Archive for October 31st, 2007
October 31, 2007
Mini-Minigames
Check out the latest trailer for Raving Rabbids 2 right here.
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Ubisoft’s dismembered hero Rayman has been making quite a name for himself ever since he skipped onto the Wii with an entertaining minigame collection starring last year’s most hilarious new villains, the raving rabbids. Now Rayman is on his way back to the Wii in Rayman Raving Rabbids 2, and he’ll also be giving the Nintendo DS its due with a handheld version of the game that will purportedly contain 60 minigames, as well as more multiplayer action than we saw last time around.
To get the final word on the DS version of Raving Rabbids 2, we went straight to the source: game manager Loic Gounon.
If Its Games: How much collaboration has gone on with the Wii team?
Loic Gounon: There was a strong collaboration with the Wii team in terms of game ideas, as well as making sure that the rabbids remain as insane as ever.
IIG: How did you come up with the DS minigames, since they were inspired by the Wii game and not necessarily an exact fit for the DS?
LG: For us it was really about the humor and fun that the rabbids create with their ridiculous antics that was the source of inspiration. Rules and controls are completely different. We started from scratch in order to use the DS controls fully and make them as fun as possible.
IIG: Was it a concerted effort to make use of the mic? Or did that develop naturally?
Bunnies like to play, too.
LG: You might know that one of the most noticeable [of the] bunnies’ behavior is the screaming! So we developed the use of the microphone (essentially to make noise) to let the player enjoy the screaming. We also use the mic as a gameplay feature in some minigames where you have to talk (”movie theater”) or blow (”bunny bubble”).
IIG: How have you improved on the tech from the last game, or is it the same graphics engine?
LG: We use a new engine (developed mainly for the DS by Ubisoft Technology Group) with a more powerful 3D/2D graphic engine, so the game looks really good.
IIG: Can you run us through the game’s story?
LG: The rabbids invade the human world, and they try to mimic human behavior in a rabbid way! Rayman follows them around the world as he tries to collect useful information (pictures) about their ridiculous and crazy behavior.
IIG: Can you explain the music system in the game?
LG: We decided to create musical minigames based on classic hits (”Smoke on the Water,” “Funkytown”) performed by the rabbids! You play with the stylus and try to follow the rhythm as accurately as possible, tapping to the beat. We implemented a groove box that you tap on the screen. This allows you access to prerecorded sounds that you can unlock throughout the game.
IIG: Can you run us through the customization possible in the game?
Look out, Rock Band.
LG: When you beat top scores, you unlock fancy items for your rabbid: hat, clothes, and accessories. There are loads of different styles…Brazilian stuff, Japanese costumes, and so on. You can dress your rabbid and use it to play in most of the minigames. You can also draw on your rabbid using the stylus as a pencil and unleash your creativity! At last, you can draw on a blank background, or unlock predrawn backgrounds and fill the shapes.
IIG: How are you going to interact with your virtual rabbid?
LG: Virtual rabbids can be punched or tickled with the stylus. You can also record your voice and the rabbid will say what you’ve been recording. This way you can compete with your friends on who has the best Bwwaaaaaaa!
IIG: Can you run us through the game’s Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection features? Will it just be playing games, or will you be able to trade rabbids as well?
LG: We didn’t implement an Internet gaming feature. However, you can play in local Wi-Fi, in classic multiplayer (one cartridge per DS), or in game-sharing mode (only one cartridge for up to four players). You’ll play with your customized rabbid, but you won’t be able to trade it. He’ll stay your own personal creation.
-If Its Games
October 31, 2007
Get Manaphy for free.
Nintendo Australia is giving Poke-maniacs a treat down under, with the company partnering with national electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi to give away a free rare Pokemon for use in the Nintendo DS’ Pokemon Diamond or Pearl.
Between November 7 and 13, gamers can go into any JB Hi-Fi store to download Manaphy, a rare Pokemon being featured in the latest Pokemon movie, Pok
October 31, 2007
At an event in east London this morning titled “Mind, Body, and Console,” Nintendo revealed its latest sales figures and explained the strategy that has made it such a success.
Nintendo UK’s general manager, David Yarnton, told the audience that before the release of the Nintendo DS and the Wii, he believed that the industry was in “crisis.” He said that the number of video game players had been declining, especially in Nintendo’s home country, Japan. He said, “The video game penetration in households has never risen above 30 percent. We were basically just selling more consoles to the same teenage boys.”
He said that this realization caused the company to sit down and think about what its strategy would be moving forward. He said, “We are not fighting our competitors, we are fighting apathy…Instead of trying to improve technology for its own sake, we decided to focus on those who weren’t even playing games, who weren’t on the radar.”
