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Portables (Games) GameCube (Games) Entertainment Games

E3 - Nintendo Shows DS Details, Realistic Zelda 441

Posted by simoniker from the link-it-up dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Following the earlier leak of Nintendo DS pictures, there are hands-on details regarding Nintendo's handheld console over at GameSpot - Cube-Europe also has a list of Nintendo's first-party DS games, including 'Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, a new Super Mario Bros game, Super Mario 64X4, and WarioWare Inc. DS'." Elsewhere, xDCDx writes "Nintendo just showed at their E3 conference a trailer of the new Zelda game for the Gamecube [there are also screenshots available], this time using a more mature visual look, rather than a cel-shaded one."
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E3 - Nintendo Shows DS Details, Realistic Zelda More

E3 - Nintendo Shows DS Details, Realistic Zelda

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  • Nintendo changed zelda before (Score:5, Interesting)

    by l33t-gu3lph1t3 ( 567059 ) <arch_angel16.hotmail@com> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:17PM (#9121343) Homepage
    Remember the cool CG Link/Gannondorf battle Nintendo showed us before Gamecube came out? And then they created that annoyingly cute cell-shaded Zelda game instead?...I do
    • Yes I do.

      We didn't forget about it and neither did they. They've been working on it the whole time.

      These screens are FROM that same game, and it's being released.

    • Re:Nintendo changed zelda before (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:23PM (#9121424)
      You know that the Spaceworld 2000 demo you're talking about was a tech demo, right? Or were you also expecting a game where you could manipulate hundreds of Marios on-screen at once? Maybe a Meowth game too?

      The reasons for the cell-shaded Zelda have been mentioned before....they wanted to play with the expressiveness of the characters. They did a good job with that, and now they're going in another direction. Hardly worthy of criticism.
      • You know that the Spaceworld 2000 demo you're talking about was a tech demo, right?

        I've heard this argument before, and it doesn't hold water. There's a difference between making tech demos that obviously wouldn't make interesting games (the ping-pong ball XBox demo, for example) or tech demos that are of already-made games (the N64 FF6 demo) and tech demos that are indistinguishable from new game footage. There's also a difference between making a game that's only slightly different from the tech demo
        • From my experience the breathtaking CGI scenes they show to give publicity to a game usually end up just being cut scenes in the game, rather than the way the game is actually played....

          • Re:Nintendo changed zelda before (Score:5, Insightful)

            by Pluvius ( 734915 ) <pluvius3&gmail,com> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:36PM (#9121554) Journal
            This is not CGI we're talking about. This is engine-rendered stuff. Wouldn't make much sense to pre-render something that you can do on-the-fly.

            Rob
            • Modded down or not, Pluvius is correct. We were talking about the Zelda tech demo that was publicized before the Gamecube was released. Such tech demos (this one included) are not pre-rendered CGI, because that defeats the entire purpose of having it as a tech demo -- i.e. to show off the real-time rendering capabilities of the new hardware. It's understood that the system is going to be able to play video files, so there's really no point in having a demo for that.

              As for there being no point in pre-r
    • I don't care what the justifications were. Going the kiddie approach gave me permanent Nintendo blue balls. I didn't mind the cel shading so much. What really killed me was the clip of some bad guys running in mid air before falling like an old cartoon. Also, his "expressions" were all cute. Nothing that provoked emotion. Between that and Rareware moving over to Microsoft, I got an Xbox. When this game does come out, I'll be buying a Gamecube, Zelda, Mario, Metroid, and several others that I've been
    • " Remember the cool CG Link/Gannondorf battle Nintendo showed us before Gamecube came out?"

      You mean the teaser for SSB: Melee?

    • Re:Nintendo changed zelda before (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Dragoon412 ( 648209 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:10PM (#9121903)
      It wasn't the cell shading that made Wind Waker look so kiddified. Take a look at games like Robotech Battlecry [avault.com] for instance. Cell shading can look damned cool. The problem was that Link was a fat little 6 year-old.

