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The Nintendo Difference, as Peter Main, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and nearly everyone else representing Nintendo call it, will be the backbone of Gamecube's success. Without it, the frail and mindless creature that could be Nintendo would have nothing to succeed upon. But thankfully, video game fans still have reasons to stick with Nintendo this generation.
With the limited, or lack thereof, 1st and 2nd-party offerings that Sony and Microsoft possess, the ever increasing agressiveness towards snagging 3rd-party exclusives would be hurting Nintendo, if it wasn't for the Nintendo Difference. While Nintendo gets the occasional multiplatform title, the light at the end of the tunnel seems pretty far away, with Resident Evil: 0, Super Monkey Ball and Rogue Leader glowing a dim yellow. Nintendo must show that the Gamecube will be the console with the best exclusive games. The future is bright. Nintendo's current strategy involves growing a considerable market using their existing 1st and 2nd-party franchises, which are almost always guaranteed to sell extremely well. This considerable market share they are trying to grow, as Satoru Iwata commented, will allow 3rd-parties to become more and more interested in Gamecube. This editorial has a couple of goals in mind for the readers; mainly showing them that Nintendo will release a slew of quality exclusive games.
With four 1st-party developers, and a gargantuan amount of 2nd-parties, Nintendo might have their slack cut for themselves this generation. The Nintendo Difference might after all be all the difference Gamecube needs from its competitors to succeed.
.,'1st-Party Developers',.
As almost everyone on these boards know, 3rd-party developers are those who have no necessary commitment to any one console manufacturer. 3rd-parties may develop for any console they wish, and most importantly, the console they feel will rake them in the most cash. After all, making video games is a business as well as a love for many people in the industry. However, the beauty about 1st-party developers is that they are owned by the corresponding console company; they can and will only develop for that company. Nintendo has four 1st-party developers currently under its belt. EAD, HAL Laboratories, Intelligent Systems and NSTC.
-EAD-
Entertainment, Analysis and Development is what EAD stands for. EAD is Nintendo's main inhouse development team, and is comprised of 6 research and development teams. R&D4 is where the console software department resides, and is where Miyamoto-san works. Miyamoto's group are the original creaters of Mario and Zelda. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda and their respective sequels were each created by EAD. EAD also started their Super Nintendo careers with F Zero and Pilotwings, and continued on with the innovative Super Mario Kart and Super Punchout. Star Fox came along soon after, being the first game ever to use polygons after EAD themselves created a 3D chip that merged with cartridges. Stunt Race FX was their last non-sequel based game on the SNES, as Yoshi's Island was the last game created for Super Nintendo.
EAD went on to create unique sequels to almost every one of their franchises. The Nintendo Difference is being able to make 5 Zelda titles and 6 Mario titles, each with their own unique ideas, gameplay and level design (The other Mario and Zelda titles, primarily the handhelds, are developed by R&D1, the Gameboy development teams. I'm not going into detail about them in this editorial as this EAD segment is focusing on Shigeru Miyamoto's team). Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding went on to become new franchises for the Big N, both being created by EAD.
As always, EAD strives for innovation, both with existing franchises and with the creation of new ones. With the Gamecube, both Luigi's Mansion and Pikmin are unique and creative games coming out on and very near launch. Luigi's Mansion is a game about ridding the evil inside of your newly owned house, or should I say ghosts? The gameplay mechanics are intuitive, while boasting realistic physics with the vacuum cleaner. With over 90 rooms, this mystery game with puzzle-esque elements is one I'm sure to get. The latter is a strategy-based game that takes place in a strange garden world. Pikmin is about an astronaut who needs to find the pieces of his broken down ship. By helping the Pikmin, in return they will find him the pieces. In Starcraft, you're the Executor, Magistrate or Cerebrate. In this game, you are the astronaut. Using the C-Stick you can control mulitple Pikmin, and just as in any other strategy game, your groups can reproduce and be upgraded, along with the constructions you can create. A night/day setting adds to the gameplay as well. Pikmin looks like a very promising title.
Mario Sunshine, Marionette, Animal Forest Plus and Legend of Zelda are the only other confirmed titles, while Mario Kart is rumored. Marionette will actually be a puppet strings game by Miyamoto himself, as opposed to the online Mario game we all thought it was. Mario Sunshine we know nothing about and can only speculate on. One thing I like is Miyamoto's delivery of his promise for a more mature Mario. No more victory sign, a suburban setting, and a less doughy body design. The Legend of Zelda for Gamecube I ABSOLUTELY love. Read about my thoughts for this game over here: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10232258&start=10281167 . Animal Forest Plus will be a unique communication game, similar to Project Ego, but with cute graphics to make the game appeal to everyone.
-HAL Laboratories-
Early into the SNES' lifetime, experienced designers and programmers from two of EAD's R&D groups seperated and formed two brand new 1st-party developers: HAL Laboratories and Intelligent Systems. HAL Laboratories was primarily made up from R&D3, who now concentrate on system hardware and tools, and Intelligent Systems was primarily made up from R&D1, who now develops Gameboy software. In 1987, before HAL Laboratories was created, Shigeru Miyamoto and his friend Shigesatoh Itoih developed Earthbound for the NES with a team containing co-workers from R&D3 and R&D4. HAL Laboratories, after becoming its own company, developed Earthbound for the SNES (Mother 2 in Japan, given that the SNES incarnation was the first one that was American-bound). The company is also the mastermind behind the sick and twisted idea of a cute, fat, pink ball of fluff that sucked up his enemies to gain new powers. Kirby was also a franchise created before R&D3 became HAL Laboratories.
During the N64's lifetime, HAL developed Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game that stayed true to the roots of the series. Although still a side-scroller (thankfully), the game added the option of combining abilities to receive new powers, and had some pretty 3-dimensional background graphics. Before Kirby 64 was released, EAD started development on Pokémon Stadium, a HUGELY funded project. Designing 150 whole Pokémon in 3D is no easy task, so they got help from their sister developer, HAL Laboratories, on the designs. Incidentally, Pokémon Stadium was developed under the name of HAL when it was released.
HAL Laboratories' most innovative, unique, creative and incredibly fun game is arguably Super Smash Bros. The ability to use your favorite Nintendo mascots to battle it out and see who's the best just intrigued me when I first heard about the game. The innovative life bar system and little tid bits here and there (use of items, Bonus games) made this game a MUST-have. HAL Laboratories currently only has one known title in development, and that is Super Smash Bros.: Melee. Featuring 14 playable characters, including the Ice Climbers, Bowser, Shiek and Princess Peach along with another 5 secret characters, this game is going to be the perfect sequel to our beloved fighting franchise. Domination and Coin Mode seem like interesting new game modes as well.
-Intelligent Systems-
As I've previously explained, original members of R&D1 were used to form the new 1st-party developer Intelligent Systems. Before the developer was created, Gunpei Yokoi used to lead R&D1. The Metroid series along with Kid Icarus were unbelievable games, but they never got the steam they deserved, being overshadowed by equally good but much more popular titles (R&D4's Miyamoto games). R&D1 was still able to create countless classics, including Balloon Fight and Ice Climbers. R&D1 also created the Fire Emblem series, one of the best RPG franchises that could go up against Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Zelda at the time. Gunpei Yokoi also designed and developed the original Gameboy. When the N64 came along, Intelligent Systems was a lively corporation, having had success with the SNES. However, the death of Gunpei Yokoi and the extreme difficulty the developer faced with the N64's hardware made the company's life hard. Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled, and their only game for the N64 turned out to be Paper Mario. Shunned for its graphics style, people never could appreciate the game until they actually plugged it into their N64's. Although there is no known Gamecube game in development from Intelligent Systems, a Fire Emblem released in both Japan and America would be nice.
-NSTC-
The Digipen Institute is Nintendo's own college geared towards aspiring game designers and programmers. Graduates are sent straight to NOA's inhouse developer, Nintendo Software Technology Corporation. Most of the staff at NSTC is home-brewed and extremely talented. This particular 1st-party developer hasn't done much yet, but they have a promising future. Their only N64 offerings are Pokémon Puzzle League and Ridge Racer 64. NSTC has so far only developed conversions of games, but those conversions are nonetheless of excellent quality. Pokémon Puzzle League was basically a port of Tetris Attack with the Pokémon license, and Ridge Racer 64 was a port of a Playstation Ridge Racer title. However, the Nintendo Difference always prevails. As I've mentioned before, wether it be a new creation or a sequel, each of Nintendo's games are different enough from each other to warrant a purchase. NSTC is showing this once again with their conversion of Wave Race 64 to the Gamecube. Wave Race: Blue Storm looks to provide some of the most graphically impressive physics in a game ever. The watercrafts you use even create their own waves, and dammit... I can't wait to race across tsunami-sized waves.
.,'2nd-Party Developers',.
