E3 2015: Nintendo Digital Event Impresions

In recent years, Nintendo has pulled back from the traditional E3 presence.  Instead of the tried-and-true press conference and booth combination, Nintendo has opted to provided a constant stream of content from the Nintendo World Championships to the daily Treehouse Live stream.  The crown jewel of Nintendo's week is their Digital Event, a special one hour video that highlights their biggest titles for the upcoming year.  With the Wii U Legend of Zelda skipping the show, could Nintendo announce some titles to fill that void this holiday season?

Nintendo didn't have one single answer to that question as they went for a sheer numbers approach.  Starting with Super Mario Maker, there will be eight titles across Wii U and 3DS, including Star Fox Zero, Xenoblade Chronicles X and Yoshi's Woolly World, releasing this Fall.  While there may not be a single title that will move tons 3DS and Wii U units, this is one of the most robust lineups Nintendo has had for the holidays in a long time.

Looking at the Digital Event as a whole, its content was good, but the video was completely underwhelming and disjointed.  Nintendo tried so hard to be charming and wacky with the puppet skits, but it came off as embarrassing awkward.  Also the announcement of certain games felt out of place.

Although I am not as upset about the Metroid Prime 3DS games as others, the way Nintendo just unceremoniously dumped it on us was a little insulting, especially for longtime fans.  Federation Force and Blast Ball are two refreshing new takes on the franchise that I look forward to seeing more of, but these titles shouldn't have been the only Metroid announcement of the show.  Plus the huge focus on Super Mario Maker and Mario's 30th Anniversary was a little lackluster considering the Nintendo World Championships did such an incredible job promoting that game.  I will admit, revealing that the Mario transitions were actually the Amiibo support for Super Mario Maker was awesome.

While Nintendo's Digital Event felt lackluster as a whole, there were some titles that really impressed me.  Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes looks to be the Four Swords sequel/co-op Zelda I've been craving for a long time.  The ability to play core Zelda dungeons with others both on and offline is great.  The proper return of Mario Tennis with Ultra Smash for Wii U was exciting to see.  If Nintendo adds in robust online multiplayer to the game, it could be up there with Mario Kart, Smash Bros. and Splatoon as another great multiplayer game for Wii U.  Last but not least, Level 5's Yo-Kai Watch was impressive as it had a great amount of charm and some unique RPG elements that looks to appeal to all ages.

The easiest way to describe Nintendo's Digital Event is a mixed bag.  All the games showed off looked to be a lot of fun and it gave perfect picture of Nintendo's holiday lineup, which looks to be their best in a long time.  The show just didn't have the cohesion or a big punch to keep fans from felling a little disappointed.  Plus where on Earth is Retro Studios!?

Grade:  C+

Year in Review 2014: The Games

2014 was a strange year for video games.  Originally predicted to be an overwhelmingly successful year for the industry coming off of the excellent launch of the next generation, 2014 slowly morphed into a year of disappointment, polarization and the unexpected.  Many of the games people were clamouring for got pushed to 2015 and beyond, huge AAA titles like Assassin's Creed Unity, The Elder Scrolls Online and Watch Dogs fell far short of their tremendous hype and to top it all off, the best games of the year came from the most unexpected places.

Some of the best experiences of 2014 came from independent developers, free-to-play games and Nintendo's Wii U.  In fact, three quarters of the games I played during 2014 were on either Wii U or 3DS and it definitely shows in this list.  While I personally like to play a diversity of games throughout the year, nothing really sunk its claws into me like the offerings on Nintendo's systems during the last calendar year.  Before we dive into the games I consider the best of 2014, there are some great games that just missed the cut: Azure Striker Gunvolt, Bravely Default, Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker, Guacamelee! Super Turbo Championship Edition and Infamous: Second Son.

While the games on this list are the best games I played in 2014, there is still on more article in this Year in Review—the Game of the Year.  Stay tuned for that article in the coming week and enjoy my favourite games of 2014.

Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze
The initial response to the reveal of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was not favourable.  During a dire time for Nintendo and the Wii U, fans were hoping for Retro Studios to reveal an epic new title like a new Metroid or whole new IP to turn around the bad situation.  Despite their pedigree, nobody wanted Retro to make another Donkey Kong and resentment towards Tropical Freeze ensued.  Nintendo and Retro would make the haters eat their words upon the game's release this past February.

