Nintendo Key Franchises To Return - Eventually

If you thought that Nintendo's showing at E3 2008 was dismal, you are not alone.

None of Nintendo's landmark franchises (ie. Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc.) returned at E3 for an upcoming title for either the Nintendo Wii or DS outside of a sports spin-off title.

However, 1up recently published a report that Nintendo is indeed working on new titles from their key franchises.

Word came form the UK-based "Edge" magazine that published a comment from an official Nintendo representative:

We have never neglected our core gamers. We still have developers working on popular core gaming franchises but we need longer to complete these games, approximately two to three years. These games are not ready to launch in early 2009 but are being worked on by all development teams.

Does this mean that we will have to wait two to three years for another Mario or Zelda title?

It wouldn't be too far of a stretch baring that we first heard word of what ultimatly led to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess at E3 2004 and that game wasn't released until two and half years later, in 2006.

Additionally, with Nintendo's three previous consoles , there has been a total of three mario titles. The Super Nintendo, Nintendo 64, and Nintendo Gamecube each had only one official mario title per plateform.

The Wii already has Super Mario Galaxy, does that mean that will be the last Mario title we will see on the Wii?

1up's report also notes a statement made by Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata shortly after E3 2008:

If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it's a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means...however, the fact of the matter is the so-called 'big titles' need a long, long development period.

The time required to make as high of quality of games that Nintendo produces is understandably lengthy, but that means that Nintendo needs fantastic third-party support to keep Nintendo console owners happy in the mean time. That is where Nintendo failed with the N64, it again was Nintendo's downfall on the Gamecube, and it looks like history may repeat itself with the Wii.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed Demo Impressions

The playable demo of LucasArts' newest lightsaber flinging action-adventure title recently hit Xbox Live and the Playstation Network.

The game - slated for release on September 16th in North America - showcases Darth Vader's secret apprentice as you complete various missions as the apprentice under secrecy and with no witnesses: meaning you get to kill anything and everything you see.

The demo allows you to traverse an imperial star ship in search of a Jedi master as you destroy everything in your path.

And I mean everything.

The plethora of destructible objects and environments is outstanding as you can force grip and throw crates, people, and other objects and hurl them in nearly any direction to witness a fanfare of explosion and carnage.

Many of the game's basic abilities are available in the demo such as force grip, push, and lightning and your character will be able to "level up" allowing you to gain experience for stylized play as you dispatch foes.

The game looks to have a combo system with many combinations resulting from any variation of button mashing and utilizing your various force abilities.

The control scheme feels very fluid and logical for a hack-and-slash title and will feel right a home for fans of the genre. However, camera controls feel slightly loose and over sensitive at first, but comes naturally in time.

Visually, The Force Unleashed is a very crisp and polished title with nice detail in both character models and environments. Having said that, I found a few glitches at times such as when my character's clothes started to flail randomly upwards in a brown mess.

One of the most refreshing aspects of the game is both it's use of new "rag doll" physics and an original score.

The true might of your force abilities is felt by an incredibly fluid physics engine that manipulates the environment around your actions to bring a new level of legitimacy to your actions.

Also, one of my biggest pet peeves with LucasArts appears to be resolved with The Force Unleashed. The game appears to have an authentic and original musical score. Too many times have I played a Star Wars title while hearing the same classic scores from the films repeated over, and over, and over again. A new score is certianly a refreshing change.

Nevertheless, the playable demo of The Force Unleashed still makes the game feel like just another hack-and-slash, action-adventure title with a leveling system. One way that this title could avoid a mediocre fate would be to integrate an interesting story and allow for gameplay that keeps the flow fresh and interesting.

Be sure to look out for this one when it hits store shelves next month.

SingStar Disney Invading PS2 This Fall

1up.com has recently reported that a Disney-themed addition to the SingStar lineup will be landing on the Playstation 2 this Fall.

That's right, you may very well be able to sing along with Aladdin, Cinderella, and Ariel as the series will feature songs from various, classic Disney films.

Also, announced was a Playstation 3 update which will allow PS2 SingStar owners to play the songs from their games on the PS3 version of the franchise.

Be ready for "A Whole New World" of fun this Fall.

Heavy Rain Gameplay Trailer

Here is a first-look at the new Playstation 3 exclusive title "Heavy Rain."

This appears to be a survival horror title with incredibly impressive visuals:



As you may have noticed, much of the gameplay will consist of selecting various buttons via an on-screen prompt.

However, this title is attempting to take the survival-horror series a step further with additional fluidity in cinematic sequences including dialogue selection within each sequence by moving the SIXAXIS controller in the direction of the statement you want your character to make.

Be on the look out when this storm arrives in 2009.

Meet the Sandvich

Interesting advertisement for Team Fortress II:


Sure looks tasty!

Madden 09 Video Reviews

The verdict is in and Madden 09...is okay.

Checkout the video reviews from Gamespot, 1up.com, and gametrailers:

Gamespot


1up


Gametrailers



What do you think? How do you keep a 20-year-old series fresh, yet consistent?

New Spider-Man: Web of Shadows Trailer

The newest trailer for the upcoming Spider-Man title from Activision shows X-Men veteran Wolverine as part of the fray:


Looks like it's a bit of an epidemic.