E 3 2012 general discussion

MadassAlex · 2012-06-05 13:55:37

It'll be interesting to see what the Wii U does when it comes to conventional game types. If you ask me, it seems like an extension of the DS concept and I think we'll be seeing a lot of the same patterns, but for home console games rather than portable titles. One interesting thing I heard about Aliens: Colonial Marines, for instance, is that the gamepad screen will be able to function as the motion tracker. I can't confirm that feature, since I can't remember the source and it may have just been an idea they were playing with, but it seems like an interesting concept to me -- especially if the beeping comes from the gamepad itself rather than the TV.

Nintendo aren't going to lead this generation in terms of pure power, because Sony and Microsoft will no doubt one-up Nintendo again on those grounds, but I appreciate how the Wii U aims to provide a different gaming experience once again. Since the release of the DS, Nintendo consoles have been following a pattern of extending their technological grasp in terms of interactivity while falling behind in terms of brute technology strength, and for all that they've provided some great experiences. What needs to happen now is acceptance from both "hardcore" gamers and traditional developers so we can see where such technology might actually take us. The Wii was underutilised for a series of understandable reasons, but it ought not have taken until the end of its lifespan to get a game like Skyward Sword, which almost nailed motion controls for the purposes of combat.

Given Nintendo's sheer determination to provide different technology to both consumers and developers, I don't consider them under any particular obligation to change up their IPs -- not that it stops them from doing it from time to time, such as the amazing leap to 3D games in 1997 to games like Super Mario Galaxy and Skyward Sword, not to mention outsourcing Metroid to Retro for three very excellent games. I'm not personally interested in 2D platforming Mario, but if such games are the basis for Nintendo's fiscal strength and that fiscal strength allows them to pull off things like the DS, Wii and Wii U, then they're fine with me. Personally, I'm looking forward to having the gameplay flexibility of the DS on a home console. While I doubt first-party games are really in a position to take full advantage of the new technology, I hold high hopes for open-minded third-party developers who see potential in the technology provided by the Wii U. While RTS games, for instance, have traditionally been exclusive to the PC, this is the kind of console that could bring that sort of experience out of that context and allow one to play with stylus controls.

Hell, imagine the kinds of co-operative experiences that could be had. How about a FPS/RTS hybrid where one player is a frontliner and another is tactical control and assistance, the two interacting on different levels to achieve their objectives? Nintendo just swept away a lot of limitations that have come to define the way we think about games and how games are played, and now it's up to developers to hold up their end of the bargain. I certainly expect Nintendo to keep developing their usual excellent first-party titles and whatnot, but other than that, I think they've provided plenty for a new generation of gaming to work with. The Wii U's success as a gaming console might fiscally rest on the casual market, but artistically, I think it's now going to be the role of developers to populate the console with creative, daring games and new IPs.

Perhaps I'm being too optimistic; the console still has plenty of time to crash and burn. The sheer potential it represents in the art of game design and development is staggering, though, and I dearly hope that we'll have some truly new experiences after about three years, when third parties have worked out all the kinks and limitations properly.

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 14:56:42

Nintendo aren't going to lead this generation in terms of pure power, because Sony and Microsoft will no doubt one-up Nintendo again on those grounds

I think we're starting to approach the point where the difference won't always be entirely obvious.

Whale · 2012-06-05 15:14:32

When is the last time Ninty led a generation in terms of pure power?

MadassAlex · 2012-06-05 15:15:29

Gamecube era.

DYRE · 2012-06-05 15:16:01

Even then, the Xbox was more powerful, so

MadassAlex · 2012-06-05 15:24:13

Actually, I heard that was faulty information and that the Gamecube ultimately had the most raw power of the bunch. I remember that the X-Box being the most powerful of that generation was general consensus for quite some time, but then stuff and then apparently the Gamecube was more powerful or whatever. I don't know the details.

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 15:25:33

Honestly, I've always thought the focus on power in consoles is kinda silly.

MadassAlex · 2012-06-05 15:43:02

It depends. We're currently losing more and more restrictions in game development, so differences in power are becoming less relevant. Remember that a console's power is not just its capacity to process graphics, but to crunch numbers, calculate physics and so on and so forth. For instance, if you wanted a close combat game with proper kinetic impact, you'd need to make it within the last couple of generations because the power did not exist beforehand to handle that kind of physical calculation. Likewise if you wanted a game with large, large numbers of combatants.

So a console's power can be a major component of what it can actually present the player in terms of gameplay as well as presentation. Even the SNES was a major step forward in gameplay terms over the NES, because its increased processing power allowed it to better handle the flow of data within the game, opening up new options to developers.

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 15:48:27

Well, yeah, I think power is a good thing (you couldn't make Dark Souls on the NES, after all), but the differences within a generation aren't really large enough that they seem like a huge deal to me.

DYRE · 2012-06-05 15:50:56

(you couldn't make Dark Souls on the NES, after all)

(fine I'll stop making this comparison... eventually... maybe)

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 15:58:16

Yeah, true, the games have the same goals, and a lot of overlapping design decisions, but it's still not quite the same game.

MrW · 2012-06-05 16:02:50

So, that "Zombi U" game actually looks fairly interesting. The use of the controller seems more original than other third parties developers currently using it. *cough*Arkham Waggle*cough*

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 16:08:07

Ooh, fancy. I'll definitely be looking forward to that one.

MrW · 2012-06-05 16:37:16

I'm not the only one who's impressed by the apparent attention to detail that Pikmin 3 has? It's a good first HD effort for Nintendo.

ClockworkUniverse · 2012-06-05 16:42:56

Yeah, seeing that trailer and the detail in the game reminds me of something that happened with the first Pikmin game. I'd had the game for awhile, and my family bought one of those newfangled digital TVs (I feel old). The game looked great (and still does, I'd argue, though 3 looks even more amazing). At the time, my dad said "this sort of thing is what TVs like this are best for."

nohaynicklibre · 2012-06-05 17:02:26

>implying the high point of the conference wasn't this

I sometimes wonder why I keep coming to this forum of casuals

MrW · 2012-06-05 19:21:01

This and Pikmin 3 may be a good reason to get a Wii U.

nohaynicklibre · 2012-06-05 19:29:06

You know, they didn't show many actually bad games (except for shit like Just Dance or Sing), it was just that practically none of them were new or unexpected. The biggest surprise was Project P-100

Eelektross · 2012-06-05 22:19:19

is it bad that I thought that the pikmin were going to molest shigeru in the first part

Eelektross · 2012-06-06 00:17:56

Super Mario Pimp Edition looks meh

Marioguy128 · 2012-06-06 00:37:15

^^Considering no one else thought that, I would say yes.

^I agree. I mean, show us the actual levels, not a gimmick. Level design is one of the most important parts of platformers.

Eelektross · 2012-06-06 00:41:11

Not to mention that the gimmick itself looks really really boring.

Definitely not as intuitive as 3D Land was

MrW · 2012-06-06 05:47:54

There's apparently an F-Zero minigame in Nintendo Land.

why do you troll us like this nintendo

whyyyy

EDIT: Are you guys referring to Rayman Legends? Because its prequel set a bit of a precedent for great level design in platformers.

nohaynicklibre · 2012-06-06 10:27:22

They are talking about NSMB2.

By the way what bugs me about it is that is apparently a game about getting all the gold you can and it seems Wario won't show up in it. He would be the perfect character for that kind of game