Much like Donkey Kong Country Returns, Tropical Freeze brings back pixel perfect 2.5D platforming to the fore front.  It is one of the most difficult games available on the Wii U as each level will test the limits of one's reflexes.  In being difficult, Tropical Freeze isn't cheap or punishing.  With each death, you learn about the intricacies of the gameplay and controls which will help in overcoming the obstacles ahead.  In addition to the platforming and difficult, Tropical Freeze adds more Kongs outside of Diddy to accompany DK on his adventure.  Each Kong, Diddy, Dixie and Cranky, has their own moves and special abilities to help DK avoid death, collect items and reach secret areas.  The option of which Kong to use adds for more experimentation and replayability to Tropical Freeze over its predecessors.

After the slew of great releases for the Wii U in 2014, do not lose Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in the shuffle.  It may have come out very early in 2014, but Tropical Freeze is worth it no matter what.

Mario Golf: World Tour
After such a strong 2013, the 3DS had nowhere to go but plateau in 2014.  There were a good number of great titles released for the system during the past year, but nothing could compete with the frequency of the releases in 2013.  Despite a lighter year for the 3DS, Nintendo and Camelot produced one of the finest titles in the system's history and the Mario sports game period.

Mario Golf: World Tour perfectly blends the superbly tuned gameplay and mechanics from console Mario Golfs with the popular RPG systems of the portable entries in the series.  Speaking of the gameplay, World Tour has made the controls more approachable than in past installments.  I was adding top spin and back spin to shots with ease, something I found unnecessarily difficult in previous games.  In blending styles, World Tour brings the single and multiplayer modes closer than ever before.  Everything you do in the single player Castle Club mode prepares your Mii avatar for competition in local and online multiplayer.  In particular, the online multiplayer is where World Tour truly shines the brightest as the connection is incredibly smooth and allows players to post scores at their own pace.

Everything in Mario Golf: World Tour comes together to create a cartridge that will stay in your 3DS for months on end.

Mario Kart 8
As great of a game Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze was, it didn't turn around the Wii U's struggling sales.  That honour goes to Mario's return to kart racing.  Mario Kart 8's huge sales were not the result of name alone as the newest Mario Kart is easily the best entry since Mario Kart DS less than a decade ago.

Mario Kart 8 quite literally flipped Nintendo's kart racing franchise on its head with the addition of anti-gravity sections pulled from F-Zero.  The use of anti-gravity injects new life into Mario Kart's track design as they twist and turn in intricate ways, contain a plethora of shortcuts and offer plenty of opportunities to gain race-changing speed boosts.  Another addition to the Mario Kart formula comes in the form of new items, which improve the game's balance especially the Super Horn.  Using the Super Horn to stop a Blue Shell at the last minute is one of the most exhilarating experiences in video games this past year.  As great of a game Mario Kart 8 is, the lacking Battle Mode and inclusion of too many clone characters hold it back from being the best Mario Kart ever.

Despite Mario Kart 8's shortcomings, Mario Kart 8 is a ball to play.  Along with being loads of fun. the game is the first step in Mario Kart's next major evolution.

Bayonetta 2
Insanity is the best word to use in describing Bayonetta 2.  Everything from the story to the characters to the combat will have you laughing hysterically due to the game's over-the-top nature.

With Bayonetta 2, Platinum Games improves on every facet of the original title.  The controls are streamlined, combat feels smoother, combos are easier to pull off, levels are better paced, action sequences are more varied and quick-time events are better utilized.  On top of all the improvements, Platinum has included a plethora of Nintendo costumes which actually change aspects of the game—even adding an Arwing from Star Fox to one of the vehicle sections—and an online multiplayer mode to tackle waves of enemies with others.

All in all, Bayonetta 2 is one of the finest action games on the market today and a major reason to own a Wii U.

Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS
You can't include one of the new Smash Bros. games without the other. While the 3DS and Wii U versions of the game share certain modes, features and the character roster, both offer different experiences.

The 3DS version is naturally focused on shorter, fast-paced sessions of play.  In turn, all the modes in the game are balanced for the shorter sessions as rounds of Classic, All Star and the new Smash Run modes can each be completed within 10 minutes.  Speaking of Smash Run, this 3DS exclusive mode is just incredible.  Smash Run mixes the best parts of the Subspace Emissary and Adventure modes from past Smash game with the core of this series—the fighting.  You have five minutes to collect as many power-ups, trophies and other secrets strewn across a ginormous map populated with grunts from different Nintendo franchises.  When the five minutes are up, you and your three opponents compete in a Smash Battle or Race to the Finish with enhanced stats.

