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After browsing through a collection of interviews I came across one set just before SEGA’s Gamejam 2. The designer of Virtual Fighter 4 was discussing the Virtual Fighter series and he said something, which I found, quite frankly very odd. He claimed that Virtual Fighter 4 wasn’t appropriate for the Nintendo Gamecube; he then said the Gamecube would more likely feature a game like Virtual Fighter Kids rather than a version of the normal Virtual Fighter series.
Now I will analyze that bit first, oh dear oh dear now the poor man has opened himself to criticism from every major Nintendo fan over the age of ten. What the hell does he mean, Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t suitable for the Gamecube??? So what he is basically saying is that Soul Calibur 2 is and Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t and Nintendo fans don’t deserve a proper 3D beat ‘em up! Now the major worrying part about that was the fact he is more willing to bring Virtual Fighter kids to the Gamecube as opposed to the normal Virtual Fighter series. Technically that isn’t so bad, no offence to the fans of the series but I find Virtual fighter to be, well, crap… and most certainly not as good as Namco’s efforts. Meanwhile Virtual Fighter Kids is a different matter, first appearing on the gone but not forgotten SEGA Saturn Virtual Fighter Kids was an absolute blast, an excellent game far surpassing that of the main series. The problem with this though is the attitude of the developers. Nintendo are making games such as Eternal Darkness, Too Human and Metroid (admittedly all second party) all adult orientated titles, RARE so far are only developing one “children’s” game a game that I will in fact get called Donkey Kong Racing, other titles from them including Perfect Dark 0 can not be classed as a children’s game. So Nintendo are trying very hard to appeal to an older audience but how are they supposed to shake their kiddie image with the public if they can’t even do it with the 3rd party developers???
The man did redeem himself slightly though, he went on to explain that it would be best to release Virtual Fighter Kids first but later release Virtual Fighter (the normal series) as it can “ready” Nintendo owners for the game. Ok now this is different, never before have I heard a developer say this, it is like Silicon Knights saying that we will need to make Eternal Light first so we can ease gamers into Eternal Darkness, what the hell does he mean here? This is open to many interpretations, one being the fact that Nintendo fans may be shocked to play such a violent game on their system, it would be better to release a game similar but not as adult first and then releasing the full version so not to cause quite such a shock. As insane as that may sound, it is what he is basically saying. But then there is the other side of the coin, releasing a title such as this may have a result that developers are unsure about. Nintendo may be making efforts to change their image but they haven’t done barley anything at all yet, and so developers are unsure if an adult title will enjoy any success on the system, Goldeneye was successful but Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a triple AAA brilliant title which went through many stages of advertisement didn’t do nearly as well as it was hoped… so you can understand a developers such as SEGA’s worry about releasing such a title. Meanwhile if they release Virtual Fighter Kids a game that is more likely to sell well first then the chances of success for Virtual Fighter is a lot higher. For example Super Smash Brothers Melee succeeded but will Soul Calibur 2?
Now SEGA redeemed themselves nearly completely a few days later by confirming a Virtual Fighter Gamecube game, Virtual Fighter RPG or Virtual Fighter Quest due in 2003 the 10-year anniversary of the Virtual Striker series. The game will star every character from the Virtual Fighter franchise, which fits nicely with the Virtual Fighter Kids talk. It is an Action-RPG featuring a power meter where players kick with the A-button. The game is being made by the excellent SEGA development team AM2 (the guys behind Shenmue) and in particular Yu Suzuki (the man behind Shenmue), they are also making Beach Spikers, which is a bit like Virtual Tennis. Despite the interview before the show Yu Suzuki explained that Virtual Fighter Quest will not be aimed at children but at everyone, Children and Adults… so a normal Nintendo title then probably more like Kameo than Mario though.
