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Forums - Nintendo - What are they doing at Retro?

Veknoid_Outcast on 31 January 2013
Jumpin said:
Veknoid_Outcast said:
Jumpin said:
 

If we're looking at 10 years, 3 games and a port is still almost equally as dismal. I am not sure where this mysterious fourth game is coming in, there haven't been any new Retro developed games announced in years. There's not really a guarantee that they'll even announce anything this year, let alone release anything this year (and that would be completely consistent with what we have received from Retro most years they have existed as a studio). At the rate they develop games, it'll probably be 2014 or 2015 before we see any new game from Retro. Consider that it took them over three and a half years to develop a 2D platformer on the Wii; and now they're working with a more complex console that requires more dev time.

It's a balancing act, and not all about volume. A studio doesn't need to pop out a ton of games to be considered great. Team ICO gave us, in 12 years, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. For those I consider the studio great. Greater than, say, Infinity Ward, which gave us five games in 10 years.

Now, if you consider Retro games to be garbage, I completely understand your distaste for the company. But I don't think it's fair to fault them for taking extra time with their software projects, especially at a time when so many developers are rushing their products to market.


I don't think they're garbage, the games are definitely on the good side; but I don't think Retro as a studio are as great as people claim. I think they are among the most overrated studios of all time. Thanks for bringing up Team Ico, I almost forgot about them, but the difference between them and Retro is that Retro gets WAAAY more praise and posts about them.

When I think of great studios, I am thinking Rare (from NES to N64), Square (on SNES, PSX, and PS2), Sega on Mega Drive, Nintendo EAD on all systems, etc...

Fair enough. Retro is not in the same tier as Rare, Square, Nintendo EAD, etc.



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HyrulianScrolls on 31 January 2013

I still can't decide if I want a new IP from them or something with Nintendo's franchises. There's so many Nintendo franchises I would love to see them tackle (Star Fox, F-Zero, Zelda, a non-Prime Metroid, Banjo), but at the same time Nintendo desperately needs a new IP.



Soundwave on 31 January 2013
Veknoid_Outcast said:
Jumpin said:
Veknoid_Outcast said:
Jumpin said:
 

If we're looking at 10 years, 3 games and a port is still almost equally as dismal. I am not sure where this mysterious fourth game is coming in, there haven't been any new Retro developed games announced in years. There's not really a guarantee that they'll even announce anything this year, let alone release anything this year (and that would be completely consistent with what we have received from Retro most years they have existed as a studio). At the rate they develop games, it'll probably be 2014 or 2015 before we see any new game from Retro. Consider that it took them over three and a half years to develop a 2D platformer on the Wii; and now they're working with a more complex console that requires more dev time.

It's a balancing act, and not all about volume. A studio doesn't need to pop out a ton of games to be considered great. Team ICO gave us, in 12 years, Ico and Shadow of the Colossus. For those I consider the studio great. Greater than, say, Infinity Ward, which gave us five games in 10 years.

Now, if you consider Retro games to be garbage, I completely understand your distaste for the company. But I don't think it's fair to fault them for taking extra time with their software projects, especially at a time when so many developers are rushing their products to market.


I don't think they're garbage, the games are definitely on the good side; but I don't think Retro as a studio are as great as people claim. I think they are among the most overrated studios of all time. Thanks for bringing up Team Ico, I almost forgot about them, but the difference between them and Retro is that Retro gets WAAAY more praise and posts about them.

When I think of great studios, I am thinking Rare (from NES to N64), Square (on SNES, PSX, and PS2), Sega on Mega Drive, Nintendo EAD on all systems, etc...

Fair enough. Retro is not in the same tier as Rare, Square, Nintendo EAD, etc.


Again, stupid comparision.

You're comparing a 1 team studio to 5-6 teams.

You do realize "EAD" is like 7-8 different groups right? So you'd have to compare Retro to say 1 of the EAD groups, lets say Aonuma's Zelda group.

Then it's

Metroid Prime (2002)

Metroid Prime 2 (2004)

Metroid Prime 3 (2007)

Donkey Kong Country Returns (2010)

Mario Kart 7 (2011)

vs.

Zelda: Wind Waker (2003)

Zelda: Twlight Princess (2006)

Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007)

Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009)

Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)



Cheebee on 31 January 2013
TomaTito said:
Cheebee said:
TomaTito said:
Cheebee said:

Perhaps they really are working on more than 1 project? 'Cos they wrapped up development on DK Country Returns WELL over 2 years ago (the work they did on MK7 can't have taken up much time/effort), so whatever game they're working on ought to be quite far into development by now, ready for release somewhere in Q3/4 this year (the latter being imo entirely).

