Quite a busy day today for yours truly. Two more press conferences and lots of booth time. Overall, a long, tiring, yet very good day, with proof that E3 is returning to form...mostly. Here's the scoop on Day 1.
Nintendo Presser: Nintendo's press conference can be summed up in three words - yawns, cheers, and groans. That's what most people were doing throughout it. The groans (for the Wii Vitality Sensor), yawns (Wii Motion Plus, Wii Fit Plus, Wii Sports Resort), and cheers (Golden Sun DS, Super Mario Galaxy 2, and Metroid Other M) made this a roller coaster of a presser. With no big name presenters and a lack of any true innovation, Nintendo easily had the most disappointing presentation of the big 3.
Sony Presser: Sony showed off plenty of great looking games but the PSP, and more specifically the PSP Go (which will sell for $250, yikes!) were the highlight of the show. Assassin's Creed Bloodlines, Resident Evil Portable, Little Big Planet, Gran Turismo, and Metal Gear Solid Peace Walker will all be making their way to the PSP or PSP Go. Sony also announced that 50 PS1 games will be coming to the system, starting with Final Fantasy VII. Sweet!
Downloadable goodness: I had a chance to take a peek at three downloadable offerings today. The first was Mad Balls, an upcoming XBLA title that's coming out sometime this summer. I spoke with two of the creators and saw a demo of this 3D/shooter/platformer and was very impressed. Look for a larger feature on this soon. When I was at Bethesda I took peek at Point Lookout, the fourth batch of DLC for Fallout 3. Its 1/5 the size of the Capital Wasteland, gives gamers 4 new weapons, features 3 new enemies, and offers new quest related perks. Look for it on June 23. The last game I saw today was Shatter, a title soon to be released on PSN. This space themed brick breaker looked amazing. The graphics and soundtrack were fantastic and the gameplay offered something fresh for the genre. I'm really looking forward to this one.
E3 returns to its former glory: The last two years, E3 was a bit subdued. Not this year. This year everything is big. The showroom floors are bigger, the crowds are bigger, the displays are large and impressive, there are vendors everywhere, scantily clad attractive women hang around consoles, and cosplay dressed booth babes were all over the place. There's just much more energy on the showroom floor.
Hit the jump for press releases on some of today's titles, and be sure to check back tomorrow for more E3 info.
Related Links: More info on MGS: Peace Walker, check out Bethesda's Brink, and get all the details on Sony's press conference.
"With Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker, Kojima Productions has once again pushed the limits of the PSP system, by creating a groundbreaking sequel to Metal Gear Solid®3," said Anthony Crouts, Vice President of Marketing for Konami Digital Entertainment, Inc. "Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker lets players take the action and excitement of a console game to the PSP system."Nintendo Press Release
For decades, Nintendo has endeavored to provide the most creative and immersive experiences in the world of video games and to lead the industry in new directions. At its media briefing in advance of the E3 Expo, the video game industry’s premier trade show, Nintendo announced products for social entertainment that stretch far beyond the current notion of what a video game can be, all while continuing to provide avid gaming fans with the challenges and thrills they desire.
“Nintendo continues to challenge how both new and longtime players perceive – and play – video games,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “From modern updates of our most iconic franchises to the introduction of inventive devices, we are continuing to add entirely new dimensions to the video game experience.”
A summary of Nintendo’s major announcements:
Wii™
Wii MotionPlus™: Nintendo’s Wii MotionPlus accessory offers motion-controlled precision when combined with specially designed games. When connected to the Wii Remote™ controller, it delivers on Nintendo’s promise to provide even more immersive physical reality in its games. The device senses subtle motion and can locate where and how players hold the Wii Remote controller in 3-D space. It pushes active gaming to new levels of immersion and a new standard of control. Wii MotionPlus will complement a host of third-party games launching in the next few weeks.
Wii Sports Resort™: Nintendo showcased the versatility of the Wii MotionPlus accessory in demos of some of the activities included in Wii Sports Resort, an immersive, expansive active-play game. Wii Sports Resort includes a dozen fun resort-themed activities that maintain the wide-ranging appeal that attracted millions to the original Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort is easy to pick up and play, but comes coupled with deeper levels of play that are sure to challenge even the most experienced gamers with precise controls. The Wii MotionPlus accessory will help players come much closer to the physical reality of engaging in the actual sports. The Wii MotionPlus accessory launches June 8 at a suggested retail price of $19.99, and comes bundled with Wii Sports Resort on July 26 at a suggested retail price of $49.99.