      I'm tired of the issue being polarized into two camps. Not everything Nintendo does is aimed expressly at children, and that certainly doesn't disqualify them from making a great game. But on the other hand, just because people want a more adult feel to their games doesn't mean everything needs to be blood and guts. Personally, I just don't want to be insulted by the game I'm playing, I don't want to strangle someone to death with his own intestines.

      And that's the problem that I had, and I'm sure many other people had with Wind Waker. It was a good game; I don't think anyone who played it would say otherwise. But I grew up on Zelda. Ever since the NES days, I had envisioned Link as a hero, a champion; something I thought of as cool. Chubby children aren't cool. Their friends that have foot-long boogers hanging from their noses are even less cool.

      I'm looking forward to this Zelda. I was so disgusted with the connectivity 'features' of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and the absolutely dismal game line-up on the GBA that I traded both in and bought Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow and another year's subscription to Xbox Live. This Zelda just may redeem Nintendo in my eyes, because Mario 8614: Now He's Got a Vacuum Cleaner Ha, Look How 'Innovative' We Are sure isn't going to cut it.

    • Re:Nintendo changed zelda before (Score:5, Interesting)

      by MilenCent ( 219397 ) * <johnwh@gmai[ ]om ['l.c' in gap]> on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @01:09AM (#9124131) Homepage
      Oh for the love of....

      Remember the original The Legend of Zelda, that game of amazingly well-hidden secrets, challenging gameplay, and second questing? I do.

      Did you even give Wind Waker a chance? I've played through it twice so far, working on a third, and I have to say that it feels a lot more like Zelda than Ocarina of Time does.

      To me, the thing that screams ZELDA is secrets. The original game had a few screens that didn't have a cave or staircase, either hidden or in the open, in them, but there weren't many. The idea of looking somewher that looks suspecious, expending a bomb or candle usage to see if something's there, and being pleasantly surprised... more than anything else, that's
      Zelda, and Wind Waker was the first Zelda game since the original to play upon that.

      I'm going to go out on a limb and say that no one old enough to play the old Zeldas, when they were new, hates the art style. This is why, contrary to popular perception, the Gamecube is not so much the console for kids (that's the PS2, in my book), but the console for Old Fogey gamers who remember things like gameplay.

      And dammit I L-I-K-E the art style!
  • ...Could you get "Realistic Zelda" and it is a Headline :-)

  • Nintendo stole the show thus far (Score:3, Insightful)

    by wobedraggled ( 549225 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:18PM (#9121358) Homepage
    Zelda looks simply AMAZING... They are finally giving the people what they want. Not to mention the DS which craps all over the PSP by Sony. Good times, and the show doesn't even start till tomorrow....
    • "They are finally giving the people what they want."

      I hope to God that isn't want they're doing. Screw the people, I'd rather have what Miyamoto wants. If I wanted what "the people" wanted I'd probably be waiting for the next Acclaim game.

    • Re:Nintendo stole the show thus far (Score:5, Interesting)

      by SleazyC ( 722658 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:08PM (#9121886)
      Well... yea the DS looks awesome (can't wait to play Metroid on two screens) but I wouldn't say that the DS is better then the PSP yet.

      The Sony conference really showed off some great games, and the power of the PSP. From short clips of games such as Metal Gear Solid, Tony Hawk, Twisted Metal, Spy Hunter, Gran Turismo, and a whole slew of EA Sports games, the PSP looks stocked software wise. It didn't stop there either. Sony went on to show the Spiderman 2 trailer playing on Sony's 4.5 inch widescreen display and then blew me away by showing a Final Fantasy 7 Advent Children trailer and telling the press that a UMD version of FF7 AC would be out alongside the DVD.

      I think both new handheld's look awesome and hope that their competition really elevates the handheld market to the next level.

