I've been scrounging every bit of data I can find, official, rumors, supposed leaks, etc.
For Nintendo, all Nintendo will say is that the system is revolutionary. They say it'll change the way people can play games.
They've also stated it has built in WiFi, built in online play, free online play, and backwards compatability with the GameCube.
As a result, there are more 'leaks' and rumors about the Revolution than any other console...
The latest supposed leak has really caught my attention. It comes from someone claiming to be a developer, called "Aries". I've read almost every bit of information to come from him and he's responded to a number of my questions personally, despite being flooded with dozens of people asking stuff.
Everything he says fits every official statement and most of the supposed leaks I've seen. It fits the companies mentioned, and he names some of the unnamed titles companies are developing (for example, he says he's working on a Vectorman title for Sega. Sega has mentioned they are developing next gen titles, and that one of them is the revival of a classic...that makes sense). The more I hear the more I am convinced he's the real thing.
Here are his first posts (the big ones with the major info). Remember that this was in response to an article where somebody claimed that the Revolution will have 3D goggles with stuff popping out of the screen.
Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 4:41 pm
Here you go:
Brooke got some things right, but much of it is flawed. I don’t know whether he just made up a lot of that stuff, because many of the points have been disproven before. For instance, Game Informer wrote an article on the next generation consoles in which it claims the Revolution’s controller will have one giant touch screen. I’m thinking this is where Brooke got that idea. The Revolution will not have a touch screen. Iwata has stated this before. The controller will be quite normal in the sense that it will have a d-pad and buttons. Like I said, I’m not going to tell you the revolutionary aspect of the system. Nintendo has some cool pre E3 plans for that.
First off, the 3D visuals he mentioned have nothing to do with the system. Nintendo isn’t crazy.
It will also have gyroscopic controls, but like Brooke said, not all the games will use it. For instance, earlier I mentioned Nintendo has a Halo killer in development for the Revolution. This game will use the gyroscopic controls for aiming as wel as other things. Our game isn’t using this function.
The controller will be wireless; he’s right about that. As you also know, the Xbox 360’s controllers will be wireless as well. Where do you think they got this idea? That’s why Nintendo is still trying to determine what to show at E3. From what I’ve heard, they will show the design of the system as well as games. I’ll tell you about the software later though.
The controller will also be pressure sensitive. The pressure you put into it will determine certain things, such as movement. This is another optional capibility. Someone on Nintendo’s board mentioned this months ago. They said that “touching is good, but feeling is better.” This may sound strange, but it provides great controls. Racing games will really be helped by this control setting.
The Nintendo Revolution will also include voice control more advanced than anything seen so far. Nintendogs is just the beginning. To achieve this, Nintendo sent us headsets (similar to ones you can use for Xbox Live) that are wirelessless communicating with the console. Imagine being able to merely call for an airstrike or reload your gun by giving out commands orally. So far, we have put this feature to the test the most; as you can see, I’m excited over this feature.
From a graphical perspective, the Nintendo Revolution is very powerful. Many people seem to think this won’t be the case, but rest assured. The games I saw while working at Nintendo were very beautiful. I’ll tell you about those later.
As Nintendo has stated before, the system will be online. In my eyes, the online system they have set up is the most revolutionary part of the system. While Sony and Microsoft are busy turning their systems into trojan horses for their other electronic devices, Nintendo is going to use the Revolution for direct communication with gamers. The only way I can describe it is as an internet service. Imagine turning it on and checking your mail on the system. You see previews and demos of DS and Revolution games that you can download. A magazine similar to Nintendo Power will be exclusive to the system, and you will be able to access it on the Revolution’s homepage. As you check you mail, you will also see various invitations from gamers on your buddy list who want to play you. There are so many other ways this is going to be used. Once the Revolution comes out, there will be no reason to hang out on message boards. Message boards as well as chat rooms will be available on the Revolution so that gamers can discuss and challenge each other all day. And the best thing is that the entire thing is totally free and easy to use. Why play Madden on Xbox Live when you’ll be able to play it for free on the Revolution with much better services?
