Nintendo’s E3 2009 Predictions

Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Here are my…

Nintendo E3

Predictions

1. Tons and TONS of data and numbers. Nintendo is going to make us remember they are dominating in sales figures for the DS, DSi, and Wii! This is there way of telling Sony and Microsoft that they’re the best, and that consumers should invest in them and their products. So, for the first 25 minutes, just sit tight… It’s all adding to the hype.

2. Non-“game” games. By this, I mean we will see things like the Personal Coach series. I believe we’re going to see My Personal Coach – Walking and it’s release date for the states. Last year, we were shown Personal Trainer – Chef and the use of the DS at baseball games, and mabye airports. They want to show us that the DS is not just for games, but that it can also be used for a more conventional service. Can the PSP teach you to cook? I don’t think so.

3. Third party games specifically for the Wii. Last year we saw Raymond Raving Rabbids – TV Party, Shaun White, Grand Theft Auto – Chinatown Wars, and so forth. Nintendo has been under a lot of fire that companies like EA, Ubisoft, and many more (third party companies) can’t make money off of games for the Wii unless they either spend zip money on it, or they call it Catz or Wedding Designer Party!. This is not true, of course, and Nintendo wants us to get excited about these titles (not the Catz). I think we’ll see a company or two go all out on a title for the Wii that will sell like crazy! Soon, the Wii will be a breeding ground for good third party games. It also wouldn’t surprise me if we saw Spore Hero, Ace Attourney, Boom Blox Bash Party, and some of those caliber games. I also think that the next Silent Hill game will be shown, and the release date might be revealed as well.

4. DSi news. With there newest hardware barely on the shelves, and selling like crazy, I’m sure Nintendo would like to keep the hype going. That means DSi Ware titles, and mabye a couple of DSi-only compatible games that will force the population with the DS original to get the improved version.

5. Some new WiiWare/Virtual Console juice. The one-year anniversary for WiiWare has come, and I’m sure Nintendo would like to keep the ball rolling with all of that money being made online. Also, there are still a bunch of games I’d still like to see online, like Majora’s Mask, Goldeneye, Donkey Kong 64, Super Smash Bros., and many more. They’ve still got to promote their online shopping channel so that onther companies will continue to invest in games for the Wii online.

6.  Games compatible with the Wii MotionPlus. They are going to be pushing that like crazy!!! With Microsoft and Sony both coming out with some sort of motion-sensing or camera-capable controls, the Wii MotionPlus might, yet again, separate the two forms of playing a game. It’s going to go from twittling your thumbs vrs. swinging the remote to swinging the remote to putting your complete motions onto the display. I think we’re going to see…

• Wii Sports Resort- They could make this a terrible game, and it will still sell millions of copies if they advertise it right. If people get hyped up about it being the sequel to both the game that influenced them into getting the Wii and the bestselling game ever, they are guaranteed to buy it. I also think it will be a good game, and I’m guessing we will see at least some of the other games for it. Volleyball? Hanggliding? Rock Climbing? Who knows!
• Red Steel 2- The original game, released at the same time as the Wii, sold extremely well, and had many flaws. After 5 years or experience and wathcing others’ successes and failures, this is sure to be a great game. Featured in the June version of Nintendo Power, it looks like they are really going to get the full experience of sword and gun fighting. And you can’t play it without the Wii Motion Plus! Now you’ll have to buy it (although you would’ve had to if you read this entire blog)!
• And More…- They may at least quickly summarize some of the other games that use the expansion, like Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and Virtua Tennis 2009. The more they show, the more people will have to buy the add-on. I also think Nintendo has more of these games up it’s sleeves. They may show or briefly explain one or two, but one or two they’ll save for the end. I’ll get to that later, though.

7.  One or two big “new” titles. That’s right, I went there. I believe that Nintendo may have been working on a new frachise! That’s right, a new franchise! When was the last time Nintendo has had a new franchise to go up there with Mario and Zelda… Still thinking? Before Pikmin and Animal Crossing (which the Wii Version didn’t do as well as hoped), they haven’t had a new franchise since Super Smash Bros., and that’s a compliation of other frachises! I think this would be a great oppurtunity to create a game using all of Nintendo’s creativity and mabye the Wii MotionPlus! Plus, we’re running out of new Super Smash Bros. characters to use, so unless they want to start using Nintendogs or Cooking Mama, they’d better start making some new games!

