LucasArts kept in the Dark Side on Wii MotionPlus
by Christopher Grant 
{ Aug 14th 2008 at 4:14PM }
Something tells us that's an understatement. The developer's Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels game was not only built specifically for the Wii and shown off in Nintendo's E3 presentation, it was built in response to the intense clamoring from fans hungry for a 1:1 lightsaber game. With the game set to hit retailers this November, and the Wii MotionPlus arriving the following Spring, if you're holding out for 1:1 Jedi-ing, your only hope now is a sequel.
[Via NWF]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
TwEE @ Aug 14th 2008 4:19PM
Isnt the motionplus coming out some time in the middle of next year?. And isnt Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels coming out soonish?
Im not sure I understand the issue.. is lucus arts claiming the motionpuls is ready to ship and nintendo is hoarding it until wiisports 2 is ready?
Christopher Grant @ Aug 14th 2008 4:22PM
More that they weren't made aware of its existence earlier, in which case they would have been able to make a decision like, Let's hold the game until that's out since it'll be a much better experience.
Chadyasutora @ Aug 14th 2008 5:02PM
@Twee
You've got it all wrong...the issue is that Lucasarts aint pleased at not been told about WiiMotionPlus sooner. You see, it would allow for Wii Lightsaber duals of our dreams!
samfish @ Aug 14th 2008 5:43PM
I suppose they have every reason to be pissed, but realistically...
1) This is a tie-in game for an animated summer movie. There isn't a chance in Hell it would be delayed for WiiMotion Plus (being a movie tie-in also almost guarantees that it'll suck, anyway).
2) They were probably working on this LONG before Nintendo finalized plans for WMP. If I were making this game, I'd be even more pissed if Nintendo gave us early specs, we made the game based on those and then they completely changed the specs, thus requiring a potentially huge reworking.
That all said, it still doesn't excuse Nintendo's idiocy in not telling third parties until 48 hours or so before it was made public. While it was probably too late no matter what for this Star Wars game, they could have probably given everyone else at least a 2-3 month headstart.
whymog @ Aug 14th 2008 4:22PM
I know it's a dead joke by now, but the only thing that needs to be said is
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Microswirl (MKWii:1676- 4270-3674) @ Aug 14th 2008 4:56PM
No. It can't be. That's not true. That's impossible!
deaftly @ Aug 14th 2008 5:32PM
http://unitedstatesofno.ytmnd.com/
Tehman @ Aug 14th 2008 4:38PM
No no you got it all wrong.... Reggie is supposed to be holding the RED lightsabers, not the blue one.
Chris Are @ Aug 14th 2008 4:33PM
But if he was holding the red one he wouldn't be facing forward with that "don't blame me, I'm just the messenger" look on his face.
Tehman @ Aug 14th 2008 4:39PM
Dammit.....
Moffka @ Aug 14th 2008 4:24PM
The fact that Nintendo wouldn't let LucasArts in on this technology and let them know to delay their game for the motion plus shows that they don't care what third party developers do. When the Wii was first heard of, most people thought of Star Wars light saber duals... so much for that I guess.
OTAM @ Aug 14th 2008 5:47PM
Pretty much. Remember how left in the dark and helpless 3rd parties were last generation with the online capabilities of the Gamecube?
Dirty @ Aug 14th 2008 4:35PM
Nintendo doesn't care about 3rd parties. This is nothing new (despite what fancy new charts may indicate).
Nintendo fanboys dont really care about 3rd parties either. Just give them a new zelda and they will be happy.
Anam @ Aug 14th 2008 5:25PM
The charts never indicated that Nintendo cared about 3rd party developers (after all, they didn't even take the time to show us the correct chart until they were corrected), the charts merely indicated that 3rd party games still sell decently on the Wii, just like this lightsaber game will probably sell decently on the Wii.
Speak of quality, charts don't.
Nintendo hasn't cared about 3rd party developers since... well, never.
samfish @ Aug 14th 2008 5:33PM
In fairness, third parties don't exactly give much of a reason to want to care...
Dirty @ Aug 14th 2008 5:34PM
If they weren't pretending to care about them they wouldn't have made the chart in the first place.
Dirty @ Aug 14th 2008 5:34PM
@samfish
Uh resident evil 4.
samfish @ Aug 14th 2008 5:45PM
What about it? The Wii port?
Yay for old ports now?
Anam @ Aug 14th 2008 5:49PM
Well yes, of course Nintendo *pretends* to care. I just meant that the charts don't mean squat about Nintendo *actually* caring.
Dirty @ Aug 14th 2008 5:51PM
Resident Evil 4 (game cube) represents what third parties can accomplish on Nintendo consoles if they want to. Without the support or the sales that they get on other consoles they are less than enthusiastic about developing strong titles on the wii.
Third party games are awesome on every other console but the big N, I care about 3rd party games because first party titles are few and far between.
samfish @ Aug 14th 2008 6:34PM
I'm not sure I see your point, then.
