The new ‘Metroid Prime’ is made for the New 3DS
It’s been eight years coming, but Nintendo has a new Metroid Prime game. However, it’s a little bit unusual — at least that’s what a lot of people (including us) took away from the teaser trailer revealed during E3. The controls look pretty “Metroid”, but where’s Samus? Why are there multiple (albeit color-coded) stocky protagonists? And what the exactly is Metroid Prime: Blast Ball? Armed with questions, 20 minutes playtime on the aforementioned sporting spin on Metroid, we talked (with some translation help) to Nintendo’s Kensuke Tanabe, who heads up development on the Prime series.
What is Metroid Prime: Federation Force?
Kensuke Tanabe: The last game in the Prime series was in 2007. It’s been a while. When I heard about the New 3DS, with the C-stick, it would be ideal for a shooter. I thought: “It’d be great to have a Prime title to launch alongside the new hardware.” In Metroid Prime 2, we included multiplayer, but here we wanted to focus on the co-op aspect. But then, if we have four “Samuses”, that would be odd. And that’s where the Galactic Federation came in. Controlling the game, and in terms of how it feels, it feels like a Metroid Prime game.
“We tried to create a balance with these load-outs that would decide your role in a squad, similar to a role-playing game, with wizards, warriors and healer”
However this time there’s a “load-out” system: players start with a basic mech [the controllable robot suit in Federation Force] But before a mission starts, you can choose what weapons to load into it. There are certain powerful weapons you can bring, like a “super missile” which comes with a heavy weight penalty. We tried to create a balance with these load-outs that would decide your role in a squad, similar to a role-playing game, with wizards, warriors and healers. [As you play, you can collect] mods for these mechs. Even if you fail in a mission, you’ll receive some of these upgrades.
That makes the game sound easier, or at least pretty forgiving. Is aimed towards younger players?
KT: It’s not that we’re directly aiming at a younger audience. In Japan, first-person shooters lack the popularity of other regions. That’s where Blast Ball comes into it… reducing the skill barrier to get into the game for beginners or gamers not typically interested in first-person shooters. That said, the main story will certainly not feel easy!
So it’s not two games?
KT: Federation Force is the focus of the game, while Blast Ball forms a part of the Federation’s the training. Instead of complicated tutorials, it’s an enjoyable way to teach the controls, how to play the main game and to generally improve the skills of beginners.
“If I’m honest, we did look into a Wii U version”
A lot of fans may have been hoping for a Wii U version. Why did it come to the 3DS?
KT: The idea to develop a new Metroid Prime title came along with the New 3DS, with controls suited to the title. Ideally, the plan was for the game to arrive alongside the hardware but, well, it’s a little late! If I’m honest, we did look into a Wii U version. However, we had to consider the resources it would take, what teams to devote for a Wii U game. [It’s worth noting that Nintendo tasked developers Next Level to make the game. The team’s previously worked on both Mario Strikers and Punch-Out!!]
The character design and atmosphere of the trailer seems a little bit different to prior Prime games. What happened?
As far as character design goes, the 3DS screens are relatively small. This means there’s limitations to where cameras can be placed. A tall character or enemy could be difficult to be display, while a stockier character, like the mech, fits the hardware and fits the game better. It makes it better to play. I’ll admit, I thought at the start that it might lose the seriousness of the Metroid Prime series and become a little comical, but once I played it, I believe it delivers on the feel of the other game.
Why hasn’t there been a co-op mode until now?
KT: We tried to fit a multiplayer Metroid game into the DSi, but the power of system was lacking – it didn’t quite work as expected. But with the 3DS we had the power to make that capable.
Is there a specific part of Metroid Prime: Federation Force that you love?
KT: I love all of it! But compared to prior games where you played alone, now you’re fighting alongside others. That offers a different kind of sensation. I’m looking forward to people enjoying Metroid this way. (Oh and of course, you can still play it alone.)
Is there any co-op modes in any other games you’ve particularly enjoyed?
KT: To be honest, while I’m a game maker, I don’t play games that much. I don’t know that many games. Who knows, maybe there are some concepts that overlap. [There’s a pause in conversation] Ah! But there is one thing: I love Splatoon. Now that’s interesting. Even mid-development, it was already fun. The artwork, music, it doesn’t even feel that much like a Nintendo game. My three daughters all take turns playing it all the time.