      • Nostalgia (Score:3, Insightful)

        by piper-noiter ( 772438 )

        The PSP might be a good system but it won't play my ancient Gameboy games. Nintendo will stay dominate in this market as long as it remains backwards comparable.
        If the internet has taught us anything, its that there is a market for old games with horrible graphics, heck even text based games are thriving online. Some exciting new handheld isnt going to remove are desire for nostalgia.
        Now if the PSP released a bunch of old games from Atari, Sega, Intelevision, and NeoGeo they might have something.

        As for L

  • Damn! (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Dark Paladin ( 116525 ) * <jhummel.johnhummel@net> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:19PM (#9121372) Homepage
    You know, I didn't mind the "Cell-da" look of the Wind Waker game. I acutally liked it, and my daughter (now 5, going on 12) liked it too. (Right after we finish "Kingdom Hearts" I've told her Link is next.)

    I never got the cries of "mature Link" from folks out there.

    But after that video - damn. It looks great (the castle looks a little blocky, but ah well), but the rest of it was, well, kick ass.

    Will I still be able to play this game with my daughter? I think so. While there's still violence, it doesn't look like "blood and guts" - just the same kind of violence in other Zelda games, just now with better effects.

    And that Balrog creature?

    Here's hoping the next Zelda game is as long and wonderful as Ocarina of Time was.

    • Re:Damn! (Score:5, Interesting)

      by lpangelrob2 ( 721920 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:24PM (#9121429) Journal
      I hear you loud and clear. Damn, was Wind Waker pretty. It wasn't a long enough game, but it was pretty.

      It was unconventional. It kept my attention. It pushed processors like they should be pushed every now and then -- with something different. When I was younger (read: 10-12) and played various cartoon games (Tiny Toon Adventures was a classic)... the ultimate goal of cartoon games was Wind Waker. It was finally playing in a cartoon you could interact with. For its sake I hoped it sold, and I think it did.

    • Balrog character?

      Show some respect for your new overlord, GANON!
    • the graphics in the new link look great. I watched the doom3 video and then the new link video and I was a whole hell of a lot more impressed with the latter. However, the motion looks like crap warmed over and topped with more crap. It was so jerky I almost couldn't bear it, every other zelda game since the N64 has had better motion. What gives?

    • Re:Damn! (Score:4, Interesting)

      by |/|/||| ( 179020 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:58PM (#9121763)
      Hell yeah. I was looking forward to another cell shaded Zelda, but this game looks awesome. Of course, real gamers know that graphics are only icing - it's how the game plays that matters. I can say with full assurance that I expect this game to play brilliantly.

      My one concern? PLEASE let them up the difficulty (relative to Wind Waker). Please let me be in danger of dying throughout the game. I should be down to 1 heart before beating bosses, like in the original LOZ. Please have more dungeons, and throw in some real mind-benders (make them optional if you want, just make them difficult).

      I'm sitting here waiting for this game to come out.

      Still waiting.

    • Re:Damn! (Score:2, Funny)

      by CaptainCarrot ( 84625 )
      the castle looks a little blocky,

      Could that be because you normally build a castle out of stone blocks?

      Just wondering...

    • I enjoyed Wind Waker a lot, and thought the cell-shaded graphics were great. I never saw the realistic Zelda trailer that seemed to cause so much dissapointment when the cell graphics were revealed. Personally, I think it carries the style of the older games -- especially Link to the Past, the greatest of Zeldas -- perfectly. Graphically, anyway. The game itself wasn't perfect, but lots of fun. I'm not going to complain about the graphics in the new one, though -- they look great too.

