nintendo

Nintendo’s E3 press conference took place last week during E3, where the company revealed its new console the WiiU. Production is said to be commencing this October, leading us to expect a 2012 release as early as late Spring. Additionally, we can guess from its graphics chip that it will be at least slightly more powerful than its competitors the PS3 and Xbox360. What sets it apart, in theory, is the controller.

Somewhat larger than an iPad, the WiiU controller is a 10.5 by 6.8 inch block of plastic featuring a 6.2-inch 16:9 touch-screen (without multitouch) and traditional buttons (A/B/X/Y, D-Pad, analog sticks, shoulder and trigger buttons). One can only hope the final design of this device is not yet settled, as those two analog sticks (“circle pads” to Nintendo) are positioned above the buttons... quite unusual for at least the right side where we’ve been tuned by every controller since last generation to reach for the secondary analog below the buttons. This controller has an accelerometer, gyroscope, rumble, camera, microphone, speakers, wii remote sensor bar, and it’s rechargeable! It’s definitely a big bag of features.

The console supports up to 1080p with its custom Radeon GPU and IBM multi-core processor. It will offer backwards compatibility to Wii games (but not Gamecube), supporting all Wii-era peripherals and controllers like the Balance Board and classic controllers (not Gamecube controllers). WiiU games use proprietary 25GB discs, somewhat smaller than a single layer BluRay, but respectable. There’s internal flash memory, SD card support, and 4 USB ports that can connect to external hard drives (not Gamecubes, though). Online options remain vague, but developers have been talking as though there are no friend codes and the services provided are more on par with Xbox Live. At least it’s better than the Gamecube’s modem.

First party games already confirmed include Pikmin 3, Smash Brothers, and a new New Super Mario Brothers. Third parties are on board, too, with titles like Arkham City and Darksiders 2 already confirmed for launch. During the WiiU’s presentation, a wide variety of developers including Irrational’s Ken Levine and EA’s John Riccitiello expressed excitement for the console.

Nintendo’s press conference was packed with information that would make for an extremely long wall of text summary, so I’m splitting it up. I cannot escape my Nintendo bias in this process, so forgive me as I start with my beloved Zelda.

February 22 marked the 25th anniversary of the Legend of Zelda franchise, yet it came and went with little fanfare. Miyamoto delivered on his promise to honor his epic series at this year’s E3 with news of four distinct Zelda releases and various fun things to buy. Note that I’ve put myself into a media blackout towards Skyward Sword following the latest trailer, details there will be minimal.

Skyward Sword has been confirmed as a release for Holiday 2011. I suspect this means mid-November, but you may want to hold off on your pre-order until bundle details are shared. One of the anniversary collector’s items is a golden Zelda-branded Wii Remote, though purchasing details were not shared. Since Skyward Sword requires Wii MotionPlus, a relatively under-adopted peripheral among the hardcore consumer, this golden remote will likely be bundled with the game and sold for a $60, give or take $10. Note that the peripheral is still sold separately, but all new Wii remotes have the technology built-in. The bundle will still provide a good deal on a new Wii remote, which are being carried over to the WiiU, so it’s probably worth your money anyway.

Link’s Awakening (DX) is the first title coming to the 3DS Virtual Console for GB and GBC games, available now for $5.99. This particular title is rather dear to me as my second Zelda game ever and the inspiration for this site’s (former) name. Remember, there’s a special ending if you play without dying once, THIEF.

This September, Four Swords, the game originally packaged with Link to the Past GBA is coming to DSiWare for free. This precursor to the Gamecube standalone Four Swords Adventure is regrettably the only Nintendo-made Zelda game I haven’t played and with the demise of the GBA, that has become rather impossible to fix. The problem with the game was its expensive entry-level, requiring friends with GBAs, the game, and link cables, but by providing it on the DSi and 3DS, it becomes at least capable of local multiplayer. It is unclear whether or not there will be online support (squee). The game itself is on par with any Zelda title in terms of quality and fun.