For all we know their MK7 work was a trial run, and they've been working on MKU since then.

Gosh that would be a gigantically colossal waste of their talent. xD Also, I doubt a Mario Kart game would take that long to develop.

You never know with Nintendo xD... I'd prefer a reboot or a completely new IP.

Lol, no. But let's hope not. I'd prefer a reboot of some long-dormant IP as well, or a completely new, as well!

Although I sort of have this feeling it could very well turn out to be MP4.



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Screamapillar on 31 January 2013

Based on the size of Retro and the fact they've had to move into a much larger headquarters I'd say they've staffed themselves to be able to work on at least two games at a time. I'd say one is a new IP/ Metroid for Wii U, and the other is either DKCR II or a sidescroller Metroid for 3DS. But they have way too many people now to only be working on just one game. Unless some of those people are being staffed to work on engine optimization or assist with grunt-work on EAD games. That's possible too.



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cuberandgamer on 31 January 2013
Jumpin said:
Surprised Retro studios is still around, they only managed 2 games in 9 years.


They made metriod prime 1-3 and donkey kong country returns.

also they help nintendo with lots of projects



TomaTito on 01 February 2013
Cheebee said:
TomaTito said:
Cheebee said:
TomaTito said:

For all we know their MK7 work was a trial run, and they've been working on MKU since then.

Gosh that would be a gigantically colossal waste of their talent. xD Also, I doubt a Mario Kart game would take that long to develop.

You never know with Nintendo xD... I'd prefer a reboot or a completely new IP.

Lol, no. But let's hope not. I'd prefer a reboot of some long-dormant IP as well, or a completely new, as well!

Although I sort of have this feeling it could very well turn out to be MP4.

Just noticed you already stated so in your first post to this thread!

But yeah, I'd be disappointent if it's really MP4.



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Veknoid_Outcast on 01 February 2013
TomaTito said:
Cheebee said:

Lol, no. But let's hope not. I'd prefer a reboot of some long-dormant IP as well, or a completely new, as well!

Although I sort of have this feeling it could very well turn out to be MP4.

Just noticed you already stated so in your first post to this thread!

But yeah, I'd be disappointent if it's really MP4.

The more I think about it, the more I agree with you guys. Don't get me wrong -- Metroid Prime trilogy is one of the best video game trilogies ever made -- but I think the story has run its course. I would really like to see Retro resuscitate a mothballed franchise or, better yet, give the world something brand new.

We'll see soon enough.



DanneSandin on 01 February 2013
osed125 said:

Maybe they're working on 2 projects? Considering all the hiring they have been doing lately it's not that hard to imagine, unless a single project takes way too many  resources.

If there're 2 projects I expect a Metroid or Star Fox game, with the second game being a new IP (maybe Raven Blade). 

actually makes sense...



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DanneSandin on 01 February 2013
Aielyn said:
I just had an epiphany (not an apostrophe, as Smee put it in Hook :P).

I saw someone suggest in my "which studio should Nintendo buy" thread that Nintendo should get Warren Spector to form a new studio and run it. That's not what Nintendo should do.

What Nintendo should do is get Warren Spector and David Adams (the main guy from Vigil Games) on board within Retro, and split the studio into two parts, like the way that EAD is split into teams. Warren Spector can run one side, David Adams the other, with Michael Kelbaugh (current head of Retro) remaining above both.

Retro can then work simultaneously on games like Metroid/Zelda/Darksiders under David Adams, and games like Donkey Kong Country Returns/Epic Mickey under Warren Spector. And, as with how EAD works, the teams would be fairly fluid, with members shifting from one side to the other.

Note that Retro, Junction Point Studios and Vigil Games all are/were based in Austin, Texas, making the transition particularly easy for them all.

I can't do anything else but agree with this post! I just wonder what an impact Spector and Adams would bring...?

OT: I would love to see Retro split into 2 teams; one making a brand new, awesome IP and the other working on a brand new awesome StarFox game!! They've already done Metroid and Donkey Kong, let them try something else... Besides with NSMBU already out, and Rayman Legends hitting stores within a month, a DKCR2 isn't neccessery until like 2014/2015....



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