Nintendo’s E3 2010 press conference was the undoubted star of the show, featuring a wealth of unexpected, fan-pleasing game announcements and the first details of the astoundingly well-received 3DS handheld.
Despite our pessimism over the prospect of the return of “long-forgotten Nintendo sequelsâ€, we had clearly underestimated the Japanese giants, as they announced comeback after comeback, from Donkey Kong, Kirby, Starfox, Kid Icarus and even the  Nintendo 64 classic Goldeneye 007.
Deliberately eschewing the casual-friendly expectations built upon previous Nintendo conferences, the company instead flew straight out the gate with the much-expected Wii Zelda announcement, now subtitled Skyward Sword. Shocking announcements followed and when gamers could finally catch their breath, Nintendo were rounding out the show by introducing a bevy of 3DS-clad beauties to personally demonstrate the handheld’s capabilities to the journalists in the Nokia Theatre. Yes, Microsoft may have handed out free Xbox 360 Slimline’s the day previously but Nintendo tried to top that by handing out free women.
It hasn’t yet been revealed when the Nintendo 3DS will hit European shores, though many are expecting a possible early 2011 launch, with lucky Japanese gamers most likely to get their mitts on the handheld before Christmas.
Quick Recap:
Nintendo didn’t mess around and cut straight to a Zelda trailer. Series creator Shigeru Miyamoto then gave a somewhat clunky onstage demonstration of the new Zelda: Skyward Sword. Trailers for new casual titles Mario Sports Mix, Wii Party and Just Dance 2 were shown afterwards. JOE had started to sigh heavily.
Suddenly Nintendo Advance RPG highlight Golden Sun was shown in trailer form for the DS. Subtitled Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, the RPG is set for an end of year release. Next the Goldeneye 007 remake we mentioned last week was shown and looks suitably nifty and nostalgic. Deus Ex creator Warren Spector then stepped out to demonstrate his new Mickey Mouse title, the unfortunately-named Epic Mickey. Don’t laugh, it genuinely looked good.
Two big 2D platformer surprises from Nintendo then followed – Kirby: Epic Yarn and Donkey Kong Country Returns. Each are set for release this Christmas and both looked utterly essential. It felt like time for the big reveal however and suddenly dry ice filled the stage, with the world’s first sighting of 3DS as it rose out of the stage floor. It was an absolutely bonkers sight.
Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata then picked up the handheld and demonstrated some of the unique 3DS features (see below) and incredibly strong third-party software support. The final game shown at the conference was the completely unexpected Kid Icarus remake. A trailer began to play and minutes later we saw the full potential of the handheld – graphics looking even better than the new Wii Zelda game. Nintendo then brought out the aforementioned 3DS-chained women and closed out their best E3 show in years.
Highlights:
Nintendo 3DS Reveal and Lineup – When the 3DS was first announced in March of this year, it was through a decidedly low-key press release. Anyone wondering if Nintendo was underplaying their handheld was proving overwhelmingly wrong at E3, with a well-teased reveal followed up by tantalising glimpses of possible launch titles.
Despite looking like a regular Nintendo DSi, the 3DS features cutting-edge glasses-free 3D technology, with a 3D slider allowing you to adjust the strength and depth of the effect, or even turned it off completely. Like the DSi, the 3DS features a camera, two in this case – allowing you to take and view 3D photos.
What we’re most excited about the 3DS however, is the incredibly strong launch lineup. During the conference Nintendo revealed the incredibly strong third-party partners also working on the handheld. Post-conference, Nintendo’s website revealed that 3DS iterations of Street Fighter IV, Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid 3, Kingdom Hearts and Assassins Creed are in the works.
And what of Nintendo’s planned titles? One of the most surprising launch title’s in the company’s history, NES title Kid Icarus returns after years of fanboy speculation. The press conference trailer was most effective in showcasing the graphical capability of the 3DS – visuals on a par, if not superior to the Nintendo Wii. Have a look below.
