<h1>GBAtemp E3 presentation writeups 2011- Nintendo</h1>.
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<p align=" " class="none">This is the thread covering the Nintendo conference in the GBAtemp coverage of E3. By the looks of things it is the last major conference from a hardware developer or software publisher for E3 with it mainly be spots for individual games from now on although if one of the smaller developers or publishers has a talk then we will try to cover that too.
This year many eyes are on Nintendo to see what goes for the tail end of the DS, what might be happening to the 3DS to try and get it back on track, the last push of the wii and the successor to it known as Project Café prior to the presentation.
We will try to distinguish between the various consoles as best we can</p>
<h2>The presentation</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The presentation opened with an orchestra doing a rendition of various zelda themes ending with the skyward sword theme to a Zelda montage seemingly in honour of the 25th anniversary. Various developers got plastered on the screen to talk about the wii u- in among the buzzwords some games were named however. More or less at the end of the presentation Nintendo and EA announced something of a partnership for the upcoming Wii U.
No big reveal to finish but a bunch of logos not mentioned with Mario party and paper mario among those glanced.</p>
<h2>News (hardware, company and otherwise)</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The big news here was the Wii u which is a home console with a interesting looking controller that will be covered a bit further down. An HD capable wii successor we are told. Alongside this the virtual console for 3ds appears to be gearing up with GB and GBC set to appear first along with 3d makeovers for some consoles even older than that</p>
<h2>The old consoles</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">As mentioned in the intro the successor to the Wii was to be announced here and the DS already has a successor so some expected a final blast of games on the console. It did not turn out like that but a few details were mentioned.</p>
<h2>The wii</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The successor was just a name going into this and not set for release quite yet so the final push of the wii was expected to happen although it did not pan out like that.
<b>Zelda- Skyward sword</b> Wii was about the only thing mentioned. Now set for a “holiday” release and will make use of the Wii motion plus. A special gold remote for that care about such things is set to appear to mark the occasion. We were promised "lots of content" too.</p>
<h2>The DS</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Although the DS has a successor there is still a massive install base of DS consoles which developers/publishers would be foolish to overlook. Last years looks to have been the final year for the DS with only a mention of the DSi getting a September release of a version of <b>Zelda 4 swords</b> for free.</p>
<h2>The new consoles</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Nintendo has two new consoles either on the horizon or recently launched so the vast majority of the presentation was taken up with showing those off.</p>
<h2>Project Café seemingly now known as the Wii U</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The no fear predictions going into this were something innovative on the control front, hardware priced so as not to need it to be sold as a loss leader (consequently some might accuse it of being underpowered) and to be launched off the back of the big franchises Nintendo either has or courts. The questions of storage, what attention some call high definition (a feature some noted for the absence thereof in the last go around) or even 3d were going to be given and what they intend to do in the online arena (both for players and in terms of downloadable games and downloadable content) were the main ones people were asking as they are all areas Nintendo has not given so much focus to in the past. 3ds and Project Café connectivity is also a question although perhaps not as pressing as the others that appeared before it.
Many of these questions were answered in the presentation although those looking to add to the buzzword list you get to add the phrase “deeper and wider” and apparently Nintendo wish to aim it at many more people than even the wii.
Next year was set for the release date of the new platform meaning there is still on more Christmas left in the Wii and certainly no projected price. </p>
<p align=" " class="none">Hardware specs were non-existent although a feature list could be pulled from it.
The main note is the tablet like controller.
The screen was a 6.2 inch screen surrounded by a fair amount of plastic that sported about as many buttons as a gamecube controller.
It is said to be backwards compatible with the Wii and although Nintendo danced around it a bit EA outright said it was HD compatible.
The screen is touchscreen (not sure about the technology)
This was showcased with a game of Reversi between two people and showed a tilt sensor (later said to be an accelerometer)
A camera was mentioned too.
Rumble apparently features and the controller itself has a microphone and speakers.
Much was made of the features this setup enables.
Enhanced controls for games include fine aiming for things, a secondary controller/screen like you might have see in some DS games, secondary data/maps, a gun cam (see something similar if you do a search for “VR Game Gun”) and more. Such things are not new; the gamecube had a linkup with the GBA that did things like this, the dreamcast had a VMU that did interesting things, many might recall the rear view mirrror thing with the PSP and PS3 the other year but this looked to be that taken to the extreme.
