tiagoTZ
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http://wii.ign.com/articles/768/768580p1.html
Namco Bandai delivers a stylized, funny space station simulator/manager to Wii. First details,
interview and screenshots
February 27, 2007 - Namco Bandai Games revealed to IGN Wii on Tuesday that is planning to bring Space Station Tycoon, the latest in its series of Tycoon simulation titles, to Nintendo's new console. The game is developed by Wahoo Studios, whose last project was the well-received Outpost Kaloki X for Xbox Live Arcade, and Space Station Tycoon shares much in common with its predecessor. Players use the Wii remote to manage galactic space stations, all the while increasing their income. The game comes to life with a unique storyline that revolves around witty banter and humorous plot progression. Space Station Tycoon is set for a summer 2007 release on Wii.
"Space Station Tycoon utilizes the creative and unique functionality of the Wii by allowing gamers to emerge themselves in a type of tycoon gameplay never before experienced," said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO of Namco Bandai Games. "Its fun-loving characters and off-the-wall space station scenarios should have Wii owners scrambling to get their stations thriving."
We chatted with Namco Bandai Games producer Ben Cole and Wahoo Studios project manager and designer Brent Fox and Jeremy Throckmorton respectively about Space Station Tycoon. Keep reading to learn all about the exciting addition to Wii's growing library.
IGN Wii: How big is the team working on Space Station Tycoon for Wii and how long has the game been in development?
</B>Brent Fox</B> We have been working on the game for a while now. The game has gone through several different development processes and each iteration has pushed the game one step closer to what we had envisioned, and then the Wii just kind of opened the gates for us. In total, we have spent in the neighborhood of 10-12 months starting from a small downloadable title The team size has varied from a small group of five and up to 16 people at peak.
IGN Wii: You've traditionally made PC games and recently jumped on board the Xbox 360. What drew you to Nintendo's new console?
Brent Fox: Actually, Wahoo Studios has primarily been a console developer that ventured into independent game development by forming NinjaBee. The people at Wahoo Studios have worked on console games beginning with the PS1. We even have several members of our team that have development histories that go back even further -- stuff like the original Game Boy, which is kind of crazy. We've seen and done it all, so we have a lot of history in this industry.
We have always been drawn to the creative spirit of Nintendo. They have been willing to try something new and different and support the kind of games we want to make. Everyone at Namco Bandai Games has been a lot fun to work with on this wacky project with monkeys and pirates in space. I can't think of a better fit for this game other than the Wii. I know a lot of people give an answer like this, but they're all speaking the truth - working on this system rocks.
IGN Wii: Space Station Tycoon seems to be based on the Xbox Live Arcade title Outpost Kaloki X. Is this Wii version a port in any sense of the word?
Jeremy Throckmorton</B>: We didn't set out to make a Kaloki with a different name, but to make a new and different game using the lessons we learned. The basic goal of building a station to serve customers and some of the economic elements will be very familiar to players of Outpost Kaloki X, but even the basic mechanics, like how customers make their buying decisions, have undergone an overhaul. We've had a long time to think about a game like this. We've been given a lot of freedom to create the game we want to make and it has been a blast.
Ben Cole: The core of this game has been evolving into something better and better with each game Wahoo creates. So we've had a lot of time to really flesh out our game rules and systems. With Space Station Tycoon on the Wii, we have the opportunity to really bring to life the game we've all envisioned.
For example, we've taken the opportunity add a whole slew of features we've always wanted to put into this type of game. Things like off-the-wall characters, station customization, and a whole slab of humor -- these are all features we've talked about forever and having the chance to finally implement them is just great.
With all these new features, we've made sure that they only add to the core mechanic of what Space Station Tycoon really is: a fast and funny tycoon game. As you play through crazy scenarios, like putting together a heavy metal concert for Frankengull and Voodoo Chicken, characters introduce themselves and the whole Space Station Tycoon story and universe begins to reveal itself.
IGN Wii: Before we go into the Wii specifics, please tell us what it is that you do in Space Station Tycoon. Can you also give us a couple of gameplay examples?
Jeremy Throckmorton: Space Station Tycoon puts you into the shoes of a wet-behind-the-ears kid named Shawn, and his sarcastic monkey friend Tam, who decides he wants to run space stations. He travels the galaxy building and maintaining stations where you have to deal with and serve all manner of wacky characters: a voodoo chicken, ninja starfish, filmmaker pigs, etc. These characters all have things they want from you and your goal is to take care of them so you can become the ultimate space station tycoon. Sometimes you will need to do what they want in order to progress through the game, other times you have more choice on how to deal with them. What you do can change how the character feels about you or acts later in the game. Charging a guy to use your restroom might seem like a good idea at the time, but letting him pee for free could be better in the long run.
You also have control over a mobile gravity well that opens up all kinds of ways to interact with things around your station. A visitor might not be getting to the expansion you built for him very quickly, so you can take a hands-on approach to customer service and drag him there. You can catch cannonballs and throw them back at attacking pirates, making sure they don't fire any more. You can fling mines at asteroids, blowing them up and clearing room for your station to expand. I'd like to add that we've a great time talking about the kind of scenarios we want to throw at the Shawn and Tam. I mean, some of the things you're going to see Tam do... classic.