On the other side of the spectrum, the Wii U version is made for longer play sessions as it is packed to the brim with content.  In addition to including all the modes in the 3DS version except Smash Run, Super Smash Bros. for Wii U has 8-Player Smash, Event Mode, Master and Crazy Orders, Stage Builder, Amiibo support, Gamecube controller support and Masterpieces.  While Smash for 3DS is the appetizer, Smash for Wii U is the full course.

I can go on for hours about all the finer details of these two titles, but we don't have the time or space.  Both Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS are among the top tier for their respective systems.  Due to both games offering different experiences, I encourage everybody to pick them both up.  If you can only choose one, you're getting a stellar game either way.

E3 2013: Nintendo E3 Direct Impressions

2013 has been the year where the Nintendo Direct format has come into true form.  While there are still a few areas where Nintendo needs to work on to improve the Directs as a whole, each Nintendo Direct this year has been like a mini-E3 full of surprises and exciting game news.  With this current success, many gamers hoped Nintendo would bring some big announcements for E3 since they opted out of having an actual press conference this year.  What Nintendo actually delivered was very interesting.

It has taken a couple days to fully process what Nintendo did Tuesday morning with their Nintendo Direct.  All the games showed off at this Direct looked phenomenal, but we all were expecting more.  Yes, Nintendo delivered on Super Mario 3D World, Mario Kart 8 and Super Smash Bros. along with the reveal of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze.  It just felt too safe.  They kept to their regular line-up of popular Nintendo franchises like Mario, Zelda , Pokemon, Smash Bros. and Donkey Kong.  Gamers wanted to see franchises that have laid dormant for awhile now such as Metroid, Star Fox and F-Zero or new intellectual properties.  Personally, I believe mentioning a new 3D Mario, Mario Kart and Smash Bros. would all be at E3 severely hurt this Direct.  If Nintendo just kept their mouth shut, these three announcements could have easily made this Direct an instant classic.  By revealing their hand back in January, it caused speculation to spin out of control to the point where expectations were too high.  The fault of those unrealistic expectations is solely on Nintendo.  Another situation that is entirely Nintendo's fault was the unbearable buffering issues the Nintendo Direct livestream suffered from.  The livestream kept buffering every 20 seconds or so until at least halfway through the Direct.  Maybe Nintendo did not anticipate the volume of people that would tune into the stream, but that does not excuse them from not preparing for these technical problems.  While Nintendo wants to control the message, they need to open up the Directs for other media outlets such as IGN or Gametrailers to broadcast in order to avoid these buffering problems in the future.

Like I metioned before, all the games showed off at this Nintendo Direct were phenomenal.  Super Mario 3D World looks to be an excellent follow-up to Super Mario 3D Land.  While many were hoping for a 3D Mario game more in the vein of Super Mario Galaxy, I believe the more Nintendo shows off of 3D World the more people will be impressed as it looks to blend the best aspects of the New Super Mario series with the features and gamplay of Mario Galaxy and 3D Land series.  Much like 3D Land before it, you will most likely have to actually play 3D World to get the full affect of its greatness. 

Mario Kart 8 could be the Wii U's killer app in my opinion.  The new anti-gravity feature applied to all of the tracks in Mario Kart 8 looks to add new ways to approach your tradition game of Mario Kart.  This grand new feature along with superb online multiplayer could move a lot of Wii U's to the casual Nintendo audience. 

While it was a little bit of a bummer to hear about Retro working on another Donkey Kong game, Tropical Freeze looks just as good or even better than Donkey Kong Country Returns.  The new full 3D camera adds a lot of interesting visuals to a game that was formerly restricted to just a two dimensional side view of the action.  Also the inclusion of new characters (Dixie Kong and a still unnamed third companion) and over five islands to explore (how many levels per island is still unknown) will provide lots of bang for your buck this November. 

Nintendo only showed Monlith Soft's X in trailer form.  Still the more Nintendo shows of this game, the more psyched I get.  After playing Xenoblade, everybody wanted to see these worlds brought to life in high definition.  X looks to answer those prayers and I personally cannot wait until Nintendo starts giving people hand-ons with this possible console defining open world RPG. 