I agree with everything you said, but:
"Without the support or the sales that they get on other consoles they are less than enthusiastic about developing strong titles on the wii."
RE4 on the Gamecube GOT that kind of strong support; Hell, it wasn't that far off from the PS2's sales. The Wii PORT got strong support, too! By what I think you're suggesting, the Nintendo fans ARE showing that kind of support that should make third parties more enthusiastic about putting games on the Wii.
...and yet, for the most part that enthusiasm is consistently being ignored, as evidenced by the crap:quality ratio.
*I* want good third party games, too! We all do! But don't blame Nintendo fans – WE'RE actually doing our part this time around.
FoxHoundADAM @ Aug 14th 2008 4:47PM
I think the only people Nintendo made happy at E3 were my 9 year old niece and my 80 year old grandma.
WRE @ Aug 14th 2008 7:42PM
OH SNAP!
Ronnie Dobbs @ Aug 14th 2008 4:53PM
Lucas ought to send his daughter out to Japan to pay Iwata-san a visit! Of course, she got smacked in her last fight.
Bert @ Aug 14th 2008 5:01PM
Nintendo sucks and the Wii needs to die already. The End.
Hafk @ Aug 14th 2008 5:33PM
I sure as hell know the risks of what I will be called after I say this, but
"You suck, and you need to die already"
*Hafk runs*
rv @ Aug 14th 2008 5:57PM
wow, this comment doesn't have half a heart. NDF must not be in full force today.
(not saying I want to rank you half a heart)
Sharp Banana @ Aug 14th 2008 5:21PM
I really see 1 of 2 things happening
A) Nintendo allows Lucasarts to release a patch to appease them and make them feel better. The patch will retro fit motion plus onto the game similarly to how rumble was added back into most ps3 games
B) LucasArts does the dreaded DVD double dip by making Clone Wars + Which may be good for their bottom line.
Sharp Banana @ Aug 14th 2008 5:35PM
I really see 1 of 2 things happening
A) Nintendo allows Lucasarts to release a patch to appease them and make them feel better. The patch will retro fit motion plus onto the game similarly to how rumble was added back into most ps3 games
B) LucasArts does the dreaded DVD double dip by making Clone Wars + Which may be good for their bottom line.
Sharp Banana @ Aug 14th 2008 5:36PM
Sorry for the double post
theturtle363 @ Aug 14th 2008 5:39PM
That's probably the greatest joystiq picture ever
Haggard @ Aug 14th 2008 5:46PM
Yeah, awesome photoshop. You guys have creativity AND skillz!
T.H. @ Aug 14th 2008 7:19PM
I'm not trying to defend Nintendo but it seems like Nintendo just got this recently and are still working out the kinks in the Wii MotionPlus. Let's face it, the product was announced over a half a year ahead of its intended release date. Being in the public, we do not know when Nintendo started fiddling with this, or at least I don't. If someone has evidence of Nintendo keeping this thing under wraps for half a year or more and didn't let its own developers know, drop us a line. Most likely scenario is that Nintendo only got a hold of this a few months before E3 and was tinkering with it. Nintendo being Nintendo (and infamously burned by Sony for leaking the analogue joysticks early) they decided not to announce it until it was well into development. It seems like they are still working out the kinks before its release at this time or they would have released the MotionPlus in the 2008 holiday season when consumers spend the most money.
Was it a cold callous thing to do to developers? Yes it is. I am in no way defending them for the moves made. They really should have taken a look at upcoming games and give certain developers an early look at the new tech and slap an NDA on it if needed. Even if it was uncertain if the tech would be released at all, at least you let the development community know about it.
Much like how the Nintendo of old (and Sony) got burned by their own hubris, I hope Nintendo does not walk down the same path once more.
Extinction @ Aug 16th 2008 4:46PM
Sony announced they were releasing an analog joystick controller for PS1 BEFORE Nintendo announced the N64 and it's controller. Do some god damned research before being a fantroll. I even have a PS1 analog controller (not the Dual shock) DATED before N64 came out.
Derbeste @ Aug 14th 2008 9:15PM
ummmm.......Where is that 3rd light saber coming from?
Looks like he got his schwartz twisted.
Jack @ Aug 15th 2008 12:13PM
Nintendo loves messing themself(they take after my nephew).
Http://www.squidoo.com/doughboy
Red Leader @ Aug 15th 2008 2:04PM
I'd love a 1:1 lightsaber game, but I want more Jedi Knight please.
Ralph @ Aug 18th 2008 8:57AM
"only hope"
I see what you did there.
jefreyw1f @ Aug 23rd 2008 1:55AM
LA may be "mad", but I doubt they'd delay either SW title coming this year to wait for MotionPlus.
Not to mention, who's name is it in the monkier LucasArts? Uncle George will be happy to issue CLONE WARS 2 or FORCE UNLEASHED 2 ("Now with WiiMotionPlus")by the end of 2009.
Lucas has issued a handful of products w/ SW stamped on them over the years ;). LA isn't really mad. They will make another title (or 5,000 titles)