So I should be happy right? WRONG! What I need to know is why developers make games like Nintendo games on a Nintendo console? Sony make very few games and so developers let there minds go wild. On the Gamecube meanwhile everyone is obsessed with making genres Nintendo also make. Look at the collection of platform games on the N64, lets take Rayman, Rocket: Robot on wheels and Tonic Trouble, other than them all being platformers what do they all have in common? They are all from Ubi Soft, why Ubi Soft felt they should make 3 alright Platform games on the N64 is beyond me, Mario, Banjo, Donkey Kong and even Conker are first and second party platform games on the N64, all of them are 10 times what Ubi Soft’s efforts were (ok Rocket: Robot on wheels was realllllllly good) so why did Ubi Soft make a genre of game that is already well established on the N64? Why was it that Acclaim were the only company that had the bravery to try something new on the N64, Shadowman and Turok were excellent N64 titles, they were adult, they included guns and they had no similarity to a Nintendo game (Shadowman may have been called Zelda’s Evil Twin but it in fact was a totally different experience). Now SEGA have gone and confirmed Virtual Striker Quest, and this in my mind is even worse than Virtual Fighter Kids. And why? Well so far I can list Star Fox Adventures, Kameo: Elements of power, Phantasy Star Online edition 1 and 2, Zelda, Resident Evil 0-4 and Code Veronica, Eternal Darkness, Too Human, Final Fantasy games, Galleon, Rune and The Hobbit all Action Adventure games on the Gamecube. Meanwhile for beat ‘em ups I can list Super Smash Brothers Melee. Bloody Roar and Soul Calibur 2. So SEGA get one of the most popular fighting games ever made, something the Gamecube could do with and what do they do? Turn it into an Adventure game, a game Nintendo certainly do not need!
What a stupid move to make, Nintendo fans will get fed up with adventure games eventually, yes Action-Adventure games are good (most of the time anyway) but we still can’t play through 20 or so huge epic adventures. We need more racing games, sports games and Beat ‘em ups to break up the amount of hardcore games (ok so the Gamecube have plenty of sports titles) that we are forced to play. The only thing SEGA could do now to cheer me up is if they announced a Comix Zone sequel on the Gamecube, ah SEGA what about it?
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
(Dringo would like to add that SEGA or any other developer has not announced Virtual Fighter Kids)
Now I will analyze that bit first, oh dear oh dear now the poor man has opened himself to criticism from every major Nintendo fan over the age of ten. What the hell does he mean, Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t suitable for the Gamecube??? So what he is basically saying is that Soul Calibur 2 is and Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t and Nintendo fans don’t deserve a proper 3D beat ‘em up! Now the major worrying part about that was the fact he is more willing to bring Virtual Fighter kids to the Gamecube as opposed to the normal Virtual Fighter series. Technically that isn’t so bad, no offence to the fans of the series but I find Virtual fighter to be, well, crap… and most certainly not as good as Namco’s efforts. Meanwhile Virtual Fighter Kids is a different matter, first appearing on the gone but not forgotten SEGA Saturn Virtual Fighter Kids was an absolute blast, an excellent game far surpassing that of the main series. The problem with this though is the attitude of the developers. Nintendo are making games such as Eternal Darkness, Too Human and Metroid (admittedly all second party) all adult orientated titles, RARE so far are only developing one “children’s” game a game that I will in fact get called Donkey Kong Racing, other titles from them including Perfect Dark 0 can not be classed as a children’s game. So Nintendo are trying very hard to appeal to an older audience but how are they supposed to shake their kiddie image with the public if they can’t even do it with the 3rd party developers???
The man did redeem himself slightly though, he went on to explain that it would be best to release Virtual Fighter Kids first but later release Virtual Fighter (the normal series) as it can “ready” Nintendo owners for the game. Ok now this is different, never before have I heard a developer say this, it is like Silicon Knights saying that we will need to make Eternal Light first so we can ease gamers into Eternal Darkness, what the hell does he mean here? This is open to many interpretations, one being the fact that Nintendo fans may be shocked to play such a violent game on their system, it would be better to release a game similar but not as adult first and then releasing the full version so not to cause quite such a shock. As insane as that may sound, it is what he is basically saying. But then there is the other side of the coin, releasing a title such as this may have a result that developers are unsure about. Nintendo may be making efforts to change their image but they haven’t done barley anything at all yet, and so developers are unsure if an adult title will enjoy any success on the system, Goldeneye was successful but Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a triple AAA brilliant title which went through many stages of advertisement didn’t do nearly as well as it was hoped… so you can understand a developers such as SEGA’s worry about releasing such a title. Meanwhile if they release Virtual Fighter Kids a game that is more likely to sell well first then the chances of success for Virtual Fighter is a lot higher. For example Super Smash Brothers Melee succeeded but will Soul Calibur 2?
