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.
Day two is underway and it's up to the house that Super Mario built to wow the E3 crowd. Take a look at Nintendo has in store at this year's E3 and perhaps our first look at 3D gaming.
Although it's less than five days away, E3 just can't come fast enough for Microsoft.
The software giant will hold a special "Natal related" pre-E3 press conference this Sunday at L.A.'s Galen center. The event promises a live performance by Cirque du Soleil.
Microsoft will recap full coverage of the special event at xbox.com, the Inside Xbox channel and on Xbox LIVE.
Microsoft will hold its media event at E3 at 1:00 p.m. on Monday. Nintendo will follow at noon on Tuesday and Sony will raise the curtain at 3 p.m.
In the meantime, take a look at the what to expect at E3 2010 and stay tuned to VGF for all the highlights and reactions to the happenings at the greatest gaming expo in the world.
It seems like just yesterday that Microsoft and Sony jumped on the Nintendo bandwagon and announced motion controllers for the Xbox 360 and PS3.
Turns out it was almost a year ago and the Electronic Entertainment Expo is returning in just under two weeks on June 15-17 at the L.A. Convention Center. Checkout the E3 Expo 2010 official website for more information.
You read the headline correctly, Amanda Flowers (perhaps a fake name) says that a fall while playing Wii Fit has turned her into a sex addict.
She was allegedly diagnosed with persistent genital arousal disorder after damaging a nerve while falling on the Wii Balance Board in the process of playing Wii Fit.
She now claims she needs to satisfy her delicate disorder 10 times a day and the slightest vibration can trigger a reaction.
Yes, the 24-year-old is single.
No word on if she plans to file any sort of law suit against Nintendo (imagine how that disclaimer would read).
Depending on how you look at it, one more reason why more women should or shouldn't get into gaming.
Nintendo made a tease of an announcement today that it will release a new handheld called the Nintendo 3DS.
The only information in its paragraph-long press release aside from its name is that it is planned to be fully backwards compatible with all DS and DSi games, will launch in Japan within the next fiscal year and more details on the console are set to be released at E3 beginning June 15.
That miniscule amount of information hasn't (and won't) stop media mongers from speculating exactly what the Nintendo 3DS will be. Is it just another upgrade to the DS? An entirely new handheld plateform? Will it even play games in 3D?
We have seen videos across the internet about 3D motion via head-tracking a la some sort of camera.
Arcs Technica posted a video showcasing how the 3DS could function by using the DSi camera as the unit for head tracking:
As it was long anticipated, on-demand media service Netflix announced Wednesday that it will launch its streaming video service on the Nintendo Wii next spring.
Like the PS3, the Wii version of the service will require a disc to launch the service using the Nintendo Wii's built-in WiFi connection.
Netflix members will have access to the service with a $8.99 monthly subscription.
This gives the on-demand media giant access to the Wii's 3 million unit install base, however, the service is subdued compared to other home consoles because the limitations of the Wii itself.
No high-definition video output.
This means that Wii owners looking to enjoy Netflix's video streaming service on their HDTVs may be sadly disappointed that they cannot view content in HD because the Nintendo Wii only outputs up to 480p the highest quality standard-definition video output.
Nintendo had hinted at an HD-capable version of its home console, but has yet to release the Wii HD.
The recently announcement by Netflix is a clear demand for an HD-capable version of the console forerunner.
However, it seems as though Microsoft's price edge with a $199 Xbox 360 Arcade will soon be met with a $199 Nintendo Wii effective September 27.
Nintendo could easily do without a price drop as consumers appear to still be enthralled with the motion controlled system which should now remain the cheapest console.
Alas, I still do not foresee any increase in sales for the Wii with the minor price reduction.