Nintendo’s strategy, which is demonstrated in its new advertising slogans, includes phrases like “For Everyone,” and is the way the company intends to keep moving forward. Yarnton commented, “We are proud to be inclusive, not exclusive.”
He also added that the company was also proud of its hardcore gamers, who would not be left out this holiday season, with the release of such titles as Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, Super Mario Galaxy, and The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass.
Nintendo UK marketing director Dawn Paine said that part of this decision had come after Nintendo had done a survey of some 1,600 adults and asked them why they didn’t game. She said, “The results of the survey showed that, at best, games are seen as a waste of time; at worst, an isolated, sad addiction that removes the player from reality.” Paine said that Nintendo wanted to make games that didn’t replace real life, but instead became part of people’s daily lives and routines.
She added, “We decided that bringing tennis to homes wasn’t enough; we now want to turn the living room into a fitness centre.”
The company then showed a series of upcoming adverts, which will form part of its multimillion-pound marketing campaign for this holiday season. The adverts feature celebrities Nicole Kidman, Patrick Stewart, Julie Walters, Phillip Schofield, Fern Britton, Zoe Ball, and Johnny Ball playing Brain Training and other Nintendo titles.
It also announced Sight Training: Enjoy Exercising and Relaxing Your Eyes, which has been renamed from its US name of Flash Focus: Vision Training in Minutes a Day, for release in the UK market in November. The game features a series of “sight exercises” that aim to improve such things as hand-eye coordination and peripheral vision. It works in a similar way to Brain Training, with players taking an “Eye Age” test, being given an Eye Age Score, and then doing a series of exercises every day.
Gail Stephenson, head of orthoptics at Liverpool University, was brought in to comment on the title. “You can’t increase the amount of numbers you see on a chart through exercise, but you can make your brain and eyes work at a higher rate…We use our eyes to 50 to 60 percent of their potential, although athletes use their eyes to a higher level.”
Sight Training will be released in the UK on November 23. Other games coming to the British Nintendo range in 2008 include Wii Fit, My Word Coach, and Face Training.
October 31, 2007
Capcom wants Wii gamers to know that Manhunt 2 isn’t the only scary budget-priced game on Nintendo’s system this Halloween. Today the publisher announced that Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition has shipped more than 1 million copies worldwide.
According to the industry-tracking NPD Group, 300,000 copies of Resident Evil 4 Wii Edition were sold by US retailers through August at a suggested retail price of $29.99. The title is the fourth version of the game released in the US, which debuted on the GameCube in January 2005 and on the PlayStation 2 nine months later. A long-delayed PC version arrived in US stores this May, followed in June by the Wii edition. As of the end of August, combined sales of all four versions of RE4–which was If Its Games’s 2005 Game of the Year–totaled 2.1 million units and $73.9 million in revenue in the US.
Overall, the Resident Evil series has shipped more than 33 million copies since its 1996 debut. That number is sure to rise with the upcoming release of Resident Evil: The Umbrella Chronicles on November 13 and the anticipated (but undated) releases of Resident Evil 5 on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
October 31, 2007
For the number of games based on the wildly popular Naruto anime and manga series over the past few years, none have made much of a concerted effort to appeal to players outside of the admittedly large and well-established fan base, particularly to potential fans in the US. Given that most Naruto games rely on somewhat threadbare genre staples such as one-on-one fighters and beat-’em-ups, there has been for the most part little appeal outside of the license. Ubisoft’s Naruto: Rise of a Ninja for the Xbox 360 distinguishes itself from its predecessors in a number of ways. It’s the first Naruto game developed outside of Japan, and it attempts to approach the source material in a way that would make it digestible for Naruto neophytes. Rise of a Ninja also aims for a much larger scope, with a detailed realization of Naruto’s hometown of Konoha and a number of distinct gameplay elements. As much fun as it is to use Naruto’s developing ninja abilities to explore the city, the game spreads itself a little thin in parts.
Actual scenes from the anime are often used to move the story along.
If this really is your first exposure to Naruto, don’t worry. Rise of a Ninja wisely starts at the very beginning, jumping right into a crazy world of magical ninjas to establish young Naruto’s fate as the vessel for a nine-tailed fox demon. The story in Rise of a Ninja is based on the US version of the Naruto anime series, and it covers the events that take place over the course of the first 80 episodes, from Naruto’s initial graduation from the ninja academy through the end of the Genin exams. Granted, it’s a highly abridged version, but for most of the story it does a smart job of providing enough exposition that you needn’t have watched all 80 episodes to follow what’s going on. However, at a certain point during the Genin exams, it kind of falls apart; characters appear without much explanation and disappear just as quickly.
To tell the story, the game relies almost entirely on actual clips from the show, which look sha
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