Miyamoto must have really enjoyed his European vacation, because he let another major blurb slip. No, not about Metal Gear, but about his own beloved Mario.
In speaking to French magazine Gamekult last week, "Cash Money Miyamoto" revealed a few truths regarding the tentatively titled Mario 128. One of them is that it is in fact the true sequel to Mario 64, not Mario Sunshine. Of course, we've all known this for some time now. Here's Spong's translation of the revealing magazine article:
Firstly, Mario 128 is unlikely to be the game's final name, according to Miyamoto. He said that the title had stuck, since it was first dubbed that more than three years ago. He also hinted that Mario 128 has been in development a long time, and that it was begun even before Super Mario Sunshine, a game believed by many to be based around resurrected N64DD code.
What’s more, Miyamoto also revealed that his team is working towards a release by the end of this year, at least in Japan - much sooner than was expected. This could mean that an American release may also happen before Christmas, with a European version to follow soon after.
(wj)
Source: Spong
Holy flying fuck beans! My hunch was correct! Mario 128 will be shown at E3 and it might even come out this year!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH I want to jump up and down like a little boy!!!!!!!
If this turns out to be false I'm going to kill someone...
Quote:CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 28, 2003-- Midway Games Inc., a leading software industry publisher and developer, announced today that ESPionage™, is in development and is expected to ship in Fall 2003 for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, the Xbox™ video game system from Microsoft and Nintendo GameCube™. ESPionage challenges players to use their most powerful weapon -- their mind -- as they try to master the first action/stealth game to integrate traditional weapons combat with extensive Psi (psychic) mind powers. Combatting a terrorist movement set to overthrow world order, Nick Geller -- an elite American Psi-Operative -- fights using telekinesis (lifting and throwing objects), pyrokinesis (controlling fire), remote viewing (going "out-of-body" to plan attacks), mind drain (draining Psi energy from enemies), aura view ("seeing" elements that aren't visible in the real world) and mind control (taking control of enemies) to fight against an army of programmed, psychic terrorist super soldiers that will stop at nothing to reach their goal.
"Never before have players been given the ability to use Psi mind powers in an action/stealth game," said Helene Sheeler, vice president of marketing, Midway. "ESPionage provides a highly entertaining experience that opens up unique and creative combinations of the way gamers can play the game."
As Geller, players must conquer a programmed super soldier army and its psychic agents while using Psi powers. In addition to Psi capabilities, players have access to traditional weapons such as handguns and automatic weaponry. As players strategically navigate seven huge immersive levels within four distinct compounds, they encounter multiple ways to solve missions, which greatly adds to the replay value.
ESPionage Key Features:
Psi Powers - The first and only action/stealth game to integrate weapons combat with extensive and unique Psi mind powers including:
Telekinesis - The ability to lift people and objects and hold, move or throw them in any direction.
Pyrokinesis - The ability to launch a wall of fire that ignites everything in its path.
Mind Control - The ability to take control of enemy bodies.
Remote Viewing - The ability to go "out-of-body" to see through doors to plan your "attack" and/or get information you would not be able to get in physical form.
Mind Drain - The ability to drain Psi power from enemies, which results in death to the victim.
Aura View - The ability to "see" elements that are not visible in the real world.
Action and Stealth Combination - Intense, fast-paced action with strategic stealth elements. The emphasis is on action, with elements of stealth.
Traditional Weapons - In addition to Psi mind control powers, traditional weapons, such as handguns and automatic weaponry, still play a major role in gameplay and combined with the Psi powers create an extraordinary and powerful gameplay dynamic.
Intense Storyline - An engaging and compelling storyline reveals the mystery of Nick's identity and the origin of his Psi powers while infiltrating the compounds of "The Movement," a powerful psychic terrorist organization.
Multiple Levels and Compounds - Seven huge and immersive levels within four distinct compounds spread throughout the world.
Deep AI - Adaptive artificial intelligence makes enemies extremely aware of the player's actions and delivers more intense, realistic fighting.
