Interview | Nordcurrent Talks 101-in-1 Megamix Sports (DS/Wii)

Victoria Trofimova, CEO of Nordcurrent: My name is Victoria Trofimova and I am the CEO of Nordcurrent.

FNC: 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix DS has seen massive sales for the company. Why do you think it has been so successful?

VT: 101-in-1 Explosive Megamix for DS was our first title in the series and indeed the game was very successful. Actually, it continues to sell very well. I think it is so successful because it offers a huge variety of games for all tastes. Whatever you feel like playing, puzzle, arcade, racer, sports; everything is there, and the second important factor is that the games are good. We really tried to make games that we ourselves would like to play.

FNC: You have announced the follow-up to the series called 101-in-1 Megamix Sports. Can you explain this version and how it differs from the first in the series?

VT: It is an absolutely different game. Only the concept is the same, 101 games on one DS card. 101-in-1 Megamix Sports is a collection of all sports you can think of and some more that you didn’t even know. The game includes such well-known sports as football, shooting, tennis, as well as unique and regional sports such as Caber Toss where you need to throw logs as far as you can or Street Luge where you are going down the hill on skates. This does not sound unusual, but there is one difference, you are not standing on the skates, you are lying on them! The game offers a huge variety of sports to choose from, and I hope the players will like having so many sports games to choose from.

FNC: How many events are in the game and can you explain how you play them?

VT: Well, there are 101 games from Volleyball and Speed Racing to Golf and Tennis. For example, you can practice your attack skills in Basketball and defend your goals in Football. We also have Table Tennis, Curling, Boxing, Swimming and these are just a few of the games.

FNC: One of the game’s biggest draws is its wireless multiplayer, but not all the games will be multiplayer, so which ones have you chosen for this and why?

VT: Well, I think the biggest draw is having 101 games to choose from, to be honest, and there are about 20 games that support local wireless multiplayer, such as Volleyball, Racing, and Air Hockey. We have chosen these 20 because we think they are the most fun to play with a friend.

FNC: Have you been able to include some of the unique DS features in the game and can you give some examples?

VT: The controls in the game are via the touch-screen and buttons. For us the important thing is that controls have to be intuitive and easy, so the player can pick the game up and play straight away, and I think we have achieved it in this game.

VT: The only similarity between the two games is that they both have 101 sports games in them. Other than that the games are totally different in the two collections. 101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix for Wii was created especially for Wii, and most of the games support multiplayer and many for up to four players. The controls are done using Wii Remote. Here our goal was to create a fun game for all the family. In 101-in-1 Megamix Sports for DS, the games are different and were created especially for the handheld utilising all its unique features.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: How well does it make use of the Wii’s unique features?

VT: We have 101 games, so we are using the Wii controller in all possible ways. We tried to emulate what you have to do in a particular sport in real life as much as possible using the Wii controller, but at the same time not jeopardising the importance of simple gameplay mechanics and controls, so that the game is easy to pick up and play. For example, in Bowling you will make a movement like throwing the ball, but with Wii controller. However, in racing you will control your car using the Analogue Stick, and with 101 games, I can guarantee you will have a nice workout!

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Nintendo is releasing the Wii Remote Plus this year, and the Wii MotionPlus unit has already sold considerably well thanks to games likes Wii Sports Resort, Grand Slam Tennis and Red Steel 2. Did you consider making 101-in-1 Sports Party Megamix compatible with MotionPlus? If not, please explain why.

VT: We worked very hard to make the game controls fun using the regular Wii Remote. The game is designed for a very wide audience, from kids to grandparents, and we didn’t want to impose a restriction on what controller the player must have in order to be able to play our game. Therefore, all you need to play is a Wii Remote and Nunchuk. If you have two-to-four of those, you can enjoy the game with your family and friends.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Why did you choose to exclude online Wi-Fi modes from both the DS and Wii games?

VT: Our focus was to create a great game for one or two players on the DS and up to four players on the Wii, and I think we did a pretty good job.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Will the DS version’s multiplayer mode support single-cartridge wireless sharing, or does each player have to own a copy of the game?

VT: There are about 20 games that support the multi-card multiplayer in 101-in-1 Megamix Sports.

VT: I think we are offering the biggest collection of games on the market. With 101 games to choose, everyone will find something to enjoy. All games are sports themed, so you can find all your favourite sports from football to volleyball to more unusual sports such as parkour and caber toss.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Do you believe this new sports version of the 101-in-1 series can be equally, or more successful than the original party release?

VT: I think it will definitely be as successful as the original game or maybe even more successful, because this time we are targeting all 101 fans and all the people that like sports, which pretty much covers everybody!

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Is the 101-in-1 series exclusive to Nintendo formats, or will it be coming to other systems?

VT: This year we have already released 101-in-1 Games for iPhone, which was a huge success, and in September we released 101-in-1 Megamix for PSP, which is available for download on the PSN store, and that has already reached the Top 20 downloads for the PSP in the US.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: The download scene is becoming an increasingly important channel for releasing new content. What plans do you have for WiiWare and DSiWare?

VT: We have already released a couple of games for WiiWare and are working on a couple of games for DSiWare. However, we do not plan to bring our 101-in-1 Megamix series to these platforms because of the size restrictions that exist. We do not want to jeopardise quality in order to squeeze the game in.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: What are your thoughts on Nintendo’s 3DS system? Does Nordcurrent already have plans to support the new portable hardware?

VT: We are very excited about Nintendo 3DS and will definitely support the system. However, it is a bit too early to reveal our games that are in progress for 3DS.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Have your games been released in Japan yet, or will they be released in the future?

VT: We are planning to bring the game to Japan this Christmas and will shortly make an official announcement about it. This is very exciting for us and I really believe that the game will be very successful there as well!

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Did you see as much success with Ninja Captains as you initially expected, and will there be future feline-related party fun for Nintendo fans?

VT: We had lots of fun with Ninja Captains and it was a successful release for us, but our focus right now is on the 101-in-1 Megamix series and other new projects.

Cubed3’s Adam Riley: Nordcurrent surprised everyone by releasing Minon: Everyday Hero in Europe. Are there plans to bring over any other long-forgotten Japanese DS and Wii games to Europe?

VT: I cannot say that our goal is to bring Japanese games to the European market, but we are focused on bringing out the games that players will enjoy and they can either be developed in-house or licensed from Third Parties.