Wii Fit™ Plus: Wii Fit™ attracted millions of new players to the world of video games, and now Wii Fit Plus offers a range of new features and enhancements, along with exercises and balance games designed to keep workouts fun. Players will find an additional dimension to the Wii Fit experience as they easily set their own customized daily workout routines or choose 20-, 30- or 40-minute workouts based on how much time they have available. Users will also be able to choose from specialized workout routines that help players strive toward specific objectives, like toning tummies, tightening arms or even reducing stress. Workouts combine the original Wii Fit activities and selections from 15 new balance games and six new strength training and yoga activities.Wii Fit Plus will come packed with the Wii Balance Board™ accessory, and also will be sold separately as software for people who already have a Wii Balance Board at home. Both will be available in fall 2009.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii™: Developers at Nintendo have dreamed of creating a simultaneous multiplayer Super Mario Bros. game for decades. The Wii console finally makes that dream come true for everyone this holiday season. Now players can navigate the side-scrolling worlds alone as before or invite up to three others to join them at the same time on the same level at any point in the game for competitive and cooperative multiplayer fun in New Super Mario Bros. Wii. With the multiplayer mode, the newest installment of the most popular video game franchise is designed to bring yet another type of family entertainment into living rooms and engage groups of friends in fast-paced Super Mario Bros. fun.
Super Mario Galaxy™ 2: This upcoming adventure for the Wii console marks the first time a second 3-D Mario game has arrived in the same console generation. In the game, Mario rides his trusty dinosaur companion, Yoshi™, to new stars and the fantastic worlds found there. This 3-D platforming adventure provides longtime video game fans with a fresh round of out-of-this-world challenges in the style introduced in the critically acclaimed original. The game is planned for 2010.
Metroid™: Other M: Nintendo showcased a trailer for a new installment in its acclaimed Metroid franchise for the Wii console. Metroid: Other M marks an unprecedented collaboration with world-renowned developers Team Ninja, and provides fans with high-energy, action-packed game play as it delves deeper into the back story of famed deep-space bounty hunter Samus Aran. This game is scheduled for release in 2010.
Wii Vitality Sensor: Nintendo’s newest groundbreaking product, the Wii Vitality Sensor, expands the appeal of video games. It will initially sense the user’s pulse and a number of other signals being transmitted by their bodies, and will then provide information to the users about the body’s inner world.
Nintendo DS™ and Nintendo DSi™
Mario vs. Donkey Kong™: Minis March Again!: This game marks the third installment of this franchise and, more importantly, the first Nintendo DSiWare™game to let players design levels from the ground up. Mario will need to dodge obstacles to confront his longtime nemesis Donkey Kong™, but this time the players will have full control over where to set traps, enemies and a host of power-ups in the construction zone. Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again!will be available in the Nintendo DSi Shop beginning Monday, June 8, for 800 Nintendo DSi Points™.
Integrating Photos with Facebook: For its Nintendo DSi™ system, Nintendo announced the ability for users to upload pictures taken with the system’s built-in camera and interactive lenses directly to Facebook. Using Facebook Connect, the integration will be available this summer with a Nintendo DSi system update, making it even easier for people to personalize and share their photos with friends and family on Facebook.
Mario & Luigi™: Bowser’s Inside Story: Nintendo revealed Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, a new chapter to the popular role-playing franchise that places players into the belly of the beast – literally. Players will get to enjoy trademark hilarious dialogue in the fall of 2009 as they juggle two concurrent storylines. Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.
Golden Sun™ DS: After going dark six years ago, 2010 will see a new dawn. Golden Sun DS updates the popular portable Golden Sun role-playing series with an impressive graphical style. This installment follows the story of the previous heroes’ descendants and immerses players into the magic of its adventure by pushing the boundaries of intuitive touch-screen controls. Golden Sun DS is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.
WarioWare D.I.Y.™: This game, which puts the concept of user-generated content on center stage, allows players to design their own micro-games from scratch. Every element, such as the characters, the environment, the actions and even the purpose of the micro-game itself, is controlled entirely by the player. Players will then be able to share their completed micro-games with other WarioWare D.I.Y. owners. The latest game in the WarioWare™ series is playable on the Nintendo DS and Nintendo DSi systems.
