Another year, another crazy E3! Sorry I'm late...having a bit of a blue weekend.
Anyway, it's obvious as to what we'll be discussing for today's post, so no external preamble is necessary. That said, I'll be splitting my opinions into several sections just like last year: What I Loved, What I'm Not Sure About, and What I Didn't Like.
Let's get it on!
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What I Loved
Five home consoles have defined the realm of Nintendo. The Nintendo Entertainment System established not just the company's entrance into video games, but many of their current key franchises. The Super Nintendo refined these experiences into what many label as the finest moments of
Super Mario,
Zelda,
Metroid, and
Kirby. The Nintendo 64 revolutionized gaming and was also designated as the ultimate party machine. The Gamecube chose to focus on innovation, and those that stuck with it were introduced to magical worlds not found in its competitors. The Wii not only continued this trend with motion controls, but bridged the gap towards the expanded market and ended up being one of the most affluent of Nintendo's family.
And now, we have a new family member that is made just for your needs.
Let's give a warm welcome to the Wii U.
Yes, that iPad shaped tablet really is the controller! Let's take a quick peek at the following trailer in order to make sense of this wondrous device.
The big focus is, obviously, on the controller. The rumors of a touch screen on it turned out to be genuine, as the screen can mirror what is happening on-screen. This has a number of uses, as seen when a game of
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is shown to be seamlessly transferred to the controller. For example, if your mother wants to watch the television you're playing games on, you can switch your game over to the controller while Mom gets to enjoy an episode of
Desperate Housewives. While there's no information of how long the wireless range can last, it's a guarantee that you can play it anywhere in the house!
Of course, the big question is how this feature will aid in gameplay. A great example includes the tech demo Battle Mii, which features characters in
Metroid's Varia Suits trying to shoot down a spaceship. Helming the ship via the tablet controller, the player must strike back amidst the firing of his Wii Remote-armed friends, who use the television to hunt down their prey. Notice how the person wielding the controller has his own screen to navigate, while the hunters only play on the television screen. A similar game on an earlier platform would have been cluttered with splitscreens, but the Wii U succeeds by not just simplifying the TV screen, but adding an unlimited amount of potential for strategy! As the hunters scramble around trying to locate their target, the ship has the added element of stealth thanks to having his own private screen. Plus, with the reported confirmation of FIVE PLAYERS, one can only imagine where multiplayer games will be taken with this system.
The
Zelda HD demo excels at not just presenting another use for the tablet, but hinting at the Wii U's graphical prowess. Details on just how exactly the console will be remain elusive, but various comments from developers hint of a superiority to the Playstation 3. Of course, we'll be able to get a much better look at next year's E3, which will no doubt have a healthy selection of games to be admired right before the system's launch.
Are there any blemishes to this announcement? Admittedly, the initial reveal caused momentary confusion, as they focused so much on the controller that they didn't even bother showing the system itself, leading many to wonder if the actual controller was the console. However, the only real concern regarding the Wii U itself is that only one of these tablets can be controlled at a time with the Wii U. While the system provides support of the Wii Remote (unfortunately, no Gamecube controllers :<), I can see fights breaking out over who will be able to play with the special controller. The controller itself, understandably, rose many eyebrows and raised questions on how not only games would be played, but on the topic of comfortableness.
While reports from the show indicate the controller fits adequately into the player's hands, the lack of any real games at the show fail to quell these concerns. That said, I don't necessarily think Nintendo's showed their full hand with this system, and again, I'm sure all will be made clear next year. If there's one thing the company succeeds at, it's always designed to make sure the player is not just comfortable, but suited for their needs (which, obviously, is the whole point of the system). I'm looking very forward to what Nintendo and the entourage of third-party developers have planned for the Wii U.
Since the Wii U featured only a small selection of tech demos, the 3DS and Wii stole the spotlight when it came to their lineup. Let's first take a look at the new handheld on the block.
Super Mario 3DS is here!!! Perhaps best described as the two-dimensional version of
Super Mario Galaxy, the undeniable influence from Nintendo EAD Tokyo's greatest hits are unmistakable (which makes sense, since they're both being made by the same company). While the game features the three-dimensional movement of its home console cousins, it features a more streamlined level design not unlike it's Wii cousins. It's no doubt an effort to appeal to the expanded market crowd that can't seem to understand the 3D Marios, and I'm curious to see how the title works.
..Tanooki Mario, though? Not that I have a problem, but I thought the tail in the logo hinted at the return of Raccoon Mario.
Kid Icarus Uprising once again arrives on the scene with an explosive trailer. Who saw the multiplayer segment coming? No one did, and I'm excited to try it out. The single-player again impresses, and the addition of the buff Magnus (along with the cutscenes) really shows Sakurai's dedication to evolving the world of
Kid Icarus. If you own a 3DS and haven't downloaded any of the E3 trailers yet, at least nab this one! The 3D effect is amazing!
