Ubisoft's Ben Mattes sat down for an interview with IndustryGamers recently to discuss Prince of Persia--Ubisoft's latest release in the famed franchise. He discussed the game, how it was developed, and much more. But his comments about the Wii were undoubtedly the most noteworthy.
Getting a watered-down game experience with the Wii?
(Credit: Nintendo)After being asked why Prince of Persia was made available only on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, Mattes explained that it had everything to do with the Wii's power.
"The reality is that from a technical standpoint, the Wii cannot do what we wanted the game to do," Mattes told IndustryGamers. "The AI of Elika (the game's protagonist) was highly advanced and required a lot of processing power...If we had done a Wii version, it would have been toned down, probably linear. It wouldn't have been an open-world game, and so it would have been a very different experience. We didn't want to water it down that way."
There's no secret that the Wii has less processing power than its competitors. The console wasn't designed to be the graphical beast that Sony's PlayStation 3 is, but rather a platform that provides gamers with a fun, casual experience.
A quick glance at the current Wii library tells you everything you need to know about the console. For the most part, the games are either developed by Nintendo or designed specifically for those gamers who want a casual or multiplayer experience.
But are the games developed by third parties really "watered down?" The more we consider the Wii's library, the more merit the argument seems to have.
... Read MoreIn a recent interview with Gamasutra, Tim Sweeney, the founder of video game development company Epic Games, said ultrarealistic graphics in games aren't so far off.
The PlayStation 3's graphical prowess doesn't necessarily make games more appealing.
(Credit: Don Reisinger/CNET)Within 10 to 15 years, Sweeney said, "completely realistic lighting, with real-time radiosity, perfectly anti-aliased graphics, and movie-quality static scenes and motion" will reach the video game industry. The only issue keeping developers from creating visuals that look close to real life, he explained, is computing power.
But will ultrarealistic visuals make video games more appealing? I believe game appeal is determined by more than meets the eye.
... Read More
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