[themadcowtipper]

Archie is the king of Crossovers

[JoshuaJSlone]

[bgassassin]

Remember: my knowledge about low level chip design is very, very basic. Pretty much all I know is that there are certain highly specialized concepts that only very few companies use, and that often seems to be patent related more than anything. The TriCore iterator is one such example. Iterating a 32bit register file used to waste 40 cycles, whereas a TriCore chip could do it in a single cycle. That tech obviously gave Siemens a strategic advantage, so they never licensed the tech to anyone as far as I know. I think a console manufacturer would have far less problems licensing tech like that or the Analog Devices/ Texas Instruments Super Harvard technology though, as it's basically free money for the inventors. They don't lose their unique selling points, as console chips are custom and proprietary and will never be sold as general purpose processors, and they don't lose money, because their actual chips would never find their ways in a console. There's simply no competition between Nintendo and, say, Siemens, Analog Devices, Clearspeed or EnLight. AMD or Nvidia on the other hand would be competitors. But if it's Nintendo who licenses the tech, there shouldn't be any issues. It's not like AMD doesn't know how the stuff works or how to implement it, what's important is that they're not allowed to.

Haha. Well my knowledge on it is virtually non-existent. But like I mentioned this and lednerg's post helps me get a better idea of how it would look from a modern perspective instead of my out-dated view.

And to let the cat out of the bag a little bit publicly, since these features are Nintendo-patented we can eliminate licensing. So I wonder what could they have come up with to accelerate certain things.

[Disorientator]

Just found out that if you point your browser to http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii-u you'll see that it's not re-directing you to "http://www.metacritic.com/games/" OR spitting out any 404 errors.

Of course it's just a blank page but, for now, you can close your eyes and imagine it's filled with awesome 90+ titles :P

Not sure how long it's been like this so sorry if it was noted before.

[tkscz]

Epic to Nintendo techies: "Hey guyz ! look at our UE4 demo ! with our engine, we'll add 1500^20 particles EVERYWHERE ! See this volcano ? particles ! See this knight/demon eyes ? PARTICLES ! see those mountains ? particles ! Now imagine your mario plumber outfit being torn or burned by browser fetid breath ? PARTICLES ! Picture the trail of Peach lipstick pink chemicals left behind a kiss she give to Mario ? P A R T I C L E S !!!!!!!!!!" Nintendo: "ok we need a particle fixed function on our GPU" tadam, i solved the Wii U GPU mystery

Don't forget the new lighting effect, the ONLY thing I find impressive with UE4

[lednerg]

Unless someone with more direct knowledge with this stuff can rule it out, I'd say anything including stuff like this and what wsippel said is plausible because I wasn't told what those features would be specifically.

I remember when the garden/bird demo was first shown, there was some speculation that there was a light probe placed on the bird. That would have explained the way the bird seemed to be dynamically lit by its surroundings rather than just by lights. Of course, that could very well have been faked by using a baked-in light map, so the video wasn't proof in and of itself. But if there was one built-in lighting effect to have, that would be a majorly helpful and visually effective one, imo.

Epic to Nintendo techies: "Hey guyz ! look at our UE4 demo ! with our engine, we'll add 1500^20 particles EVERYWHERE ! See this volcano ? particles ! See this knight/demon eyes ? PARTICLES ! see those mountains ? particles ! Now imagine your mario plumber outfit being torn or burned by browser fetid breath ? PARTICLES ! Picture the trail of Peach lipstick pink chemicals left behind a kiss she give to Mario ? P A R T I C L E S !!!!!!!!!!" Nintendo: "ok we need a particle fixed function on our GPU" tadam, i solved the Wii U GPU mystery

Lol, what if that's all it was. Xbox 360 graphics + a bunch of particles. Every game looks identical except for all the dust and sand flying around. Instant hit.