And of course, Ocarina of Time 3DS is still coming June 19. Previously vague details of the game were shared at Nintendo’s press conference. Master Quest will be included on the cartridge with actual ramped up enemy difficulty and a mirrored Hyrule, making it harder to navigate. I’m not particularly excited about that “feature,” having played both the Gamecube and Wii versions of Twilight Princess - it’s not exactly harder, just a little confusing. There’s also a boss challenge feature that keeps track of your completion times. The game is great. And now, it’s available for a wider audience!

Miyamoto also announced performances of Zelda music by an orchestra around the world. Few further details were given regarding locations, but that information should be provided soon. An apparently limited release of the Ocarina of Time soundtrack will be provided as a gift to the first OoT3DS owners to register the game on Club Nintendo. Following that, an album featuring recordings of the Anniversary Orchestra will be made available. Music is great.

Part of the WiiU demonstration video included footage of an HD Zelda, a demo reel with connections to Twilight Princess. We can assume there will be a Zelda title for WiiU at some point, and it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume such a game is in progress already. Certainly don’t expect it at launch, but look forward to the UI advances and HD glory. The demo’s presence at E3 is merely a demonstration of the WiiU’s screen swapping (playing on either TV or controller) and UI management capabilities.

As Koholint transitions into BossKey, our approach to E3 will not change much. As secondary participants of the event, each one of us as members of this community has the same level of access to information coming out of E3. Depending on your dedication to games as a hobby, keeping an eye on this information can be a challenge, as there's so much to see and miss. Information provided by BossKey will be prompt and thorough, but focused, so that our audience can see the most interesting information first. Look forward to summaries of each press conference and followup articles regarding important announcements. Go here for a complete list of video coverage during the event, or go to the bottom of this article for a quick, time zone-friendly list of each press conference.

E3 2011 is shaping up to be a particularly heavy year. There are likely few surprises in store, but news is already oozing from the seams of its June 6-9 timeframe. Nintendo is showing Project Cafe, Sony is showing their next PSP (NGP or "Vita"), and Microsoft is showing... games. EA and Bioware have a lot of quality games to show off, as do many other companies. Unfortunately, Valve will not be in attendance at all, unless we've been lied to.

Continue reading for more detailed speculation on what you might want to keep an eye out for this year.

The weekend before last, I had the opportunity to attend Nintendo’s 3DS demo event in Chiba’s Makuhari Messe. My primary motivation for attending was the chance to see Ocarina of Time 3DS in action. Also, check out this video showing a member of Japanese superband Arashi as he reacts to the 3DS. Hilarious.

Before I get into the specifics of the games I played, I’ll remark on the 3DS in general. It’s a good handheld. It’s easy to use, it’s very DS-like. It works as advertised! 3D movies have been frustrating for me in these past few years, as I always have a hard time focusing on movement and individual elements of the movie screen. I feel like I’m in a crowded room of visuals, and my eyes don’t know where to look. Visuals can crowd the field between your seat and the screen with those cheap effects like “Oooh look, that thing jumped at your face.” The nature of the 3D technology of the 3DS moves the field of 3D away from your face and onto the front of the device, so all of the 3D effects happen underneath that screen. This combined with the small size of the screen, allow you to easily focus on individual elements of action. There’s a slider for the 3D effect I had expected to turn off completely, but in fact I has it set to maximum depth the whole time.

The slide pad analog stick felt smooth. It takes a moment to adjust to its low angle, but this did little more than mess up my timing for swinging at Deku Babas. The included stylus is metal and extendable, making its total length about 1.5 times longer than the DS Lite’s. The power button is in a very awkward place, especially for games like Kid Icarus that have you controlling your aim on the touch screen - my hand rested directly on the power button, and I did in fact turn it off accidentally.

