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Spectrobes: Origins coming to the Wii

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http://wii.ign.com/articles/955/955299p1.html

The game is developed by Genki as opposed to Jupiter.

Spectrobes Coming to Wii
Disney's popular DS RPG is heading to the Nintendo console. First details on the console premiere.

After two successful runs on the Nintendo DS platform, Disney Interactive Studio's Spectrobes series is finally making the leap from handheld to console later this year. Spectrobes: Origins will be the game's premiere "big system" debut, hitting the Nintendo Wii in the fall this year.

In the Spectrobes series, players excavate fossils to bring to life ancient creatures of power. Spectrobes: Origins is an original continuation of the franchise. This Wii adventure will incorporate Wii-specific controls in the familiar Spectrobes gameplay, enabling gamers to dig up fossils in 3D and utilize their discoveries in the game's real-time battles. Where the DS versions were produced by Japanese developer Jupiter, development on Spectrobes: Origins is being handled by Genki. The team is best known for its racing designs, and it recently produced the WiiWare title Lonpos.

More than 1.6 million copies of Spectrobes and Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals have shipped worldwide, and Disney Interactive hopes that the Wii version will see similar success. We recently held an interview with Spectrobes producer Kentaro Hisai, where he talked about specific features that will make it into Spectrobes: Origins. Click the link to read all about it.

Disney Interactive Studios will reveal more about Spectrobes in the coming months leading up to its Fall 2009 release.

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Interview:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/955/955327p1.html

Hisai Talks Spectrobes
Check out the efforts that are going into the Wii edition, straight from the producer's mouth.

Later this year, Disney Interactive Studios will continue its adventure franchise Spectrobes in a brand new adventure for the Nintendo Wii. The Spectrobes series has been a success with DS owners since the original release in 2007, as well as its follow-up – Spectrobes: Beyond the Portal – in 2008, and Disney feels that it's time to move forward with an adventure game for Nintendo Wii gamers with Spectrobes: Origins.

In anticipation of today's Spectrobes: Origins' announcement, we were able to track down the producer, Kentaro Hisai, for a little interview regarding the Wii project. Hisai has been the producer for the Spectrobes franchise since the series' beginning on the Nintendo DS.

IGN: Is Spectrobes on the Wii going to be a direct sequel to the DS games, or more of a spinoff?

Kentaro Hisai: Spectrobes: Origins is an evolution of the series. Spectrobes: Origins introduces a lot of new gameplay features, especially with the move to Wii and the graphical jump to the console from the handheld. The story picks up from the first two games while also revealing early moments in the fiction through flashbacks. A Spectrobes: Origins player would not need to have played either of the Nintendo DS games to enjoy this game, but experienced Spectrobes players will have a broader understanding. Naturally, our goal is to create a game that astonishes those who were devoted to exploring the worlds and uncovering the stories from either or both of the first two Spectrobes games, but also to expand the fan base with a game that thrills Wii owners who may be new to the series.

IGN: Is this going to be the same Spectrobes formula we know, or is the console version going in a different direction?

Hisai: Numerous key features from the Spectrobes franchise are in Spectrobes: Origins, including the two main characters, planetary patrol officers Rallen and Jeena; the abilities to explore, excavate, awaken and battle; and a story that takes the characters throughout the galaxy to unravel a plot and defeat the enemy scourge known as the Krawl. Also, in bringing the series to Wii, our goal is to create an engaging action adventure game and shift the focus away from the RPG genre while still using some beneficial RPG elements. Among the new features, we focused on creating more intense action in battle. The player directly controls Rallen, who now has a stronger presence with expanded combat abilities. Accompanying Rallen is a single Spectrobe, which the player can command to assist in battle. The player can also cycle through Spectrobes during combat and immediately switch the creature fighting alongside Rallen. Those are just a few new elements that expand on the core features.

IGN: Are all the current Spectrobes in the game?

Hisai: Most of the popular Spectrobes from Spectrobes and Spectrobes: Beyond the Portals are in Spectrobes: Origins for players to discover, excavate, awake and train. Just like the previous games, once the creatures have evolved beyond their child form, they'll be ready to fight enemies in faster, more intense battles.