Video calls were apparently possible although whether it will support standard voip/sip type arrangements is unknown.
Equally the ability to browse the internet and flick things back and forth from TV for most things including games supposedly with no latency was featured heavily.
Speculation on power looks to make it seem in line with the other two consoles (unless the footage was taken from other systems which would be odd) and given they are expected to last a year or two more that could make for an interesting future with regards to multi platform stuff.</p>
Onto the games slated for it
<p align=" " class="none">Many games were mentioned, some even with some gameplay of a sort but nothing like the other presentations.
First Nintendo went Demoscene for a little while with some nice renderings and tech demos.
Games mentioned then included
<b>Lego city stories</b>
An open world lego game by the looks of things.
<b>Darksiders 2</b>
The sequel to the possibly somewhat underrated (it appeared at the end of a long line of them that was kicked off with bayonetta) action game Darksiders.
<b>Tekken</b>
Apparently is appearing here with customisable fighters if you like that sort of thing.
<b>Batman Arkham city</b>
A sequel to the surprisingly good batman tie in.
<b>Assassin's creed</b>
Something in the Assassin's creed series looked to be getting a fully fleshed out game on the wii u
<b>Ghost recon online</b>
The online multiplayer game was mentioned in previous conferences and it seems there could be a version heading to the wii u.
<b>Dirt</b>
A racing game. Looked quite nice.
<b>Aliens colonial marines</b>
A fairly heavily multiplayer focused game set in the Aliens universe.
<b>Metro- last night</b>
A sequel/offshoot to the very atmospheric post apocalypse that caught more than a few people off guard when it appeared.
<b>Ninja gaiden 3- razors edge</b>
Seemingly a full sequel in the new Ninja gaiden series.
As mentioned EA took the stage to announce they were getting in on the wii u stuff in a fairly big way.
Finally (although it appeared earlier on in the actual presentation) the new <b>smash brothers title</b> is being developed simultaneously for the wii u and 3ds with talk of it being cross compatible in some fashion. This also makes it the first smash brothers title set to be portable as well</p>
<h2>The 3ds</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Nintendo has long been the dominant player in the handheld gaming arena although many are looking at mobile phones and related hardware, web based games as well as Sony throwing down the gauntlet yesterday with the new Playstation Vita (formerly NGP) having a model with a suggested price the same as a 3ds despite appearing somewhat more powerful. Still the 3ds now seems to be the main Nintendo handheld with a lot of interesting features and potential although a lack of games has seen it falter a bit since launch. Now with the previously mentioned Playstation Vita being priced to compete with it many expected/hoped Nintendo would pull out all the stops and they gave it a fair shake.</p>
<p align=" " class="none">On the more general developments front the browser and eshop were talked up with a game info feature being mentioned as coming. Alongside this game demos are set to be available later in the year for both retail and downloadable titles.
Virtual console for 3ds is set to kick off with the GB and GBC being mentioned as the first attempts with 3d makeovers for some consoles even older than those. The first of the “3d classics” should be <b>3d classics excitebike</b> although before that links awakening should be available on the GBC virtual console today.
No new pokemon game was mentioned but a 3ds program dubbed “<b>pokedex 3d</b>” (which does what you expect and acts like a pokedex for the 3DS)- you start with 16 registered pokemon and through spotpass, friends, AR markers and such you get to fill it.
You can also use AR markers to generate pokemon in the camera and make images using it.
Eshop only but the recent system update enables access to it for free.
</p>
<p align=" " class="none">The upcoming <b>Zelda- Ocarina of time remake</b> gets master quest version and more apparently which should make it seem more like a new game. Not much other than that was said though</p>
Other than Zelda the first 3ds games beyond virtual console stuff came in the form of a montage that featured no names.
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Mario kart </b>3ds was first up which had some nice looking tracks with banks and other stuff (others in the handheld series have appeared a bit “flat” in level design). Near features this time around seem to either owe a passing nod to F zero or Diddy Kong racing as you have a hang glider for large jumps and some underwater sections.
Release date pegged as “Holiday”</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Starfox</b>
A new starfox shooter with legitimised handlebar syndrome for those that want it. Not sure how well it will work with the 3d sweet spot but that is a different matter.