Now SEGA redeemed themselves nearly completely a few days later by confirming a Virtual Fighter Gamecube game, Virtual Fighter RPG or Virtual Fighter Quest due in 2003 the 10-year anniversary of the Virtual Striker series. The game will star every character from the Virtual Fighter franchise, which fits nicely with the Virtual Fighter Kids talk. It is an Action-RPG featuring a power meter where players kick with the A-button. The game is being made by the excellent SEGA development team AM2 (the guys behind Shenmue) and in particular Yu Suzuki (the man behind Shenmue), they are also making Beach Spikers, which is a bit like Virtual Tennis. Despite the interview before the show Yu Suzuki explained that Virtual Fighter Quest will not be aimed at children but at everyone, Children and Adults… so a normal Nintendo title then probably more like Kameo than Mario though.
So I should be happy right? WRONG! What I need to know is why developers make games like Nintendo games on a Nintendo console? Sony make very few games and so developers let there minds go wild. On the Gamecube meanwhile everyone is obsessed with making genres Nintendo also make. Look at the collection of platform games on the N64, lets take Rayman, Rocket: Robot on wheels and Tonic Trouble, other than them all being platformers what do they all have in common? They are all from Ubi Soft, why Ubi Soft felt they should make 3 alright Platform games on the N64 is beyond me, Mario, Banjo, Donkey Kong and even Conker are first and second party platform games on the N64, all of them are 10 times what Ubi Soft’s efforts were (ok Rocket: Robot on wheels was realllllllly good) so why did Ubi Soft make a genre of game that is already well established on the N64? Why was it that Acclaim were the only company that had the bravery to try something new on the N64, Shadowman and Turok were excellent N64 titles, they were adult, they included guns and they had no similarity to a Nintendo game (Shadowman may have been called Zelda’s Evil Twin but it in fact was a totally different experience). Now SEGA have gone and confirmed Virtual Striker Quest, and this in my mind is even worse than Virtual Fighter Kids. And why? Well so far I can list Star Fox Adventures, Kameo: Elements of power, Phantasy Star Online edition 1 and 2, Zelda, Resident Evil 0-4 and Code Veronica, Eternal Darkness, Too Human, Final Fantasy games, Galleon, Rune and The Hobbit all Action Adventure games on the Gamecube. Meanwhile for beat ‘em ups I can list Super Smash Brothers Melee. Bloody Roar and Soul Calibur 2. So SEGA get one of the most popular fighting games ever made, something the Gamecube could do with and what do they do? Turn it into an Adventure game, a game Nintendo certainly do not need!
What a stupid move to make, Nintendo fans will get fed up with adventure games eventually, yes Action-Adventure games are good (most of the time anyway) but we still can’t play through 20 or so huge epic adventures. We need more racing games, sports games and Beat ‘em ups to break up the amount of hardcore games (ok so the Gamecube have plenty of sports titles) that we are forced to play. The only thing SEGA could do now to cheer me up is if they announced a Comix Zone sequel on the Gamecube, ah SEGA what about it?
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
(Dringo would like to add that SEGA or any other developer has not announced Virtual Fighter Kids)
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So what you are saying is that Virtual Fighter is a style of game not on the Gamecube and because of this the developer isn't making it... i rest my case.
Dringo, Virtual Fighter is a SLOW, BORING, PRECISE game that only people who are really into hardcore fighters will buy.
With Sould Calibur there's loads of modes, and even an ameteur can get straight into it! Button bashing works!
Sonic
With Sould Calibur there's loads of modes, and even an ameteur can get straight into it! Button bashing works!
Sonic
===SONICRAV---> wrote:
> I agree completely with Suzuki-san's comments (I assume that's who you were
> quoting?).
Yep
So, what should Sega do? Clearly if
> they release the VF series it'll flop on the Western GC demographic. SO why not
> release an in-between game- VF Kids- that is easy to get into, fun, fast and
> just FUN FUN FUN!
But childish and more to the point why will VF flop? It will be one of very few fighting games on the system... fans of smash brothers and soul calibur 2 will be sure to lap it up.
> I agree completely with Suzuki-san's comments (I assume that's who you were
> quoting?).