8. No Wii HD. I do not believe that Nintendo cares as much about graphics, but more about fun, gameplay, and interactivity. I don’t know about you, but I’d rather them focus more on fun games and cool gadgets than buffing up the visuals.

9. No Donkey Kong Wii. As much as I would like this, it probably will not happen. A spiritual sequel to Donkey Kong 64 would be awesome! Look at Super Mario Galaxy, the spiritual sequel to Super Mario 64! That rocked!

10. No Kid Icarus Wii. It’s been over 21 years, people!!! Nintendo has other things to take care of before bringing back long dead franchises… if you can call it a frachise. As much of a great day it would be to see Pit shooting arrows at Greek monsters on the screen in 3D, in the about same setup as Twilight Princess, I don’t think it will happen.

11. No Mario Wii. Since it’s only been a few years since Super Mario Galaxy (one of my faves), the chances of showing another Mario are slim. I would love Super Mario Galaxy 2 or, (drumroll), Super Mario 128! I also would love to see Nintendo go into another Mario game, not a sequel or anything though. The timing might work out for E3 2010.

BIG NEWS

12. Miyamoto’s pattent is going to be used in some major games, and the details will be explained. Earlier this year, Miyamoto (the creator of Mario, Zelda, Star Fox, Pikmin, etc.) sent in a pattent that is going to change the way we play adventure games. The pattent was about being able to allow the computer to take over for you if you get stuck in a game, in stead of running to the computer going through a walkthrough every 10 minutes. To the Nintendo fanboys out there, this sounds like a bad thing, right? WRONG!!! Doing this allows Nintendo to make games as hard as they want, without making people new to the type of game or to games in general scared to go near it in the store. How many people do you think bought Twilight Princess 5 years ago, and still haven’t figured out how to get their sword? More than you’d think, I’m sure. Also, the pattent allowed only Miyamoto (or whoever he wants to) to make games like a DVD, where you can go back to other spots in the game, almost like the scenes menu. So, once you’ve beaten the game, but feel like battling the second-to-last boss, you don’t have to play the game all over again unless you want to. You can play your favorite parts. SCORE!!!

13. Super Mario Bros. DS 2. This is one of the DS’s bestselling games, and Miyamoto has already confirmed that he wanted to make a new one, so it looks like it could possibly be in development. It’s going to happen either this year or next, so you mine as well do it now! I also think that if they do show it this year, it has to have something new or fresh to add to the last game (not that the last one didn’t do well, or anything). Mabye something taking advantage of the DSi! Or mabye Hotel Mario DS!!! (sorry, I got carried away for a second there.)

14. Metroid, or a new Retro Studio game. How awesome would it be for another new metroid to take place on the Wii. It probably wouldn’t use the Wii MotionPlus (unless they turn Samus into a space-ninja), but it would be PERFECT for Miyamoto’s patent. The game uses loads of backtracking, and you’re not always sure where you need to go next, or where you can find those annoying battery cells). We know Retro has been working on something, but what it is or for what system, is still unknown. Earlier this year, the company did express a little interest for putting Samus Aran onto the Wii, so keep you’re fingers crossed.

15. Legend of Zelda (Spirit Tracks). We got the first trailer for this game at the GDC this year, and this would be the perfect time to give us a little more juice on the title (including the final name) and the release date. CHOO CHOO!!!

16. A trailer for the next Legend of Zelda Wii. Since the Legend of Zelda (Spirit Tracks) will come out this year (most likely), even if they finished the Wii Zelda, they shouldn’t release it at the same time this winter, as it might interfere with sales. I’m guessing something to get us excited a little bit now, and some gameplay/a demo next year. It might even be at E3 2010 where they show the game, and give us the release date (probably holiday season 2010). I even think that it would take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus! Can you imagine swordfighting Ganon at the Hyrule castle!?! AWESOMENESS!!!

17. Pikmin 3 Wii! Yes!!! We’ve all been waiting for this since last years E3, and it might finally be here. I’m guessing it probably won’t take advantage of the Wii MotionPlus, but with Nintendo, it wouldn’t surprise me. Throwing the Pikmin??? Nahh, probably not. Expect, though, a new, fresh take on the frachise, that will appeal to the millions of users that never had a gamecube, but now have a Wii. My guess is that this is going to be the big game Gamestop told us about coming this holiday season. I’d also love to go back through the days using the pattent registered by Miyamoto.

