Katamari Creator Critical of Revolution 397
Gamasutra has an article on Keita Takahashi's reaction to the Revolution controller. From the article: "Takahashi commented of the Revolution, which has drawn widespread praise for its underlying concepts from other Eastern and Western designers: 'I'm not really interested in it. I don't think a controller should have that much influence on the enjoyment of games.' He continued: 'I see what [Nintendo is] trying to do, but they're putting such emphasis on the controller; 'Woah, this controller lets you do this!' and I'm thinking - are you messing with us?'"
Re:I doubt it will ever materialize anyway (Score:5, Informative)
Many different gaming magazine writers got to sit down and actually use the controller with demo games. Pretty much every one commented on how flawlessly it worked.
Imagine if the NES had been released with the light gun as the only controller?
That would have been a problem because the light gun had only one function- read in light patterns from the screen. It did nothing else, so programmers would have been able to use that one function in their games.
This is far from a light gun.
(Also, Nintendo has already stated that it is making a "shell" for the controller so it will be more like a conventional one, for the developers and gamers who pussy out.)
Re:Hmm... good opinion (Score:5, Informative)
Re:I think everybody's missing the point (Score:3, Informative)
The Rev controller will (or should) do three similar things... It'll function as a gamepad for standard games, it can be a positional input for 3D games, and it can accept peripherals to act like different controllers altogether. Just because this system has a new fancy controller doesn't mean that every game has to exploit it. I'm pleased that most of the DS games haven't made unnecessary use of the touch screen. Quite a few games are very playable without ever picking up the stylus but those that need it make it an integral part of the game experience.
Re:Criticism Warranted (Score:2, Informative)
Your enjoyment of Katamari has EVERYTHING to do with the controller; in particular the control scheme. The reason why you, as a very busy individual, could sit down and enjoy it was because the interface was simple and intuitive. The number of games and the breadth of design for them allowed by controllers like the Dual Shock is extremely limited though, which is why there aren't a ton of games out there like Katamari.
Nintendo is doing their best to make a control so that the vast majority of games have a simple and intuitive interface. Instead of worrying about what button does what and such matter, you can just sit down and enjoy any game with this sort of interface. So you'll be able to sit down, play Zelda for a half hour or so and have fun. You won't have to fret over complicated and unnatural control schemes.
A new controller can make a huge number of genres become intuitive to play. Compare that to other controllers with 10 buttons and counting, multiple analog sticks, and so forth and you somehow think the controller isn't playing a role?
-Drachasor
PS. And if the controller requires the tiniest modicrum of real physical exersion to use, then it will probably help you live longer and be healthier, while you are having fun. Really though, I don't it is going to be anything that could wear out anyone except those who are severely out of shape.
Something is wrong here. (Score:2, Informative)
I dun get it.
Re:Criticism Warranted (Score:3, Informative)
1) Nintendo is sacrificing its "old" audience (that enjoys adventure games, etc that require time) for a "new" audience (casual gamers).
2) As an adult, you are pressed for time and prefer casual games, and Nintendo is overlooking you.
I think that 1 is more correct than 2, though I don't think it's totally correct. The whole point of the Revolution (and its more-intuitive controller) is to get casual gamers off of Yahoo! games and onto a console. Nintendo knows that casual gamers don't sit down for three-hour FPS sessions. They know that you want to sit down and relax for the 20 minutes you've got while dinner is the oven or whatever. That's what they're planning to deliver, though I don't think that they're going to give up on traditional gamers entirely.
And I'm not just saying this because I hope it's true. They've proven with the DS that they can and will attract the casual gamer audience - titles like Nintendogs, Brain Age, and the new Tetris are all perfectly suited for a person who has 10-30 minutes here and there for gaming. I think the Revolution will have a lot of titles like this, and I think that (like the DS's inventive control system) the controller will facilitate this. It won't happen entirely *because* of the controller, but the controller will help. First, like the DS controls, it will inspire designers to think outside the box of what a video game can be. Then, it will attract casual gamers who use their mouse button to click on card games and find ten buttons too annoying to memorize.
Re:Only on slashdot (Score:2, Informative)
Lot check (Score:2, Informative)
There already is one. It's called the Gamecube controller, and you'll be able to use it with the Revolution.
Unless Nintendo's lot check guidelines require that only GameCube compatible games may use the GameCube controller. This is not without precedent: the GBA hardware accepts a GBC 2-player link cable just fine between two GBAs, but licensees are urged to make their games compatible only with the GBA-GBA multiplayer cable, which is actually slower (half duplex, slower baud rate) than the GBC cable.
Re:I doubt it will ever materialize anyway (Score:3, Informative)
The kind that would release the Virtual Boy.
The kind that would lose a virtual monopoly on the console industry.
Should I go on?
-Eric
Re:Remember who's speaking (Score:3, Informative)
Unless I'm thinking of someone else, I'm pretty sure Keita Takahashi isn't a game designer at all. He doesn't even play games, and never even liked them much. He has said so himself before. He considers himself an artist and he wasn't really even thrilled at the idea of working on video game design, but it was a job that came along and he took it.
I tried to find the interview where he admits this, but I failed. If I'm thinking of someone else, someone feel free to correct me, but I'm pretty sure I'm right. Keita Takahashi. Katamari Damacy. Yeah, same dude, I'm sure of it.
He had a great idea with Katamari Damacy. This doesn't make him a game design genius by any means. He's still too new to the game for anyone to know if he can continually innovate. I'm not saying he won't prove himself, but if I had place value in opinions, Shigeru Miyamoto would win out over Keita Takahashi in my eyes.
And for the record, I love Katamari.
PLEASSEEEEE HELP ME UNDERSTAND. (Score:2, Informative)
The air stick has been out for a good few years.
http://macally.com/spec/usb/input_device/airstick
Re:I doubt it will ever materialize anyway (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Remember who's speaking (Score:3, Informative)
Next time you play, try doing the introductory level where it teaches you the controls, because Katamari doesn't even come close to ignoring all the buttons. Of the thirteen buttons, R3 and L3 are pretty fundamental to the game, as together they switch your direction 180 degrees. R1 and L1 are both used for looking around in different ways. Start pauses, as it does in every game. Select turns on and off vibration. The analog "button" is ignored by every PlayStation game, so Katamari gets no credit there. The face buttons are mostly ignored, but they do use X and Triangle in the level select portion and X and Circle in "Camera Prince" mode (according to the rules, anyway - I never noticed this playing the game). Square, R2 and L2 are also used to see comets, though that is extremely minor.
Not to mention that wiggling the joysticks back and forth to change, and charging farther the faster you manage to do it, is probably the least natural control I've ever experienced outside a fighting game.