New President says Nintendo will not repeat GameCube mistakes

In a recent interview with self-serving publication Nintendo Power, new Nintendo President Reggie Fils-Aime admitted that the GameCube was not a huge success, but revealed that Nintendo is aware of the fact, and is not planning on making the same mistakes again with the Wii. He cites the lack of launch titles as the major problem with the GameCube, with a lack of third-party support a close second.

"We have been sharing information and development tools with publishers since very early on in the process. We have communicated to them why it makes sense to develop for the platform, and why it makes business sense to bring their best current franchises and brand-new concepts to the platform," Fils-Aime said.

The Wii made a huge impact at E3 this year, with over 25 games playable after getting inside the Wii chamber. Nintendo is not only going to have a plethora of titles available at launch, there will also be a plethora of game types available. Nintendo has already stated that they will have a lot of 3rd party support, but it's good for Nintendo to state publicly that they made a mistake before, if for no other reason so that we know Nintendo is learning.

Fils-Aime: Nintendo Has Learned from its Mistakes with GCN [GameDaily]

Zelda: Twilight Princess confirmed to utilize the 'Revolution' controller

Shigeru Miyamoto, the creator of many classic Nintendo games, was recently interviewed about some upcoming titles. When asked about the status of Twilight Princess, he stated that one of the most important features is that you can use the 'Revolution' controller when playing the game on the upcoming console. There have been rumors and counter-rumors to whether or not there would be any real differences between playing the game on the GameCube or on the 'Revolution', but this makes it pretty clear.

"I would say that we are progressing well with completing it," says Miyamoto. "And one of the most important features is that, because Revolution can run GameCube software, when you play Twilight Princess on Revolution you can take advantage of the Revolution controller."

The details regarding Twilight Princess are clearing up as we approach E3, where Miyamoto says that much will be revealed. We can hope that this means some actual dates, clarification of what added bonuses are available when playing Twilight Princess on the 'Revolution', along with the official name of the new console.

Miyamoto Confirms Twilight Princess Revolution Controller Use (?) [GAForums]

Ganon returns to the Zelda mythos in Twilight Princess

Character designer, Yoshiyuki Oyama, revealed a few details on Ganon's role in the upcoming, Zelda: Twilight Princess. While he didn't divulge the entire scenario, Oyama-san did reveal that the Zelda development team is "preparing more than you could possibly ever, ever, ever expect…". Sounds like some encouraging words for those who were turned off of the Zelda series with the last release, The Wind Waker. More details are revealed in the interview in Nintendo Power Issue #201.

"And how will my monsters ensure that Twilight Princess is the greatest Zelda game ever? Wait and see. You won't be disappointed." Oyama sure is boasting, but with how much time he has had with this game, I wouldn't be surprised if he makes good on this claim. Additionally, Oyama states he feels enemies have been too easy in the past, and that they will be more challenging in Twilight Princess. He also assures us the bosses will be far more challenging than what we’ve seen before in Zelda games.

I am SOOOOOO happy to hear that. I think a lot of us have been yearning for the next Zelda title to pack a little more in the difficulty department. The ease of enemies/boss fights in recent Zelda games really is my only complaint, but it looks like that is being taken care of.

[via GoNintendo]

The Return of Ganon [The Hylia]

Link is back with a new look and a new quest...

Link is back again with another Gamecube adventure titled The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, though the cute child-like character we saw in his previous Wind Waker excursion is gone. We are left with a significantly more adult and life-like version of the character that should assauge the complaints fans had with the outgoing art style of Wind Waker. On an interesting side note, Nintendo has revealed that this incarnation of Link is not the one found in Ocarina of Time or Wind Waker, but how this Link relates to the others has been left rather inscrutable up to this point.

Kingdom Hearts II Emerges from the Cloaked Shadows

To date, Square Enix has been more tight-lipped about Kingdom Hearts II than government agents are with nuclear armament codes. Finally though, at E3 we got our first taste of what to expect from the highly anticipated sequel to the game that successfully blended Square and Disney characters.

The first thing that everyone will immediately notice is the maturation of Sora, the main protaganist from the first game. He now is sporting some fancy black duds, and doesn't appear quite as child-like as in Kingdom Hearts. The tone of the game has certainly darkened to some degree, as enigmatic cloaked figures were in abundance during movies shown for the game.

Odama crushes classic pinball with a microphone

Upon walking past the Odama booth, the initial impression you get is that it's just another pinball game. A ball is bouncing around the level, creating sounds and animations as key points are hit. Then you notice more movement, and you see that the level is actually a battlefield, with men fighting each other, and all sides being crushed by the Odama ball. Then you stop and take a longer look, to see what else this game has to offer.