The people behind Metroid Prime and Donkey Kong Country Returns may be working with their third Nintendo franchise.
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/rumor/30053
Texas-based Retro Studios could be working on a Star Fox game for Wii U to be revealed at this year's E3, according to a rumor on Techtroid.
The source told the site that while the game is indeed being worked on and will be revealed at E3, it will not be a launch title for the system. They cite Retro as saying that "It's a project everyone wants us to do."
This wouldn't be the first time it was believed that Retro would be working on a famed Nintendo franchise. Back in December, Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto stated that a collaboration with Retro on a Zelda game could be a possibility.
Retro Studios also designed the retro tracks in Mario Kart 7, and previously they worked on the Metroid Prime series and Donkey Kong Country Returns.
I am interested in whatever Retro is doing, whether it's Zelda or Star Fox or something else.
I do believe Retro is one of the best studios going right now, I just want to see them create their own game and IP. A studio that talented should be crafting something that is distinctly their own IP, something like Bungie did with Halo.
Launch time is a great chance for Retro to make and present a world or universe of their own creation. If this rumor comes true, then it's a shame that they lose that chance.
As much as that saddens me, I'm equally excited to see what Retro can do with Star Fox. I assume the team are at least somewhat familiar with the space combat games of old such as Tie Fighter, Privateer, Wing Commander, Freespace 2, and so on. They could use such knowledge to push Star Fox in to bold, new frontiers. If not, they could at least bring a little space sim influence to the Star Fox 3D shoot'em up.
Maybe a Mass Effect parody with a lot of ship combat and the humor and insanity of Kid Icarus: Uprising.From what I understand, Star Fox has descended into furry melodrama. If Nintendo is going to use Retro Studios to breathe new life into the franchise, going in a more comedic direction is a good place to start. College Humor's The Fantastic Mr. Star Fox might be too difficult to pull off for an entire game. However, a parody on the whole space marine motif could go a long way.
As far as Retro working on a new IP.... there's a reason they're called RETRO studios.
As far as Retro working on a new IP.... there's a reason they're called RETRO studios. They have their role to fill...
Haha wow, pap64 didn't like DKC Returns yet he somehow found something I clearly missed in Kirby's Return to Dreamland to warrant giving it a 9.0 in his review? Someone please explain this to me?
Yeah, remember that amazing retro game Raven Blade, which they were working on BEFORE Metroid Prime (and was eventually canceled)? ::) Dude, it's just a name.
Ok, point taken, the name ultimately doesn't dictate what they do. But all of those new IPs they were tinkering with prior to Metroid were all cancelled, so obviously Nintendo thinks (or at least thought at the time) that Retro's efforts are better spent revitalizing old franchises. And I'm glad that they're working on different series now, because the Prime games got pretty stale by 3. If Metroid Prime 4 were announced for Wii U, my reaction would pretty much be "meh."
But anyway, point being, people should be happy that a) Retro is working on something b) That it could very well bring back a beloved franchise and c) that based on their track record it will probably be good. Rather than bitching about what they're NOT making.
This is a really old rumor BTW (Jan 23, 2012)
http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=16688.msg715904#msg715904 (http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=16688.msg715904#msg715904)
Retro: “a project everyone wants us to do”
Also, Ian, you should look into setting up homebrew on your Wii so you can play DKCR with a Classic Controller. It really is a phenomenal game once you get past the controls.
Also, Ian, you should look into setting up homebrew on your Wii so you can play DKCR with a Classic Controller. It really is a phenomenal game once you get past the controls.
I'm always iffy about hacks so I haven't tried it.
Also, Ian, you should look into setting up homebrew on your Wii so you can play DKCR with a Classic Controller. It really is a phenomenal game once you get past the controls.
I'm always iffy about hacks so I haven't tried it.
And in any case, as someone who played a LOT of Donkey Kong Country back in the day, the bandaid the homebrew people put on DKCR with that patch doesn't work as well as I'd like. It really isn't their fault, but that Retro split the roll and run functions into separate actions in DKCR. Sure, you get your roll on a button, but you can't HOLD the button like you could in the old days to run (instead, you continuously roll). It's frustrating having to "un-learn" doing that and getting used to Run being on one button, and roll being on another that you ONLY press when you want to roll.