Just as 1st-party developers create games exclusively for one system, the same goes for 2nd-party developers. However, 2nd-parties aren't necessarily owned wholly by Nintendo, but are commited to its systems through contracts. With approximately 7 2nd-party developers, it seems like Nintendo's 1st-parties are only the icing on the cake. Think about it this way: Rareware, Left Field and Camelot were the only 2nd-parties that gave the N64 support. With around 4 more in this generation, we're going to be getting alot of our second helpings. Bring on dessert, baby...
-Rareware-
As a 2nd-party developer, Rareware developed tons upon TONS of retro classics for the NES. However, before the days of the NES Rare was known as a company called Ultimate. Ultimate was widly praised for their innovative games, but faded away in popularity a little while before the NES was released. Rare was then created as a subsidiary division of Ultimate for the purpose of learning the NES hardware. Rare showed what they could do to Minoru Arakawa, president of NOA, and they immediately turned them into a 2nd-party developer.
Rareware's most beloved franchises have arguably appeared on the SNES. With Battletoads rounding off in 1991, and three other versions of the game (including a Battletoads/Double Dragon hybrid), Rare was at the top of their game. Donkey Kong Country was the first video game to ever use AMC (Advanced Computer-Modelling) graphics, and games like Killer Instinct and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run were equally exciting. When the N64 came, it seemed too good to be true; Rareware was one of the first developers to announce their support to the 64bit system.
At the N64's launch, Rare's first game turned out to be Killer Instinct. With new gameplay modes and whatnot, the difference between the final 64bit version and the arcade version is evidence of the Nintendo Difference. In 1997, three gem games were released on Rareware's part: Goldeneye 007, Diddy Kong Racing and Blast Corps. In 1999, as unfortunate as it may seem, Nintendo and Rare struck a deal with Disney that would have them develop 13 Disney-based titles across all of Nintendo's currently active and future consoles. Mickey's Speedway USA was released in late 2000. As diverse as Rare's lineup already seemed, all this is just icing on the cake. Platforming was rampant talk across the minds of those wacky brits; Donkey Kong 64 was released on the N64 sometime in 1999 and was the first game to ever use the Expansion Pak. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie both met critical acclaim, as well as the pseudo-sequel to Goldeneye 007: Perfect Dark. Other notable titles are Jet Force Jemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Both games, scratch that, all of Rare's games are top notch in quality...
And that quality will not fade away with the release of the GCN gaming system. Perfect Dark 0 (tentative title), Donkey Kong Racing, Star Fox Adventures and Kameo: Elements of Power are all already announced titles for the Gamecube. Conker's Other Bad Day is heavily rumored and should definitely come out on the system; Rare has copyrighted the name COBD. If you'd like to read more of my opinions on behalf of Rare, read this: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10141478&start=10171344 .
-Camelot-
Camelot Software Planning was originally established as a software developer in 1994. Before pledging support towards the N64, the developer had created the Shining Force series on Sega's Saturn game console. Camelot also released Hot Shots Golf for Playstation. Their first N64 title was heavily influenced by their original golf title for the Playstation. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis 64 are some of the most addictive games on Nintendo's 64bit console. So far, the Gamecube offerings of this developer are pretty scarce and unknown at this moment. All we know is that an RPG is in the works, but no information whatsoever has been released about it yet.
-Left Field Studios-
Left Field Studios was founded, just like Camelot Software Planning was, in 1994. The goal of this developer is to create excellent sports titles. Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside and NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant were both excellent games where the latter, the sequel, was not just a game with updated rosters. Left Field added so many little things such as new gameplay modes, facial animations, Kobe moves and updated graphics that you just had to get the new Kobe game. Along with these titles created for the N64, Left Field also created the N64 incarnation of the original NES classic, Excitebike. Excitebike 64 and NBA Courtside were just a testament to Left Field's expertise. Left Field's Gamecube offerings will include 1080 Snowboarding 2 and NBA Courtside 2002. We don't know much about 1080 Snowboarding 2, but NBA Courtside 2002 is shaping up to be a great basketball game. The C-Stick can be pushed in any direction to pass, thus creating limitless possibilities with the intuitive gameplay.
-Silicon Knights-
Everyone already knows about Silicon Knights. In 1998 SK announced that Too Human would be released on Sony's PSX. The game featured absolutely stunning FMV graphics and was to be an innovative RPG that allowed you to buy different body parts for yourself. Your body parts would factor in on how you would complete the game. Depending on what you buy, you could complete the game stealthily, or you could go all out with big guns. Anyway, the title was then cancelled for the PSX when Silicon Knights officially became a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo. The title that made Silicon Knights knowledgeable to the mainstream gamers was Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, released in 1996. Previous notable titles are Cyber Empire, an RPG with real-time battle elements released on the SNES with 5-player support. In 1993, Silicon Knights released a PC title called Dark Legions. It featured online play with the use of a modem and boasted the 'Editor's Choice' honor in the magazine PC Gamer.
Eternal Darkness will be Silicon Knights' first Gamecube title. ED will feature a unique insanity meter that will give off subtle or extreme effects, depending on how insane you are. You could lose all the items in your inventory, only to find out you were only imagining it, or your limbs and torsoe could fall on the ground, only to make you realize you were just way too insane. If you ignore zombies, you get insane, so you're required to kill everybody. Actually, I'd like to just ignore every single zombie when I get the game. I'd imagine how freaking insane I could get. Along with Eternal Darkness, Too Human will also be released on Gamecube, hopefully sometime in 2002. As explained in the above paragraph, Too Human looks to be a very promising title alongside ED.
-Retro Studios-
Another newly acquired 2nd-party, Retro Studios is a Texas-based, fully funded developer boasting some of the best talents in the world. Artists, designers and programmers from Valve Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment, id Software, Looking Glass, EA Canada, Terminal Reality, Origin Systems and even Iguana Entertainment's own Jeff Spangenberg and the creator of Quake have all been recruited as employees for Retro Studios. Originally, Retro had 5 titles in development, including a Twisted Metal-esque game, an RPG with floating islands, Raven Blade, a football game and Metroid Prime. All were cancelled except for Metroid, supposedly because of how important the title is. With Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing development of the game, it just might turn out good. So far, the first-person aspect of the game is looking great. In the 10 second Spaceworld 2001 footage shown thus far, it looked wicked to see Samus lock onto that creature and blow it to bits. But since we know nothing about the 'adventure' in First Person Adventure yet, we cannot make judgements about the game. Hopefully, a decent third-person view will come into play. Using your grappling beam to hang on walls and rolling into a ball will not be overlooked by Retro Studios, given that the early Spaceworld pre-show conference shots showed a third-person view of Samus.
-NDCube & Brownie Brown-
I've put both these developers in one section because we barely know anything about them. What we do know is that NDCube was formed through a joint between a huge advertising agency in Japan, Dentsu, and Nintendo. Thus the name, Nintendo Dentsu Cube. NDCube was founded on March the 1st of 2001. They have developed two GBA games so far: F Zero Maximum Velocity and EZ-Talk. It is rumored that since they developed F Zero for GBA, that they will make a Gamecube incarnation. Brownie Brown is a 2nd-party developer, as is NDCube, made up of ex-Squaresoft employees. They already have atleast one confirmed RPG for the Gamecube, and they are behind the Magical Vacation title for the GBA.
-Factor 5-
Although Factor 5 isn't really a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo, they practically are considering they're currently completely supportive AND loyal to the Nintendo Gamecube. Originally making Playstation ports for LucasArts titles, Factor 5's first N64 game was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Another Star Wars shooter with similar gameplay mechanics was Star Wars: Battle of Naboo. Factor 5 is not only close in that they are a 3rd-party and develop almost exclusively for Nintendo, but they are also the licensers of MusyX surround sound tools for the N64 and Gameboy. Factor 5 will be supplying Nintendo with sound tools for the Gamecube as well.
Factor 5 has two Gamecube titles under development: Thornado and Rogue Leader. Thornado is currently on the backburner until Rogue Leader is complete. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is shaping up to be one of the most graphically impressive games ever made. The draw distance in the game is unbelievable and the level of detail in every stage shown thus far is quite the amazing feat. Rogue Leader is running at 15 million polygons per second at 60 frames per second without a hitch on the performance rate. Using the tried, tested and true gameplay formula from original Star Wars shooters developed by Factor 5, Rogue Leader will add upon this with the new D-Pad command features. You can tell your army to attack a certain enemy, retreat and whatnot. Factor 5 is very close to Nintendo, and even closer to LucasArts. We can expect many Star Wars titles to come on the Gamecube, and hopefully more original titles such as Thornado.
