Spaceworld Wrap-Up: Part One
Well, it happened. Finally. Nintendo showed about as much as most expected, and it certainly left the Nintendo community with a lot to talk about. Where does N-Sider stand on all the show? Over the next few days, the N-Sider editors will weigh in with their thoughts on the show. So lets begin the "N-Sider Analysis", as it were...
Pete Deol's Take
First off, let me say I honestly think this was Nintendo's best show...maybe ever. Everything was looking so polished and fun. Luigi's Mansion is definitely shaping up to be quite a great title and the news of Nintendo play-testers requiring 20 hours to beat the game was certainly a welcome surprise -- looks like Nintendo is not pulling a Yoshi's Story here. Wave Race: Blue Storm is just shaping up to be incredible, maybe even eclipsing Luigi as the marquee launch title. Another surprise for me was Metroid Prime. While the screenshots looked like quite shoddy, the game from its brief video clip looked very solid visually. Maybe Retro can pull this one off after all.
Star Fox Adventures seems to be rounding into form and at this pace might even look better by the time it releases next year. The space sequences in particular looked great. And, now onto the big two: Mario and Zelda. For starters, Mario Sunshine looked like a slice of platforming heaven. We know Mario has a glass "back-pack" device, ala Luigi's vacuum, but in true Nintendo fashion, nothing was shown about how it would relate to game play.
Graphically the game looked very nice, and the new setting for Mario seemed to look like a small, Italian-town of some sort. Could Mario be vacation back in Italy only to have something go wrong? Seems possible. Now Zelda was a whole other story. When the Zelda pictures started hitting the net, I couldn't access them, so I could only watch (or "read"; we were all in the N-Sider mIRC chat room) the reactions of my fellow N-Sider staff. It was a bit like that scene from Batman where Jack Nicholson yells at his rogue doctor for a mirror to see the damage done by his delve into an acid tank.
Needless to say the other staffers weren't impressed at that moment. Infact, I think "horrified" would be a better word. All I could infer from their statements was that the game looked "really crappy". So a few minutes later when the image loaded up, you can probably imagine my surprise when I saw an animated Link, akin to something out of an animated Disney-cartoon. I don't know why exactly, but I liked the "look" immediately. I was pretty much the only one sold on it at that point. It was unique, it was different, and yes it was a bit more "child-ish", but the imagination behind the design was definitely there. The other staffers seemed to come around after seeing the game in motion.
All in all, I came away quite happy. The only big downers for me was the short delay of the GameCube in the US, the $35 US price tag for controllers (booooo!), and the "N64 version on steroids" video clip of 1080 Snowboarding 2. I got the sense Nintendo is quite happy stepping away from the pissing contest of the console race. The purple, orange, and black GameCubes are a more fun and quirky IKEA-ish design, and Nintendo does indeed seem to be catering to a different demographic. But all in all, if the games are great and full of imagination, what does it matter?
We know teenagers and even adults will accept and embrace more "kid-friendly" entertainment. Shrek, anyone? Harry Potter? The Lord of the Rings? Star Wars? GameCube just seems to defy strict demographics. Admittedly, Nintendo may be gambling by not actively recruiting as much 3rd party support as Sony and Microsoft, but the strength of their internal titles is undeniable. The innovation in products like Flippin' Kirby will bring the GBA and GameCube audiences together. All in all, I think as long as Nintendo releases games at a more steady pace on the GameCube than they did with N64, they'll do very well.
Anthony JC's Take:
I like many was guilty of expecting way too much from the show. I was not expecting every third party to show up at Spaceworld with videos, especially when TGS is usually their main focus, but I was expecting a lot more software from Nintendo. I would have bet the farm on Nintendo at least showing Mario Kart and Pokemon, those are two confirmed titles that have already been shown to an extent at past trade shows. Still it seems Nintendo really was sticking to its guns, and just showed what they promised.
The most surprising thing of the show was Nintendos Koro Koro Kirby 2 (Kirbys Tilt N Tumble 2). Not only was I surprised to see the game series spawn a sequel on the GameCube, I was even more surprised at the innovative features Nintendo found for it, making use of the GameCube and Game Boy Advance link function. The idea of hooking up the Game Boy Advance, using it as a controller for the GC and GBA simultaneously while playing the same game is absolutely brilliant. Polygons and textures aside, this is the first proof I have seen of next generation gaming.
Animal Forest Plus also really impressed me. Nintendo essentially bumped the resolution to 640 x 480 and added some nice lighting, but it spent most of its resources adding Game Boy Advance link features, really pushing the communication features tenfold. Its just proof of why Nintendo is the most successful software company, the ideas and philosophies employed are proof that these guys eat and sleep gameplay.
