E3 2012: Nintendo Press Conference Recap

Nintendo dishes all the news about the Wii U, except for a price or concrete release date.

Nintendo held the fifth and final press conference leading into E3 2012 this morning at the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles, and it was a show expected to bring new information — and new games — for the Wii U.  On that front, the show didn’t disappoint, though hardcore fans may be a little let down by the lack of a Zelda or Metroid announcement.

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Pikmin 3

Starting off, Shigeru Miyamoto came out (followed by virtual Pikmin who made their way into the audience) to showcase the newly-announced Pikmin 3.  In this game, players once again guide around the helpful little Pikmin as they defeat enemies and collect resources throughout the level.  The game introduces new Rock Pikmin characters, who can bust through walls that normal Pikmin cannot.  The demo also showed off new multi-tasking features, where you can watch multiple Pikmin at once, as well as a replay option for your television.  Pikmin 3 should be out this holiday.

Wii U

Reggis Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo, then came out to discuss the Wii U in general, talking about how it would support Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube and Amazon Video, amongst other services.  He also stated that up to two touchscreen GamePads could be supported at once, so two players could experience Wii U signature gameplay.  A stylus is also to be included with the system.

He then touched briefly on the Miiverse, a menu system where you interact with others through chat and visual images, using an interactive title screen.  This led into a presentation for New Super Mario Bros. U, a multiplayer game where players can run through the Mario universe in multiplayer action while passing out live chat throughout the game, boasting achievements and teaming-up possibilities.

Wii U Games

Warner Bros. then stepped out to reveal Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition, a specifically tailored edition of the hit 2011 release, with high-definition visuals, an interactive touch screen, and new challenge areas.  It looks pretty sweet, actually.

Scribblenauts Unlimited was then announced, introducing a new level of interactiveness with building tools.  In addition, the game will feature friend-sharing options with creations, as well as a new multiplayer mode where they can work together.

From there, a third-party video showcase came on, featuring THQ’s Darksiders II, the announcement of EA’s Mass Effect 3, an action game called Tank Tank Tank, Namco’s Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Atlus’ Trine 2: Director’s Cut, Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, and Sega’s Aliens: Colonial Marines.

From there, a demonstration was shown for Wii Fit U, an interactive exercise program that uses the Wii Fit floor mat for a variety of exercises, in conjunction with the Wii U.  It looks like it tracks calories pretty accurately, and the video trailer also mentioned a new Wii U pedometer attachement.

Another new game, Sing!, was announced, featuring a screen that shows the words that needs to be sung, along with interactivity with the television so your friends can join in.

Nintendo 3DS Teasers

After that, the Nintendo 3DS presentation began, featuring the likes of New Super Mario Bros. 2, Paper Mario: Sticker Star (with interactive stickers, ala Littlebigplanet) and Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon.  All these games are due in 2012, with New Super Mario Bros. 2 coming first in August.

Lego City Undercover was then announced, for both Wii U and 3DS, featuring a fully interactive 3D adventure where players control undercover cops as they try to bust crime in the city.  This one looked really good, and has plenty of potential with features, like tracking bad guys.

Ubisoft Showcase

Ubisoft then took the stage for a presentation of Wii U games, including Just Dance 4, Zombi U (with gameplay — first person shooting with intense results), and a trailer featuring their other games, including Assassin’s Creed III and Your Shape 2013.

NintendoLand

Nintendo then introduced their “killer app” for the presentation, Nintendoland, where you can interact with various Nintendo universes through mini-games, either alone or with fellow players through the Nintendo Network.  A couple of these mini-games were shown, including a Luigi’s Mansion game that was kind of like Pac-Man Vs. with multiplayer appeal.

And that concluded the conference.  While there was no major announcement in familiar franchises, casual fans should like Nintendoland, and the announcement of Mass Effect 3 and Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, should draw in fans.


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