Welcome back to the second part of my coverage on the Key conferences of E3 2010 & now we head on to the thoughts shared with Nintendo's presentation. Also before we continue I was asked recently as to why I didn't once touch on Halo Reach in the Microsoft recap I did last night, I really saw nothing new or impressive & I love Halo but again as I mentioned with Metal Gear Solid Franchise, it needs to end before it becomes befallen with the same fate that Kingdom Hearts has embraced. So I'm not downing on Halo Reach, I just personally refuse to set myself for disappointment so I acknowledge what I I've seen is great but seeing it numerous times with very little change or enticement so instead, I've decided to be spontaneous with my enjoyment as I purchase on release but that's enough of that time to get back to the main subject at hand. Now I'm going to come out & say that I love Nintendo but I haven't looked forward to anything that Nintendo has presented at E3 since 2005...yeah 5 years ago, between Mario Spin offs or the Vitality sensor I never really built myself up for Nintendo any longer, then last year's E3 showed off Super Mario Galaxy 2 & New Super Mario Bros. Wii I started to think positively towards this Year's event in Nintendo land & Gosh fucking dammit! my testicles are still blown off & smeared awkwardly against the wall of my living room.
So the start of the conference happened with Reggie Fils-Aime coming on stage & as he was starting the conference one statement really just spoke to me, like it really spoke to me & even to this day I have unintentionally gone by this mindset that "Technology is only a tool..." that's something that Nintendo has really ran with for quite sometime. That clarity that kept ringing on in the back of my skull as the conference truly started to begin, it really set the tone all ready for the entire conference. So as the room within the conference slowly dims the lights as if it were trying to seduce you like lustful sixteen year old boy, The newest Legend of Zelda game finally appeared before us after a montage of the most recent 3D-iterations of the Legend of Zelda we are then greeted with the newest look & visual aesthetic of the game as Link stood valiantly there, displayed amongst us all. The Married look of Wind-Waker & Twilight Princess with this animated yet epic look of our hero of legend that stood before us. Soon after with Miyamoto on the big screen & his translator Bill Trinen on stage with some hilarious anecdotes ensue between the two with Bill Trinen purposely doing a bad job as Miyamoto fucking teleported to the stage through crazy Sci-Fi Broadway stage effect that was just a pure pleasure to see & for this moment I paused & realized before my mind could return back to the conference, that just like years before it, Nintendo was doing much more then presenting their future releases & products, they were having fun with it. Usually it's a little much or just hokey but for some reason it felt really refreshing & it was definitely a change of pace over Microsoft conference. So as the show continued we were treated to what Miyamoto's true vision of a control scheme that he had in mind with Twilight Princess for the Wii & nearly everything that was displayed with the variety of the weapons & items was all done with motion control which was powered Wii Motionplus which I'm enjoyed to see is being carried out more & more used I was disappointed to see so many technical issues on the presentation floor but it was very understandable being as Miyamoto mentioned, will all the equipment used by the equipment used by the media presence. Tough it was a bit hard to see, the fact that there was a reassurance given by Miyamoto through Trinen on the stage that this would not be happening in the final release of the game, let alone also explaining the game is completely playable the show floor after the conference & yet, even though I was put to ease, I was still quite put off that Nintendo didn't see this coming? The company that prides itself on secretly plotting towards it's presentations, really faux opaque this time around & acted as it was unheard of that the possibility of wireless interference could have ever occurred so I'm not completely excusing Nintendo, but I'm not worried about any issues occurring with the game at all outside that specific environment, I just wished again that this was foreseen but no matter, it was simply embarrassing. With the show moving on forward we had Reggie take over the helm yet again to turn the show around, we were treated to a remake of the Original Goldeneye 007 for the Nintendo 64 developed by Eurocom & our not so favorite publisher Activision. Daniel Craig will actually replace the Pierce Broshnan likeness for for James Bonds' character which I agree was actually a smart move being as it makes the game all the much more relatable to the current generation but again as I mentioned in the previous recap regarding Microsoft, this remake is yet another entry in a genre that's beyond saturated & does little or nothing to provide variety other than the motion control scheme which can work well with the Wii like Metroid Prime or The Conduit or terrible ones like Far-cry & Red Steel, so who exactly know but maybe a remake we really could have done without to avoid soiling any fond memory we have left with it as the original has not aged well at all in terms of the archaic control scheme since we've been conditioned to the now modern convention of ideal FPS control mechanics we've had for the two generations.
