Hit the jump for the latest press release from the conference. Also catch the list of upcoming third party titles. As Infendo Managing Editor, David Cole put it “holy crap .. the shovelware is making me feel queasy”. Hit the jump and grab a paper bag!
LOS ANGELES–(BUSINESS WIRE)– At the E3 Media & Business Summit today, Nintendo unveiled an enhancement for its iconic Wii Remoteâ„¢ controller and new games that promise to further enrich and engage players around the world. These offerings build on Nintendo’s ongoing efforts to remove the barriers between expert and novice video game players, an approach that has been instrumental in creating a paradigm shift for the industry since the advent of the Nintendo DSâ„¢ portable system and the Wiiâ„¢ home console.
“Much has been reported about the ”˜expanded audience’ for games, but what’s really at play is an expanded experience,” said Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s executive vice president of Sales & Marketing. “People of all ages having fun together’whether in the same room or from remote locations’puts smiles on faces and drives millions of new players into video game entertainment.”
Wii Sportsâ„¢ Resort is not just a simple sequel to one of the world’s most popular console games, Wii Sports. It is the first title to make use of another Nintendo advance, the Wii MotionPlus accessory, which plugs into the base of the Wii Remote controller to provide an incredibly realistic motion experience. Scheduled for release in spring 2009, Wii Sports Resort includes new game experiences such as Sword Play, Power Cruising on a water scooter and Disc Dog, along with the new Wii MotionPlus accessory and Wii Remote Jacket at no additional cost. The Wii MotionPlus enhances precision and player immersion for the Nintendo-pioneered motion-controlled gaming trend that has drawn millions of new people to the world of video games.
This holiday season, Animal Crossing®: City Folk lets players move into a fun community populated by quirky animals. Players can improve their community, chat with the locals or just spend the day fishing and collecting fossils. There is also the opportunity to catch a bus into the new urban city area. Though you’ll never see other players in the city, you can connect with them in new ways using WiiConnect24â„¢, such as bidding on your friends’ items at the auction house or visiting the Happy Room Academy headquarters to see the top-rated player house. Another new feature in Animal Crossing®: City Folk is the ability to visit friends’ towns and chat with one another using the new WiiSpeakâ„¢ microphone. The WiiSpeak microphone is sold separately at an MSRP of $29.99 and allows Internet voice chat among Wii Friends ”“ not just from person to person but from room to room.
Wii Musicâ„¢ makes it easy for people to jam to tunes, even if they don’t know anything about music. Wii Music transforms the Wii Remote and Nunchukâ„¢ controllers into more than 60 different instruments, including a violin, steel drums, electric guitar ”“ even a cowbell. Players strum, shake, tap and drum along to the music in a pressure-free musical playground where there are no mistakes. They can improvise on their arrangements by skipping a note ”“ or adding 10. The music always sounds great, but it’s up to players to come up with creative arrangements that they can then send to friends and family who have Wii Music. Those Wii Friends can then put their own spin on the arrangement and send it back and forth over WiiConnect24. Wii Music will be available in the United States for the holidays.
In the portable category, Nintendo DS remains on top. Nintendo DS has sold more than 20 million units in the United States and more than 70 million worldwide. Third-party publishers continue to take advantage of that installed base. Coming this winter exclusively to the Nintendo DS is Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars, a new entry in Rockstar Games’ award-winning and hugely successful Grand Theft Auto franchise. Activision’s exclusive Guitar Hero® On Tour: Decades makes its anticipated debut this fall, as does a collection of wild and wonderful critters from Electronic Arts’ Sporeâ„¢ Creatures.
To view a video of Nintendo’s E3 2008 media briefing, please visit e3.nintendo.com.
About Nintendo: The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment, Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its Wiiâ„¢ and Nintendo DSâ„¢ systems. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold more than 2.7 billion video games and more than 460 million hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Marioâ„¢, Donkey Kong®, Metroid®, Zeldaâ„¢ and Pokémon®. A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond, Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo’s operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more information about Nintendo, visit the company’s Web site at www.nintendo.com.
Upcoming Third Party Games
Activision
Ӣ Call of Duty 5
Ӣ Guitar Hero World Tour
Ӣ Madagascar Escape 2 Africa
Ӣ Quantum of Solace: The Game
”¢ Spider-Man®: Web of Shadows
Agetec
”¢ LOLâ„¢
Ӣ Touch Darts
American Game Factory
”¢ Bratz Kidzâ„¢ – Slumber Party
”¢ Bratz Ponyzâ„¢ 2
”¢ Build-A-Bear Workshop® A Friend Fur All Seasons
”¢ Rubik’s® World
”¢ Zensesâ„¢ – Ocean Edition and Zensesâ„¢ – Rainforest Edition
ATLUS U.S.A., Inc.
