Nintendo's E3 Showing

After a lot of searching of the internets, I have finally located a video of Nintendo's full E3 conference (sadly, minus the trivia that they showed at the beginning like cinema previews).

So can I be the first to say that I never really expected the next iteration of Zelda to look the way she did?

The answer is no, because I'm writing this like an entire day after the press conference, and three hundred people have probably beat me to the punch. But still.  I do like the visual styling, though.  It does look like Toon Link grew up, which is way cool.  Some of the new bad guys look pretty neat, too.  Nintendo is being huge on Zelda's 25th anniversary, and a lot of Zelda games are being re-released on several systems.

The 3DS lineup is also looking good.  Mario Kart will still be Mario Kart, and that can only ever be a complement towards the game.  And because it will still be Mario Kart, insanity has been incorporated into the games with hang gliders and tracks that will go underwater.

Starfox 64 in 3D looks really intriguing, but frankly, they could have re-released it with no 3D and it would still be a portable Starfox 64, which would still be spectacular.  There are two newer features that make me hesitate, though:  It has the option to use the 3DS itself as a motion controller for the game (thankfully an option, just in case that doesn't turn out to work well), and multiplayer features the faces of your friends so you can see what they look like as you dominate them.  The videos make it look like they give away the position of enemy aircraft a little easier, though, but it might not even be a problem.

Super Mario 3D is apparently coming out, too.  It looks like the same art-style as Skyward Sword, but that might just be me,  Watching the trailer, I can see influences from a lot of Mario games.  Also, this is back:

Oh yeah.  That's Tanooki Suit Mario.  In a 3D game. (Both in virtue of 3DS and 3D like Super Mario 64.  I wonder how they'll differentiate those 3Ds when it becomes relevant.)

Luigi's Mansion 2 and Kid Icarus: Uprising were also announced.  Both look pretty cool, and Luigi's Mansion 2 apparently has several mansions to explore.  Nintendo then announced a lot of third-party titles, including Snake Eater 3D and Tekken 3D.  I can't be the only one who sees this and prays for Street Fighter X Tekken to come to the platform.  Nintendo also announced that the Virtual Console will be coming to the 3DS, so if you haven't pirated all of the handheld games you've ever wanted, you can look forward to that.

So then the big news.  Wii U.

Yes, that's the name of the new system.  It consists of a very-similar-to-Wii console:

And a fancypants new controller:

Oh yes.  That's a touchscreen you're looking at, ladies and gentlemen.  Through a process most scientists call magic, the Wii U can transfer a game from the TV to the controller if someone wants to come in and watch TV on their TV.  It has all the goodies from the Wii controller, too, like speakers, motion controls, four shoulder buttons, and everything you see in the picture.  That big black area on top is a camera.  Nintendo has also joined us in the twenty-first century by giving a lot of new features involving transference of pictures and videos from the controller to the TV.  There's a lot of internet functionality in the works for the new system, including video chatting.

The Wii U is also supposed to be backwards-compatible, too, and supports all of the peripherals that could function on the Wii.  So just as the Wii made your Gamecube relatively useless, so too will the Wii U make your Wii useless.

If the video Nintendo showed at E3 about 3rd party developers holds true, it means a lot of people seem to be excited about the new controller.  Then again, people were excited for the Wii-mote, too.

I just have to list games now, because it got real during the 3rd-party developer video:

• Tekken on Wii U.
• Batman: Arkham City (so much happy)
• Assassin's Creed (they didn't specify which, but I think it's Revelations)
• Ghost Recon: Online
• Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
• Darksiders II
• Dirt
• Battlefield 3

And a few more.  Things are looking bright for Nintendo at this point.

Oh, and I guess one tiiiiiiny detail might interest some of you gamer-types reading this:
A new Super Smash Bros. game has been announced for the 3DS and the Wii U, and they will somehow allegedly interact.   That feeling you just got was joy, ladies and gentlemen.

All of the videos I referenced (including Nintendo's entire E3 presentation which had Shigeru Miyamoto being delightfully weird) and pictures I used can be found at Nintendo's E3 website.