mario June 29th, 2007
I’ll go ahead and throw the big ol’ “rumor” label up here to be safe. Word on the (mean) streets (of IGN) is that the PS3 build of Beautiful Katamari has been shelved in favor of a brand-spankin’ new Wii version! This pleases me greatly, though I really ought to keep telling myself that rumors aren’t the same thing as product announcements (I learned my lesson getting all hyped up for Katamari on the DS; oh how I miss you, non-existent Katamari DS). I also should probably be a little worried about quality control, as I heard that the PSP game (lacking any involvement from series creator Keita Takahashi) was not quite as… Katamarity? as the previous titles. I never played that game, obviously, so if someone wants to counter me with an “it’s totally awesome wtf man”, feel free.
Certainly the control scheme would have to be a little different, but I don’t really think that’s much of a deal-breaker. Question: would using the Remote and Nunchuck as analogs (har har) for left and right DualShock sticks be okay? I think that might be okay, if the Nunchuck has decent-enough tilt-sensing. It seems to detect fairly subtle movements when I’m doing victory dances in Wii Sports Boxing, anyway.
Rumor rumor rumor. Don’t place too much stock in it! Still, it’s totally awesome that there will for sure be a Katamari game on the Wii.
(courtesy of IGN)
[Comment]
mario June 19th, 2007
…when it comes to the two companies that make some of my favorite products to idly pass the time by, I have to at least note their existence. Some random tech rumormill I’ve never heard of called Noheat claims that Nintendo is going to produce games for Apple’s rapidly impending guaranteed-hundreds-of-millions-seller iPhone. The games will supposedly sell for $29 through the iTunes Store, will be “catered to an older audience” and will utilize a virtual D-pad on the touchscreen.
Can I just say… bullshit? Why in the world would Nintendo risk cannibalizing sales of their own wildly successful DS games? And even more importantly, their own wildly successful DS hardware? Can anyone remember the last time Nintendo made even a single game for someone else’s hardware? Donkey Kong‘s licensing by Coleco and various other companies in the early 80’s is all that comes to mind. And would anyone spend $29 on a cellphone game? iPod video-based games force us to only part with a single Mr. Lincoln. No matter how insanely great the iPhone’s gonna be, a gaming platform it ain’t. Oh yeah, and a touchscreen D-pad would blow chunks.
I don’t normally try and convey terribly strong convictions one way or another when it comes to rumors (I’m actually waiting on a computer purchase based on what I’ve read on various Apple rumor sites), but yeah, I’ll just go ahead and say it. Bullshit.
(courtesy of TUAW)
[Comment]
mario May 4th, 2005
Just found this leaked picture of Nintendo’s next-gen console, the Revolution. The photo’s a little bit blurry, but I think you’ll find it rather intriguing:
Remember those rumors that were going around awhile back about the inclusion of helicopter blades? I was skeptic at first, but after seeing this photo, it got me to thinking about how much sense it made. I mean, think about it. Nintendo has stated that the technology that makes the Revolution so revolutionary is something that already exists, but has never been applied to video games before. We know from the DS that Nintendo is eager to try and integrate innovative hardware schemes to create wholly new forms of gameplay. What could possibly accomplish this better than helicopter blades?
I’m getting excited imagining the possibilities already. Who hasn’t dreamt of how much better classic Nintendo franchises such as Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Pokémon would be with helicopter blade technology tightly integrated into the gaming experience? Now our dreams can finally be reality! With this bombshell of a leak, E3’s looking to be more exciting than ever. Come speculate the possibilities with me, why don’t you?
(the flames that constantly shoot from the vents are intriguing as well, though I personally have yet to see a viable application in video games for them. But hey, that’s why those guys at Nintendo are the innovators!)
