One of the several third-party titles that were included in the Wii U software line-up at Nintendo's E3 2011 conference was Darksiders II from Vigil Games, and a couple of the studio's staff members have spoken to Game Informer about the process of getting something ready for E3 and what it's like working with Nintendo and its new upcoming home console.
While it may have taken a small team of three only five weeks or so to get a playable build ready for E3, an important factor in getting something ready in a short amount of time is undoubtedly the ability to leverage assets from the other HD consoles.
Colin Bonstead, the technical director of the action adventure game, spoke about the differences between working on an Xbox 360 / PlayStation 3 project compared to new hardware like the the Wii U, and why it feels like they are part of a new frontier:
When you work on something for the Xbox [360] or PlayStation 3, every problem has been solved and you just need to go search on the news groups or email support, and we were literally finding things as we worked on this and telling Nintendo about them:
"Hey, how does this work?"
(Nintendo) "Well, I don't know."
... and then we would find the solution ourselves some times, and it was kind of cool to be in [a] new frontier, basically.
David Adams, Vigil Games general manager also added:
I'll be honest, we haven't really worked with Nintendo before, but I will say, overall, they've been really supportive. They got the dev kits to us really quick, they got us access to the dev site. I mean, they haven't put any hurdles in our way or prevented us from doing our jobs. The only thing is: it's early, right? So they may not always have the answer to our question but they do their best to answer it, and over time they'll build that expertise and they'll be able to answer it... they seem pretty dedicated to helping developers to get up to speed on the hardware and get stuff working.
Adams also commented on the quirks the development team encountered while programming on the Wii U, but thought as a platform, it will be easier to work on than the PS3 and probably on par with the 360.
Be sure to check out the rest of the interview on Game Informer and hear what the possibilities are regarding what gets displayed on the Wii U controller as the game is running.
[source gameinformer.com]
Comments 21
"Could the Wii U version be the best one?"
Probably not, considering the fact that no one knows how to program on the WiiU yet.
well lets hope that nintendo and developers are really working with each other this time around. communication is key here to creating good partnerships and hopefully that will translate into great games and not shovelware coming out for the wiiu. lets keep our fingers crossed, cause im optimistic on this one....
If the developing/programing for Wii U is as seemless as suggested, if the power is there, and if the third party support is there, Nintendo may knock out one of the other two competitors come this new console generation.
This is promising. Very promising.
@Mickeymac - http://www.vigilgames.com/details/Darksiders-II-Wii-U-Launch-Title
I disagree.
Developers have only said "We know nothing on the final specifications of WiiU".
It doesn't mean they don't know how to program games on WiiU.
Btw, do Vigil Games have the final kit? Because it sounds like they do, for some reason.. While others like SEGA don't...
"It seems like Nintendo learned a bit from the Wii."
I like that idea/concept. I hope that Nintendo won't make me think otherwise.
Gooooooooood!
@Mickeymac - http://mynintendonews.com/2011/07/06/nintendo-wii-u-darksiders-developer-says-wii-u-is-very-easy-to-develop-for/
Hopefully they can make good use of the Wii U's technology. That might sway me into getting this version instead of the PS3 version (depending on when each version is released I guess).
I sure hope the Wii U version would be better, as it's newer and more powerful.
Seems like Nintendo has finally learned how to support their third party developers. I'm optimistic.
They think the PS3 is easier to develop for? Aw man, I knew it probably is easier to develop for the other console, but I hope other third parties think it's much easier that they don't even try the WiiU first.
@Retro_on_theGo Where does it say that the PS3 is easier to code for in the article? The article seems to say the exact opposite which is to say it's easier to code for the WiiU.
@TheSolarKnight
OH! I'm sorry,never mind. Forget my last comment. I completely misread the last paragraph! I thought it said they thought PS3 was easier to develop for! My bad! ^^;...
The problem is with any new console the architecture is pretty much unexplored. They say it is on a par with the XBox 360, but most people seem to forget how poor the first wave of XBox360 games were.
The issue will be ports that run at slightly worse frame rates etc than the other versions, due to unfamiliarity with the hardware. A bandwagon will soon start rolling, as it did for the PS3, that Wii ports are inferior, and I think that it will impossible for Nintendo to recover from it. Soon enough the same situation will return that the only games that sell will be Nintendo's own.
Could the Wii U version of Darksiders 2 be the best one? Well Nintendo should in theory have the best looking Darksiders 2 game. The Wii U is supposed to exceed Xbox 360 s and PS3.
The tablet controller and how Nintnedo uses that in Darksiders 2 will be the deciding factor. So yes the Wii U version Should be the best. an important launch title for Wii U.
"I'll be honest, we haven't really worked with Nintendo before, but I will say, overall, they've been really supportive. They got the dev kits to us really quick, they got us access to the dev site. I mean, they haven't put any hurdles in our way or prevented us from doing our jobs"
That's good to hear!!
If we can get ports of the latest Call of Dutys, Assassins Creeds, Rockstar games, Valve games, etc when they come out, then we're pretty much set.
Third party support + Nintendo first party games = win.
I want Portal 2 and Half-Life 2 on my Wii U tanx :3
@JimLad I so hope that happens. Mario, Link and 'hardcore' nameless WWII solider #256985 from CoD living together in harmony is a dream come true.
But in all seriousness this is the best possible thing that could happen for the Wii U, because the lack of third-party support (except for maybe Rayman Origins) and Nintendo's weird resistance on their first-party games now has been what's causing the Wii to already seem dead. Except Skyward Sword. Cannot forget Zelda!
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