Official Nintendo Magazine UK Goes Hands-on with Revolution
by Shawn White (02/16/06)

In the latest issue of the United Kingdom's Official Nintendo Magazine, an extensive article was provided which contained tidbits of information, as well as developer commentary regarding Nintendo's next-generation console, code-named the Nintendo Revolution.

For one, the article revealed that Revolution's stand acts as a power supply for the console. Also, the size of the prototype machine--three standard DVD cases stacked on top of one another--stands as the near final dimensions of the finished product.

In addition, "Revolution is still a code name. Nintendo is reserving the right to change it when it formally announces the console." The article also confirmed that iterations of Animal Crossing, Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles, Super Smash Bros. and Super Mario are progressing in their development. With more than three quarters of Nintendo's development resources being allocated to Revolution and DS projects, the magazine went so far as to say, "expect to be amazed when they finally reveal the first [Revolution] titles."

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was mentioned, as was the possibility of incorporating Revolution controller functionality into the game. The article stated that the title is indeed planned for GameCube, and that although the notion of adding extra code to make it work with the new controller sounds promising, the development team is being tight-lipped for the moment. However, it was mentioned that more Twilight Princess information would be revealed in the next edition of the magazine.

The authors of the article were allowed to use the Revolution's controller in various demos showcased to the press on earlier occasions. However, one seemingly new demo was a basic basketball simulation. According to the article:

"A Revolution basketball court has no players, just a ball the size of a space hopper and two tempting baskets. One button on the controller creates a dimple in the surface of the court. Make one next to the ball, and it will roll into it - drag the dimple round the court and the ball will follow it round. The other button pops up a bump into the court - make one under the ball and it'sll pop into the air, and hopefuly into the basket. It may look nothing like any basketball match we've ever seen, but head-to-head it's instand and absorbing fun, perfectly representing the pace and quick-thinking of the real thing."

In addition to the hands-on time, various development figures from Capcom provided their insight on Revolution and their potential projects for the system.

When asked if Viewtiful Joe might be a character in the next Super Smash Bros., President of Clover Studios Atsushi Inaba responded, "Nintendo haven't asked me but if they did put him in the game I'd be a very happy man! I guess we'll have to see what Mr. Sakurai says, but knowing that people are thinking about that kind of collaboration makes me very happy."

In regards to a new Viewtiful Joe title on the Revolution, Inaba stated, "The Revolution controller is unlike the DS touch screen in that it can actually sense your movements in 3D, as opposed to just 2D on the touch screen. We would have to think about what makes the Joe series work with the Revolution controller and how we could express the VFX powers in new and exciting ways. I'm really interested in it and I'm really looking forward to making a game on Revolution."

When asked if Phoenix Wright would have a Revolution iteration, the game's Producer Minae Matsukawa said, "Unfortunately right now I'm so focused on the French version of Phoenix Wright that I've got all my energy focused on the DS. That being said, the Revolution is definitely a very interesting system and its controller presents a lot of possibilities. I definitely think it would be cool to make a game for it in the future."

The producer and game designer on Megaman Battle Network 5, Takeshi Horinouchi and Tsukasa Takenaka respectively, stated that they could make a first-person Megaman game on Revolution a reality if user demand was high enough.

You can read the full article in the Official Nintendo Magazine, available in selective book stores.

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