Nintendo E3 2010 Press Conference Analysis

A lot of big announcements from Nintendo today. You probably didn’t expect to hear any different here, but Nintendo’s press conference clearly outshined the other two hardware manufacturers’ at E3 2010. Why? Let us count the reasons:

1. 3DS : The new handheld stole the show at this year’s press event.  With a much more functional-looking analog stick on its left side, similar to the Saturn’s, the 3DS is much better-equipped for 3D gameplay of more than one sort.  It’s unclear how much of the videos we saw today were made in real-time, but if they were, it’s certain that the 3DS has the potential to be the most powerful handheld system to date.  Now, all we have to wait for is a concrete release date — good money’s on November 2011 — and then to wait the actual wait until it comes out.
2. 3DS Software:  Kid Icarus led the charge, finally answering all of the years and years of demand for a sequel, and that wasn’t all.  Remember how the DS took a while to generate some serious third party interest?  That’s not happening this time around, as most major third-party developers are on board with 3DS from the get-go, including a number of franchises that have either never appeared on a Nintendo system, or haven’t for a long time– series like Dead or Alive, Dynasty Warriors, Saints Row, Metal Gear, FIFA , Street Fighter, and Riiiidge Racer!  Plus, we’ll see plenty of classic Nintendo franchises and maybe some new ones, too.
3. The Legend of Zelda:  Skyward Sword: We all knew that the newest Zelda was going to be one of the keystones of this year’s E3, and we weren’t disappointed.  Skyward Sword is the built-from-the-ground-up Wii Zelda that we’ve all been dreaming about since we first heard of the system, and it’s got 1:1 (we assume) motion controls. Wii Sports Resort was just training for this!
4. Kirby: Epic Yarn:  Kirby has been a bastion of innovation on handhelds, as a general rule, and it’s good to to see that he’s going to bring a novel idea to Wii .  Much like Kirby Canvas Curse, Epic Yarn looks to broadcast another new look at the staple series mechanics, with a stylized new visual look which is integral to the new gameplay.
5. Golden Things:  Since we literally saw hardly anything about Golden Sun: Dark Dawn at last year’s E3, it’ll be good to actually see what this game’s all about.    Plus we’ve got a new <i>Goldeneye 007</i> coming to Wii featuring new Bond Daniel Craig.  We sure hope you can still play as Jaws!
6. Donkey Kong Country Returns: It’s about time we saw this, too.  And with Rare gone, the developing duties fall to Nintendo’s current No. 1 Western studio, Retro.  It’s gone back to 2D, hearkening back to the series’ roots, and echoing a current industry trend toward old-school feel in new titles.  Now, the important question:  How is Funky Kong going to be worked in?
7. Vitality Sensor: Where is this?  We still don’t know what exactly this does or what purpose it serves!  Why is Nintendo toying with us like this?