That’s all I’m going to reveal for now. There are some very interesting games in the horizon for the Revolution; I’ll talk about them later.
Quote:
Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 5:04 pm
Like Brooke said, console ideas are nothing without good games. Once you see the games, you will understand. I would go as far to say that the Revolution isn’t as revolutionary as Nintendo is saying. It should be called the Nintendo Simplicity, because every aspect I mentioned greatly simplifies the gaming experience. For instance, the pressure sensitive grips on the controller make racing games much easier to control and play. Wave Race (yes, it will be at E3) is going to be very impressive because it will use this function. It will be sort of like controlling a game with one of those stress balls. You squeeze it and you go faster. It’s hard to explain though.
Don’t expect to see too much if any of the controller at E3 though. Nintendo is still trying to decide what to show and what not to show. The games will be revealed, as well as specs and the system design. But the controller is still being considered.
To Jesus: when you see the voice controls, you will be blown away. Go back and watch some sci fi movies with voice controlled vehicles (such as AI or I am Robot).
Quote:
# Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 2:14 pm
You guys are still talking about the 3D angle of that article? Check the date of the patent in question. This has already been used in a game that’s out right now. I would suggest you pay attention to IGN or N-Sider more.
Like I said, I’m going to give out some details on the next gen hardware, especially the Nintendo Revolution. You guys already know a lot of information on the Xbox 360; you guys have already seen the specs of the system. Gamespy released them around GDC. I was at GDC, and I’ll fill you in on some stuff that IGN can’t talk about. Specs and details on the Nintendo Revolution were given out to developers during the conference. I can verify that my company as well as EA and Midway received them at GDC. I’m positive other publishers received them as well.
From what I’ve heard, Capcom and Namco are sold on the Revolution and are currently playing around with the development kits. I don’t know whether they are actually making games for it though. I was suprised to hear that Square Soft has a game in development for the Revolution. It will be at E3 as well as some other next gen titles for the PS3.
I’m currently working on a game for the Revolution as well. I can’t guarantee that it will be at E3 though. I think people are going to be very suprised. When I worked with Nintendo, I was able to see the earliest builds of the system. It has come a long way, to say the least. There are a lot of graphics whores out there who feel the Revolution will be a weak system. They will be very suprised come E3. Microsoft is banking on stealing the show, but I think they will be upstaged by Nintendo as well as Sony. It’s going to be very funny to see them trying to get people excited about Perfect Dark 0 when both Nintendo and Sony will be showing off Halo killers.
Quote:
# Aries Says:
April 26th, 2005 at 3:28 pm
I’m not going to share specs with you because they aren’t really that important. I think Iwata said something like that when asked the same question. All three consoles are going to be very powerful, trust me. I’ll give you some information though: it will be more powerful than the Xbox 360. Much more powerful. Many gamers seem to think it will be as powerful as the GBA or something. That isn’t the case at all. From what I saw during my time their as well as our game, it will be very capible.
But having the most powerful console doesn’t guarantee that gamers are going to buy it. Software sells the games. And if that statement holds true next generation, the Nintendo Revolution will be very popular.
In my next post I will “spill the beans” on everything I know about the Revolution. I’ll give you some hints though. All the rumors out there are not mere rumors. Some are planted by people who are working on the consoles. In fact, Nintendo is doing this right now with the information they’ve released on the Revolution. You are going to see why Nintendo hasn’t just come out and said confirmed that the Revolution is going to be very powerful. You’re going to be punk’d by them in a couple weeks. Pay attention to the boards, especially Nintendo’s board. It’s much better than OurColony.
Aries Says:
April 27th, 2005 at 6:10 am
3rd party information:
EA is playing around with the Revolution’s capibilities, implementing them into another Madden game. This isn’t really news though. From what I’ve heard, they are really going out of their way to make this more than just a port. Voice controls are being used to the max in this title. Calling out audibles will be used this way. The wireless capibilities of the system are also going to be used. Like I said, there will be no reason to buy Madden for the Xbox 360 when the Revolution version comes out.