With the limited, or lack thereof, 1st and 2nd-party offerings that Sony and Microsoft possess, the ever increasing agressiveness towards snagging 3rd-party exclusives would be hurting Nintendo, if it wasn't for the Nintendo Difference. While Nintendo gets the occasional multiplatform title, the light at the end of the tunnel seems pretty far away, with Resident Evil: 0, Super Monkey Ball and Rogue Leader glowing a dim yellow. Nintendo must show that the Gamecube will be the console with the best exclusive games. The future is bright. Nintendo's current strategy involves growing a considerable market using their existing 1st and 2nd-party franchises, which are almost always guaranteed to sell extremely well. This considerable market share they are trying to grow, as Satoru Iwata commented, will allow 3rd-parties to become more and more interested in Gamecube. This editorial has a couple of goals in mind for the readers; mainly showing them that Nintendo will release a slew of quality exclusive games.
With four 1st-party developers, and a gargantuan amount of 2nd-parties, Nintendo might have their slack cut for themselves this generation. The Nintendo Difference might after all be all the difference Gamecube needs from its competitors to succeed.
.,'1st-Party Developers',.
As almost everyone on these boards know, 3rd-party developers are those who have no necessary commitment to any one console manufacturer. 3rd-parties may develop for any console they wish, and most importantly, the console they feel will rake them in the most cash. After all, making video games is a business as well as a love for many people in the industry. However, the beauty about 1st-party developers is that they are owned by the corresponding console company; they can and will only develop for that company. Nintendo has four 1st-party developers currently under its belt. EAD, HAL Laboratories, Intelligent Systems and NSTC.
-EAD-
Entertainment, Analysis and Development is what EAD stands for. EAD is Nintendo's main inhouse development team, and is comprised of 6 research and development teams. R&D4 is where the console software department resides, and is where Miyamoto-san works. Miyamoto's group are the original creaters of Mario and Zelda. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda and their respective sequels were each created by EAD. EAD also started their Super Nintendo careers with F Zero and Pilotwings, and continued on with the innovative Super Mario Kart and Super Punchout. Star Fox came along soon after, being the first game ever to use polygons after EAD themselves created a 3D chip that merged with cartridges. Stunt Race FX was their last non-sequel based game on the SNES, as Yoshi's Island was the last game created for Super Nintendo.
EAD went on to create unique sequels to almost every one of their franchises. The Nintendo Difference is being able to make 5 Zelda titles and 6 Mario titles, each with their own unique ideas, gameplay and level design (The other Mario and Zelda titles, primarily the handhelds, are developed by R&D1, the Gameboy development teams. I'm not going into detail about them in this editorial as this EAD segment is focusing on Shigeru Miyamoto's team). Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding went on to become new franchises for the Big N, both being created by EAD.
As always, EAD strives for innovation, both with existing franchises and with the creation of new ones. With the Gamecube, both Luigi's Mansion and Pikmin are unique and creative games coming out on and very near launch. Luigi's Mansion is a game about ridding the evil inside of your newly owned house, or should I say ghosts? The gameplay mechanics are intuitive, while boasting realistic physics with the vacuum cleaner. With over 90 rooms, this mystery game with puzzle-esque elements is one I'm sure to get. The latter is a strategy-based game that takes place in a strange garden world. Pikmin is about an astronaut who needs to find the pieces of his broken down ship. By helping the Pikmin, in return they will find him the pieces. In Starcraft, you're the Executor, Magistrate or Cerebrate. In this game, you are the astronaut. Using the C-Stick you can control mulitple Pikmin, and just as in any other strategy game, your groups can reproduce and be upgraded, along with the constructions you can create. A night/day setting adds to the gameplay as well. Pikmin looks like a very promising title.
Mario Sunshine, Marionette, Animal Forest Plus and Legend of Zelda are the only other confirmed titles, while Mario Kart is rumored. Marionette will actually be a puppet strings game by Miyamoto himself, as opposed to the online Mario game we all thought it was. Mario Sunshine we know nothing about and can only speculate on. One thing I like is Miyamoto's delivery of his promise for a more mature Mario. No more victory sign, a suburban setting, and a less doughy body design. The Legend of Zelda for Gamecube I ABSOLUTELY love. Read about my thoughts for this game over here: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10232258&start=10281167 . Animal Forest Plus will be a unique communication game, similar to Project Ego, but with cute graphics to make the game appeal to everyone.
-HAL Laboratories-
Early into the SNES' lifetime, experienced designers and programmers from two of EAD's R&D groups seperated and formed two brand new 1st-party developers: HAL Laboratories and Intelligent Systems. HAL Laboratories was primarily made up from R&D3, who now concentrate on system hardware and tools, and Intelligent Systems was primarily made up from R&D1, who now develops Gameboy software. In 1987, before HAL Laboratories was created, Shigeru Miyamoto and his friend Shigesatoh Itoih developed Earthbound for the NES with a team containing co-workers from R&D3 and R&D4. HAL Laboratories, after becoming its own company, developed Earthbound for the SNES (Mother 2 in Japan, given that the SNES incarnation was the first one that was American-bound). The company is also the mastermind behind the sick and twisted idea of a cute, fat, pink ball of fluff that sucked up his enemies to gain new powers. Kirby was also a franchise created before R&D3 became HAL Laboratories.
During the N64's lifetime, HAL developed Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game that stayed true to the roots of the series. Although still a side-scroller (thankfully), the game added the option of combining abilities to receive new powers, and had some pretty 3-dimensional background graphics. Before Kirby 64 was released, EAD started development on Pokémon Stadium, a HUGELY funded project. Designing 150 whole Pokémon in 3D is no easy task, so they got help from their sister developer, HAL Laboratories, on the designs. Incidentally, Pokémon Stadium was developed under the name of HAL when it was released.
HAL Laboratories' most innovative, unique, creative and incredibly fun game is arguably Super Smash Bros. The ability to use your favorite Nintendo mascots to battle it out and see who's the best just intrigued me when I first heard about the game. The innovative life bar system and little tid bits here and there (use of items, Bonus games) made this game a MUST-have. HAL Laboratories currently only has one known title in development, and that is Super Smash Bros.: Melee. Featuring 14 playable characters, including the Ice Climbers, Bowser, Shiek and Princess Peach along with another 5 secret characters, this game is going to be the perfect sequel to our beloved fighting franchise. Domination and Coin Mode seem like interesting new game modes as well.
-Intelligent Systems-
As I've previously explained, original members of R&D1 were used to form the new 1st-party developer Intelligent Systems. Before the developer was created, Gunpei Yokoi used to lead R&D1. The Metroid series along with Kid Icarus were unbelievable games, but they never got the steam they deserved, being overshadowed by equally good but much more popular titles (R&D4's Miyamoto games). R&D1 was still able to create countless classics, including Balloon Fight and Ice Climbers. R&D1 also created the Fire Emblem series, one of the best RPG franchises that could go up against Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Zelda at the time. Gunpei Yokoi also designed and developed the original Gameboy. When the N64 came along, Intelligent Systems was a lively corporation, having had success with the SNES. However, the death of Gunpei Yokoi and the extreme difficulty the developer faced with the N64's hardware made the company's life hard. Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled, and their only game for the N64 turned out to be Paper Mario. Shunned for its graphics style, people never could appreciate the game until they actually plugged it into their N64's. Although there is no known Gamecube game in development from Intelligent Systems, a Fire Emblem released in both Japan and America would be nice.
-NSTC-
The Digipen Institute is Nintendo's own college geared towards aspiring game designers and programmers. Graduates are sent straight to NOA's inhouse developer, Nintendo Software Technology Corporation. Most of the staff at NSTC is home-brewed and extremely talented. This particular 1st-party developer hasn't done much yet, but they have a promising future. Their only N64 offerings are Pokémon Puzzle League and Ridge Racer 64. NSTC has so far only developed conversions of games, but those conversions are nonetheless of excellent quality. Pokémon Puzzle League was basically a port of Tetris Attack with the Pokémon license, and Ridge Racer 64 was a port of a Playstation Ridge Racer title. However, the Nintendo Difference always prevails. As I've mentioned before, wether it be a new creation or a sequel, each of Nintendo's games are different enough from each other to warrant a purchase. NSTC is showing this once again with their conversion of Wave Race 64 to the Gamecube. Wave Race: Blue Storm looks to provide some of the most graphically impressive physics in a game ever. The watercrafts you use even create their own waves, and dammit... I can't wait to race across tsunami-sized waves.
.,'2nd-Party Developers',.
Just as 1st-party developers create games exclusively for one system, the same goes for 2nd-party developers. However, 2nd-parties aren't necessarily owned wholly by Nintendo, but are commited to its systems through contracts. With approximately 7 2nd-party developers, it seems like Nintendo's 1st-parties are only the icing on the cake. Think about it this way: Rareware, Left Field and Camelot were the only 2nd-parties that gave the N64 support. With around 4 more in this generation, we're going to be getting alot of our second helpings. Bring on dessert, baby...