Namco Bandai delivers a stylized, funny space station simulator/manager to Wii. First details,
interview and screenshots
February 27, 2007 - Namco Bandai Games revealed to IGN Wii on Tuesday that is planning to bring Space Station Tycoon, the latest in its series of Tycoon simulation titles, to Nintendo's new console. The game is developed by Wahoo Studios, whose last project was the well-received Outpost Kaloki X for Xbox Live Arcade, and Space Station Tycoon shares much in common with its predecessor. Players use the Wii remote to manage galactic space stations, all the while increasing their income. The game comes to life with a unique storyline that revolves around witty banter and humorous plot progression. Space Station Tycoon is set for a summer 2007 release on Wii.
"Space Station Tycoon utilizes the creative and unique functionality of the Wii by allowing gamers to emerge themselves in a type of tycoon gameplay never before experienced," said Makoto Iwai, executive vice president and COO of Namco Bandai Games. "Its fun-loving characters and off-the-wall space station scenarios should have Wii owners scrambling to get their stations thriving."
We chatted with Namco Bandai Games producer Ben Cole and Wahoo Studios project manager and designer Brent Fox and Jeremy Throckmorton respectively about Space Station Tycoon. Keep reading to learn all about the exciting addition to Wii's growing library.
IGN Wii: How big is the team working on Space Station Tycoon for Wii and how long has the game been in development?
</B>Brent Fox</B> We have been working on the game for a while now. The game has gone through several different development processes and each iteration has pushed the game one step closer to what we had envisioned, and then the Wii just kind of opened the gates for us. In total, we have spent in the neighborhood of 10-12 months starting from a small downloadable title The team size has varied from a small group of five and up to 16 people at peak.
IGN Wii: You've traditionally made PC games and recently jumped on board the Xbox 360. What drew you to Nintendo's new console?
Brent Fox: Actually, Wahoo Studios has primarily been a console developer that ventured into independent game development by forming NinjaBee. The people at Wahoo Studios have worked on console games beginning with the PS1. We even have several members of our team that have development histories that go back even further -- stuff like the original Game Boy, which is kind of crazy. We've seen and done it all, so we have a lot of history in this industry.
We have always been drawn to the creative spirit of Nintendo. They have been willing to try something new and different and support the kind of games we want to make. Everyone at Namco Bandai Games has been a lot fun to work with on this wacky project with monkeys and pirates in space. I can't think of a better fit for this game other than the Wii. I know a lot of people give an answer like this, but they're all speaking the truth - working on this system rocks.
IGN Wii: Space Station Tycoon seems to be based on the Xbox Live Arcade title Outpost Kaloki X. Is this Wii version a port in any sense of the word?
Jeremy Throckmorton</B>: We didn't set out to make a Kaloki with a different name, but to make a new and different game using the lessons we learned. The basic goal of building a station to serve customers and some of the economic elements will be very familiar to players of Outpost Kaloki X, but even the basic mechanics, like how customers make their buying decisions, have undergone an overhaul. We've had a long time to think about a game like this. We've been given a lot of freedom to create the game we want to make and it has been a blast.
Ben Cole: The core of this game has been evolving into something better and better with each game Wahoo creates. So we've had a lot of time to really flesh out our game rules and systems. With Space Station Tycoon on the Wii, we have the opportunity to really bring to life the game we've all envisioned.
For example, we've taken the opportunity add a whole slew of features we've always wanted to put into this type of game. Things like off-the-wall characters, station customization, and a whole slab of humor -- these are all features we've talked about forever and having the chance to finally implement them is just great.
With all these new features, we've made sure that they only add to the core mechanic of what Space Station Tycoon really is: a fast and funny tycoon game. As you play through crazy scenarios, like putting together a heavy metal concert for Frankengull and Voodoo Chicken, characters introduce themselves and the whole Space Station Tycoon story and universe begins to reveal itself.
IGN Wii: Before we go into the Wii specifics, please tell us what it is that you do in Space Station Tycoon. Can you also give us a couple of gameplay examples?
Jeremy Throckmorton: Space Station Tycoon puts you into the shoes of a wet-behind-the-ears kid named Shawn, and his sarcastic monkey friend Tam, who decides he wants to run space stations. He travels the galaxy building and maintaining stations where you have to deal with and serve all manner of wacky characters: a voodoo chicken, ninja starfish, filmmaker pigs, etc. These characters all have things they want from you and your goal is to take care of them so you can become the ultimate space station tycoon. Sometimes you will need to do what they want in order to progress through the game, other times you have more choice on how to deal with them. What you do can change how the character feels about you or acts later in the game. Charging a guy to use your restroom might seem like a good idea at the time, but letting him pee for free could be better in the long run.
You also have control over a mobile gravity well that opens up all kinds of ways to interact with things around your station. A visitor might not be getting to the expansion you built for him very quickly, so you can take a hands-on approach to customer service and drag him there. You can catch cannonballs and throw them back at attacking pirates, making sure they don't fire any more. You can fling mines at asteroids, blowing them up and clearing room for your station to expand. I'd like to add that we've a great time talking about the kind of scenarios we want to throw at the Shawn and Tam. I mean, some of the things you're going to see Tam do... classic.