Nintendo's press conference began with Shigeru Miyamoto (mastermind behind the Mario and Zelda franchises), on stage. The cameras show audience members with augmented reality Pikmin falling on to their heads and shoulders which implies there's no doubt what the first game on display is: the highly anticipated Pikmin 3. Miyamoto explains how the Wii U is the perfect device for Pikmin 3 because while the TV screen displays a close-up of the specific actions you're doing, the Wii U Gamepad's screen shows you a map of the whole area, and where all of your Pikmin are located, giving you a better idea of your strategy and situation. The touch screen also allows for intuitive new controls, and easier Pikmin manipulation. A new Pikmin type is introduced called Rock Pikmin, and these heavy clunkers can break down walls, barriers, and armored enemies. The game also introduces 4 new "leaders" like Olimar that can be used, and separated to different parts of the map, each with their own cluster of Pikmin, giving the game almost a Real-Time Strategy feel to it. The HD capabilities of the Wii U really shine here, like the shimmering of the water, and the realism of the leaves and various plants. Included below is the presentation of Pikmin 3. Miyamoto is talking at the same time as his translator, so just be aware of two voices.
Next, we take a detailed look at the Wii U Gamepad. Mostly things we already knew, but to summarize: 4 buttons (A, B, X, Y), a plus-shaped D-pad, two control sticks on either side, both with the ability to be clicked down (like L3 and R3 buttons), shoulder buttons (L and R) on the top, and trigger buttons (LZ and RZ) on the backside, comfortably by the index fingers. The Gamepad also includes a built-in camera and microphone as well as Wii function buttons such as Home, plus (+) and minus (-).
For Nintendo of America, Reggie Fils-Aime takes the stage, and introduces what we all knew would be coming. You can't have a new Nintendo console without Nintendo's poster boy, so the official announcement of New Super Mario Bros. U was announced. This is the successor to New Super Mario Bros Wii and plays in an identical fashion, of 2D gameplay, with 2.5D graphics. One of the new features added to this game, is the ability to use your Mii as a playable character, as well as inclusions such as baby Yoshi's and a new item called the Squirrel Acorn. The baby Yoshi's come in different colors, and each possess a unique ability (the magenta Yoshi can balloon up, allowing you to float through the air, the blue Yoshi spits bubbles that turn enemies into coins, etc), and can eat enemies and blocks. The Squirrel Acorn transforms Mario into Flying Squirrel Mario and gives him the ability to glide gently down through the air, as well as get massive air time from jumps. Gameplay can be played on the TV screen, or switched to the Gamepad for more personal play, and the Gamepad also allows an extra player to create new blocks in the air to assist other players in getting to tough spots or setting new records in time attack. Like its predecessor, NSBMU has a very retro feel, even including throwbacks like Giant Land from Super Mario Bros 3, but at the same time it feels fresh and new and I'm excited for it.
The MiiVerse (Mii Universe) is discussed as well, showing various floating tiles of games and characters such as a shield from the Legend of Zelda series, a Boo, Mario, Yoshi, etc. Many Mii's are gathered around these tiles, and the MiiVerse allows you to communicate with them and vice versa. Players can post suggestions for help on levels, send personal messages back and forth, make posts, and drawings. The Mii's you see are playing the same games you are and now MiiVerse allows players to connect to each other in real time, so you can hear from others when they have trouble in certain parts of the game, or just want to brag about their playthroughs.
Next up is a game I didn't see coming, but am very excited for: Scribblenauts Unlimited! No longer confined to just singular rooms and puzzles, you now have the ability to traverse into new areas and explore. On top of this you can now create your own "words" to use in puzzles, and share these with your friends. If that wasn't enough to get you excited there's also going to be a new cooperative mode in Scribblenauts Unlimited. A 3DS version of the game was also briefly mentioned to be coming out later this year.
Another game from WB Studios is one that has already been released on other consoles, but is getting revamped for the Wii U. Batman Arkham City has already won Game of the Year and many other prestigious awards, and now the hit is coming to Wii U as Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition. The graphics look just as good as ever, and the Wii U Gamepad provides a whole new way to play. Use the Gamepad as your detective mode scanner, check for bad guys, have your arsenal at your fingertips, navigate remote controlled Bat-a-rangs, and use the touch screen technology to trigger detonating gel in whatever order you please. Armored Edition also features a B.A.T. mode; as Batman fights enemies, the gauge will fill up and when it's full you can enter B.A.T. mode, which gives Batman a bullet-time style fight, as well as making him stronger and faster for a few moments. This is a port of an already existing game, but the Wii U version will have a lot of new ways to play. This video explores some of the new features in the Armored Edition.
