News Analysis

Mecha Godzilla Tokyo Report

Spaced-Out in Space World

Space World: Nintendo Plans Revealed.

The big news for this update is, of course, that Nintendo's seemingly forever-delayed Space World show finally took place last week at the Makuhari Messe conference hall in Chiba prefecture, just outside of Tokyo. Yep, it was the first Nintendo exhibition in Japan since 1997, and as such had a lot to live up to.

Nintendo had a lot to show off at its Space World show in Tokyo. (image and further coverage at the Nintendo corporate web site.)

It happened in the strange context of Nintendo having already announced their next-generation console ('Dolphin'), but insisting on not talking about it, and in fact using the show to launch another big add-on for their existing console (64DD). Indeed, a similar story occurred with the Game Boy, as Nintendo officially announced their next generation handheld system, tentative title "Game Boy 2". It's going to be a 32-bit system (with '4 times the power of Game Boy Color' cited), and will have links to Nintendo's Communication Adaptor to link to mobile phones. However, they didn't show a single game for "Game Boy 2", instead electing to focus on existing Game Boy Color titles. Needless to say, this was a bit strange, but Nintendo has always been somewhat individualistic, and visitors were quite content (some even delighted) to concentrate on the existing titles at the show, of which there were a surprising amount, not to mention quality.

Nintendo also announced the 64DD at the show, which I've covered in previous columns in hardware terms, and it should be available around December 1st. It will possess the capability to download new tracks, characters, and the like for games, which should prove superior to the Dreamcast's current limited 'unlocking' downloads, due to the 64DD’s larger capacity. The 64DD will also boasts multiplayer and spectator modes via the Net, something Sega hasn’t really picked up on successfully yet (Nintendo's earlier experiences with Satellaview for the SNES would seem to indicate they have it in hand). Web browsing and email will also be available. This service will only be offered in Japan, and Nintendo's conservative target sales estimate is 500,000 units.

Kyokin No Doshin, the standout 64DD title discussed previously in this column, is designed by Kazutoshi Iida, formerly of Artdink and famous for the spectacularly original, if very quirky, Aquanaut's Holiday and Tail Of The Sun. I purchased Aquanaut's Holiday just a couple of weeks back, out of genuine interest, and despite the fact that it was painfully early in the PlayStation's life and the graphics are a little ropy, it emanates a brilliant freeform air and is bizarrely engrossing (a sequel has just come out in Japan on PlayStation from Artdink.)

So Kyokin, or Doshin The Giant, is, as previously mentioned, a 'god' game that has remarkably similar gameplay ideas to Peter Molyneux's Black And White. You are a giant on an island, and you can do whatever you want to aid or hinder the people who live on the island, including building houses, deforming terrain, and so on. The Kyojin will grow and grow until reportedly, he’ll be so massive that you'll only be able to see his foot onscreen!

Kyokin No Doshin was one of the outstanding titles at the show. (image courtesy of the Nintendo web site.)

It strikes me that, as essentially a 'god' game, this isn't a particularly Japanese title. Although Populous was quite popular in Japan, in no way may it be considered a mainstream genre. But the game looks very clever in its quirkiness, and makes good use of the 64DD to save your very complex progress, so who knows how well it might do? It's also quite a Nintendo game – very kid-friendly as well as constructive. Hopefully it'll be playable in Japanese, since that's the only way we'll ever get to see it.

Highlights from the other 64DD titles announced and shown were as follows:

F-Zero Expansion Kit, complete with the track editor and extra tracks, is now finally to be made available after having been finished for quite some time. Although F-Zero itself wasn't quite the all-time classic some had hoped for, fans of it will swoon over the expansion, due to its sneaky brilliance.

Paint Studio, which was also introduced, is, none too surprisingly, a paint program. Indeed, if you've seen Mario Paint on the SNES, you'll know what to expect - a simple, very fun paint package with plenty of stencils, Nintendo characters to insert, and pictures to play around with. This program, while simple, fits Nintendo's market perfectly, and is brilliantly executed.

