E3 2011 - Impressions on Nintendo's Keynote Address

(If you missed our coverage of the Microsoft Presentation you can find it HERE.)

Hey everyone! Round two of The 8-Bit Variety Show's E3 impressions involves a pointy-eared boy, a round plumber in a raccoon suit, an angel, and a talkative fox with a needlessly angry falcon as a best friend! (Wow... This is starting to sound like a either a really bad fever dream, or a really good one!)

That's right, we're going to tackle Nintendo's press conference, and you can see what we liked, what we didn't like, and what we think of the Wii successor's name (SPOILER: It's unwieldy. More on that later), and you get all of that in semi-chronological order!

Next up: Nintendo

Guster's song, Satellite to listen to while you wait for their conference to start? Well-played Nintendo... Well played.

Zelda 25th Anniversary Stuff:

• Custom Zelda-themed Wiimote for Skyward Sword's release: Cool design, and I wouldn't mind owning one. The problem is that I ALREADY have 4 Wiimotes, and 4 WiiMotion+ addons, so that means that they only ways that I will be buying this are (in order of probability): I break a Wiimote between now and launch; I am such a huge fan of Zelda that I will buy ANYTHING that is Zelda branded, even when I already have something that already fulfills that item's function; It comes packed-in with Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.
• Free Legend of Zelda: Four Swords for DSi owners this fall: I like it, but I do have a very important question... How, pray-tell, does multiplayer work, Nintendo?
• Concerts and CD's: Depending on cost, I could possible see myself going to a Legend of Zelda orchestral concert. I like the tunes, and mingled with some FANTASTIC visuals on a projector screen, as well as some cool LoZ celebrities being in attendance (please, Nintendo?), the concerts could be a lot of fun.
  The CD, on the other hand, is almost a guaranteed sell for me. I am a big fan of video game music, and having a CD of the official arrangements of all the Legend of Zelda songs would be right up my alley.

The Presentation Itself:

• Having an Orchestra play between each segment was pretty different, and classy. I know that there were some who felt like it dragged things out, but I felt like they were attempting to add value. It didn't turn out perfectly, but I liked it all the same.



• Nintendo's screen system for their presentation (above) was PHENOMENAL. I really felt like they captured the dynamic nature of the games they were trying to show by allowing the different parts of the backdrop to become projectable spaces for race-tracks, shoot-outs, etc.

3DS Sizzle Reel:

• Luigi's Mansion 3DS?! NO FREAKING WAY. It's not Nintendo's most top-tier franchise, but it seems, based on the original game's origin as a 3D tech demo, it seems like it could be a great fit for the 3DS. Color me interested...
• Mario Kart 3D: I'm on the fence about Mario Kart 3D. On the one hand, I like Mario Kart. It's fun, and it's a party, and it presents some great racing action set in the Nintendo universe. On the other hand, for me the franchise has never leapt past being a set of games that I only play socially. They are enjoyable, but I feel like they are significantly more enjoyable when I am playing them with other people, and I can't be sure that Mario Kart 3D is a game I like enough to seek out my friends for. The customization options they showed look like a lot of fun (although I do wonder how much of a difference the different parts make in your Kart's performance), and I'm digging the hang-glider and submarine Kart modes. Here's to seeing whether it's enough.
• Starfox 64 3D: I loved this game on the N64, so you can understand my enthusiasm for an upgraded port of it on the 3DS. Using the inner camera to take images of players so you can see who you're destroying is a fun feature, but I hope it doesn't affect wi-fi latency.
• Super Mario: Aside from the fact that this is a game we should have seen at launch, Super Mario undoubtedly looks like fun. Seeing the return of the Tanooki suit, the music-note blocks, and knowing that it was all being presented with a 3D element, I have to say that this game could be the first true proof-of-concept for the 3DS. What better place to prove that 3D is not only fun, but can actually contribute to the game experience than in a PLATFORMER. I want to see if it makes a difference in my platforming skills to have depth perception, and this game will finally allow me to do that.
  On another note, because of its tendency to borrow aesthetics from earlier games as a tribute, Super Mario kind of felt like Mario Bros. 3 on an acid trip:
  Luigi: Ummm... Mario? Are you-a OK?"
  Mario: "Luigi! I ate one of those-a mushrooms with the-a skull on them, and now I swear I can move in 3 dimensions... I'm-a FREAKING out!"

Via Geekologie
"Can you get some Fire Flower?"

• Kid Icarus - Uprising: Competitive multiplayer looks like it could be a lot of fun, but just like Starfox 64 3DSora's part to make an already attractive package seem even more attractive. This will add some much-needed replay value to what is essentially a slightly more controllable on-rails shooter.

• Upcoming 3rd party games trailer: I think that the only thing we didn't know about was Tekken 3D... Am I right? I was kind of expecting some NEW stuff to be announced for the 3DS in this one... Between Tekken, and Luigi's Mansion 2, there wasn't a whole lot about Nintendo's upcoming lineup.

And Nintendo's New Console is called, The Wii U:





I think that this player has bigger problems than inventory management right now.


• Wait... What? WHAT? That name is unwieldy, unsettling, and it doesn't differentiate enough between the original Wii, and the new system. If for some reason you don't think that's important, I would stress that this same phenomenon is one of the reasons (price, being another) that the 3DS has not been selling quite as many units as Nintendo would like. A name like Wii U makes differentiation MORE DIFFICULT.
• Video calling is a really great idea, and it's a way to keep the casual crowd that Nintendo has attracted on the hook, so to speak.
• Play across the new controller using two screens at the same time - Throwing Ninja Stars across two screens was a great idea, but I think that the thing that always elicits excited squeals from people I've talked to was the golf ball demonstration. Although it was simple, using the screen to show the golf ball you are supposed to be hitting with your Wiimote all this time was just a really creative use of new technology.
• Also, I don't think this NEEDS to be said, but I'll say it anyway: HOLY SWEET CRAP that Zelda game looked FANTASTIC! I know that it was essentially a real-time tech demo, but YOU KNOW that Nintendo has to have something like this in process already.
• With all the features packed into the new tablet-style remote (Lots of buttons, rumble, touch screen, microphone, speakers, accelerometers, gyroscopic control, cameras, IR pointers, etc.), pricing for the new console will be an area of great interest to me... That said, total backwards compatibility with all known Wii peripherals was a VERY smart move. I must admit, I was not looking forward to buying an entirely new set of controls for my new Nintendo system, and all the wasted peripherals? Don't even get me started on those. I still would have bought all that new stuff, of course, because Nintendo told me to, and I am a weak, weak man. I just wouldn't have been happy about it.

Well, that's pretty much it for the Nintendo Conference at E3 2011! With a few days to think about it under your belts, what was your reaction to Nintendo's biggest announcement, the Wii U? Talk, share, and converse in the comments!

-BitNick