[HylianTom]

Just found out that if you point your browser to "http://www.metacritic.com/games/wii-u" you'll see that it's not re-directing you to "http://www.metacritic.com/games/" OR spitting out any 404 errors. Of course it's just a blank page but, for now, you can close your eyes and imagine it's filled with awesome 90+ titles. Not sure how long it's been like this so sorry if it was noted before.

Hmm. I wonder if, as we saw with the Wii, we're going to see any media outlets just outright refuse to spend time reviewing Wii U games because the games "aren't made for gamers" (or some other equally odious reason).

I also wonder what the media landscape will look like in six years. It certainly has been changing.. :)

[wsippel]

Haha. Well knowledge on it is virtually non-existent. But like I mentioned this and lednerg's post helps me get a better idea of how it would look from a modern perspective instead of my out-dated view. And to let the cat out of the bag a little bit publicly, since these features are Nintendo-patented we can eliminate licensing. So I wonder what could they have come up with to accelerate certain things.

Oh, so Nintendo's chip design crew isn't quite dead yet? That's good to know (doesn't rule out that certain aspects might be licensed though). They designed some pretty cool concepts back in the early Gamecube days, but most of the engineers (almost all of them former Silicon Graphics staff) left the company around 2001 if I remember correctly. But then again, I know better than to underestimate Nintendo, and they're damn good at covering their tracks.

[Jorok Goldblade]

STARFOX X METROID!!! Because obviously, they're totally compatible franchises! gah, it's bullshit. Read the thread about it and laugh.

To be fair, Paul Gale says that all he knows is that this game was pitched- not that it was ever greenlit.

Nintendo and just about every company out there goes through hundreds of pitches. Some good, some bad, some ugly. Even if they felt this one was potentially “good”, it doesn’t mean that they gave it the green light. Then again, maybe they did and we’ll be saying that Star Fox and Metroid is the best combination since Peanut Butter and Jelly if this sucker comes out. Here’s to E3. That’s all I can say at this point.

[IdeaMan]