There were a few other games I would love to get to from this Nintendo Direct like Pokemon X and Y, Wind Waker HD, The Wonderful 101 and Bayonetta 2, but that could take far too long to read and there is one more thing I want to talk about.  That one more thing is Super Smash Bros. for Wii U and 3DS.  While everybody knew it was coming, that trailer lived up to our expectations and then some.  The introduction of the Villager from Animal Crossing was classic especially the sinister twinkle in his eye.  I personally love the addition of such a quirky character to roster of Nintendo fighters.  The greatest part of the trailer was the reveal that Mega Man will be in Super Smash Bros.  Let me repeat, MEGA MAN IS IN SMASH BROS.!!!  I have dreamed of the Blue Bomber being in the next Smash Bros., but never thought it would actually become reality.  It was such an excellent reveal that I cannot wait to see any sort of information about the 3DS and Wii U entires of the Super Smash Bros. series.

This Nintendo Direct from E3 failed to convince gamers that the hard times this system is currently in will end anytime soon.  The third party support just is not there to really convince people to go out of their way to buy a Wii U over the PS4 or Xbox One.  A lot of games shown off at E3 like Watch Dogs and Battlefield 4 had those second screen experiences that would be at home on the Wii U Gamepad.  Nintendo needs to find a way to court the publishers that are making these games to port them to the Wii U.  There is a solid line-up of first party support from August on and 2014 looks to be a killer year for Wii U, but there are still some problems Nintendo needs to work out before they get out of their current predicament.  I believe a price cut will definitely help, but it cannot be the only solution.  Overall, this Nintendo Direct may have been lacking in surprises, but it was still a solid show.  While the unacceptable technical difficulties did lower the grade significantly, this Nintendo Direct was one of the better showings at this year's E3.

Grade: C+

What I Want From E3 2013

It is that time of year once again.  E3 is nearly upon us and the anticipation is hitting an all time high.  The excitement this year is surrounding the next generation of gaming consoles, the Xbox One and PlayStation 4.  With new possibilities just around the corner, many are hoping for a knock out performance from the Big Three console manufacturers this year.  After last year’s abysmal show, there are quite a few, this writer included, which are not excited for what looks like more of the same generic sequel-driven crap that has plagued the last generation of consoles for years taking over E3 once again.  While my hopes for E3 are at an all time low, there is a slight possibility that opinions can change in a weeks’ time.  This change of opinion will be the result of the fulfillment of the list below.  Welcome to what I personally want from this year’s E3.

Games

Funny enough, the latest trend sweeping the biggest video game trade show in the world is not to show any video games at all.  Sounds ridiculous, but it is a sad reality.  Bigger companies such as Microsoft seem to be more interested in shoving their entertainment ventures down our collective throats rather than showing what the gamers actually want.  Yes, shareholders take a huge interest in E3, but the largest audience for this show is gamers.  As gamers, we do not want to see how the 360 can substitute as a television.  This concept might be bewildering to some, but gamers watch E3 to see the latest and greatest upcoming games nothing more, nothing less.  It would be nice for these game publishers to spend time on actual video games rather than bore us with features that do not concern gamers in the least.

Surprises

In this day and age, genuine surprises are hard to come by.  They are usually leaked somewhere on the World Wide Web well before the reveal actually happens.  These leaks do stir up speculation and provide excellent stories for websites.  The adverse effect is that gamers do not get surprised anymore since everything is spoiled for them on the Internet.  That feeling of astonishment when a game reveal catches you completely by surprise is unlike no other feeling.  Last year, the only real surprise was Watch Dogs and it blew our collective socks off.  Not every surprise is good one, but it is nice to get something unexpected over something we are already familiar with.  

Retro’s New Game

Speaking of surprises, there has been one secret that Nintendo has been holding close to their chest for a year now.  That secret being Retro Studios' unannounced game project for the Wii U.  In the past decade, Retro Studios has quickly earned a high position in Nintendo's stable of developers.  Retro easily filled the void that Rare left when Microsoft bought them.  Consistently creating excellent games for Nintendo systems such as the Metroid Prime series and Donkey Kong Country Returns, it is easy to see the extraordinary amount of anticipation there is for this unannounced project.  It could be anything from the return of an established Nintendo franchise like Metroid, Star Fox or F-Zero or even a whole new IP.  The possibilities are endless.  No matter what this game is, Nintendo has this surprise in their back pocket ready just to blow us all away.  Nintendo fans, myself included, have been impatiently waiting for a year so hopefully Nintendo reveals their trump card this E3 when they definitely need it.