Mario and Zelda were admittedly not what I was expecting at all. Mario Sunshine looks a bit odd to me from the brief clip, I think it looks very innovative, but I am not convinced as to how this whole sun-water gimmick will hold up for 20 hours of platforming. I just think it might limit the overall game play scope and world design Super Mario 64 had. Still, I know better than to judge a game before its actually playable.
The Legend of Zelda was the shocker of the show, completely night and day from last years Zelda. While the toon-shading actually fits the world perfectly, Links new chibi model doesnt go over too well with me. Still, Miyamoto hints there will be an adult Link, and that his team is still working on working on a more sophisticated model although the toon-shading seems definite. I will always look forward to Zelda titles, and this is no exception. I am very excited to see more of the game in the future.
All in all, it was a good show. I am very anxious to get my hands on Nintendos first-party 2001 titles. Luigis Mansion, Eternal Darkness, Super Smash Bros. Melee, Wave Race: Blue Storm are all looking incredibly good. Unfortunately, NBA Courtside 2002 and Star Fox: Adventures: Dinosaur Planet were delayed to early 2002, but as long as Nintendo can keep a healthy release schedule of two titles per month, then I will be very pleased with Nintendos output.
Stephen Van Neil's Take:
Spaceworld 2001 has left me with somewhat mixed feelings. Quite simply, Nintendo delivered on a ll counts, presenting stunning builds of playable games, and one (if not two) of the most talked-about demo clips of all time. So, Nintendo showed up to the party, but what about everyone else? Well, there's my problem.
First, the good. Quite simply, Nintendo's launch or near-launch software is looking more dazzling than ever. The new build of Luigi's Mansion reveals a layer of depth and addictive playability that was barely present at E3. While I was thrilled about the game at E3, I couldn't shake the feeling that it was merely an appetizer for something more grand. Well, reports of a twenty-hour game length have put those fears to rest. Oh, and with water and fire hoses thrown into the mix, this game can't arrive soon enough. Wave Race: Blue Storm is shaping up to be the jewel of the GameCube launch crown, with unparalleled water effects and control. Now hopefully we get more than eight courses in the final game. Eternal Darkness showed up with new environments (pressure-activated traps, for instance), characters, weapons, and a subtitle. I still maintain that this game will surprise everyone when it is released. One of the biggest surprises of the show was the progress Star Fox Adventures has made. This title has progressed from utterly unremarkable to mind-blowing within the span of a few months.
Of course, it was the video footage that had everyone buzzing. Mario Sunshine appears to be the update to Mario 64 that we have all been waiting for, with some puzzle and adventure elements thrown in for good measure. Metroid Prime blew me away. Granted, we only got a few seconds of footage, but I'm thinking this might give some serious competition to Star Wars Rogue Leader: Rogue Squadron II for the title of graphic supremacy.
Which brings us to the bane of many a Nintendo fan's existence, circa 2 am PST Thursday morning: The Legend of Zelda. While many have warmed up to this flagship title's apparent new "direction," I liked it from the start, and still do. I don't love it yet, but that will come with time. Part of me wishes for the Spaceworld 2000 look to make a return, but then the rest of me laughs at him for being so selfish. Let's face it, folks...Nintendo has a global audience. Zelda has a global audience. The fact that some jaded twenty-something North American gamer frowns on this new "cartoony" style doesn't really add up to much. By all indications, show attendees loved new-look Zelda. This is a bold new direction for the series, and demonstrates Nintendo doing what Nintendo does best: shaking things up.
I was mildly distressed by the lack of new Nintendo announcements. I really expected to see more of the software that was displayed last year. For instance, I was hoping that we would catch a glimpse of the newest incarnation of Mario Kart or Pokemon, or some quick shots of Perfect Dark Zero. Nintendo kept to its promise, however, showing only the software that would be released in the near future.
Going into the show, I foolishly believed that we would hear something (hell, anything) from third-parties about what they have planned for GameCube. Alas it was not to be. Now I should have known better; everyone knows that Fall TGS is traditionally the third-party coming out bonanza, but I was still disappointed. And no, I'm not preaching doom and gloom here about Nintendo's third-party situation; the fact is we know support will be pretty damn good, far better than what the N64 saw, at any rate. Still, it would have been nice to see or hear something concrete from Capcom, Konami, and others. That said, netting Soul Calibur 2 is a major coup, even if it does land on other consoles.
All in all, Spaceworld 2001 was a strong show. The purpose of it all was to raise awareness of, and excitement for, GameCube in Nintendo's homeland. In that respect, Nintendo succeeded admirably. The lack of major new announcements from third-parties was a bit upsetting, but I think we would all be better off exercising a little patience on that front. Third-parties will reveal their wares when they are good and ready. In the meantime, we have loads of great Nintendo games to keep us busy. And isn't that why we buy Nintendo consoles in the first place?
Pete Deol
Anthony JC
Stephen Van Neil
*Pictures Courtesy of Ruliweb and IGN