Unfortunately, I've been reading that the control problems from earlier presentations are still present. I've heard it's similar to the controls of
Star Fox Command, which I didn't have any problems with but wasn't easy for everyone. Here's to hoping there's alternate control schemes.
The big announcement for 3DS came in the form of
Luigi's Mansion 2! It's been ten years since the original title debuted as a launch title for the Gamecube, and the time has now come for Luigi to once again rid his fear of ghosts. To be honest, I was never really sure if Nintendo was interested in the idea of a sequel, considering the mixed reception the original had received. But, hey, I'm ready for another go. The concept looks as goofy as ever, but part of me thinks we'll have some new gimmicks to spice up the experience. Either way, I'm eager to explore the multiple mansions this sequel provides (they gotta include the original!).
Also, I can't get enough of the ghost at 1:07. Nyutnyea!
...man, ten years since
Luigi's Mansion. I feel old.
Mario Kart 3DS goes back to the drawing board with more gimmicks: Hand gliders and Kart Customization! While
Double Dash!!'s two-person kart motif was an interesting experiment, these have potential as being permanently new features of the series. While the hand gliders will no doubt sharpen the ramp jumping thrills of
Mario Kart, the kart customization will no doubt have a big impact. Here's to hoping we have a system that emulates the deep variety of
Mario Kart DS (speaking of which, nice to see the Luigi's Mansion and Airship Fortress tracks return from that title!).
Even more interesting that Retro Studios of
Metroid Prime and
Donkey Kong Country Returns fame is collaborating on the title! I knew those Tikis weren't just for show.
I WANT TO PLAY THIS SO MUCH.
You have no idea. Now, I loved
Epic Yarn, but I am SO HUNGRY for a traditional home console
Kirby game. AND IT'S THE FREAKING RETURN OF THE LOST GAMECUBE TITLE!!! AND...AND..KIRBY HAS NEW POWERS. AND AND AND ITS STILL FOUR PLAYER AND DUDE YOU CAN PLAY AS KING DEDEDE AND METAKNIGHT!!!!!
AND...and...even the little Waddle Dee with the bandana from
Kirby Super Star's Revenge of MetaKnight subgame!!! And he's carrying a spear! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW AMAZING THIS IS?!?! And it has the enemies from
Kirby 64! I'm getting
Kirby 64 vibes! That's a good thing, right? Getting vibes from the first
Kirby game you ever played! No, scratch that! You're getting vibes of
Kirby 64 AND from
Kirby Super Star!!!
I'M PLAYING IN FREAKING DREAM LAND AND THERE'S ALSO A
KIRBY GAME COMING OUT FOR THE DS WHERE YOU GET TO PLAY AS A MOB OF SQUISHY BOUNCY KIRBIES SHABUBUBUBUBUUBUBUBUBUBU.JAHAHEGEHEGHHE AHAHAHHhEMEMEMEM BAUAUAUAUBUUBUBUBU AMAMEMEMEMEM mmmmmm
Ahem.
Fanboy raving aside, I'm glad to say that I've finally had my mind turned around with a certain title. Last year, I was incredibly unimpressed with the latest chapter of perhaps Nintendo's most prestigious franchise, and those feelings remained intact well into the trailer presented at this year's Game Developer Conference. Nintendo's continued focus on the Motion Plus controls instead of evolving this franchise was not what I was looking for, and the bland, unimpressive art style did not resonate with what I had previously associated with the series. In all honesty, I really came to expect to hate the title.
How wrong I was.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword has finally risen from mediocrity!
As details have flooded in, it becomes clear that the latest iteration of
Zelda is ready to refresh to the series with a clean slate.
Skyward Sword accomplishes this by going forward with the earlier promise of detailing the land of Hyrule's origins, right down to even the characters. In this title, Link and Zelda live amongst a clan living in the aerial island of Skyloft. The citizens bear no mind to the enigmatic Surface beneath them, choosing to live out their days by jumping off the island and soaring the sky by riding on awesome birds.
The relationship between land and sky serves not just as an introduction to the early days of Hyrule, but an enthralling gameplay dynamic that's sure to evolve the series. Link's origins in the sky allow him to explore his new domain, as his unnamed bird companion guides him to the various islands suspending in the sky (much like the islands in the seafaring
The Wind Waker). Of course, Link must eventually descend to the surface, ruled by the new villain Lord Ghirahim (who, as various animated GIFs have displayed, is an expert at nightmare fuel). As opposed to the various dungeon structure in the series' past, The Surface is actually one big dungeon that Link must repeatedly explore. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto and Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata have expressed a desire to return to
Zelda's old roots of exploration, such as when the player could accidentally stumble across a brand new weapon by bombing a cave wall.
