Nintendo's Media Summit

I didn't attend the media summit held by Nintendo this week and I don't see the need to retread every detail of it. However felt it might be worth analyzing a few key announcements that were made during the event.
Mario and Metroid Launch dates:
I know that Nintendo had announced Mario as an early 2010 release when it was shown at last years E3. However I didn't actually believe we would see this game released until much later this year. Nintendo is has always had a habit of delaying releases for games especially Mario. First quarter releases aren't usually as good as Christmas releases. I had figured that Nintendo would hold off until at least fall to launch Mario Galaxy 2. Instead the game has been given a May 23rd release date.

Metroid was one I was less shaky on though I was curious as to how much work the game would need to see release. Metroid games haven't exactly sold much outside their fandom, so the June 27th release date isn't exactly surprising (though summer releases are usually uncommon in the gaming industry).

Maybe I should've had more faith in Nintendo, neither of these games required massive retooling. Mario Galaxy 2 had a pretty good head start both by reusing the code from its predecessor along with polishing up several levels that couldn't make it in time for the original games release. Time will tell how good a package this is, the first was great fun and if this one matches it in length and ups the challenge it could be a real hit for Nintendo.

As for Metroid I'm sure many had assumed, that with Team Ninja (makers of the Ninja Gaiden series) involved, the gameplay would be 3D beatdown. Instead it's essentially a sidescroller which fits as most of the original Metroid team (from Japan) created it as opposed to Retro Studios (creators of the Metroid Prime series). I'm personally dissapointed with this development as I'm not a 2D Metroid fan but I'm sure many dedicated fans will line up for this game.

Other Wii Releases:
Monster Hunter 3 from Capcom also had a presence at this event, as well as Sin and Punishment 2. Both these games will also be released by Nintendo in the coming months (April 20 and June 7 respectively). Monster Hunter shows promise in it's current interest rating on IGN but I'm unsure about Sin and Punishment. Both games have had limited exposure in the American markets and could probably do with a high dose of marketing to boost sales.

It does seem however that Nintendo is finally trying a bit harder with software releases. This lineup is very Asian centric though and it deserves a marketing push like the "Wii would like to play" series, but more focused towards gamers.

A new Prince of Persia game designed for Wii only was also shown. It will release May 18th. This game is designed from the ground up for Wii and looks fine. I'm not really a Prince of Persia fan so I'm not sure what to make of it. The design shows that Ubisoft has finally started putting out quality product for Wii. The marketing will likely tie in with the release of the film.

WiiWare:
Seems Nintendo may finally be awakening to the potential for original download content. They showed off again WarioWare DIY but also a game called LightTrax.

More Art Style: Light Trax Info

I have to say the design is interesting. Nintendo actually has several stylized racing/party games like this in Japan that have never been released in the states for some odd reason. I suppose they assume that American's won't take to the games but it seems kinda odd considering what we used to have in arcades. Finally Nintendo seems to be not only testing these games out for the states in the cheep/low-risk download market but also improving them (something Xbox arcade games have been doing for a while). They still need to release the rotating stick game (it's been referenced in Smash Brothers Brawl).

WarioWare D.I.Y. (Do It Yourself) is also looking to be a great release. This game will finally push both connectivity and downloadable content forward (two areas that Nintendo has promised but done little to deliver in). Microgames can be made on the DS and then shared with the Wiiware counterpart. I'm unsure if the Wiiware game also includes level creation tools but both games do come with a set of premade games. For a cheep price this is will definitely be worth a download as the WarioWare Series has yet to let me down.

DSi:
The DSi XL was also on display at the event with a price of $185. They showed off several downloadable games for it as well as WarioWare D.I.Y (since it's a game for both systems). Photo Dojo looked pretty cool, it's a fighting game were you use the camera to create the game sprites of yourself doing the moves.

Overall I can't bring myself to be too excited about the DS. I've loved the system but I feel it is time to move onto better hardware, the DSi brings a few new ideas to the table but doesn't do enough. I do think the dabbling Nintendo is doing for the system could yield some exciting new material whenever they do get around to launching both a new console and handheld though.

In Summary:
This event caught me off guard as it's untraditional for Nintendo to have an event of any significance during this time of year. This event seems to show a strong commitment by Nintendo to bring up their software business focus which has dwindled in recent times. This is probably the most aggressive stance Nintendo's had for software in a long time. Everything shown at this event is slated to hit the market before or during June and nothing further out has been announced.

This does put alot of pressure on Nintendo for E3 as people will definitively care whats next and the company can't afford another Christmas Wii Music/Animal Crossing debacle. Nintendo has lost alot of faith from the gamers with this system so it's going to take alot of work to regain it but this is probably a good start.