-Rareware-
As a 2nd-party developer, Rareware developed tons upon TONS of retro classics for the NES. However, before the days of the NES Rare was known as a company called Ultimate. Ultimate was widly praised for their innovative games, but faded away in popularity a little while before the NES was released. Rare was then created as a subsidiary division of Ultimate for the purpose of learning the NES hardware. Rare showed what they could do to Minoru Arakawa, president of NOA, and they immediately turned them into a 2nd-party developer.
Rareware's most beloved franchises have arguably appeared on the SNES. With Battletoads rounding off in 1991, and three other versions of the game (including a Battletoads/Double Dragon hybrid), Rare was at the top of their game. Donkey Kong Country was the first video game to ever use AMC (Advanced Computer-Modelling) graphics, and games like Killer Instinct and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run were equally exciting. When the N64 came, it seemed too good to be true; Rareware was one of the first developers to announce their support to the 64bit system.
At the N64's launch, Rare's first game turned out to be Killer Instinct. With new gameplay modes and whatnot, the difference between the final 64bit version and the arcade version is evidence of the Nintendo Difference. In 1997, three gem games were released on Rareware's part: Goldeneye 007, Diddy Kong Racing and Blast Corps. In 1999, as unfortunate as it may seem, Nintendo and Rare struck a deal with Disney that would have them develop 13 Disney-based titles across all of Nintendo's currently active and future consoles. Mickey's Speedway USA was released in late 2000. As diverse as Rare's lineup already seemed, all this is just icing on the cake. Platforming was rampant talk across the minds of those wacky brits; Donkey Kong 64 was released on the N64 sometime in 1999 and was the first game to ever use the Expansion Pak. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie both met critical acclaim, as well as the pseudo-sequel to Goldeneye 007: Perfect Dark. Other notable titles are Jet Force Jemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Both games, scratch that, all of Rare's games are top notch in quality...
And that quality will not fade away with the release of the GCN gaming system. Perfect Dark 0 (tentative title), Donkey Kong Racing, Star Fox Adventures and Kameo: Elements of Power are all already announced titles for the Gamecube. Conker's Other Bad Day is heavily rumored and should definitely come out on the system; Rare has copyrighted the name COBD. If you'd like to read more of my opinions on behalf of Rare, read this: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10141478&start=10171344 .
-Camelot-
Camelot Software Planning was originally established as a software developer in 1994. Before pledging support towards the N64, the developer had created the Shining Force series on Sega's Saturn game console. Camelot also released Hot Shots Golf for Playstation. Their first N64 title was heavily influenced by their original golf title for the Playstation. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis 64 are some of the most addictive games on Nintendo's 64bit console. So far, the Gamecube offerings of this developer are pretty scarce and unknown at this moment. All we know is that an RPG is in the works, but no information whatsoever has been released about it yet.
-Left Field Studios-
Left Field Studios was founded, just like Camelot Software Planning was, in 1994. The goal of this developer is to create excellent sports titles. Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside and NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant were both excellent games where the latter, the sequel, was not just a game with updated rosters. Left Field added so many little things such as new gameplay modes, facial animations, Kobe moves and updated graphics that you just had to get the new Kobe game. Along with these titles created for the N64, Left Field also created the N64 incarnation of the original NES classic, Excitebike. Excitebike 64 and NBA Courtside were just a testament to Left Field's expertise. Left Field's Gamecube offerings will include 1080 Snowboarding 2 and NBA Courtside 2002. We don't know much about 1080 Snowboarding 2, but NBA Courtside 2002 is shaping up to be a great basketball game. The C-Stick can be pushed in any direction to pass, thus creating limitless possibilities with the intuitive gameplay.
-Silicon Knights-
Everyone already knows about Silicon Knights. In 1998 SK announced that Too Human would be released on Sony's PSX. The game featured absolutely stunning FMV graphics and was to be an innovative RPG that allowed you to buy different body parts for yourself. Your body parts would factor in on how you would complete the game. Depending on what you buy, you could complete the game stealthily, or you could go all out with big guns. Anyway, the title was then cancelled for the PSX when Silicon Knights officially became a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo. The title that made Silicon Knights knowledgeable to the mainstream gamers was Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, released in 1996. Previous notable titles are Cyber Empire, an RPG with real-time battle elements released on the SNES with 5-player support. In 1993, Silicon Knights released a PC title called Dark Legions. It featured online play with the use of a modem and boasted the 'Editor's Choice' honor in the magazine PC Gamer.
Eternal Darkness will be Silicon Knights' first Gamecube title. ED will feature a unique insanity meter that will give off subtle or extreme effects, depending on how insane you are. You could lose all the items in your inventory, only to find out you were only imagining it, or your limbs and torsoe could fall on the ground, only to make you realize you were just way too insane. If you ignore zombies, you get insane, so you're required to kill everybody. Actually, I'd like to just ignore every single zombie when I get the game. I'd imagine how freaking insane I could get. Along with Eternal Darkness, Too Human will also be released on Gamecube, hopefully sometime in 2002. As explained in the above paragraph, Too Human looks to be a very promising title alongside ED.
-Retro Studios-
Another newly acquired 2nd-party, Retro Studios is a Texas-based, fully funded developer boasting some of the best talents in the world. Artists, designers and programmers from Valve Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment, id Software, Looking Glass, EA Canada, Terminal Reality, Origin Systems and even Iguana Entertainment's own Jeff Spangenberg and the creator of Quake have all been recruited as employees for Retro Studios. Originally, Retro had 5 titles in development, including a Twisted Metal-esque game, an RPG with floating islands, Raven Blade, a football game and Metroid Prime. All were cancelled except for Metroid, supposedly because of how important the title is. With Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing development of the game, it just might turn out good. So far, the first-person aspect of the game is looking great. In the 10 second Spaceworld 2001 footage shown thus far, it looked wicked to see Samus lock onto that creature and blow it to bits. But since we know nothing about the 'adventure' in First Person Adventure yet, we cannot make judgements about the game. Hopefully, a decent third-person view will come into play. Using your grappling beam to hang on walls and rolling into a ball will not be overlooked by Retro Studios, given that the early Spaceworld pre-show conference shots showed a third-person view of Samus.
-NDCube & Brownie Brown-
I've put both these developers in one section because we barely know anything about them. What we do know is that NDCube was formed through a joint between a huge advertising agency in Japan, Dentsu, and Nintendo. Thus the name, Nintendo Dentsu Cube. NDCube was founded on March the 1st of 2001. They have developed two GBA games so far: F Zero Maximum Velocity and EZ-Talk. It is rumored that since they developed F Zero for GBA, that they will make a Gamecube incarnation. Brownie Brown is a 2nd-party developer, as is NDCube, made up of ex-Squaresoft employees. They already have atleast one confirmed RPG for the Gamecube, and they are behind the Magical Vacation title for the GBA.
-Factor 5-
Although Factor 5 isn't really a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo, they practically are considering they're currently completely supportive AND loyal to the Nintendo Gamecube. Originally making Playstation ports for LucasArts titles, Factor 5's first N64 game was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Another Star Wars shooter with similar gameplay mechanics was Star Wars: Battle of Naboo. Factor 5 is not only close in that they are a 3rd-party and develop almost exclusively for Nintendo, but they are also the licensers of MusyX surround sound tools for the N64 and Gameboy. Factor 5 will be supplying Nintendo with sound tools for the Gamecube as well.
Factor 5 has two Gamecube titles under development: Thornado and Rogue Leader. Thornado is currently on the backburner until Rogue Leader is complete. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is shaping up to be one of the most graphically impressive games ever made. The draw distance in the game is unbelievable and the level of detail in every stage shown thus far is quite the amazing feat. Rogue Leader is running at 15 million polygons per second at 60 frames per second without a hitch on the performance rate. Using the tried, tested and true gameplay formula from original Star Wars shooters developed by Factor 5, Rogue Leader will add upon this with the new D-Pad command features. You can tell your army to attack a certain enemy, retreat and whatnot. Factor 5 is very close to Nintendo, and even closer to LucasArts. We can expect many Star Wars titles to come on the Gamecube, and hopefully more original titles such as Thornado.
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> You don't HAVE to enter your DOB anyway! I haven;t!
Oh, and great topic, but
> FAR FAR FAR too long!!!]
Ok, Ill keep it shorter next time!
> You don't HAVE to enter your DOB anyway! I haven;t!
Oh, and great topic, but
> FAR FAR FAR too long!!!]
Ok, Ill keep it shorter next time!
You don't HAVE to enter your DOB anyway! I haven;t!
Oh, and great topic, but FAR FAR FAR too long!!!
Oh, and great topic, but FAR FAR FAR too long!!!
Cheers edgy!
AshMan wrote:
> Hey Guys, I was wondering whether there is an age limit for winning on
> Gameaday???
If you're under 18, you may not be able to choose certain games, however, there isn't any limit set in the rules for actually entering.