18. StarFox or Luigi’s Mansion Wii!!! Alrught, this is a little more unlikely, but it just seems like the Wii was designed to make a StarFox game (flying your ship using the Wii Wheel) or for a Luigi Mansion game (mabye using the Wii Motion Plus!!! for the vaccums or flashlight), which one game of the year on the gamecube. I figured StarFox would come a little earlier than 5 years after the Wii launch, but I’ll take what I can get. I am guessing StarFox or Luigi’s Mansion will be shown this E3 and released next summer. I am predicting a new StarFox game or Luigi’s Mansion game because we’ve heard from many sources that this is going to be one of Nintendo’s best E3’s in a long time. It seems like this would put it over the top, and StarFox is probably the most likely franchise to bring back, and Luigi’s Mansion seems like a definite bestseller, like every Mario game for the Wii. Let’s hope. This would be yet another game that could make use of going back and replaying certaing levels or stages, or allowing high difficulty so us fanboys can play for weeks straight and newcomers can countinue past the insanely hard bosses.

Well, that’s about it. Watch Nintendo’s E3 conference June 2nd to see what goes down!

The Complete Guide to The Legend of Zelda: Games

 

What’s up everybody!  Today we’re going to talk about the games in The Legend of Zelda series.

The Legend of Zelda, created by Shigeru Miyamoto, the video game creator of the Mario, Star Fox, Pikmin, and F-Zero franchises, is a very popular fantasy/puzzle/roleplaying/action game, and has sold millions around the world.  I’m gonna give you a quick breakdown of every game.

The evolution of Link.

The Legend of Zelda- The Legend of Zelda was the first in the series of fourteen and counting.  Released in U.S. in 1987, the game was a bestseller, and an instant classic.  The story starts when the evil Ganon and his army invade the kingdom of Hyrule.  He gets the triforce of power, which bestows his strength.  Zelda, the princess, splits another part of the triforce, the triforce of wisdom, into eight pieces, to keep it out of Ganons hands, and hides them in deep, difficult dungeons filled of puzzles, traps, and monsters.  Impa, Zelda’s caretaker, runs away, but is surrounded by Ganons monsters.  Link, a young boy drives them off.  Impa then tells Link to find the eight pieces of the triforce of wisdom, so he can fight Ganon and save Hyrule and Zelda.  He goes to eight dungeoons, collects the fragments, and finds tools to help him on his quest, such as a boomerang, bow and arrows, ect.  He then goes into Ganons castle using the Triforce of Wisdom.  Link and Ganon fight, and Link eventually kills him with a silver arrow he found.  Once Ganon is dead, Link picks up the Triforce of Power from his ashes, rescues Princess Zelda, and returns the Triforces.

 

 

Zelda II: The Adventure of Link- Released in the U.S. in 1988, Zelda II was a completely different game than it’s predecessor.  The game features a sidescrolling, 2D game, much like the early Super Mario Bros. games.  It also had an experience level, which raised as you defeated more monsters.  The experience points eventually reward him with stamina, magic spells, and better attacks.  Each categorie has eight upgrades, and once all eight have been reached, Link gets an extra life, which has never been done since.  The Adventure of Link is definitely the oddball in the series.  The storyline starts after The Legend of Zelda.  Link notices the mark of Hyrule’s crest on his left hand.  He finds Impa to figure out what it is.  Impa takes him to a door in the castle that has been closed for hundreds of years.  When he puts his hand over the door, it opens, revealing a room with a girl laying on a table, sleeping.  It is Zelda.  It turns out that many years ago, a princess named Zelda, was put under a sleeping spell by her brothers friend because she didn’t tell him where the three gold triangles, Hyrule’s crest.  Her brother then puts her in a locked room, hoping someday somebody could save her, and makes it so every girl born in the royal family would be named Zelda, in remembrance.  Link finds out from Impa that the mark on his hand means he has been chosen to wake her.  He recieves a treasure chest with six jewels, which each must be placed in a different palace in Hyrule to open the Great Palace, which holds the Triforce of Courage, which can wake Zelda.  Link goes off to put the jewels in their palace.  Ganon’s followers, at the same time, are trying to kill Link so they can spill his blood on Ganon’s ashes, to make him come back to life.  Link finally opens the Great Palace, in which he has to fight a shadow, known as Link’s shadow.  He goes back to Hyrule’s castle with the Triforce of Courage, and puts all three Triforces together, and gets to make a wish.  After his wish, Zelda awakes.

