E3: The DS game thread

[OB1]

Lots are gonna be announced, so let's try to keep most of them in here. Four games revealed:


Metroid Prime Hunters (WOOO!!!!)
DS Picto-Chat
DS Super Mario 4 x 4 (Mario Kart, I think. YAY!)
WarioWare Inc. DS (Hell yeah!!)

[OB1]

Here's the official DS list (so far):

TBD Animal Crossing DS DS
TBD Mario Kart DS DS
TBD Metroid Prime: Hunters DS
TBD NEW Super Mario Bros. DS
TBD PictoChat DS
TBD Super Mario 64X4 DS
TBD WarioWare Inc. DS DS

[Great Rumbler]

That's a pretty good list.

[Great Rumbler]

From Cube-Europe:

The PictoChat is the instant messaging feature that was announced. The bottom screen shows a keyboard and the top screen shows the display. As well as typing messages hand-written ones can be made or even doodles. You can wirelessly link up to sixteen people and send, edit and reply to messages.

Super Mario 64x4 is like a four player version of Mario 64 from the Nintendo 64. In this game all four players compete to get stars. The two screens are divided into a map and a gaming screen. The touch screen allows players to touch the screen and the camera will move to the other player.

In WarioWare Inc. DS Wario runs around causing havoc on the top screen and drops boxes onto the bottom screen, which turn into mini games. You can use the stylus or your fingers to play the mini games, which will take full advantage of the Nintendo DS’s features.

In Metroid Prime: Hunters players can use the wireless technology to connect up to four people. Each player gets a different coloured Samus suit and they must use the touch screen to fire, aim or even turn into a morph ball by simply clicking on it! The title will be similar in look and feel to Metroid Prime.

[OB1]

Tons of DS screens! Un-fucking-believable!!! If a window pops up the user name is golin and the password is harris (thanks Smoke).

Mario Kart:






Animal Crossing:



Metroid Prime: Hunters:




NEW Super Mario Bros.




Picto Chat:




Mario 64X4:



Wario Ware Inc. DS:

[Great Rumbler]

Here's some developer impressions:

“When Nintendo came down and presented the DS platform to us, … I think everyone was in shock. It was amazing. … Our technical and central technology guys were kind of drooling at the abilities and wanting so much to program and dive into programming for the system. … Nintendo DS, I believe, is a revolution in change for hand-held gaming.”
– Will Kassoy, vice president, global brand management, Activision

“The fact that touch panels can be associated with many terms about touching that we never had, such as touch, push, feel, rub, slide and pat is wonderful. … I have been working in this industry for 20 years. During that time I made many games. But I think this is the first time that we have a new input device.”
– Yuji Naka, senior corporate officer, development division, Sega

“DS is deceptively amazing. … Touch screen is a very blank canvas for a game designer to be able to design their own input features. … DS really could be a killer to PSP. … I really think the Nintendo DS could kick the crap out of Sony PSP.”
– Kevin Ray, chief technology officer, Majesco

“I am sure people have nice memory of yelling at a controller. Now, we have a more established function of inputting our voice. … Nintendo always pleasantly surprises us with interesting projects and interesting ideas.”
– Keiji Inafune, producer, Capcom

“Once again Nintendo is taking another leap in the gaming experience for the gamer by providing totally new game-play experiences, developing new gaming habits. Very characteristic of a Nintendo maneuver.”
– Jay Cohen, vice president, publishing, Ubisoft

Awesome!

[OB1]

Nintendo wasn't just full of BS when they said this would revolutionize portable gaming!

[A Black Falcon]

http://www.nintendo.com/media/e32k4/index.html

This is the source, BTW. For direct linkage. :)

And yes, the DS seems to have exceeded anyone's expectations... well, except for one thing. OB1, you aren't complaining that the graphics don't match the PSP anymore! Wonder why... :D (maybe because I was right and the other things make that not matter much, perhaps?)

[OB1]

Actually it's because right now Metroid Hunters looks a whole lot better than Ghost Jr. :) Once we see some better PSP games that will probably change.

Still... the system sounds amazing. And don't act like I was the only skeptical one.

[Great Rumbler]

It's got Wi-Fi!!

[A Black Falcon]

No, but you were focused on the graphics as one of the biggest problems, I think...

[OB1]

Well it will still probably be a problem for Nintendo once Sony shows off their big titles.

[A Black Falcon]

IGN previews. (not all of them, but many)

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513158p1.html - Pac Pix. Sounds interesting, with a neat use of the touchscreen...

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513157p1.html - Wario Ware DS. All games use the stylus.

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513153p1.html - Metroid. It worked as a four-player multiplayer match... and the stylus is used for shooting, rotation, and some other things...

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513160p1.html - Pac 'n Roll - Marble Madness style...

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513244p1.html - PictoChat. Might end up incorporated into the hardware, which I think would make sense.

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513168p1.html - Sonic demo

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513165p1.html - Pikachu demo - like Hey You, Pikachu... though no voice interaction in this version, just touchscreen.