> Hey Guys, I was wondering whether there is an age limit for winning on
> Gameaday???
If you're under 18, you may not be able to choose certain games, however, there isn't any limit set in the rules for actually entering.
Hey Guys, I was wondering whether there is an age limit for winning on Gameaday???
The Nintendo Difference, as Peter Main, Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto and nearly everyone else representing Nintendo call it, will be the backbone of Gamecube's success. Without it, the frail and mindless creature that could be Nintendo would have nothing to succeed upon. But thankfully, video game fans still have reasons to stick with Nintendo this generation.
With the limited, or lack thereof, 1st and 2nd-party offerings that Sony and Microsoft possess, the ever increasing agressiveness towards snagging 3rd-party exclusives would be hurting Nintendo, if it wasn't for the Nintendo Difference. While Nintendo gets the occasional multiplatform title, the light at the end of the tunnel seems pretty far away, with Resident Evil: 0, Super Monkey Ball and Rogue Leader glowing a dim yellow. Nintendo must show that the Gamecube will be the console with the best exclusive games. The future is bright. Nintendo's current strategy involves growing a considerable market using their existing 1st and 2nd-party franchises, which are almost always guaranteed to sell extremely well. This considerable market share they are trying to grow, as Satoru Iwata commented, will allow 3rd-parties to become more and more interested in Gamecube. This editorial has a couple of goals in mind for the readers; mainly showing them that Nintendo will release a slew of quality exclusive games.
With four 1st-party developers, and a gargantuan amount of 2nd-parties, Nintendo might have their slack cut for themselves this generation. The Nintendo Difference might after all be all the difference Gamecube needs from its competitors to succeed.
.,'1st-Party Developers',.
As almost everyone on these boards know, 3rd-party developers are those who have no necessary commitment to any one console manufacturer. 3rd-parties may develop for any console they wish, and most importantly, the console they feel will rake them in the most cash. After all, making video games is a business as well as a love for many people in the industry. However, the beauty about 1st-party developers is that they are owned by the corresponding console company; they can and will only develop for that company. Nintendo has four 1st-party developers currently under its belt. EAD, HAL Laboratories, Intelligent Systems and NSTC.
-EAD-
Entertainment, Analysis and Development is what EAD stands for. EAD is Nintendo's main inhouse development team, and is comprised of 6 research and development teams. R&D4 is where the console software department resides, and is where Miyamoto-san works. Miyamoto's group are the original creaters of Mario and Zelda. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda and their respective sequels were each created by EAD. EAD also started their Super Nintendo careers with F Zero and Pilotwings, and continued on with the innovative Super Mario Kart and Super Punchout. Star Fox came along soon after, being the first game ever to use polygons after EAD themselves created a 3D chip that merged with cartridges. Stunt Race FX was their last non-sequel based game on the SNES, as Yoshi's Island was the last game created for Super Nintendo.
EAD went on to create unique sequels to almost every one of their franchises. The Nintendo Difference is being able to make 5 Zelda titles and 6 Mario titles, each with their own unique ideas, gameplay and level design (The other Mario and Zelda titles, primarily the handhelds, are developed by R&D1, the Gameboy development teams. I'm not going into detail about them in this editorial as this EAD segment is focusing on Shigeru Miyamoto's team). Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding went on to become new franchises for the Big N, both being created by EAD.
As always, EAD strives for innovation, both with existing franchises and with the creation of new ones. With the Gamecube, both Luigi's Mansion and Pikmin are unique and creative games coming out on and very near launch. Luigi's Mansion is a game about ridding the evil inside of your newly owned house, or should I say ghosts? The gameplay mechanics are intuitive, while boasting realistic physics with the vacuum cleaner. With over 90 rooms, this mystery game with puzzle-esque elements is one I'm sure to get. The latter is a strategy-based game that takes place in a strange garden world. Pikmin is about an astronaut who needs to find the pieces of his broken down ship. By helping the Pikmin, in return they will find him the pieces. In Starcraft, you're the Executor, Magistrate or Cerebrate. In this game, you are the astronaut. Using the C-Stick you can control mulitple Pikmin, and just as in any other strategy game, your groups can reproduce and be upgraded, along with the constructions you can create. A night/day setting adds to the gameplay as well. Pikmin looks like a very promising title.
Mario Sunshine, Marionette, Animal Forest Plus and Legend of Zelda are the only other confirmed titles, while Mario Kart is rumored. Marionette will actually be a puppet strings game by Miyamoto himself, as opposed to the online Mario game we all thought it was. Mario Sunshine we know nothing about and can only speculate on. One thing I like is Miyamoto's delivery of his promise for a more mature Mario. No more victory sign, a suburban setting, and a less doughy body design. The Legend of Zelda for Gamecube I ABSOLUTELY love. Read about my thoughts for this game over here: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10232258&start=10281167 . Animal Forest Plus will be a unique communication game, similar to Project Ego, but with cute graphics to make the game appeal to everyone.
-HAL Laboratories-
Early into the SNES' lifetime, experienced designers and programmers from two of EAD's R&D groups seperated and formed two brand new 1st-party developers: HAL Laboratories and Intelligent Systems. HAL Laboratories was primarily made up from R&D3, who now concentrate on system hardware and tools, and Intelligent Systems was primarily made up from R&D1, who now develops Gameboy software. In 1987, before HAL Laboratories was created, Shigeru Miyamoto and his friend Shigesatoh Itoih developed Earthbound for the NES with a team containing co-workers from R&D3 and R&D4. HAL Laboratories, after becoming its own company, developed Earthbound for the SNES (Mother 2 in Japan, given that the SNES incarnation was the first one that was American-bound). The company is also the mastermind behind the sick and twisted idea of a cute, fat, pink ball of fluff that sucked up his enemies to gain new powers. Kirby was also a franchise created before R&D3 became HAL Laboratories.
During the N64's lifetime, HAL developed Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game that stayed true to the roots of the series. Although still a side-scroller (thankfully), the game added the option of combining abilities to receive new powers, and had some pretty 3-dimensional background graphics. Before Kirby 64 was released, EAD started development on Pokémon Stadium, a HUGELY funded project. Designing 150 whole Pokémon in 3D is no easy task, so they got help from their sister developer, HAL Laboratories, on the designs. Incidentally, Pokémon Stadium was developed under the name of HAL when it was released.
HAL Laboratories' most innovative, unique, creative and incredibly fun game is arguably Super Smash Bros. The ability to use your favorite Nintendo mascots to battle it out and see who's the best just intrigued me when I first heard about the game. The innovative life bar system and little tid bits here and there (use of items, Bonus games) made this game a MUST-have. HAL Laboratories currently only has one known title in development, and that is Super Smash Bros.: Melee. Featuring 14 playable characters, including the Ice Climbers, Bowser, Shiek and Princess Peach along with another 5 secret characters, this game is going to be the perfect sequel to our beloved fighting franchise. Domination and Coin Mode seem like interesting new game modes as well.
-Intelligent Systems-
As I've previously explained, original members of R&D1 were used to form the new 1st-party developer Intelligent Systems. Before the developer was created, Gunpei Yokoi used to lead R&D1. The Metroid series along with Kid Icarus were unbelievable games, but they never got the steam they deserved, being overshadowed by equally good but much more popular titles (R&D4's Miyamoto games). R&D1 was still able to create countless classics, including Balloon Fight and Ice Climbers. R&D1 also created the Fire Emblem series, one of the best RPG franchises that could go up against Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Zelda at the time. Gunpei Yokoi also designed and developed the original Gameboy. When the N64 came along, Intelligent Systems was a lively corporation, having had success with the SNES. However, the death of Gunpei Yokoi and the extreme difficulty the developer faced with the N64's hardware made the company's life hard. Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled, and their only game for the N64 turned out to be Paper Mario. Shunned for its graphics style, people never could appreciate the game until they actually plugged it into their N64's. Although there is no known Gamecube game in development from Intelligent Systems, a Fire Emblem released in both Japan and America would be nice.
-NSTC-
The Digipen Institute is Nintendo's own college geared towards aspiring game designers and programmers. Graduates are sent straight to NOA's inhouse developer, Nintendo Software Technology Corporation. Most of the staff at NSTC is home-brewed and extremely talented. This particular 1st-party developer hasn't done much yet, but they have a promising future. Their only N64 offerings are Pokémon Puzzle League and Ridge Racer 64. NSTC has so far only developed conversions of games, but those conversions are nonetheless of excellent quality. Pokémon Puzzle League was basically a port of Tetris Attack with the Pokémon license, and Ridge Racer 64 was a port of a Playstation Ridge Racer title. However, the Nintendo Difference always prevails. As I've mentioned before, wether it be a new creation or a sequel, each of Nintendo's games are different enough from each other to warrant a purchase. NSTC is showing this once again with their conversion of Wave Race 64 to the Gamecube. Wave Race: Blue Storm looks to provide some of the most graphically impressive physics in a game ever. The watercrafts you use even create their own waves, and dammit... I can't wait to race across tsunami-sized waves.