Personally, I'm very excited for this reboot of
Zelda. I can't help but notice how strange it is for
Skyward Sword to reinvent the
Zelda wheel, yet it's also going to reintroduce the characters, myths, artifacts and other concepts we're all so familiar with. Link? Zelda? The Master Sword? Hyrule? The Triforce? As
The Legend of Zelda is undergoing the process of transformation, at the same time we'll be discovering the backstory of just how all of these elements came to place. Already the ninja squad of
Zelda detectives are on the prowl, having penned down the parallels between the village chief in the trailer and the King of Hyrule. To this day, I have never once underestimated their deducing prowess.
The only iffy part about all of this? Well, to celebrate the arrival of orchestrated music into the series, Nintendo
chose to hire an actual orchestra to play various
Zelda music (including the
Skyward Sword trailer music). It was actually an pretty awesome idea, but unfortunately the impact was dulled due to the various failures of the livestreams presented. Nintendo's own livestream on their website didn't even bother to produce sound, and the rest didn't zoom in when the
Skyward Sword trailer had begun playing. Plus, they messed up their audio cues during Miyamoto's on-stage shenanigans. Whoops.
Overall, though, the title has more than made up for its previous presentation sins, and I'm now hyped for the title. The rest of Nintendo's lineup has proven that this is going to be quite an eventful year for the company, and I'm ready to dig in starting with the
Ocarina of Time remake (next week!).
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What I'm Not Sure About
Well, I only really have one thing I'm not sure about. Believe it or not, it involves two titles that we haven't witnessed a single screenshot or trailer for; in fact, they're not even in development yet!
I suppose I should get the obvious out of my system: THEY'RE GOING TO MAKE TWO
SUPER SMASH BROTHERS.
I AM NOT KIDDING YOU.
TWO.
FOR WII U AND 3DS.
TWO OF THEM.
EEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGAHAHHHR!!!!!1111
And yet, I remain apprehensive! But why?
I want to make absolutely one thing clear:
I love Super Smash Brothers. I absolutely adore the concept of a Nintendo crossover consisting of their most famous and obscure stars beating the crud out of each other. I love the eye candy Nintendo fanservice that strokes my normally-hardened heart and turns it into a nostalgic pile of mush every time I glance upon its visage. I love the stark contrast between beating up Pikachu with Princess Peach in one moment and looking at
freaking trophies of characters I grew up with the next. I love how it introduced me to
Earthbound. I fell in love with the series the moment
Tips & Tricks magazine previewed the first title. I waited eight long, arduous months for
Melee that took the guise of an eternity. I waited two years for
Brawl and stuck by the game even when its long time fans suddenly went batshit insane and raged against the title because it didn't live up to their bullshit standards (HURR DURR IT DOESN'T HAVE HITSTUN).
In other words, I LOVE
SMASH BROS.
Am I
not excited for the new titles? No way! How can I say no to
Super Smash Bros.? Two of them, at that! But, it's just...so soon! While it would be silly to feel that the franchise had ended, I was so satisfied with where
Brawl had left us off that I would've been fine with waiting at least another ten years while the series had time to recharge its batteries. But, man,
it's coming! THEY'RE COMING! We're going to have two new
Smash Bros.! I'm a freaking broken record about it! Yahoo!
But, even still, I have some strong concerns regarding these new titles. Thing is, though, these concerns weren't born out of this particular announcement. My worrywart status towards another
Smash Bros. were born not long after
Brawl graced our American shores, and it's for this reason that I had felt the series, as much as I love it, needed to take a long break before Masahiro Sakurai would attempt to create another brawling juggernaut. And it's for these three reasons.
-In the interviews following the announcement, series director Masahiro Sakurai made it clear that changes would be coming to the
Smash Bros. franchise. He noted that both the Wii U and the 3DS versions would be made hand-in-hand and feature a very close kinship to one another, mainly in the form of a wireless connection. While I'm sure Sakurai has cooked up something amazing for the franchise, I feel that the biggest issue to to be addressed in terms of what we have already is to reinvent the character movesets.
Thing is, I fear that if we continue to retain every single move for every single character, the series is going to grow stale very quickly. While it may be a stretch to completely reinvent every moveset, I think there should be considerable changes made in them. For example, do we really need Donkey Kong's Headbutt move, or Luigi's cyclone maneuver? Why not give Donkey Kong his Coconut Gun, or Luigi his Poltergust 3000? Why not grant Sheik another selection of deadly tools instead of her tired tricks? Maybe some of Kirby's other powers could get in on the action instead of the typical Cutter/Stone/Hammer combo, and the same could be said for Samus (I know they're famous in competitive play, but
god those missiles are boring).
Still, even though I'm sure Sakurai realizes the need to refresh the series, it's a tough idea to sell. Players everywhere have spent so much time with their favorite characters that such an outright change might disenchant their relationship with them. However, I remain adamant in that this step must be taken. Somehow, I feel it'll all boil down to whatever Sakurai has planned.