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513166p1.html - Submarine demo

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513155p1.html - Mario 64 x4

[OB1]

I can't imagine Nintendo releasing Metroid and Mario as just multiplayer games, so I bet they'll include ports of Mario 64 for M64X4 and possibly a stripped-down port of Prime for Hunters. I hope!

[A Black Falcon]

I wouldn't want just ports of previous games, OB1...

[OB1]

You'd rather have nothing?

[A Black Falcon]

No. I'm sure they'll do something. But I'm also sure that it won't just be ports of previous games... oh, some ports are near-inevitable, but...

If it happens it's much more likely in Mario (though a single-player adventure with multiple characters is probably more likely) since that could easily be done. MP would need a full re-programming so that would be more likely to change. Especially since the DS doesn't allow for as much graphically and they might have to change some parts...

[OB1]

"doesn't allow for as much graphically"?

[A Black Falcon]

Metroid on DS cannot exactly replicate Metroid Prime. So they'd have to do a lot of changes to the game to get it onto the system -- it'd be Metroid Prime, N64 Edition. Why go to all that work and just make it a port and not a new game? It'd be stupid!

[OB1]

Oh well Prime no, but Mario 64 of course. And it'd still be easier to do a watered-down port of Prime than an all-new game, and I don't think Retro has time for it.

[OB1]

Hey according to gamespot, Mario64X4 will include the full version of Mario 64! YAY!!

[Great Rumbler]

That's good news, now I can play Mario 64 anywhere I want to! Even on a plane!! Or a submarine! OR EVEN ON THE MOON!!!!

[A Black Falcon]

... But, Mario 64 with a D-Pad? OB1, you should be screaming in protest, given how you reacted to me saying I played Rogue Squadron and Rayman 2 on D-Pads and didn't mind too much!

...But don't worry. There's a run-walk toggle.

[OB1]

Oh I think it sucks, but there's no other alternative.

[A Black Falcon]

Is too! Want to control it with a stylus?

[OB1]

Well you aim in Prime Hunters with the stylus...

[A Black Falcon]

True. But it's supposedly somewhat clumsy... and it'd be even worse in a platformer, I bet.

[Laser Link]

I'm excited about DS, becaus this sound samazing. But I am disapointed that now 2D will completely die out.

[OB1]

I was just kidding, ABF. But I'm sure they'll get the Prime controls down before launch.

[A Black Falcon]

I don't know, can you make a FPS with a stylus not be clumsy? It sounds strange...

[OB1]

I'm sure they can, and will.

[Great Rumbler]

I'm sure Nintendo thought things threw before they said "Hey lets make a Metroid game where you use a stylus!".

Related news: Retro is NOT developing Metroid Prime: Hunters. So who is?

[OB1]

Of course they're not developing it, they're too busy with Echoes. I bet it's being developed by one of the newer Nintendo first-parties, like NDCube or something. Or internally at EAD.

[OB1]

According to a guy at the GA forums, someone from NST at E3 said that they're working on it and when asked if it'll have a single-player mode he "couldn't say", but hinted at it. I hope that's true!

[A Black Falcon]

NST? Heh, I guessed it might be them... :)

[OB1]

Strange that Retro didn't know about the game until yesterday though...

[Great Rumbler]

Secrecy!

[OB1]

Hey that nintendo user name and password doesn't work anymore...

[big guy]

hmmm...i think the DS should have a NGPC style click stick...it worked really well for the NGPC, why don't they just do something like that for the DS? it's got all kinds of other cool features...why not give us analogue control? bah...

it amazes me that i could be so impressed by everything it does have and yet feel so jipped on this one aspect.

[OB1]

I agree, a NGPC-style stick would have been much better.

[A Black Falcon]

Because Nintendo reeeally loves its cross-pads... :(

Yeah, that, IMO, is easily the biggest flaw with the system. Oh, the touchpad is nice, but it isn't useful for the same things really... and the system doesn't have any other flaws worth mentioning. :)

[Great Rumbler]

I can't think of any flaws besides that [and that's really only a minor one].

[A Black Falcon]

http://gameboy.ign.com/articles/513/513150p1.html

IGN says "all Gameboy games", so DJ's rumor that it wouldn't work with GB/GBC games is probably just that. But that's what I thought it would be...

And yes, as far as flaws go that one's relatively minor.

[OB1]

Yay, I can sell my SP!

Though I'll have to make another awesome Zatoichi cover for my DS...

[A Black Falcon]

Keep your GBA or GBC though, if you have Kirby Tilt n Tumble... :)

[OB1]

I don't.

[A Black Falcon]

It was fun, but short and easy...

[OB1]

I need a GBA or GBC to play it... and I have neither.

[A Black Falcon]

Well then that's your stupid fault for getting rid of them! :)

[OB1]

Why would I keep two systems that I'd have to get an external light peripheral for just for one game that I don't care about?