Sega is developing three games for the Revolution that should be at E3. I’m not going to reveal too much on what they are up to for obvious reasons. The three games I listed does not include the game we are developing for them. You will be very suprised at what they are doing. I’m sure you have heard of the Xbox 360 title Condemned that they are working on. This game is something that many wouldn’t expect Sega to make; you won’t expect what you will see at E3. The other game they have is a typical, quirky Sega game. It’s very interesting in the sense that it uses all the system’s capibilities.
Zoonami has already given out some hints on what they are working on. I have always felt that Sam Fisher is a much better character than Solid Snake. Zoonami just might have some characters that are better than both of them.
Namco is working on a Revolution game, but I don’t have details on it. I am sure that it is not a Soul Caliber III port. I don’t see why they just won’t add online play and Link and Ganon to the game and release it as a launch title. That would be a very smart move.
Activision is working on some ports for the Revolution. You will see what they have for the Xbox 360 at E3. At least one of these games will be ported to the Revolution for its launch.
On 1st party information:
Like I said, I have seen seven Nintendo titles, some of which will be at E3. When the DS was launced, it had one sub par 1st party game. This will not be the case with the Revolution’s launch. If they were to release all the games I’ve seen at launch, it would easily be the best launch ever for a console.
I can confirm that Nintendo is working on a new, orignal Mario game. In my opinion, the last few Miyamoto games havn’t been that interesting. This will change with this game. Like Mario 64 for the N64, this game will introduce all of the capibilities of the console. It will use the pressure sensitive controls mainly, but the voice controls as well as gyroscopic controls will be used as well. From what I saw, this game will use mini games to introduce many of these schemes. All of these mini games could be released as stand alone games.
A new Super Smash Bros. Melee is in the works as well. This game will demonstrate the online functions of the Revolution. Nintendo has added many new things into the game, included a deeper combat system. Many more special moves are included as well as some very cool suprises. The levels will include some destructible environments, and the characters will be fully customizable. Want to play as Mario in his 80’s outfit? Or would you prefer the 90’s look? It’s your choice. The most innovative part of the game is the different modes. In previous games, you were allowed to play in giant mode, metal mode, small mode, etc. That has changed. You will be able to choose to play in a “Paper” mode (a la Paper Mario), a cel shaded mode (Wind Waker), or Viewtiful Joe-esque mode.
As I said earlier, Retro is working on a Halo killer. This game is going to be one of the best games at E3. In my opinion, StarCraft was the best RTS ever. This game is going to use some similar ideas. In most FPS, you play as a hero trying to save the day. In Retro’s game, they allow you to choose which storyline you want to play, just like StarCraft allows you to play as Terran, Zerg, etc. Biological weapons will play a major part in the game. Imagine fighting in a chemical plant, where toxics are stored everywhere. By shooting them, you emit the toxic. If you get hit by this stuff, many different things may happen. For instance, you may lose sight on the screen, your controls might be inverted or slowed down, etc. Or, if your character gets the fever, the controller might get hot. Very hot. The alien races are very interesting also. You will be able to switch to 3rd person in order to move faster (similar to running in Odd World: Stranger’s Wrath). You will be able to “impregnate” human players by grabbing on to them for a certain amount of time. This will implant a NPC in them, which will burst out at your command, instantly killing the human player. You will then be able to use voice control to command the NPC.
This is his final post for now where he stated why he did all this.
This is going to be my last post for awhile. I would like to thank and apologize to Brooke; he has an amazing site, and I have had a great time here. Outside of some impersonaters and spammers, we haven’t had many problems.
As a Nintendo fan, I hated seeing that few people were hyped for the Revolution. It seemed like everyone was busy talking about the Xbox 360 and “the cell”. This wasn’t fair. So I decided to share some of the information I have on the Revolution. I think this decision has rekindled the hype in the console. Breaking NDAs really wasn’t a concern too me; I just want to see Nintendo become respected in the gaming community again. Although I love many of Sony and Microsoft’s games, there has always been a special place in my heart for Nintendo’s classic game. There will never be a series as acclaimed or respected as The Legend of Zelda. There will never be a video game mascot bigger or more recognizable as Mario. Ocarnia of Time is easily the best game I have ever played; Final Fantasy 7 is a distant second.
