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LucasArts Angry at Nintendo 14 Aug, 2008 / Comments: 9

By The Tingler


At E3 this year, Nintendo unveiled their new Wii peripherial - the MotionPlus - which gives absolutely perfect 1:1 control and which the Wii was supposed to have done in the first place.

According to the latest issue of Game Informer magazine, a lot of developers are annoyed at Nintendo for keeping this a secret from them, and the most vocal of them is LucasArts.

According to GameInformer:
LucasArts in particular wasn't happy at being kept in the dark - especially since it created Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels specifically for the console. The game was even included in Nintendo's press conference, the setting in which the Wii Motion Plus was introduced - which the game doesn't use, much to LucasArts' dismay.
While I understand LucasArts' annoyance, especially as swordfighting was one of the minigames used to demonstrate the device at E3, if they'd waited until MotionPlus was available Lightsaber Duels wouldn't be out until late 2009 - way after the Clone Wars TV series has finished.

Source: NeoGaf

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9 Comments

  • InsoFox on 15 Aug, 2008, 13:18…
    I have this strange image of my head of Nintendo stabbing me repeatedly stabbing me in the eyes, while everyone looks on and applauds, saying 'Hooray! Keep doing more of that!'
  • McScurvy on 14 Aug, 2008, 19:52…
    I’m really not seeing the point in Lucasarts bitching about this.

    For starters, the Clone Wars game looks to be a 2D fighter most likely based off the Force Unleashed dueling mode. Any lightsaber fighting game worth a damn would almost need to be a first person affair similar to the Wii Sports Resort sword fighting game. Trying to do proper motion control (MotionPlus) with a 2D setup would just make things awkward for the user and a waste of the technology. Besides, everyone has been wanting a 1st person lightsaber game since the Wiimote was unveiled, not a standard fighting game with lightsabers.

    Yeah, it was stupid on Nintendo’s part not to tell, you know, anybody about it but unless Lucasarts would’ve scrapped what they had and started over (which we all know they wouldn’t have…well, I mean, they would’ve scrapped the game, but not start over) then all they seem to be doing, from where I stand, is getting an excuse out early incase the game sucks.
  • neon_git on 14 Aug, 2008, 16:55…
    How many people are going to hold off and wait for the Wii lightsabre game with "proper" controls? This could really hurt the game's sales and I can see why LA would be miffed.
  • Jake on 14 Aug, 2008, 18:23…
    How many people? Some, probably, but the real question is closer to: "How many people don't care, or don't know about Wii MotionPlus, and just want a Star Wars game on their Wii?" The answer to that is probably "A lot."
  • neon_git on 14 Aug, 2008, 18:51…
    I'm doing that thing where I assume everyone else is another version of me again aren't I?

    I'm so going to stop doing that.
  • MrSneeze on 15 Aug, 2008, 21:55…
    You never know...
  • neon_git on 16 Aug, 2008, 08:47…
    Vindicated!
  • Zaarin on 14 Aug, 2008, 16:28…
    Does the Wii allow for patches? They could release one...
  • Sp0tted on 14 Aug, 2008, 15:50…
    I still think this was a stupid move by Nintendo. Why would you keep information like this from developers? Don't you want them to design a game around the new capability?

    If anything, Nintendo should have been testing this new device specifically around the Star Wars Lightsaber game, because, that is the one game that will sell billions of copies. I mean, who doesn't want a Lightsaber game that perfectly matches your moves? The Wiimote as it stands now is temperamental at best.

    I think Nintendo dropped the ball, here.