I had a lot of fun with DKCR. The controls would have been better without the waggle roll but they worked pretty well. I beat every level of the game without the Homebrew patch. The areas I had trouble with had nothing to do with the controls. Rather, jumping on the tires and and timing jumps made me want to haymaker a basket of kittens. In that instance, it's not the control's fault that I suck at videogames.
Anyway, I think Star Fox is better suited as a downloadable title. Keep Fox in the Arwing. Taking Fox out and into grind missions makes it an entirely different game. Retro Studios or whatever company handling Star Fox could easily just make an entirely new IP and really go nuts with it, instead of making half a Star Fox game. I mean, I get it in terms of marketing but in terms of artistic integrity, I really don't get it. It's a shame that Nintendo doesn't have enough faith in themselves (anymore?) to establish new IPs based on just great ideas. To me, I don't get it because what made Nintendo into the company they are today was their ability to create classic characters. Don't stop making Mario and Star Fox but not every great idea had to be retro-fitted to be part of those franchises.
It's a shame that Nintendo doesn't have enough faith in themselves (anymore?) to establish new IPs based on just great ideas. To me, I don't get it because what made Nintendo into the company they are today was their ability to create classic characters. Don't stop making Mario and Star Fox but not every great idea had to be retro-fitted to be part of those franchises.
Couldn't it be argued that they created new characters out of necessity, since the SNES there really hasn't been many classic characters created. There have been plenty of new franchises, but recognizable characters? Not so much. I mean look at Smash Bros., besides the Pikmin theme, virtually all the franchise characters are from the NES/SNES/GB days and older.Not necessarily. Couldn't the original Star Fox have just been Spaceship Mario? I feel like that's the difference between pre-N64 Nintendo and post-N64 Nintendo. Today's Nintendo is far more apprehensive about releasing a game based on a great new idea without slapping an existing IP on top of it (i.e. Epic Yarn). If Star Fox had come out today, there's a chance it would have been a Mario game. It might be a safer bet in the market but it constricts creativity. There's significantly more artistic freedom in creating something brand new.
Looks like I need to post the list, AGAIN.No, you really don't. I'm aware that Nintendo has created new IPs so your list is unnecessary.
Don't stop making Mario and Star Fox but not every great idea had to be retro-fitted to be part of those franchises.This is what I'm specifically taking about. Forcing ideas that don't really make sense or changing an entire game to be part of an established series (i.e. Dinosaur Planet into Star Fox) damages the brand and the game.
You can argue that Nintendo HAD to create new IP early on but really what you're saying is that now they're resting on the laurels and that's okay.
The numerous Mario sports games are mere product. They release them for a quick buck.I don't really mind them since those are the games they wanted to make. They weren't different games that the developers presented to Nintendo and then Nintendo told them to put Mario in them. From the outset, Nintendo wanted sports games with Mario characters and themes in them. There's a distinct difference there. The game is built around the Mario franchise so creativity springs from it rather than trying to make something unrelated into a Mario game. And they're still fun. Mario Strikers is a super fun game.
I was under the impression that new game ideas (like movies) are typically pitched rather than commissioned. It would be overwhelming if Nintendo aske someone to create something new and different. 99% of the time, however, Iwata or whoever is likely just giving them the green/red light. Or they're making them turn a game that Kirby has no business being in into a Kirby game...By my understanding Franchise games tend to be commissioned.
These aren't independent devs making pitches to publishers though. They're Nintendo staff. Nintendo expects them to always be working on something so once their current project is done, they're going to talk with Nintendo about what their next project is going to be. In some cases Nintendo might ask the dev for ideas but for something like a Mario sports game they're probably saying "make us a new Mario sports game". There is no way Retro approached Nintendo with a pitch to work on Mario Kart tracks. They were assigned that. Silicon Knights was assigned to port MGS to the Gamecube. Rare never asked to make a James Bond game, they were assigned the project by Nintendo and by some miracle came up with one of the greatest games ever.
What Nintendo can do to encourage creativity is to discuss with the devs what ideas they have and greenlight one of those instead of saying "you work on this!"
Well, usually when you ask a third-party development studio if they'd like to make something, I bet they'd answer yes 95% of the time. It's work and they've got bills to pay, and I'd like to think that Nintendo is a very dependable publisher to work with when it comes to them paying you development invoices.