.,'2nd-Party Developers',.
Just as 1st-party developers create games exclusively for one system, the same goes for 2nd-party developers. However, 2nd-parties aren't necessarily owned wholly by Nintendo, but are commited to its systems through contracts. With approximately 7 2nd-party developers, it seems like Nintendo's 1st-parties are only the icing on the cake. Think about it this way: Rareware, Left Field and Camelot were the only 2nd-parties that gave the N64 support. With around 4 more in this generation, we're going to be getting alot of our second helpings. Bring on dessert, baby...
-Rareware-
As a 2nd-party developer, Rareware developed tons upon TONS of retro classics for the NES. However, before the days of the NES Rare was known as a company called Ultimate. Ultimate was widly praised for their innovative games, but faded away in popularity a little while before the NES was released. Rare was then created as a subsidiary division of Ultimate for the purpose of learning the NES hardware. Rare showed what they could do to Minoru Arakawa, president of NOA, and they immediately turned them into a 2nd-party developer.
Rareware's most beloved franchises have arguably appeared on the SNES. With Battletoads rounding off in 1991, and three other versions of the game (including a Battletoads/Double Dragon hybrid), Rare was at the top of their game. Donkey Kong Country was the first video game to ever use AMC (Advanced Computer-Modelling) graphics, and games like Killer Instinct and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run were equally exciting. When the N64 came, it seemed too good to be true; Rareware was one of the first developers to announce their support to the 64bit system.
At the N64's launch, Rare's first game turned out to be Killer Instinct. With new gameplay modes and whatnot, the difference between the final 64bit version and the arcade version is evidence of the Nintendo Difference. In 1997, three gem games were released on Rareware's part: Goldeneye 007, Diddy Kong Racing and Blast Corps. In 1999, as unfortunate as it may seem, Nintendo and Rare struck a deal with Disney that would have them develop 13 Disney-based titles across all of Nintendo's currently active and future consoles. Mickey's Speedway USA was released in late 2000. As diverse as Rare's lineup already seemed, all this is just icing on the cake. Platforming was rampant talk across the minds of those wacky brits; Donkey Kong 64 was released on the N64 sometime in 1999 and was the first game to ever use the Expansion Pak. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie both met critical acclaim, as well as the pseudo-sequel to Goldeneye 007: Perfect Dark. Other notable titles are Jet Force Jemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Both games, scratch that, all of Rare's games are top notch in quality...
And that quality will not fade away with the release of the GCN gaming system. Perfect Dark 0 (tentative title), Donkey Kong Racing, Star Fox Adventures and Kameo: Elements of Power are all already announced titles for the Gamecube. Conker's Other Bad Day is heavily rumored and should definitely come out on the system; Rare has copyrighted the name COBD. If you'd like to read more of my opinions on behalf of Rare, read this: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10141478&start=10171344 .
-Camelot-
Camelot Software Planning was originally established as a software developer in 1994. Before pledging support towards the N64, the developer had created the Shining Force series on Sega's Saturn game console. Camelot also released Hot Shots Golf for Playstation. Their first N64 title was heavily influenced by their original golf title for the Playstation. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis 64 are some of the most addictive games on Nintendo's 64bit console. So far, the Gamecube offerings of this developer are pretty scarce and unknown at this moment. All we know is that an RPG is in the works, but no information whatsoever has been released about it yet.
-Left Field Studios-
Left Field Studios was founded, just like Camelot Software Planning was, in 1994. The goal of this developer is to create excellent sports titles. Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside and NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant were both excellent games where the latter, the sequel, was not just a game with updated rosters. Left Field added so many little things such as new gameplay modes, facial animations, Kobe moves and updated graphics that you just had to get the new Kobe game. Along with these titles created for the N64, Left Field also created the N64 incarnation of the original NES classic, Excitebike. Excitebike 64 and NBA Courtside were just a testament to Left Field's expertise. Left Field's Gamecube offerings will include 1080 Snowboarding 2 and NBA Courtside 2002. We don't know much about 1080 Snowboarding 2, but NBA Courtside 2002 is shaping up to be a great basketball game. The C-Stick can be pushed in any direction to pass, thus creating limitless possibilities with the intuitive gameplay.
-Silicon Knights-
Everyone already knows about Silicon Knights. In 1998 SK announced that Too Human would be released on Sony's PSX. The game featured absolutely stunning FMV graphics and was to be an innovative RPG that allowed you to buy different body parts for yourself. Your body parts would factor in on how you would complete the game. Depending on what you buy, you could complete the game stealthily, or you could go all out with big guns. Anyway, the title was then cancelled for the PSX when Silicon Knights officially became a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo. The title that made Silicon Knights knowledgeable to the mainstream gamers was Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, released in 1996. Previous notable titles are Cyber Empire, an RPG with real-time battle elements released on the SNES with 5-player support. In 1993, Silicon Knights released a PC title called Dark Legions. It featured online play with the use of a modem and boasted the 'Editor's Choice' honor in the magazine PC Gamer.
Eternal Darkness will be Silicon Knights' first Gamecube title. ED will feature a unique insanity meter that will give off subtle or extreme effects, depending on how insane you are. You could lose all the items in your inventory, only to find out you were only imagining it, or your limbs and torsoe could fall on the ground, only to make you realize you were just way too insane. If you ignore zombies, you get insane, so you're required to kill everybody. Actually, I'd like to just ignore every single zombie when I get the game. I'd imagine how freaking insane I could get. Along with Eternal Darkness, Too Human will also be released on Gamecube, hopefully sometime in 2002. As explained in the above paragraph, Too Human looks to be a very promising title alongside ED.
-Retro Studios-
Another newly acquired 2nd-party, Retro Studios is a Texas-based, fully funded developer boasting some of the best talents in the world. Artists, designers and programmers from Valve Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment, id Software, Looking Glass, EA Canada, Terminal Reality, Origin Systems and even Iguana Entertainment's own Jeff Spangenberg and the creator of Quake have all been recruited as employees for Retro Studios. Originally, Retro had 5 titles in development, including a Twisted Metal-esque game, an RPG with floating islands, Raven Blade, a football game and Metroid Prime. All were cancelled except for Metroid, supposedly because of how important the title is. With Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing development of the game, it just might turn out good. So far, the first-person aspect of the game is looking great. In the 10 second Spaceworld 2001 footage shown thus far, it looked wicked to see Samus lock onto that creature and blow it to bits. But since we know nothing about the 'adventure' in First Person Adventure yet, we cannot make judgements about the game. Hopefully, a decent third-person view will come into play. Using your grappling beam to hang on walls and rolling into a ball will not be overlooked by Retro Studios, given that the early Spaceworld pre-show conference shots showed a third-person view of Samus.
-NDCube & Brownie Brown-
I've put both these developers in one section because we barely know anything about them. What we do know is that NDCube was formed through a joint between a huge advertising agency in Japan, Dentsu, and Nintendo. Thus the name, Nintendo Dentsu Cube. NDCube was founded on March the 1st of 2001. They have developed two GBA games so far: F Zero Maximum Velocity and EZ-Talk. It is rumored that since they developed F Zero for GBA, that they will make a Gamecube incarnation. Brownie Brown is a 2nd-party developer, as is NDCube, made up of ex-Squaresoft employees. They already have atleast one confirmed RPG for the Gamecube, and they are behind the Magical Vacation title for the GBA.
-Factor 5-
Although Factor 5 isn't really a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo, they practically are considering they're currently completely supportive AND loyal to the Nintendo Gamecube. Originally making Playstation ports for LucasArts titles, Factor 5's first N64 game was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Another Star Wars shooter with similar gameplay mechanics was Star Wars: Battle of Naboo. Factor 5 is not only close in that they are a 3rd-party and develop almost exclusively for Nintendo, but they are also the licensers of MusyX surround sound tools for the N64 and Gameboy. Factor 5 will be supplying Nintendo with sound tools for the Gamecube as well.
Factor 5 has two Gamecube titles under development: Thornado and Rogue Leader. Thornado is currently on the backburner until Rogue Leader is complete. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is shaping up to be one of the most graphically impressive games ever made. The draw distance in the game is unbelievable and the level of detail in every stage shown thus far is quite the amazing feat. Rogue Leader is running at 15 million polygons per second at 60 frames per second without a hitch on the performance rate. Using the tried, tested and true gameplay formula from original Star Wars shooters developed by Factor 5, Rogue Leader will add upon this with the new D-Pad command features. You can tell your army to attack a certain enemy, retreat and whatnot. Factor 5 is very close to Nintendo, and even closer to LucasArts. We can expect many Star Wars titles to come on the Gamecube, and hopefully more original titles such as Thornado.