Talent Studio, another productivity center, offers the user the capability of capturing one’s face with the Game Boy Camera and then cleaning up the snapshot and mapping it onto a real-time character. You can then adjust the hair, body shape, and clothes, not to mention the activity the character is performing. It's frivolous, to be certain, but it's quite user-friendly and another 64DD winner.

Japan Pro Golf Tour 64 has a 64DD feature whereby the player can compete in online tournaments and actually win money - wicked! This is the kind of online console interactivity that hasn't yet happened, and it will be a joy when it finally does.

Sim City 64 apparently looked a little disappointing at the show, with low frame rates, but is the first Sim City title to use real 3D (something that Sim City 3000 tried for but opted out of). And you can import your face in from Game Boy and walk around your city, should you want - gimmicky but adorable. The gameplay is almost impossible to mess up - let's just hope the new real-3D issues don't mess up the interface.

Gendai Daisenryaku Ultimate War is a very interesting title from Seta. It's a war simulation that's played very 'straight' and is more or less a strategy game, perhaps comparable to something like Final Fantasy Tactics or Front Mission in the way that its moves are choreographed. It looks very good and can be played over the 64DD network.

Zelda Gaiden for N64 was, of course, very much in evidence. For those in a state of confusion, there is now a separate Zelda title for 64DD that has been announced but not shown (Zelda Ura.) In any case, it seems Zelda Gaiden is a bit darker and more obscure, as well as somewhat more unconventional; however, it still keeps very much to the Zelda universe. It's nice to see that the title won't just be a straight sequel, and that there's been some attempt to alter mood and style, yet another example of Nintendo's attention to detail.

Apparently, Nintendo's Zelda Gaiden has a new look-and-feel to the gameplay, as well as new graphics.

Mario Party 2 was also a big hit at the show, exhibiting all the frivolity and style of Hudsonsoft's initial release, but with tons more classy mini-games (penguin racing, anyone?) to play through. It'll be out in December in Japan, and while differing very little stylistically from the original, there's no question it was a good idea for Hudson/Nintendo to continue along the same lines, considering public reaction.

Excitebike 64 was looking very classy as well, with some of the best graphics yet seen on N64 and the gameplay being kept mercifully arcade-like, incorporating good use of the analog stick. The incorporated track editor was also getting a lot of admiring glances, and the clever 'don’t-overheat-your-turbo' gameplay translated well from the original.

Viewpoint 2064 was a surprise from Sammy at Space World, a 3D sequel to the classic Neo Geo Zaxxon-style isometric shooter. The translation into 3D seems to have been accomplished seamlessly, with graphics outdoing Star Fox 64, and boasting similar gameplay (although without quite as much freedom of movement). This is a title that bears watching.

Super Mario RPG 2, with its paper-thin 2D characters wandering around its cool 3D world, was looking full of character and as much fun as the sadly neglected original, which appeared in the West too late in the SNES's life to achieve mainstream success. It's being done internally at Nintendo by Intelligent Systems, which is also responsible for the top-notch Fire Emblem.

In Super Mario RPG 2, the 2D characters inhabit a 3D world.

Custom Robo was another out-of-the-blue standout, with new developer Noise producing something in-between Carnage Heart and Pokemon with robots. The player builds and then fights your own robots in fast, flashy action sequences, with RPG elements to boot. This is apparently another title to watch, with Nintendo's third-party cultivation again being selective but of exceedingly high quality.

Kirby 64 went over particularly well, what with Kirby’s cult-like popularity in Japan, as opposed to in the West, where he is liked, but considered perhaps somewhat second-tier. At any rate, HAL is taking the lead from products such as Namco's Klonoa in producing this smooth and cartoon-like 2D platformer with a 3D background and the patented 'swallow-enemies-and-spit-them-out' Kirby gameplay that's worked so well in the past.

There were a number of other titles, but these were by far the most interesting.

Rare was showing mainly the same demos it exhibited at E3, but, needless to say, Donkey Kong 64, Jet Force Gemini and especially Perfect Dark were looking tiptop. And Daikatana on N64, anyone? Bet they're having fun keeping up with Ion Storm's game design changes. It's reputedly due February 2000.

