Nintendo took the Nokia Theater stage today for their E3 2010 press conference, and GamerNode was front row center!
Well…more like third row right, but still pretty damn close!
As I watched, I wrote my reactions in a running blog format, so my emotions were correctly conveyed. So, without further adieu here is the…
GN Play-By-Play: Nintendo Conference 2010
8:49 AM: Third row from the stage on the right hand side is awesome. A digital camera that has stopped working coupled with a lack of Wi-Fi, not so awesome. Thankfully, Herr Inzauto has his camera, so I’m not F’ed. Also, his phone just auto-wrote "currito" instead of "burrito." Anyone know what "currito" is?
8:51: Now I’m not able to text my freakin’ sister, despite full service bars. So far today, Tech Failure 3, Jason’s Happiness 0. If the Marvel vs Capcom 3 demo freezes on me, so help me…
8:58: Excitement builds…I’m ready for this presser, man. What can we expect? 3DS? Zelda? Kirby? We’re about to find out…
9:00: All screens now say Nintendo, which means we are a go. Soon I will be graced with all things Nintendo.
9:01: Countdown to Reggie. There he is, the Regginator in all his glory. "For gamers, this is the best week of the year." Damn right!
9:03: I am in awe. Hooked on every word. How does he do it? He’s like the Chris Hansen of video games.
9:03: Zelda kicks off the conference!!! What does that mean for the rest of it? Link’s design looks amazing! The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is the full working title. Miyamoto on the screen!
9:04: He’s got the infamous sword and shield from E3 2004! Wii Motion-Plus accessory used, nunchuk used for shield, B button for item usage.
9:06: Tech demo time! Bill’s getting owned. Miyamoto to the rescue!!
9:07: Nintendo has that "make the audience feel like kids at Disneyland" thing down pat. Miyamoto’s entrance was epic.
9:08: Controls look a lot more fluid than Twilight Princess. Horizontal vs vertical cutting looks interesting. Hold it straight up for sword beam action!
9:10: That’s an awesome way to open a door: confuse the hell out of it. Win!
9:11: Monster fighting looks a lot more interesting. Mapping to all of the buttons, including + and -, looks a lot more intuitive.
9:12: "Item-in-pocket" approach for item selection is excellent. No pointing at the screen is awesome too. Unfortunately, Miyamoto’s aim is a little off.
9:14: Music sounds worthy of Zelda. Eddie loves the idea of "bomb-bowling."
9:15: Wireless interference screwing with Miyamoto’s bow. New item: the Beetle, flies around and scouts or picks up items.
9:17: Looking behind me, I see that Miyamoto’s prompter is in Japanese. That’s awesome. The whip is very cool, and the changing back to the sword is very fast. The whip makes short work of the Keese, which is awesome, because those bats are my archenemy.
9:18: Skyward Sword will be playable on the show floor, but it will not make 2010, which sucks. Another trailer plays, showing a lot more of the game. The trailer looks a lot more polished than the demo did, hopefully because it was a demo.
9:20: Interesting that Link jumped off the cliff at the end there. Reggie is back talking about the goal of universal appeal. He talks about different sports titles, including Madden, Pro Evo Soccer, and NBA Jam, then introduces Mario Sports Mix, a new multi-sport Mario title!
9:23: Basketball! Hockey! Volleyball! Dodgeball! That looked awesome, and it’s not Mario Party 9! Phew! It’s also due out in 2011.
9:24: Corporate Wanking time. Nintendo set all-time sales record with Wii last December. More games have sold for Wii in 43 months than any other platform ever. Wii owners play their system more than other owners, according to the NPD. More people intend to buy a Wii than any other system.
9:25: Intermediate or "bridge games" bring the entire family together. Examples: Mario Kart Wii – 22 million copies sold, New Super Mario Bros Wii – 14 million copies. Newest title: Wii Party, which is Mario Party 9 with Miis…dammit. Still, it looks a bit more fun than the old MP stuff.
9:27: Aaaaand we’re dancing with a Just Dance 2 reveal. Duets! Just Sweat mode for exercise! DANCE BATTLES!! 8-player support! That looks a whole lot better than the first one Eddie was surprisingly into!
9:29: Golden Sun: Dark Dawn time! I loved the first two, and this looks like something I’ll be playing for a looooong time. Out this year!
9:31: GoldenEye!!! This November! Online multiplayer with all the old modes! Oddjob throwing his hat! GIVE ME!!!
9:33: This is Epic Mickey! So far, Nintendo is bashing Microsoft’s head against the wall! Warren Spector takes the stage to introduce the game and play a tech demo.
9:35: "Welcome to Wasteland." It’s filled with old characters, attractions, etc. AMAZING art style for the cut-scenes, no doubt. Dad, if you read this, you might be playing this game when it comes out. Looks like a Disney museum in game form.
9:41: Sakurai mention! Smash Bros?! Kirby?! NEW KIRBY TIME!!! Kirby’s Epic Yarn! Hooooooolly shi-at this looks amazing!
9:44: That new art style was awesome, and it’s due out this fall! Wee!!
9:45: Dragon Quest IX due out in July. 120 mini-quests, over 300 monsters, 900 items to customize, infinite number of random-generated treasure maps. Also includes 4-player co-op, and Tag mode allows for adding to your game while it’s off.
9:46: Conspicuous lack of Cammie Dunaway so far, which I’m okay with.
9:47: New Metroid: Other M trailer!
9:49: Retro Studios leaves Metroid behind and takes on Donkey Kong Country Returns! Unbelievable! Eddie: "All Nintendo has to do is make the same games over again, and we’ll all be happy." Truer words were never spoken.
9:51: It may be 3D DS time. 64 introduced full 3D rendering, Wii got us off the couch, Nintendo 3DS will put 3D on a portable. Reggie agrees: 3D glasses suck.
9:53: 3DS intro vid!
10:20: As you can see by the lack of updates, the 3DS had us all completely captivated. 3D slider, analog stick, tremendous third party support (Metal Gear Solid, Resident Evil, and Assassin’s Creed to name a few franchises), and the return of Kid Icarus make the 3DS something to remember.
10:25: Multiple women holding video games. Did I die and go to Heaven? Wait, we get to see the 3DS?! Oh wait, screens are popping up…WITH A ZELDA DEMO ON THEM! This is awesome! What a way to end the show! Nintendo, you’ve knocked this one out of the park. I don’t know what Sony has in store, but I wouldn’t be surprised if at the end of E3, we all declare Nintendo the 2010 champ.
What. A. Show. Even if I had watched it from my living room, it would have been the best E3 press conference I’d ever witnessed. That 3DS is something else (hands-on coming soon!) and all those first-party juggernauts are incredible. The Big N pretty much silenced all of the major doubts about their direction in one fell swoop, and it was awesome. What a way to kick off E3 2010!!!
Look for more extensive coverage coming soon, including impressions of games like Fist of the North Star: Ken’s Rage, WWE All-Stars, Marvel vs Capcom 3, and many more!!
