E3 2010: Nintendo's Press Conference

Nintendo


   I haven't been a huge fan of Nintendo in a while, I used to own a Wii but a few months after it launched I bought a 360 and eventually sold it because I lost interest. I'm more a fan of their history than what is currently out, and even though I don't see Nintendo doing anything special enough to get me to buy their motion sensing home console again, this press conference was incredibly solid and was filled with announcements that simultaneously promise innovation while showing the world a return to form to what made their past consoles the classics they are. Nintendo fans truly have more to be excited over than they have since the Wii launched.

   The conference started with a bang, a new Zelda adventure, Skyward Sword was officially announced with a new trailer and "gameplay". I'm not entirely sure what I thought about the new look as the art style was a cross between Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. Wind Waker may still be the best use of cell shading in a videogame to this day (I fully understand games like TF2, Crackdown, and Borderlands out there) and I loved Twilight Princess's dark and more realistic aesthetic, and crossing these two isn't the sum of it's parts. Then again most every new Zelda game pulls out a new art style, so this is no different. The gameplay demonstration was really too bad. It was filled with technical difficulties, and imprecise showing of the motion controls. I'm not a fanboy of my own console, the 360, but I can defend Nintendo and say it was just interference. This is supposed to use Wii Motion Plus, and hopefully for the fans' sake Skyward Sword will use it to truly add to the experience. Twilight Princess's use of the normal motion controls was essentially tacked on with extra polish, so hopefully this one will enhance the item implementation.

   As said, I'm a fan of Nintendo's history and I feel the best part of the conference was the announced re-imaginations of some of their classic titles. What hardcore gamer doesn't think a completely re-worked Goldeneye 007, the shooter that made shooters possible on consoles, is neat on any platform. Same goes for the new Donkey Kong Country made by Retro Studios, the people that made Metroid Prime. There was a new Kirby title announced that not only had a superb art style, but as with the other games mentioned, it is a return to form. It's great to see Nintendo continuing the retro revival when they started with New Super Mario Bros, hopefully they will keep this up.

   Of course there were the inevitable casual games. I'm personally glad to see "Wii Party" instead of a new Mario Party since the most recent Mario Party wasn't as critically upbeat as fans are about the N64 iterations. Yes it will be as Reggie claimed it to be another "bridge title" but if your into the industry you may realize that there are a ton of subpar casual games on Wii, and hopefully Wii Party will flush those out. Mario Sports Mix may have a weird name but hopefully it will overshadow some who are disappointed over a lack of a new Mario Party. Sure these titles are inevitable, but I like it when Nintendo puts out their games when developers doing similar genres are rushing their products.

   Finally, Nintendo 3DS.  Prepare for a revolution. It wasn't a surprise that the 3DS was going to be shown at the conference but it sure left a mark. I dislike 3D in theaters. For me, the glasses take away from the image of movie franchises and it adds something between you and the movie. It's just isn't a "pure" experience.  Who knows what magic Nintendo cooked up in the making of the new hardware but it was pulled off, and as IGN has reported, it seems this isn't a gimmick. It gets better, this isn't just a DS with an added effect, there is a ton of added horsepower to make the graphics much cleaner, an analog nub, and two cameras to produce 3D photos. My personal favorite is watching 3D movies on the new DS, no longer will I have to look stupid to get an unnecessary effect.

   For me, I'm not exited for it because of the hardware, Nintendo has sold me by the line up of games. Yes, it is too bad Nintendo didn't give a more solid list of the games at the press conference but by the launch of 3DS we will have a good library unlike how I had to wait a few months for Wario Ware and Nintendogs for the triple A titles. Nintendogs + Cats, remakes of Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, a new Mario Kart, Kingdom Hearts, Kid Icarus; the list goes on. This is where Nintendo outdid themselves and the best example of how they can treat their longtime fans. When you guys shine Nintendo, you guys shine.