E3 2010: Nintendo

[Remix Challenge]

Not this again... get over it, Coop. The GBA's dead. It's like you're complaining about the Wii not having N64 compatibility, cripes. Just hold onto your old DS and stop bitching about it.

Wii should have N64 compatibility. It should.

Seriously though, I would have to agree with you for the most part, but the Pokemon franchise needs to stop making games with the import-from-GBA-slot feature for that to be entirely true.

Come on, you know there's a few million Pokemon fanboys (and girls) wondering if they'll be able to trade up their Swamperts and Blazikens, even if--no especially if they're only into the metagame. That's a big chunk of the fanbase.

Either get rid of the feature (and Black and White may very well do that, but those games are trade-compatible with Diamond/Pearl/Platinum/HeartGold/SoulSilver, which are GBA-slot-import-compatible games...so indirectly), or make some sort of GBA-DS/3DS link cable. Is that really so difficult? (it may very well be, or just not worth the effort, and I can see morons putting Pokemon Crystal in their OLD GBA and trying to trade.)

Why am I talking about this?! NEW PAPER MARIO! Woo-hoo! But why does that Chain Chomp look like any other Chain Chomp? They always make their partners unique in some way, even if it is just Goomba-with-a-hat Goombario. Maybe--called it--you can recruit enemies from the field? Or maybe they just haven't finalized its design. HAHA Oh well, whatever, NEW PAPER MARIO WOO!

And from my friend who grew up with Donkey Kong Country: "GNAAAAAAAAAAAAH" (That is the sound of happiness, if you were wondering. Or the text of happiness, anyway.)

Those DKC games are even today her very favorite games, so she's understandably stoked for this new installment that hopefully captures the charm and fun of the originals. Hell, I'm looking forward to it, and I never got past Hot Head Bop in DKC2 (I downloaded it on my Wii and was trying to play it with a GC controller, which when she came over for an awesome party I asked her to help me out with, and even she admitted that the game is damn near impossible with that controller. "I don't think even I could beat it with this controller. Get the Classic!"). I want to experience this Country myself! (But where are the Kremlings?!)

And the Zelda--I couldn't be happier! I freaking LOVE Wind Waker (my first Zelda game!) and everything about it, but I was also missing the style of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask (which I played later, of course) though not the outdated graphics. My DKC-loving friend put it most eloquently, "I hope we will end up with something like Majora's Mask- dark even while it was vibrant, macabre even as it was cartoony, like a nightmare, an intense nightmare, but one I'd rather have had than another pleasant dream."

Twilight Princess, I suppose, was trying to be all hardcore and do this, but...I was really disappointed with that game for reasons numerous, but the biggest one (and hardest to support) is that it just didn't feel right. It wasn't a fun game, for me personally.

Well, I've had an idea (that will never go anywhere, but if you hang around the series long enough things like this happen) for a Zelda game, and I've always envisioned that if I were to make this game (which, like I said, will never happen...there are just way too many obstacles in the way...) I would merge the styles of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. (and have 1:1 motion control)

And they did just that! It's like they made it specifically for me! Why...th-thank you! Thank you Nintendo! You're too kind!

Seriously though, I wonder how many plot points will be the same with the story I invented for this never-going-to-exist game. It would be crazy if I tapped into the collective consciousness of Nintendo's Zelda department. (Though granted, merging the styles was only a matter of time, and so was 1:1 motion control, so it's not like this came as a huge surprise, just a really, really fantastic one.)

Hmm, what else. Epic Yarn looks cute (duh, it's Kirby), but I think I'll rent before buying because while I love Kirby games, this...somehow seems to be a bit too much of a diversion from the series roots for me. We'll see.

I'm looking forward to Epic Mickey, and the new Kid Icarus. I never played the original, it was a bit before my time. Man, even the new Sonic game looks good. And yeah, Kingdom Hearts, too...

I'd say Metroid (oh wait I just did), but I'm not a Metroid player (blasphemy!), so I'm happy for Metroid fans but it does nothing for me personally.

That's enough of that. One little comment on GBA slots became this fangirlish novella of a post. In short, this is a good year for nerds...and for me to get a job so I can finance this habit (read: addiction).