      Veering off topic,

  • Mmmmmmmm (Score:2, Insightful)

    by FractusMan ( 711004 ) *
    So, mmmmmmm. Delicious. All these systems! Games! Have your stupid "X will pwn Y" arguments, no one cares. The fact is that there's some good hardware coming out and you are free to buy whatever you like. Remember: Only YOU decide which one pwns the other. Both will be successful regardless.
    • Oh, I already know what I will pwn. The DS. If the PSP pwns, then I shall pwn it, too-- but only if the games are worth pwning. But for now, I will sell the GBA SP that I already pwn (for I also pwn the Game Boy player for the Gamecube, which I've pwned for close to two years now) and then put down a preorder on the DS, so I can be the very first on my block to pwn it.

      God dammit, that hurt my eyes to type....

  • Fool me once... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by WwWonka ( 545303 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:20PM (#9121389)
    "Nintendo just showed at their E3 conference a trailer of the new Zelda game for the Gamecube [there are also screenshots available]"

    Ok, those look damn smoooooth if I say so myself BUT are those in-game shots or the dreaded "let's show the incredibly breath taking cinematic art and make it LOOK in-game even though we will soon find out after dropping 50 bones that the in-game graphics are as bad as ET the Extra Terrestial on the Atari 2600!"
    • Did you see ET's finger !!! How can you possibly expect him to hold a paintbrush and create quality art with fingers like those!!

      Honestly theres just no pleasing some people!

    • Re:Fool me once... (Score:4, Insightful)

      by prockcore ( 543967 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:28PM (#9121471)
      let's show the incredibly breath taking cinematic art and make it LOOK in-game

      Pretty much every nintendo game has cinematic art done in real time. So even if it was cinematic art, it was still all rendered real time.

      This is due to the small discs that can't contain tons of movies.

      • Re:Fool me once... (Score:3, Insightful)

        by bob65 ( 590395 )
        Pretty much every nintendo game has cinematic art done in real time. So even if it was cinematic art, it was still all rendered real time. This is due to the small discs that can't contain tons of movies.

        Irregardless of the reason, I much prefer cinematic art to be done in realtime. I find that it makes for much better visual continuity, a more consistent look throughout the game, and no disappointment of returning to blocky graphics after watching an amazing cutscene.

        Perhaps Nintendo took this into con

    • Re:Fool me once... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:42PM (#9121626) Homepage Journal
      "even though we will soon find out after dropping 50 bones that the in-game graphics are as bad as ET the Extra Terrestial on the Atari 2600!" "

      Yeah because Zelda has been a constant let-down, right?

  • VIEWTIFUL JOE 2!!! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Microlith ( 54737 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:21PM (#9121392)
    After the kickass showing by Capcom with Viewtiful Joe, I can't wait to see what kind of madness they bring forward in VJ2.

    Viewtiful Joe, Tales of Symphonia, and a few other games are enough to justify the purchase of a Gamecube. And now with VJ2 coming out, there's not reason not to get one.
  • I'll give MS credit - 4 years ago, you would never have thought that they would trump Sony... and they did. Halo 2 looks great and will sell a million+ copies in November-December alone.

    But Nintendo owned the show. The crowd went absolutely bonkers when they showed realistic Zelda. And the skepticism was thrown out when the DS was revealed - it looks great.

    In short, E3 2004 won Nintendo is's respect back from many people who had given up on Nintendo (I am not among those people - always loved Big N). It's like that Simpsons episode, where bart lets lisa into his germ "bubble" to try and win the hearts of the students back... "Look... Isn't Nintendo! And it's winning us back!"
    • I gave up on Nintendo when they started to require that I have a Gameboy to be able to play games multiplayer (FF Crystal Chronicles & Zelda 4 Swords).

      I DO own a Game Cube (and like the games) but next time around I'll think twice before getting another Nintendo.

      • Indeed (Score:3, Interesting)

        by JMZero ( 449047 )
        We've actually got a lot of fun out of Pacman Vs - and I think there's some entertaining connectivity games to be made. But the GameCube doesn't have enough titles right now, and making high-quality/small-audience titles like these 2 is sort of a kick in the shin.