-Contrary to popular belief, I felt that
Brawl's character roster was absolutely perfect, especially when it came to the newcomers. For starters, you had characters who've had a dedicated fanbase over the course of decades (Wario, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight and King Dedede); those who were contemporary additions to established franchises or had appeared in new series (
Fire Emblem's Ike,
Mother 3's Lucas,
Pokemon's Lucario, and
Pikmin's Olimar); innovative spins on character choices no one could have predicted (the three-in-one combo of Pokemon Trainer and the whimsical R.O.B); and, of course, third-party characters (Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog). All in all, it was the paramount assembly of Nintendo's finest.
Three years later, another
Smash Bros. is in the works. But...who can be in?
The more I think about this problem, the more it scares me. There really isn't a lot of suitable characters left to choose from in the series, despite what the nonsensical character lists on GameFAQS would have you believe (my friend Vaztor crafted a list of characters
that probably won't be in). The wait for
Brawl produced a lot of horrid character request lists, and history is repeating itself for the new iterations. Thing is, while there is the occasional odd character choice such as Wolf O'Donnell from
Star Fox, every character picked thus far symbolizes something in Nintendo's history. You have the mascot characters that lead their own franchises (Mario and Link), and you have the characters who represent the lesser franchises of Nintendo's history (Ness and Marth), and you have the characters who are just really popular in certain circles (Meta Knight, Pit, and Jigglypuff). Character requests such as Princess Daisy, Waluigi, Krystal, Ridley, Link Riding Epona, Vaati, and Dark Samus all have various problems, ranging from having absolutely no moves to choose from (how on earth could Daisy and Dark Samus not be clones?), irrelevancy, being too big, or just being too stupid.
This is actually a big reason as to why I felt it was coming too early. Not only would a longer period of time would've given birth to a larger number of characters, but Sakurai wouldn't be forced to drudge through lists such as the one above and
be forced to pick them. Thing is, I'd be able to live with a playable Toad or Paper Mario, but I do not want Krystal or Daisy anywhere near my sunshine happiness that is
Smash Bros. And, truth be told, the thought of a resized Ridley to
Smash Bros. proportions gives me the heebie jeebies.
Could there viable character options? Well, I wouldn't mind Little Mac or King K. Rool, and I don't necessarily think that
Golden Sun or
Sin and Punishment characters are out of the question. Aside from the new characters in
Skyward Sword and
Kid Icarus: Uprising, not much. Third-party choices are tough, as the whole "this type of character wouldn't fit" idea was thrown out the window with the arrival of Solid Snake. Personally, I'd prefer the likes of Mega Man, Ryu, and
Super Mario RPG's Geno. Not much else.
Time will tell.
-The inevitable reaction.
The other thing that I want to go over when it comes to
Smash Bros. was that I loved it for what it was intended to be: A big, goofy Nintendo crossover party funfest that's full to the brim of nostalgic fanservice. I can't tell you how much of an impact the series made on my gaming life, and so much of it didn't have to do with beating Donkey Kong's brains out with a hammer. Whenever I played
Super Smash Bros. Melee, I
always jumped into the Sound Test so I could listen to the orchestrated
Kirby music. I made up adventures with the characters and played with them as if they were virtual action figures (of which the stars were always Kirby and Ness). I relaxed in the All-Star rest area and gazed out into the park. I marveled at my collection of trophies, depicting the history and glory of Nintendo's characters. I
lived Nintendo whenever I played it. And you know what? Everyone else felt the same way.
Every concept I had just described was broken into a million pieces at the time of
Brawl's release.
The competitive
Smash scene, which I had largely ignored over the course of
Melee's lifetime, had by then hijacked the series and completely defined it as something else. Suddenly, it didn't matter what character was in or what new modes were introduced; all that mattered was that whether or not the game ran at a fast speed and that it contained hitstun in order to perform combos. When it was revealed
Brawl's new gameplay engine had completely eradicated any trace of the cutthroat mechanics found in
Melee, the fanbase went into a venomous, bloodthirsty rage. The game was treated as an abominable outcast, bashed and spat upon as if it had shot their mother. Sakurai was transformed into the community's verbal punching bag and
Brawl (as well as its fans) was labeled with every slur imaginable.
Seeing as how Sakurai is again directing the new titles and that he announced they will use the
Brawl engine as a foundation, I'm imagining that they're going to receive a similar reception. And my heart is probably going to break. Again.
What really made this hurt was just the fact that
everyone loved this series. Everyone knew just how magical and fun this series was, and we could all fall back on it even when flame wars raged throughout the internet on whether or not the Gamecube was kiddy. And now, there's a split. You have those who are just satisfied with the gameplay and fanservice, and those who believe they should be ones pandered to (despite the fact that Sakurai has no obligation to do so) because they were the ones who kept the series "alive." People didn't even care about Pit or Wario or King Dedede or even Solid Snake or Sonic the Freaking Hedgehog being in because they were so concerned about factors they themselves had created. It just hurt, man.