Truth be told, although the 3DS appears to be full of potential, there are several design concerns that make me wonder if it can penetrate the mass market as thoroughly as its predecessor. Say what you will about dual joysticks and their utility in modern games, I don’t think they’re necessary for a handheld. However, a game like Kid Icarus requires 3 different points of input, using the slide pad for movement, the touch screen for targeting, and the triggers for shooting/attacking. A left-handed person would have trouble with this, unable to switch hands on the stylus with the slide pad in the way. Then there’s power button, as mentioned before - simply a poor design choice.

The 3D effect is temperamental at best. It requires you to look straight on at the DS from a specific distance at all times. If you should shift the DS at all during play, you’re treated to an eye strain comparable to crossing your eyes.

Lastly, it’s region locked! What a bummer! I guess the issues aren’t all that bad, given the fact the 3D effects are an optional feature, and not all games will make it so difficult for lefties. Still Nintendo is preemptively covering their asses with all sorts of warning that prompt all sorts of concern.

Continue reading for more details on specific games!

There is a huge list of games for the 3DS. That list can be found on this article’s full page. For now, I’ll touch upon some of the more promising titles. If you’d like to see screenshots of any of these games, you should check Nintendo’s 3DS site, where they’ve made all screens that exist available.

Kid Icarus - After over 20 years, Kid Icarus returns in a leading role. This game looks beautiful, and has plenty of nostalgia, from music to eggplant wizards. The way this was presented right alongside the 3DS leads me to believe it will be among the launch titles. Kirby/Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai is in charge of this game’s development.

Ocarina of Time 3DS - (screens here) Newish character models, updated textures, and some fancy lighting is all we can really glean from the available material for this remake. There has been some confusion as to whether or not this is a real game, as Miyamoto stated the E3 demo was made to show off the 3DS technology. But, the game has since been confirmed as a future 3DS title, complete with some gameplay polish. Aonuma, who started with the Zelda franchise as a level designer for Ocarina of Time, has publicly repented for the frustration of the Water Temple, saying that the remake will fix some of its problems - such as needing to go into the inventory menu to put on iron boots constantly. It sounds like all of the GUI elements will move down to the touch screen, so equipment changes should be as quick as the tap of an icon.

MGS: Snake Eater 3GS - This, like OoT 3DS was only available at the show as a tech demo. It looks very nice - and if this turns out to be a full port of MGS3, we’re looking at something very interesting. After all, one of the key issues with MGS3 was the constant need to go into the pause menu to fix wounds, eat rations, or spin Snake around so he vomits. If all that ends up on the lower screen, magic!

Kingdom Hearts 3DS - What we’ve seen of the screenshots here look very similar to the first Kingdom Hearts game, but we do know now that this will be an original title.

Star Fox 3DS - This is another apparent remake, this time of Star Fox 64. There’s not much else to say, beyond the fact that some who played this demo found it a bit harder because of the 3D messing with their depth perception.

Resident Evil: Revelations - This is another game where we only have screen shots, but unlike other titles, it appears to be its own game starring superbuff Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine. Here's a video.

Professor Layton and the Mask of Miracle - Professor Layton has a good shot at utilizing the 3D features in a creative way, though any puzzle that relies on 3D runs the risk of creating accessibility problems.

Full list of games announced after the jump.

All right, so Nintendo unveiled a new handheld console - the 3DS. The device will allow for 3D viewing without glasses, a feature that goes a long way towards improving the accessibility of 3D in gaming. But there’s many more reasons to care about Nintendo’s next handheld.

There was a lot of 3DS hardware going around at this year’s E3, varying in colors and content - each of the numerous devices was meant to prove to the attendance that the 3DS worked. And, according to every report, it does. People are, however, also reporting that it’s not a perfect technology, as people who have trouble with movie theater 3D have been having similar issues with the 3DS. However, the 3DS features a slider that allows players to adjust the depth of the 3D field, even allowing for it to be turned off entirely.

