In this Street Fighter IV trailer analysis there is only one question: Is the fighting game 2D or 3D? The teaser fight between Ken and Ryu doesn’t reveal what platforms the game will appear on, nor when it will be released.
There are clues everywhere, if you know where to look…
In this video interview with former Argonaut Software games developer Dylan Cuthbert you find out about the first 3D wireframe shooting game “X” Commander (1990-1992) on the original Nintendo GameBoy. And the resulting history of “Star Fox” (1993) and the SNES graphics chip Super FX and how they made that 3D shooter happen together with Nintendo.
Keep an eye out for the Winter Consumer Electronics Show 1993 that unveiled Star Fox, the laser setup was beautiful. It gets even better near the end when he talks about Shigeru Miyamoto’s habit of cutting things from games if they don’t fit, or worse, his cancellation of “Star Fox 2” because better 3D consoles like the PlayStation, Saturn and then-upcoming Nintendo 64 were already outperforming the 3D SNES graphics.
Enjoy, it’s absolutely fascinating! Click on the bottom-right corner arrow to view it fullscreen.
By the way, Mr. Cuthbert ended up quitting UK’s Argonaut Software in 1995 (after joining in 1988) and working for Sony in America & Japan for a few years on the PlayStation and PlayStation 2. After which he started his own studio as president called Q-Games in 2001 (working for both Nintendo & Sony), which is where this Points 02 Gamevideos interview was filmed in Japan.
Eiji Aonuma, the designer/director on the recent Zelda games, was interviewed in the latest issue of the UK’s Official Nintendo Magazine. In the interview he made the following interesting quote:
“Ocarina of Time was the first title I worked on, and I was continuously tackling challenges every day during its development, so I think this is the title I feel I impacted the most. I believe that experience made me what I am now. I always think about what we couldn’t do and what didn’t work well in the previous game when we start a new title, but there’s no game that I would want to actually change as such. I have to say though, the first Zelda game that I played and felt potential in was Link to the Past. I’m actually very interested in what it would be like if we remade that title as a 3D game“.
Mr. Aonuma also states that he’s constantly thinking about what can be done in the next Zelda title that will surprise gamers. As far as graphics go, he can’t really say what approach the team will take. It depends on what visual style will best work with the story and gameplay. He says that the next Zelda could even end up with a graphical style that we didn’t even think of yet. — Transcribed by Gonintendo
OK, show of hands, please: who fancies a 3D remake of The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past? If your arm just shot up, know this: you're far from alone. Series director Eiji Aonuma wants it, as well. Or at least, he's "very interested" in adding an extra dimension to what is arguablyprobably unquestionably the greatest Zeldagame ever conceived.
Aonuma, who most recently acted as director on the DS's splendiferous Phantom Hourglass, revealed his wish in the latest issue of the Official Nintendo Magazine (the UK edition), stating that "The first Zelda game that I played and felt potential in was Link to the Past. I'm actually very interested in what it would be like if we remade that title as a 3D game."
Now, we confess that's a loooong way from us actually getting a 3D Link to the Past, but the mere fact that Aonuma has even considered this makes our legs go all wobbly. If you've never played the game, and therefore can't comprehend that reaction, then we suggest you stop reading, head over to the Virtual Console now, and commence downloading. For $8, it's a quite obscene bargain.Read | Permalink | Email this | Linking Blogs | Comments
Castlevania Wii? In an interview with Koji Igarashi, the guy who has been at the helm of Castlevania since it’s inception (a franchise that is as strong today as it ever was), he revealed some interesting nuggets of info about the future of the Castlevania series and where he wants to take it on next-gen consoles and on the DS. As a fan of both 2D and 3D games, it’s interesting to read the comments from one of the few remaining masters of the 2D game-style today. He even discusses Castlevania Wii as well as the upcoming DS title in the series which is still unnamed.
The interview:
Destuctoid (D): Symphony of the Night was successful in reinventing the franchise, and helped propel the Castlevania series forward over the last ten years. Now that a decade has passed since the game was released, do you feel any pressure to once again make drastic changes to the series?
Koji Igarashi (KI): Yes, exactly. It’s been ten years since Symphony of the Night, and it did take the franchise to the next level. And I definitely want to do something . . . I’m working on something to take it another step so that we can make it even bigger.
D: Where can we expect Castlevania to head over the coming decade?
KI: Castlevania’s become a very popular type of action game in the 2D genre, and I think the next step is I have to do something in 3D where the fans will say “This is a great action game in the 3D sense, too.” So I feel that I’ve accomplished that in 2D, but I want to accomplish that in 3D also. It doesn’t mean I’m actually doing something about it right now, but it’s something I’m thinking a lot about, and it’s something I really want to plan out and do something great. I want to do something huge, so I’m thinking about that right now.
D: The design of the original Metroid games for the Famicom and Super Famicom was clearly a large influence on the evolution of the Castlevania series. As a game player, how do you personally feel about the direction that Metroid has taken with the Metroid Prime trilogy? Would you have been happier if they stuck to the 2D realm like you’ve mostly done with Castlevania?
KI: I think with Metroid the new direction it has taken is great. I think it’s fabulous. With Castlevania, I want to do something like that. Not exactly what they did, but something that takes it to the next level. So, I haven’t found the right way to do it yet, but it’s something I’m looking for right now.
D: You recently announced that there’s a new Castlevania under way for the DS. Will this game follow the anime style of Dawn of Sorrow and Portrait of Ruin, or will it be removed from that universe?
KI: I can’t really go into it too deeply, but I’m going to get away a little bit from the anime style. We’ll be doing a press release sometime soon with more information. (more…)
I’m sure you’re aware by now that The Simpsons gang will have to fight their way through parodies of multiple popular games in this latest game of their own simply titled The Simpsons Game. The Nintendo DS version will be different from the console versions as it’ll feature some stylus-based gameplay and 2D platforming, and players will have access to a special game titled Pet Homer which will parody Nintendogs! That’s on top of the 16 episodes/levels every version of the multiplatform game will have (its 3D on consoles).
Learn about the Nintendo DS-only features of The Simpsons Game in this video. The Electronic Arts Producer on The Simpsons Game, Eric Dallaire, gives a look at how the game is played.
Final Fantasy IV is a new RPG port of the popular SNES game Final Fantasy II, but this time renamed for a the Nintendo DS release.The game features: 3D characters, voiceovers, and new episodes.
So far it’s only been confirmed for release in Japan on December 20th 2007, so expect a Western release (like Final Fantasy III before it on DS) in 2008. The game will be developed by Matrix Software, the same team responsible for the Final Fantasy III remake, and will be supervised by members of the original development team: Takashi Tokita will serve as executive producer and director, Tomoya Asano as producer and Hiroyuki It? as battle designer. Animator Yoshinori Kanada will storyboard the new cut scenes.
The story of the Dark Knight Cecil begins anew on DS.