After the WB guys left the stage we're shown a video montage of some upcoming Wii U titles. The clips aren't very long but the games included are: Darksiders 2, Mass Effect 3, Tank! Tank! Tank!, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Trine 2: Director's Cut, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and Aliens: Colonial Marines. If there is one thing this video showed us, it's that the Wii U is definitely in the HD family now. The short clip of Ninja Gaiden 3 looked SO realistic, and the effects on the blood were amazing.
The next game to be showcased was Wii U Fit, the sequel to Wii Fit and Wii Fit Plus. Overall, nothing exciting here. You can use the Gamepad for some of the "mini-games", such as setting it on the ground so the camera can show you doing trampoline bounces. The game will also come with a special workout accessory, that acts as a pedometer, measures the calories you've burned keeps track of your exercise and activities and then uploads them to Wii U Fit via the infrared sensor on the top of the Gamepad.
Following the music game craze that's swept the nation is a game tentatively titled Sing. Quite simply, it's a karaoke game, where you and your friends/family are standing around in a room and you sing along to top hits. The Gamepad features lyrics on its display so whoever is using it has them right in hand. Spent way too much time on this game.
Moving on to some 3DS news, we're informed upfront that there will be a full 3DS conference later, and this will just be a brief touch of some new games coming out. First on the list was New Super Mario Bros. 2, a sequel to it's DS predecessor. This time there seems to be more of an emphasis on gold, with every action constantly causing coins to appear, and levels filled with floating coins by the dozens. There's even a power-up that turns Mario himself into gold. After that, we move on to Mario's brother in his first 3DS title, Luigi's Mansion 2. We get to see gameplay footage of Luigi in action, this time venturing into multiple mansions to clean up ghosts, including new types, and new tactics for catching them. We round off the 3DS news with another first-party title, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. It plays and looks very similar to the franchise's previous entries, but this time Mario will collect stickers throughout the world. On buildings, in item boxes, and received from other characters. These stickers provide the action commands you can use in battle as well as stat boosters for Mario. All three of these games are slated for a fall release.
The next game was LEGO City: Undercover. Following the popularity of the LEGO franchise games, this one puts you in the role of a police officer who frequently goes undercover. Looks very much like an action platformer with a lot of humor. The Wii U Gamepad is used to scan for criminals, and as a map to navigate the city, and select different outfits with which to go undercover.
Ubisoft takes the stage now, and just as I hoped we get to see some gameplay footage of the new zombie shooter game exclusive to the Wii U called ZombiU. ZombiU is a gory, dark, horror survival game with plenty of zombie action to keep you on the edge of your seat. Some of the ways the Gamepad is used in this game are things like scanning the area. You can use the scanner feature to see where other life forms (...or...undead forms?) are lurking, and scan tougher zombies for weak points. You can use the Gamepad as a sniper rifle sight, simply aim the Gamepad at the TV in sniper mode, and the touch screen will become a zoomed in crosshairs display. This is easily one of the coolest features I've seen for this game, and for the technology. If a zombie does manage to get you, a first-person view will be shown on the Gamepad and you physically shake the device to get the zombie off of you. This game looks really exciting and I can't wait for its release. Fingers crossed for a launch title.
Rounding off the Nintendo Press conference is a new game called Nintendo Land. This is a virtual theme park where various Nintendo franchises such as Zelda, Donkey Kong, Mario, Animal Crossing and more come together in a collection of minigames designed to show off the Wii U's technology and functionality. The games weren't shown in detail on the conference floor, but they were playable elsewhere in the expo, and I'll include some details here. In Takanura's Ninja Castle, you hold the Wii U Gamepad flat, screen facing up, and you make a sliding motion on the touch screen towards the TV to throw shurikens at targets. It's like a new age Duck Hunt....with ninjas. In Zelda's Battle Quest, three players are bound together in an on-rails adventure. Two players using Wii Remotes have swords to fight off close range enemies, and the Gamepad player will have a bow and arrow for long range foes. By simply tilting and aiming the Gamepad, players can look around the room for targets, and reload by looking down. Donkey Kong's Crash Course puts you in a small trolley/cart on a level that looks like something from the original arcade Donkey Kong. By tilting the Gamepad left and right you move your trolley the same direction, collecting flags, and going down ramps working your way to the bottom. The more you tilt, the faster you go, but if you go too fast you'll hit a wall and your cart will break. Lastly, the Animal Crossing themed Sweet Day game is a(n up-to?) 5 player game, where 4 players have Wii Remotes and control animals looking to pick up candy. The more candy a player picks up, the slower they run. And what are they running FROM? Well, the 5th player using the Gamepad controls two "chasers" with the left and right sticks, each controlling one of the chasers independently. The chasers try to catch the other players before time runs out.
The biggest disappointment to me in this conference, was the unfortunate absence of a release date and price, but hopefully this will come in the near future. Thanks for reading, and as always, comments are welcome!
