So what happened with Nintendo, during this years E3? During the E3 Conference, Nintendo showed off Wii Sports: Beach Resort which would utilize the new one-to-one motion controller add-on and will be released this spring at a retail price of $49.99. The game take place at a tropical beach, hence the game’s title. Three of the mini-games included in the new package include, Frisbee throwing, Jet-skiing, and Sword dueling. The game will support up to 4 players, just as Wii Sports did.
Nintendo also showed some footage of Animal Crossing: City Folk, seen below with some images. The pictures paint a very familiar picture of the past games, not only in characters, activities, and places, but, unfortunately also graphics, the quality of the games still look much like the GameCube version. Hopefully Nintendo will make up for it in variation and quantity.
The Video also describes a new accessory that plugs into the Wii’s USB port, called Wii Speak. Yes, that’s right; Nintendo is finally going into home console voice chat, but instead of offering headsets, Nintendo is offering one microphone for all players. The accessory sits on top of your television. I think this is going to cause problems down the road though. I for one, blast the audio coming from games through my surround sound, and I’m thinking that the microphone will pick up all that sound, unlike traditional video game headsets that focus their reception on sound radiating from places close to the microphone.
Nintendo released some pictures and information on Wario Land Shake It. It’s not what I wanted. I wanted Nintendo to release a New Super Mario Bros style of game. But this may be a step in the right direction.
KEY INFORMATION
Wario?, Nintendo’s greedy, uncouth and rude anti-hero, returns to his roots. The Wario Land series is where Wario first appeared, and it’s back in all its side-scrolling, platform-jumping glory.
* With the Wii Remote? controller turned sideways, veterans and newcomers alike can run, jump and smash their way through hectic side-scrolling stages. By shaking the Wii Remote, you can shake down your enemies, free coins from treasure bags and even cause earthquakes.
* Each stage is a masterfully crafted side-scrolling obstacle course of puzzles, enemies and assorted hazards. Every stage holds numerous secrets and treasures to discover (and steal). And each stage has multiple “missions” to keep you coming back again and again to unlock everything, collect more coins or just improve your best time.
* Wario returns to form, with all the jumping, power-dashing and butt-stomping we’ve come to expect. This is surly Wario at his finest.
Game storyline:Wario receives an antique globe and telescope that allow him to travel to the once-idyllic Shake Dimension, now conquered by the tyrannical pirate, the Shake King. With the assistance of his longtime rival, Captain Syrup, he must rescue the Merfles, denizens of the Shake Dimension imprisoned by the Shake King. Only by defeating the bosses of all five continents of this strange world can Wario find and confront the Shake King, rescue Queen Merelda, queen of the Merfles, and, most importantly, claim the Bottomless Coin Sack, a never-ending supply of gold.
How to progress through the game:Each stage has Wario navigating an obstacle course of dangers and traps to find an imprisoned Merfle. Once he frees the little fellow, the countdown begins and he must find his way back to the starting gate before time runs out. Wario must also defeat a boss in each continent, and then buy a map of the next
continent from Captain Syrup. Once all five continents’ bosses have been defeated, Wario takes on the Shake King himself.
Characters:Wario, our “hero.” Captain Syrup, a female pirate (and rival from previous games) who aids Wario on his quest. The Merfles, helpless natives of the Shake Dimension, and their queen, Queen Merelda. The Shake King, leader of a ruthless pirate band who has conquered the Shake Dimension.
Special powers/weapons/moves/features:Wario can jump and dash, as per previous Wario Landgames. New to this game is the ability to shake the Wii Remote for various effects. By default, a shake of the Wii Remote makes Wario punch the ground, causing a small earthquake and dazing enemies. Wario can then pick up dazed enemies and, with another shake of the Wii Remote, shake them for rejuvenating garlic and occasionally gold. Enemies can also be thrown, and you aim by tilting the Wii Remote.
Wario also takes control of three different vehicles during the course of the game, all of which are piloted in part by tilting the Wii Remote. The controls are standard for a Wii Remote held sideways (D-pad, buttons), but with an important twist: most of Wario’s special moves are accomplished by shaking or tilting the Wii Remote. This allows great versatility but without forcing the player to remember complicated button combinations.
According to Kotaku, Shigeru Miyamoto gave official confirmation at the Nintendo Developer Roundtable that Pikmin 3 will come to the Wii, simply stating “we’re making Pikmin.” IGN also reports that a new Zelda game is in the works, and that another Mario game might be in development. According to IGN Wii, Nintendo apparently apologized for is lack of big news.
If there is any perception that Nintendo is ignoring the core gamers, it’s a misunderstanding and we really want to get rid of that misunderstanding by any means… We are sorry about [the E3] media briefings, specifically for those who were expecting to see Nintendo show something about Super Mario or Legend of Zelda. However, the fact of the matter is the so-called ‘big titles’ need a long, long development period. … We really didn’t think this year’s E3 media briefing was the time to do so.