September for the release date</p>
<p align=" " class="none">A new <b>mario platformer</b> that looked somewhat similar to both New Super Mario Brothers and some of the home console versions of recent years and a bit further back.
The Tanooki suit appears to be back (that hint/teaser earlier on apparently being exactly that) and it is said to be the first 3d Mario made from scratch for a handheld.
Although it was a quick runthrough there appeared to be returning enemies, new ones, platforming sections reminiscent of the galaxy and bonus sections of other 3d mario games and teleport blocks by the looks of things.
Release to come “before the year is over”</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Kid Icarus- uprising</b>
Seen in a previous E3 this is the revival of a classic series. Not so many details but a fair bit of footage with turrican esque shooter sections, 3d ground fighting sections in both big and small arenas.
Multiplayer looks to feature heavily with several battle options and some support for augmented reality cards at some level and “for battles”.</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Luigi's mansion 2</b>
A new game in the Luigi's mansion series that actually uses 3d we were told. Multiple mansions this time around too</p>
After this there was another quick runthrough of some games in development from third parties.
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Resident evil mercenaries 3d</b>
<b>Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games London 2012</b>
<b>Ace Combat 3d</b>
A somewhat simplified flight game.
<b>“Tetris” online</b>
Tetris is an hard game to get right but apparently the tetris company is at the helm for this so it could be good.
<b>Cave story 3d</b>
A platformer with shooter sections by the looks of things
<b>Resident Evil revelations</b>
<b>Driver renegade</b>
By the looks of things an open world ish driving game.
<b>Pac man and galaga dimensions</b>
<b>Tekken 3d</b>
<b>Metal Gear Solid- snake eater 3d</b>
Again there seems to be a <b>super smash brothers game</b> in development for the 3ds and Wii U simultaneously</p>
Over to you for discussion.
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/images/discuss.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=%topic_id%" target="_blank">Discuss</a>
<div align='center'><img src="http://gbatemp.net/news/e3-electronic-entertainment-expo-logo.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <img src="http://gbatemp.net/news/New_Nintendo_Logo.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /></div>
<p align=" " class="none">This is the thread covering the Nintendo conference in the GBAtemp coverage of E3. By the looks of things it is the last major conference from a hardware developer or software publisher for E3 with it mainly be spots for individual games from now on although if one of the smaller developers or publishers has a talk then we will try to cover that too.
This year many eyes are on Nintendo to see what goes for the tail end of the DS, what might be happening to the 3DS to try and get it back on track, the last push of the wii and the successor to it known as Project Café prior to the presentation.
We will try to distinguish between the various consoles as best we can</p>
<h2>The presentation</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The presentation opened with an orchestra doing a rendition of various zelda themes ending with the skyward sword theme to a Zelda montage seemingly in honour of the 25th anniversary. Various developers got plastered on the screen to talk about the wii u- in among the buzzwords some games were named however. More or less at the end of the presentation Nintendo and EA announced something of a partnership for the upcoming Wii U.
No big reveal to finish but a bunch of logos not mentioned with Mario party and paper mario among those glanced.</p>
<h2>News (hardware, company and otherwise)</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The big news here was the Wii u which is a home console with a interesting looking controller that will be covered a bit further down. An HD capable wii successor we are told. Alongside this the virtual console for 3ds appears to be gearing up with GB and GBC set to appear first along with 3d makeovers for some consoles even older than that</p>
<h2>The old consoles</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">As mentioned in the intro the successor to the Wii was to be announced here and the DS already has a successor so some expected a final blast of games on the console. It did not turn out like that but a few details were mentioned.</p>
<h2>The wii</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The successor was just a name going into this and not set for release quite yet so the final push of the wii was expected to happen although it did not pan out like that.
