NeoGAF

Mike D · 07:50 PM

Edit:
Go here for the Microsoft thread.

New Nintendo Panels Announced

Building Characters: The SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL Postmortem
Speaker: Masahiro Sakurai (Designer and Director, Sora Ltd.)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Session Description
One of the strengths of Nintendo is its great number of character franchises. SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL builds on this legacy by providing a unique experience for Wii, leveraging many popular characters from the history of Nintendo and beyond. However, integrating so many different characters, each with its own personality, is no easy task, especially when characters from other publishers are willing to join the brawl. The man behind SMASH BROS., Masahiro Sakurai, discusses how he has approached this unique game series.

Planning the Wii Menu: From Pre-Launch to WiiWare
Speaker: Takashi Aoyama (Group Manager for the Network Administration Group, Nintendo)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Session Description
Takashi Aoyama of Nintendo\'s Network Group explains for attendees the story of the development of Wii hardware\'s internal programming. The Wii Menu includes a diverse array of built-in entertainment and educational options for users, including the News Channel, the Everybody Votes Channel and the Check Mii Out Channel. Aoyama discusses how the team at Nintendo has tackled these unprecedented challenges for Wii, including the most recent challenge to introduce WiiWare.

Wii FIT: Creating a Brand New Interface for the Home Console
Speaker: Takao Sawano (Deputy GM in Entertainment Analysis & Development, Nintendo)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Session Description
A fitness video game? Nintendo developers were challenged from the start when given the directive to develop an application for daily use that enables you to have fun while monitoring your fitness. Takao Sawano, the principal Wii Balance Board developer, discusses how his team ended up creating an unprecedented new game controller that will have a far-reaching impact for both casual and core gamers in WII FIT and beyond. Attendees will learn about the development of WII FIT as well as how the product, which recently launched in Japan, is already turning family living rooms into private fitness clubs.

In addition to the big news that’s coming out of the Microsoft camp at GDC, Nintendo is also set to have a strong presence during the conference. As announced today on GDC Executive Director Jamil Moledina’s blog, there are a trio of Nintendo-related talks scheduled for the event. Takao Sawano, the project lead of Wii Fit, will explain the process of creating a brand new interface for the home console and Takashi Aoyama, the team leader for Nintendo’s Network Group, will discuss the creation and development of the Wii Menu and the upcoming WiiWare project, which is Nintendo’s original downloadable game service. Finally, Masahiro Sakurai will be speaking at the event with a postmortem of Super Smash Bros. Brawl, which will be the first postmortem of a major 2008 title.

gofreak · (01-15-2008, 07:40 PM)

Originally Posted by TSA

Microsoft Keynote

John Schappert
Microsoft Corporate Vice President

Session:
A Future Wide Open: Unleashing the Creative Community

This sounds like an expansion of their XNA plans, perhaps they'll be rolling out general access to XNA games for all users, their "youtube for games"?

pswii60 · (01-15-2008, 07:40 PM)

Microsoft's sounds like it will be more XNA boredom.

Tieno · (01-15-2008, 07:41 PM)

nvm

gofreak · (01-15-2008, 07:43 PM)

Originally Posted by pswii60

Microsoft's sounds like it will be more XNA boredom.

As per the other thread, it seems they'll be showing what their developers are up to also. So perhaps you can hope for both XNA stuff and game news/announcements :)

Cosmonaut X · (01-15-2008, 07:43 PM)

Anyone else thing we might see WiiWare formally unveiled at the GDC? The timing seems to fit with the rumours about launch dates...

fly high ~ayunite~ · (01-15-2008, 07:44 PM)

Building Characters: The SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL Postmortem
Speaker: Masahiro Sakurai (Designer and Director, Sora Ltd.)
Date/Time: Delayed
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Fixed :(

Zoramon089 · (01-15-2008, 07:46 PM)

Originally Posted by fly high ~ayunite~

Fixed :(

You should have edited the postmortem part

Mike D · (01-15-2008, 07:47 PM)

Should I edit it to just be Nintendo panel stuff since we have the other Microsoft thread going?

PkunkFury · (01-15-2008, 07:48 PM)

Sakurai's panel should be great! I wish I could go :(

Mike D · (01-15-2008, 07:49 PM)

Meh, edited, but need mod/admin for title change.

Thomper · (01-15-2008, 07:58 PM)

Originally Posted by Zoramon089

You should have edited the postmortem part

Premortem LOLZ.

Anyway, the postmortem sounds interesting, here's hoping someone takes notes/tapes the panel.

fly high ~ayunite~ · (01-15-2008, 08:25 PM)

Originally Posted by Zoramon089

You should have edited the postmortem part

Hehe :D

The "Wii Menu: From Pre-Launch to WiiWare" panel looks interesting. Possible Everybody's Nintendo Channel launch details for US & EU?

harSon · (01-15-2008, 08:27 PM)

Originally Posted by pswii60

Microsoft's sounds like it will be more XNA boredom.

A statement from event organizers CMP Group said that the session will “set the strategy for Xbox 360 this upcoming year, revealing top developers' plans for the platform in 2008.”

I think it's going to be more then just XNA.

DrEvil · (01-15-2008, 09:00 PM)

I will be at all three Ninty keynotes.. I cannot wait.

lochnesssnowman · (01-15-2008, 09:13 PM)

Not particularly my field (programmer) but I might pop along to a couple of these.

inpHilltr8r · (01-15-2008, 09:14 PM)

Originally Posted by DrEvil

I will be at all three Ninty keynotes.. I cannot wait.