Yuji Naka about the Wii U

I left all because it's rather interesting

Sonic creator on his legacy, why current Sonic games are "not as fun," and his desire to make big AAA games again Yuji Naka may not have the same name recognition these days as Shigeru Miyamoto or Hideo Kojima, but he's absolutely one of the pillars of Japanese video game development. If it weren't for Naka-san's efforts in creating Sonic the Hedgehog and leading Sonic Team, our generation would never have witnessed the glorious Nintendo vs. Sega rivalry, which ultimately produced many brilliant games on both sides. In March of 2006, Naka-san eventually decided to test the development waters with his own studio, Prope. He was actually the last member of the core creative team that created Sonic to leave Sega, which may explain the decline of the franchise (but we'll get to that later). In this exclusive, GamesIndustry International had a rare opportunity to speak with the legend about a variety of topics. We started by asking him about his legacy, which he actually found to be a somewhat strange query. "Being asked about 'Yuji Naka's legacy' is a little odd since I'm still actively creating games. When I finally retire from making games, I assume people will decide what my lasting 'legacy' will be at that point… though I think it will probably be Sonic," he said. He then reflected on some of the critically acclaimed games he designed: "It's been 28 years since I started developing games, and during that span I've brought a lot of products into this world. Out of those titles Sonic is the one that is the most remembered, but Phantasy Star Online, an online game put out on a family-oriented game console, had a lot of hardships during development but I think we were able to release a really good and advanced product at the time. Perhaps just barely being able to release it within the end of the 20th century has something to do with why I feel so strongly about that game." "The arcade game Samba de Amigo also stands out because the player uses their entire body to move and have fun. Using the newest cutting-edge technology to create a simple and just plain stupid innocent fun game was rewarding." Given that the last several years of Sonic gaming have been mostly sub-par (by Sega's own admission), we couldn't resist the opportunity to pick Naka-san's brain about what's gone wrong with the cherished franchise he started. Ironically, the explosion of the games industry in the last couple decades could have something to do with it, as more and more companies are trying to appeal to the mainstream - and that may not have been the best approach for Sonic. "I also think that recent iterations have not been as fun when compared to those of the past," Naka-san agreed, proceeding to explain what Sega has done wrong: "I think the number one reason for this is that the games have become much easier, so the gamer doesn't feel that extreme joy that comes with the satisfaction of accomplishing something that was very difficult to achieve." He continued, "Today's games are created to appeal to as wide of an audience as possible, so that's why the difficulty levels are so low in order to have both experienced and non-experienced gamers be able to play them. Sonic has a very simple control scheme that is capable of doing a lot of advanced things while sprinting at a high speed, that's what makes it a good game in my opinion. I think even moderately raising the difficulty level in the future could work well." It's been years since we've seen a rivalry as fierce as Nintendo vs. Sega in the 16-bit days. It's an era that brings a huge grin to the faces of most people in this editor's generation. Naka-san admitted to us that he'd sort of like to see Mario and Sonic continue to be adversaries: "Thinking back to the rivalry between Sonic and Mario back in those days brings back some fond memories. It was based on each of them running on different hardware and which one was better, which made for a great rivalry. I would like for Sonic and Mario to keep up that rivalry relationship long into the foreseeable future." Of course, we all know that's not happening now that Sega's no longer a hardware manufacturer and Sonic's already appeared with Mario in a few games. Naka-san did express his wish to possibly one day breathe new life into Sonic again, or into one of his other fan favorites like Nights. "Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to do so but perhaps at some point in the future if I could come back and contribute, that could be fun and gratifying," he remarked. Are you listening, Sega? So what's Naka-san's focus in 2012? Not surprisingly, like many veterans of this business he's moved to social and mobile experiences. He sees "the recent surge in smartphones [as] having a huge impact on console games. It's something that should be monitored carefully moving [into the] future." That said, there's still very much a place in his heart for huge triple-A games. "Actually, when Prope was originally formed we were working on large titles, hoping to create something that's never been seen in the industry before. Unfortunately, those 2 titles were cancelled in mid-development and never made public," he revealed. "With this history, we would like to work on a large-scale project again at some point, but working on the smaller projects is very fun and rewarding too as we always strive to put out new and unique games regardless of scale. Speaking of which, Prope's next project is actually a social networking RPG for smartphones called Buddy Monster." Perhaps the fast-approaching next-gen hardware will enable Prope and Naka-san to finally tackle a big console project again. Naka-san seemed particularly excited by the Wii U launch coming later this year. "I always get very excited when thinking about the next round of next-gen hardware that's coming and what kind of unimaginable specs they could have. Wii U is taking a completely new and innovative approach, so I'm really looking forward to seeing what Nintendo has in store there," he said. As the conversation moved on, we approached Naka-san about the state of Japanese games development. It seems to be fashionable these days to bash the Japanese design approach, and some of Naka-san's contemporaries (most notably, Keiji Inafune) have said that Japan's game industry must change its ways, but Naka-san stood up for the Japanese style in gaming. "I think there's still a lot to be said for the unique characteristics and benefits that games that are developed in Japan have. I would like to see Japan-developed games continue to be exported and enjoyed by everyone in the world," he commented. In closing, Naka-san said that he's been encouraged with the influx of talent we've seen in the industry in recent years, as evidenced by the indie scene. He offered the following advice to aspiring game designers: "To be open minded, and to try many different things so that they'll have many skill sets to incorporate any original ideas they may have - this would be a positive experience and help them evolve and grow. I look forward to the day when this new crop of game designers can put out some truly mind-blowing stuff." Indeed, perhaps the "next Yuji Naka" is already making the next great game to define a generation.

[axisofweevils]

Hmm. I wonder if, as we saw with the Wii, we're going to see any media outlets just outright refuse to spend time reviewing Wii U games because the games "aren't made for gamers" (or some other equally odious reason). I also wonder what the media landscape will look like in six years. It certainly has been changing.. :)

Really? Media outlets refused to review Wii games? Wow.
While I've been playing Wii/DS for a while, I only started checking the gaming media recently. Needless to say, a lot of the Nintendo hate really took me by surprise.

