
“I promise to do all I can to deliver the new Mario game this year.”
So, while that does not officially confirm that the game will be out this year, it’s nice to at least know the folks over at Nintendo are doing everything they can to get it out of the door.
We were a bit disappointed about the new Zelda game, but as popular message board 4chan shows above, there’s another take on that. An honestly, they’re right. Larger view here.
Nintendo legend Shigeru Miyamoto demoed the new Zelda game on stage during Nintendo’s E3 press event. The full title of the new Zelda game is The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
Sure, the PS3 and Xbox 360 and years ahead when it comes to graphical capabilities but the Wii has long been the only one with a motion controller (we’re not even going to mention SIXAXIS). However, now that Project Natal and Playstation Move are just around the corner, the consoles are becoming increasingly alike.
Well, Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto hopes to change this with the Wii 2 saying:
“In the next generation of hardware, the challenge is how unique and different a product Nintendo is able to make. Whether that be Wii HD, Wii 2 or an entirely new console, I am not in a position to say at this point.”
I hope they don’t name it the Wii HD, that would be too cliche.
Nintendo’s legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto has won the prestigious Fellowship Award at BAFTA, which they describe as “the highest accolade the Academy can bestow on an individual for their creative work.”. We agree. Congrats, Miyamoto!
Nintendo has been under fire ever since the introduction of the Wii, potentially sacrificing their hardcore gamer audience for a broader, casual audience. Even Mario games have become more simpler to finish than older installments of the franchise. Speaking to Nintendo Power magazine, Shigeru Miyamoto had this to say about the “veteran” appeal of the upcoming Super Mario Galaxy 2:
“I do believe that there is a lot here to appeal to the more veteran and more experienced gamers, and I think it’s a title that they will obviously enjoy, but I really took it into consideration and tried to do our best to create a game that’s accessible to new gamers as well,” Miyamoto explained. “And, you know, we also built it with consideration that we believe that people who played through the first Mario Galaxy have become better players.”
It’s not always about the difficulty of the game, it’s more of an expectation that the developer has for the gamer. If the developers decide that because their audience might not understand some of the concepts presented in the game, then those concepts could be greatly altered and change the overall experience and richness of the game. Miyamoto usually never lets us down and always delivers us fun games, so we can only hope that he is trying his best.
Super Mario Galaxy 2 will be out sometime next year for the Wii.
In his early days Kid Icarus’s Pit seemed poised to be one of Nintendo’s flagship characters. He had his own villains, platforming adventures and the inevitable Gameboy title. He was even a supporting character on the cartoon Captain N, but soon he disappeared. His return has been a rumor that’s failed to materialize at the last two E3 conferences, but his inclusion in Smash Bros. Brawl suggests that there might a return for Pit.
If it is coming though, it’s not going to be any time soon. In Nintendo Power Shigeru Miyamoto said ”Wait, please. I’m really surprised how popular that is,” when prodded about the possibility of a new Kid Icarus game. Given that other more marginal characters were used in Smash Bros. including Captain Falcon and Fox McCloud Pit simply could have been rounding out a roster with some less familiar faces, but since Miyamoto hasn’t ever given a definite ‘no’, things are still up in the air.
There’s been talk of the next Wii Zelda title taking the series in a new direction. Some patents hinted at a hint system and drop in-drop out style of gameplay that would make the game more casual-friendly. In the lastest issue of Nintendo Power Shigeru Miyamoto said that this next game won’t be the one to take things in a new direction: “I don’t think it’s going to be that radically different.”
I’m guessing that any Zelda game which would be a radical departure from the standard formula will be developed separately from a standard Zelda title. While Mario games have benefitted from variety and changing gameplay experiences, the Zelda series has kept fans by keeping to its roots, requiring exploration and puzzle solving to advance. Nintendo relies heavily on their first party titles featuring their flagship characters and releasing a Zelda title that could potentially alienate fans is a big risk. They’ll likely release a fan-appeasing title before venturing forth with something different.
Shigeru Miyamoto briefly talked about the upcoming Zelda game for the Wii at E3, and showed a teaser image, which at the time was “secret”. Nintendo has now released the image, which is basically an artwork from the game (which you can indulge yourself in above).
In a recent roundtable discussion at E3 with Nintendo legend Shegeru Miyamoto, the master revealed — and confirmed — that a new Zelda Wii game is in development and will be released in 2010. Miyamoto also added that the game would definitely use the new Wii Motion Plus accessory, and possibly require it, should it become popular. He also mentioned that he wanted to showcase the game at E3 this year, however, the development team felt that their resources would be spent better making the actual game than a demo for E3.
