This weekend thousands of lads and lasses across the pond will attend Eurogamer Expo 2010, Oct. 1-3, at Earls Court in London. Ever since 2004, European gaming website,Eurogamer, has put on this self-titled event so that various developers, publishers, and gaming celebrities can gather together to show their wares and expound upon their creative processes in an attempt to wow fans and media alike. Essentially, it’s the Tokyo Game Show or Penny Arcade Expo of Europe.
Developers focused on 360 and PS3 are ready to offer up a hefty showing this year. Meanwhile, the Wii’s presence at the expo will be next to non-existent outside of showings of Goldeneye and one or two games that have already seen stateside and Japanese release, like Metroid: Other M, for instance. Fortunately, there will be at least one Wii title of note: Ivy the Kiwi, the latest creation from Sonic the Hedghog’s creator, Yuji Naka. According the Eurogamer’s event website, Naka will lead the developer’s session for Ivy the Kiwi.
This game could become a very important title for Naka and his developer, Prope, whose last few titles, Let’s Tap and Let’s Catch, did not exactly set the charts on fire, and this time, Naka has in many ways has aimed for success and returned to his humble beginnings with Ivy the Kiwi. The game itself is a platformer centered around a pointy looking animal character, this time a flightless bird, who must quickly make it through a series of obstacles in order to complete each level. Sound like Sonic much? Thankfully, Naka’s newest title will be much more than just a Sonic clone.
The titular Ivy is a newly hatched kiwi in search of her missing mother, and it’s the player’s job to use their Wii remotes to draw lines and lines of vines for an autonomous Ivy to walk, bounce, and catapult her way through the sepia-toned pages of a virtual children’s book. Footage of the game not only evokes the rollercoaster-esque thrills of a Sonic game but also hints at what could turn out to be a bouncier take on Kirby Canvas Curse’s once original mechanics.
It will be interesting to see what Naka has to say in his session about the creation and focus of Ivy the Kiwi. Many years have passed since Naka has had a Sonic quality hit on his hands. Depending on how the Eurogamer Expo 2010 session goes, Ivy the Kiwi could easily make its way onto the radars of many European and international gamers.