[AceBandage]

Haha. Well knowledge on it is virtually non-existent. But like I mentioned this and lednerg's post helps me get a better idea of how it would look from a modern perspective instead of my out-dated view. And to let the cat out of the bag a little bit publicly, since these features are Nintendo-patented we can eliminate licensing. So I wonder what could they have come up with to accelerate certain things.

Well, they've been working on it for years, and likely even before that, they had eyes out on everything.
Nintendo, while seemingly behind in certain areas, do like to stay up to date with technology. They really like to push their own agenda is the problem.
However, the Wii U is a unique case for them. They'll be designing a system more for other companies than themselves. I think we'll see a repeat of the GameCube in more ways than one (as far as tech goes, mind you), and I think it'll be a really "revolutionary" approach to a lot of problems we can't quite wrap our heads around.

[lednerg]

The ONLY thing I like about Metroid+Starfox would be the possibilities for asymetric multiplayer. Still, the idea of mixing the two is making me cringe. I just can't help it. If it's true, then I look forward to having my gut feeling proven wrong.

[HylianTom]

Really? Media outlets refused to review Wii games? Wow. While I've been playing Wii/DS for a while, I only started checking the gaming media recently. Needless to say, a lot of the Nintendo hate really took me by surprise.

I'm racking my brain, trying to remember which magazine or site it was that claimed they wouldn't waste their time reviewimg Wii games because the core gamer wouldn't be interested. Yup.

[ColdBlooder]

I'm racking my brain, trying to remember which magazine or site it was that claimed they wouldn't waste their time reviewimg Wii games because the core gamer wouldn't be interested. Yup.

I really wanted to see the faces of every doom-sayer after the wii took off!

Btw, whats with your status? lol!

[HylianTom]

I really wanted to see the faces of every doom-sayer after the wii took off! Btw, whats with your status? lol!

My status comes from an interesting story I told in the OT a while back..
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...4&postcount=44

[AntMurda]

By the way. Number one reason this is just someone shitty fanboy rumor..

Mii Battle already does this. Mii Battle is a game with Metroid, Arguably Star Fox and other Properties, and Miis in a third person shooter setting with ships and on foot crossplay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3S3ruB2RO4

[Sadist]

I'm racking my brain, trying to remember which magazine or site it was that claimed they wouldn't waste their time reviewimg Wii games because the core gamer wouldn't be interested. Yup.

That has to be a joke.

[PogiJones]

The ONLY thing I like about Metroid+Starfox would be the possibilities for asymetric multiplayer. Still, the idea of mixing the two is making me cringe. I just can't help it. If it's true, then I look forward to having my gut feeling proven wrong.

One of the big problems is that the Star Fox characters couldn't just pass off as aliens from another galaxy or something, because they're all anthropomorphic earth animals. So it would be like Kermit the Frog being a character in Alien.

[MYE]

I'm racking my brain, trying to remember which magazine or site it was that claimed they wouldn't waste their time reviewimg Wii games because the core gamer wouldn't be interested. Yup.

The only thing i remember was some site (1UP?) saying they would not review Endless Ocean because it was not a game.

lool

[ColdBlooder]

My status comes from an interesting story I told in the OT a while back.. http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost...4&postcount=44

Pretty funny story, lol

At least she didn't try to protect herself with a cross when you said "He". Old people sometimes don't react too well to such things!

Damn can't someone play the song of time already? 5th can't come soon enough!

[EatChildren]

The ONLY thing I like about Metroid+Starfox would be the possibilities for asymetric multiplayer. Still, the idea of mixing the two is making me cringe. I just can't help it. If it's true, then I look forward to having my gut feeling proven wrong.

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive.