Yep
So, what should Sega do? Clearly if
> they release the VF series it'll flop on the Western GC demographic. SO why not
> release an in-between game- VF Kids- that is easy to get into, fun, fast and
> just FUN FUN FUN!
But childish and more to the point why will VF flop? It will be one of very few fighting games on the system... fans of smash brothers and soul calibur 2 will be sure to lap it up.
First Sonic:
VF is an Arcade game, it should be easy to get into, i know VF3 was. And anyway why does he say that Virtual Fighter kids will get Gamecube owners ready for the normal game! Shiguru Miyamoto says that developers can develop what they feel appropriate for some reason they feel it to be games for younger people and we are hoping to change that.
Second Ortega:
Ridge Racer is no where near as good as Gran Turismo but still damn good. On the PS2 it will be second best always and on the Gamecube it will be the must have driving sim on the system which every Nintendo driving fan will get... unlike the Playstation... That is a poor example as it is now a multi-format game but if more developers made beat 'em ups, Driving sims etc... for the Gamecube then they wouldn't have much competition on that system. Making that game very big indeed.
VF is an Arcade game, it should be easy to get into, i know VF3 was. And anyway why does he say that Virtual Fighter kids will get Gamecube owners ready for the normal game! Shiguru Miyamoto says that developers can develop what they feel appropriate for some reason they feel it to be games for younger people and we are hoping to change that.
Second Ortega:
Ridge Racer is no where near as good as Gran Turismo but still damn good. On the PS2 it will be second best always and on the Gamecube it will be the must have driving sim on the system which every Nintendo driving fan will get... unlike the Playstation... That is a poor example as it is now a multi-format game but if more developers made beat 'em ups, Driving sims etc... for the Gamecube then they wouldn't have much competition on that system. Making that game very big indeed.
Dringo wrote:
> I just believe developers need a new attitude, surly a realistic driving game
> will do well on the cube as we dont have any, so why do developers keep sticking
> them on the Playstation.... IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE!
Maybe becasue there are 20 Million+ PS2s in circulation...
> I just believe developers need a new attitude, surly a realistic driving game
> will do well on the cube as we dont have any, so why do developers keep sticking
> them on the Playstation.... IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE!
Maybe becasue there are 20 Million+ PS2s in circulation...
I agree completely with Suzuki-san's comments (I assume that's who you were quoting?).
The reason is certainly not that the GC is a kids console, but that Virtua Fighter is an EXTREMELY hardcore fighting game. Unlike almost every other game on the planet, you can't play the game as a novice, and then get better and better- you can only be an expert (If you've played it, I though you'll agree that it's not your classic fast paced fighter).
Now, I have just read a quote that Nintendo gives to ALL their licenced GC developers. They want game released to be "suitable for a Nintendo console". This does not mean kiddy or cute... it means fun, playable and easy to get into. That's what Miyamoto-san has been quoted as saying.
So, what should Sega do? Clearly if they release the VF series it'll flop on the Western GC demographic. SO why not release an in-between game- VF Kids- that is easy to get into, fun, fast and jsut FUN FUN FUN!
Sonic
The reason is certainly not that the GC is a kids console, but that Virtua Fighter is an EXTREMELY hardcore fighting game. Unlike almost every other game on the planet, you can't play the game as a novice, and then get better and better- you can only be an expert (If you've played it, I though you'll agree that it's not your classic fast paced fighter).
Now, I have just read a quote that Nintendo gives to ALL their licenced GC developers. They want game released to be "suitable for a Nintendo console". This does not mean kiddy or cute... it means fun, playable and easy to get into. That's what Miyamoto-san has been quoted as saying.
So, what should Sega do? Clearly if they release the VF series it'll flop on the Western GC demographic. SO why not release an in-between game- VF Kids- that is easy to get into, fun, fast and jsut FUN FUN FUN!
Sonic
I just believe developers need a new attitude, surly a realistic driving game will do well on the cube as we dont have any, so why do developers keep sticking them on the Playstation.... IT DOESNT MAKE SENSE!
Nice large and interesting post there, Dringo.
I agree that Ninty fans will get bored of adventure games in the months to come, and we don't want to see the GC crammed with them. Hopefully developers like Acclaim will step forward, like they have done in the past, and make a new and exciting platform for other companies to follow, and then we could see what would happen from there on.