You know, I'm still going to enjoy this. I know I'm going to love it. It's
Super Smash Bros., after all. But the one thing I fear above all else is that the split will remain. People are going to whine and moan again. People are going to claim the heart of
Smash Bros. is a heart-racing, short-hopping, physics-abusing mess. People are going to complain that Ridley and Baby Mario still aren't in. People are going to continue to swearing their allegiance to nostalgia and keep playing
Melee.
But, you know what? They can do what they want. This time, I won't be taken by surprise. I'm going to stick with these new titles regardless of what everyone else thinks. Too slow? No hitstun? Who cares? These things don't even come close to defining the
Smash Bros. experience. Not everyone will fall in love with
Smash Bros. all at once, and it probably won't be like that ever again, but time just changes things. It's just something I've come to accept over the years. Not everything is meant to last exactly the way it is forever, and I guess that applies to everyone's unanimous love of
Smash Bros. I'm ready to spend my last few years with
Brawl in preparation, I'm ready to be bowled over with hype and anticipation, and I'm ready to move on.
We'll wait and see. We'll wait and see within the span of another three years.
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What I Didn't Like
No
Pikmin 3.
Again.
You know something? I was so ready to have it released this year. I mean, I was not only replaying the original game but I am freaking blogging about it! And I bought the sequel earlier this year after it was stolen! And I'm going to play that one later this summer! I mean, dude! I'm going to COSPLAY as CAPTAIN OLIMAR at THIS YEAR'S OTAKON!! It was written in the stars! The writing was on the wall! They had to release it this year!
And it's not!
AND I AM PISSED.
Nintendo, it's been three years. It's been three years since Miyamoto let it slip at the E3 08 roundtable. "Oh, yeah, we're making it." And what I did get next year? "Oh, it's not ready yet." And the year after that? "Oh, it'd get lost in the clutter." And what did I see at this year's roundtable, my eyes fervently scanning the livefeed as I awaited for news on my absent sequel? "
Pikmin questions are forbidden."
I was just ready to explode until Miyamoto revealed that development for
Pikmin 3 had been shifted to the Wii U.
Am I still upset? You bet. I had to slave through
three years for an absent title that bears no screenshot, trailer or teaser. Can you believe it? And that's not even counting the four years beforehand! I've waited
seven years in all! That's just as long as
Golden Sun fans had to wait for that
Dark Dawn game! No, wait, it's worse! Now we're going to be waiting for EIGHT YEARS!
Am I happy they're still making it? Well, sure. I'll be honest in saying that I wasn't surprised
Pikmin 3 had moved over to the new console. I mean, sure, it fit from my perspective, but Nintendo probably felt that Skyward Sword, which is now supplemented by sure-fire 3DS hits, would've been sufficient enough to carry the Wii this holiday. If there's a bright side to all of this, it means the game will have more time to be tinkered with and it'll be presented in glorious HD. If
Pikmin was already gorgeous enough on Wii...*drool*
But, geez, I'm still upset! Three years with no information! You just don't do that! Something tells me that Miyamoto regrets his announcement considering he keeps getting badgered about it, and I have to say I too wonder if it was for the best. I mean, it's true was the only thing even remotely interesting that came out of the abomination known as E3 2008. But would I have been able to live without it? I may have been tortured with no information regarding a new
Pikmin...but is that any worse knowing it's coming and NOTHING has been said about it! If this becomes the Nintendo version of
Duke Nukem Forever, I am going to scream.
That said...I'm wondering who it'll work with the new controller. The
Pikmin concept was such a perfect fit for the Wii Remote/Nunchuck control scheme that it's such a shame it was only taken advantage of with a port of the original game. Miyamoto had expressed the tablet works very well with Pikmin, so I guess I should be willing to take his word. Ah, well, I'm sure it'll still have the Wii Remote as an alternate option.
But..yeah, Nintendo. We're still cool, but just
don't do this again. It's really not like you.
BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY.......
I SWEAR TO GOD IF THIS GUY ISN'T IN I WILL FEED UPON THE SOULS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
FATTIES!!!!!! TO THIS DAY I STILL LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!! I STILL LONG FOR THE CUDDLY TOUCH OF YOUR TUMMY!!!!! I STILL FEEL THE BURN OF YOUR ALL-KNOWING GAZE!!! I STILL AM OVERWHELMED BY YOUR SUMO RITUAL!!!!!! I STILL MOURN FOR YOUR LOSS IN A GAME OF BRAWL!!!!!!! I STILL HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN THE HALBERD CANNON INCIDENT!!!!!!!!
