Monthly Archives: December 2011

Miyamoto Doesn’t Enjoy Smartphone Games

Posted on by
135

Shigeru Miyamoto has confessed to the Mercury News that despite owning a smartphone he has yet to find a game he actually likes. Miyamoto also went on to reiterate that Nintendo is committed to creating games and experiences that just couldn’t be replicated on other devices.

To me, the utmost concern is how we can create games for dedicated game machines that are unique enough so that they can never be reproduced on any other devices.

I believe as time goes by, the kinds of games people are expecting on smartphones are going to be largely different from what games people are expecting from the dedicated video game machines.

I recently purchased a smartphone and tried several games myself, but I just have not been able to find any games so far that I particularly like.

Nintendo Is Still In Denial About Its Online Offerings

Posted on by
136

Shigeru Miyamoto has told Mercury News that he’s not entirely sure whether Nintendo are behind or faster than the competition with regards to online features on Wii and Nintendo 3DS. Miyamoto has acknowledged that Nintendo has been slower in the past compared to other companies regarding online functionality but believes that what they’ve done so far has made sense from a business standpoint.

It’s true that for many years, Nintendo has been said to have been slow in online applications. And I think that’s been said for 10 years or more — even before Microsoft entered into the video game industry.

But the fact of the matter is that Nintendo has always been involved in the network business in one way or another. At least we have been continuing to experiment. The difference between Nintendo and other companies might be that Nintendo has always been trying to do something which makes sense from our business perspective, rather than trying to do something similar to other companies.

So I cannot tell if we are behind or faster. But when I am looking at how we are deploying our online business, I think what we are doing today is appropriate.

Here’s The Most Pirated Games Of 2011

Posted on by
184

BitTorrent news publication Torrent Freak has published the most pirated games of 2011. Unsurprisingly the brilliant Xenoblade Chronicles is on the list with nearly one million downloads, but it was the stunning Super Mario Galaxy 2 that proved to be the most popular Wii game with pirates during 2011.

Wii
1. Super Mario Galaxy 2 (1,280,000 downloads)
2. Mario Sports Mix (1,090,000 downloads)
3. Xenoblade Chronicles (950,000 downloads)
4. Lego Pirates of the Caribbean (870,000 downloads)
5. FIFA ’12 (860,000 downloads)

Xbox 360
1. Gears of War 3 (890,000 downloads)
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (830,000 downloads)
3. Battlefield 3 (760,000 downloads)
4. Forza Motorsport 4 (720,000 downloads)
5. Kinect Sports: Season Two (690,000 downloads)

PC
1. Crysis 2 (3,920,000 downloads)
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (3,650,000 downloads)
3. Battlefield 3 (3,510,000 downloads)
4. FIFA ’12 (3,339,000 downloads)
5. Portal 2 (3,240,000 downloads)

Miyamoto Says Nintendo Developers Haven’t Made An Exceptional Job Utilizing 3D Yet

Posted on by
80

In an interview with Mercury News legendary games designer Shigeru Miyamoto has explained to the publication that he doesn’t believe developers at Nintendo have done a exceptional job utilizing 3D at this precise moment in time. Miyamoto believes they did a good job with Super Mario 3D Land but there’s much more room for them to improve.

When it comes to the 3D effect itself — or the surprise factor for people to be able to say, “Wow, this 3D!” — I think the mission has already been completed sufficiently. But when it comes to how the 3D effect can be used for the sake of the game play without distracting people’s attention too much, I do not think that developers have done a sufficient job yet. Even with “Super Mario 3DLand,” I think we were able to attain just about 50 percent of the entire goal we really have to achieve. So there’s much more room for us to be able to improve.

Nintendo Backs Off SOPA Support

Posted on by
58

Nintendo has quietly distanced itself from the controversial Stop Online Piract Act which is known as SOPA. Nintendo originally endorsed the bill as of November but have quietly removed themselves from the list sometime in the past month. EA has also backed away from the proposed bill.

Edit: According to Destructoid Nintendo are still part of the Entertainment Software Association which backs the proposal. While Nintendo have distanced themselves from SOPA they are still in it through the Entertainment Software Association .Thanks to Axl Abe and others that pointed this out.

Surprise! An Analyst Thinks Dedicated Handhelds Will Sell Strongly In 2012

Posted on by
57

M2 Research analyst Billy Pidgeon has revealed his 2012 predictions to Industry Gamers and surprisingly he believes dedicated handheld games consoles will sell strongly throughout 2012 and that hardware sales of both Nintendo 3DS and Sony Playstation Vita will bring in big revenue for the games industry next year. This is a far cry from the mainstream press that seem to believe dedicated handheld gaming consoles are finished.

Dedicated Gaming Handhelds Cannot Be Replaced by Phones

Dedicated handhelds will sell strongly in 2012. Hardware sales of both Nintendo 3DS and Sony Playstation Vita will bring in big revenue for the industry next year, and uptake will be rapid relative to predecessors. There will be a good number of quality software titles for both systems. However, high performance retail sales of dedicated handheld hardware and software will likely fail to meet expectations, which are out of whack due to the continued false conflation of high quality and high value portable console games with the high quantity of cheap and free casual games downloaded to convergent mobile devices. Triple A games for 3DS and Vita are portable console experiences worth $40 to $60.

Publisher In Talks With Nintendo For Binding Of Isaac On Nintendo 3DS

Posted on by
49

The Binding of Isaac, the acclaimed independent video game designed by Edmund McMillen and Florian Himsl could be coming to Nintendo 3DS. Co-creator Edmund McMillen announced that “A publisher I know is currently asking Nintendo if they would be OK with Isaac on the 3DS.” If Nintendo approves, he’s willing to “let them port it.” McMillen then later stated that the Nintendo 3DS was the “only other system you might ever see Isaac on.”

Sega Officially Confirms No Sonic 4 Episode 2 For Wii

Posted on by
105

Sega’s Digital Brand Manager Ken Balough has confirmed on the Sega forums that Sonic 4: Episode 2 won’t be coming to the Wii. The original Sonic 4: Episode 1 was available on Wii but the latest episode will be coming to Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and smartphones only.

The reason Episode I was on the Wii was because we wanted to bring the Sonic 4 saga to the widest possible audience. Episode II unfortunately will not be coming to the Wii – for reasons most people have probably guessed, but that doesn’t mean the SEGA isn’t supporting Nintendo platforms, we have a very strong partnership and will continue to do so.

Epic Mickey 2 Is Apparently Confirmed And Ready For A Fall 2012 Release

Posted on by
46

According to a poster over at NeoGaf Disney has released a newsletter that confirms Epic Mickey 2 is currently in development and is scheduled for a Fall 2012 release. Unlike the original Epic Mickey, Epic Mickey 2 will be available on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3. Epic Mickey 2 also reportedly features a co-op mode and is a likely candidate for Wii U.

Sonic 4 Episode 2 Has New Graphics And Physics Engine And Playable Tails

Posted on by
62

Sega has stayed true to its promise and has released a teaser trailer for Sonic 4: Episode 2. Sadly the Wii isn’t listed as one of the platforms that game will be available for but if you own a Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 or a smartphone then you’ll be able to get your dose of Sonic 4, which features a new graphic engine a new physics engine and features Tails.