PRESS RELEASE: Nnooo releases second developer diary of Spirit Hunters Inc.

Australian based games developer Nnooo has released the second in a series of developer diaries showcasing Spirit Hunters Inc™, their next game for Nintendo DSiWare™.

Spirit Hunters Inc is a role playing game in which the player hunts, battles and captures spirits which inhabit our world. The game uses the front facing camera of the Nintendo DSi™ to create an augmented reality, merging computer generated spirits with the player’s real environment where the battles take place.

“The development of the game is really taking shape and we are delighted to be able to show the battle mode which will represent a large part of the player’s in-game experience”, said Nic Watt, Creative Director at Nnooo. “Now that we have some of the sound effects and player abilities in place, we are able to give a much better feel for what it’s like battling against the spirits.”

The player is part of an international task-force called Spirit Hunters Inc which is charged with capturing mischievous spirits and sending them back to the spirit world. Players will have to hunt down these spirits and coax them out of their hiding places before doing battle with them through their Nintendo DSi. On capturing spirits, players will be rewarded with experience points and in-game currency with which they will be able to level up, replenish health, buy useful spirit hunting items and traps and learn new battling abilities.

“We are very excited about how the game is developing”, said Watt. “Augmented Reality is a really exciting new area for games and we think that Spirit Hunters Inc is really making use of all of the Nintendo DSi’s features. We are also planning a version for the Nintendo 3DS™. More details about this will be revealed in the future.”

Spirit Hunters Inc is scheduled for release on Nintendo DSiWare later this year.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4gF2AV6OGQ

PRESS RELEASE: Nnooo announces the launch date of myDiary™ for Nintendo DSiWare™ in the Americas.

myDiary, the latest release in the highly successful myLifeCollected™ range, goes on sale in the Americas on Monday 31 January. myDiary allows users to organize their lives by keeping track of appointments, making daily journal entries and even setting daily alarms. It also features icons to indicate the time, volume and current battery level.

“myDiary is a logical extension to our myLifeCollected range.”, said Nic Watt, Creative Director at Nnooo. “Our vision with this range was to extend the DSi™ from portable games console into a games and multimedia device. The myLifeCollected range, which also includes our range of myNotebooks™ and myPostcards™, gives people the chance to do just that.”

In myDiary, users can tap on a day to write and review notes and add alarms to keep track of important events and birthdays. myDiary can be customized to your personal taste by using the 12 unlockable background and ink colors.  There is also a security function to keep daily notes private.

“We are delighted with the reaction to this line of applications” said Watt. “The release of myDiary in the Americas marks the end of the current myLifeCollected series. Our next projects will bring our focus back to gaming, with Spirit Hunters Inc, a social RPG for the DSi using augmented reality. We are also working on an exciting new game for Nintendo WiiWare™ which we will be announcing soon.”

myDiary will cost 200 points and will be available from Monday 31 January in the Americas. It is already available in Europe, Australia & New Zealand.

Well, what a nice start to the year. In Wiiloveit’s Best of Nintendo Awards 2010, Spirit Hunters Inc was voted most anticipated DSiWare game for 2011. Click here for the link.

Yes, we are giving away not one, but two sets of Spirit Hunters Inc wallpaper and avatars in this free and fun game! If light is your thing then go directly to door 7 where our bright and shiny spirits await. But if you are drawn to the dark side, behind door 15 is where our shadow spirits lurk! You’ll have to earn them though. Be warned, this game is difficult and incredibly addictive. Just click on the image below and good luck!

Well, Steven “Ogy” Ogden managed a last minute comeback and took the title of 2010 Nnooo Mo Bro! And we didn’t even count his own vote for himself. Congrats to the Ogy. The spirit isn’t very happy though, we think it’s already planning its strategy for next year. We’ve donated to the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia and beyondblue, as promised.

Ogy - serious, even in victory!

Want some cool free stuff for the holiday season? Then look no further. A free game, some free wallpaper and avatars for Spirit Hunters Inc and other cool indie games, and a free online advent calendar to count down the days to Christmas! Just click on the image below to take you to your mission!

(site requires flash)

Nic caught up with Jessica Citizen from Gamepron when we were at GCAP on the Gold Coast last week. Click here to see to him talk about what we’ve been up to this year, including Spirit Hunters Inc, his thoughts on 3DS and augmented reality, Nintendo platforms for developers and the iPhone.

Nic was recently on a panel interview for Nintendojo discussing Nintendo’s upcoming 3DS. Read the full interview below or click here for the Nintendojo link.

Third-Party Devs Discuss New 3DS Details

We talk with Ted Newman and Dan O’Leary of n-Space, Jools Watsham of Renegade Kid, and Nic Watt of Nnooo Studios for their 3DS reactions.
By Evan Campbell. Posted October 1, 2010 1:30 PM

Gamers complain about the price point. Critics discuss every feature revealed for the system. But what about the developers that plan to create games for Nintendo 3DS?

On Wednesday, Nintendo of Japan announced the price point (25,000 yen in Japan, unannounced in other territories) and release date (Feb. 26 in Japan, March for U.S. and Europe) for 3DS. Along with the date and cost, the company pulled back the curtain on a slew of features for the new handheld. I spoke with the heads of three different third-party developers for 3DS to get their take on all the latest happenings. (more…)

Sydney, September 24, 2010

PRESS RELEASE: Nnooo release video footage of Spirit Hunters Inc and launch website.

Australian based games developer Nnooo have released the first in a series of developer video diaries showcasing their next game, Spirit Hunters Inc™, for Nintendo DSiWare™ (click here to access the video).

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytH9EPhh5Cw

Spirit Hunters Inc is a role playing game in which the player hunts, battles and captures spirits which inhabit our physical world. The game uses the Nintendo DSi’s front facing camera to create an augmented reality, merging computer generated spirits with the player’s real environment where battles take place. (more…)

Nic was recently interviewed by Josh Moulds from Vooks about making games in Australia, Nintendo’s DSi and 3DS platforms and the upcoming Spirit Hunters Inc.  Read the full interview below or click here for the Vooks link.

Interview with Nnooo’s Nic Watt

We take a moment to chat with the makers of myNotebook about making games in Australia and their upcoming RPG, ‘Spirit Hunters Inc.’ for DSiWare.
Nnooo is a growing development studio based in Sydney who have produced some of the most successful software apps on the DSiWare store. The four-strong team have managed to pump out several versions of their myNotebook apps for DSiWare; the bubble-bursting game Pop for DSiWare and WiiWare; and are looking to build on their game-making chops with their ghost-catching RPG game, Spirit Hunters Inc.

I was lucky to see an early build of Spirit Hunters Inc. earlier this year- a game that utilises the DSi’s camera to enable players to hunt down, fight and collect hidden spirits in the world around them. The project will be Nnooo’s most ambitious game to date and highlights the creative talent we have here at home in Australia. Seeing the potential in Spirit Hunters Inc., as well as the growing library of myLifeCollected software on the DSi, I tracked down Nnooo’s creative director Nic Watt to talk about what it was like to develop games in Australia and asked him to shed some light on Spirit Hunters. (more…)