IGN: Will we see any new Spectrobes?

Kentaro Hisai: There are many new Spectrobes in the game. Each time we've worked on a new Spectrobes game, we really look forward to creating new creatures that we hope will excite players and add to the series' legacy. One new creature is Pegatinum, which Rallen can ride to rapidly travel across planets. This is the first Spectrobe with this ability and it changes the way you explore.

IGN: Any new characters?

Hisai: There will be many new characters introduced throughout the game that will play a crucial role in the story. Fans of the franchise will also recognize many characters, including Rallen, Jeena, Commander Grant and Krux, the villain introduced in Spectrobes: Beyond The Portals last year.

IGN: The DS versions utilize most of the DS' unique features, like touch screen control and microphone. How will the new game use the Wii's features?

Hisai: Spectrobes: Origins absolutely has to harness the Wii controls in a unique way while staying true to the series' roots. The player will use the Wii Remote and Nunchuk to navigate vast planets; take on a variety of enemies in large-scale, intense battles; and excavate 3D fossils like never before. Battle and excavation were especially popular in the first two games on the DS so you can imagine how they will evolve for Wii. We've also added the ability for players to get a stronger connection to their creatures through the speaker in the Wii Remote.

IGN: Beyond the Portals offered online battling and a marketplace for trading and selling Spectrobes, will there be similar online features for the Wii?

Hisai: With the first two games, we feel like we created innovative titles that raised the bar with features that hadn't been achieved before on the Nintendo DS. As you mention, these included the robust Spectrobes online community and the marketplace as well as the code input trading cards and downloadable items. While we can't discuss the innovative new features like these for Spectrobes: Origins, we definitely set lofty goals for delivering a Wii game that continues to push the envelope of innovation. We'll look forward to sharing more details at a later time.

IGN: Will the Wii version have bigger cutscenes, similar to the downloadable webisodes?

Hisai: With the move to Wii and expansion in graphical capability, we were able to create cutscenes that are larger and more epic. We definitely set a target to replicate our popular webisodes -- not just with the cutscenes but throughout the entire game. For Spectrobes: Origins, we've tried to make players feel like they're actually playing the webisodes. We definitely set our goals high but we feel we can achieve them.

IGN: Previous games had players switch between the main characters, Rallen and Jeena. Is there any chance of co-op play for this one?

Kentaro Hisai: I wish I could go into details right now, but unfortunately all I can confirm is that both Rallen and Jeena will have very important roles in this game. Regarding your question, our primary focus is to make Spectrobes: Origins fun for a single player. But if someone else happens to be in the same room, we hope that other person enjoys the Spectrobes universe as well.
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Were these games any good? I always meant to pick 'em up, but never got around to it...
Action RPGs, yes?
 
Mejilan said:
Were these games any good? I always meant to pick 'em up, but never got around to it...
Action RPGs, yes?

They're basically Pokemon clones.

Funny thing is, Jupiter made the Pokemon Pinball games as well.

And some other Pokemon merchandise too.
 

Johann

Member
No, they were seriously pretty bad. The DS games are a technical marvel (which might come as a surprise from the screens) but you probably seen much of the gameplay before in other games(and better, too). In particular, the combat was very clunky. On the bright side, it had some cool features, such as the stencil that uses the touchscreen.

It also doesn't help that the main characters are so generic and goddamn annoying. Try watching some of promotional episodes for the game. I double doggy dare you!
 
pakkit said:
I love Genki. They've never made an amazing game, but they've made consistently fun ones.

Really? Like which?

I've only known about them through their bad/not so good games, but if they made some good games, then great! :)

BTW, was Jupiter directly involved with Chain of Memories on PS2? Or did SE do the whole thing in-house and Jupiter would only be credited with the original creation of the game?

And I wonder if Jupiter would make TWEWY Wii if there were to be one? They've almost always been a handheld developer, and they're not making Origins oddly. :(
 

Stumpokapow

listen to the mad man
Visualante said:
Thanks for sharing.

Okay, let me rephrase...

