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+

Launch Station: Mario Tennis Open

Out of all the Mario sports games that have been released over the years, my personal favourite has been Mario Tennis.  I found Mario Tennis to be a very competitive affair with friends and family while also having tournaments to conquer on your own.  To this point, most handheld Mario sports games have stuck with a more RPG single-player story mode than the tournaments found in their console brethren.  With Mario Tennis Open, Nintendo and Camelot look to bring the Mario sports console experience to the 3DS in style.  Mario Tennis Open releases this Sunday, May 20th alongside the new Midnight Purple 3DS.

Again Mario and friends pick their tennis racquets to compete on courts and tournaments across the Mushroom Kingdom.  Mario Tennis Open has 17 characters for you to choose from including your own Mii, which you can personalize with new clothes and equipment.  Mario Tennis Open includes your regular singles and doubles tennis matches along with some special games such as Super Mario Tennis, Ring Shot and Galaxy Rally to play.  Mario Tennis Open offers a few different ways to control the game. There are the standard button combinations and circle pad combination for Mario Tennis veterans.  For those gamers just picking up a Mario Tennis game for the first time, Camelot has added the touch screen controls to execute shots and gyro controls to make Mario Tennis Open more approachable to newcomers than any other game in the series.  The biggest addition to the Mario Tennis series in Mario Tennis Open is the inclusion of local and online multi-player over the Nintendo Network.  Mario Tennis Open also uses StreetPass to exchange Miis with other Mario Tennis Open players, which offers players a steady stream of opponents to face on the tennis court.

The more I write about Mario Tennis Open the more I just want to sit down and play a Mario Tennis game.  Mario Tennis Open should be a solid offering for 3DS owners that are done with Kid Icarus: Uprising.  Personally I am most excited about is the online multi-player.  As much as I enjoy playing a competitive match of Mario Tennis with my brothers, I am excited to challenge new people over the Nintendo Network.  Win or lose, it should be a ton of fun.  While I am not going to pick up Mario Tennis Open right away, I will definitely be buying it the near future.  When I do, I will see you all on the court.