I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

[AceBandage]

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive. I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

Yeah, even if the game itself is the greatest thing ever, there's just no way you can combine these two franchises and make it appealing to fans of either.

[ItWasMeantToBe19]

I'm racking my brain, trying to remember which magazine or site it was that claimed they wouldn't waste their time reviewimg Wii games because the core gamer wouldn't be interested. Yup.

EGM-Endless Ocean.

I think that was pretty much it though.

[Sadist]

I'm still appalled by the idea. Appalled I tell you.

[HylianTom]

EGM-Endless Ocean. I think that was pretty much it though.

I seem to remember a large controversy around Wii Music (and perhaps other Wii ____ games) as well, but google is failing me now.

That Endless Ocean happening still makes me twitch a bit. Hmph.

[lednerg]

One of the big problems is that the Star Fox characters couldn't just pass off as aliens from another galaxy or something, because they're all anthropomorphic earth animals. So it would be like Kermit the Frog being a character in Alien.

There's that and there's also how the tone of the two franchises are completely at odds with each other. I don't see how it would help either IP gain fans; the dudebros sure as hell would avoid it like the plague, which is the opposite of what Nintendo needs to be doing with the system. I know Nintendo fans have a soft spot for the Starfox characters, but they really aren't all that compelling when you get down to it. It comes off as being an ill conceived fanfic.

Of course I could be wrong, and they've re-imagined Fox, Slippy and friends as being major badasses with rich back stories. But at that point, you may as well just create new characters from scratch.

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive. I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

Lol, I may just join you. (Not in a ban, but in leaving for a good long while out of sheer disappointment)

[ViewtifulJC]

As someone who loves Metroid Fusion and Star Fox 64...this is the worst of all ideas.

If this happens, I'm getting banned from my inevitable meltdown. I'm going full-on, Burntpork mode.

[7threst]

By the way. Number one reason this is just someone shitty fanboy rumor.. Mii Battle already does this. Mii Battle is a game with Metroid, Arguably Star Fox and other Properties, and Miis in a third person shooter setting with ships and on foot crossplay. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3S3ruB2RO4

I don't see how the existance of this game (what is it, is this really going to be released? Or is it just to show off the WiiU capabilities as a tech demo?) rules out he existance of the Star Fox-Metroid game. Not that I want a game like that to exist though.

[Hot Coldman]

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive. I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

Me too please. I'll definitely take a ban of a couple weeks or so if it's real.

[PogiJones]

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive. I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

Even on a mechanical level I think it's wrong. Metroid is all about slow, solitary exploration. Breaking it up into "levels" goes completely contrary to Metroid. I thought even Fusion was too level-y, let alone this alleged game.

[Oddduck]

Ya know what?

I think this Metroid-Star Fox is real and it will be awesome.

The problem is whether people can get the slow, solitary exploration thing out of their heads, and allow Metroid to have faster action packed gameplay.

I think there's a lot of Metroid fans who just don't like Star Fox period.

But the truth of the matter is the sci fi world that Retro creates. There's no fucking company right now that understands Metroid better than Retro Studios. And everyone was dead wrong when they said a first person perspective wouldn't work for Metroid.

In the words of Nibel "Let the masters work".

[Gamer @ Heart]

I'm loving this OS talk. I always just assumed they would throw some wii chips in there to do system/controller stuff and leave the rest for the games. Hearing there is most likely a dedicated ARM ans a seperate pool of memory just for multitasking and features has me excited. Pause a game and jump into Netflix while I eat dinner? Full party/video chat ongoing during a game? *new nintendoesque idea for social I integration that I would never think of*? Cool.

[Sadist]

I don't see how the existance of this game (what is it, is this really going to be released? Or is it just to show off the WiiU capabilities as a tech demo?) rules out he existance of the Star Fox-Metroid game. Not that I want a game like that to exist though.

