Nintendo's Iwata Confirms Big Games This Year

1up has comments from Nintendo's President Satoru Iwata, as he spoke to investors earlier this week. When asked about the possibility of hardcore games coming to the Wii before the end of 2007, Nintendo's president assured gamers and moneymen that Mario and Metroid are coming this year. "It will be from around the end of this summer to the end of this year. We will then launch a new title of Super Mario Galaxy, Super Smash Bros. Brawl and Metroid Prime 3: Corruption although the last one is primarily for the [American and European] markets. These will be the key titles for the period ranging from the summer until the holiday sales season of this year, and I think we will be able to cater to the specific needs you mentioned."

Not just consoles

[SpeedyDX]

I have a console, and it took me three months to get a second wiimote. It's ridiculous. Maybe it's better for people living outside a big city (I'm in Toronto). And I still can't find a nunchuck (online or in stores).

The console is great, the games have thus far been great, so I can't complain. But this shortage of hardware is a real pain in the ass.

Wiiiiiii!

[MBCook]

Let's see... Mario Sunshine, Mario Strikers: Charged (w/online play), Metroid 3, Super Smash Brothers: Brawl, and Super Paper Mario is already out (I'm almost finished, great game). The Wii is looking better and better. Combine that with as the Wii ages 3rd parties will get better and better at utilizing the controls (for something other than a mini-game fest). I can't wait until we start getting good sports games with Wii controls (like Wii play but fleshed out controls and game play). Tennis especially. If they can get reading the racket right it should be great. How will they handle the next Madden? The last one got good reviews, now that they have a game or two under their belt let's see what it's like!

Meanwhile, the 360 and PS3 have games here and there that look interesting, but neither seems to have nearly as many games that I'm looking forward to. And most of those (God of War III, Bioshock, etc) are not exactly breaking new ground in controls, they are just refinement of some of the games we have had for a long time (beat-'em ups, FPSes).

The DS also produced some really quirky and fun games (like Yoshi's Touch and Go, for example). I can't wait to see more of that kind of stuff on the Wii. How about porting the new Sam & Max games or other adventure games? How about a Phoenix Wright title?

The Wii continues to be a very interesting system, and as it hits its stride better (remember the first year or two of the PS2?) things will only get better.

Re:Not just consoles

[Binestar]

just buy it from nintendo.com. I got mine very shortly after getting my Wii.

Spider-Man 3

[E-Sabbath]

I'm enjoying the heck out of Spidey 3 for the Wii. It's a little sloppy, but I think that's me as much as the controls. The camera controls are already better than any other game I played on the PS2, and web swinging using each hand (Nunchuck for left, Wiimote for right) is a hoot. Spent two hours just swinging around Manhattan last night. Streets still aren't quite right, though. Jim Hanley's Universe is still nonexistant, the street where it should be, just south of the Empire State Building is not there. On the other hand, I think I found 666 5th Avenue _and_ where Coyote Ugly should be.

Yes, I try to find random RL landmarks in the Spidey games. It's one of those little mini-games you do for no reason, like stepping on only white tiles.

Fighting has been pretty fun. Shake the remote, shake, push button, dodge... I'm pulling up six to eight hit combos.

They don't like Metroid Prime in Japan?

[enharmonix]

FTA:

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption ... is primarily for the overseas markets.

I'm a little confused. Am I to understand Metroid is not popular in Japan? I'm afraid I really don't understand what he meant by that... Did Metroid Prime flop in Japan? Do the Japanese not like FPS games or something? Or is their society that misogynist that a butt-kicking cyborg woman is taboo? Now that I think about it, though, most FPS games' credits are full of Americans... Is this sorta like how we never see Japanese dating sims over here, 'cause it's just, well, not something Americans want to play? I dunno. Kinda silly to ask, I guess, but all I know about Japan, I learned from Akira Kurosowa [wikipedia.org] and Fred Gallagher (aka piro) [megatokyo.com]. Sorry, but it just boggles my mind that a game as good as Metroid Prime just wouldn't fly in Japan...

Metroid Prime is an FPS series...

[solios]

... and America is the Land Of FPS. Quake, Unreal, etceteras - I played through Metroid Prime : Hunters on my DS and it felt like a mix of Quake 4 and Quake 3 gameplay elements. Metroid Prime is really more of a Nintendo Quake than anything else - you could swap out the sprites and models and change the name of the game and I doubt anyone would notice.

From what I've seen, the Japanese market is all about the platformers (such as the real Metroid games, and Castlevania) and RPGS - and the Metroid Prime series is neither. I don't have any figures, but if the Japanese had as big a hardon for FPS as they did for RPGs, the X-Box would be doing gangbusters over there.

And if you're getting your Japanese culture from Megatokyo, you're getting an unbelievably skewed perspective.