I hope that Nintendo can learn the right lessons from these releases and do proper marketing. I also hope that the download content they're experimenting with plays well so they can upgrade their servers to polish up the online service they provide now as well as start investment in a more forward thinking online service in the next generation.

Army of Two 40th Day (review)

Seems I'm on a co-op gaming spree. So... Army of Two?

Well I certainly enjoyed this game more then Super Mario Brothers Wii, but I'm not sure that it was more ambitious? I probably shouldn't raise the issue of laziness, as this is a game produced by EA after all. The game runs on the Unreal 3 engine (another staple of most modern games), so the visuals match up with what one would expect of a current generation product. The co-op works excellent but a two player game IS easier to develop then a four player one (and there are numerous cooperative shooters to imitate).

However none of that necessarily means lazy. What this game really nails is refinement. The enemies are fun to fight, the levels play out cleanly and smoothly. It features a weapons customization system that manges to be entertaining as well (who doesn't like a silencer made from a soda can?).

You run from situation to situation getting into large firefights. Breaking these up are hostage situations were you must use special skills like faking a surrender or synchronized sniping to outwit the terrorists. These situations add alot of value to the game and push for some team planning before running in and rescuing the hostages. Saving civilians provides power-ups, though it is possible to ignore most of them and move on if you don't want to bother.

One of Army of Two's unique elements was the aggro meeter. The game developers really emphasized this element of combat in the original game and it works great. Whoever has the bigger gun and shoots the most occupies most of the enemy's focus and allows another player to snipe or sneak attack opponents. Nothing is quite as enjoyable as your partner firing a grenade launcher strait into the air while you sneak up and pummel obviousness computer players to death.

The ability to exchange weapons between players has been removed (not that I played the first game much, so I can't say much for this system). In it's place is the ability to pick up and use any of the guns the enemy has dropped on a temporary basis (the temporary gun is dropped when you switch to your personalized weapons). You can boost your parter over ledges and areas. However the boosting is mostly automated in areas were it's actually required and is otherwise hard to find.

The biggest change of all is the games story. The first Army of Two was very campy and played out much like a stupid action movie. The characters were intentionally both over the top in their friendship and their ability to survive and kill people. I was especially amused at the rival mercenary in the original game who seemed to survive explosions/plane crashes and all sorts of other improbable things and seemed set to appear in this sequel (he's kicked out a window but never shown dead).

Instead apparently someone in EA actually got the idea to be ambitious and throw these two rather cartoony characters into a more realistic setting. 40th Day is basically a story of survival, the two characters begin on a routine mission but soon find themselves in the middle of a terrorist attack on China. The characters only motivation is escape (except near the end of the game...). You travel all over the city encountering gunfight after gunfight, broken up by the occasional hostage encounter/rescue.

New to the game is a morality system, at different points in the game players are asked whether or not to kill a character or in one case ask a child to use a gun. The system is interesting as after you make the decision the game fades into stylized comic stills showing what happens because of your decision. A surprising aspect about these decisions is the obviously good choice doesn't always lead to the happy outcome. This creates a since of balance for the game (in a way), though I would complain that some of the choices are based off of stupidly misleading information.

There is an achivement for chosing all of the good choices or all of the bad though this doesn't really effect the ending of the game. In fact the biggest letdown of the game is the ending. Simply put the moral choice provided for the ending is a trap, no matter which choice you make the game punishes you. If you chose the good choice the game will guilt you for how unhappy your character ends up and if you chose the evil choice the game guilts you for the lives lost to the terrorists. There is no magic combination of moral choices that change this outcome either.

It's probably more realistic to provide a no win situation in this game but it raises all kinds of issues (besides how they can manage the inevitable sequel). Games are played as a form of escapisum, thus most gamers are going to want a positive ending no matter how realisitic. I have personally enjoyed games with a sad/bittersweet ending (Grand Theft Auto 4), I'm not sure that I like how the game seems to trap me with this no win situation. I suppose my biggest problem is the game provides nothing to even take the edge off, your simply slammed for your decision and the credits roll.


How I'd improve it:
As far as suggestions for improving the game go, I'd only suggest retooling the ending. Create some variety in the games ending depending on the moral choices made earlier in the game to create an opportunity for a happy ending. If that isn't possible and even if it is, I'd also suggest separating the outcomes of the earlier morality choices made in the game. Basically when you make a moral choice, you should see an immediate reward/punishment for your choice. The long term impact of your decisions should be saved for the ending so that they can play out AS the credits roll so that even with a predetermined sad ending you can find satisfaction (or disappointment) in the outcomes of your moral choices. Such a move would tie the whole game experience together and make the ending more worthwhile.

Basically:
Overall ranking 8.0 or a B (I don't care about rankings, I like delving into design aspects). The game was competent and great fun. Shooters aren't the most innovative genre, but you can't go wrong with a great buddy game if you ask me.