Right now, for most gamers, Wii isn’t a worth while venture. It’s been this way, well, since launch. The games are different, the control is different, and the intended auidence is different. Nintendo fans are sticking it out though, as they have since the days of the N64. Nintendo’s games are the only games worth a damn, and they’re not even particularly concerned with the ‘core’ gamers desires any more. I’ve discussed both sides of that issue here numerous times; this article isn’t really about that. It’s about Nintendo’s newest “bone throwing”.
Completely out of nowhere Nintendo up and decides they’re going to release a brand new 2D platforming game. Not via WiiWare either, this is a straight up, full on, retail game. It’s a new installment in the Wario Land franchise.
I have little knowledge about the Wario Land series, but after watching the slick animations and incredibly detailed environments feated in Wario Land: Shake It! I just don’t think it would be wise to ignore it. I generally dispise Wario, but I love the genre and 2D platformers are a rariety these days. If your into the genre, I suggest checking out this trailer, becuase the still shots really don’t do the game that much justice, it’s something that should be seen in motion. This has a July release for Japan, and I would only assume that a game like this wouldn’t be to hard to localize, so, I’d expect it before the summer ends.
The other game I’d like to mention is Mega Man 9, whose announcemnt was a complete shock to most of the gaming community. The most intresting aspect of Mega Man 9 is that it’s going to, basically, be an NES game. It’s being developed for Wii (distributed via WiiWare) and the team decided the best way to honestly take the series “back to its roots”. That phrase is such a tired line in the industry, except now Capcom can actually claim it (however, at this point, I don’t think they’ve made a statement like that yet, which is odd because that overused tagline actually holds water here).
The idea of a “new-retro” title is very appealing to me. Mega Man, like Wario, was never really something I was into but I strongly support the direction this game is going. Making a game like this is risky, simply because of modern expectations. It’s hard to believe making a modern NES game is risky, but it’s also easy to understand why it is a risk. It’s very bold, and I really hope it has some kind of effect on the indusrty. I enjoy my retro sidescrolling games; those are my favorite kind of games. It would be wonderful if suddenly this kind of thing caught on.
On another note, MM9 kind of ties in with my last article, about how I think gaming is going to change. MM9 is surely an example of the possibilities that have opened up this generation. I doubt Capcom would have green-lit this project if digital distribution weren’t an option. The development team is very small, and in that sense it’s “indie” (for lack of a better term, becuase it’s not really inide at all). Small teams with low budgets making really awesome games, that’s the future. I like that future, especially if it means titles like this and all the other crazy experiemtal type games that have made it out recently.
Here’s a screenshot from MM9 and a link to a really intresting article on MM9.
Totally retro, totally cool. I just hope I’m man enough for it.
