E3 Roundup: NintendoWritten By Roy
After the big announcements from Microsoft and Sony, eyes turned to Nintendo to deliver something special, especially considering that the other two companies were clearly trying to play catch up with the company in terms of control systems. There wasn’t much spectacular from the Nintendo camp this year however, mostly sequels and add-ons to existing products that most gamers interested had already heard about. There were at least some interesting additions to the Nintendo DS library, which is getting stronger and stronger each month. There’s also two new Mario games coming which are sure to please fans greatly.
Wii Fit Plus and Wii Motion
Nintendo’s amazingly popular Wii Fit – which we reviewed earlier this month – will be seeing an update in the form of Wii Fit Plus, offering players new game modes including activities such as Rhythm Kung Fu and Skateboarding, again using the balance board to complete the new tasks. There’s also an added emphasis on being able to customise your experience with the game as you’ll be able to set your own 20 30 or 40 minute workout routines. Overall, the game will include 15 new activities. One of the odder features is the ability to weight your family pets using the balance board.
There was more coverage of the Wii MotionPlus system although what was seen didn’t excite many people. The controller is basically a way of making the Wiimote more precise. It did prove successful in facilitating gameplay for the new Wii Sports Resort game coming out shortly, particularly in the Archery demo shown. They’ve also announced a ‘vitality sensor’, a small device you can place your finger into which reads your heart-rate. Nintendo ensured gamers that this would be more just a gimmick, but there’s no real software to show for it yet.
Nintendo DS Announcements
Nintendo’s pride and joy the DS – or the DSi at least – took up a healthy amount of the shows time and it’s clear from the attention Nintendo reaps on it’s portable prodigy that Sony still has a long way to go if it’s to be seen as taking the PSP as seriously as Nintendo take the DS.
So what’s coming? Quite a few RPG games including a ‘special’ version of Square Enix / Disney RPG Kingdom Hearts which was dated for release on September 29 and will feature some sort of multiplayer element although details are still sketchy right now. There’s also the next Zelda game Spirit Tracks and a new Mario and Luigi RPG that involves the characters being sucked inside Bowsers body. Fans of Golden Sun will also be excited with a new game rendered in full 3D to be available next year. The GBA RPG is an underrated experience that not enough people have had a change to play so it’s good to see it coming to the DS soon.
A few other interesting games are coming out, including a cop game, another game in the ‘march of the minis’ series for DSi-ware and a Warioware DIY tool which is a bit like a small game creation system. There’s also the Facebook application coming to the DSi very shortly which will allow easy access to the popular social networking site.
Super Mario Galaxy 2
Galaxy was an amazing game. Even the few people that didn’t love Mario 64 were converted by Galaxy’s addictive gameplay and excellent visuals which really put Mario back on the map after a few years of silence following the release of Mario Sunshine.
The upcoming sequel will be the first time a 3D Mario game will be seen twice in the same generation of Nintendo’s systems. The major addition to the sequel is the return of Yoshi, who will function in much the same way he has in previous Mario games. He’s gained a few new tricks though, such as the ability to fly. Uniquely, Yoshi’s tongue will be controllable with the Wiimote via a red targeting dot on screen.
Not everything about the game is new however, with 10% of the original game being recycled. However, the new gameplay should add some twists interesting enough to let this slide.
The game is planned for a release sometime in 2010.
Super Mario Bros
Another Mario game? Not to be confused with Mario Galaxy detailed above, Mario Bros will be a 2D platform game in the style the originals, updated with new graphics and gameplay and a similar way to the DS version. Indeed, the new game is being touted by Nintendo as a follow up to the DS game.
There’s talk of four screen co-op play and some decent multiplayer modes that could make for some interesting gameplay if pulled off. The game will be controlled with the Wiimote sideways, moving the controller up in the air to make Mario jump.
Mario will also be getting two new suits for the game with Nintendo placing emphasis on what they call ‘Penguin Mario’ which may well give Mario some extra skills and control on the often frustrating ice levels. Yoshis and Toads will also make an appearance.
Metroid: Other M
Scheduled for Release in 2010, the new Metroid game was one of the more surprising announcements for Nintendo this year. A trailer was released showing some rather different gameplay to what we’ve previously seen from the Metroid series in recent times and looked like a totally different experience from the Metroid Prime franchise.
The trailer switches between 3D and 2D throughout and showed gameplay in both first person and third person views, so it looks like something of a hybrid. The game is set between Super Metroid and Metroid Fusion and will involve Adam Malkovich, Samus’s CO. Currently not much else is known about the game but it’s managed to cause quite a stir both online and at the conference.
…And Finally
That about sums up all of the big announcements at E3 this year, and it’s now the time of the year just after E3 where blogs speculate and salivate most over the announcements. Whether you’re into the casual or the hardcore, gamers have got quite a lot of look forward to in the next year. We’ll have promising sequels for many of our favourite IPs as well as new ways to control our games and even interact with strange little kids, if Peter Molyneux will have anything to say about it.
Here’s looking forward to next years E3.
The News Release was written by: Roy who produces professional