E3: Nintendo Press Conference Round-up
E3: Nintendo Press Conference Round-up
Evolution rather than Revolution.
Jennifer Allen watched the E3 press conference and has opinions to share.
LOVE HIM or loathe him, you’ve got to admit that Reggie Fils-Aime is a personality and a half. Clearly a born seller, he knows how to sell Nintendo well. Not that he had to try too hard this year as Nintendo have clearly pulled out all the stops to put on a fantastic show with some impressive things on display.
Reggie the born salesman points out that Nintendo is raising the bar, and well yes they are. While a few new IPs wouldn’t have gone amiss, there’s no denying it’s fantastic to see some much loved favourites return. Evolution rather than revolution is clearly the name of the game this year for Nintendo.
The conference started with a warm and charming trailer for the new Zelda. Sure the Wii has had Twilight Princess, but that was a Gamecube port first and foremost. Zelda: Skyward Sword is a whole new game just for the Wii and it’s hard not to be excited. Since when has a Zelda game ever been poor? It’s also looking absolutely gorgeous so far and maintains the Zelda charm perfectly.
A Link to the Past
Shigeru Miyamoto himself appeared to show off the game, which was a mixed blessing. It turns out he really isn’t very good at it. Bursting onto the stage with his trusty Wiimote and Nunchuk after a brief piece of video footage, Miyamoto demonstrated his skill, or should I say lack of skill, with Skyward Sword. Things go from bad to worse when Miyamoto struggles with the controls sending the crossbow flying across the screen. There’s an apology for interference problems which do genuinely appear to be the case. Cynics might be suspicious that this suggests an awkward control system, however other hands on reports such as Kotaku’s have quelled these worries stating that it works just fine. Disappointment looms a little with the announcement that Zelda won’t be out until next year but at least it means plenty of time to get everything just right.
Reggie returns next to ramble on about new experiences for everyone. It’s not as scary as you’d think though. No, this is the time for Mario Sports Mix. Yeah ok, not everything can be a big huge announcement. For the casual gamer though, it does look rather fun and I can see it being a bit of a guilty pleasure for a lot of people. After a moment of marketing spiel to remind us of how well the Wii is selling and how many people intend on buying a Wii, there’s Wii Party and Just Dance 2. Ignoring my urge to cringe at the Pussycat Dolls playing, I’ll forgive Nintendo for some casual gaming nonsense. Just Dance sold so well for a reason after all. Insanity and good marketing…I mean because it provides fun and thrills for families keen to dance together. The family that dances together stays together after all. Probably. Wii Party’s bound to make a change for the family too as surely everyone’s exhausted the potentials of Wii Sports by now.
Following such saccharine casual gaming goodness, there’s a pleasant return to ‘hardcore’ gaming in the form of Golden Sun. I adored Golden Sun on the Gameboy Advance; in fact I’ve got a huge urge to go play it now. Just the fact that I know that a new Golden Sun game is on the way makes the world feel a slightly happier place. JRPG fans really need to keep an eye on this one, it’s a gem of a franchise and criminally underrated.
The name’s Brosn… Craig, Daniel Craig
It’s time for the big one now, the really big one. You remember Goldeneye right? I know I spent many of my younger years obsessively playing it. Guess what? It’s coming back for the Wii. In November. That’s only 5 months away! The trailer is exciting to say the least. There are some changes afoot, gone is Pierce Brosnan’s Bond in favour of Daniel Craig and I’m sure a few memorable moments look slightly different but it’s Goldeneye for goodness sake! Nintendo’s even had the decency to include plenty of new multiplayer modes and maintain split screen multiplayer, a much forgotten way of gaming in recent years.
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You clearly like Nintendo and can’t say no to anything. Curious.
I liked Nintendo’s E3 conference a lot as I’ve said. Much more so than I expected beforehand admittedly. However I wouldn’t say I like them any more than Sony or Microsoft if that’s what you’re insinuating.
I just love how retro everything is. Kirby, Donkey Kong, Star Fox? They all look quality.
@Jennifer,
I should have extended my comment. I find it curious that the Nintendo seems to be the console drawing the most genuine admiration from its fans. No other console gathers such support from its player base, like Nintendo does. I can’t quite understand why.
Admittedly I’m biased since I don’t like one bit their consoles and their games. I look at that new Legend of Zelda and honestly cannot see one pixel of anything “gorgeous” or “charming”, as you put it. To me that — and the vast majority of games in the Nintendo — have a childish, almost immature-like feel to them. Something I’d buy for my daughters (and they do beg me to).
However my hat to Nintendo. Because quiet frankly I have never seen such a devote fan base anywhere else, like with that company. It clearly shows Nintendo knows their target audience well and they are faithful to them. Definitely not something you can say about any other console.
My Wii has been gathering dust for ages, pretty much since I finished Twilight Princess actually, and this conference at least made me consider getting the thing back out again.
I’m not a massive Zelda fan, but the 1:1 swordfighting (albeit blundered during the demo) seemed interesting enough to remind me that I even own a Wii. How long the novelty lasts once my own cack-handedness leads me to getting mullered by a bloody moblin, well, we’ll see.