[Melbu Frahma]

anyone ever get the feeling nintendo is always holding back

I do

I get the same feeling all the time... like they intentionally release substandard products just so they can milk us twice when they release the version they should've in the first place six months later.

But then, I'm a touch paranoid.

[Sir_Snooze]

i'm not going to argue that bungie or infinity ward have innovated more than nintendo with their sequels, but i will say that you make your argument look slightly ridiculous when your comparisons involve games that were released over 20 years apart and in different visual dimensions.

i dont even think "visual dimensions" is a real term, that's how silly this is

I've gone from back-to-front - one to the next. If you'd rather me hit similar generations, I can do that, too. But not with Kirby, because Kirby only has Air Ride for the 'Cube.

Halo 1 -- Halo Reach

Super Mario Sunshine -- Super Mario Galaxy 2

Again, the difference is night and day.

[The Author]

It's probably about costs. Something about Nintendo is that they always had this keeping costs low policy, and until they can lower the cost of upgraded hardware, they don't release it. And pricing changes fast depending on manufacturing techniques.

(I mean, look at blue ray LEDs)

[Overflow]

Footage of Zelda: Skyward Sword working properly:

[Tensei]

Offtopic rant:

I dont get the infatuation with the DS Golden Sun. The original game was mediocre, uninspired, full of JRPG cliches (and I'm being generous here), with the only redeeming factor being that it was the first 'real' RPG for GBA.

If you don't believe me, go replay Golden Sun right now and afterwards tell me you think it's a good game. Except you won't be able to tell me because you will have shot yourself in the head after the 200th time you see a text balloon with an ^_^/>_>'-face in it.

Ontopic: 3DS looks incredibly good. The 3D effect supposedly works because of Face-tracking which will give you the illusion of 'looking around the corner' of the screen. Pretty neat stuff.

[The Derrit]

Why am I talking about this?! NEW PAPER MARIO! Woo-hoo! But why does that Chain Chomp look like any other Chain Chomp? They always make their partners unique in some way, even if it is just Goomba-with-a-hat Goombario. Maybe--called it--you can recruit enemies from the field? Or maybe they just haven't finalized its design. HAHA Oh well, whatever, NEW PAPER MARIO WOO!

link. NOWWWW

[Overflow]

[SirChadlyOC]

anyone ever get the feeling nintendo is always holding back

I do

Yes they probably are, and they are smart to do so.

If Nintendo showed us everything they had, we would then identify the limit of what they can do. "That's it," we'd say, "that's all Nintendo has to offer. We can now plan out the rest of the year of Nintendo's offerings."

But if Nintendo holds back, we'll never know the extent of what they're capable of. We'll always be in suspense of what they might do or what's on the horizon.

[cannonballs]

The new zelda will be orchestrated (FINALLY!):

http://wii.ign.com/articles/109/1098643p1.html

This is huge, folks.

[The Damned]

Nintendo needs to finalize the 3DS hardware and get some demo units out in the world. I need to know who much money I should save up for one and games before it comes out.

Face it: a lot of us are getting a 3DS now. The list of games is too much to resist.

[Triad Orion]

Offtopic rant:

I dont get the infatuation with the DS Golden Sun. The original game was mediocre, uninspired, full of JRPG cliches (and I'm being generous here), with the only redeeming factor being that it was the first 'real' RPG for GBA.

If you don't believe me, go replay Golden Sun right now and afterwards tell me you think it's a good game. Except you won't be able to tell me because you will have shot yourself in the head after the 200th time you see a text balloon with an ^_^/>_>'-face in it.

With respect, people liked it for several reasons. It was a throwback to the era of SNES RPGs, for its time the graphics were gorgeous for a handheld, and even with the cliches, you weren't going to find much better in the way of RPGs on handhelds at the time. Plus, it gave those gamers who didn't give a damn about Final Fantasy a different RPG to play.

And I'll tell you to your face. Golden Sun was a good game. Especially for the era. A lot of people played it and loved it, and it's ingrained in our memories. We're excited for the new game the same way anyone else is when a beloved franchise gets a new entry. I can understand why you didn't like it, and I won't argue that it wasn't the most inspired RPG ever created, but there was a certain charm to the game that did capture the hearts of a lot of gamers.

I believe *that* is why everyone's so excited for it. Myself included.

Anyway, the 3DS looks positively astounding, and I want one just for the 3D StarFox 64 remake. Because I love that game. So much.

[SirChadlyOC]

Nintendo needs to finalize the 3DS hardware and get some demo units out in the world. I need to know who much money I should save up for one and games before it comes out.

Face it: a lot of us are getting a 3DS now. The list of games is too much to resist.

Yeah, I'm in this camp now, too. My wife even said she likes the red one, and she'll need one for Professor Layton (4?).

So, let's start guessing some facts. How much will it cost? When will it be out?

I'm guessing it'll cost $199.99, and it'll be available on Sunday, November 14.

[Thalzon]

I'll say $249.99, at least for us Canadian folks. Maaaaaaybe $229.99.

[Triad Orion]

I'm going with between $170-200 US, available early December.

Nintendo normally doesn't price their handhelds to be really expensive. And I think the 3DS would be in danger of being too expensive to the target audience at anything higher than that.

[Sir_Snooze]

It's probably about costs. Something about Nintendo is that they always had this keeping costs low policy, and until they can lower the cost of upgraded hardware, they don't release it. And pricing changes fast depending on manufacturing techniques.

(I mean, look at blue ray LEDs)

I'm very inclined to agree with this. I mean, Nintendo has never had the strongest machine on the market, but rare is the time that it didn't have the cheapest (or one of the cheapest). It's also a good model to make your competition come to you price-wise, ensuring that, if they are using super high-tech stuff, they sell product at a loss.

I'm sure that if Nintendo really wanted to, they could make a PS3-esque machine.

[The Author]

How hard is it to stuff better hardware in a plastic casing?

If I wanted, I could build a 10 000$ computer, everything top of the line, but it wouldn't perform any differently than a 5000 or a 2000 one simply because the software isn't there.

Their machines may be technologically inferior, they are in many ways much much more market friendly. When the technology becomes cheaper, Nintendo simply redoes the design and rethinks the product.

Yes, it can be annoying that they release new hardware revisions every 2 years or so. The evolution went 2004: DS / 2006: DS Light / 2009: DSi and 2010: DSXL.

The 3DS won't be released until at least 2011, and at that point, games for the DS will still be published.

Why did the DS evolved this way and this "fast"?

Batteries and LCD have been changing faster than that, they became cheaper, better quality, and more mass produced. You would be foolish to not adapt your product to the new materials available, hell, original DS components may have been removed from the production line by the newer stuff.

Every company's like that, as soon as a product is released the question is: how can we make it better but not more expensive. When I worked as a tech writer, I saw whole products change radically simply because of the lowering or increasing of the cost for something as simple as a color changing LED. (Edit: Also Sony wrecked the LED market with the Blue Ray release. That too affected some product lines)

Products are not obsolete when you buy them, they become obsolete the moment the design is finalized and it is taken in production.

New models of cars come out every year, with new features. CPUs become faster. Cameras get better resolution and memory. TVs get bigger, better resolution, and even when it reaches the ultimate best point, in a years time it'll change.

(Case in point, my previous roommate wanted and HD TV and I went shopping with him. We were presented with the best TVs ever, big, great refresh rate, 1080p, all the bells and whistle, that TV was the high end it would never get better. 2 months later that model was no longer on the floor and was replaced by something better. Now it's all about 3D TVs and how they will be the best thing ever. Can't blame Nintendo for doing what the market demands, it would be idiotic. Hell, I was surprised there were no Wii hardware redesign at E3 this year.)

[Overflow]

http://e3.nintendo.com/interviews/#/?v=interview_stradling

Very interesting... He mentions how the 3DS gives him the ability to "see when his friends are online, see what they're playing and exchange achievements." What could this mean for the 3DS online community?

[The Damned]

It means you can't hide the fact you're playing Pokemon from your friends anymore.

Just accept it and enjoy your all Pikachu team. Embrace your pokémon as they embrace you!

[The Coop]

Not this again... get over it, Coop. The GBA's dead. It's like you're complaining about the Wii not having N64 compatibility, cripes. Just hold onto your old DS and stop bitching about it.

Well good morning to you too, sunshine

There's a simple rule I go by with game systems... if you put the capability in, don't decide later to take it out. PS3's backward compatibility, the Genesis' headphone jack and volume control, the DS' ability to play GBA games... they were all there, working fine and quite appreciated by people. These were nice features that weren't really in the way of anything to warrant removal.

That may seem unimportant to some, but I figure if you include a capability in a given system, leave it in for that system's duration and official redesigns.

Bleck- I'm not talking about comparing one company's product to a different company's similar product. Samsung isn't making their own version of Wii to compete with Nintendo's. I'm talking about one single system being redone multiple times by its parent company during its rather finite 5-8 year life span. A system competing with itself basically.

To use the DS again, there are four models, all with different additions and subtractions. Some minor, some quite major, but it's all the same basic system with different features added. Why make one version for launch, then another version with improvements, then add more to it again, and finally add more once more? Why not make the system once, leave it with it's feature set and let it ride? Making it more compact or drain the battery less is fine and understandable. But repeatedly adding more traits and adjusting others?

I should never have to say, "this year's 360 has more features than last year's," but it's almost at that point. In my mind, a video game system shouldn't get the same yearly/bi-yearly updates and upgrades that a car, microwave or stereo line would. It might be the way the manufacturing world works, but that doesn't make it sit any better with me because it's already a part of so many things. Does it have to be a part of gaming too?

Give the game system a feature set and save any additional things for either an add-on, or the next generation system. To do otherwise just feels like you're pissing on the feet of those who jumped on board at the start, while handing something better to those who came after them.

Anyway, those are my thoughts on it. Agree or disagree, hopefully I made them clearly enough.

[Benjamin Briggs]

I get the same feeling all the time... like they intentionally release substandard products just so they can milk us twice when they release the version they should've in the first place six months later.

But then, I'm a touch paranoid.

honestly I think it's just a ploy to always end up ahead of the competition

when sony and microsoft are releasing they best of the best of the best they can come up with, nintendo is biding time, waiting to sway the market in their favor once again

I mean shit they essentially invented the market when the NES took over the world

[Penfold]

After watching the trailer for it, I'm really digging Kirby's Epic Yarn's style. Same with the new Zelda.

I'd really like to see a 3DS up close. I'd really like to see how Ocarina of Time 3D and the new Kid Icarus look actually on the system...just looking at the pictures doesn't really give me a good conception as to how the games will really appear.

[SirChadlyOC]

I'd really like to see a 3DS up close. I'd really like to see how Ocarina of Time 3D and the new Kid Icarus look actually on the system...just looking at the pictures doesn't really give me a good conception as to how the games will really appear.

Yeah, I'm sure Nintendo will have store demos everywhere once it comes out, but I usually don't NEED to play a demo to know if something works well or not. I'm very eager to try it in person.

The only game I wanted to hear about but didn't is Fire Emblem. Japan gets a remake of the 3rd one, "Mystery of the Emblem" on July 15. I know all the details of the game I need to know, (features a "my unit" as the 2nd protagonist, more character interaction, 4 difficulty modes, etc etc) but we still don't have a confirmed US release, let alone a date.

I had suddenly realized that I heard no love for strategy fans so far at E3. Just a little Fire Emblem within the next year would be enough to please me, especially if it's better than the last DS one, "Shadow Dragon."

[Arek the Absolute]

Yeah, I'm sure Nintendo will have store demos everywhere once it comes out, but I usually don't NEED to play a demo to know if something works well or not. I'm very eager to try it in person.

The only game I wanted to hear about but didn't is Fire Emblem. Japan gets a remake of the 3rd one, "Mystery of the Emblem" on July 15. I know all the details of the game I need to know, (features a "my unit" as the 2nd protagonist, more character interaction, 4 difficulty modes, etc etc) but we still don't have a confirmed US release, let alone a date.

I had suddenly realized that I heard no love for strategy fans so far at E3. Just a little Fire Emblem within the next year would be enough to please me, especially if it's better than the last DS one, "Shadow Dragon."

Considering that the new FE is a sequel to Shadow Dragon, my hopes are not too high on it.

I don't blame Nintendo for not having it at E3. Shadow Dragon crashed pretty hard here. I bet they are going to test the reception of in Japan and go from there.

[Bleck]

shadow dragon crashed because the story is awful and the characters are bland and boring