E3 2014

[kupomogli]

Mario Maker looks neat, but has that LBP edge of creative + ain't nobody got time for that.

I was interested in Mario Maker at first, but after the initial announcement, it's a pretty poor release and something Nintendo should have released generations ago. Mario Maker is nothing more than a SMB1 maker. The original Super Mario Bros. is good, but it's also the most generic of your good platformers. Playing through every stage in the game, or The Lost Levels, none of the stages really feel different, and after I started talking about the announcement, I started thinking Mario Maker isn't really worth paying more than a few dollars.

If it allowed items and mechanics used in games like Super Mario Bros. 3 or Super Mario World, then it'd be different because those games are massive upgrades compared to the original, but the original game? I'm pretty sure it won't be long before I get bored of pretty much any player created levels. I might as well download one of several romhacks if I'm interested in playing more of the first game.

[Leo_A]

The new Zelda really does look amazing, but I have a feeling we won't actually see that game in stores til 2016.

I don't think they will do that. First of all, what big name title would they have ready for 2015? As neat as some of this other stuff was, there was little doubt that Zelda U will be positioned as 2015's counterpart to what Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Brothers were this year and so on.

And frankly, I really doubt that the Wii U will survive 2016 as Nintendo's premier home console. Unless they want to release it the same year they replace the Wii U, I think that further points to 2015 being all but assured.

I was interested in Mario Maker at first, but after the initial announcement, it's a pretty poor release and something Nintendo should have released generations ago. Mario Maker is nothing more than a SMB1 maker. The original Super Mario Bros. is good, but it's also the most generic of your good platformers.

It's much too soon to pass judgement on it. It's very early in development and they didn't show much off. When they switched to NSMBU graphics, I think that left a lot of promise and question marks with how far they will take this.

Plus, I imagine that there will be an excellent Nintendo produced Mario platformer there. As nice as this concept is, they're not going to ship a Mario platformer out without a full slate of Nintendo created levels unless they're going to be selling this as a $5 or $10 eShop download.

With New Super Mario Bros. U and New Super Luigi U leaving me wanting more, I welcome a 3rd 2D Mario platformer with open arms.

[Gamevet]

2016 seems like a more realistic date for the new Zelda game. Skyward Sword development was announced in April of 2008 and the game didn't arrive until November of 2011. It was originally slated for 2010, but got pushed back.

[Leo_A]

If that happens, 2015 should be very interesting for the Wii U without a major AAA 1st party release. Hard to imagine something like Yoshi's Woolly World, Mario Maker, Splatoon, and so on having the same impact for the Wii U as projects like Mario Kart 8 have had. Hopefully they're not showing all their cards if that ends up happening.

I'm confident it almost has to appear by Fall 2015. I think if anything misses, it will be Star Fox U. I would not at all be shocked to see that quietly be canned, morph into something else like a next gen project, or at the very least miss 2015. What Nintendo showed clearly was extremely early in the project where as they've presumably been hard at work on Zelda U for a good 30 months or so at this point with well over a year left ahead of them before the anticipated Fall 2015 release date.

Of course, it's not confirmed that they're aiming for Fall before someone jumps in and says that. But with 3D console Zelda's, that has been the norm except for Wind Waker's original release back in 2003. So many including myself are working under the assumption that's the point in 2014 that they're likely aiming for.

[Gamevet]

Star Fox is a 90% on-rails shooter. Nintendo should have no problem getting that game out on time, unless they have problems getting a good developer behind the game.

If they had shown actual gameplay within dungeons and forest levels, I'd be more convinced that the game was coming along fine. Seeing a brief scene of Link sitting on a horse in an open field and then a scene that looks like it was put together using the game engine doesn't convince me that a whole lot of the level design has been completed. It sort of reminded me of the Gamecube/Dolphin E3 showing of Gannon vs. Link, and then the Wind Waker ended up looking nothing like that.

According to IGN, there was a playable tech demo of Star Fox at the show.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y3YhARq_i4E

[Leo_A]

The Space World demo was just a tech demo showing off the hardware, never was portrayed otherwise. Wii U saw something similar.

And Star Fox 64 was that way, we don't know that this is. Even if it is, I'm sure a quality on rails space shooter is anything but an easy and quick project. Particularly if they really want to finally do justice to this franchise after nearly 20 years of garbage.

One theory on Zelda U's showing is that they're saving it for a Nintendo Direct later this year. Just give enough today to confirm it and get people excited. They have to keep the excitement flowing and now they have a great subject to do that with since everyone is dying to learn more.

[Tupin]

Miyamoto said he'd be interested in mechs for Star Fox.

[JSoup]

Miyamoto said he'd be interested in mechs for Star Fox.

He seems to be on a giant robot kick right now.

[Tupin]

He seems to be on a giant robot kick right now.

Indeed. I wouldn't be surprised if those other two games he demoed were just rolled straight into Star Fox.

[Nz17]

... Grim Fandango ...

Holy *bloop* on a *bloop* sandwich! I thought I might have misread that at first, but holy crackers! This is most excellent.

Hooray for all those great classics of yore getting away from the horrible clutches of George Lucas who just let them rot. Now that Disney owns (and in the case of Grim Fandango, owned) the properties, they are open for sequels, remakes, but most important of all, being sold to someone who will actually do something good with the IP. In this case, Tim Schafer now owns Grim Fandango, and that's why this is happening. SONY fronted money for a remake, and that's why it'll be a timed exclusive for PS4 & PSVita. Afterward, I imagine we'll see it available on XBLA, Nintendo eShop, Android, iOS, Windows, Mac, Linux, and well as PSN.

Retrospective article & video: http://blog.us.playstation.com/2014/...prise-revival/

Announcement video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DG2wFVfi5Rw

Ahhhhhh yeah!

[JSoup]

Tim hinted in one of the backer chats that they might have gotten or are going to get the rights to a few other old games, like Day of the Tentacle.

[Nz17]

Tim hinted in one of the backer chats that they might have gotten or are going to get the rights to a few other old games, like Day of the Tentacle.

The news just keeps getting better!

[kaedesdisciple]

I thought Sony killed it for me this year. With the announcement of the add-on co-op campaign for Killzone, Batman, LBP3 (which got my wife intrigued), Entwined and come on, No Man's Sky. IMO, No Man's Sky tore the roof off the place, especially with it technically being an "indie" game. My jaw dropped just watching those land/sky/space transitions, I just hope the game pulls it off in action.