A Link to the Past- A Link to the Past did very well, like the other two games.  Released in 1992, A Link to the Past was said to be ther prequel to the original two games, although after it’s release, there has been much speculation on it.  The game was much like the first game in many ways.  It featured a overhead view, which made the game a little easier to play.  In the beginning, Link recieves a telepathic message from Zelda, who is locked in the dungeon of the castle.  Link’s uncle is ready for battle when Link wakes up, and he’s going to the castle.  Link follows him secretly, and finds him injured at Hyrule castle.  He tells Link to save the princess, and gives him a sword and shield.  He finds Zelda, and they leave through a secret passageway that leads to a sanctuary.  A man there tells Link Agahnim, an evil wizard who has taken control, is going to break a hundreds of years old seal that imprisoned Ganon.  He is in the Dark World, which he made after using the triforce to make the Sacred Realm the Dark World.  To break the seal, Agatnim must place the Seven Sages’ (the ones who made the seal) in the Dark World.  The only way to defeat Agahnim is by using the Master Sword.  He must collect three magic pendants and rest them by the resting place of the Master Sword.  After he does that he gets the sword.  He is immediately informed by Zelda telephatically that the Hyrule soldiers have arrived at the sanctuary.  By the time he gets there, he learns from a dying man that Zelda has been thrown in the Dark World in Hyrule Castle.  Link beats Agahnim, but is sent to the Dark World at the same time.  Link then must save the seven descendants of the seven sages from seven dungeons.  After that, Link fights and defeats Agahnim again, but when he’s dead, Ganon rises from his body, and flies away in the shape of a bat to the Pyramid of Power.  After Link defeats him, he touches the Triforce, and Hyrule is restored.

Link’s Awakening- Released in 1993, Link’s Awakening was a very different game than the rest of the series.  It was the first on a handheld console (the gameboy), and was the first game without Ganon or the triforce or even Hyrule.  The game takes place in Koholint Island, where Link is stuck on, after his ship is damaged in a storm.  He must travel through dungeons and fight monsters to get all eight instruments to awaken the Wind Fish, who is sleeping inside of a shell and can rescue him.  For such a small island, there is a lot of ground to cover in very mixed terrains, along with hidden paths and other secret stuff.  In the end, Link collects all of the instruments, and plays the Ballad of the Wind Fish.  He then enters the wind fish’s nightmare, where he fights several enemies from his past, including Ganon.  He then plays the same song, and he and the fish wake up from the nightmare.  Link is back on his ship, and if you didn’t lose a life the entire game, the wind fish is shown flying.  Link’s Awakening did very well, and was a good game due to the fact that the developers didn’t follow their normal recipe for success.  The game is shown on many top 100 lists, but the following game was to be the highest point in the Zelda franchise.

Ocarina of Time- Released in 1998, Ocarina of Time was a groundbreaking game, and also the transition into 3D graphics for Zelda.  It won several awards, was the Nintendo 64’s bestselling game, and is featured at the top of almost any game critic’s top ten list (usually in first), and is often considered the best game of all time.  With remakes, rereleases, and even sequels, Ocarina of Time is definitely the high point in the Zelda franchise.  The game took place in Hyrule, and begins when Navi, Link’s fairy, awakens him from a nightmare, in which he pictured a shadowy figure (Ganon) chasing a young girl (Zelda) on horseback.  He is brought to The Great Deku Tree, who is near death.  Link goes through a dungeon inside of him, breaks a curse, but can’t do anything else.  The Great Deku Tree gives Link the spiritual stone of the forest, and tells him of the man who put a curse on him, trying to conquer Hyrule.  He sends Link to the castle to talk to Zelda, after which the tree dies.  Link meets Zelda, who also has dreamed about Ganon, the Gerudo King of Thieves, and his plan to steal the triforce and rule Hyrule.  Link is asked to collect the three stones (he has one already), so he can enter the holy realm and take the triforce before Ganon.  He then goes to the Gorons, and after a dungeon collects another stone.  The third was found at the Zoras’, after yet another dungeon.  He then goes back to the castle, where his dream about Ganon chasing Zelda comes true.  She throws the ocarina into the river.  After Link gets it, she teaches him the Song of Time, which he uses to enter the sacred realm.  He gets the Master Sword, but Ganon, who had followed him, gets the triforce.  Link falls asleep, only to be woken seven years later, by Rauru, one of the Seven Sages who protected the triforce.  He had preserved Link until he was old enough to use the sword and defeat Ganon.  The Sages can put Ganon in the Sacred Realm, but five of the sages lost their memory of theirself being a sage.  Link must go through dungeons to find rid the temple of the monsters and darkness, so the sage can be awaken, and is helped by a mysterious stranger, named Sheik.  After that is done, Sheik tells Link she is a sage, and also Zelda.  She tells Link that because Ganon’s heart was unbalanced, the triforce split into three.  He kept the Triforce of Power, Zelda got the Triforce of Wisdom, and Link, the Triforce of Courage by destiny.  She gives Link silver arrows, which he can use to defeat Ganon.  She is then captured by Ganon, and put in a tower in the castle.  With the sages’ help, he breaks into the castle, and gets to the top, where he fights and defeats Ganon, and saves the Princess Zelda.  Ganon is imprisoned in the Sacred Realm, where he vows to take revenge on their descendants (he still has the triforce of power).  Zelda then sends Link seven years into the past using the ocarina, so that he can live his childhood.