It's a techdemo. ;)

I believe he's trying to say that this rumour is made up and they used the Battle Mii demo as an inspiration.

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

What's interesting on the Metroid/Star Fox rumor is that bg said it wasn't an existing IP.

Has he spoken about this???

And yes, I count that as an exisitng IP even if it's two mashed together.

[evilromero]

Yeah. No. There's just no way this is happening. A poorly conceived rumor that shouldn't have even been mentioned.

[BurntPork]

There's nothing wrong with the idea on a mechanical level. It's the bastardisation of two franchises that's repulsive. I don't know if I can ban myself, but I'm issuing a self enforced leave of absence for the entirety of E3 if this nightmare comes true.

Would you ban me before you go?

[PogiJones]

Ya know what? I think this Metroid-Star Fox is real and it will be awesome. The problem is whether people can get the slow, solitary exploration thing out of their heads, and allow Metroid to have faster action packed gameplay. I think there's a lot of Metroid fans who just don't like Star Fox period. But the truth of the matter is the sci fi world that Retro creates. There's no fucking company right now that understands Metroid better than Retro Studios. And everyone was dead wrong when they said a first person perspective wouldn't work for Metroid. In the words of Nibel "Let the masters work".

To me, that's like saying Mario fans should get the jumping thing out of their heads.

And BTW, I loved StarFox 64. Haven't played any of the more recent ones (besides SF Adventures), but I gold-medaled both normal and hard, every level, and unlocked the infantry option for multiplayer. I love both series, but I think it would wreck Metroid's style more than StarFox's.

[axisofweevils]

Wait... Startroid? Metfox?

Where did this come from?

[AceBandage]

I'm loving this OS talk. I always just assumed they would throw some wii chips in there to do system/controller stuff and leave the rest for the games. Hearing there is most likely a dedicated ARM ans a seperate pool of memory just for multitasking and features has me excited. Pause a game and jump into Netflix while I eat dinner? Full party/video chat ongoing during a game? *new nintendoesque idea for social I integration that I would never think of*? Cool.

Once again, I go back to this article.

With Project Cafe, Nintendo aims to create the first social game console. What do I mean by this? Well, here's where you have to start imagining the future with me. First off, no more friend codes, that's for damn sure. But start to think about what a company like Nintendo would want to do to have players gaming and sharing together. Take a look at what it's done with StreetPass on the 3DS (where players' items and achievements can be shared with others nearby even when the system is closed) and think about what it could do on its next connected console. Nintendo merely scratched the surface with its Mii parade (where peoples' virtual avatars could migrate to others' machines) and user generated polls on the Wii -- 5 years later, the company has much more ambitious plans. The new console will be designed around the concept of connecting, sharing, and gaming with others. Like you were gaming together in a café, if you will. I'll take things a step further. Care to guess where the name "Stream" comes from? You've likely seen the supposed leaked image of the system's ability to stream games to its controller screens, but my understanding is that Nintendo aims to take this concept further and stream video of games being played to other peoples' machines so that friends can see what each other are up to. When you look at Nintendo consoles and handhelds, there's often a clear progression of its intent -- what starts as an experimental feature in one generation fully takes form in another. Chris Kohler just pointed out on Wired, for instance, that Project Cafe's touch-screen controller makes perfect sense if you look at Nintendo's past with the GBA to GameCube link cable. So when I see the current Wii's dashboard of different TV screens, I can't help but think of that concept taken to the next level: seeing all of my friends' games playing in the different windows. You know, not that unlike what OnLive offers with its streaming service. Forget Facebook alerting you to what your friends have been doing in their games -- how about a platform that actually shows you? But here's where things get potentially even cooler. Imagine seeing your friend's game in one of the screens. You click on it, and -- provided you have the game too -- you then seamlessly join his or her game. No waiting until the next match and no buffering to sync up consoles. Just a seamless online experience, exactly as Nintendo would want it. And the beauty of this is that the concept extends to not only new games, but potentially Nintendo's back catalog of classics. Got a friend racing the AI in Super Mario Kart? What if the game was retrofitted so that you could hop right in at any given moment? That, my friends, may well be the promise of Project Cafe. And then there's the whole aspect of content sharing. Sony kicked things off nicely with LittleBigPlanet, but there's obviously so much more that could be done with a console designed around social gaming. One of the features I remember Nintendo touting in the early days of the Wii that never really materialized was the ability to push content to the console since it's always on. Sure, we ended up with emails telling us what we played and what not, but the concept was supposed to be so much more -- you were supposed to be able to check your machine each day and have new things waiting for you. So now, imagine checking your Project Cafe each morning and seeing new creations from your friends or even Nintendo. New levels for games, new characters or items to use, new demos for games you're interested in -- there could be all sorts of new things to see and do each time you open your console. I'm telling you, whether Nintendo pulls this off or not, there's a console experience here that's far more enticing than the one we're used to today.