IN THE NAME OF SNOOKY!!!!!!!!!!!
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And that about covers it!
I'll be a bit busy at the beginning of next week, but expect another new post soon.
Regardless, I remained convinced Nintendo had aces hidden up its sleeve, and the months leading up to the conference only strengthened my suspicions. Nintendo president Satoru Iwata unveiled further overhauls for its online infrastructure, including downloadable versions of titles also available at retail. Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto let it slip that new entries for New Super Mario Bros. and (finally!) Pikmin would be showcased. Rumors exploded throughout the internet over the upcoming game from Retro Studios (Metroid Prime/Donkey Kong Country Returns), with many pointing in the direction of a new Star Fox.
Ultimately, Nintendo's E3 conference ended up being benign and unsurprising. Game-wise, there weren't many surprises; we already knew Pikmin and Mario were coming, and the revelation of the mini-game filled Nintendo Land sent infuriated ripples throughout the community not unlike 2008's Wii Music. Aside from ZombieU, third-party titles ended up being year-old ports or exclusively for the casual audience. Details for the new online structure were sparse, barring the interactive 'Miiverse' which allows one to see other people's comments in the games at specific points (such as, say, a bottomless pit in Mario everyone's having trouble with). Worst of all, other than the confirmation of two useable Game Pad controllers for any Wii U system, no big surprises were shown for the tablet.
The problem lies not within the quality of the games (excluding the dubious entity that is Freestyle Games' SiNG), but how they fail to present a convincing case for the Wii U's core appeal. Many comparisons have been made with the motion control revelation of the Wii, which had an immediate visual impact on everyone (regardless if they actually play games). For example, the original Wii Sports is by no means the Holy Grail of video games, but the idea of manually controlling a baseball bat or tennis racket held an appealing identity beyond its party-game exterior. This further amplified for previously established franchises, such as the swordplay in Zelda: Twilight Princess and the beam-shootin' action of Metroid Prime 3. The Wii may have been radically underpowered, but its premise of motion controls promised an interactive experience unlike anything before it.
After waiting maybe...four years since it was subtly announced by Miyamoto, the next sequel to my favorite whimsical, plant-nurturing, circle of life strategy series makes a comeback. Without a doubt the best part of the conference; they literally dove right into a video of CGI Pikmin invading Miyamoto's dressing room and attire. And ten minutes spent on the game, no less! Not too short, not too long. If only they followed that example with Nintendo Land.
So, how's my opinion of the first preview? What we got here was a demo of a stage from Challenge Mode, a feature returning from the previous games. This time, Challenge Mode operated as a mixture of both games, combining aspects such as collecting treasure and gathering as many Pikmin as possible. The latter element has taken on a different approach this time; Pikmin cannot be grown back, so conservation and strategy must be utilized to the fullest. The videos provided display exciting executions of this goal, and I can't wait to see what treacherous landscapes and objectives will be provided.. And that's without getting into the (currently unveiled) Story Mode.
And check out dat HD! Granted, the graphics aren't mindblowing and the location shown isn't one of their most inspired Pikmin locales, but I'm willing to those slide since this was originally a Wii title. And hey, take a gander at some of the new interactions with the landscape! Taking rides on lilypads down the creek? Sliding down vines to lower areas? There's much potential for obstacles and strategy to add depth to these ideas, and there's much enthusiasm on my part to witness more in action.
So what's actually new here? Perhaps the most obvious is that Olimar, the protagonist of the first two Pikmins, is notably absent. Instead, there's an addition of four brand new captains, of who's identities are still unclear at the moment. Believe it or not, I actually did see this coming, so I'm not so vexed at the change. Olimar is a favorite Nintendo character of mine, but I'm willing to accept the change to witness how the new characters interact. Of course, half the fun of Pikmin was mirroring Olimar's fascination with this strange alien world, but the trailer promises some fun gameplay mechanics with the new team.
I'll be frank: I wasn't too impressed with the initial showing of the Rock Pikmin. The little humanoid-shaped bodies are what makes them so adorable, and I wasn't sure how I could think the same for an uncreative lump of rock. The trick is to look at screenshots of them (like the one above) and just look at how they derpy they are. Now I'm a big fan, although I'm hoping they won't render the game broken since my beloved burly Purple Fatties are confirmed to return. The pink-colored flying one at the end also looks promising. Here's to hoping for other surprises in this area.
How delightful that it seems like they're putting effort into it. As sharp as New Super Mario Bros. Wii's level design was, the cheap flash-game aesthetic kinda placed a blemish on the experience. It's not quite a hyper-realistic knock-out here, but the aesthetics look much more lush and are sporting some pretty creative . Most notable are the star-filled snowy wonderlands and the eerie Van Gogh-esque areas, which should give birth to some wonderful concepts. Already I want to play it.