This interview has been translated, condensed and edited.
Artificial intelligence learns Mario level in just 34 attempts
Perhaps it’s that all the levels have simple, left-to-right objectives, or maybe it’s just that they’re so iconic, but for some reason older Mario games have long been a target for those interested in AI and machine learning. The latest effort is called MarI/O (get it?), and it learned an entire level of Super Mario World in 34 tries.
Unlike other AI programs, MarI/O wasn’t taught anything before jumping into the game — it didn’t even know that the end of the level was to its right — instead, some simple parameters were set. The AI has a “fitness” level, which increases the further right the character reaches, and decreases when moving left. The AI knows that fitness is good, and so, once it figures out that moving right increases that stat, it’s incentivized to continue doing so.
Mirroring actual evolution, MarI/O didn’t actually change its behavior with any forethought. Every generation introduced new ideas, but it was simply trying different things, not doing what it “thought” would work. When an idea was a success, it was remembered, when it wasn’t, it was discarded and learned from. Over the course of 34 evolutionary steps, MarI/O ended up working out jumping though the entire level would do the trick. If its creator Seth Bling were to run it again, the AI would almost certainly find a different, but no less successful path through the level.
This learning style is called NeuroEvolution of Augmenting Topologies (or NEAT, for short), and it’s nothing new, but it’s interesting to see it used so effectively. While it’s a good demo, there’s a long way to go before machine learning like this could ever hope to challenge a more functional algorithm. Check out the A* path-finding bot below, which won a Mario AI competition back in 2009, to see what we mean.
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Nintendo
Via: Holly Brockwell (Twitter)
Source: Seth Bling (YouTube)
ICYMI: Driving like 007, making Super Mario and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Super Mario Maker gets a release date and trial run at Best Buy and Range Rover is developing a smartphone app that allows drivers to steer when they’re outside the car. Also this NAO robot tries to befriend a dog and freaks it out instead.
Plus we wanted to bring you these fun facts we just didn’t have time for: This heartbeat chip tests medicine based on natural rhythms and Russia says it’s building a microwave gun.
Let us know about any cool stories or videos that you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Gaming, Robots, Transportation, Science, Nintendo
The many Amiibo collectors can look forward to not collecting
This one goes out to all the Amiibo collectors. Here’s Nintendo’s delectable and drool-making spread of upcoming, sure-to-be sold out Amiibo on display at its E3 booth. There’s really nothing more to say other than click through the gallery and gaze longingly at a figurine you’ll likely never get your hands on.‘Star Fox Zero’ blasts to Wii U this year
Fox McCloud is coming for your Wii U later this year in Star Fox Zero. Nintendo announced as much during its E3 YouTube broadcast. It has the classic elements you remember (campy dialogue, barrel rolls) with a number of new ones. Namely, transforming vehicles and using the console’s GamePad as your targeting screen. “By using two screens, you can see yourself flying on the TV while shooting enemies below you on the GamePad,” Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto said during his company’s video stream.
He described it as your flatscreen acting as the cinematic camera while the gyro-enabled controller gives you a view of the enemies below. And speaking of that controller, you can use the gyro to move the targeting reticule all around you to spot any enemies that might be on your six. How effective that’ll be — and not to mention how comfortable it’ll be — for long gaming sessions remains to be seen.
The other new addition Miyamoto mentioned was the transforming Arwing. Apparently, changing into different forms (including a two-legged walker) is done with one button and you can go back through cleared levels with different vehicles. It’s something that was in Star Fox 2, the legendary game designer said, but since that title never released it’s here instead.
As for the name? “It’s not part four or part five” and it isn’t a remake, hence “Zero.”
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
‘Skylanders’ opens its world to a Nintendo crossover
Unlike Microsoft or Sony, Nintendo isn’t hosting a big event on the ground at E3 2015. But that doesn’t mean the gaming titan won’t be taking part in this week’s festivities. During a video showcase for E3, the chief of Nintendo North America, Reggie Fils-Aime, revealed a new partnership that will bring the company’s fan-favorite Amiibo characters into the world of Skylanders. The crossover initiative is going to merge two of the most popular toys-to-life series, making it possible to use a Turb Charge Donkey Kong, Barrel Blaster, Hammer Slam Bowser or Cloud Cruiser figurine in either Skylanders games or as an Amiibo — to make them work, all you have to is twist the toys’ base.