But the problem there is, are there any new types of gaming that they could 'bring out' or use? Yes, trying new things in games such as Shadowman and Turok were good first time, but if it was tried again, would it work?
I'm not sure if gamers will be playing games other than the games we have now in the next 10 years, but as you say....
Here's to the future. :D
AJ.
I agree that Ninty fans will get bored of adventure games in the months to come, and we don't want to see the GC crammed with them. Hopefully developers like Acclaim will step forward, like they have done in the past, and make a new and exciting platform for other companies to follow, and then we could see what would happen from there on.
But the problem there is, are there any new types of gaming that they could 'bring out' or use? Yes, trying new things in games such as Shadowman and Turok were good first time, but if it was tried again, would it work?
I'm not sure if gamers will be playing games other than the games we have now in the next 10 years, but as you say....
Here's to the future. :D
AJ.
After browsing through a collection of interviews I came across one set just before SEGA’s Gamejam 2. The designer of Virtual Fighter 4 was discussing the Virtual Fighter series and he said something, which I found, quite frankly very odd. He claimed that Virtual Fighter 4 wasn’t appropriate for the Nintendo Gamecube; he then said the Gamecube would more likely feature a game like Virtual Fighter Kids rather than a version of the normal Virtual Fighter series.
Now I will analyze that bit first, oh dear oh dear now the poor man has opened himself to criticism from every major Nintendo fan over the age of ten. What the hell does he mean, Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t suitable for the Gamecube??? So what he is basically saying is that Soul Calibur 2 is and Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t and Nintendo fans don’t deserve a proper 3D beat ‘em up! Now the major worrying part about that was the fact he is more willing to bring Virtual Fighter kids to the Gamecube as opposed to the normal Virtual Fighter series. Technically that isn’t so bad, no offence to the fans of the series but I find Virtual fighter to be, well, crap… and most certainly not as good as Namco’s efforts. Meanwhile Virtual Fighter Kids is a different matter, first appearing on the gone but not forgotten SEGA Saturn Virtual Fighter Kids was an absolute blast, an excellent game far surpassing that of the main series. The problem with this though is the attitude of the developers. Nintendo are making games such as Eternal Darkness, Too Human and Metroid (admittedly all second party) all adult orientated titles, RARE so far are only developing one “children’s” game a game that I will in fact get called Donkey Kong Racing, other titles from them including Perfect Dark 0 can not be classed as a children’s game. So Nintendo are trying very hard to appeal to an older audience but how are they supposed to shake their kiddie image with the public if they can’t even do it with the 3rd party developers???
The man did redeem himself slightly though, he went on to explain that it would be best to release Virtual Fighter Kids first but later release Virtual Fighter (the normal series) as it can “ready” Nintendo owners for the game. Ok now this is different, never before have I heard a developer say this, it is like Silicon Knights saying that we will need to make Eternal Light first so we can ease gamers into Eternal Darkness, what the hell does he mean here? This is open to many interpretations, one being the fact that Nintendo fans may be shocked to play such a violent game on their system, it would be better to release a game similar but not as adult first and then releasing the full version so not to cause quite such a shock. As insane as that may sound, it is what he is basically saying. But then there is the other side of the coin, releasing a title such as this may have a result that developers are unsure about. Nintendo may be making efforts to change their image but they haven’t done barley anything at all yet, and so developers are unsure if an adult title will enjoy any success on the system, Goldeneye was successful but Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a triple AAA brilliant title which went through many stages of advertisement didn’t do nearly as well as it was hoped… so you can understand a developers such as SEGA’s worry about releasing such a title. Meanwhile if they release Virtual Fighter Kids a game that is more likely to sell well first then the chances of success for Virtual Fighter is a lot higher. For example Super Smash Brothers Melee succeeded but will Soul Calibur 2?