Also lovin' the power-up love we're getting here. Normally, I would gush about my latent dreams of Mario donning a Flying Squirrel suit coming true, but the above piece of artwork is just too amusing to pass up (a friend of mine pointed to it as being representative of his feelings toward the conference). In any case, Baby Yoshis finally return from 1991's Super Mario World, and now wield abilities such as spewing bubbles or inflating themselves into balloons. Will we finally get to drag them to any level we want? Hopefully; I want to become the first nerd in the world to earn the distinction of completing every level with the above Yoshi.
Gotta say though..what's up those mountain formations? I wouldn't mind it so much if this was in a later level or something, but that is not what my endless fantasies (or previous Mario games, for that matter) have established as surrounding Peach's castle. Ah, well.
Let's get the obvious out of the way: Yes, this presentation was a failure. No one wanted to see a two-three minute panorama view of a carnival (of which was no doubt the cause of my headache later that day), the Luigi's Mansion segment was quite possibly the most boring, and it produced no sense of immediate compulsion to grab a Wii U.
The Legend of Zelda: Battle Quest: Four Miis dressed in Link costumes band together to tackle classic Zelda dungeons and monsters. The players with Wii Remotes take up swords while the Game Pad user flings arrow from his bow.
Luigi's Ghost Mansion: A frantic multiplayer scare-fest based on the 2001 Gamecube title. Luigi look-alikes armed with flashlights avoid the Game Pad user's ghost, who hunts them down thanks to his prowess of invincibility. Of course, players can turn the tables on him should the glow of the flashlights reveal his presence.. Chaotic cat and mouse hijinks ensue.
Animal Crossing: Sweet Day: Trouble's going down in the idyllic land of Animal Crossing: Food thievery is afoot! Villagers scramble around the town gathering up fruit as the guard dogs (controlled by the Game Pad) hunt them down. Much like Luigi's Ghost Mansion, teamwork is necessary as increasing amounts of collected food will slow players down.
Donkey Kong's Crash Course: The 1981 arcade hit returns in this single-player puzzle game. Controlled by tilting the Game Pad, one carefully maneuvers a cart of barrels through a gigantic maze of 8-bit girders and ladders. Taking one look at the screenshot above proves this will be no easy task.
Zelda and Donkey Kong wasted no time in becoming my favorites for obvious reasons, although I'm surprised at the lukewarm reception for the former. Battle Quest will no doubt be the most action-oriented title of the bunch, and I was legitimately surprised to hear it incorporated the puzzle and dungeon elements from the series. This isn't to say it's going to incredibly deep or end up being repetitive, but should it include some variety in the enemy numbers/dungeon design it'll no doubt be the star attraction.
Crash Course doesn't really need any explanation other than this is what the Takamaru game should have been. Maybe not nearly as difficult, but enough to have the player come back to tackle high scores. Everyone who's played this has walked away exclaiming how brutually difficult, and the game's retro appeal of being devious yet charming makes me want to pick up the game just to play it.
It all boils down to the game's central concept, which feels too uninspired to function as a complete hook. The shtick is that Mario's latest handheld adventure is filled to the brim with coins to collect; in fact, the Mushroom Kingdom seems to have taken on a gold theme. An increased abundance of coins spill from blocks, gold-plated suits and accessories are waiting for Mario to amplify his fireball abilities, and even the Koopa Troopas seemed to have given their shells a makeover with sparkling gold paint. The player is set to grab as many coins as they can, and the game will keep records of how many are collected.
That said, I am digging the game's retro throwbacks. Raccoon Mario? Neat! Koopalings! Nice! Reznor from Super Mario World? Say wuuuuuhh? But it's going to take more than nostalgia hooks to capture me, and it doesn't help the game is still following the tired world themes from the past two NSMBs. Will I get New Super Mario Bros. 2 at its August release date? Maybe, though I'm not sure if I want to plop down forty bucks for it. Christmas gift, perhaps?
That last parallel is very interesting to me, as it could be for this reason that I've grown rather tired of waiting for the latest Paper Mario. It's not necessarily the wait that's dulled my excitement, but its rendered the flaw within its three trailers all the more evident: They're all the same thing. We witness Mario walking around in Toad Town, a sudden influx of Toads/Goombas/Bob-ombs spill out of the screen or perform marvelous feats, areas of volcanic and chilly varieties are briefly shown, and an almighty household fan is summoned to perform Mario's bidding, whether it be powering windmills or unleashing a mighty gust on his foes.
Having the unpleasant experience of being burned out on the wait for Skyward Sword due to this very reason, it's quite frustrating to see yet another game go through the same marketing error. My biggest fear with Sticker Star echoes the one I had for last year's Zelda, in which the repetitive nature of the trailers were an attempt to mask the game's lack of scope (sadly, I ended up being right). Admittedly, it's not all bad here: The locations promise appealing interactions and the events I listed in the previous paragraph do look intriguing, but you can only show them so much before they lose impact.
