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3DS

Next Level Games Developing Luigi's Mansion 2

by Neal Ronaghan - June 7, 2011, 7:32 pm EDT
Total comments: 6

The Mario Strikers and Punch-Out devs are making Luigi's latest.

Next Level Games is making Luigi's Mansion 2 on 3DS, which is set for an early 2012 release.

Shigeru Miyamoto revealed the game's developer at the E3 2011 developer presentation. Development began with a test that Next Level did that was well loved by everyone at Nintendo. The Canadian-based company that worked on Punch-Out for Wii, and the two Mario Strikers games on GameCube and Wii.

Talkback

GoldenPhoenixJune 08, 2011

Glad to see Nintendo utilizing good developers for their 3DS games, Next Level for this, and Retro's input on Mario Kart 3DS

Killer_Man_JaroTom Malina, Associate Editor (Europe)June 08, 2011

Nintendo should just buy out Next Level. Select titles in their back catalogue show that they're a talented bunch, but unfortunately, the team has gotten involved in misguided projects when not under guidance from Nintendo. They clearly do their best work when handed a first-party IP, so I'm excited to see what they do with Luigi's Mansion.

Mop it upJune 08, 2011

I don't think they did a good job on the Mario Strikers games but Punch-Out!! worked out well for them. I can see Luigi's Mansion fitting their style so I hope it turns out as another Punch-Out!! and not something terrible like Mario Strikers Charged.

MiyamotoJune 08, 2011

"which is set for an early 2012 release."


So you can expect to see this in stores Q4 2012.



UltimatePartyBearJune 08, 2011

This game's announcement was the best thing about E3 for me.  I know that's weird.

Ian SaneJune 08, 2011

One my biggest beefs with Nintendo is that in the Iwata era there is an overdependence on franchises and a lack of variety.  Next Level Games has no identity.  They're just a team that gets handed existing Nintendo IP.  If they didn't make Luigi's Mansion 2, someone else would have.  Retro proved to be brilliant with Metroid Prime and are certainly given a little more freedom than Next Level.  But still, all they make are games using existing Nintendo IP.

I don't see much point in investing in additional devs if they're just going to make the same stuff EAD would make.  Back when Nintendo had Rare it wasn't just DKC games.  Rare made original IP that had a distinct identity.  A Rare game was different from a Nintendo game.  You could tell and they would do things Nintendo wouldn't do and introduce characters and IP that Nintendo would never make.  Nintendo themselves would never have made Perfect Dark themselves in a million years.  Not only was it an IP EAD would never make, it was in a genre they would never bother with.  During Silicon Knights brief time with Nintendo they started working on Eternal Darkness in the Yamauchi era, an original IP which is, again, totally unlike anything EAD would make themselves.  During the Iwata era they were used to port Metal Gear Solid.

Maybe Nintendo doesn't want their devs to have unique identities so that they don't get bought by Microsoft and can be easily replaced.  I get that idea but they might as well be EA or Activision with a better track record if they're going to do that.

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