How many of you know someone who has never seen a movie, or watched a TV show, or read a book? None? Of course not. Its preposterous.
Now, how many of you know someone, maybe even within your own family, who has never played a video game?”
And with those words, Reggie Fils-Amie eloquently stated Nintendos strategy: to expand the market by attracting people who have never played video games.
Once again, you can read a painstakingly-detailed description of the Nintendo E3 2006 keynote over at Kotaku, but let me give you the short version:
The Nintendo DS is selling like hotcakes laced with caffeine and slathered in crack.…Oh forget it! I cant break down a point-by-point list of the Nintendo conference without commenting on each of them. So let me start with the Wii controller. The short version is, they showed real-life gameplay, and it looks amazing. To shoot an arrow, you use the controller to point where you want to shoot…and then pull pack on the controller like you would a real bow. And when you fire, the controller makes a twang” sound. Yes, the controller; it contains a small speaker, so it can make sounds: gunshots, sword hits, whatever.
People laughed at the idea of the DS, but now non-traditional games like Nintendogs and Brain Age are selling to a different demographic
The Wii controller…
The second part of the controller (the nunchuk”) has an analog stick for movement. However, it also contains a tilt and motion sensor, so you can do things like slash a sword with your right hand, then block with your left. Or if you come to a door (using your right hand as the gun), you can open the door by making a push the door open” motion with your left hand. It looks really, incredibly easy to use, and will open up whole new areas of gameplay.
But what about the games? After all, whats a new system without games? Well here are a few for starters: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess; Metroid Prime 3: Corruption; WarioWare: Smooth Moves; Super Mario Galaxy; SUPER MARIO GALAXY!!!!!!111!!!!!; a new Sonic game, a new Rayman game, and some whole new franchises like Project: H.A.M.M.E.R. and Disaster: Day of Crisis. Basically, nearly everything looked interesting, fresh, and looks like it will use the controller in a multitude of ways. I have not been this excited about a new system for a long long time.
Oh, and for the GameCube: Super Paper Mario, which, again, looks unreal. Think a 2D platformer, with a bunch of mind-bending 3D effects. Really, you have to see the video.
And the DS? Yoshis Island 2, Starfox DS, Mario Hoops Three-on-Three, Elite Beat Agents, Mario vs. DK: March of the Minis…the list goes on and on.
Lets see, what else…? Oh, the Wii will be connected to the internet even while its sleeping, so a game developer can push new items or levels, or a friend can visit your Animal Crossing town and drop off a present. Cool.
And then they invited a guy from the audience to play a four-man tennis match with Shigeru Miyamoto, Fils-Amie, and Satoru Iwata. The gameplay looked easy to pick up, and just fun. Oh, and 27 games will be playable on the show floor.
So thats it. I am thrilled about the Wii, and I cant wait to try it out! I will give more reports tomorrow night, after I try the games out. I think this could revitalize the gaming market in a way no one has ever imagined.