If that doesn’t have you excited, post-conference Nintendo revealed just some of the mouth-watering first-titles on the way – Mario Kart 3DS, Starfox 64 3DS, Pilotwings Resort, Animal Crossing 3DS, Nintendogs plus Cats and Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3DS.
Donkey Kong Country – Any child of the 90s is sure to have fond memories of the Donkey Kong County SNES titles and yesterday Nintendo announced the Wii reboot, aptly titled Donkey Kong Country Returns. Featuring familiar music and mine-cart levels, it was everything one could hope for from a Donkey Kong game in 2010 and looks like a great return to form for beloved Donkey after years of gimmicky bongo games bearing his likeness.
Developers Retro Studios are helming the project, which goes some way to ensure the quality of the overall title. Retro impressed Nintendo so much with their early work on the first Metroid Prime Gamecube title that they wholly bought the studio. Having moved on from the Metroid series, many had been wondering exactly what the US developers had been up to all this time– now we know. Expect DKCR to be Nintendo’s big title this Christmas.
Goldeneye 007 Returns – Okay, there was no sign of a gold Classic Controller Pro but either way we got our first glimpses of Activision’s risky remake of the beloved 1997 Nintendo 64 classic. Daniel Craig’s likeness over Pierce Brosnan aside, Activison look to have made a great effort in introducing the retro title to today’s shooter market, with online multiplayer modes promised.
Lowlights:
Zelda delay and presentation – For a game most people were expecting would run away with “Best of Show†awards at E3, Nintendo started confidently with their Zelda coverage, quickly segueing from an event introduction to introducing series creator Shigeru Miyamoto. Minutes later, though, online posters everywhere started beginning to wonder if Miyamoto had ever even played his own games, as his “demonstration†involved accidently blowing himself up with bombs and flailing about with the Wii controls. It was an auspicious start to show that thankfully got a lot better.
Aside from the lackluster onstage play through, it was surprising to hear that newly-renamed The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is set to miss the Christmas rush completely, having been delayed to 2011. Nintendo had stated at last year’s E3 that they had withheld footage as they knew Zelda titles are continuously pictured years before release and tend to suffer numerous delays. Having finally held back a Zelda unveiling until it was ready to show to press, Nintendo have sadly fell foul of another in the series’ typical delays.
Surprising Omissions – Despite being announced years ago as an in-development title, we’re still no closer to getting our first glimpses of Pikmin 3 with not even the slightest announcement on the long-gestating project. Similarly, Nintendo’s much-mocked pulse-sensing Wii Vitality Sensor was another no-show, despite being presented with much fanfare at last year’s event. Has the Sensor flatlined? Nintendo won’t say but the peripheral was very conspicuous by its absence.
Most WTF Moment:
In Nintendo’s words, it’s difficult to display the full 3D capabilities of the Nintendo 3DS onstage. So instead they showed us a brief video featuring Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata and Mario and Zelda series creator Shigeru Miyamoto interacting with various Super Mario characters. The video (embedded below) was utterly charming, slightly insane and if you hadn’t heard of any of the three guys – completely bizarre.
Verdict:
After years of disappointment and demonstrations of people “playing†the Wii remote like it was a trumpet, Nintendo definitely turned a corner at E3 2010 with the standout press conference of the show. Clearly learning from the success of New Super Mario Bros Wii, the company has now perfected the ability to produce titles that appeal to casual and hardcore gamers alike, as the new Kirby, Donkey Kong and Kid Icarus titles ably demonstrated.
Aside from the Wii shockers, the 3DS was easily the tech reveal of the show. 3D-glasses-free gameplay already makes PS3’s 3D-glasses gaming and Microsoft Kinect’s controller-free gaming look comparatively old hat. Perhaps even more impressively, the software lineup and third-party developers Nintendo have lined up are absolutely formidable – Nintendo clearly are not messing around with this handheld and look to have finally conquered their regular third-party support weaknesses.
In all, we couldn’t be more excited for the 3DS and the surprising Wii comebacks revealed at E3. For those reasons alone we couldn’t award anything less than an A to Nintendo for putting on a jolly good show.
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