<b>Zelda- Skyward sword</b> Wii was about the only thing mentioned. Now set for a “holiday” release and will make use of the Wii motion plus. A special gold remote for that care about such things is set to appear to mark the occasion. We were promised "lots of content" too.</p>
<h2>The DS</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Although the DS has a successor there is still a massive install base of DS consoles which developers/publishers would be foolish to overlook. Last years looks to have been the final year for the DS with only a mention of the DSi getting a September release of a version of <b>Zelda 4 swords</b> for free.</p>
<h2>The new consoles</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Nintendo has two new consoles either on the horizon or recently launched so the vast majority of the presentation was taken up with showing those off.</p>
<h2>Project Café seemingly now known as the Wii U</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">The no fear predictions going into this were something innovative on the control front, hardware priced so as not to need it to be sold as a loss leader (consequently some might accuse it of being underpowered) and to be launched off the back of the big franchises Nintendo either has or courts. The questions of storage, what attention some call high definition (a feature some noted for the absence thereof in the last go around) or even 3d were going to be given and what they intend to do in the online arena (both for players and in terms of downloadable games and downloadable content) were the main ones people were asking as they are all areas Nintendo has not given so much focus to in the past. 3ds and Project Café connectivity is also a question although perhaps not as pressing as the others that appeared before it.
Many of these questions were answered in the presentation although those looking to add to the buzzword list you get to add the phrase “deeper and wider” and apparently Nintendo wish to aim it at many more people than even the wii.
Next year was set for the release date of the new platform meaning there is still on more Christmas left in the Wii and certainly no projected price. </p>
<p align=" " class="none">Hardware specs were non-existent although a feature list could be pulled from it.
The main note is the tablet like controller.
The screen was a 6.2 inch screen surrounded by a fair amount of plastic that sported about as many buttons as a gamecube controller.
It is said to be backwards compatible with the Wii and although Nintendo danced around it a bit EA outright said it was HD compatible.
The screen is touchscreen (not sure about the technology)
This was showcased with a game of Reversi between two people and showed a tilt sensor (later said to be an accelerometer)
A camera was mentioned too.
Rumble apparently features and the controller itself has a microphone and speakers.
Much was made of the features this setup enables.
Enhanced controls for games include fine aiming for things, a secondary controller/screen like you might have see in some DS games, secondary data/maps, a gun cam (see something similar if you do a search for “VR Game Gun”) and more. Such things are not new; the gamecube had a linkup with the GBA that did things like this, the dreamcast had a VMU that did interesting things, many might recall the rear view mirrror thing with the PSP and PS3 the other year but this looked to be that taken to the extreme.
Video calls were apparently possible although whether it will support standard voip/sip type arrangements is unknown.
Equally the ability to browse the internet and flick things back and forth from TV for most things including games supposedly with no latency was featured heavily.
Speculation on power looks to make it seem in line with the other two consoles (unless the footage was taken from other systems which would be odd) and given they are expected to last a year or two more that could make for an interesting future with regards to multi platform stuff.</p>
Onto the games slated for it
<p align=" " class="none">Many games were mentioned, some even with some gameplay of a sort but nothing like the other presentations.
First Nintendo went Demoscene for a little while with some nice renderings and tech demos.
Games mentioned then included
<b>Lego city stories</b>
An open world lego game by the looks of things.
<b>Darksiders 2</b>
The sequel to the possibly somewhat underrated (it appeared at the end of a long line of them that was kicked off with bayonetta) action game Darksiders.
<b>Tekken</b>
Apparently is appearing here with customisable fighters if you like that sort of thing.
<b>Batman Arkham city</b>
A sequel to the surprisingly good batman tie in.
<b>Assassin's creed</b>
Something in the Assassin's creed series looked to be getting a fully fleshed out game on the wii u
<b>Ghost recon online</b>
The online multiplayer game was mentioned in previous conferences and it seems there could be a version heading to the wii u.
<b>Dirt</b>
A racing game. Looked quite nice.
<b>Aliens colonial marines</b>
A fairly heavily multiplayer focused game set in the Aliens universe.
<b>Metro- last night</b>
A sequel/offshoot to the very atmospheric post apocalypse that caught more than a few people off guard when it appeared.
<b>Ninja gaiden 3- razors edge</b>
Seemingly a full sequel in the new Ninja gaiden series.
As mentioned EA took the stage to announce they were getting in on the wii u stuff in a fairly big way.
