Demo 8: First Person Shooting
So, we lied -- not all of the demonstrations were completely crude graphics. For the final demo, the one that most represented how a game might feel with the Revolution controller, Nintendo displayed what was apparently a test by the team at Retro Studios for what they could do with Metroid Prime 3. They stressed it was just a test, quickly thrown together in just a few weeks. For this, the analog control stick peripheral was used. We held it in our left hand to control the forwards, backwards, and side-strafing motions, as well as having access to triggers in back for scanning; meanwhile, the right hand used the main Revolution remote control to behave just like a mouse on a personal computer. It was a very natural application and felt pretty smooth, but since it wasn't a polished game it did feel a bit awkward at times, making us wonder what kind of things a developer could do to calibrate these kinds of controls for users. Nonetheless, the potential is huge for the FPS genre.
A Bold Move
This concluded the demonstrations. At which point a mix of excitement and confusion set in. This is a bold step for Nintendo. It will seemingly exclude the Revolution from a lot of third-party release. They'll all have to be tweaked if they hope to work well at all. So, this creates a rather large uphill battle for supporting the system with a consistent flow of content. However, the exciting part is that most games that are actually made for Revolution will be very unique and that's what Nintendo is aiming for. Unfortunately, as the DS has proven, unique doesn't always equal better gameplay. Nintendo will have a lot to prove when it finally chooses to reveal real, polished software that's supposed to represent how Revolution will play. That is going to be the crux of Revolution entirely, because without a consistently fluid experience, this could also easily be a flash in the pan or something altogether frustrating. We have to wonder how it might be holding your arm in the air for an hour or more, and if that will cause any frustration.
On the flipside, though, the demos set our minds abuzz. It's easy to imagine why Nintendo is so heavily invested in the idea. There is such great potential to do so many unique things. Playing a real-time strategy game like Starcraft would be extremely fluid and intuitive. Mario Party, we're sure you can guess, will finally be a completely new experience. What of Zelda or Mario? No word yet, but imagine swinging your sword in Zelda instead of pressing buttons. Or, in Mario, imagine having to grab blocks and build platforms. Also, since the controller flips on its side to work very much like a NES pad, it would be interesting to mix up gameplay and throw in an old-school challenge.
This doesn't even explore the possibility of accessories. Nintendo wasn't making any announcement, but as an example Miyamoto commented you could hook it up to bongo drums or something else. Everyone agreed a Samba de Amigo would be perfect as well, to which Miyamoto-san confirmed, "Mr. Naka [at Sega] really likes this controller." What if you could use two controllers at once for Fight Night or a new Punch Out? How about if Namco release a gun peripheral for a new Time Crisis, where you moved with the left analog and lifted, aimed, and reloaded your gun as if it was real? The list could go on and on, but we're sure you're already starting to gather your own ideas.
Finally, you'll want to take some time to examine the main remote. We got to handle this prototype, which Nintendo says is pretty close to the final design. It feels very comfortable and, as you can see, looks sleek too. Nintendo was unwilling to comment on what the "Home" button does, but it's likely a place to manage classic games you've downloaded, online games, and hopefully much more. Also, if you're wondering, there's no set limit on the distance one can use the remote yet, but Nintendo has tested it on up to 80"-100" screens and says it works fantastically. It can be used on tubes, LCDs, plasma, projection or any kind of screen because the sensor is connected like a flat antenna under the display. They are still working on the details of what kinds of options users will have for placement. So, there's also no reason HDTV wouldn't work with this technology -- here's hoping Nintendo decides to support it in the final system.
It's all about real games, though. Nintendo itself has always said that it's the software that's most important. We'll take the optimistic side and assume that Nintendo has really nailed the technology. If it has, playing Revolution should be unlike anything else out there. Mario will never be the same. But it's going to be up to these real games -- like Super Smash Bros. -- to prove why this is a revolutionary step and not just a way of being different. At the very least, starting right now, the development community is going to have a lot to think about. Whatever games are on Revolution, are basically guaranteed to provide a totally different experience. And for that, we're beaming with anticipation.