Now SEGA redeemed themselves nearly completely a few days later by confirming a Virtual Fighter Gamecube game, Virtual Fighter RPG or Virtual Fighter Quest due in 2003 the 10-year anniversary of the Virtual Striker series. The game will star every character from the Virtual Fighter franchise, which fits nicely with the Virtual Fighter Kids talk. It is an Action-RPG featuring a power meter where players kick with the A-button. The game is being made by the excellent SEGA development team AM2 (the guys behind Shenmue) and in particular Yu Suzuki (the man behind Shenmue), they are also making Beach Spikers, which is a bit like Virtual Tennis. Despite the interview before the show Yu Suzuki explained that Virtual Fighter Quest will not be aimed at children but at everyone, Children and Adults… so a normal Nintendo title then probably more like Kameo than Mario though.
So I should be happy right? WRONG! What I need to know is why developers make games like Nintendo games on a Nintendo console? Sony make very few games and so developers let there minds go wild. On the Gamecube meanwhile everyone is obsessed with making genres Nintendo also make. Look at the collection of platform games on the N64, lets take Rayman, Rocket: Robot on wheels and Tonic Trouble, other than them all being platformers what do they all have in common? They are all from Ubi Soft, why Ubi Soft felt they should make 3 alright Platform games on the N64 is beyond me, Mario, Banjo, Donkey Kong and even Conker are first and second party platform games on the N64, all of them are 10 times what Ubi Soft’s efforts were (ok Rocket: Robot on wheels was realllllllly good) so why did Ubi Soft make a genre of game that is already well established on the N64? Why was it that Acclaim were the only company that had the bravery to try something new on the N64, Shadowman and Turok were excellent N64 titles, they were adult, they included guns and they had no similarity to a Nintendo game (Shadowman may have been called Zelda’s Evil Twin but it in fact was a totally different experience). Now SEGA have gone and confirmed Virtual Striker Quest, and this in my mind is even worse than Virtual Fighter Kids. And why? Well so far I can list Star Fox Adventures, Kameo: Elements of power, Phantasy Star Online edition 1 and 2, Zelda, Resident Evil 0-4 and Code Veronica, Eternal Darkness, Too Human, Final Fantasy games, Galleon, Rune and The Hobbit all Action Adventure games on the Gamecube. Meanwhile for beat ‘em ups I can list Super Smash Brothers Melee. Bloody Roar and Soul Calibur 2. So SEGA get one of the most popular fighting games ever made, something the Gamecube could do with and what do they do? Turn it into an Adventure game, a game Nintendo certainly do not need!
What a stupid move to make, Nintendo fans will get fed up with adventure games eventually, yes Action-Adventure games are good (most of the time anyway) but we still can’t play through 20 or so huge epic adventures. We need more racing games, sports games and Beat ‘em ups to break up the amount of hardcore games (ok so the Gamecube have plenty of sports titles) that we are forced to play. The only thing SEGA could do now to cheer me up is if they announced a Comix Zone sequel on the Gamecube, ah SEGA what about it?
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
(Dringo would like to add that SEGA or any other developer has not announced Virtual Fighter Kids)
Now I will analyze that bit first, oh dear oh dear now the poor man has opened himself to criticism from every major Nintendo fan over the age of ten. What the hell does he mean, Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t suitable for the Gamecube??? So what he is basically saying is that Soul Calibur 2 is and Virtual Fighter 4 isn’t and Nintendo fans don’t deserve a proper 3D beat ‘em up! Now the major worrying part about that was the fact he is more willing to bring Virtual Fighter kids to the Gamecube as opposed to the normal Virtual Fighter series. Technically that isn’t so bad, no offence to the fans of the series but I find Virtual fighter to be, well, crap… and most certainly not as good as Namco’s efforts. Meanwhile Virtual Fighter Kids is a different matter, first appearing on the gone but not forgotten SEGA Saturn Virtual Fighter Kids was an absolute blast, an excellent game far surpassing that of the main series. The problem with this though is the attitude of the developers. Nintendo are making games such as Eternal Darkness, Too Human and Metroid (admittedly all second party) all adult orientated titles, RARE so far are only developing one “children’s” game a game that I will in fact get called Donkey Kong Racing, other titles from them including Perfect Dark 0 can not be classed as a children’s game. So Nintendo are trying very hard to appeal to an older audience but how are they supposed to shake their kiddie image with the public if they can’t even do it with the 3rd party developers???
