Topic: The OFFICIAL Big N rumor thread *bring your own salt*

[Lithium]

I loved Metroid Prime, it was my first Metroid game that I've ever played and my favorite in the series (with super metroid nipping at it's heels as my 2nd favourite) but i pretty much agreed with insanolord when he said that super and prime are almost the same game but with a different perspective. The reason I enjoyed Prime 1 more is because i felt the sense of exploration and immersion were a notch above super, part of that is just by virtue of being newer (and Retro's incredible art direction) but the scanning/lore went a long way to immerse me into Talon IV more than my immersion in Zebes.


As for Prime 2 the dark world and fetch quests really put a damper on my enjoyment of it. Also dark Samus is a terrible, terrible character/antagonist especially since it was so close to Fusion which had the SA-X which was infinitely superior as an antagonist, you actually felt scared of SA-X while dark Samus was pretty cheesy.


I liked Prime 3 more than 2 but it unfortunately drifted toward FPS territory both 2 and 3 had a pretty campy story but Prime 3 put it at the forefront, while Prime 1's story was actually pretty good and well executed but optional. The main reason that i didnt like prime 3 as much as 1 though is that prime 3 took away a lot of the exploration aspects that i enjoyed in 1 and 2 (although aether wasn't as interesting as Talon IV save for Sanctuary fortress)



and I know retro didn't work on this but  Metroid: other M... Well, just watch this and see how long you last

[Luigi Dude]

I like Retro and all but I don't see why some people are hyping them up to be the only one who can revive Star Fox.  Yes they did a great job with the Metroid Prime series and they made a great platformer with DKCR, but I wouldn't put them over everyone in the industry at every single genre.  Yeah I'm sure they could make a great game but in the case of Star Fox I'd rather have Hideki Kamiya get his wish to make a Star Fox game first. 

http://www.joystiq.com/2010/04/19/platinums-kamiya-wants-to-make-a-new-star-fox-at-gunpoint/

When you have one of the best action game designers actually wanting to make a Star Fox game, that's just too good to pass up because you know he'll do something amazing with the series.

[broodwars]

I like Retro and all but I don't see why some people are hyping them up to be the only one who can revive Star Fox.

"Some people"?  I only see Kytim making that claim, while others like me only think they could make a good Star Fox game.

[Lithium]

If i could choose any dev to make the next star fox it would be Treasure without any hesitation.

[broodwars]

If i could choose any dev to make the next star fox it would be Treasure without any hesitation.

As cool as that might be (I liked Sin & Punishment 2 as well), the game would be 3 hours long and have a completely incomprehensible story like seemingly every other Treasure game and I wouldn't relish that.  I'd like the next Star Fox to have more staying power than that, especially as game prices continue to tick upwards.

[Mop it up]

I have never played a Star Fox game before. "What kind of Nintendo fan are you?!"
I own Star Fox on SNES, Star Fox 64 on N64, and Star Fox Command on DS. Of these, which one should I start with? Thoughts?

[broodwars]

I have never played a Star Fox game before. "What kind of Nintendo fan are you?!"
I own Star Fox on SNES, Star Fox 64 on N64, and Star Fox Command on DS. Of these, which one should I start with? Thoughts?

Personally, I think the original Star Fox has a certain charm to it, so if you have a SNES and cartridge that still work by all means play the original first.  Both it and Star Fox 64 take a whopping hour each to complete one playthrough, so you can easily knock out both in an afternoon.

I'm split whether to even recommend Star Fox Command.  There were things about the game I liked and thought were rather clever (like drawing paths on a map to strategically decide the routes of your ships), but I hate the game's time limits and controls, and its All Range Mode combat is spectacularly bland and dull.  The story also comes off to me as some of the worst kind of fanfiction, and it's partially the reason why I'd prefer to just see the series rebooted rather than continued.

[Chozo Ghost]

Play the original one first. It was first, so logic dictates that you must play it first.

[Luigi Dude]

As cool as that might be (I liked Sin & Punishment 2 as well), the game would be 3 hours long and have a completely incomprehensible story like seemingly every other Treasure game and I wouldn't relish that.  I'd like the next Star Fox to have more staying power than that, especially as game prices continue to tick upwards.

This is why a Hideki Kamiya Star Fox would work so well.  The game could still have some traditional rail-shooting levels which I'm sure he'd do a great job at, but also could have great action outside of it as well to provide a much longer experience to justify a full $50 price tag.  I mean, Fox does use a laser so it wouldn't be that hard for Kamiya to give the game DMC/Bayonetta style gameplay for none Arwing levels that would still be great as well.

Basically I can see Kamiya making something like Star Fox: Assault done right.  On paper, Star Fox: Assault was a good way of evolving the series by adding more gameplay with Fox getting out of the Arwing for a longer experience.  The problem is Namco f*cked it all up by making the non-Arwing parts of the game sh!t.

If Kamiya would make a Star Fox with the non-Arwing levels turn into DMC/Bayonetta style action, that would be a great way of making the series more appealing to a larger audience again, and please longtime fans since the non-Arwing levels will actually be good this time.

