E3 Live Blogging: Nintendo

As a longtime gamer, there has been no bigger, more revered publisher than Nintendo. Nintendo has been disappointing in the last few years, especially for those of us who are hardcore, longtime Nintendo gamers. Will they bring it this year? We’ll find out as we live blog the Nintendo Press Conference at E3, today.

9:04 AM: Nintendo starts off by showing off what the Wiimote and its extensions are capable of, but no actual game trailer has been presented.

9:07 AM: They are talking about Mario!!! Will there be a new game? It’s looking that way!

9:08 AM: New Super Mario Bros Wii has been announced for the Wii. The demo for the game shows a game very reminiscent of the original Super Mario Bros game. You can play with a variety of players. You can also work together (i.e. Mario can be carried by Luigi and vice versa).

There are both single player and multiplayer (up to four player) options. You can switch between single and multiplayer in the same game. There is a propeller suit action. Shake the wiimote and fly. You will lower slowly.

The game will launch Holiday 2009.

9:13 AM: Wii Fit has made gamers out of those who never touched games before. Improvements have been made to design Wii Fit Plus (they really like using the world ‘Plus’ don’t they?). You basically get your own personal trainer. You have more movements and combine them in any order you want. Will keep track of your calories burned.

There are 15 new balance games. One allows you to smack balls with your booty. You can also play a game that lets you jump over objects and go through mazes like Mario.

9:19 AM: Nintendo discusses their new expansion in controller movement. Wii Motion Plus is adding precision control. This makes gaming more realistic. Your movements dictate how accurate you move on screen. Wii Sports Resort is again promoted. We saw this last year, so no big surprise. We’re getting another promo of what Wii Motion Plus can do, just like last year.

It detects the position, the angle you are holding it at, etc. This precision is reflected in your game. I am not exactly sure I like this. As someone with limited mobility (in arms and legs) I can’t always move with accurate precision. Will this cut out those gamers with limiting mobilities even more than Wii already has? I’d have to use Wii Motion Plus to give you a more clear answer to this.

The Wii Resort demo showed off Sky Diving, Archery and basketball free throws. “Wii Resort” will be available in July.

9:30 AM: EA “Grand Slam Tennis”, Sega’s “Virtual Tennis”, “Tiger Wood PGA Tour 10″ will promote Wii Motion Plus, as will “Red Steel” from Ubisoft. It will be unplayable without Wii Motion Plus.

9:32 AM: A new Final Fantasy title, specifically for Wii, has been announced. Square Enix has been developing “Final Fantasy: The Crystal Bearers.”

Square Enix is also bringing an exclusive Kingdom Hearts title to Wii.

Also, “Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days” will be released on September 29, 2009 for Nintendo DS.

9:35 AM: “Mario & Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story” has been announced. Mario and Luigi are ingested by Bowser. They must move through him, inside, and it is a crazy maze insidetheir arch nemesis. This game is developed for Nintendo DS. This will be available in Fall 2009.

9:37 AM: The Golden Sun franchise is coming to DS. The franchise has been gone for a while. I LOVE this franchise so I’m very excited about this announcement. The game will be called “Golden Sun DS.” It will be released sometime in 2010.

9:39 AM: On October 13, 2009, James Patterson’s “Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion” is available on Nintendo DS. The game accompanies the book.

9:40 AM: Ubisoft has announced a new title for Nintendo DS, “Cop: The Recruit.” This is a grittier title for gamers looking for a harder game to play.

9:41 AM: Females (Nintendo is promoting it for preteens and ??20-somethings??) will enjoy Style Savvy. Girl gamers can design their own wardrobe. “Nintendo DS promotes diversity.”

9:43 AM: Nintendo looks at their recently released Nintendo DSi. There is a camera, microphone, ability to play with friends, and more interactivity. Flip Notes Studio (the animation

9:46 AM: “Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again” has been announced for DSi. Users can create their own levels and share with friends. They can also play premade levels. This will be available next Monday.

9:47 AM: “Warior DIY” lets players design their own game from scratch. “This is as close to essential game design as any title has ever come.” When your microgame is completed, you can share it with others who have the game.

9:49 AM: Automatically upload photos taken with DSi and share them with friends on Facebook. This has a ten lens camera with a lot of funny editing features.

9:50 AM: “Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks” is the new release for Nintendo DS. There is no new Zelda release being anticipated for the Wii (so we assume). That’s the biggest bummer of the conference.

9:51 AM: Satoru Iwata, the president of Nintendo has taken the stage to talk more about how great Nintendo is. There are millions of potential gamers and Nintendo wants to get them into gaming.

9:58 AM: Wii Vitality Sensor is another accessory for the Wiimote. It measures your heart rate, how nervous you are, and use this to create “greater, relaxed visions.”

10:01 AM: A second, full, 3D Mario title is coming to a single Nintendo console. Nintendo is announcing “Super Mario Galaxy 2″ for the Nintendo Wii.

10:04 AM: Third Party developed games are being released exclusively on the Wii by year’s end.

Sega is offering “The Conduit” – something more hardcore gamers can sink their teeth into.

Capcom’s “Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles” is familiar characters, on Wii in an entirely new scenario.

EA’s “Dead Space:Extraction” is a continuation of the last title in the Dead Space series.

10:08 AM: Nintendo is teaming up with Team Ninja to create and edgier game known as “Metroid: Other M”. Sadly, the graphics for this cannot compete with those on an Xbox 360 or Sony PS3. While it looks cool, the game might be better served on systems with better graphics control. This game is set to be released in 2010 for the Wii.

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Written by Dominick - Visit Website
Dominick is in his late 20s. Having been born in the 80s gave him a unique advantage to experience the development of gaming into the massive industry it has become today. From the days of Atari to the purchase of his very first NES (before his 10th birthday), Dominick has been involved in gaming. Initially, a huge fan of Nintendo, he's delved more into the exciting world of Xbox 360, and everything Microsoft in recent years. His favorite games are Action/Adventure, Shooters (especially WWII or Historical based games) and racing games. Of course, some days he enjoys playing an old fashioned game featuring his original gaming heroes, Mario and Zelda. In a wheelchair since age 16, Dominick has the unique perspective of gaming with limited mobility. When not gaming, he is a human rights activist, a creative mind, and he enjoys spending time with his family.