        Four Swords may have required this staggering amount of hardware as part of the game - but it should have been optional on FF:CC.

        I'm sure some people have that hardware (or know enough people with GameBoys) - but lots of us don't, and still want

      • Re:Nintendo clearly won this year's E3... (Score:5, Interesting)

        by Paladine97 ( 467512 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:06PM (#9121854) Homepage
        Those are only two games that require it. And for all the information that each player needs, it was an appropriate decision the developers made.

        If you don't like it, don't buy the game. It's that simple. They wanted to try something new, not to piss you off and force you to buy a GBA.

      • Re:Nintendo clearly won this year's E3... (Score:5, Interesting)

        by cptgrudge ( 177113 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:20PM (#9122016) Journal
        FF:CC would be *impossible* to play multiplayer with regular controllers. Each player has their own inventory; how are they going to divide up the screen when you have four people? "Oh, sorry guys, I needed to equip food in my command slots. Sorry for breaking up the action for a minute while we were fighting a tense battle with this boss." Besides, any self respecting geek should have a GBA already.

        I refer you to some sage advice for dealing with it here [penny-arcade.com], although this [penny-arcade.com] *might* be more funny for you.

        Sure, blame Nintendo for innovating a new way to play video games, that'll teach them to try anything new. In short, FF:CC is one of the most incredible multiplayer experiences I've ever had, and I cared not at all that it required GBAs to play. It's more than a video game; it's a social symphony for those who play.

      • In Japan "Zelda: Four Swords +" [gamespot.com] was launched a few days ago.

        This game is like Zelda: "Four Swords" except you can play single player, and you can play multiplayer with a standard GC controller. It replaces the GBA screen with an emulated GBA in the TV screen.

        Yes, it's coming to US and EU.

    • In addition, four years ago I never would have thought they would wind up buying Rare. That annoyed the hell out of me. Goldeneye is still my absolute favorite multi-player game of all time, not to mention all the other tremendous titles they created for Nintendo. Now they're tied to MS. Lame, lame, lame. Conker on Xbox seems so...weird.

    • Nintendo has totally dominated E3 before (2002 was big, as I recall). Nintendo knows how to put on a good show. Yet, even though Nintendo may blow you away with a number of platform games and new toys, that doesn't mean Nintendo is going to kick ass in the wake of E3.

      Nintendo has a lot of work cut out for them. They need to find a way to save their dwindling portion of the home console market, and they need to find a away to combat the PSP.

    • Re:Nintendo clearly won this year's E3... (Score:4, Informative)

      by AdamHaun ( 43173 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:39PM (#9122717) Journal
      "Trump" Sony? Whatever. The XBox has a few popular games, but that doesn't mean much. The PS2 has many popular games. Go here:

      http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten3.htm#US

      and scroll down to US Hardware Sales. Then, for even more fun, go here:

      http://www.the-magicbox.com/topten.htm

      and look at the Japanese hardware numbers. Note that in Japan the XBox is competing with the Playstation *1*.

      Have a sense of scale. A couple high profile games today don't mean as much in the long run.

  • I'm impressed... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Gothic_Walrus ( 692125 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:21PM (#9121394) Journal
    The DS looks amazing thus far...the software planned (a new Wario Ware game, a Metroid FPS, and a game called Pac-Pix that sounds absolutely awesome, among others) is very innovative and interesting, and the system itself looks like it's very well made. The six face buttons, wireless play, the touch-sensitive second screen...even a microphone. This thing has got everything we'll need. :)

    As long as there's third party support, I've got a feeling that the DS will succeed.

  • I got scared for a minute (Score:5, Funny)

    by Rosco P. Coltrane ( 209368 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:21PM (#9121398)
    including 'Animal Crossing DS, Mario Kart DS, Metroid Prime: Hunters, a new Super Mario Bros game, Super Mario 64X4, and WarioWare Inc. DS'.

