Though known primarily for their portable Nintendo shooters, the company decided to change pace for their first Wii title and go for a competent Minigolf experience. Upon starting development they had two major goals: "make the game look better than most Wii titles" and improve upon "the weak [putting] of Wii Sports Golf."
From screenshots it is very obvious that Shin'en was able to accomplish their first of two goals. The game pushes the graphical boundaries of the system using things like "blooming, normal mapping, [and] image based HDR lightning," and it still manages to fit within the 40 MB limit of WiiWare titles.
They "just had to plan carefully," according to CEO Manfred Linzner. "Before starting with any content we sat down and calculated precisely how much space each part of the game would need." By breaking the game into its core pieces, "audio, graphics and code," they were able to budget for each section of the title and fit everything into the restriction without needing to go back and revamp or cut any section of the game.
Their success on improving on the putting in Wii Sports Golf is obviously yet to be demonstrated, but Linzner claims that though "it was not easy to master" they were able to handle "very soft and quite hard shots without losing control."
The interview has also revealed that the title will include twenty-seven unique holes spread across Europe, Asia, and North America. One locale revealed in the interview was in the Alps near a traditional Bavarian cottage. Each locale featured in the game will allow players to putt at any time of the day, morning, afternoon, and evening. "This adds a lot of realism and allows different graphical effects for different daytimes," explained Linzner.
Players will be able to play either solo or in competition with up to three friends. Medals will be earned based on performance. "In general, each hole can be played in one stroke," challenged Linzner, but each "needs a different approach."
The title is set to feature male and female "professional voice actor ... commenting the game," along with "music you will remember." Linzner "[felt] that current games often have too boring and casual audio," so upon creating Fun! Fun! Minigolf, the team made it a point to create more memorable music.
Linzner also revealed that neither Miis nor season and weather effects would be included in the game. Miis were excluded because "it's a bit boring to have nearly every WiiWare game with Miis" and because "using Miis means … adopt[ing] your style to fit with those simple characters."
The title is currently finished and set to release sometime this fall after it clears Nintendo quality assurance for 1,000 Wii Points ($10).
Linzner closed the interview revealing that Shin'en's next title will also be a WiiWare title "all about exploration and action" and will be "mostly a single player experience," and that Nanostray may be continued on WiiWare depending on the second title's reception in Europe.
"using Miis means … adopt[ing] your style to fit with those simple characters."
The screens are pretty damn impressive. I always expect graphical wizardry from Shin'en and have yet to be disappointed. Their gameplay is another matter, but it has been improving over the years.
You're not supposed to be interested in this, Mr. "I hate WiiWare games of things you can already get elsewhere".
You're not supposed to be interested in this, Mr. "I hate WiiWare games of things you can already get elsewhere".
There's not a good mini-golf game available on Wii, disc-based or otherwise. Carnival Games Mini-Golf might turn out to be good, but it remains to be seen whether Shin'en's game will beat it to the market. It will certainly be cheaper and may provide a better experience.
Also, you can shove your sarcasm up your ass. I talk about a GOOD WiiWare game for at least five minutes on RFN 115.
You're not supposed to be interested in this, Mr. "I hate WiiWare games of things you can already get elsewhere".
There's not a good mini-golf game available on Wii, disc-based or otherwise. Carnival Games Mini-Golf might turn out to be good, but it remains to be seen whether Shin'en's game will beat it to the market. It will certainly be cheaper and may provide a better experience.
Also, you can shove your sarcasm up your ass. I talk about a GOOD WiiWare game for at least five minutes on RFN 115.
I'm not entirely sure I understand your point though.
You say why buy something on WiiWare that can be bought else where. But, some of the conveniences of digital distribution games are that they are easily played just by turning on the system, and they general cost significantly less. Have you mentioned that yet?
You're not supposed to be interested in this, Mr. "I hate WiiWare games of things you can already get elsewhere".
There's not a good mini-golf game available on Wii, disc-based or otherwise. Carnival Games Mini-Golf might turn out to be good, but it remains to be seen whether Shin'en's game will beat it to the market. It will certainly be cheaper and may provide a better experience.
Also, you can shove your sarcasm up your ass. I talk about a GOOD WiiWare game for at least five minutes on RFN 115.
I go into the forums almost every day and have more posts than you. Sorry for my harsh tone but these repeated remarks about some lack of integrity I have over WiiWare are getting old. I defended My Aquarium on 114, gave a positive review to Gyrostarr, and am now enjoying Groovin' Blocks, so any implication that I hate WiiWare or am ignorant of the service is completely unjustified. I already apologized for a passing criticism of Wild West Guns a couple of episodes ago, and yet you continue to drop these insults.
