Interview: Nintendo on Wario Land Wii, Keen on DS - Wants your Views!

Cubed3's Adam Riley: Can you please explain a little about your background and how you believe your work on previous games helped to make Wario Land: The Shake Dimension a better game?

Nintendo: My career at Nintendo started in the "Metroid" team, then later I was involved in the planning and programming of "Dr. Mario". I have taken part in just less than forty projects and one of the recent titles is "42 All-Time Classics". Nearly ten of them are 2D platformers, so that I think I have enough experience to tell where players can enjoy themselves or even get stuck!

AR: How long did it take to complete the project and what were some of the hurdles faced in bringing a 2D project like this to a powerful system like the Wii?

Nintendo: Originally it was planned to be finished within one year, but eventually it doubled to a two year development cycle. It was just in order to improve the quality of the game, not because Wii is unsuitable for developing a 2D game, though. Actually, whilst Wii has advantages in running a 3D environment, it can, of course, run 2D games comfortably.

AR: The Wario Land series has a very strong reputation. Did your team look back over previous entries to ensure this new game lived up to the expectations of fans? And what are some of your favourite aspects of the 'Wario Land' series in general?

Nintendo: Thank you very much. Since our purpose this time round was to create a sequel to the "Wario Land" series, we tried our best to not spoil the characteristic of the series. I think we have achieved the right balance, with old fans who may feel a bit nostalgic, whilst new players may well will feel fresh when they play it. The "Wario Land" series is one where a powerful Wario acts dynamically. You can let him demolish all the obstructive walls and floors to collect treasures! Exhilaration not found in the "Super Mario Bros." series is the greatest characteristic of this set of games.

AR: Can you talk us through some of the ways the Wii motion controls have been used in the game?

Nintendo: This time, we aimed at developing a game that those who enjoyed 2D platformers previously can play without fear or uncertainty. Because of this, we avoided eccentric controls and designed it to let players hold the Wii Remote across their hands like the NES controller. To make best use of the Wii's characteristics, motion-controlling is also used in controls. Players can "shake" it to shake the ground or swing an enemy character, or "tilt" to handle a monocycle or a submarine.

AR: Some aspects of the game appear to pay homage to other Nintendo titles, such as the aiming technique from Yoshi's Island. Was it a conscious effort to keep the quality as high as possible? And what other influences did you have for the ideas in the game?

Nintendo: Actually its control does have similarities with "Yoshi's Island", but that aspect was only included to produce an action of throwing enemies with motion sensing, so that they are not exactly directly related. I did not purposely make it resemble any other videogame titles. As this title is one of the "Wario Land" series, some ideas are inherited from previous games.

Nintendo: Originally I did not think all the abilities of previous games should have been inherited. Thus we adopted what was really suitable for the project of "Shake Dimension"!

AR: How long will it take the average gamer to work their way through the game? And what sort of incentives are there for players to come back to Wario Land: The Shake Dimension once it has been completed?

Nintendo: We restrained the difficulty level of the game so that new players can also enjoy it. However, it might take more than one hundred hours if you try to collect all the treasures hidden in stages or the various missions each stage has. Secret maps are also available, so that it is certainly not easy to complete every aspect of the game.

AR: Was any consideration given to including any Wi-Fi or WiiConnect24 features? And can you please explain why they were excluded in the final game?

Nintendo: No, we did not considered that from the beginning. Some may have found it to be bothering, plus we wanted them to enjoy the main story of the game without distractions.

AR: Now Wario Land has shown that 2D platform games work very well on Wii, will Good Feel be looking to work with Nintendo again to bring the likes of Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country or other 2D Nintendo favourites to Wii in the future?

Nintendo: We are always looking into continuing the development of our popular franchises, so my advice would be to wait and see!

AR: Whilst still a good game, many long term fans will agree that Wario: Master of Disguise was just not the Wario Land game they were looking for. With this Wii version completed now, can gamers expect to see the money-loving fiend again in 'Wario Land DS'?

Nintendo: "Wario Land DS" - oh I just want to develop it! Maybe, if many of your readers' opinions are gathered and sent to us, it might be an idea that will be realised in the not too distant future. Everyone, do you want to play "Wario Land DS"?

The poll and discussion page for the possible "Wario Land DS" can be found by clicking here or answering the following poll:

Would you like to see Wario Land DS?