    For a moment, I thought Nintendo was still milking Mario like there's no tomorrow. I'm so glad they're moving on and producing entirely new fun games, like Zelda...

  • You Missed A Couple Things (Score:5, Informative)

    by lotsofno ( 733224 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:23PM (#9121426)
    What about the Metroid Prime 2: Echoes [nintendo.com] quicktime movie?

    Starfox [nintendo.com] quicktime movie?

    Advance Wars: Under Fire [etoychest.org] screens?

    DS high res renders [etoychest.org]?

    WarioWare DS & Super Mario 64x4 screens [etoychest.org]? Metroid Prime: Hunters & PictoChat screens [etoychest.org]?

    EToychest [etoychest.org]... Good times.

  • Holy hannah! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by penginkun ( 585807 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:28PM (#9121474)
    Wow! As much as I loved the cel shading in Wind Waker, I'm glad to see Nintendo taking a different approach for the next title. Part of Nintendo's problem is their image of being a kiddy game company. Games like Wind Waker, though VERY impressive visually, only help to cement that image in peoples' minds.

    There is no way in hell anyone's going to look at this new game (assuming those aren't pre-rendered shots) and say, "That's for kids! I don't want to play THAT!"

  • Thunder, then Lightning? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by prezninja ( 552043 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:31PM (#9121492) Homepage
    Did anyone notice that the thunder and lightning are out of order in the video?

  • Wow the surprises were nice (Score:5, Interesting)

    by NanoGator ( 522640 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:31PM (#9121494) Homepage Journal
    Anybody else feel like the PSP was underwhelming after the barrage of cool stuff we got for the DS today? I really wasn't hyped about the DS until today. I dunno what it was specifically, I guess it was just imagining sitting on the recliner, connecting to the net via 802.11, playing somebody on-line, and using the stylus to type messages to them. I just feel like we're getting a portable that has come closer to being a PC. I mean, geez,imagine Command and Conquer on that thing.

  • That was fast... (Score:3, Funny)

    by Blic ( 672552 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:31PM (#9121497)
    You know, I was just over reading Gamespot, thinking, "Damn, their site is slow, they don't usually have problems like this..." After a couple timeouts, got fed up, come over to Slashdot. "Oh, that's why..." =)
  • I'd buy one, but not for those cute games.

    I'd buy one just to have linux installed on it :)

  • VGCats. (Score:3, Funny)

    by AltGrendel ( 175092 ) <(su.0tixe) (ta) (todhsals-ga)> on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:36PM (#9121558) Homepage
    I like their take [vgcats.com] on Zelda.

  • Screens of DS Titles (Score:5, Informative)

    by skidde ( 670293 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:38PM (#9121577) Homepage
    And N-Sider [n-sider.com] has some screenshots from GameCube/GBA/DS games, including all the DS first party titles. Looks like MKDS will have some courses from MKDD? And the new SMB game looks... well, a bit out of place, but cool nonetheless. Doesn't look like it's using the second screen that much, though.

    I'm still stumpted as to why DS would be able to play GBA games if it's an entirely different system, but whatever. IGN seems pleased. [ign.com]
    • Can you say, "emulator"? Or, for that matter, a JIT compiler to the new CPU arch from the old GBA's opcodes. Sure, you'll throw away performance, but as long as the system's fast enough that shouldn't be a problem. There are two CPUs, I've heard, and if that's the case one can work on precompiling the code and the other executing, for instance.
  • I am a big Nintendo fan, and I have nearly bought a cube many times over. I have religously bought and played the F-Zeros and Zeldas as they have been released.

    I haven't been compelled to buy a cube though -
    Windwaker nearly pushed me over the edge, and F-Zero is amazing - but this Zelda is the one that is finally going to get me to buy!

    Yay for Nintendo for getting this Zelda right!