With so many of the devices going around, it seems like Nintendo’s on the verge of release, right? We’ve already seen a huge library of games to expect, from Kid Icarus and Resident Evil to ports of Ocarina of Time and MGS: Snake Eater. I’ll cover more of the games in a separate article. As far as release date is concerned, numerous reports indicate that we’ll see this new handheld before the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year, so March 31, 2011 is the latest possible date. Cammie Dunaway said as much during an interview with GiantBomb, at least. A release from Nintendo Japan reiterated the point as well.

The 3DS itself is a technological leapfrog to the original DS. While the final design of the device is still “to be announced,” we know a lot of the inner workings (although I sure hope they move the power button). The 3.53 inch upper screen is the only one that will support 3D, in widescreen. The actual pixel resolution is 800x240, but half of those pixels in width are allocated to each of the different 3D images, so we’re looking at 400x240. The 3.02 inch lower screen remains a touchscreen, and is actually smaller than the screens on a DSi (3.25 inches each). The resolution is improved from the previous DS, from 256x192 to 320x240. Game cards will hold up to 2 GB at launch, whereas typically, DS games of the past have been on 128 MB cards, with the bigger games like Final Fantasy on 256 MB cards. Of course, with the availability of microSD cards at 16 GB these days, DS cards could go for larger capacities, should the need ever arise. For some techno-jargon about the GPU, check out this Engadget article. To summarize - it's pretty awesome. There's a trailer for Kid Icarus under the jump that's slightly different from the one shown during the conference - I would guess this one was actually rendered on a 3DS. That, and more, after you click "Read More!"

I love Zelda. Remember that as you read the following.

The next game in the Zelda series is called “Skyward Sword,” and will require usage of the Wii Motion Plus accessory. The timeframe for this game’s release is still a bit unclear as we’ve gone from expecting it at the end of this year to some time in 2011. And here’s what you’ll probably want to know about the game:

1. It works! The inclusion of the Wii Motion Plus has been a point of concern ever since the fact was revealed some time last year. Aside from Wii Sports Resort and Red Steel 2, using the Wii remote as a sword has been a rare occurrence. And, however fun it may be in those games, some level of awkwardness exists where one might be concerned if a whole game was based on that mechanic. People who’ve tried this new Zelda, however, are reporting that the sword does work, and seems like it could support the game rather well. Also, you move through the environment with the nunchuck’s analog stick (while the nunchuck itself acts as your shield). Here are a video of someone playing, so you can see for yourself. Notice how he needs to swing the sword a certain way in order to register a hit, and how throughout the course of the demo, he becomes more and more familiar with the fighting mechanics.

2. Story! At a developer round table after Nintendo’s press conference, and from various interviews, Aonuma and Miyamoto have revealed the setup to this game. Link is a boy from a land in the clouds called Skyloft. Everything is nice and peaceful there until, through a series of plot building events, he learns a land exists below his own and it is plagued by evil. The Skyward Sword itself interacts with Link in the form of the blue fairy-like girl from the initial concept art shown last year. At some point, that sword will become known as the Master Sword. Also, the land below is definitely Hyrule. Along this premise, we also know that there will be some manner of frequent travel between the two worlds. So. Sky people. Hyrule. The girl is a sword.

3. Style! When I first saw images of this game, my immediate thought was “Holy crap, Twilight Princess design with cel shading.” And, I was amazed. After all, cel shading can be used to make some beautiful things happen, as we have seen in Wind Waker and Okami. It turns out, however, that it wouldn’t be exactly accurate to call what Skyward Sword has “cel-shading.” The coloring style is meant more to be reminiscent of impressionist art, particularly Paul Cézanne. With that in mind, you’ll notice the screen shots actually have more of a watercolor-esque vibe. Apparently, they’re at a point in the development process where the graphics of the game are still being perfected, so perhaps this style will come out more in the final version. Also note that the trailer’s music may not reflect on that of the final game’s, as they’ve yet to compose a lot of it.