The original:
- Is not particularly compelling as a game and fails compared to similar offerings on the DS
- Looks atrocious IMO, embodying the worst of early DS 3d.
- Fails to really flesh out its two main mechanics--fossil digging and fighting.
- Slants a good deal younger than you might expect it to in terms of target.
- Received very poor critical reviews--not to say this necessarily makes it right, but I'm saying this is not my opinion in a vacuum.

... but if you were looking for detailed impressions, you likely would have checked out reviews for the game.

I would say that the stencil-fossil coding thing is neat. I can't imagine that will make the transition here.
 
Screenshot section is working now. I updated the OP with the screenshots.

Edit: I made this particular shot 16:9:

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A lot better than this first effort:

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The top shot shows that the graphics are not so bad after all. The monster models are pretty clean and stylish in my opinion, and the ground textures and environment desgin technically isn't that bad. This to me is at least pretty decent GC-quality graphics. And it's in 16:9 which may be a first for Disney on the Wii (not counting THQ's Pixar games).

Hope it runs in 60 frames which will make up for the visuals in my opinion.
 

markatisu

Member
Well one thing is for certain, it will be advertised pretty well because Disney advertises the utter shit out of the DS game (it was in kid and video game magazines, commercials on Disney Channel, Toon Disney and ABC Kids, Nick, Nick Toons, the N etc)
 
Hero of Legend said:
I tried it, and the shots are in 16:9 but horizontally flattened to 4:3. Why do devs do that?
As I understand it the Wii's frame buffer - where they're pulling the screen shots from - is 640x480 (or so) with no regard to what AR the video is displayed at. Stretch the image out to get an idea as to how it would display on a 16:9 TV.
 
The game's style and graphical quality reminds me of Arc Rise Fantasia with a Disney look.

Which is a good thing I guess. All that green and such are the main reasons for reminding me of ARF.

I wonder if that changing HUD has to do with being in battle and simply roaming around the world? Was it like this at all in the DS games?
 
Septimus said:
I'm starting to hate the word "Origins" in movies, books, and games now. =[

To be honest I hate anything that sounds spin-offy (Origins, Chronicles, Unleashed, etc.) I'd far prefer games to have numbers on the end instead or have titles like "Prelude" or "Zero" or something.
 

ivysaur12

Banned
Mejilan said:
Baten Kaitos Origins rocked!

Yes, yes it did :D

And graphics looks kinda shitty. I always wanted to try the DS versions, but if they turns out good (which I'm not expecting), I'll pick this up instead.
 

jrricky

Banned
Flying_Phoenix said:
To be honest I hate anything that sounds spin-offy (Origins, Chronicles, Unleashed, etc.) I'd far prefer games to have numbers on the end instead or have titles like "Prelude" or "Zero" or something.
No, I prefer them not to...I dont want to be playing Final Fantasy 55, I rather they mask it with a name. Im glad activsion dropped the number when they went from call of duty 4 to just Call of duty 'name' (though they have tacked on the 2 to modern warfare 2).

I liked the first game, never got the second. But I will be keeping my eye on it.
 

bdouble

Member
Nice. Saw a cool dev diary while they were working on the second one and it sounded like an interesting concept. This is welcome and I don't think it looks bad at all visually. Its clean and gets the job done and thats really all I want.
 

Firestorm

Member
Isn't this the game that came out as a "Buy me because Pokemon isn't out yet" game? I remember getting it for free with my Pokemon Pearl purchase at Best Buy. I then traded it in at EB because I had Pokemon.
 

larvi

Member
I tried the 1st one until I got to the 1st combat and found out it was nothing like pokemon and quite there. Not sure if the 2nd one is any better but don't have a whole lot of interest in the wii game at this point.
 
Thanks for posting those!

The top one actually looks pretty nice! :)

Edit: Joy Stiq also put up those same two screens. But not as blurry and without the watermark:

Edit: Total Video Games had even better quality shots:

www.totalvideogames.com_67362_Spectrobes%20Origins%201.jpg

www.totalvideogames.com_67363_Spectrobes%20Origins%202.jpg


One thing's for sure, the game looks better graphically than Dawn of the New World.
 
IGN posted a preview of the game:

http://wii.ign.com/articles/965/965883p1.html

Problem is... the link ain't working...