It might also be that I'm still...having trouble grasping how the new battle system is going to work? We're going back to the turn-battle basics after Super Paper Mario's sidescrolling departure, but the menu system has been tossed in the favor of collectible stickers that serve as your battle commands (such as, say, Fire Flower and Hammer stickers). An easy enough concept to understand by itself, but further evaluation yields some disturbing questions. If I run out of stickers, will I be unable to attack? Will partners still be in the game? Why do the amount of stickers on the top screen differ from screenshot to screenshot? Does it mean I can attack consecutively in one turn? If so, does that mean the amount of usable stickers increase as the game progresses? If that's the case, does that mean the supposedly confirmed reports of not being able to gain EXP are total crock?
As stated on the show floor, the game will feature numerous mansions and focus on more puzzle-ridden challenges. The trailer above features more dazzle than the original ever did: The ghosts offer more comedic, animated interaction with the environments and dynamic events such as giant spiders and malfunctioning elevators litter the hallways.
..you know, I actually don't have much more to tell you than that. The more I try reading up on Dark Moon, the more I find myself flinching at the intricate explanations for its puzzles and action sequences. Upon writing this, I just realized why: I don't want to be spoiled. Nearly every preview I've seen details some puzzle or creative uses of Luigi's vaccum and suddenly I find my eyes averting the computer screen. This isn't a jab at journalists or anything, but as the game's bigger picture becomes more fully realized it's become clear to me this is something I want to be surprised with.
Five home consoles have defined the realm of Nintendo. The Nintendo Entertainment System established not just the company's entrance into video games, but many of their current key franchises. The Super Nintendo refined these experiences into what many label as the finest moments of Super Mario, Zelda, Metroid, and Kirby. The Nintendo 64 revolutionized gaming and was also designated as the ultimate party machine. The Gamecube chose to focus on innovation, and those that stuck with it were introduced to magical worlds not found in its competitors. The Wii not only continued this trend with motion controls, but bridged the gap towards the expanded market and ended up being one of the most affluent of Nintendo's family.
Yes, that iPad shaped tablet really is the controller! Let's take a quick peek at the following trailer in order to make sense of this wondrous device.
Of course, the big question is how this feature will aid in gameplay. A great example includes the tech demo Battle Mii, which features characters in Metroid's Varia Suits trying to shoot down a spaceship. Helming the ship via the tablet controller, the player must strike back amidst the firing of his Wii Remote-armed friends, who use the television to hunt down their prey. Notice how the person wielding the controller has his own screen to navigate, while the hunters only play on the television screen. A similar game on an earlier platform would have been cluttered with splitscreens, but the Wii U succeeds by not just simplifying the TV screen, but adding an unlimited amount of potential for strategy! As the hunters scramble around trying to locate their target, the ship has the added element of stealth thanks to having his own private screen. Plus, with the reported confirmation of FIVE PLAYERS, one can only imagine where multiplayer games will be taken with this system.
I AM NOT KIDDING YOU.
TWO.
TWO OF THEM.
EEEEYYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGAHAHHHR!!!!!1111
-In the interviews following the announcement, series director Masahiro Sakurai made it clear that changes would be coming to the Smash Bros. franchise. He noted that both the Wii U and the 3DS versions would be made hand-in-hand and feature a very close kinship to one another, mainly in the form of a wireless connection. While I'm sure Sakurai has cooked up something amazing for the franchise, I feel that the biggest issue to to be addressed in terms of what we have already is to reinvent the character movesets.
-Contrary to popular belief, I felt that Brawl's character roster was absolutely perfect, especially when it came to the newcomers. For starters, you had characters who've had a dedicated fanbase over the course of decades (Wario, Diddy Kong, Meta Knight and King Dedede); those who were contemporary additions to established franchises or had appeared in new series (Fire Emblem's Ike, Mother 3's Lucas, Pokemon's Lucario, and Pikmin's Olimar); innovative spins on character choices no one could have predicted (the three-in-one combo of Pokemon Trainer and the whimsical R.O.B); and, of course, third-party characters (Solid Snake and Sonic the Hedgehog). All in all, it was the paramount assembly of Nintendo's finest.
-The inevitable reaction.
You know something? I was so ready to have it released this year. I mean, I was not only replaying the original game but I am freaking blogging about it! And I bought the sequel earlier this year after it was stolen! And I'm going to play that one later this summer! I mean, dude! I'm going to COSPLAY as CAPTAIN OLIMAR at THIS YEAR'S OTAKON!! It was written in the stars! The writing was on the wall! They had to release it this year!
AND I AM PISSED.
I SWEAR TO GOD IF THIS GUY ISN'T IN I WILL FEED UPON THE SOULS OF YOUR CHILDREN.