The Turbo Charge Donkey Kong and Hammer Slam Bowser are debuting in Activision’s Skylanders Superchargers, which is expected to be released on September 20th for the Wii U. (Spoiler alert: they look like a ball of fun!)
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Nintendo
E3 Streams: ‘The Long Dark,’ ‘Yooka Laylee,’ and more!
E3 2015 is officially underway and the gaming world’s been set ablaze. Xbox One backwards compatibility! A Final Fantasy VII remake for PlayStation 4! There’s also a metric ton of brand new games. JXE Streams is giving you the opportunity to chat directly with the developers from the E3 show floor starting today at 1PM ET. We’re going to have the devs behind The Long Dark, Zodiac, The Banner Saga 2, and Yooka-Laylee live on Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
Where can you watch these streams? Right here in this post! Want to chat with us? Go to Twitch.tv/Joystiq.
If you want to follow along with our E3 streams, here is our complete schedule for Tuesday, June 16th:
1PM ET/10AM PT: The Long Dark with Hinterland Games. A brilliant survival game, The Long Dark was just confirmed for Xbox One.
1:30PM ET/10:30AM PT: Zodiac with Kobojo. Featuring the talents of Final Fantasy Tactics composer Hitoshi Sakamoto and Final Fantasy VII writer Kazushige Nojima, this is a brand new RPG.
2PM ET/11:00AM PT: The Banner Saga 2 with Stoic Studio. The sequel to one of 2014’s most fascinating strategy games.
3PM ET/12PM PT: Yooka-Laylee with Playtonic Games. A spiritual successor to Banjo Kazooie made by many of the former Rare developers behind that series.
[We’re playing all games in 720p via OBS.]
‘Zelda: Tri Force Heroes’ is a multiplayer action game for 3DS
Zelda: Tri Force Heroes is a three-player multiplayer game set in the wonderful world of Hyrule and heading to 3DS this fall. The king of your village seeks a hero to save the day and three brave citizens step forward — you plus two friends or two non-playable characters. In single-player, you can swap between Link and two doll-like characters to complete puzzles, and in all modes, the game features a totem mechanic that stacks all players on top of each other. It’s fairly adorable.
Zelda: Tri Force Heroes features a classic dungeon-conquering layout and “it should appeal to fans of the series,” Nintendo said during its E3 live stream today. Plus, the game features fashion in a tactical way: Buy and equip different clothes for new abilities.
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
‘Hyrule Warriors’ and a new ‘Metroid’ are coming to Nintendo 3DS
Nintendo’s 2015 E3 Direct has just kicked off with great news for 3DS owners: Hyrule Warriors and a new Metroid are on the way. We’d already seen leaks indicating the Koei Tecmo-published Hyrule Warriors would be ported to Nintendo’s dual-screen console, but now we have a release date — first quarter 2016 — and word that additional content from The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker will be included. That latter content will take the form of new characters (like Tetra) and stages pulled from the GameCube title.
As for that new Metroid, well, it’s not quite the Prime reboot we were all hoping for, but it does appear to carry on the legacy. Metroid Prime: Federation Force, developed by Next Level Games, incorporates a four-player co-op mode and should be headed to the 3DS at some point in 2016. The other bit of curious news accompanying Federation Force is the bundling of a separate “sci-fi sports battle” title called Metroid Prime: Blast Ball. Details on both titles were thin, so we’ll have sit tight and wait for Nintendo to share more.
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
‘Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam’ drops on 3DS next spring
The oft-rumored Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam is on its way to 3DS in spring 2016. This is a brand-new game with RPG elements, turn-based combat and Paper Mario inspiration all rolled into one experience. Paper Mario is a generally beloved series within the Mushroom Kingdom universe, as it plays with 2D and 3D elements and bends perspective in a fun way. The first Paper Mario launched in North America in 2001 on the Nintendo 64. Nostalgia, here we come.
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
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