News From Lik Sang

2005 was a disappointment for most game publishers. EA's sales were down and their key franchises didn't even come close to meeting expectations. The number of players feeling bored, like they've 'been there done that' with games today continues to grow. Are we heading towards a videogame crash? Or a revolution? Nintendo are betting the farm on the latter, and judging by the sheer excitement gushing through the veins of gamers, we'd say they might be onto a winner!

Where as sequels on the 360 and PS3 feature better graphics and higher resolutions, improved sound and such, behind that new lick of paint is the same game you've already played over, and over, and over again. Simply chopping the cables or changing the shape of a controller won't make it feel any differently, but Nintendo's Revolution however changes the way you play. Be it something completely fresh, or a true new next gen way to play classics like FPS titles, it'll offer countless experiences you've never had before.

Like the rest of the world, here at Lik-Sang we're hanging onto Nintendo's every word for the latest details, and since our Next Gen Round Up back in early October, there's plenty of juicy new facts out. Before we get into them all however, remember we have opened a reservation list without any commitments, and this is the best way to take your place in the line now.

The Games

First lets dive right into the games. While no details on titles have been revealed yet, we do have an ever growing list of names. In addition to that below, Camelot (of Golden Sun fame) are brewing up an RPG, Ubisoft is working on two first person shooters and an action game, and AQ interactive have an action game and a comic licensed title in development. Something from the creator of Wario Ware is also coming up, as is another new title from the producer of Animal Crossing: Wild World, and Metal Gear's Hideo Kojima! These are big names, and we can't wait to see what they come out with when their imaginations run wild.

EA also have some games up their sleeves, and so do Eidos, THQ, Grasshopper (who produced Killer 7), Gearbox (famous for Brothers In Arms), Harmonix (best known for FreQuency), and KOEI (loved for Dynasty Warriors). Confirmed to already be in development are:

• Animal Crossing
• Donkey Kong
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Sequel
• Killing Day
• Mario Kart Sequel
• Mario Paint Sequel
• Metroid Prime 3
• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest
• Possession
• Raid over the River
• Soul Calibur Sequel
• Splinter Cell 4
• Super Mario 128
• Super Smash Bros. Revolution
• The Darkness
• The Legend of Zelda Sequel
• The Simpsons Game
• Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter
• Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell Double Agent

With the Virtual Console system allowing you to download classic games for a small still undecided fee, last time we mentioned how in an interview with Famitsu magazine, Sega's Yuji Naka, head of Sonic Team and Sega's Software R&D said "I hope Sega games will be playable as well." Then late last month Reggie Fils-Aime, chief marketing officer for Nintendo of America mentioned that Sega are "intrigued" by the Virtual Console system, again raising hopes the download library will be even larger than previously thought. While emulation is nothing new for PC, the chance to play these classics how they were meant be played, on your big TV without a keyboard, is music to our ears.

Like with Xbox 360 and PS3, the Revolution will also feature password protected parental controls. When booting a game, it'll check the content rating encoded onto the disc, and if it's above what parents set the console as, there'll be no blood bath for little Billy tonight.

Release Date and Price Point

While the launch price still remains a mystery, at the end of last month, Nintendo President Satoru Iwata stated the Revolution would be priced below the US$ 299 mark. How much less is yet to be seen, but typically Nintendo tries to break even or if possible profit slightly from their hardware, as opposed to Sony and Microsoft which lose big bucks on each machine, then make it back through games and accessories. Most recent estimates suggest an Xbox 360 for example, costs US$ 715 to produce.

Nintendo have stated though that "all the incredible details about Nintendo's upcoming games and hardware" will be revealed at their pre-E3 press conference on May 9th. With that in mind, the Revolution of course won't be released before May. Also of interest, Jim Merrick, Nintendo of Europe's former technical director (now working for Nintendo of America), said how they were aiming for a worldwide launch, covering every region within a 14 week time frame. Then just last month rumors rose that the Revolution would launch in the states at latest around Thanksgiving week, Nov 18th to 24th. Then with the addition of the Revolution to Nintendo of Europe's website, and a "2006" date, this would seem to confirm a ...