Article by: Justin Amirkhani
Matt Ryan is the man you turn to when you’ve got a question for Nintendo. Being an official spokesperson for the company he’s the one with all the official answers. We caught up for a brief talk about Nintendo’s holiday line-up, innovating within Nintendo’s core franchises.
Looking at Nintendo's holiday lineup there seems to be a fair amount of repetition among key franchises. Why is it so important for Nintendo to continually revisit the same familiar properties?
Nintendo fans love our franchises, which has been clear since the beginning.
Although it's a classic re-conceptualized, Kid Icarus: Uprising seems to be the only truly fresh experience available for 3DS this holiday from Nintendo. What about the Kid Icarus do you think will satiate 3DS owners who've been starved for new experiences?
The control scheme, rapid pace and combination of air battles and ground battles are a start. But, the AR Cards are going to be a must-have for anyone who owns the game. There are going to be a significant amount of cards out there and we know that fans will want to trade and share what they have been able to accumulate. Also, the multiplayer mode in Kid Icarus: Uprising is something to be very excited about.
Kid Icarus: Uprising
On the Wii side of things a lot of players are looking forward to Skyward Sword and Kirby Returns to Dreamland because they look like classic Nintendo titles. How does Nintendo manage to keep gameplay so classic without rehashing experiences?
The experience that players will get in The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is going to be the best one yet for the series, in my opinion. Continually making strides forward with a series like The Legend of Zelda is essential for that fan base to continue to be happy. We know our Zelda fans want more ‘story’ and this version of the game is going to give them that. Plus some awesome action in the controls and weapon use. Without it needing to be said, any game that we launch in a franchise series will have something new. It’s about having the right balance between what’s new and what’s familiar. Also, it’s about FUN.
With the key Wii releases being iterations on storied properties, many are perplexed why new games like Xeboblade Chronicles and The Last Story still aren't seeing North American release announcements after so much fan pleading. What are the factors keeping Nintendo from giving fans a confirmation? (Both games have been confirmed for Europe in English)
Nintendo thanks its fans for their enthusiasm. We never say “never,” but we can confirm that there are no plans to bring these three games to North America at this time.
