This week marked two big events in the technology industry. The iPad 2 was revealed, and the iPad 3 was revealed game developers conference (GDC). Don't know about the GDC? Well, to put it simply any professional in the field of game development shows up to discuss game development, design tools, audio, networking, and technologies and more. It's kind of like the prequel to E3. The week long conference is heading into it's fourth day, but already we've seen some pretty interesting stuff.
Super Mario 3DS
Super Mario 3DS temporary logo, courtesy of IGN
We all knew that at some point early on, Mario would make his way to the 3DS so this announcement came as no surprise. Still, four screenshots were debuted at the conference displaying the new Mario game which in analysis by [IGN] appear to be throwbacks to Super Mario Bros. 3 which, in my opinion would be pretty awesome if that were the case. There was no playable content and no videos available, not even a release date in sight, but I think I can safely say that Nintendo will want this released as soon as possible to ride their latest handheld into the world. Below is a shot of Mario himself in all his glory, reminiscent of Super Mario Galaxy. Super Mario 3DS is meant to be almost just as expansive Galaxy was, which is great for 3DS owners looking for a large adventure with a familiar face. Considering that the original DS was launched with Super Mario 64 DS, which was the original Mario adventure that added the third dimension, we can only hope that fleshing out this dimension with the 3DS glasses-less technology will be even better.
The portable plumber has never looked better
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Link's upcoming adventure which was revealed two years back with nothing but some intriguing art, is set to be released this year for the Wii. When? You'll probably have to hold your breath for an actual release date announcement, but I'm hoping that it will be before November. Nintendo was kind of enough to at least give us something to nibble on before E3 (and hopefully a release date) this June at GDC. Check out the new trailer for Skyward Sword below.
I've heard a lot from different people about how this Zelda title may be like Wind Waker was to some. We get shown some stuff about it, and then things get completely revamped when the game is actually released. I'm all for that if it is the case since I loved Wind Waker, I may even go play it right now. While Link does not appear to be as cartoony as in Wind Waker, the colors do seem brighter and reminiscent of the change from Majora's Mask to WW. It's also interesting to note the initial shot of the logo, which appears to have moss grown over the traditional Hylian crest. Could this mean Hyrule has been lost and decayed? Who knows. I don't care as long as it's released this year.
Uncharted NGP
It's better than cleaning a chain chomp
The NGP, also know as the PSP2 got a lot of show this week at GDC as well. Hands on impressions back up those from January when it was originally announced. A portable powerhouse capable of bringing big franchises like Uncharted on the road, the NGP holds hope for Drake's New Fortune. Uncharted Portable is not being made by Naughty Dog this time around which should make things interesting, but from what was shown at GDC, there could be hope, or there could be reason to be afraid. For one, the touch controls were shown off to show Drake jumping over a log, causing the player to stop and flick the screen, an annoying thing to do when you're running away from some bad guys. On the other hand, using the touch controls to make etchings of hieroglyphics and seems pretty cool. Almost something you'd see on the DS. Another element that was demoed was the six-axis control used when swinging Drake from vine to vine by rocking the NGP. Here's hoping they keep the elements used for Drake's journal and the vine swinging, but take out annoying stuff like flicking the screen to move Drake over obstacles, that could get old very quick. I'm also not opposed to just leaving most of the controls to what they were in the PS3 versions. We have two thumbsticks, and the rear touch pad can be used to map L2 and R2. Either way, I'm excited for whatever adventure of Drake's that goes portable.
Infamous 2
And then there wasInfamous 2. The game that had its released date moved forward and back quite a few times since the end of last year, but is finally getting a release date June 7. So what was shown off at GDC? Following a newly released trailer, Infamous 2's Mission Creator was unveiled. Mission Creator allows players to create missions, I know completely straightforward, but what exactly does this mean for players? Well, you can place bad guys, objects, and challenges all over the new city of New Marais, a New Orleans inspired city of the south. You know all of those missions you could do in the first like escort, shoot and destroy, and those race types? Now you can create them, plus more modes like Survival, Shooting Gallery, and Obstacle Course.
In many ways this is familiar to those who have played LittleBigPlanet or LittleBigPlanet2. You're given editing tools to place enemies, obstacles, what have you, and once you're done you can upload it to the network and share it with everyone else. It seems like a cool idea that hasn't really been done in an open world type game like this. I for one will be looking forward to making some truly evil obstacle courses.
So there you have it. And that is just a taste of what's going on at GDC this week. Want more? Head over to IGN or your other favorite video game website, maybe Kotaku, because I'm sure they will be covering it. Stay tuned for more updates here too.
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