  • The new Zelda looks fantastic! (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Per Wigren ( 5315 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:43PM (#9121636) Homepage
    Let's just hope that they don't screw it up by requiring a bunch of Gameboy Advance to get the most out of it... :P

  • Another Nintendo to buy? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by tonejava ( 772709 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:48PM (#9121678)

    Okay I was aware that it was coming but surely allowing a product to mature (much like what has been done with the playstation) would be a bit more beneficial?

    So far I've got a GameCube, GameBoy Advance and GameBoy Advance SP and to total off the collection I guess I'll be getting the DS now but there appears to be alot of potential in the current platforms that is being ignored.

    For example, broadband on the GameCube could be pushed further to actually selling the adaptors and membership as retail. Why not sell Games and online memberships (and top up kits) for connecting to online servers? Games set you back ~$99AU an online gaming pack could sell for around $40AU for something like 40 hours of gaming or more.

    A company recently released a GPS connector for the GBA SP, okay it looks a bit cheesy driving around with a GBA on your dashboard but how about a more slimline, perhaps mature, design?

    Wireless connections are a big thing with Nintendo (Wavebird wireless controller and GBA wireless) imagine being able to link up your GBA with the BroadBand adaptor then downloading games to your GameCube memory card for transfer to your GBA; perhaps make blank GBA Paks available for downloading cartoons or tv shows via the GameCube?

    So early next year or there abouts we will have the GameCube NEXT platform (or whatever they plan on calling it) pretty much leaving people with a pile of 2-3 year old Nintendo consoles that may never be looked at again. Any ideas on what to do with them???

    • Re:Another Nintendo to buy? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Stuart Gibson ( 544632 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:14PM (#9121951) Homepage
      leaving people with a pile of 2-3 year old Nintendo consoles that may never be looked at again. Any ideas on what to do with them???

      Keep playing them? Just because there is new hardware doesn't mean the old stuff suddenly stops working. I still play my SNES as much as my Gamecube, and the old Gameboy games still get a good amount of playtime, albeit on the GBA:SP due to backlighting issues.

      Goblin

    • For example, broadband on the GameCube could be pushed further to actually selling the adaptors and membership as retail.

      There's yet to be proven that online games make any money. You're paying maybe $20 a month to access a server for a game, how much do you think the people maintaining the servers are making an hour? Only companies like Sony and Microsoft which can bleed money are able to support something like online gaming in its infancy.

      Outside of MMORPG's, I've yet to see any value added to being

  • This thing could sell like crazy (Score:3, Interesting)

    by urantia007 ( 707091 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:54PM (#9121726)
    I hope nintendo do what i think they might do. The DS could be an awesome little gadget for surfing the net at wireless hotspots. Its got 2x lcd screens, why not have the top screen as the web viewer, and the bottom touch screen as a virtual keyboard. It's got all the capabilties for this to happen, it's just the question of weather nintendo will allow it or not.

  • Maybe I'm missing something...but (Score:5, Funny)

    by GoatEnigma ( 586728 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @06:57PM (#9121752) Homepage
    "Blades will Bleed... Shields will break"...???

    They need to come up with some better suspense building taglines to go along with their cool looking game. Seriously.

  • Realistic Zelda (Score:3, Funny)

    by slavemowgli ( 585321 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @07:54PM (#9122330) Homepage
    What! You mean more realistic than this [gamespy.com]?

  • The DS looks rather like an old Game & Watch. (Score:4, Interesting)

    by jackcp ( 18393 ) on Tuesday May 11, 2004 @08:39PM (#9122721)

    This isn't the first time Nintendo has used the over-under screen combination for a portable game. In fact, the first time this layout was used was in 1982 in one of the old Game & Watch [everything2.org] games [gameandwatch.com]. Amusingly, a version of Zelda [gameandwatch.com] was even released in this configuration.

    Also worth mentioning is the fact that a multi-screen G&W was also the first Nintendo system to debut the d-pad [gameandwatch.com], the little cross-shaped directional control that replaces an un-thumbable joystick. More than 20 years later it has been copied by everybody and is still used on every console you can buy at SuperTarget.