[Adrock]

Kamiya would do a good job with Star Fox because he's a talented game designer and if he's a fan of the series, he probably has an idea of how to approach a new game but adding DMC/Beyonetta style gameplay is very unbecoming of the series. Not sure you can expand the Star Fox brand, especially by trying to make it into something it's not.

[noname2200]

I have never played a Star Fox game before. "What kind of Nintendo fan are you?!"
I own Star Fox on SNES, Star Fox 64 on N64, and Star Fox Command on DS. Of these, which one should I start with? Thoughts?

The first game is the hardest, and of course the most dated. The technical limitations really hold it back; if the hardware had more oomph, it'd be my hands-down favorite. As it is, it's just my favorite by a hair.

I'd start with Star Fox 64, as it's generally more accesible, and if you like that game I'd move on to the original.

Star Fox Command was not to my tastes. I like the rail stages, which are scarce in that game.

[Dasmos]

See I wouldn't mind Kamiya making a Star Fox game at all, he has the cred and the passion to do a nice job. But I'd like the idea of a non-arwing Star Fox game being more like a Vanquish type game as opposed to a DMC type.

[Luigi Dude]

See I wouldn't mind Kamiya making a Star Fox game at all, he has the cred and the passion to do a nice job. But I'd like the idea of a non-arwing Star Fox game being more like a Vanquish type game as opposed to a DMC type.

That would also work great as well.  Just goes to show that Platinum would be a great choice to make a Star Fox.  Hopefully Kamiya actually contacts Nintendo to make this someday because I'm sure Miyamoto would easily allow it considering Kamiya's record.

[ThePerm]

well, Retro would probably make the best version of Star Fox yet

How do you figure? I mean, they didn't make the best version of Metroid (Super Metroid) and they didn't make the best version of Donkey Kong (DK: Jungle Beat). I am confident Retro could make a great Star Fox game, but it would have to be pretty gosh darn amazing to be better than Lylat Wars.

well, i think they would make the best version because they could be the most enthusiastic about making a new one. They are also really talented. The last couple star fox games have been pretty half assed, even coming from Nintendo themselves. I don't even lump Star Fox Adventures in the group because it was really Dinosaur Planet in Fox McCloud clothing. The last really good Starfox standalone game was probably Starfox 64, the first Starfox game was developed by Argonaut, a British company. If Nintendo can create a similar enough arrangement with Retro as they did Argonaut then maybe they can get that same feel thats been missed. It was Iwata or Miyamoto who were recently talking about how sometimes its best to use Western talents for certain areas, I agree and I think Star Fox is one of those.

Now, that being said current Retro is not the same as Metroid Retro, though there must still be at least some of the original Metroid team left. They are/were certainly capable of handling the Sci-Fi elements. Even so, they have a pretty good track record with the recent Donkey Kong entry. I agree that Super Metroid was probably the best version of Metroid, but Prime to me is 2nd best. Star Fox kinda could use a boost, and I think Retro has the talent to achieve it. Also, I think the huge boost of power that Wii U will inject into Nintendo's games will be impressive and could elevate games that have been on the wayside. If you were to take Lair and give it Starfox clothing and a cast of likeable characters if would be amazing. Considering all the new people at Retro and what I've seen them work on I'm pretty confident they can deliver something amazing on Wii U regardless of what the franchise is.  I think at this point Nintendo will gain back a lot of credit just on graphics alone. Also, it just seems western studios tend to introduce things to keep games relevant whereas a lot of Japanese studios do constant cliché things that render them passé...Im sorry I never had to use two words like that in a sentence. Sometimes you have to do something drastic to inject fresh air into a product, that could be the thing to do. Years ago we were talking about how Factor 5 would be a good studio for that, but they are in some weird kinda out of business limbo at the moment.

[Ian Sane]

I still want Retro to make something new and original.  I'm just curious, you know?  After playing Metroid Prime for the first hour or so I just knew these guys were really creative so what could they do if they were starting something brand new?  Here we are nearly TEN YEARS later and I still don't know.

I also want Star Fox to be good again and Retro can probably do that.  They haven't demonstrated any particular skill in that type of gameplay (I think Treasure is a better choice) but they've proven to be a talented team so that justifies some optimism.

And what's going on with this "Metroid Prime sold better so it must be better" argument?  When does sales mean ANYTHING other than what is more popular?  Lots of stuff sold like gangbusters in its day and is considered a joke now while several creative works that were largely ignored in their time have since been regarded as classics.

I prefer Super Metroid and big reason for that is that it is short on filler.  Metroid Prime suffers from an annoying trend of current game design: PADDING.  It has a stupid fetch quest at the end but what really annoys me are the constant Chozo Ghost fights you have to deal with every time to backtrack.  Those part were an outright CHORE to play.  Super Metroid didn't have that.  It's not an easy game and you can get frustrated playing it but only in the general "I died, now I go back" method that any game has.  Metroid Prime will intentionally be an annoying pain in the ass to give the illusion of a long game length.  Super Metroid in comparison is quite short and I'm cool with that.  Do you judge a movie by how long it is or is pacing more what matters?  I don't mind a game that is a little short if I'm having a great time the whole way.  I much prefer that to a long game with annoying and tiresome padding making the game drag on without being fun.  I enjoy going back to Super Metroid while I have NEVER replayed Metroid Prime entirely because I think of the annoying chore of Chozo Ghosts and lose interest.  Hell I pretty much NEVER replay 3D era games because of their length and padding makes it worse.