I hope that the gaming community will regain more fire and hope as E3 approaches. This is easily going to be the best showing in the expo’s eleven year history. Last year, Reggie really brought out the 16 year old Nintendo fan boy in me; his voice and charisma was contagious. When I think of the future of Nintendo, he is one of the first people that comes to my mind. It’s great to see the company become more of a competitor. The Sega vs. Nintendo battle of the 90’s were amazing, and they really helped the gaming world. I would love to see the gaming world get back to this.
E3 is 15 days away, and I can’t wait to share even more information. I have had a truly great time here. It’s always great to connect to the people who have made the gaming industry what it is today. I look forward to talking more at E3. Until then, I probally won’t be able to post here. Next weekend I might be able to get away, but that’s it. I also hope IGN starts releasing some of their information next week as well. It will be an exciting time for all gamers. Everyone will have something to look forward to. So until E3, I’d like to say goodby to you guys. It’s been fun, and I’d love to do this again.
And here is a summary of his statements one member made.
# Paladin69 Says:
May 1st, 2005 at 8:04 am
I’m going to do a summary of everything that appears to be coming from the real Aries. I typed this out on a different message board so I thought I’d paste it here for you all to read as well…
————————————————————-
I’ll tell ya, I’ve learned more from this brokensaints blog than anything else. You just have to do a lot of CTRL + F to filter out the asshat spammers.
I’m super pumped about the NRev now. Extremely pumped. =-)
I’ve been following what the user under the alias name Aries and what he’s been saying real closely this past week. Hes been nice enough to weed out and quote the crap imposters from the the real deal. Sunday (today) will be his last day answering questions as his week break expires and he’s got to head back to work.
A little history about him, he has been with NOA between 1999 to late 2004…he works with a new developer now who has been involved with NRev development…won’t say who for obvious reasons. He claims to have been in a very good position at NOA to know the things he knows. I believe him personally, because what he’s said hasn’t been really out of the ordinary, aside from a massive new effort by Nintendo to bring gamers online, all the other tidbits he’s given jive with some of the rumors we’ve been hearing.
First off there will be no holographic 3D jumping out of the screen. And surprisingly enough, the Revolution controller won’t be as weird as many of us have been thinking. The controller will contain all of the same buttons that the GameCube has and there will be no touch screen. He says Nintendo isn’t crazy. Game Informer = sack of lies. Also any specs on the web are pure speculation, someone was posing as him giving specs, but they aren’t real. He will say NRev will be more powerful than Xbox 360 but slightly underneith PS3 in terms of power.
As of right now, there is no d-pad which is kind of weird. We know games like Metroid Prime and Wind Waker need it for the backwards compatibility to work. He believes it will be implemented eventually. It’s the development process for how NCL works. I guess at one time he claims the DS didn’t have a d-pad either.
First, what Nintendo thinks to be the “revolutionary” aspect of the system isn’t really all that revolutionary as much as it makes things more “simple”. He said the codename should have been “Nintendo Simplicity”, heh. He won’t leak this, but it has something to do with the game medium and storage medium of the system.
He says someone got it correct but he won’t name who. There has been talk of HVD discs…holographic discs that hold a ton of information…but this is all rumor. And the disc is stationary…the laser actually revolves around the disc…the purpose is to almost completely eliminate load times. Something that will be a huge advantage to Nintendo over Sony and Microsoft. Again, this is all speculation.
Now on to the goods for what are the “supposed” facts. In his personal opinion, what makes the Nintendo Revolution deserving of its’ name are a combination of all the new gameplay features that are being added. Some of these we have heard before. Here we go…
- Gyroscopic control
Retro is working on an all new FPS IP that he claims will be Nintendo’s “Halo Killer”. It will utilize this gyration feature to the fullest for aiming to create a new experience.
- Controller handles contain pressure sensative ball grips.
