Nintendo’s E3: a post-mortem
New Super Mario Bros. Wii is currently getting rave previews
After a conference that all but alienated core gamers last year, E3 2009 was a much more exciting one for Nintendo’s loyal fans. A series of core-focused announcements - admittedly almost entirely concentrated on established franchises - made for a more interesting conference, though a rather aloof and curiously flat presentation sucked a little bit of the life out of some of the major reveals. Not helped by an oddly muted audience - compare and contrast with the whooping and hollering at Sony’s briefing two hours later - the likes of New Super Mario Bros. Wii were greeted with silent interest rather than wide-eyed excitement, while even Super Mario Galaxy 2 got a polite rather than rapturous reception. It wasn’t until the ‘wow, really?’ surprise of a new Metroid from Team Ninja that the attendees finally started cheering and clapping to any significant degree.
Yet take Cammie, Reggie and Iwata out of the equation, and the line-up of games shown was pretty impressive. Two brand new Mario games on Wii, both of which look great, and both of which will be here before mid-2010 (Miyamoto confirming that Galaxy might be a Christmas 2009 release were it not for NSMB Wii). A thrillingly different take on a popular franchise in Metroid: Other M. What look to be two vastly improved sequels to two of the console’s biggest games in Wii Sports Resort and Wii Fit Plus - both offering more to core gamers than their predecessors. And plenty of interesting DS titles - WarioWare DIY could well be the handheld’s LittleBigPlanet, while Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is a welcome return for one of Nintendo’s most unfairly underappreciated franchises. Golden Sun DS was arguably the most warmly-received announcement for the handheld, and we got a brief reminder that we’re getting another portable Zelda by the end of the year. Then there’s Flip Notes Studio - the DSi killer-app you don’t know you want yet. Believe me when I say it’s one of the most significant pieces of software Nintendo announced at the show - the non-game formerly known as Moving Memo is a masterful app which will give creative types hours upon hours of fun.
Endless Ocean 2 - sharks and crocs add a dose of danger
But E3 is about more than just the conferences, and it was interesting to note what Nintendo didn’t show, with plenty of assets on the company’s press site for games which the big N chose not to reveal. On DS alone, we had role-player Glory of Heracles, Picross 3D (née Rittai Picross), The Legendary Starfy and - why didn’t they mention this? - Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box. The latter’s predecessor might not have been the unbridled success in the US that it was in Europe and Japan, but ignoring Layton completely is still a bit of a baffler. Then on Wii, we have - hurrah! - Endless Ocean 2, Sin and Punishment 2 (sadly pushed back to early 2010, but looking tremendous on the show floor) and a triumvirate of games about which little is known. Monado: The Beginning of the World is an RPG from Baten Kaitos creator Monolith, looking not unlike Final Fantasy XII, while Artoon’s Span Smasher is a platformer-cum-pinball game as you swat a rotund hero about the screen, obliterating barriers for points. Meanwhile Line Attack Heroes is apparently a ‘fast-paced melee action game’ for up to four players. A few shots and a brief press sheet suggests that the games aren’t high on Nintendo’s priority list, and while both could be fun, it wouldn’t be a major surprise to see them sneak out at a budget price.
Taking third-party titles out of the equation for the time being - I’ll be analysing the line-up for DS and Wii in more detail very soon - Nintendo has plenty of interesting titles coming out over the next year or so. The non-appearance of Pikmin 3 and franchise favourites like F-Zero and Starfox was a little disappointing - and we’re still waiting for some really groundbreaking new IP that I’m sure Nintendo is more than capable of - but overall, us Wii and DS owners have much to look forward to.
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June 6th, 2009 at 2:38 pm
I thought this years E3 was brilliant for Nintendo. I am a Mario stalwart so was thrilled with not one but 4 new games with him in. Metroid was a wonderful surprise and I was thrilled to get the Wii Fit Plus mentioned. (And EA Active’s new addition too.) Yes, their presentation was low key and shorter than the rest but after last years roasting I’m surprised they turned up at all! And the other two consoles were explaining their own motion controllers which is old hat for Nintendo. My E3 viewing on the ‘net was poor, the sound for Nintendo’s was off yet oddly perfect for the other two consoles which was disappointing. That didn’t stop me from writing up my huge want list! And thank you Cammie Dunaway for being the only high profile female on the stage. As a female gamer I am cheered to see another woman talking about games. Now I wait with excitement for NSMBwii and Super Mario Galaxy2, but first it’sd Conduit out this month. And Wii Sports Resort looks amazing still, my order is already placed. How wonderful it was to see games again for everyone, the kids, the casual gamers and the Nintendo fans who will be cheering over Metroid and Mario. Everyone’s games..how it should be.
June 6th, 2009 at 10:12 pm
Actually, I found out today that part of the reason behind the muted response was that the room was so small, most of the journalists had to watch the conference on a live feed on a big screen in an adjacent room. For some reason only a select few were allowed into the conference room.
Cammie gets a lot of (unfair) stick, actually - in a male-dominated industry, I guess that was always going to be the case. It’s nice that the female audience has a spokesperson. For all that Sony and MS had ‘expanded audience’ games, Nintendo is the only platform holder specifically targeting the female audience in a meaningful way.
June 10th, 2009 at 11:55 am
I’m surprised you didn’t talk about the Vitality Sensor. Anyone else go: “WTF?” when Iwata announced it?
June 10th, 2009 at 12:13 pm
I’m writing a piece about that very soon, actually. Maybe even later today if I can get the quotes I need. It’s about why it might be less of a ‘uh?’ moment than people think.
June 11th, 2009 at 2:11 am
I honestly thought Nintendo weren’t going to announce a new peripheral, as we’ve got plenty already.
I’m also extremely sceptical on how it can be incorporated into a game.
But this is Nintendo, so I’m sure they’ve thought this through and are going to blow us away.