Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Thoughts on Nintendo's E3 2012 Press Conference

It's that time of year again. Among other things, Nintendo needs to reveal the Wii U's launch date, price, and first party launch lineup. It also should reveal the release dates for previously announced 3DS games such as the new Paper Mario and Luigi's Mansion 2. Let's see how it goes.

For starters, Miyamoto and his translator improved by lowering the volume on Miyamoto's microphone, but they still are difficult to hear while talking at the same time. The Wii U will not need the TV to power on for it to be playable due to its dedicated independent screen. You can start playing a game with the Wii U Gamepad. Asymmetric gameplay is a new concept meaning placeing a single player against many in order to win in a different way. The Wii U will support 2 separate Gamepads. It will feature Netflix, Hulu, YouTube, and Amazon Video. The Miiverse is a new creation that sorts Miis by game tiles. The Miis can communicate via speech bubble text messages or writing and drawing using the stylus. The Miis will also have facial expressions. It will also be later available on the 3DS, PCs, and other mobile devices. The list of 23 games in development for Wii U are as follows:

Pikmin 3: A real time action management game 10 years after the release of the original. The Wii U's enhanced graphics allow for each Pikmin to move individually. Their movements are now more realistic. There are also new Pikmin types: Rock Pikmin, which break hard objects. The game uses Motion Plus and the Nunchuk. The overworld map will always be available. Captain Olimar is not present, for reasons which will be kept secret. There are four leaders to control at once. This is supposed to be a deeper gaming experience, when gamers seem to be drawn to lighter games.

New Super Mario Bros. U: This new 2D sidescoller will have Miiverse connectivity, so other players' Miis will appear on the world map with comments in real time. There will be a new acorn-shaped mushroom that will turn Mario, Luigi, Blue Toad, and Yellow Toad into a flying squirrel, allowing for flight and controlled descent. It will feature giant enemies and Baby Yoshis as in Super Mario World. Each color of Yoshi will have different abilities. A new mode called Boost Mode will also appear, allowing the player with the Gamepad to add helpful blocks to the game as stepping stones, using the Touch Screen. It will be a launch title and will also feature Miis as playable characters.

Batman: Arkham City: Armored Edition: The highly popular title comes to the Wii U in a new special way. There are new features specifically designed for the Wii U to create a new experience. The armored versions of Batman and Catwoman will be available only on the Wii U. New features include BAT Mode, which allows Batman to gain energy from successive hits and unleash more powerful attacks when the meter is full. There will be remote-controlled Batarangs, which can be steered by tilting the Gamepad. Batman also has explosive gel to even the odds against multiple enemies.

Scribblenauts: Unlimited: The popular franchise is on the Wii U with a greater ability to explore and create. Creations can be shared with friends. There's a new multiplayer mode as well as the story of Maxwell's book.

Darksiders II
Mass Effect 3
Tank! Tank! Tank!
Tekken Tag Tournament 2: Has Mega Mushrooms.
Trine 2: Director's Cut
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
Aliens Colonial Marines
Assassin's Creed III
Rabbids Land
Yourshape: Fitness Evolved 2013
Rayman Legends
Sports Connection
Marvel Avengers: Battle for Earth

Wii Fit U: This fitness game will feature new activities, which involve the Balance Board, Fit Meter, and Gamepad.

Sing: A singing game where lyrics are displayed on the Gamepad. The player with the Gamepad faces the audience and the audience can dance along. The lyrics will periodically appear on the TV for the audience to sing.

Lego City: An open world game that uses the Gamepad as a crime-fighting tool for exploration and competiton. It can be used to commandeer vehicles, call dispatch, and display potential suspects on the map. Your character can also uses disguises and build warp pipes.

Just Dance 4: Uses the Wiimotes as well as the Gamepad, making the player with the Gamepad a kind of "puppet master", allowing them to select the dance moves for the player. The sprite on-screen changes with each move. The "puppet master" can also select poses for the other players to strike for a duration of the "puppet master's" choosing.

ZombiU: One bite is lethal, but the Gamepad is your survival kit, with inventory, guns, scanner, sniper scope, the ability to break free, and hack doors. You can also use the Gamepad's camera to "zombiefy" your face.

Nintendo Land: Play it and you'll understand Wii U. It will give the second screen fuller meaning. It will be a virtual theme park with attractions based on many Nintendo franchises. It takes elements of those franchises and turns them into attractions for your Mii, each with a change in costume. It contains twelve attractions. It is for visitors worldwide, united by Miiverse. The player with the Gamepad takes on a special role in relation to players with Wiimotes, with different perspectives and information. It launches at the same time as the Wii U hardware.

For the 3DS, there will be a full hour devoted to it on e3.nintendo.com starting at 9pm Eastern, 6pm Pacific. It will feature new first and third party titles for the 3DS.

New Super Mario Bros. 2: It will be different from New Super Mario Bros. U. It's about gold: Gold Coins, Gold Enemies, and Gold Fire Mario. Mario's actions will allow him to release more coins, creating serious 1up potential. The Raccoon Leaf and Raccoon Mario make a reappearance, as well as the P-Meter. August 19, 2012

Paper Mario: Sticker Star: The announced Paper Mario title has a full name now. The world will feature lots of stickers. Pull them off the scenery to make them your battle commands. The stickers can also reveal hidden areas and features. The game will be available in physical format as well as a digital download Holiday 2012.

Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon: Each of the multiple mansions will have its own mission-based challenges. There will be heavier emphasis on ghost-catching. New ghosts will require new capture strategies. Holiday 2012.

Castlevania: Lords of Shadow - Mirror of Fate
Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion
Scribblenauts: Unlimited
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance
Lego City: Different game than on the Wii U

That was a great conference and gave me some of the answers I was looking for. I'm still looking forward to the Mario games for the Nintendo 3DS, but we'll see what else is in store. I am also looking forward to New Super Mario Bros. U, and hope it has the ability to play as your Mii as seen in the experience at E3 2011. I was also very impressed by the Wii U's lineup. It's pretty solid. No release date or price yet, nor news on the Super Smash Bros. titles, but we might hear more a little later. I will have a more detailed post for the 3DS tomorrow. See you then!

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