Those are talks, not keynotes. http://www.gdconf.com/ has two keynotes announced so far. MS, and Ray Kurzweil. Last year there were four IIRC, so expect a couple more. Hopefully Iwata will be one of them. Maybe Sony will be the other, but maybe not.

DrEvil · (01-15-2008, 09:19 PM)

Originally Posted by inpHilltr8r

Those are talks, not keynotes. http://www.gdconf.com/ has two keynotes announced so far. MS, and Ray Kurzweil. Last year there were four IIRC, so expect a couple more. Hopefully Iwata will be one of them. Maybe Sony will be the other, but maybe not.

Well, i will be at all three talks, then... including whatever keynotes pertaining to the big N show up.

Firestorm · (01-16-2008, 12:14 AM)

Building Characters: The SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL Postmortem
Speaker: Masahiro Sakurai (Designer and Director, Sora Ltd.)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Session Description
One of the strengths of Nintendo is its great number of character franchises. SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL builds on this legacy by providing a unique experience for Wii, leveraging many popular characters from the history of Nintendo and beyond. However, integrating so many different characters, each with its own personality, is no easy task, especially when characters from other publishers are willing to join the brawl. The man behind SMASH BROS., Masahiro Sakurai, discusses how he has approached this unique game series.

Will there be any way to get the info from this to those of us who can't attend? I'm really interested in this.

FFChris · (01-16-2008, 12:18 AM)

FABLE 2 –The Big Three Features Revealed
Speaker: Peter Molyneux (Head of Studio, Lionhead Studios)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

Session Description
Peter Molyneux's stated ambition as a designer is to make FABLE 2 a landmark game. In order to achieve this three big design features have been added. The inspiration and rational behind these features will be discussed along with their evolution throughout the development process. The wider context of their impact and influence on the RPG genre with also be examined as the ambition is also to evolve the genre itself. The talk will be supported by retrospective videos as well as live game examples.

Yes!

JonathanEx · (01-16-2008, 12:19 AM)

Sakurai! That will be the best presentation in the history of ever.

szaromir · (01-16-2008, 12:23 AM)

Originally Posted by pswii60

Microsoft's sounds like it will be more XNA boredom.

XNA is amazing. But they should finally make Creator's Club free. I want to play my shitty games on my 360. :lol

Mike D · (01-16-2008, 12:40 AM)

Originally Posted by Firestorm

Will there be any way to get the info from this to those of us who can't attend? I'm really interested in this.

They sell audio tracks of sessions like the day after the session happens. Press typically get two complimentary sessions comped from the download center. I got the Aonuma and Kondo sessions from last year, and I paid for the FF XII postmortem I missed last year and the previous Aonuma postmortem of TWW a few years back.

Firestorm · (01-16-2008, 01:01 AM)

How much are they usually? And downloadable mp3 format or shipped?

nightside · (01-16-2008, 02:08 AM)

any chance to see some brawl suprise from sakurai?

I would love the aoyama talk to include some information about:

nintendo's everybody channel NA and EU launch (very unlikey)

nintendo's everybody channel future (a.ka: wii demos...totally unlikely)

wiiware launch date (maybe...or not)

oh well...it's useless to keep such hopes up...this kind of announcement usually come from iwata...

gimz · (01-16-2008, 02:09 AM)

Originally Posted by TSA

Building Characters: The SUPER SMASH BROS. BRAWL Postmortem
Speaker: Masahiro Sakurai (Designer and Director, Sora Ltd.)
Date/Time: TBD
Track: Game Design
Experience Level: All

oh god, after the update last night i wonder what will the audience's reaction will be when they see Sakurai :lol

Kobun Heat · (01-16-2008, 02:13 AM)

Originally Posted by inpHilltr8r

Those are talks, not keynotes. http://www.gdconf.com/ has two keynotes announced so far. MS, and Ray Kurzweil. Last year there were four IIRC, so expect a couple more.

Last year there were two: Miyamoto and Phil Harrison. No more keynotes for this year.

XiaNaphryz · (01-16-2008, 02:15 AM)

Originally Posted by Zoramon089

You should have edited the postmortem part

The game will be out in Japan technically, so it'll still be correct. :D

WinFonda · (01-16-2008, 02:16 AM)

Will Sony be there at all?

Probably a stupid question, just wondering.

dude · (01-16-2008, 02:21 AM)

Originally Posted by nightside

any chance to see some brawl suprise from sakurai?

I would love the aoyama talk to include some information about:

nintendo's everybody channel NA and EU launch (very unlikey)

nintendo's everybody channel future (a.ka: wii demos...totally unlikely)

wiiware launch date (maybe...or not)

oh well...it's useless to keep such hopes up...this kind of announcement usually come from iwata...

I wouldn't count on new info from these panels, it's mostly (fascinating) insight about game development, like the Miyamoto keynote of last year.

inpHilltr8r · 03:10 AM

Originally Posted by Kobun Heat

Last year there were two: Miyamoto and Phil Harrison. No more keynotes for this year.

You're right, I'm losing my mind. Maybe four was the year before? The last one in San Jose. Harrison, Iwata, Ron Moore, and Will Wright? I remember having to leave to get the free Brain Training, and re-enter for Will, because I was worried I wouldn't get a seat after the packed out room the year before that, which was the Spore reveal. Standing in a queue full of people shouting BLACK, BLACK!!!! BLACK!!!!!!!

It's all a bit of a blur to be honest. :D