Multiple Methods for Solving Missions - The non-linear design allows the gamer to conquer the mission in multiple ways, allowing for endless replay value.
It sounds interesting, but I wonder how well EPS powers will work in a stealth game.
Let's look back a few years...to the era of N64 vs. PSX. It's no secret that N64 was trailing far behind PSX. We blamed this on:
1.) N64 was on cart; carts are more expensive, and due to being smaller, a constraint on game size.
2.) PSX had Square, Capcom, and most other major developers under its belt.
3.) Nintendo's kiddy image detracted older buyers. No swears, no gore & extreme violence...
Now let's look at the present... we're on DVD. Our game size is comparable to everyone else's. We have lovin' from Capcom, and even Square now, with an FF title en route...now I even hear of Metal Gear too. Our kiddy image is far behind, with Resident Evil saying "shit", and blasting the brains out of zombies, and other similar games.
That being said, why the hell are we still trailing behind in the market, even behind X-Box....? I really want to know!
I keep on getting this error whenever I come here, and it's not my computer because I had the same problem at work. Every other page I go to gets fucked up and I have to refresh a hundred times to get the page to load. So... you gonna fix it, Welly?
And I was hinting at Fran about Tendo City, in case he forgot about this little place (although if he ever wanted to come here he couldn't since we don't have tendocity.net... *cough*Weltall*cough*). I thought you guy might enjoy it:
Quote:Soul Calibur Movie
Hi FM3 (ahem), just wanted to let you know that there is already a SC movie in the works. Sammo Hung (awesome martial arts star who has done a hundred incredible MA movies over there.. so don't give me any Martial Law crap) is going to direct and uh... that's all that's really known so far. If it ever gets made it should be pretty cool. Sammo is the kung fu cinema king.
-OB1 from Tendo City
Fran responds: My arcade initials FM3, eh? I haven't heard that in a while.
Anyhow, now that you mention it I think I remember this being announced. Boy-o is it tough to remember all this stuff. On the positive side of things, I'm pretty excited to see if it turns out. Sword fighting, quite simply, is rad.
Quote:It's been a tough old few weeks for Nintendo of Europe, with the Dixons group announcing it is to stop selling GameCube hardware and problems with other stockists regarding its network adaptors. But the release of the stunning Metroid Prime and the crazy price slash-o-rama in operation by certain retailers has ensured GameCube has achieved that most rare of doubles for the company: biggest selling hardware of the week with the number one selling title across all-formats.
PS2 has consistently soared ahead of the competition for months on end, but thanks to massive, apparently irresistible GameCube bundles from chains like Argos and Dixons, GameCube has managed to outsell Sony's gaming behemoth. For the week ending March 22, GameCube saw a rise in sales of over 60 percent, while PS2, GBA and Xbox all dropped by between 10 and 15 percent.
Furthermore, the GameCube-exclusive Metroid Prime has shot straight to the top of the UK all-formats chart, compiled by ChartTrack, beating off stiff competition from huge multiformat franchises like The Sims and Rayman.
Argos, with it's terrific offer of a GameCube plus game and memory card for £79.98 is thought to have played a large part in this increase, and a spokesperson told us: "We're delighted by the response of our customers."
But it is Nintendo itself that will be sporting the broadest smile this week, with head of European PR Shelly Friend telling us: "We've had a great week - GameCube sold around 14,000 units in the UK and on top of that Metroid Prime launched at number one in the all-formats charts. Now we're just looking forward to the launch of GBA SP which we expect to be a great success."
Whether GameCube maintains this performance is clearly open to question, but right now the European arm of the company has every reason to feel buoyant, with the eagerly anticipated launch of GBA SP this Friday likely to provide a further boost.
Quote:In a recent interview with the offical Nintendo magazine of France, Shigeru Miyamoto announced that Hideo Kojima is working on another exclusive title for the GameCube. No information was given about this mystery game, but we do know that it won't be released any time soon.
The legendary Shigeru Miyamoto and Hideo Kojima will be working together on Metal Gear Solid for the GameCube, one wonders if they will be doing the same for this new game?