The show then moved on to other new announcements including a new Mario spinoff title which was predictable even though we've been treated to games like New Super Mario Bros. Wii & Super Mario Galaxy 2. Mario Sports mix was actually an enjoyment to see being as there were sports that haven't already been done that instead of having their own releases were all collaborated into one game which again was refreshing, Nintendo instead of milking the Mario name further & further through quasi-sports games with the word "Mario" simply put in front of it. Nintendo had the game packed with Volley-ball, Basketball, Hockey, & dodgeball which we've seen done before within iterations of Mario Party or Mario Basketball 3-on-3 on the DS so didn't necessarily understand as to why Reggie boasted that Mario hasn't done this before, maybe he meant in terms of a full-fledged game completely centered around them? Dodgeball would really be the only completely new one. From here Reggie took the opportunity to tout some sales figure which has more or less become a standard key point with all of the recent Nintendo press events being as they'll always gloat their fortunes & find a way to be coy about it. Honestly the most bland & possibly unnecessary announcement was Wii Party...A mini-game collection involving motion controls on the Wii, Gee guys, I stopped playing &/or buying these games 32 games ago...figured you were paying attention? then came the announcement of Golden Sun DS which, to be completely honest, I'm not familiar with at all. Not to say anything negative about Golden Sun, I'm just personally neutral about it, the feature of uploading stats from the previous game into the sequel always intrigued me as I always felt this cohesive immersion when franchises did this like Ratchet & Clank or Mass Effect. it only felt natural that this feature would carry over to the DS sequel as The DS does feature a GBA slot...oh wait, not the current DS models as this feature has been phased out, meaning why provide a feature for a platform that doesn't carry the company's full focus on? again some wasted potential there as this game would've definitely generated some interest if it was released much earlier but again, it's honestly a small gripe that I felt needed to be addressed. I have some renewed interest in the franchise so I may grab the originals before I jump camp over to anticipation & what have you of the upcoming DS release. I also tuned out a bit with Dragon Quest IX because I felt I had already seen or known enough to really warrant any more interest that I already had, again not to downplay the game but I did enjoy the release date & finished product that was shown by Square-Enix. Warren spector than had his time on stage with Epic Mickey, a game I have been more than interested in being as I am a disney animation nerd & the entire premise & aesthetic of this darker presentation involving this steam-punk transformation & moral system with nearly ever Disney character that has been included within the Disney cartoons whether they were iconic or not which would appeal to everyone whether you would be able to recognize the characters or not. The Paint brush mechanic of being able to control or destroy along with a morality system set in place behind with crucial consequences determined by whatever action you take for the entire game's progress is something that really draws me in, as the game has multiple ways of being played through, making replayability endless & I can't think of any other game that really does this that emphasizes such intrical moral system to determine progress ( other than Heavy Rain but Epic Mickey appears to be "playable" so again fuck you Heavy Rain) I was really pleased with the gameplay showcased by Mr. Spector & again remind myself that 2010 has been the good year that the Wii needed. As the show again began to pick up speed again, Reggie hinted at one of my favorite Nintendo franchises that hasn't received a proper console entry for over ten years so the announcement was more than a pleasant surprise & in a way was my highlight of the Nintendo conference besides a few other moments & the game that I'm making mention of would Kirby's Epic Yarn. Something that actually worried me for a moment was the fact that the trademark of Kirby sucking his foes up & gaining their powers in the process seemed to missing (or otherwise undefined?) within the trailer. What we did see instead was an amazingly beautiful aesthetic of giving Kirby & all of the graphic & characters within the game this Yarn outline defining them as if they were crafted all out of pipe cleaners for a 5th grade art project. The mechanic that was displayed within the trailer of Kirby unraveling enemies as well as unraveling certain elements within the stage environment like a bridge or a building was incredibly interesting & also as I mentioned before, there was no clear cut method that showed how Kirby exactly obtained different abilities but we did show Kirby showcase a small assortment of then including a miniature car, a parasol, & him skateboarding in what looked like an homage to Adventure Island as he skated across a scrolling level, bouncing off of the skulls of enemies abound. Kirby's Epic Yarn also displayed simultaneous CO-OP play in the same manner that Kirby's Super Star & Kirby's Dreamland 3 did on the SNES, & something that I noticed which really excited me as there was really only one scenario in which you