The man did redeem himself slightly though, he went on to explain that it would be best to release Virtual Fighter Kids first but later release Virtual Fighter (the normal series) as it can “ready” Nintendo owners for the game. Ok now this is different, never before have I heard a developer say this, it is like Silicon Knights saying that we will need to make Eternal Light first so we can ease gamers into Eternal Darkness, what the hell does he mean here? This is open to many interpretations, one being the fact that Nintendo fans may be shocked to play such a violent game on their system, it would be better to release a game similar but not as adult first and then releasing the full version so not to cause quite such a shock. As insane as that may sound, it is what he is basically saying. But then there is the other side of the coin, releasing a title such as this may have a result that developers are unsure about. Nintendo may be making efforts to change their image but they haven’t done barley anything at all yet, and so developers are unsure if an adult title will enjoy any success on the system, Goldeneye was successful but Conker’s Bad Fur Day, a triple AAA brilliant title which went through many stages of advertisement didn’t do nearly as well as it was hoped… so you can understand a developers such as SEGA’s worry about releasing such a title. Meanwhile if they release Virtual Fighter Kids a game that is more likely to sell well first then the chances of success for Virtual Fighter is a lot higher. For example Super Smash Brothers Melee succeeded but will Soul Calibur 2?
Now SEGA redeemed themselves nearly completely a few days later by confirming a Virtual Fighter Gamecube game, Virtual Fighter RPG or Virtual Fighter Quest due in 2003 the 10-year anniversary of the Virtual Striker series. The game will star every character from the Virtual Fighter franchise, which fits nicely with the Virtual Fighter Kids talk. It is an Action-RPG featuring a power meter where players kick with the A-button. The game is being made by the excellent SEGA development team AM2 (the guys behind Shenmue) and in particular Yu Suzuki (the man behind Shenmue), they are also making Beach Spikers, which is a bit like Virtual Tennis. Despite the interview before the show Yu Suzuki explained that Virtual Fighter Quest will not be aimed at children but at everyone, Children and Adults… so a normal Nintendo title then probably more like Kameo than Mario though.
So I should be happy right? WRONG! What I need to know is why developers make games like Nintendo games on a Nintendo console? Sony make very few games and so developers let there minds go wild. On the Gamecube meanwhile everyone is obsessed with making genres Nintendo also make. Look at the collection of platform games on the N64, lets take Rayman, Rocket: Robot on wheels and Tonic Trouble, other than them all being platformers what do they all have in common? They are all from Ubi Soft, why Ubi Soft felt they should make 3 alright Platform games on the N64 is beyond me, Mario, Banjo, Donkey Kong and even Conker are first and second party platform games on the N64, all of them are 10 times what Ubi Soft’s efforts were (ok Rocket: Robot on wheels was realllllllly good) so why did Ubi Soft make a genre of game that is already well established on the N64? Why was it that Acclaim were the only company that had the bravery to try something new on the N64, Shadowman and Turok were excellent N64 titles, they were adult, they included guns and they had no similarity to a Nintendo game (Shadowman may have been called Zelda’s Evil Twin but it in fact was a totally different experience). Now SEGA have gone and confirmed Virtual Striker Quest, and this in my mind is even worse than Virtual Fighter Kids. And why? Well so far I can list Star Fox Adventures, Kameo: Elements of power, Phantasy Star Online edition 1 and 2, Zelda, Resident Evil 0-4 and Code Veronica, Eternal Darkness, Too Human, Final Fantasy games, Galleon, Rune and The Hobbit all Action Adventure games on the Gamecube. Meanwhile for beat ‘em ups I can list Super Smash Brothers Melee. Bloody Roar and Soul Calibur 2. So SEGA get one of the most popular fighting games ever made, something the Gamecube could do with and what do they do? Turn it into an Adventure game, a game Nintendo certainly do not need!
What a stupid move to make, Nintendo fans will get fed up with adventure games eventually, yes Action-Adventure games are good (most of the time anyway) but we still can’t play through 20 or so huge epic adventures. We need more racing games, sports games and Beat ‘em ups to break up the amount of hardcore games (ok so the Gamecube have plenty of sports titles) that we are forced to play. The only thing SEGA could do now to cheer me up is if they announced a Comix Zone sequel on the Gamecube, ah SEGA what about it?
Here’s to the future
Dringo.
(Dringo would like to add that SEGA or any other developer has not announced Virtual Fighter Kids)
Page: