Katamari Damacy Creator Critical of Revolution Controller

[Dregun]

Nintendo is banking on becoming the "other" console for those who will already own a PS3 or XBOX 360. Third party development is going to be almost non existant, in turn making the Cube look like a success in the previous generation. Nintendo can bank as much as they want on a gimick controller its thier company and people will buy anything they release because its "Nintendo".

The video game industry has evloved but Nintendo seems to be stuck in the early 90's and lost almost all of thier competive edge. They have stopped trying to be the #1 console and soley focused on profits. While profits are good for a company it doesnt neccessarily mean they sell the best products, in time the profits will fall as consumers give up on brand loyalty. McDonalds makes a lot of profit but that doesnt mean OutBack Steak house serves food of a lower quality, just that McD's is cheaper and people are used to it.

Enjoy what could be the very last Nintendo home console you will ever see, after this generation Nintendo is on its way out of the home sector and struggling to retain the portable sector. How so many people believe this controller is going to make up for the rest of the short commings the Rev has "even" if it is used properly is beyond me.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

Nintendo is banking on becoming the "other" console for those who will already own a PS3 or XBOX 360.

I think they're more banking on being the console that appeals to those people who so far haven't taken to console gaming, the 1+ billion of them. I dunno if they're going to be happy with that approach, but that's more it than wanting ot appeal to existing gamers on another level.

 

[London Geezer]

Katamari Damacy Creator Critical of Revolution Controller

Well, and please don't get me wrong Mr Katamari Damaci Creator, i LOVED, absolutely ADORED Katamari Damaci, one of the most refreshing games EVER. BUT... The control system was a real pain to get used to. Really really awkward at times, even after weeks of nearly continuous playtime.

So, i welcome any (r)evolution in control systems. About bloody time too!

 

[xexuxjy]

Does the 'normal' controller shell come with rev as standard? Be interesting to see how many games make specific use of the controller rather then a 'normal' controller shell. Hope RockStar or whoever bring their table tennis game to the Rev as it does seem a match made in heaven.

 

[Teasy]

I wouldn't expect anything different from a Sony exclusive developer like Keita Takahashi. Though I would have thought he could have come up with better reasoning. I mean controls shouldn't have that much effect on gameplay?.. Can you imagine all the kinds of games we couldnt play if control devices hadn't evolved past a joystick with a single button?

 

[Jabjabs]

The control system was a real pain to get used to. Really really awkward at times, even after weeks of nearly continuous playtime.

For the first hour I was struggling to make it move the way I wanted but after than I realized what a dream it was to use once you did get used to it. I suppose this is what the Rev controller is for. Sure it can be done on a controller easily but for a lot of people it would just be better to have a simple point/tilt system instead.

 

[Fox5]

I more or less agree with him. I'm not convinced a new control method will patently make anything better, infact I think it'll make a lot of things worse (which I think Nintendo realized, because they have their controller shells they are making -- which makes everything okay).

Playing the DS made me realize it even more so... the good games I've played on the DS aren't the ones that really use the stylus (or aren't really fun because of the stylus, but sort of in spite of it), and some of those would likely be better off not using it the little amount they did (castlevania, for example).

Sort of indifferent to the controller, but excited for the other stuff (back catalog and new games). I just hope they consistantly support wide screen! =\

Let's see...I've played and liked...
Wario Ware - good use of the stylus
Super Mario 64 DS - The touch screen with thumb pad attachment thing works well as a virtual control stick.
Ok, rest of the games I've played don't really make use of the stylus at all.

The controller can be gimmicky, or as an actual superior control method, depending on how its used. The touch screen in super mario 64 ds is superior to the dpad, and in some ways superior to an analog stick.

BTW, Katamari Damacy seems like it would be easy to adapt to the Rev controller and have it be superior to the control scheme used in the original. The tank tread controls of the original were not intuitive at all. And I don't see why the creator of Katamari would speak out against a new controller, considering the control scheme of katamari was a big part of the game, they would have just made it controlled with one stick and the katamari would move in whatever direction you pressed and been more like a typical game.

 

[Bobbler]

BTW, Katamari Damacy seems like it would be easy to adapt to the Rev controller and have it be superior to the control scheme used in the original. The tank tread controls of the original were not intuitive at all. And I don't see why the creator of Katamari would speak out against a new controller, considering the control scheme of katamari was a big part of the game, they would have just made it controlled with one stick and the katamari would move in whatever direction you pressed and been more like a typical game.

I don't think he was necessarily speaking out against the Rev controller so much as saying that focusing on it as the source of fun is likely the wrong way to go. Good game design is where fun stems from, not the way its controlled (that's all novelty and it wears off quick, and then it's just another way to control something -- as long as the control method works, you're fine). I thought the KD controls were very intuitive (and so did everyone else I showed the game to), and I don't really see how the controls of the rev controller would make it better -- it'd be a different game and likely wouldn't feel like you're actually pushing the ball, but instead you would be the ball (the analog sticks are almost perfect for the way the game is made and how its displayed). I've yet to hear a control method that uses the rev controller that would actually make it better -- it's easy to say "oh, this game would be great on the rev controller," but it often isn't the case (from hearing people's ideas at least). Sure there might be a few new things that come out of it, but a different way of controlling something != immediately better or more fun games. I'm just glad Nintendo was smart enough to realize that they should have some classical control method as well (GC controllers should work, and the controller shells). Nintendo did it the win-win way (like on the DS -- the games don't have to use the stylus/touch screen, and many don't really).

Regardless, Rev needs to hurry up and come out (so does PS3!). I have 2/5 of my console/handheld purchases done for the next ~5 years, just waiting on the rest now. =\

 

[NANOTEC]

Nintendo is banking on becoming the "other" console for those who will already own a PS3 or XBOX 360. Third party development is going to be almost non existant, in turn making the Cube look like a success in the previous generation. Nintendo can bank as much as they want on a gimick controller its thier company and people will buy anything they release because its "Nintendo".

The video game industry has evloved but Nintendo seems to be stuck in the early 90's and lost almost all of thier competive edge. They have stopped trying to be the #1 console and soley focused on profits. While profits are good for a company it doesnt neccessarily mean they sell the best products, in time the profits will fall as consumers give up on brand loyalty. McDonalds makes a lot of profit but that doesnt mean OutBack Steak house serves food of a lower quality, just that McD's is cheaper and people are used to it.

Enjoy what could be the very last Nintendo home console you will ever see, after this generation Nintendo is on its way out of the home sector and struggling to retain the portable sector. How so many people believe this controller is going to make up for the rest of the short commings the Rev has "even" if it is used properly is beyond me.

Revolution will most likely do much better than GC. I wouldn't be suprised if it sold more than PS3 this Xmas.

 

[sfried]

Third party development is going to be almost non existant...

I find it ironic that you say that, as many third parties have already pledged to support the Revolution.

 

[Fox5]

Revolution will most likely do much better than GC. I wouldn't be suprised if it sold more than PS3 this Xmas.

Most likely due to more being in supply. The low end parts should keep production from being too much of a problem.

 

[NANOTEC]

Most likely due to more being in supply. The low end parts should keep production from being too much of a problem.

Well of course supply will be a factor, but that's not the only factor. Revolution seems to have a lot more momentum going in than GC ever did.

 

[Fox5]

Well of course supply will be a factor, but that's not the only factor. Revolution seems to have a lot more momentum going in than GC ever did.

A lot more momentum? I dunno, Gamecube did seem to have quite a bit, it initially was outselling xbox, had a ton of 3rd party support, and was considered a legitimate contender in the console race, whereas the rev is pretty much considered by everyone to be a 2nd choice console, and I'm not sure if it has the same level of 3rd party support.
Gamecube did lose its initial momentum awfully fast though, and it's surprising how much momentum rev does appear to have considering how badly gamecube fumbled.

 

[NANOTEC]

The fact GC launched a year after PS2 equaled loss of momentum by default.

 

[fearsomepirate]

A lot more momentum? I dunno, Gamecube did seem to have quite a bit, it initially was outselling xbox, had a ton of 3rd party support, and was considered a legitimate contender in the console race, whereas the rev is pretty much considered by everyone to be a 2nd choice console, and I'm not sure if it has the same level of 3rd party support.
Gamecube did lose its initial momentum awfully fast though, and it's surprising how much momentum rev does appear to have considering how badly gamecube fumbled.

Connectivity took Gamecube out behind the barn and shot it in the head. I know I've said it a million times already, but I think it's the best explanation why Xbox took the lead from Cube in 2004. Capcom and EA didn't help, either (porting of the Capcom 5, I mean 4, and the cancellation of Burnout 3 hurt the console a lot).

 

[OtakingGX]

I think connectivity wasn't much of an issue at the beginning of the Gamecube's life cycle, but became one toward the end. The Gamecube did have a lot of momentum early on, then support kind of dried up when EA and Eidos jumped ship.

Nintendo really jumped into online gaming with the DS. I think they decided that instead of trying to cobble an online strategy together with the Gamecube they would prepare one for a product launch and start with connectivity built into the hardware.

 

[Squeak]

What killed GC was the colour purple, simple as that.

There are two badges the pseudo-macho hungry youth of EU and esp. US will avoid at all cost, and that's gay and kiddie.
GC managed to do both at the same time.

Not that I didn't like the colour, my GC is purple. It's fresh and different, but very very ill advised.

That, and the lack of DVD playback of course.

Now someone might add, that it did come in black too. True, but Nintendo should never have allowed the other colour to be associated with the console. It was the official colour and the one in most demo kiosks had.

 

[OtakingGX]

I bought a black Gamecube on launch day. I don't think purple killed the thing at all. If purple killed it, why was it selling stronger than the green and black Xbox at first? EA's sports games didn't sell well on the Gamecube, so EA pulled support for it. I think other developers saw this move and decided to follow suit. That's what killed the Gamecube, no new games coming out.