Majora’s Mask- In 2000, Majora’s Mask was released.  In this game, Skull Kid steals Majora’s Mask.  Underneath it’s evil power, he causes the moon to crash into Terminia in three days.  The major difference between this game and The Ocarina of Time is the fact that Link must use masks, which transform him into different characters.  Another difference is that the game revolves around a 3 day schedule, which greatly affects the game, but the masks are the major, and one of the more major, changes because each character has different moves.  The game takes place in a land called Termina, which is like Hyrule.  The game starts right after The Ocarina of Time.  Link is riding on Epona, when Skull Kid steals her and the Ocarina, runs into a cave, and turns Link into a Deku Scrub.  Tatl, a fairy, says he will help him.  They follow him, and meet a salesman, who says he will help Link if he gets the Ocarina and Majora’s Mask.  He follows Skull Kid into a town, where he learns the moon will crash in three days.  At the end of three days, he goes against him, and retrieves the Ocarina, which he uses to go back to the beginning.  He goes back to the salesman, who helps him learn the song to change him to a human.  He then goes to four dungeons, which each hold one of the giants that can stop the moon.  Once they’re collected, Link calls them, and they stop the moon.  The mask, which only possesses the wearer and makes him do want the mask wants, then flies away and lands on the moon.  Link then travels there, and defeats the mask.  The game is called the darkest and saddest of all the Zelda games, but is still very great, but a little harder than usual.

Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages- Released in 2000 for the Gameboy Color, these two games released in the same year were very different from the rest of the series, but still did very well.  They have a complicated linked storyline, in which both have kidnappings.  The ending can only be played when both games are played, and you enter the password in the sequel.  These games are much like Pokemon, in which they release two games that are hugely the same, with small differences, and playing both unlocks things.  I won’t go into much detail about the games, but just know how it is different, because it isn’t meant to be one of the major games in the series.

The Wind Waker- Released in 2003, The Wind Waker was yet again a very different kind of game, with a different world, different characters, a different style and feel to it, and it looks way different!  Still, it is a good game, and is on the gamecube.  It’s set on a group of islands, and underneath are the remains of Hyrule from The Ocarina of Time.  Link lives with his sister and grandfather.  When he is old enough, he gets to wear the clothes like those that the Hero of Time wore (Link), hundreds of ago.  He looks through a telescope, and sees a bird carrying a girl, and he goes to the forest to see.  He rescues Tetra, a pirate, but his grandfather is then captured.  The two travel to the Forsaken Fortress to get him back.  He goes in, but is kicked out.  A talking boat tells him that Ganon controlls the fortress.  He goes to collect three pearls, takes them to a set of islands, and opens a way to get to Hyrule.  He finds the master sword, awakening all the evil.  He gets back up to the surface, and goes into the fortress.  He makes his way to Ganon, but is defeated with ease.  Him taking the sword made it vulnerable to evil.  After being rescued, they find the king who gives them a triangle, or a piece to the triforce.  When combined with Tetra’s, she becomes Zelda and the sword’s power is returned.  He then goes on many quests to find the third piece of the triforce.  He finally finds it, and it goes inside of him.  This makes him the Hero of WInds.  He goes to Ganon’s Tower in Hyrule, where Ganon is.  He said that the three of them fixed the triforce, and whoever touches it can make a wish.  Before touching it, the king touches it and wishes that the evil be washed away, and Link and Tetra safe.  Ganon and  Link then fight, and Link wins.  Link and Tetra then float to the top in a bubble.

