I’m biased, of course, but Nintendo just “won” E3 with a relatively simple, games-focused keynote and in the process severely gimped poor Sony, which has to follow that oozing-with-game announcements presentation in a few minutes. Hands-down.
Seriously, look at every tab on this page. Then look at the 3DS launch lineup. Staggering stuff. Almost un-Nintendo, if we go by last year’s E3 performance.
Mechanical elephants? Fake family rooms stuffed with canned quotes and cookie cutter actors faking their way through a Star Wars demo? Nintendo needs not these things. Everything after Reggie’s loaded “technology is only the tool, it’s game play matters” (paraphrased) quote was pure, pure gravy.
I stand by my 2009 prediction, and add a caveat: Nintendo will have its biggest year ever in 2010—and 2011 will be even bigger.
This Nintendo megaton snuck up on me. As I watched, things like the buggy Zelda demo kind of took me out of it, before the 3DS brought me back in. In hindsight, this was most certainly a megaton E3 for Nintendo. One of their best showings since the Wii reveal in 2006. Remember those lines? Well good, because they’re happening again.
Agreed. The Kinect unveiling was retarded… I am truly impressed by Nintendo's showing at E3 this year. Even though they had some technical difficulties with the Zelda demo, it looks like those who have got to play the demo themselves are reporting that the MotionPlus works like a charm and we have nothing to worry about. So excited about the 3DS, Metroid Other M, Donkey Kong Country Returns, Kirby Epic Yarn, Zelda Skyward Sword, all the 3DS titles (Mario Kart, Paper Mario, etc)… ahhh!
Talk about a megaton. Thanks, Nintendo.
Sony and MS… you have your work cut out for you. Looks like the Move isn't going to be that much more precise than the MotionPlus after all. Why would anyone run out and buy the expensive PS3 + Move combo when they could continue enjoying the Wii, which has boasted motion control since 2006? Get with the times and try something new, Sony.
Definitely the 3DS is stealing the show…
I was never that much on board with the DSi, but this new handheld looks like a superior product. Now let's find out how much it is going to cost!!
It seems like everyone is ragging on Nintendo about the Zelda demo. It was only buggy towards the end, and even that couldn't bring me to pick my jaw up off the floor.
ZELDA IS BACK.
So now Japan is dropping the megaton back on us? Well played, Nintendo.
@Poochy: That seems to be the case. Subsequent hands-on Zelda impressions I've read have been very favorable. It could very well have been interference.
I noticed something weird about the 3DS 3rd-party game lineup: all of these games were announced for the DS lite/i, and I don't think they have 3D capabilities.
Also, many of the titles are really old and have been released (see Atlus, for example), and I suspect they are actually referring to sequels to those titles!
I think that lame Bill guy messed up the calibration on Miyamoto's Wii MotionPlus. Why didn't he just set it down, upside-down, on the stage and recalibrate?
Everything looked delicious .. even Just Dance 2.
Dear Nintendo – this would all be much easier if I just gave you direct access to my bank accounts. Just take it all. You'll end up with it anyway.
Everyone I work with has been saying the same thing all day: Nintendo won E3 this year.
I did enjoy how they poked fun at Steve Jobs when the demo started to fail 🙂
They killed. Easily.
I do agree that the Nintendo showing was amazing, and that they did show games that many people wanted, but I don't know if it was the the best show or if it "won" e3. I mean yes Nintendo brought all of their good games to e3 but everyone else brought their own exclusive games out to. Could it be that everyone here saying Nintendo won e3 is just because Nintendo has done only an okay job in the last two years, so of course it seems like Nintendo won because they haven't been releasing a whole lot of great titles at one time so we were just overcome by this year's e3 showing, whereas Microsoft and Sony have been bringing us sequels and new great games for the past couple of years. And I mean I am not a Nintendo fanboy (which some would say I need to find another video game site) but I don't dislike the wii, but the thing I want to ask some of you who think this won is, what is the replay value on these titles with no multiplayer? 2-3 times maybe? I'll get Zelda for sure and play through it once or twice and I'll be done.
Okay, I'm happy. It's like the skies suddenly rained pure, classic Nintendo on everyone. They announced about twenty games for the Wii and 3DS I'm interested in. It's funny that both Microsoft and Sony are trying so hard to capture Nintendo's wider audience with motion controls while Nintendo reminds the industry that it's built its empire on solid gameplay in evergreen characters and franchises…plus some really fun innovation. Man, everyone's going to want a 3DS.
Robin, in answer to your question above:
A game does not have to be infinitely replayable to be worth the money as long as it delivers a powerful experience. I don't know how much longer I'll be playing SMG2 (I know I'll never be able to get all 240+ stars), but it's given me two solid weeks of mind-blowing fun. Well worth it. When it comes to multiplayer…Mariokart, Brawl and Wii Sports Resort are three of the best games I've ever played. My family still has fun with these on a weekly basis. And I have no interest whatsoever in wasting any seconds of my life playing online with anonymous foul-mouthed idiots.
Few companies do single player adventures as well as Nintendo. There's a reason these franchises are so well-loved. Mulitplayer games, with some exceptions, come and go with little emotional attachment. A good Zelda or Mario adventure (or Final Fantasy) with characters you care about? With those, you remember the story, emotions and humor (and in the case of Mario, the flat-out incredible weirdness of it all). Sometimes just one play-through is enough.