[Caterkiller]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1217316p1.html


According to IGN there is a rumor going about that Nintendo is considering renaming the Wii U.


I actually like the name, but honestly think it looks cooler than it sounds. Though that's not the issue, the issue is apparently the mass media being confused about what it actually is. We all remember E3 confusing the non gaming press. I know some put the 3DS in the same boat, when they are right next to each other, I guess the average joe would think another DS but with 3D.


I like the name but do I think Nintendo would benefit from something that say's Wii successor and/or Nintendo successor. I know most of you don't like the Wii name, as it would turn off "teh hard core" but if the games people want end up being on it, they'll buy it no doubt.

[Ceric]

http://wii.ign.com/articles/121/1217316p1.html
..
Though that's not the issue, the issue is apparently the mass media being confused about what it actually is. We all remember E3 confusing the non gaming press. I know some put the 3DS in the same boat, when they are right next to each other, I guess the average joe would think another DS but with 3D.
...

Thats my issue with the name.  Its to similar.

[TJ Spyke]

I never saw the problem people have with the name. I was surprised by it at first, but I like it and it sounds good. It also fits based on what they want to do with it. I hope Nintendo doesn't cave in and re-name it. Like Cater said, people did the same thing about the 3DS. If the Internet was as big back then, I am sure you would have had people complaining about the Game Boy Color name too (thinking it was just a upgrade to the Game Boy rather than a new system).

[Ceric]

I never saw the problem people have with the name. I was surprised by it at first, but I like it and it sounds good. It also fits based on what they want to do with it. I hope Nintendo doesn't cave in and re-name it. Like Cater said, people did the same thing about the 3DS. If the Internet was as big back then, I am sure you would have had people complaining about the Game Boy Color name too (thinking it was just a upgrade to the Game Boy rather than a new system).

GameBoy.  Everyone knew it was 2 colors. 
GameBoy Pocket.  Its a smaller Gameboy but that its.
GameBoy Color.  Ok its a Gameboy in color there is no way that they could do that with the same tech.
GameBoy Advance.  Its a more Advanced Gameboy.
GameBoy Advance SP.  SP tends to mean Special it must be a special version of the Gameboy Advance.
GameBoy Advance Micro.  Must be a tiny Gameboy Advance.
DS.  Thats doesn't say Gameboy at all it must be a new system.
DS Lite.  Must be a lighter DS
DSi.  I stands for interactive in general that doesn't make sense here.  This must just be an enhanced version like the blender with more settings.
DSi XL.  XL means larger must just be a larger Variant.
3DS.  Name doesn't start with DS.  Its not 3 DSes.  Honestly the Name is clever but its not as clear as the other ones in the line.

My overal point being the names gave pretty good hints at what was a variant and what was a new console.

DS and DSi are essentailly the same core system.  One is slightly enhanced.
Wii and Wii U are totally different but the name scheme Nintendo has been using would indicate that Wii U would just be an enhanced variant (tablet control in this case) with no real extra power.

[ThePerm]

to be fair people are getting stupid, so its best to differentiate things. I dont mind the Wii U name, but Nintendo needs to differentiate it from wii. Wii was popular till 2010. Its isnt any longer, people speak of it with derision quite regularly.

[Kytim89]

Might I make a suggestion? Super Wii should be th new name of the console.

[Kairon]

I've never cared for any of the criticism for the Wii U name. However, if Nintendo thinks the 3DS name created casual consumer confusion that affected sales, that sounds like a very valid reason to consider other options, if true.

[Adrock]

Might I make a suggestion? Super Wii should be th new name of the console.

Stop it, kytim.

[Chozo Ghost]

The "Wii" has become a word synonymous with casualness, kiddiness, and weak obsolete hardware with software droughts. All of those are things Nintendo themselves have said they have wanted to distance themselves from with their next console. If they really mean that, then they need to ditch the name because for a lot of people the word "Wii" is a bad word. The "wii" brand name is garbage to all but the most diehard Nintendo fans. There are people on this forum who will defend it, but this is a Nintendo fan site after all.

Me telling you all this may not be what you want to hear, but its the honest truth. The name sucks, and by using it Nintendo makes winning over the hardcore gamers an uphill battle. Whether you like it or not isn't the point. The point is, will the "Halo dude bros" or whatever you call them like it? And the answer is an obvious no.

[TJ Spyke]

The Wii name is synonymous with success and a system that anyone can play. The system itself may have had some failures due to most developers never doing more than a half-assed job on it, but the system brand itself is still good and I can't see what benefits ditching it would provide. If there are good games on Wii U, then people won't care about the name.