And the best part is, a lot of this is already happening with the 3DS. We're going to see a big big focus on social gaming with the Wii U, and it's going to be very interesting.

[TheGreatMightyPoo]

The problem is whether people can get the slow, solitary exploration thing out of their heads, and allow Metroid to have faster action packed gameplay.

I don't know, slower Metroid(the Primes) was much more Metroid than faster Metroid(Other M) regardless of the pace of the 2D games of yesteryear.

But that's the magic of Retro.

The Primes were much more immersive(for lack of an actually cool term) for me.

[wsippel]

I don't know, slower Metroid(the Primes) was much more Metroid than faster Metroid(Other M) regardless of the pace of the 2D games of yesteryear. But that's the magic of Retro. The Primes were much more immersive(for lack of an actually cool term) for me.

In my opinion, Metroid isn't so much about pacing. You can make it faster or slower without the game being any less "Metroid" - Other M isn't even really that much faster than Prime. What I see in "Metroid" was in Other M, which is why I consider it a "Metroid" game through and through. And while some aspects of the game certainly backfired, it was still the right direction for the franchise in many ways.

[Peru]

It was the wrong direction in every way. Gameplay specifics are less important than the sense of isolation, a quiet, mysterious atmosphere, and no cheesy fucking cutscenes, pompous plotlines, idiotic dialogue, things disrupting your exploration at every corner.

[Penguin]

Not surprising but Rich confirmed that Nintendo will hold another roundtable after their press conference this year

http://papakoopa.tumblr.com/post/233...e3-2012-begins

The publisher is planning evening presentations during the week as well.

[PogiJones]

In my opinion, Metroid isn't so much about pacing. You can make it faster or slower without the game being any less "Metroid" - Other M isn't even really that much faster than Prime. What I see in "Metroid" was in Other M, which is why I consider it a "Metroid" game through and through. And while some aspects of the game certainly backfired, it was still the right direction for the franchise in many ways.

I liked Other M, but I had the same problem with that game that I did with Fusion: locking off areas or seemingly no other reason than to point you in the right direction. I think Super Metroid is the quintessential example: there was a set direction you SHOULD go, but if you could figure out how to get places early, what's the harm? And that's why the lack of narrated story serves the series so well, because sequence-breaking doesn't ruin anything.

[Hot Coldman]

Not surprising but Rich confirmed that Nintendo will hold another roundtable after their press conference this year http://papakoopa.tumblr.com/post/233...e3-2012-begins

Wait, more than one?

[AceBandage]

Wait, more than one?

They did two last year (Miyamoto's and Ubisofts).
They'll likely do something similar.

[BY2K]

Ace, please stay away from the Vita thread. I don't want to loose you.

[Hot Coldman]

They did two last year (Miyamoto's and Ubisofts). They'll likely do something similar.

Neat. Hopefully the second one is worth a damn.

[axisofweevils]

You guys think we can get this thread locked before E3 starts?

Doubt it.
I think thread 3 is still unlocked....