Four Swords Adventure- Released in 2004 for the gamecube, the game was a multiplayer game, which four can play through the adventure, and there are a couple of minigames.  I’m not going to go into much detail, though.

The Minish Cap- Released for the gameboy advance in 2004, The Minish Cap is another very different game.  It was very good looking, especially compared to most games on the platform.  Link has a talking cap named Ezlo who can shrink Link to the size of another race called Picori.  Link is sent by the king to seek the help of the Picori (who can only be seen by kids) after Zelda is petrified by Vaati.  He saves the hat who used to be a Picori, along with Vaati.  In fact, Vaati was his apprentence.  He became corrupted, stole a wish-granting hat made by Ezlo, and turns him into a hat using his new sorcerer powers.  Link rescues four artifacts, and uses them to turn the Picori blade into the four sword.  Vaati takes over Hyrule castle, an Link battles him in his many forms.  Link wins, gives Zelda the hat, and she wishes everything back to normal.

Twilight Princess- Released in 2006 for the Gamecube ant the Wii, Twilight Princess is without a doubt one of the greatest Zelda games ever.  Monsters attack Link’s village, and children are kidnapped.  When Link approaches Twilight, he is turned into a wolf.  He meets Midna, the princess of twilight, and together they escape the dungeons and go to the top of Hyrule Castle, where they meet Zelda.  You find out Midna is looking for the fused shadows, which she can use to defeat Zant and save her kingdom.  They go to the Forest Temple, Goron Mines, and Lakebed Temple.  They also rescue the kids along the way.  They also restore the light spirits, that were turned into twilight along with the area around it.  This allows Link to be in human form in the area.  Zant takes the fused shadows, and then puts a black crystal in Link’s head, forcing him to stay in wolf form.  He also shows the light of one of the spirits to Midna, and she weakens.  Link takes Midna back to Zelda, who removes the crystal and sacrifices herself to keep Midna alive.  They head back to the forest to get the Master Sword.  It pushes the crystal out of him, and They can now use it to change Link’s form freely.  They go into the desert, and the Arbiter’s Grounds temple, to get to the Mirror of Twilight so they can enter Twilight and defeat Zant, but they find that it is broken and missing.  The sages guarding it say that they bannished Ganondorf into it when he attacked, and may be the source of Zant’s new powers.  They then spread the mirror pieces accross Hyrule.  Link then goes to the Snowpeak Ruins, the Temple of Time,  and Oocca’s City in the Sky to get the fragments, and put them together.  They then enter twilight.  They go through the level there, and depower Zant using Midna’s fused shadows.  They go back to Hyrule Castle and used the shadows to break into it’s barrier.  They go throught yet another level, and go against Ganondorf who has captured Princess Zelda.  Link wins, and peace returns to Hyrule.  The game is beautiful, and has a huge world free to explore filled with side quests, collectables, enemies, mini-games, and everything you’d ever want from a Zelda game.  Also, on the Wii, you can swing your sword and use your shield using the remotes, although it felt kind of tacked on, but I’m sure they’ll get it right next time.

Well, I’ll do the Phantom Hourglass later, but that’s about it.  You are probably wondering what’s next… Well, a new game is in the works, and  the masterminds that brought you Twilight Princess and the Phantom Hourglass have teamed up to release a new game for the Wii.  I believe that this game is going to be spectacular, and may even be compatible with Wii Motion Plus, or maybe even something else, but who knows?  We’re just going to have to wait and see.

E3: A Complete Wii Recap

Hey everybody, I’m gonna go over everything that happened for Nintendo at E3 2008.

Well, first off, we were showed Shaun White Snowboarding: Road Trip.  You can use the balance board and actually snowboard!  You use the wii remote to do tricks, and there’s a half-pipe, and I saw a downhill run, where you just ride the mountain.  Very cool, and it reminded me a little of the Skate It game.  Basically, you’re trying to make it big, and go all around the world, and make friends that make you better.  There are several game modes, and Shaun White will be out October 15!

