Nintendo Press Conference: Best Showing in Years

Over the past couple of years, Nintendo has gotten a lot of heat for abandoning the hardcore and not producing quality content for their platforms. Their E3 conference two years ago was a complete joke. This year though, the family friendly gaming company had probably their best showing at E3 in a long time. If you are a Nintendo fan then this E3 should get you excited about the future of the Wii and DS.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Nintendo started the conference with a bang showcasing the fan favorite classic franchise. The game graphically and visually looks like a great Zelda game. You use the Wiimote and Nunchuk as a sword and shield which is pretty cool for fans of the series. This Zelda will make you feel like Link. Though I did feel bad for Miyamoto because it seemed as if the demo wasn’t working how he would like. I’m not sure if the issues were with the game being a early build or if it was due to issues with the audience. Can’t wait to get impressions from the showfloor, but overall I’m excited to see where they take the franchise.

Goldeneye
It looks like a typical Wii-FPS. I’m sure many fans of the original are excited to see a new game in the franchise, but I’m hesitant. I’m excited that Nintendo is reaching into their catalog but remember that this experience will be very different because of the Wii controls, and that this game is not being developed by Rare. I think it’s something worth checking out, but I’m not ready to consider it a direct sequel (in terms of quality to the original).

Epic Mickey
My favorite game of the press conference. I really enjoyed what Warren Spector had to say about his upcoming game. I think he gets what a Mickey Mouse game needs to be about. The three different level types, the decision affecting gameplay, and the paint mechanics all seem great. You can add detail to the world or take it away with paint and paint thinner. I love the art style in the game, and the story should be great. If you haven’t read up on Epic Mickey before then I suggest you read up on the story because it is a great concept.

Kirby’s Epic Yarn
I’ll be honest when I was a kid I used to love Kirby on the SNES. That was then and now the little pink marshmallow doesn’t do much for me, but for fans of nostalgia I can see this new addition to the franchise appealing to old school gamers. I love the art style, and the new gameplay mechanics seem interesting. My only concern is pricing. If this game was coming out on the 360 or PS3 it would be a downloadable $10-$20 title. I hope Nintendo doesn’t charge full price on it. Of course, I’m not sure how much content is included, but hopefully it is a lot. While this may not appeal to many hardcore gamers, I think this is going to be a solid title for the Wii user base.

Wii Party
I think this will sell like hot cakes, and be a solid title for Wii owners. Do I think it will be a revolution like Wii Fit or Wii Sports? No. Honestly, the game doesn’t seem to bring that amazing new gameplay mechanic or mode that makes it super appealing, but it seems like a very solid title for the “Wii” brand. I don’t think this will fail like Wii Music did. I think this will be a solid party game, and I see it selling decent to new Wii Owners this Winter. If I was Nintendo I would think of a way to package this with the Wii during the holiday season.

Donkey Kong Country Returns
I’m really excited to see what Retro Studios does with the Donkey Kong franchise. If there is anyone that works with Nintendo that I trust besides the Mario team it is Retro. I love the art style in the game, and I’m very excited that young gamers will be able to experience a new Donkey Kong game made right. The trailer looked great to me, and if you are a fan of 2D Donkey Kong then there is no reason why you shouldn’t check this title out. Once again though my only worry is that it may be overpriced. Call me crazy, but I have a hard time justifying to myself that a 2D side scroller is worth a full price.

Kid Icarus Uprising 3D
Woah this game honestly looks fantastic graphically for a DS title. I’ll be completely honest, when I first saw the trailer I thought it was for the Wii. I can’t wait to hear the showfloor impressions from the Bitbag staff on this title and the tech behind it. If you’re a DS owner and want a action-adventure title then this is worth checking out. Hopefully Kid Icarus’s return makes him a fan favorite among this generation.

Nintendo 3DS
The baby that stole the conference. At first, I was hesitant if it was legit but everything I’ve heard about the 3DS has been positive. It’s not a gimmick, and it is coming with a great amount of titles. Metal Gear, Resident Evil, Ocarina of Time remake, Kingdom Hearts, Saint’s Row, and Star Fox titles will be all be coming to the new 3D console. That’s a great library for a portable console. I honestly can’t wait to see one first hand to see the tech. This is going to be a great push forward if legit. Great showing for this product, and it’s upcoming library of titles.

Overall:
Honestly, out of the big 3 I think Nintendo won E3. Yeah, call me crazy but they had the biggest surprises and pulled out nearly every one of their major franchises. Zelda, Kirby, Donkey Kong, Golden Eye, and Metroid, which I didn’t even go in to, were all featured and all look to be decent titles. Metroid and Zelda could end up being the best entries in the storied franchises. The 3DS is an amazing reveal to the gaming world, and it’s library is second to none in the portable market. The conference had quality, quantity, and surprises. The only knock on it is that the Wii still uses last gen technology, so all the great titles will be fun to play but well always wonder what if the Wii was a current gen system. Overall, is there anything Nintendo could have done to make this conference better? The answer is no. They pulled out all stops, and kept Cammie Dunaway far away.

Grade: A-