were able to do this within Kirby's Superstar was with the right combination of power for your partner (being Wheelie) you could team up together & create a whole new power set with the ability with each of you having a different responsibility in terms of movement or attack which was prevalent near the end of the trailer. If this mechanic is fleshed out then I'll have a new favorite Kirby game to play multiplayer wise (it's personally still between Kirby & the Amazing Mirror & Kirby's Dreamland 3). Coming off of the heels of the presentation demonstrating Kirby's Epic Yarn was another rumor that was going on the day before the conference as it was reported on 1up.com when I first made myself aware of the rumored news that Retro Studios, the same development team that produced the Metroid Prime series was rumored to have a new game under the works for the Donkey Kong Franchise, Well sure as shit followed the announcement of Donkey Kong Country Returns. Other than the terrible name, the game featured what maybe yet again fully functional CO-OP gameplay through 2-D side-scrolling platforming which I was excited for but feeling a little under-whelmed being as the Neo-Retro craze is starting to feel a bit milked but what then quickly changed when I noticed that there were 2.5D mechanic of Donkey Kong & Diddy Kong jumping into the background of the stage Ala Top Hunter or Virtual Boy WarioLand as I have mentioned before on the Podcast & website my love of 2.5D games so this quickly made the deal for me therefore I continued to watch with my interest peaked & soon saw homages to the original DKC games such as Mine Cart stages & Barrel cannon shooting, I also saw many different environmental dangers or foes within the game which also kept me glued. After the end of the trailer though something that I did not see which I was disappointed in being as I am big fan of the original SNES classics were the absence of the animal buddies such as Rahmbi the Rhino or Enguarde the Swordfish so who knows maybe it's far to early to tell anything so far but it's good to know that this didn't give off the impression of cashing in on some Neo-Retro craze (Earthworm Jim HD). Metroid: Other M was then also showcased with a newer fleshed out trailer, I was concerned & yet excited for how the narrative was going to be handled within the game as I did not want to go through another "Fusion" experience. Also I'm really surprised with just how much freedom that Nintendo has given Team Ninja on developing for the Metroid: Other M but it definitely retains the Metroid feel so I have high hopes & I'm also relieved to see a release date that's literally 2 months away from today's date so this is a great feeling.
So the Highlight of Nintendo's show? I'll have to say that I am a little more excited for the Nintendo 3DS then I first was when it was first announced as we all here on show were not only left feeling cheated with the investment that we all put into the DS Lite but the fact that it just again felt really gimmicky. Fast forward to 2010 with E3 where we have the opportunity to see the mythical contraption that Nintendo as usual has been so tight lipped about since the first announcement &...it's nothing short of a technological marvel & it only led me back to the argument of the industry reaching it's technological stride with home consoles & possible much needed shift the portable market to stay a float which I'm still glad to see the PSP is still going (going strong no, but going none of the less). if I haven't made this point strong before, I sure as hell will now & that's just me not being stoked on 3D at all. I see it as nothing more than a fad that's being introduced into the fold again in the home entertainment realm because of the popularity of recent films that take advantage of the 3D tech that is easily available within a Theater setting, but definitely not so much within the home. It's also really disorienting with long exposure & little to useless for anyone to enjoy with existing vision problems as well the already prevalent
health problems that it presents to begin with. Now coming back to Nintendo & their show case of the 3DS in motion with a franchise that has deserved a much needed return to form so long that most have forgotten it's hallow name & that would be Kid Iccarus: Uprising unveiled for the 3DS which looked absolutely amazing, something that was Gamecube-esque looking & just sheer insanity for some of the named franchises that would appear on the 3DS like Star Fox 3D, Pilotwings, Super Street Fighter IV, Metal Gear Solid, Kingdom Hearts, Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive, A Boy & His Blob, & Resident Evil to showcase what we have in store for the platform, the other appealing feature is the fact that you do not require 3D Glasses appreciate the 3D effect or illusion & that you can actually turn it down & also turn it off, the product shows a lot of promise but I still have yet to see any other precarious uestions that I have with no answers what so ever, such us DSiWare & wether or not this is going to be continued with the 3DS or backwards compatibility was pretty vague as well & again will games require 3D? is there a way I can turn it off if I don't want to use it at all? who knows. Well on that note. I'm going to end the recap here.I will be posting the Sony one by the end of the week along with us recording our initial thoughts & impressions of E3! so again stay tuned.