I appreciate IGN for trying to get the article out ASAP, but what's the point in posting it if the link's not ready yet?

Edit: Works now.

As far as Nintendo offerings go, Disney has packed it pretty light for GDC 09. Rather than bringing a slew of titles, however, the company brought the right game to the show. After getting a first look at the action RPG Spectrobes: Origins for Nintendo Wii, we're happy to report that the game seems to be coming along quite well. Motion in the right places? Check. Button control where needed? Double check. A nice blend of traditional and IR play? Triple check.

Spectrobes: Origins is the first console offering for the franchise. Kicking off on DS, this Disney original product is basically the equivalent to Pokemon, if the critters themselves were dug out of fossils and then brought back to life to do futuristic battle against the forces of evil. Even if you haven't played the first title, however, Disney is bringing things back to its roots for the premiere console release, essentially retelling the original story – hence Origins – of a Planetary Patrol officer named Rallen and his battle against the vicious Krawl. Even if you've never played or seen anything on Spectrobes previously – I'm new to the series with this Wii preview, save for a few minutes with the DS game a long while back – it's pretty easy to grasp.

The game is obviously aimed at a slightly younger crowd, but it's also no slouch of a product either. Set with a somewhat traditional action/RPG design, players control either Rallen or Jeena as they move from location to location, gathering fossils that spawn new Spectrobes, and then using them to battle the Krawl aliens that inhabit the worlds. Rather than spawning the Spectrobes and leaving it at that, however, the human characters can battle alongside them as well, using the A button for combo attacks on locked-on enemies. Weapons can be aligned with different elements (much like the Spectrobes themselves), and can include anything from swords, power gloves, lances, axes, or blasters. The main combat looks smooth and simple in action, made up entirely of A button presses instead of needless waggle for every attack. It's great to see a developer not cram motion after motion into the game; especially when it's a half-action, half adventure/RPG where you'll be fighting constantly.

The visuals are basic, but the gameplay is polished and well-implemented.
There's more to the system as well though, and it all looks to work great. Players can bring up to six Spectrobes with them in each mission, with one active at a time. These creatures work hand-in-hand with the human heroes too, targeting and fighting on their own, but also available for supers and call-in attacks. With a quick forward motion on the Wii-mote, a Spectrobe ally will pull off a larger attack, letting you string together a huge combo of moves via the A buton, and then cap it all off with a quick flick. When away from battle, young Spectrobes (each has three levels of "age" or evolution to them) can be used to seek out smaller fossils or gain access to tiny secret areas around the map. One such section could be seen in our demo, where a small energy wall locked away a cave. Colored yellow, this barrier could only be passed with a young sky-based Spectrobe.

While I don't fancy myself a Spectrobes pro by any means, Origins looked to be a great action/RPG mash-up in its current form, and it was due in large part to the main action battle mechanic. Outside of the A attacks and quick motion for Spectrobe control, the game also includes some simple item management with the 1 button (used for healing items and the like), and some intuitive IR control. When holding C on the nunchuk, the HUD slides away and brings in a new targeting system instead, which is used to issue attack commands to your Spectrobe. Pointing with the IR cursor will target enemies for alternate attacks using your summoned creatures, with some multi-targeting with up to four enemies and attacks in the initial demo levels we saw. Transitioning back and forth from core combat and target mode was a quick button press away, and the cursor control seemed seamless and very well implemented. With every enemy dispatched, tiny gold experience orbs fell to the ground, sucking magnetically towards the main hero as he passed by in God of War fashion.

As the final aspect of combat we saw today, the B trigger is being used to call in gigantic Spectrobes-based supers. Once built up through general combat, the super is prepped, and a quick squeeze of the B trigger initiates the pose-based attack. For the demo, a large silhouette of a cross-arm motion popped up, and once locked in, a tiny bar of energy started filling around it. Once full, a quick swipe out of the pose initiated a huge attack on-screen, blasting away multiple enemies in a larger effect-filled attack. Unlike most of the larger motion-based attacks we've seen in games, this super seemed to work flawlessly multiple times in a row, which is a sign of some great implementation from the developer.