Finally (although it appeared earlier on in the actual presentation) the new <b>smash brothers title</b> is being developed simultaneously for the wii u and 3ds with talk of it being cross compatible in some fashion. This also makes it the first smash brothers title set to be portable as well</p>
<h2>The 3ds</h2>
<p align=" " class="none">Nintendo has long been the dominant player in the handheld gaming arena although many are looking at mobile phones and related hardware, web based games as well as Sony throwing down the gauntlet yesterday with the new Playstation Vita (formerly NGP) having a model with a suggested price the same as a 3ds despite appearing somewhat more powerful. Still the 3ds now seems to be the main Nintendo handheld with a lot of interesting features and potential although a lack of games has seen it falter a bit since launch. Now with the previously mentioned Playstation Vita being priced to compete with it many expected/hoped Nintendo would pull out all the stops and they gave it a fair shake.</p>
<p align=" " class="none">On the more general developments front the browser and eshop were talked up with a game info feature being mentioned as coming. Alongside this game demos are set to be available later in the year for both retail and downloadable titles.
Virtual console for 3ds is set to kick off with the GB and GBC being mentioned as the first attempts with 3d makeovers for some consoles even older than those. The first of the “3d classics” should be <b>3d classics excitebike</b> although before that links awakening should be available on the GBC virtual console today.
No new pokemon game was mentioned but a 3ds program dubbed “<b>pokedex 3d</b>” (which does what you expect and acts like a pokedex for the 3DS)- you start with 16 registered pokemon and through spotpass, friends, AR markers and such you get to fill it.
You can also use AR markers to generate pokemon in the camera and make images using it.
Eshop only but the recent system update enables access to it for free.
</p>
<p align=" " class="none">The upcoming <b>Zelda- Ocarina of time remake</b> gets master quest version and more apparently which should make it seem more like a new game. Not much other than that was said though</p>
Other than Zelda the first 3ds games beyond virtual console stuff came in the form of a montage that featured no names.
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Mario kart </b>3ds was first up which had some nice looking tracks with banks and other stuff (others in the handheld series have appeared a bit “flat” in level design). Near features this time around seem to either owe a passing nod to F zero or Diddy Kong racing as you have a hang glider for large jumps and some underwater sections.
Release date pegged as “Holiday”</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Starfox</b>
A new starfox shooter with legitimised handlebar syndrome for those that want it. Not sure how well it will work with the 3d sweet spot but that is a different matter.
September for the release date</p>
<p align=" " class="none">A new <b>mario platformer</b> that looked somewhat similar to both New Super Mario Brothers and some of the home console versions of recent years and a bit further back.
The Tanooki suit appears to be back (that hint/teaser earlier on apparently being exactly that) and it is said to be the first 3d Mario made from scratch for a handheld.
Although it was a quick runthrough there appeared to be returning enemies, new ones, platforming sections reminiscent of the galaxy and bonus sections of other 3d mario games and teleport blocks by the looks of things.
Release to come “before the year is over”</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Kid Icarus- uprising</b>
Seen in a previous E3 this is the revival of a classic series. Not so many details but a fair bit of footage with turrican esque shooter sections, 3d ground fighting sections in both big and small arenas.
Multiplayer looks to feature heavily with several battle options and some support for augmented reality cards at some level and “for battles”.</p>
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Luigi's mansion 2</b>
A new game in the Luigi's mansion series that actually uses 3d we were told. Multiple mansions this time around too</p>
After this there was another quick runthrough of some games in development from third parties.
<p align=" " class="none"><b>Resident evil mercenaries 3d</b>
<b>Mario and Sonic at the Olympic games London 2012</b>
<b>Ace Combat 3d</b>
A somewhat simplified flight game.
<b>“Tetris” online</b>
Tetris is an hard game to get right but apparently the tetris company is at the helm for this so it could be good.
<b>Cave story 3d</b>
A platformer with shooter sections by the looks of things
<b>Resident Evil revelations</b>
<b>Driver renegade</b>
By the looks of things an open world ish driving game.
<b>Pac man and galaga dimensions</b>
<b>Tekken 3d</b>
<b>Metal Gear Solid- snake eater 3d</b>
Again there seems to be a <b>super smash brothers game</b> in development for the 3ds and Wii U simultaneously</p>
Over to you for discussion.
<img src="http://gbatemp.net/images/discuss.png" border="0" class="linked-image" /> <a href="http://gbatemp.net/index.php?showtopic=%topic_id%" target="_blank">Discuss</a>
