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Nintendo Announces Raft of New Games, 3DS Details
A major theme for Nintendo's presentation was the arrival of classic franchises on new systems. This includes a new Kirby game for the Wii, entitled Kirby's Epic Yarn. It's a sidescrolling platformer with a new art style based on a yarn theme, and it's due out this fall. In sharp contrast to Kirby's cartoony graphics was Nintendo's next presentation on Metroid: Other M, which had visuals in the same vein as other popular shooters, showing Samus fighting her way through intricate 3D stages to fight some nasty-looking alien monsters. Other M was given a release date of August 31. Just in case that wasn't enough nostalgia for you, they next showed a new project from Retro Studios: Donkey Kong Country Returns. It's (another) platformer, but with its own unique style and feel, and it's planned for the holiday season.
From there, Nintendo shifted its focus to the upcoming revision to their portable console, the 3DS. Since it's impossible to show the 3D effect on stage, they contented themselves with showing off software and features, but they also brought a massive amount of test consoles, so you can expect to see hands-on reports coming out in a day or two. The 3DS has a slightly larger screen on top — 3.5" instead of 3" — and the bottom screen is a touchscreen. There's an analog nub, an internal gyro-sensor, and a 3D slider, which will control the level of depth you see on screen. You can turn it to maximum, turn it off, or anywhere moderate level of depth in between. There are two camera lenses on the back, which will allow you to take photos in 3D. In addition to the 3D effect, they've also made more standard improvements to the graphics hardware, which has apparently impressed some of the developers working on games for the 3DS. They also briefly touched on the 3DS's communications capabilities. Apparently it will silently look for updates, new maps, ghost data, rankings, and more regardless of what game you're playing, communicating over Wi-Fi or through connections with other nearby consoles.
Headlining the software side of the 3DS was the announcement of Kid Icarus: Uprising, another return to a very popular franchise of old. Granted, it's tough to judge a game by its trailer, but the graphics looked extremely good for a portable system. Nintendo said that in addition to games, the 3DS would play 3D movies as well, though details are sparse as to what will be available and how. But their real concern was the perception that the system would have too few games to interest customers, so they went out of their way to list a bunch of developers and game projects that are targeting the new system. The list is really, really impressive: Kingdom Hearts, Resident Evil, Assassin's Creed, Metal Gear Solid, DJ Hero, Saint's Row, Madden, FIFA Soccer, Nintendogs + Cats, Ridge Racer, Splinter Cell, Ghost Recon, Mario Kart, Star Fox, and more.
So has Nintendo finally decided they are going to give gamers actual substance rather than just "wiggle the Wii remote around" fluff? I'd really, really like to play my Wii some more but until now it seems like all Nintendo seemed to care about is 30 year old moms. I really didn't consider myself a "hardcore" gamer till the Wii came out.
So is it time to finally start buying Wii games when these come out? Or will Nintendo try to make these appeal to 30 year old moms again?
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
But I would feel a little silly as a grown man playing a Mario or Kirby game.
Why?
If you were a grown man, you'd know.
Yep; late bloomer, just like I thought. Let me guess: you're 15, just out of high school for the year, and want to see some blood?
If you were a grown man, you'd know.
So... what, I should play the endless stream of games with a brown color palette where I shoot guns and drive a high tech character that acquires guns that shoot brighter and more colorful energy beams? I should avoid any games that contain bright colors... then when I'm done go and watch Family Guy, right?
"I like to lick butts!" by MobileTatsu-NJG (#32700246) (Score:5, Informative)
Gag. So instead of clean, reactive control by pressing a button, I waggle the fucking thing praying it reacts in time to activate and sense what I'm trying to do?
Because THAT is what "motion control" on the Wii is. Big-ass fucking waggle motions or nothing at all. Works for their tennis game, but hasn't worked properly for anything else I've tried.
No thanks. It's been done. It isn't fun.
A major theme for Nintendo's presentation was the arrival of classic franchises on new systems.
That’s just marketing speak for “We’re way too pathetic to have the balls to go with something new, and even if, we’re completely out of ideas, which is no surprise, considering how we treat our employees.”
The sad thing is, that it’s not a Nintendo thing. Rather the opposite. The whole “industry” has become like this.
Someone should put up a site that allows you to focus on what’s really new.
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.
You are changing the subject. If XL is sold as that, what makes you think the 3DS is, and why did you ignore the fact that you can disable the 3D?