The amount of pressure applied determines the change in gameplay. He says NST is working on a brand new Wave Race for the NRev launch and it’ll utilize this feature. The tighter the grip, the faster your jetski will go. He also wanted to add that the water effects are phenominal, the most realistic water he’s ever seen in a video game to date.
- Advanced voice recognition.
He said think “Nintendogs” but far more advanced. He said his company is working on a game to utilize this feature…the NRev dev kit has been giving out a wireless mic headset that looks similar to Xbox Live. Examples he gave were calling audibles in a new Madden game or organizing and giving squad based commands in a next-gen Rainbow Six.
- Online Gaming Network.
Free. Yes he claims it will be free. Believe it or not, he believes Nintendo has the best online network being setup…better than what Sony and even Microsoft is doing. But it won’t be just for games. Nintendo is commited to bringing gamers together and offer new forms of communication. You can even surf message boards and chat with your fellow gamers. He believes things like IGN forums won’t even be needed anymore. Gyration will also aid in the surfing ability. The ability to download works of progress and previews of future games will be available. You’ll even be able to download demo’s for the DS…NRev and DS can communicate thru their wi-fi. Nintendo is already experimenting with the downloadable DS promos in Japan. The NRev and a broadband connection will make this available for everyone soon.
- Wireless controllers.
By default, the controllers will be wireless like the wavebird. Nothing has been mentioned about rumble feedback or if it will recharge lithium-ion style yet.
On to the games…
- Retro has a new FPS IP. Sorry, no Metroid Prime 3 yet SiM.
- New Wave Race by NST…grip sensative acceleration and kick ass water effects
- New Smash Bros that will indeed contain online play. I know, sounds too good to be true. The only other thing he said is the graphical style can be changed…Paper Mario style and cel-shaded style options will be available.
- All new 3rd person action IP being jointly developed by Eiji Aounoma & Hideo Kojima (the reason why he’s not working on MGS4) He said it’ll be a furturistic setting and you play as a cyborg ninja. Each developer has great respect for one another and they wanted to make a game together. Aries claims it’ll combined the best of both worlds, Zelda, and MGS, in terms of gameplay.
- Mario Revolution. It will utilize every feature of the NRev and include mini-games in the same sense that Mario 64 DS did. He doesn’t believe this will make the NRev launch because last he seen, it was still very early in development. Shiggy has been too busy with Zelda and Mario 128 for Cube. Yes Mario 128 will be for GameCube and it’s a seperate title from Mario Revolution.
As for GameCube…
Mario 128 isn’t really that grand, he doesn’t know why Miyamoto was hyping it so much. There isn’t really any ideas that other developers can “steal”. He’s afraid some people will be disappointed because of the built hype(prepare for GCNGB whiners). He does say the game will be extremely fun and it’ll feel like the true spiritual successor to Mario 64. Zelda will of course blow us away.
As for the DS…
DS will be unveiling their online plan. Mario Kart DS & Metroid Hunters will indeed be online along with Animal Crossing. He also said that a new Smash Bros DS will be shown and it’ll be online as well. This may be that “other” mysterious game that Craig-IGN said he was hyped for.
Anywho, that’s it. Chew on that for what you will, I believe this Aries guy personally. We’ve heard a lot of that stuff many times before, the only thing that sounds too good to be true is the new aggressive online effort he claims. But we all know the wi-fi push Nintendo has been doing lately…I guess we’ll find out in 16 days.
There is an INSANE amount of information, dozens of people bombarding him with questions, thousands of posts, him trying to answer as much as he can, imposters posting with his name while he posts try to tell people who the imposters are...it becomes a mess for about two days, the 28th and 29th, till the spammers quit.
I read through the entire thread, way too much to quote here, but I'm fairly certain he's the real deal. And very hopeful
The more I read the more I am convinced he either is the real thing, or a Nintendo spy trying to start hype. Or he's one of the greatest liars of our generation.
Take it for what you will.
My second post will just have a bunch of interesting quotes from him, skip them if you don't want to read it all.
But I didn't get that impression at all.
