Tuesday, June 15, 2010

E3 2010: Nintendo Press Conference Reactions


Day two kicks off right away after a so-so-showing from Microsoft. Nintendo looks to liven things up with the new 3DS as well as a new Zelda title for the Wii. Take a look at all the action and reactions from Nintendo's E3 2010 press conference.

Of course, Nintendo's press conference begins with Reggie Fils-Amie taking about the "buzz" of technology and the experience of playing video games. Then of course, Zelda.

A short preview and demonstration is shown for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. This time the Wii's controls are more intuitive to the movements and functions of Link. As with Twilight Princess, the Wii remote functions as Link's sword and the nunchuk acts as his shield. However, added precision with the Wii Motion Plus and a few other tweaks may make Link's next adventure a breathe of fresh air for the series. However, poor Shigeru Miyamoto had some trouble at times because it looks like the game was not as responsive as it could be, certainly less so than the Kinect seen yesterday although it was likely because of some sort of WiFi interference. Let's hope that's a bug that can be worked out before the game launches in 2011.



Mario Sports Mix is actually a surprising game that is pretty exciting. It looks like Mario Sports Mix will include volleyball, hockey, dodgeball and basketball in classic Mario chaos. This one's coming, again, in 2011.

Wii Party allows players to connect with other Wii users across the globe to play a variety of mini games. It could be entertaining for a weekend, but that's about it. Just Dance 2 now looks like it's a few steps behind Microsoft's Kinect.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn will arrive this year. Based on the quick preview, Dark Dawn seems to have the overhead view very similar to the Zelda titles on the DS with battles that look nearly identical to Final Fantasy game in their heyday.

Goldeneye returns exclusively to Nintendo this year as well. For whatever reason it looks like the visuals are all too similar to its 1996 counterpart, but Daniel Craig is voicing James Bond in this one. It instantly has the same look and feel as the original. This may be one to watch and is certainly a pleasant surprise.

Disney Epic Mickey actually looks very cool. Visuals are reminiscent of Kingdom Hearts and in the game Mickey can paint or use thinner to create or remove obstacles in the environment. It's fair innovated and could be a great treat later this year.

There will be a new Kirby game in Kirby Epic Yarn and Metroid: Other M hits stores on August 31 which could go either way. Sorry, the video I was watching cut out at this point.



Donkey Country Returns! Just as Mario returned to his routes in New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Donkey Kong is doing the same with a new game that rekindles some of the best gameplay from the SNES with updated graphics while maintaining a lot of the original gameplay. This looks like an instant must-own this Fall.

The rest of the show was dominated by the uber-cool Nintendo 3DS. It looks just like a Nintendo DSi with a 3.5 inch widescreen display, analogue stick on the lower half above the directional pad, and full 3D graphics without 3D glasses.

The amount of depth displayed in 3D is determined by a slider on the side of the unit and only the bottom screen will be a touch-screen, like the DS, but that bottom screen will not project a 3D which is disappointing.

Nintendo upped the graphics on the new 3DS and installed motion sensors and a gryosensor (whatever that is) to pair the new hand held a little closer to the Wii.

However, most interesting is the Nintendo 3DS will take photos via two cameras on the front of the console to be viewed in 3D and 3D movies will be available for the little bugger as well.

Kid Icarus Uprising is announced as a launch title for the 3DS and is revealed as Nintendo's secret "Project Sora." It looks absolutely outstanding for a hand held game and revives old memories of a franchise long forgotten. Plus, oh boy, Nintendogs +cats. Luckily, a slue of other developers have jumped on board promising games from the Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid and Kindom Hearts franchises. When we'll actually see any of these games is an entirely different matter.



Nintendo concluded its presentation with one of the worst promotional videos ever made and a hooky barrage of attractive women with Nintendo 3DS hand helds strapped to their wastes ready to show those in the theater. No footage was shown because you apparently have to physically view the console for the 3D effect to work. Importantly, no release date was set for the 3DS.

Overall, Nintendo's presentation was far better than Microsoft's showing with a hefty bunch of Nintendo titles to certainly wet the appetite. Add the new 3DS and Nintendo has brought a lot for gamers to be excited about in the next year.

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