With the limited, or lack thereof, 1st and 2nd-party offerings that Sony and Microsoft possess, the ever increasing agressiveness towards snagging 3rd-party exclusives would be hurting Nintendo, if it wasn't for the Nintendo Difference. While Nintendo gets the occasional multiplatform title, the light at the end of the tunnel seems pretty far away, with Resident Evil: 0, Super Monkey Ball and Rogue Leader glowing a dim yellow. Nintendo must show that the Gamecube will be the console with the best exclusive games. The future is bright. Nintendo's current strategy involves growing a considerable market using their existing 1st and 2nd-party franchises, which are almost always guaranteed to sell extremely well. This considerable market share they are trying to grow, as Satoru Iwata commented, will allow 3rd-parties to become more and more interested in Gamecube. This editorial has a couple of goals in mind for the readers; mainly showing them that Nintendo will release a slew of quality exclusive games.
With four 1st-party developers, and a gargantuan amount of 2nd-parties, Nintendo might have their slack cut for themselves this generation. The Nintendo Difference might after all be all the difference Gamecube needs from its competitors to succeed.
.,'1st-Party Developers',.
As almost everyone on these boards know, 3rd-party developers are those who have no necessary commitment to any one console manufacturer. 3rd-parties may develop for any console they wish, and most importantly, the console they feel will rake them in the most cash. After all, making video games is a business as well as a love for many people in the industry. However, the beauty about 1st-party developers is that they are owned by the corresponding console company; they can and will only develop for that company. Nintendo has four 1st-party developers currently under its belt. EAD, HAL Laboratories, Intelligent Systems and NSTC.
-EAD-
Entertainment, Analysis and Development is what EAD stands for. EAD is Nintendo's main inhouse development team, and is comprised of 6 research and development teams. R&D4 is where the console software department resides, and is where Miyamoto-san works. Miyamoto's group are the original creaters of Mario and Zelda. Super Mario Bros., Super Mario World, Super Mario 64, The Legend of Zelda and their respective sequels were each created by EAD. EAD also started their Super Nintendo careers with F Zero and Pilotwings, and continued on with the innovative Super Mario Kart and Super Punchout. Star Fox came along soon after, being the first game ever to use polygons after EAD themselves created a 3D chip that merged with cartridges. Stunt Race FX was their last non-sequel based game on the SNES, as Yoshi's Island was the last game created for Super Nintendo.
EAD went on to create unique sequels to almost every one of their franchises. The Nintendo Difference is being able to make 5 Zelda titles and 6 Mario titles, each with their own unique ideas, gameplay and level design (The other Mario and Zelda titles, primarily the handhelds, are developed by R&D1, the Gameboy development teams. I'm not going into detail about them in this editorial as this EAD segment is focusing on Shigeru Miyamoto's team). Wave Race 64 and 1080 Snowboarding went on to become new franchises for the Big N, both being created by EAD.
As always, EAD strives for innovation, both with existing franchises and with the creation of new ones. With the Gamecube, both Luigi's Mansion and Pikmin are unique and creative games coming out on and very near launch. Luigi's Mansion is a game about ridding the evil inside of your newly owned house, or should I say ghosts? The gameplay mechanics are intuitive, while boasting realistic physics with the vacuum cleaner. With over 90 rooms, this mystery game with puzzle-esque elements is one I'm sure to get. The latter is a strategy-based game that takes place in a strange garden world. Pikmin is about an astronaut who needs to find the pieces of his broken down ship. By helping the Pikmin, in return they will find him the pieces. In Starcraft, you're the Executor, Magistrate or Cerebrate. In this game, you are the astronaut. Using the C-Stick you can control mulitple Pikmin, and just as in any other strategy game, your groups can reproduce and be upgraded, along with the constructions you can create. A night/day setting adds to the gameplay as well. Pikmin looks like a very promising title.
Mario Sunshine, Marionette, Animal Forest Plus and Legend of Zelda are the only other confirmed titles, while Mario Kart is rumored. Marionette will actually be a puppet strings game by Miyamoto himself, as opposed to the online Mario game we all thought it was. Mario Sunshine we know nothing about and can only speculate on. One thing I like is Miyamoto's delivery of his promise for a more mature Mario. No more victory sign, a suburban setting, and a less doughy body design. The Legend of Zelda for Gamecube I ABSOLUTELY love. Read about my thoughts for this game over here: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10232258&start=10281167 . Animal Forest Plus will be a unique communication game, similar to Project Ego, but with cute graphics to make the game appeal to everyone.
-HAL Laboratories-
Early into the SNES' lifetime, experienced designers and programmers from two of EAD's R&D groups seperated and formed two brand new 1st-party developers: HAL Laboratories and Intelligent Systems. HAL Laboratories was primarily made up from R&D3, who now concentrate on system hardware and tools, and Intelligent Systems was primarily made up from R&D1, who now develops Gameboy software. In 1987, before HAL Laboratories was created, Shigeru Miyamoto and his friend Shigesatoh Itoih developed Earthbound for the NES with a team containing co-workers from R&D3 and R&D4. HAL Laboratories, after becoming its own company, developed Earthbound for the SNES (Mother 2 in Japan, given that the SNES incarnation was the first one that was American-bound). The company is also the mastermind behind the sick and twisted idea of a cute, fat, pink ball of fluff that sucked up his enemies to gain new powers. Kirby was also a franchise created before R&D3 became HAL Laboratories.
During the N64's lifetime, HAL developed Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards, a game that stayed true to the roots of the series. Although still a side-scroller (thankfully), the game added the option of combining abilities to receive new powers, and had some pretty 3-dimensional background graphics. Before Kirby 64 was released, EAD started development on Pokémon Stadium, a HUGELY funded project. Designing 150 whole Pokémon in 3D is no easy task, so they got help from their sister developer, HAL Laboratories, on the designs. Incidentally, Pokémon Stadium was developed under the name of HAL when it was released.
HAL Laboratories' most innovative, unique, creative and incredibly fun game is arguably Super Smash Bros. The ability to use your favorite Nintendo mascots to battle it out and see who's the best just intrigued me when I first heard about the game. The innovative life bar system and little tid bits here and there (use of items, Bonus games) made this game a MUST-have. HAL Laboratories currently only has one known title in development, and that is Super Smash Bros.: Melee. Featuring 14 playable characters, including the Ice Climbers, Bowser, Shiek and Princess Peach along with another 5 secret characters, this game is going to be the perfect sequel to our beloved fighting franchise. Domination and Coin Mode seem like interesting new game modes as well.
-Intelligent Systems-
As I've previously explained, original members of R&D1 were used to form the new 1st-party developer Intelligent Systems. Before the developer was created, Gunpei Yokoi used to lead R&D1. The Metroid series along with Kid Icarus were unbelievable games, but they never got the steam they deserved, being overshadowed by equally good but much more popular titles (R&D4's Miyamoto games). R&D1 was still able to create countless classics, including Balloon Fight and Ice Climbers. R&D1 also created the Fire Emblem series, one of the best RPG franchises that could go up against Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Zelda at the time. Gunpei Yokoi also designed and developed the original Gameboy. When the N64 came along, Intelligent Systems was a lively corporation, having had success with the SNES. However, the death of Gunpei Yokoi and the extreme difficulty the developer faced with the N64's hardware made the company's life hard. Fire Emblem 64 was cancelled, and their only game for the N64 turned out to be Paper Mario. Shunned for its graphics style, people never could appreciate the game until they actually plugged it into their N64's. Although there is no known Gamecube game in development from Intelligent Systems, a Fire Emblem released in both Japan and America would be nice.
-NSTC-
The Digipen Institute is Nintendo's own college geared towards aspiring game designers and programmers. Graduates are sent straight to NOA's inhouse developer, Nintendo Software Technology Corporation. Most of the staff at NSTC is home-brewed and extremely talented. This particular 1st-party developer hasn't done much yet, but they have a promising future. Their only N64 offerings are Pokémon Puzzle League and Ridge Racer 64. NSTC has so far only developed conversions of games, but those conversions are nonetheless of excellent quality. Pokémon Puzzle League was basically a port of Tetris Attack with the Pokémon license, and Ridge Racer 64 was a port of a Playstation Ridge Racer title. However, the Nintendo Difference always prevails. As I've mentioned before, wether it be a new creation or a sequel, each of Nintendo's games are different enough from each other to warrant a purchase. NSTC is showing this once again with their conversion of Wave Race 64 to the Gamecube. Wave Race: Blue Storm looks to provide some of the most graphically impressive physics in a game ever. The watercrafts you use even create their own waves, and dammit... I can't wait to race across tsunami-sized waves.
.,'2nd-Party Developers',.
