Nintendo acquires a 96% stake in Nd Cube
Mini-game compilation or not, Wii Party has been a huge success in Japan, selling around 125,000 copies since it was released in early July. Apparently Nintendo is quite happy with the developer, so much that it acquired a 96% stake in Nd Cube. We may or may not like Wii Party, but Nd Cube is more than capable of producing high quality games, like their GBA title F-Zero: Maximum Velocity.
Source: GameSpot
Kojima Productions thinks going multiplatform is very important
If you stick to one single console, you’re bound to miss some really good games that will never be released on more than one platform. Kojima Productions’ Shigenobu Matsuyama thinks Japanese publishers need to go multiplatform.
“I think it’s very important for the future of Japanese publishing. We see publishers – Capcom have started a little bit earlier than us – and I can say most of the Japanese studios have seen the importance of going multi-platform, and our studio as well. I think we’re now really ready to go multi-platform at once, I mean development cycle wise. I think this will be a normal trend for Japanese studios in the future.”
Source: VideoGamer
Japanese magazine Famitsu loves Metroid: Other M
Apparently the guys at Famitsu really like Metroid: Other M. Scoring three nines and one eight (9/9/8/9), it was praised for its controls and wide variety of moves.
“The Sense Move lets you move quickly and easily dodge attacks, which make the controls feel really good. You occasionally lose track of where you’re going next, but that in itself is very Metroid-like. Switching to first-person by holding the remote vertically also works surprisingly well. There’s a wide variety of moves available, but Sense Move is by far the best,” another added. “It allows even casual gamers to enjoy the battles well enough. It’s impressive how many moves are at your disposal, especially considering the lack of buttons. Switching to first-person instantly takes some getting used to, but you can use it in both exploration and combat and it gives the game a very fun Metroid-like vibe.”
Source: GoNintendo
I’m not usually one to extol the virtues of Famitsu, but that sounds good, at least. I have no idea what Sense Move is but it sounds, erm, interesting.
While I believe Nintendo is the finest overall in hardware and software (which MS and Sony don’t develop), a true connoisseur can’t limit himself/herself. Multiplatforming is financially smart for developers and tastefully sweet for true gamers.