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Sliced Gaming Feature: E3 2009: Nintendo Press Conference

Writer: Nick Schaedel
Posted: 3rd June 2009, 2:34am

Here we are. Another year, another Nintendo Press Conference. Let's see what surprises they bring to the table for 2009.

 

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1:34am (South Australian Standard Time): As is usually the case with these things, it's starting late. It's now 9:05am on Tuesday in Los Angeles.

1:36am: Here we go. A montage of clips from their more mainstream games. 'Everyone's Game', it proclaims.

1:37am: Cammie Dunaway takes the stage. Talking about how the video game industry is now bigger than the movie and music industries combined, and attributes it to the wider casual movement. Innovation and surprises seems to be the theme of the show.

1:40am: Mario games montage. Where to next, when he's done it all before? 3D was great, but unsure about fourth dimension. The number 'four' is key. New Super Mario Bros. for Wii announced.

1:42am: Bill Trinen of Nintendo Treehouse takes stage. Multiplayer focus. Simultaneous co-op. Pick up players and throw them (for your advantage or their disadvantage). Main mode can be played in single player, and switch to multiplayer every day. Propeller suit lets you float with a shake of the Wii remote. Screen pans to accompany everyone, unless leading player goes too fast. At the end of the level, enemy kills and points are tallied. Launching worldwide in Holiday 2009.

1:46am: Now talking Wii Fit. Highest selling game of last fourteen (ish?) months both in US and worldwide. Trying to apply it to daily life, as people stopped using it. Wii Fit Plus announced. Customise training options to each person. Six new techniques. Pick and choose options, rapid fire training for twenty minutes without all the menus. Track calories you've burnt. Fifteen new balance games. Arriving this Fall (Spring) as bundle with Wii Balance Board, and as a standalone purchase for those who already bought it.

1:50am: Reggie Fils-Aime takes over from Cammie. Wii's success can be attributed to word of mouth, viral marketing, and, importantly, interface. Wii Remote, Nunchuk and Balance Board. MotionPlus is the next big thing. New sense of realism in gameplay - not just visually, but in terms of the feeling too. Trailer shows athletes using MotionPlus, with their actions re-enacted digitally. Wii Sports Resort seems to feature Basketball, Ping Pong, Archery and Kayaking too.

1:56am: Bill Trinen is back. Talking about Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus. Demoing the game live. The game starts with you sky-diving onto the island. Now, we're looking at archery. Hold Wiimote as bow, draw back nunchuk to tension string. Three shots per target, but have to arch shot to compensate for distance and wind.

2:01am: Reggie and Bill are competing in Basketball. Take aim, and then flick wrist to take shot. Reach down, grab a basketball, and then shoot. Reggie wins on the final ball. Launches in America on July 26th.

2:03am: Game is over. Other titles launching before Wii Sports Resort. Tiger Woods and Virtua Tennis coming soon. Red Steel 2 playable only with MotionPlus. Third party development flowing to the system. Last year in America, more third party games were sold on Wii ...

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