”¢ Dokapon Kingdomâ„¢
”¢ Izuna 2â„¢
”¢ Master of the Monster Lairâ„¢
”¢ Trauma Center®: Under the Knife 2
D3 Publisher
”¢ Bangai-O Spiritsâ„¢
Disney
Ӣ Bolt
Ӣ Disney Fairies: Tinker Bell
Ӣ Disney Sing It
Ӣ High School Musical 3: Senior Year
Ӣ High School Musical 3: Senior Year DANCE!
Ӣ Spectrobes: Beyond The Portals
Ӣ Ultimate Band
Dreamcatcher
”¢ Sam & Maxâ„¢ Season One
Electronic Arts
Ӣ FIFA 09 All-Play
Ӣ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
”¢ MySimsâ„¢ Kingdom
”¢ SimCityâ„¢ Creator
Ӣ Skate It
Ӣ Zubo
Empire Interactive
Ӣ Animal Paradise
Ӣ Pipe Mania
Gamecock Media Group
”¢ Mushroom Menâ„¢: Rise of the Fungiâ„¢
”¢ Mushroom Menâ„¢: The Spore Warsâ„¢
Hudson Entertainment
Ӣ My Aquarium
KOEI
”¢ POP CUTIE!â„¢ Street Fashion Simulation
”¢ PREY THE STARSâ„¢
Legacy Interactive
”¢ Pet Palsâ„¢: Animal Doctor
Ӣ Zoo Vet Endangered Animals
LucasArts
”¢ Star Wars®: The Force Unleashedâ„¢
”¢ Star Warsâ„¢ The Clone Warsâ„¢: Jedi Allianceâ„¢
”¢ Star Warsâ„¢ The Clone Warsâ„¢: Lightsaber Duelsâ„¢
Majesco
Ӣ Away: Shuffle Dungeon
Ӣ Babysitting Mania
Ӣ Cooking Mama World Kitchen
”¢ Major Minor’s Majestic March
Ӣ Marker Man Adventures
Ӣ Our House
Ӣ Wonder World Amusement Park
Mastiff
Ӣ Deer Drive
Ӣ Moon
Midway
”¢ Game Party® 2
”¢ MechanicMasterâ„¢
”¢ TNA® iMPACT!®
”¢ Touchmaster® 2
Namco Bandai Games
”¢ National Geographicâ„¢ Panda
Natsume
”¢ Harvest Moon®: Island of Happiness
”¢ Harvest Moon®: Tree of Tranquility
”¢ Hi! HamTaro® Ham-Ham Challenge
”¢ Princess Debutâ„¢
”¢ Rune Factory® 2: A Fantasy Harvest Moon®
NIS America
”¢ Disgaea® DS
”¢ Puchi Puchi Virusâ„¢
”¢ Rhapsodyâ„¢: A Musical Adventure
Scholastic
”¢ Goosebumps HorrorLandâ„¢
”¢ Ultimate I Spyâ„¢
Sega
”¢ BLEACH: Dark Soulsâ„¢
”¢ Dinosaur Kingâ„¢
Ӣ Infinite Space
”¢ Pictoimageâ„¢
”¢ Samba De Amigoâ„¢
”¢ Sonic Chronicles The Dark Brotherhoodâ„¢
Sierra Entertainment
”¢ Crash Bandicoot®: Mind over Mutant
”¢ Ghostbustersâ„¢: The Video Game
”¢ The Legend of Spyro®: Dawn of the Dragon
SouthPeak Games
Ӣ Big Bang Mini
”¢ Brave Shaman’s Challengeâ„¢
Ӣ Igor The Game
Ӣ Mister Slime
”¢ Ninjatownâ„¢
Square Enix
”¢ DRAGON QUEST® IV: Chapters of the Chosenâ„¢
”¢ FINAL FANTASY® IV
Tecmo
”¢ Robocalypseâ„¢
”¢ SPRayâ„¢
”¢ TECMO BOWL®: KICKOFF
Vir2L Studios
”¢ AMF® Bowling Pinbusters!â„¢
”¢ Ducati® Moto
Warner Bros.
”¢ LEGO Batman®: The Videogameâ„¢
XSEED Games
Ӣ Avalon Code
Ӣ Korg DS-10
”¢ Little King’s Story
”¢ Populousâ„¢ DS
Ӣ Retro Game Challenge
Ӣ Rune Factory: Frontier
Zoo Games
Ӣ Bigfoot: Collision Course
”¢ Calvin Tucker’s Redneck Jamboree
”¢ Deal or No Dealâ„¢
Ӣ Garfield Fun Fest
”¢ Jeep® Thrills
”¢ M&M’s® Beach Party
”¢ Margot’s Word Brain
Ӣ Order Up!
Ӣ Puzzle Kingdoms
Ӣ Puzzler Collection
Ӣ Skate City Heroes
Ӣ Story Hour Adventures
Ӣ Story Hour Fairy Tales
Ӣ Wordmaster
Ӣ Yamaha Supercross