Nintendo E3 2008 Press Conference Summary
A Run Down of Nintendo's Announcements for the Upcoming Year
Everyone has seen the success of Nintendo exceed expectations since the Wii was released back in November 2006. The demand for the system was high even many months after the launch date, the price point was well placed, and games have been met with high sales and some mixed reviews from critics. Despite anyone's opinion of Nintendo's lineup since its launch, no one can deny Nintendo's gain in strength and influence over the video game market. Now the question that remains, what does Nintendo have in store for the next year of video games?
Wii Accessories are Key
In the press conference at the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, Nintendo started the event by having gold medalist Shaun White showcase his new snowboarding game by using the Wii Balance Board. Further in the event, the balance board was also used to assist in upcoming games like Rayman: Raving Rabbits and Wii Music. Another new hardware add-on was the "Wii Speak," a microphone that attaches to the top of the sensor bar and captures the voices of everyone in the room. The first game to integrate this will be the upcoming Animal Crossing: City Folk.
The last and most advanced new add-on was the Wii Motion Plus. This small attachment goes into the back of the Wii Remote and gives 1:1 ratio of movement to the player for better accuracy of movement. The upcoming sequel to Wii Sports, "Wii Sports Resort", will use this device for its mini-games, such as sword fighting and "Disc Golf." One Motion Plus accessory will come free with every copy of Wii Sports Resort.
Upcoming Wii & DS Titles
Nintendo's major titles scheduled to be released on the Wii include major titles, such as Animal Crossing: City Folk and Wii Sports Resort, but also showed off new titles like Wii Music and Call of Duty: World at War. Wii Music has over 50 instruments and utilizes the balance board to allow players to create a vast amount of music. The DS had some big names for its list, including a new Pokemon and Guitar Hero, and also a Grand Theft Auto game.
There is no doubt Nintendo will make a profit off of these games, but where were the heavy hitter titles? Even without a Mario, Zelda, or Metroid game, Nintendo has announced many new titles that didn't make it into the conference. There was no mention of the newly anticipated and original titles for the Wii, like The Conduit, Sonic Unleashed, or MadWorld, nor were there any for the DS, like the remakes of Kirby: Super Star or Chrono Trigger. Most of what was shown were kid friendly games or games for family. This isn't necessarily bad, but when Reggie Fils-Aime claims that the Wii is not a fad, showcasing titles that are either tame or gimmicky seems to say otherwise.
Summary
There's no doubt that Nintendo wants to keep its appeal to a wider audience than just gamers, and their conference showed that they can succeed under these circumstances. Most of what was previewed were titles that could appeal to all people, whether they were gamers or not. But their lack of displaying any truly unique game seemed to hint that Nintendo is more interested in a mainstream audience than the hardcore gamers. With some of Microsoft's and Sony's titles soon to be released, Nintendo leaves the stage with a "ho-hum" feel to its upcoming lineup.
More of Nintendo's E3 coverage can be found at e3.nintendo.com.