Next, we were showed clips of Star Wars: Clone Wars, Rayman Rabbids: TV Party, and Call of Duty: World at War.

Star Wars: Clone Wars — Lightsaber Duels is based on the movie, only you will be kicking some clone butt!!!  You can replay some of the most exciting duels from the movie and tv series.  You can play with your friends and choose either good or evil.

In Rayman Rabbids: TV Party, the Rabbids are back in their third title for the Wii.  They invade the tv, and every level is a new channel.  One third of the games are with the balance board, and the rest use just the remote and numchuck.  We know you can sled down the mountain on the sports channel, as wel as sky surf, and found out they made a new rhythm game, like the past two titles, and this one’s all about dancing.  There will be about 50 minigames to choose from, and you will be allowed to play online!

Call of Duty: World at War takes place in WWII, with Americans fighting the Russians.  We don’t know a lot about this title, other then the new multiplayer mode.  Expect it November 11, 2008.

Next, Nintendo showed us some of Animal Crossing: City Folk, which we don’t know when we’ll be able to play it.  It looks similar, until you take the bus into town, that is!  The city includes an auction house, an academy, a clothing store, and a beauty salon, which allows you to turn your character into your mii!  It is also packaged with Wii Speak, which allows you to talk to your friends over the Wii while playing Animal Crossing, and hinted at putting it in other games, like Super Smash Brothers.  All in all, it looks like it will please those many die-hard Animal Crossing fans.

A big surprise this year was the introduction to Wii Sports Resort, which would be packaged with Wii Motion Plus!  Wii Motion Plus allows the gamer to move his/her remote any way possible, and the Wii can detect it spot on.  So, Wii Sports Resort takes place on a beach, and includes several activities.  These include a water scooter racing (type thing), which you hold the remotes like your holding onto the handles.  Also, you can throw a frisbee to a dog, and try to get it as far away as possible and have her catch it.  Finally, a sword fighting game shows off the new Wii Motion Plus, which goes where the numchuck goes.  You can actually slash a piece of wood from any angle and speed, and the Wii knows exactly where it is.  So, you can fight another person on top of a cliff in one game, and can play like your actually sword fighting, blocking and all.  The bummer is that this cool new title won’t be out until June 30, 2009!

And then, finally, to close the show, Nintendo announced the title of Wii Music, which will be out November 3, 2008!  First, they showed us a professional drummer banging away, using Wii Motion Plus and a balance board, playing a full drum set, complete with symbols, drums, and using the balance board for a foot petal.  The great thing was that he didn’t have to point at the screen, press any buttons, or anything!  This really shows what Wii Motion Plus can do!  They then showed us a few of the over 50 instruments you can play.  By holding the remote in the correct way for that instrument (for example, if you’re playing a sax, you’d hold it to your mouth), and pressing one of the few buttons, you can play notes.  You don’t copy the notes on screen, but the computer has them selected for you.  All you have to worry about is the beat and timing of the song (hold some notes longer than others), and the rest works out itself.  You also strum for guitar, banjo, etc; Drum for all the drums; and bang away for the piano, marimba, etc.  We already know you can run the orchestra by being a conductor in one game, but we found out you and a group can play instruments together in a band playing music of all sorts!  If I remember, you can make your own music video of sorts!

Overall, the Nintendo conference was very successful, and I have very good feelings about next year.  Mr. Miyamoto announced that even though we didn’t see any hints towards another game in The Legend of Zelda, New Super Mario Bros. for the DS, and Pikmin franchises, they were all being worked on.  Think of the possibilities for Zelda and Pikmin on the Wii with Wii Motion Plus, and a New Super Mario Bros. for the DS might be fun too!  I believe that they will come out with something big for the new releases on the Wii, like never before seen.

Also, besides Wii, some DS games were announced, like another Guitar Hero, a shocking Grand Theft Auto, and a Spore!

Well, the E3 conference gave us a good idea on what was going to be happening this year, but also left us hanging on when or what or anything about the Pikmin, Zelda, and Mario.  Well, I guess we’ll have to wait and see, but whatever they do, I’m sure it’ll be great.  Don’t worry, I’m sure it won’t be too long before they give us some more info on Zelda, Pikmin and Mario!

Wii would like to play