  • "Maturity" and the new Zelda (Score:5, Insightful)

    by superultra ( 670002 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @12:56AM (#9124096) Homepage
    this time using a more mature visual look, rather than a cel-shaded one.

    I've watched the new Zelda video about three times, and I firmly believe that Wind Waker looks more "realistic" than this new Zelda. What I mean is this: watch the trailer for Wind Waker and if you didn't know any better you'd swear it's an animated feature. There is little difference in Wind Waker's presentation, if any at all, and a well drawn cartoon. Watch the new Zelda trailer, the "realistic" Zelda, and there's little realism. You can tell, immediately, even from a screenshot that this is a video game. Sure, the graphics are fantastic. But the bar to which you're holding it too, reality, is much higher than that of the animated Wind Waker. Miyamato is well aware of this, and cited this in defense of Wind Waker. I am curious what he thinks of this new design.

    What's more is that the graphics in the new Zelda are not stylized. They're generic, to be frank. It's a guy in green riding on a horse out of a generic look fantasy castle. This is a scene that could've dropped straight out of the ass of LOTR, with its trolls and army of orcs with clubs, massing on poorly textured hills. In fact, until you see Link up close, this may very well have come from any number of E3 firstlook videos. Even the vaporware Fable has more style than this Zelda.

    I suppose this is closer in style, perhaps, to Ocarina of time. But technology was what limited Ocarina, and Nintendo bravely sidestepped that ever present technological limitation with Wind Waker by animating it. This is a step in the wrong direction for the Zelda franchise. Will it sell more? Sure. Is it more creative? Based on this trailer, no.

    Mark my words: this Link will have collision detection problems. You'll spin the camera and see the inside of something else. Because this new world is trying to look realistic, when something happens that defies realism, a box falling awkwardly, or enemies disappearing, or whatever number of usual video game annoyances, it will break the spell. We're used to it because it's video games. But that rarely happened in Wind Waker, and that's part of what made it so great. When enemies disappeared in Wind Waker, for example, it was acceptable and perhaps even more dramatic that they disappeared in a puff of dark evil smoke. Why? Because it was not a "real" world, the animation style created a sense of surreality. I may be too harsh on an early video here, but I see not even a sliver of the emotion in "realistic" Link that I saw in Wind Waker's "Link." The graphics are unquestionably impressive. However, this new Zelda has no character, no style, no color, and no artistic focus to it.

    And I take offense to the original poster claiming that this is more "mature." It isn't. Animation does not equal immaturity and (perceived) realism does not equal maturity. In fact, Wind Waker was one of the most emotionally jarring and touching games I've played in a long, long time, and I would argue was far more "mature" than GTA3 and its derivatives. The ability to connect through the television screen and the beyond the controller, to transcend the game on an emotional level, demonstrates far more maturity than better graphics. Shame on you for thinking otherwise.

    • Re:"Maturity" and the new Zelda (Score:4, Insightful)

      by metroid composite ( 710698 ) on Wednesday May 12, 2004 @02:31AM (#9124394) Homepage Journal
      I think you're confusing what the 14-year-old thinks is mature, and what the 30-year-old thinks is mature.

      To a 14 year old killing zombies and Ninjas while racing out of a burning building (which takes an unrealistic amount of time to burn down) complete with lots of blood and preferably guts is mature. DoA XTreme Beach volleyball also counts as mature.

      A 30 year old sees something like Majora's Mask as a very dark game (whereas the 14 year old does not because you're playing as a kid) and would prefer deep plots instead of flash.

      Now these aren't totally true; I've known 16 year olds to be very intelligent in their tastes, and 30 year olds who act like horny kids. Perhaps in 20 years the videogame industry will truely grow up, but then looking at the big blockbuster movies and bestselling novels these days, my hopes aren't that high.

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