Nintendo’s E3 2014 Direct Video Recap!
Nintendo…Nintendo…Nintendo. You know, I really thought that Nintendo was going ruin their chances of building hype for the Wii U. They’re choosing not to host a press conference again? We’ll probably get another bad direct video featuring lackluster announcements. I’m sure most of you were thinking the same thing. Nintendo must of heard my thoughts because they did exactly the opposite. Not only did they produce an entertaining online show, but they also made the Wii U a viable option come this holiday – and that’s without a price drop!
Like always, we’re just hitting the highlights as opposed to recapping the entire event.
Right out the gate, Nintendo was all “entertain the gamers”. Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo of Americas president, and Satoru Iwata, the CEO of Nintendo, literally got into a fight to prove who the better Nintendo representative was. Ok, so it wasn’t a real fight; it looked like something out of the Matrix only sillier. The hilarious fight was staged to introduce Super Smash Bros’ inclusion of Miis. Gamers will be able to import their Miis into SSB and fight alongside their favorite Nintendo characters. They’ll start off by picking one of three fighting styles (Swordfighter, Brawler, and Gunner), before assigning their Miis moves. This allows for a bit of customization; even if we both pick the gunner style, we may end up with different abilities. It’s a cool way of incorporating the Miis beyond just mere avatars.
After this we got to see new interactive figures called Amiibos (amigo + Mii). These Nintendo characters are similar to the ones in Skylanders and Disney Infinity in how they work with the Wii U’s GamePad. As it stands, they are like the AI in Smash Bros. only they can learn or level up to become stronger opponents. Personally, I don’t think I’d use them in SSB; I’d just play with the normal characters. Nintendo did say that they’d be able to interact with other Wii U and 3DS titles in the future though. We’ll have to wait and see how that works before declaring them worthy of purchase.
Next we we’re shown Splatoon, a new four-on-four multiplayer action game where teams battle to claim an arena. Players on each team will need to spray ink on everything, slowly changing the environment’s…um, color to match their own. The other team will need to blot out their rival’s ink, replacing it with their own color. Whoever covers most of the surface with their respectable color wins. Going a step further, Nintendo gave each player the ability to turn into a squid. Doing so will not only refill their ink guns but also allow them to swim through their own colored ink. Going under gates, swimming up walls to difficult to reach platforms, and more are a quick transformation away. Based on what was shown, it seems that Nintendo was able to do the unimaginable (at least in this day and age) by creating a nonviolent shooter that still offers fun competitive gameplay. I’m personally looking forward to checking out Splatoon when it releases in the first half of 2015.
After that came a Bayonetta 2, Hyrule Warriors and Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker. All of which looked great – yes, even Hyrule Warriors – but what took the cake was Captain Toad. If you’ve played Super Mario 3D World, you’d know how great the Captain Toad levels were. It’s great that Nintendo turned it into a full-fledged game. For those that don’t know, it’s like Super Mario Bros. 2 and Fez had an adorable baby; gamers will need to guide Toad through colorful levels, changing perspective to better solve puzzles while collecting coins, gems, and stars. Taking up a spot normally held for Mario, it looks a charming title that the whole family can enjoy.
Nintendo followed this by revealing their new Legend of Zelda title coming to Wii U. Featuring gorgeous graphics, an open world to explore (a first for the series), and new gameplay mechanics this new Zelda might just be Nintendo’s first must have AAA title. Sure, Mario anything is huge but a Zelda game that may rival that of an Elder Scrolls is HUGE. The only let down was the announcement that it has a 2015 release date. Even worse, the fact that Nintendo didn’t have an exact name for it other than The Legend of Zelda could mean it’s coming late 2015. Still, gamers will certainly have a lot to look forward to.
Speaking of titles to look forward to, Nintendo revealed a lot games being released next year. Kirby and the Rainbow Curse, planned for 2015, features a stop-motion clay-like world. Which when you think about how clay works, seems to be a perfect fit for the pink hero. Those who enjoyed Kirby’s Canvas Curse on the DS will definitely want to pick this up when it releases on the Wii U next year. Yoshi’s Woolly World is also slated for a 2015 release. This game takes Kirby’s Epic yarn approach to a whole new level. Yarn, felt, and cotton – things I never thought I’d list as interactive elements in a video game – are just some of the fabrics Yoshi will be able to manipulate on his adventure. If things get too hairy, gamers can call on a friend to help them along. Basically, we have another super charming game that’s worth checking out on the Wii U.
Nintendo went on to show announce/show Pokemon Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Mario Maker (a must have for any Mario fan), and a slew of other titles coming to the Wii U and 3DS. In between announcements came humorous, Robot Chicken like animations that poked fun at famous Nintendo characters. All and all it was a great direct video that made gamers want what the big N had to offer. Or at least, it made me want to double down on new Wii U titles. What’s interesting is that Nintendo didn’t stop with just a video. After the announcements they hosted their digital event called Nintendo Treehouse: Live @ E3. Here gamers got to see lengthy, gameplay demos of upcoming Wii U games. This is also where they announced titles that didn’t make the direct video, like Mario Party 10.
After that was an awesome Smash Bros. tournament, followed by an interview with Shigeru Miyamoto where more was revealed (Pac-Man joined the cast of fighters in Super Smash Bros.). Honestly, I couldn’t have asked for more. We got games on top of games, followed by gaming footage and game reveals. As far as I’m concerned, Nintendo has redeemed themselves and then some. Now if they could only get more third party support and a possible price drop…
Final Verdict:
A++
