So, Nintendo’s E3 2014 press confer, er, Digital Event has come and gone, and well, it was very Nintendo. If you were hoping they’d match Sony and Microsoft blow for blow, you’ll probably be disappointed (the video was only 45-minutes long) but the Digital Event was packed with lots of charm and some unexpected announcements.
Their message was basically, “We’re Nintendo, we’re dependable, and you liked us as a kid, so c’mon, give us another chance”. Not the hardest hitting statement, but it’s honest. Hit the next pages for a recap of all the most important stuff that happened during Nintendo’s E3 Digital Event…
New Zelda
A brief glimpse of the next major Zelda was given. It’s subtly cell-shaded, looks very pretty and the world seems very Skyrim-esque (just, you know, with colors). There also might be a futuristic element to the story as Link is showing running from and then doing battle with a laser-blasting robotic creature. Speaking of Link, he’s also ditched the green tunic in favor of pants and a blue top — so yeah, lots of changes afoot!
Hyrule Warriors
Now, for this year’s Zelda spin-off. Hyrule Warriors is looking better than it has in the past, and they revealed several playable characters in addition to Link including Zelda, Impa and Midna. The game’s coming September 26th.
Bayonetta 2
Bayonetta 2 dropped a new trailer and, well, it’s a Platinum game! The big news is that the original Bayonetta will be included on the disc as a free bonus. The game arrives October of 2014.
Splatoon
Nintendo unveiled a new IP called Splatoon, and it’s pretty nutty. It’s an 8-player arena shooter, where the goal is to cover the stages with paint. Oh, and also you can turn into a squid and swim through the paint. Basically, it looks like an attempt to do Call of Duty for kids — young girls in particular (as far as I can tell all the characters are female).
I could actually see this being pretty big if marketed right.
Smash Bros.
Nintendo unveiled some new characters including Lady Palutena from Kid Icarus and the ability to play as a Mii. The 3DS version of Smash Bros. is coming October 12th and the Wii U version is coming holiday 2014 (let’s hope).
All the Other Stuff…
– Nintendo is getting into the NFC figurine game. They’re calling their figures Amiibo (they didn’t really explain the meaning behind the name) and they’ll be useable in a wide variety of Nintendo games (Smash Bros. and Mario Kart 8 were given as examples). Also, Disney Infinity and Skylanders figurines will be useable in Nintendo games as well.
– There’s a new Star Fox coming — the news leaked this morning and they teased it at the end of the video, but no big showing for some reason. I’m guessing because it’s mostly just a tech demo at this point.
– The Captain Toad bits from Super Mario 3D World are being spun off into their own game, Captain Toad Treasure Tracker, coming this year.
– Yarn Yoshi is now called Yoshi’s Woolly World and it looks super adorable.
– With Yoshi having stolen his yarn gimmick Kirby is going to be starring in a claymation-style game called Kirby and the Rainbow Curse. As the name implies the title is a successor to 2005 DS game Kirby: Canvas Curse in terms of gameplay.
– Nintendo’s releasing a full-fledged Mario level editor called Mario Maker. You can choose between classic 8-bit and modern New Super Mario Bros. visual styles for your levels. So yeah, the NSMB games are pretty much obsolete now.
– Monolith Soft’s RPG project X is now officially a Xenoblade Chronicles sequel and its latest trailer is appropriately over-the-top. Sadly it’s not coming until 2015.
Certainly an eclectic line-up, and more interesting the “we’ve got Mario, Mario and more Mario” approach of the past couple years. What do you guys think of Nintendo’s showing? Finally feeling that itch to buy a Wii U? Hit the comments and discuss.