Reasons to Care About Next Gen

The next generation of gaming consoles has been laid out before us gamers in the months leading up to E3.  As much anticipation people have for these new systems, there is just as much or even more skepticism.  Personally, Sony and Microsoft have shown nothing to make gamers care about the next generation consoles.  All the games that have been shown so far have just been sequels with shinier graphics.  There has been nothing shown that could not run on the current generation Xbox 360 or PS3 with proper optimization.  There is no purpose in spending about 600 to 700 dollars on a new game system that can play the same games already coming out on the Xbox 360 and PS3.  The industry has reached the peak of gaming technology as we currently know it.  The strides made in this current console generation were so vast that the jump between this current gen and next gen is barely even noticable.  Game companies can put as many particles and polygons on a screeen as they want, nothing will ever compare to the incredible jump between blocky standard definition graphics and smooth high definition graphics.  Due to that huge graphical jump, the industry could get away with touting visuals over gameplay this past generation.  This time around it will not be so easy as most gamers want to see actual gameplay over a superficial CG trailers that have nothing to do with the actual game.  E3 is the last big chance for Sony and Microsoft to sway consumers to buy their consoles at launch.  Shiny graphics alone will not be able to get the job done.  Sony and Microsoft need to provide consumers with tangible evidence on why we should care about these new machines if they want success this coming holiday season.

E3 2012: Nintendo E3 Press Conference Impressions

Monday was a big day filled to the brim of press conferences.  While Tuesday only has one press conference to speak of, it does mark the first day of show floor is open.  To start the day is Nintendo with their big E3 press conference.  As all eyes were on the Big N, it was their time to deliver and give gamers a reason to buy a Wii U over PS3 or Xbox 360.

The last few Nintendo Press Conferences have been pretty strong.  With the first big unveiling, you would think Nintendo would pull all the stops in order to steal all the thunder away from Microsoft and Sony once again.  Sadly this press conference did not live up the incredible expectations fans and the media put on it.  By all means, it was a decent conference on par with Sony's Press Conference and better than EA's and Microsoft's showings.  While the focus, other than one little segment, was on the Wii U, Nintendo did not do much to give a sole reason for gamers to pick up their newest console over the PS3 or Xbox 360, which will most likely seeing price drops to compete with the Wii U.  The show did start off strong with Mr. Miyamoto and the very first look at Pikmin 3.  Pikmin 3 looked great with all the new features like four new playable characters, a new class of Pikmin and the two different control styles.  The Pikmin 3 showcase was easily the best thing about Nintendo's Press Conference.  Reggie Fils-Aime followed Pikmin 3 by quickly summarizing features of the Wii U controller and the Miiverse, which both had in-depth showcases during the Nintendo Direct video from this past Sunday, before showing off New Super Mario Bros. U.  Super Mario Bros. U was very interesting with a few tidbits at the connection with Miiverse and the asynchronous gameplay use of the Wii U Gamepad like creating platforms that other players can use to get to unreachable areas.  Nintendo then introduced their renewed focus on third-party partnerships with two WB Games for Wii U, Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition and Scribblenauts Unlimited.  Batman: Arkham City did have some cool exclusive features for Wii, but the Scribblenauts Unlimited footage really took centre stage.  We got a set of trailers, one for Wii Fit U and another for a new music game called SiNG, which was one of the low points of the show.  Later in the show, we got some more third-party games now from Ubisoft.  The Just Dance 4 demo was horrid while the ZombiU had an interesting trailer to say the least.  That was followed by Lego City: Undercover, which looked like a very cool mix between the Lego franchise and the open world formula of a GTA, but a lot less violent and graphic.  We also got a quick little rundown of three first-party games for 3DS (New Super Mario Bros. 2, Papar Mario: Sticker Star and Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon) that could of easily been cut out of the conference to make room for more Wii U demos/reveals since there will be a hour long conference dedicated just to 3DS tomorrow evening.  Nintendo ended off the show with Nintendo Land, a virtual Nintendo theme park that integrates with Miiverse and has 12 mini-games based on Nintendo's biggest franchises.  Nintendo Land looks to do for Wii U what Wii Sports did for Wii.  It is meant to get gamers accustomed to the Wii U's new features and controller and would be a great game to pack-in with the Wii U, Nintendo.  The Nintendo Land demo was just okay, but in no way should it have been the final game Nintendo had to show off.  Nintendo needed to end their conference with a bang.  Be it a teaser of a new first-party game or a demo of whatever Retro Studios was rumoured to be working on.  It was a huge missed opportunity and made this conference come out a little flat when everything was said and done.

Overall, Nintendo's E3 Press Conference was an okay showing.  While it did fall flat with no real surprises, what Nintendo did offer was an enjoyable conference nonetheless.  Just Dance 4, SiNG, Wii Fit U and Zombie Reggie were the only real low points of this conference and they did not drag on longer than a minute or two.

Grade:  C+