4. Items that take advantage of the Wii Motion Plus seem well crafted. The bow let’s you dictate how strongly your arrow will fly, and there’s some arc to the arrow’s trajectory. Yet, unlike Wii Sports Resort, where difficulty in aiming is part of the game, in Skyward Sword, you can use the remote to point directly at your target. Then there’s bombs, which you can bowl or throw through gestures. There’s a whip that sweeps across the screen as directed by the controller. There’s a new item - the beetle, which flies around and picks stuff up. I believe it detects tilt in order to move, but I could be wrong.

Screenshot gallery!
Forum topic!
Art gallery! - If you're looking for higher resolutions of these images, send me a private message. There is a decent sized image on this server if you go to the image page and click "Original."

And the trailer is after the jump.

Just a short while ago, these images that look curiously similar to Ocarina of Time appeared on Nintendo's E3 press site server. There is no accompanying information, but the images were pulled quickly. As you can see, the graphics look a bit better than the N64 original.

This could be a game very easily, since this represents an amount of work beyond just reframing old OoT screenshots. Redoing models, retexturing environments... I'm always an optimist when it comes to Zelda, so this has me quite excited.

I haven't been overly fond of the DS Zelda games, but if they were to become something more... 3D, with the aid of the 3DS' analog "slide pad," this could easily be the direction future handheld Zeldas will go in. I would miss the traditional 2D style, though.

Enjoy this gallery of the other images!

Update: At a round table just recently, this game has been confirmed. Here is the tweet that double-confirms it.

Update 2: Some of the experience will be streamlined (for the better, apparently). For example, you will be able to put on your iron boots from the touch screen, or change tunics from the touch screen, instead of having to pause.

I’m really having a hard time putting this information into words. There’s a lot here. I’m going to have to make specific articles for Zelda and 3DS later, so I’ll just go through each item as a list.

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword is cel-shaded, but in the style of Twilight Princess. Miyamoto demo’d the game live on stage (with some technical difficulties), but it looks like it’s integrated WiiMotion+ rather thoroughly. The Wiimote is your sword, then the nunchuck is your shield. It looks really nice, but I’m looking forward to hearing back about the demo’s on the show floor. Apparently, the sky is a key plot element (which reminds me of the sky people in Minish Cap). Also, it’s been delayed to 2011. And here's the trailer! And here's some gameplay!

Then there’s the 3DS, which looks rather amazing. They weren’t able to demo the technology on stage, so this is another thing where we’ll have to wait to hear some opinions. The top screen will be widescreen, with full 3D capabilities, while the bottom screen is still touch, but not 3D. There’s motion sensors and gyroscopes, and something called a “slide pad” that appears to be a flat analog stick. There’s two camera lenses on the back that allow you to take photos in 3D. You’ll be able to watch current movies made with 3D technology on the device, with Warner Bros, Disney, and Dreamworks as frontrunners in support of that. There’s a free service that connects the device to Nintendo’s servers while you’re not playing, regardless of the presence of a Wifi access point, and downloads new game content.

Kid Icarus: Uprising - after describing the 3DS’ various features, “Project Sora” was revealed to be a new Kid Icarus game. The trailer they showed had me convinced it was a Wii title - it just looked too pretty to be otherwise. Turns out, it’s for 3DS, and seems quite fun. I’ll post more on this later as well.

Read the full article for more!

At the beginning of this week, remakes of the 2nd generation Pokemon games were released to the world at large. What's significant with these games, called Heart Gold and Soul Silver, is that there is now a Pokemon game in which over 400 different Pokemon can be captured without having to trade (much) or mess with some GBA cartridge nonsense (though you can if you'd like).

Why's that awesome? Well, I'll tell you, dear readers. Gold/Silver were the best games made with the Pokemon name attached to them, second MAYBE to Snap. The remakes are faithful in most ways possible, carrying over the mechanic adjustments made in Diamond/Pearl. Issues from the first game have been smoothed over - certain level ranges have been made more tolerable with the addition of new trainers, "dungeon" design has been amped up, and sometimes people who call you can actually say something so ridiculous that you might laugh. AND THERE'S MORE! Click on that "read more" button.