As for the game's overall production values, what you see in screens is pretty dead on to the real thing. The game looks decent, though it won't be winning any awards for stunning visuals. There are some nice subtle additions, such as a limited amount of depth of field blur from what we could tell, as well as the addition of layered skyboxes, allowing for clouds and animated sky pieces. In one area, the level tapered off into a shallow shoreline, and the animated water looked very nice amidst the combat. As you'd expect, some decent magic effects are used during larger supers, but nothing was really mind-blowing. It looked fine though, and the gameplay was dead on from what we could tell, which is going to be the game's main selling point.

There's more to talk about, but we'll keep it at that for our initial first look with Spectrobes: Origins. The show must go on, as they say, and there's more GDC coverage out there to hit. Be sure to look for more on Spectrobes: Origins as our pre-release coverage continues, and we'll have a hands-on update for you just as soon as Disney lets us get our grimy mitts on the controls. Until then, check out some screens of the game in action. It may not be an uber-hardcore title, but it's shaping up quite nicely, and looks to be a great option for the younger Wii crowd.
 

Mejilan

Running off of Custom Firmware
Curious to hear more. I keep on looking for excuses to pick up the two DS games, but never seem to find the right excuses!
 
The preview is a lot more positive than I expected.

Were the DS games this positively previewed? I hope this isn't another case like Sonic Unleashed where the game gets good previews but lousy reviews. :/

Hopefully other sites are as positive.
 

onipex

Member
Hero of Legend said:
I hope this isn't another case like Sonic Unleashed where the game gets good previews but lousy reviews. :/

This happens so often that I try not to read previews anymore.
 
Another preview:

http://kotaku.com/5182375/impressions-spectrobes-origins-brings-brawling-to-monster-collecting

When Spectrobes comes to the Wii later this year it will bring with it a shift for the monster collecting game from the slow pace of role-playing to button-mashing action.

Spectrobes: Origins will be the third game in Disney's original franchise. The first two titles, both released on the DS only, shipped more than 1.6 million copies worldwide.

In this third iteration the story continues from the first two with players controlling Rallen as he excavates, awakes and trains the Spectrobes to fight against the rising threat of the Krawl.

Rallen will spend this first Wii outing exploring a new solar system, said Mark Orgel, assistant producer on the game.

Players start in a space ship where they can manage, feed and train their Spectrobes. This version of the game increases the types of Spectrobes from three to five: Fire, water, grass, earth and sky.

Each Spectrobe starts out as a child, which can only be used for solving puzzles, not fighting. The adult form can fight and eventually level up to become an evolved version.

Outside the ship you can explore different planets, with a variety of unique settings, like a jungle. Players control Rallen as he moves around the planet looking for minerals to excavate and fighting when enemy Krawl pop up.

The biggest change to the game is with battles, which now take place in real-time instead of the more passive turn based system the game used to have.

Players control Rallen in combat, using the A button to attack the auto-targeted enemies. You also can control your Spectrobe by swinging the remote to get it to attack your target or allow it to attack on his own.

By holding in the Z button and cycling through your Spectrobes with the D-Pad you can switch Spectrobes on the fly during combat.

Each Spectrobe has unique attacks which are weaker or stronger against different types of enemies, depending on their classification. The Spectrobes also have power attacks which can be activated after they've built up enough power through normal attacks.

Once you have the power to do a special attack you have to strike a pose, like crossing your arms, and then release it it, to unleash the attack.

Some Spectrobes also have area effects, like boosting your attacks or healing you over time.

"This is more action brawler, less role-playing game," Orgel said. "Spectrobes are really weapons used by Rallen rather than the main fighting force."

If a Spectrobe is knocked out in battle you have to return to the ship or a save point to revive it, if all six of your equipped Spectrobes are knocked out, you lose the battle and have to start over.

While I didn't get a chance to actually play the game, watching Orgel play it made me think that the more active role gamers will play in the game could give it a bit more appeal than typical monster-collecting games.

It looks like it could be a fun brawler with the added benefit of monster collecting and evolving.

Orgel said they weren't yet discussing any possible multiplayer for the Wii title.

Nice info!
 
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