Just as 1st-party developers create games exclusively for one system, the same goes for 2nd-party developers. However, 2nd-parties aren't necessarily owned wholly by Nintendo, but are commited to its systems through contracts. With approximately 7 2nd-party developers, it seems like Nintendo's 1st-parties are only the icing on the cake. Think about it this way: Rareware, Left Field and Camelot were the only 2nd-parties that gave the N64 support. With around 4 more in this generation, we're going to be getting alot of our second helpings. Bring on dessert, baby...
-Rareware-
As a 2nd-party developer, Rareware developed tons upon TONS of retro classics for the NES. However, before the days of the NES Rare was known as a company called Ultimate. Ultimate was widly praised for their innovative games, but faded away in popularity a little while before the NES was released. Rare was then created as a subsidiary division of Ultimate for the purpose of learning the NES hardware. Rare showed what they could do to Minoru Arakawa, president of NOA, and they immediately turned them into a 2nd-party developer.
Rareware's most beloved franchises have arguably appeared on the SNES. With Battletoads rounding off in 1991, and three other versions of the game (including a Battletoads/Double Dragon hybrid), Rare was at the top of their game. Donkey Kong Country was the first video game to ever use AMC (Advanced Computer-Modelling) graphics, and games like Killer Instinct and Ken Griffey Jr.'s Winning Run were equally exciting. When the N64 came, it seemed too good to be true; Rareware was one of the first developers to announce their support to the 64bit system.
At the N64's launch, Rare's first game turned out to be Killer Instinct. With new gameplay modes and whatnot, the difference between the final 64bit version and the arcade version is evidence of the Nintendo Difference. In 1997, three gem games were released on Rareware's part: Goldeneye 007, Diddy Kong Racing and Blast Corps. In 1999, as unfortunate as it may seem, Nintendo and Rare struck a deal with Disney that would have them develop 13 Disney-based titles across all of Nintendo's currently active and future consoles. Mickey's Speedway USA was released in late 2000. As diverse as Rare's lineup already seemed, all this is just icing on the cake. Platforming was rampant talk across the minds of those wacky brits; Donkey Kong 64 was released on the N64 sometime in 1999 and was the first game to ever use the Expansion Pak. Banjo-Kazooie and Banjo-Tooie both met critical acclaim, as well as the pseudo-sequel to Goldeneye 007: Perfect Dark. Other notable titles are Jet Force Jemini and Conker's Bad Fur Day. Both games, scratch that, all of Rare's games are top notch in quality...
And that quality will not fade away with the release of the GCN gaming system. Perfect Dark 0 (tentative title), Donkey Kong Racing, Star Fox Adventures and Kameo: Elements of Power are all already announced titles for the Gamecube. Conker's Other Bad Day is heavily rumored and should definitely come out on the system; Rare has copyrighted the name COBD. If you'd like to read more of my opinions on behalf of Rare, read this: http://boards.ign.com/message.asp?topic=10141478&start=10171344 .
-Camelot-
Camelot Software Planning was originally established as a software developer in 1994. Before pledging support towards the N64, the developer had created the Shining Force series on Sega's Saturn game console. Camelot also released Hot Shots Golf for Playstation. Their first N64 title was heavily influenced by their original golf title for the Playstation. Mario Golf and Mario Tennis 64 are some of the most addictive games on Nintendo's 64bit console. So far, the Gamecube offerings of this developer are pretty scarce and unknown at this moment. All we know is that an RPG is in the works, but no information whatsoever has been released about it yet.
-Left Field Studios-
Left Field Studios was founded, just like Camelot Software Planning was, in 1994. The goal of this developer is to create excellent sports titles. Kobe Bryant's NBA Courtside and NBA Courtside 2: Featuring Kobe Bryant were both excellent games where the latter, the sequel, was not just a game with updated rosters. Left Field added so many little things such as new gameplay modes, facial animations, Kobe moves and updated graphics that you just had to get the new Kobe game. Along with these titles created for the N64, Left Field also created the N64 incarnation of the original NES classic, Excitebike. Excitebike 64 and NBA Courtside were just a testament to Left Field's expertise. Left Field's Gamecube offerings will include 1080 Snowboarding 2 and NBA Courtside 2002. We don't know much about 1080 Snowboarding 2, but NBA Courtside 2002 is shaping up to be a great basketball game. The C-Stick can be pushed in any direction to pass, thus creating limitless possibilities with the intuitive gameplay.
-Silicon Knights-
Everyone already knows about Silicon Knights. In 1998 SK announced that Too Human would be released on Sony's PSX. The game featured absolutely stunning FMV graphics and was to be an innovative RPG that allowed you to buy different body parts for yourself. Your body parts would factor in on how you would complete the game. Depending on what you buy, you could complete the game stealthily, or you could go all out with big guns. Anyway, the title was then cancelled for the PSX when Silicon Knights officially became a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo. The title that made Silicon Knights knowledgeable to the mainstream gamers was Blood Omen: Legacy of Kain, released in 1996. Previous notable titles are Cyber Empire, an RPG with real-time battle elements released on the SNES with 5-player support. In 1993, Silicon Knights released a PC title called Dark Legions. It featured online play with the use of a modem and boasted the 'Editor's Choice' honor in the magazine PC Gamer.
Eternal Darkness will be Silicon Knights' first Gamecube title. ED will feature a unique insanity meter that will give off subtle or extreme effects, depending on how insane you are. You could lose all the items in your inventory, only to find out you were only imagining it, or your limbs and torsoe could fall on the ground, only to make you realize you were just way too insane. If you ignore zombies, you get insane, so you're required to kill everybody. Actually, I'd like to just ignore every single zombie when I get the game. I'd imagine how freaking insane I could get. Along with Eternal Darkness, Too Human will also be released on Gamecube, hopefully sometime in 2002. As explained in the above paragraph, Too Human looks to be a very promising title alongside ED.
-Retro Studios-
Another newly acquired 2nd-party, Retro Studios is a Texas-based, fully funded developer boasting some of the best talents in the world. Artists, designers and programmers from Valve Entertainment, LucasArts Entertainment, id Software, Looking Glass, EA Canada, Terminal Reality, Origin Systems and even Iguana Entertainment's own Jeff Spangenberg and the creator of Quake have all been recruited as employees for Retro Studios. Originally, Retro had 5 titles in development, including a Twisted Metal-esque game, an RPG with floating islands, Raven Blade, a football game and Metroid Prime. All were cancelled except for Metroid, supposedly because of how important the title is. With Shigeru Miyamoto overseeing development of the game, it just might turn out good. So far, the first-person aspect of the game is looking great. In the 10 second Spaceworld 2001 footage shown thus far, it looked wicked to see Samus lock onto that creature and blow it to bits. But since we know nothing about the 'adventure' in First Person Adventure yet, we cannot make judgements about the game. Hopefully, a decent third-person view will come into play. Using your grappling beam to hang on walls and rolling into a ball will not be overlooked by Retro Studios, given that the early Spaceworld pre-show conference shots showed a third-person view of Samus.
-NDCube & Brownie Brown-
I've put both these developers in one section because we barely know anything about them. What we do know is that NDCube was formed through a joint between a huge advertising agency in Japan, Dentsu, and Nintendo. Thus the name, Nintendo Dentsu Cube. NDCube was founded on March the 1st of 2001. They have developed two GBA games so far: F Zero Maximum Velocity and EZ-Talk. It is rumored that since they developed F Zero for GBA, that they will make a Gamecube incarnation. Brownie Brown is a 2nd-party developer, as is NDCube, made up of ex-Squaresoft employees. They already have atleast one confirmed RPG for the Gamecube, and they are behind the Magical Vacation title for the GBA.
-Factor 5-
Although Factor 5 isn't really a 2nd-party developer for Nintendo, they practically are considering they're currently completely supportive AND loyal to the Nintendo Gamecube. Originally making Playstation ports for LucasArts titles, Factor 5's first N64 game was Star Wars: Rogue Squadron. Another Star Wars shooter with similar gameplay mechanics was Star Wars: Battle of Naboo. Factor 5 is not only close in that they are a 3rd-party and develop almost exclusively for Nintendo, but they are also the licensers of MusyX surround sound tools for the N64 and Gameboy. Factor 5 will be supplying Nintendo with sound tools for the Gamecube as well.
Factor 5 has two Gamecube titles under development: Thornado and Rogue Leader. Thornado is currently on the backburner until Rogue Leader is complete. Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader is shaping up to be one of the most graphically impressive games ever made. The draw distance in the game is unbelievable and the level of detail in every stage shown thus far is quite the amazing feat. Rogue Leader is running at 15 million polygons per second at 60 frames per second without a hitch on the performance rate. Using the tried, tested and true gameplay formula from original Star Wars shooters developed by Factor 5, Rogue Leader will add upon this with the new D-Pad command features. You can tell your army to attack a certain enemy, retreat and whatnot. Factor 5 is very close to Nintendo, and even closer to LucasArts. We can expect many Star Wars titles to come on the Gamecube, and hopefully more original titles such as Thornado.