Pokemon is very popular. In fact, you probably all know exactly what Pokemon look like. So, instead, Gamasutra.com has decided to treat you to this picture of an emu. Emus actually make quite tasty steaks, in addition to being eccentrically beautiful.

In case you were concerned about a lack of Game Boy coverage from Space World, there were indeed some new titles, but not a massive amount of unseen stuff. Pocket Monster, both Gold and Silver have been covered extensively in previous columns, and are due to be released in November, and were looking great at the show. Indeed, Pokemon took up about a quarter of the exhibition with games and paraphernalia!

The new Zelda game, Fruit Of The Mysterious Tree, had its first proper unveiling, with dungeon-based puzzles similar to the N64 version of Zelda, and the ability to change seasons in the middle of roaming around the game, a feature integral to solving certain puzzles (reminiscent of one of the later levels of Banjo-Kazooie.) Oh yeah, and riding on kangaroos. There's a trilogy of GBC Zelda games forthcoming, and this is just the first – I can't wait.

Just time for some more tidbits - Sega have a new Naomi arcade machine on test in Tokyo called Outtriggers, and surprisingly, it's an arcade first person shooter, not a very Japanese concept. There's a joystick and a trackball for 'mouselook', and you can play 4-player networked, as well as some mean single-player target-practice action. This title hasn't got a lot of press yet, but in a year or so it could end up being Sega's killer application in the West for network play, if it turns out to be as good as early reports suggest. Capcom's Spawn: In The Demon's Hand supports four players simultaneously, too, and early screenshots are ambiguous, but it may also be a Quake-style game (also on Naomi).

Although it happened in the US, the first confirmed Dreamcast version of the heavenly Naomi arcade drive-em-round Crazy Taxi has been shown to journalists. It’s only 50 percent done, and we can't wait for the finished product!

The Japanese Top Ten (week ending August 15th)

Spiraling into the top spot with over a quarter of a million sales in its first week alone, Bandai's infamous SD Gundam license conquers all. This particular PlayStation game is a strategic, tactical title, quite similar to the Ogre Battle series of games (another good point of reference is Final Fantasy Tactics). Anyhow, SD Gundam has plenty of spectacular 3D graphics in the fight scenes, although the action is strictly turn-based. The essential appeal of the super-deformed robot license makes this a big winner in Japan. Odds are it won't get translated for the West, though.

Camelot's golf games also continue to stink up the top spots, although Mario Golf on the N64 does appear to have slid out of the way. Nevertheless, Mario Golf on the Game Boy and Everybody's Golf 2 on the PlayStation are selling serious amounts, and who knows what their forthcoming PlayStation 2 golf title will do at retail when the PSX2 sells through enough units? Millions, I'll wager.

Soul Calibur on Dreamcast hangs around in the Top Ten, and has now sold 200,000 copies, not bad at all. It (along with other strong recent titles such as Seaman and Cool Boarders DC) appears to be propelling Dreamcast console sales, although Sega is still only shipping 20,000 Dreamcasts a week to PlayStation's 25,000 - better, but hardly spectacular.

Finally, it's nice to see the sequel to the quirky but excellent Game Boy title Harvest Moon (by Natsume and also available on SNES and forthcoming on N64) in the Top Ten. The original title had you playing a farmer and needing to do things such as cultivate food and livestock - yep, it really was Sim Farmer. However, it was done in such an endearing way that it really caught on and even gained a cult following in the West. The sequel seems similarly adroit at stylizing hard graft down the farm into a fun console game. What will be next, Sim Office Worker?

Simon Carless is a game designer/project director at a UK games developer. His game credits include design on PC and Playstation titles for (amongst others) Eidos and GT Interactive. He can be contacted at h0l@mono211.com. Simon would like to thank Magic Box, Re:Tokyo, Gamespot, FGNOnline, Core Magazine, and his other Japanese sources for the information that helps to write this column.

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