Nintendophiles 07.16.08: The E3 Edition

Posted by Theo Fraser on 07.16.2008

The Nintendo E3 keynote speech has come and gone, so it’s time to recap the good and the bad. Plus, with in-depth previews of Call of Duty: World at War, Fatal Frame IV, Smackdown vs Raw 2009, the new MotionPlus Wii remote accessory and more, you’d be a fool to miss out on the biggest Nintendophiles yet!





Welcome Nintendo fans (and those of you who are just hear to poke fun at us about the mere existence of Barbie as the Island Princess on Wii) to a special edition of Nintendophiles this week, as we celebrate the annual gaming extravaganza known simply as E3. At the time of writing, things have only just gotten underway, but already it's been a crazy year, what with Microsoft snatching away Sony's exclusivity deal with Final Fantasy XIII. What do Nintendo have in store us? Read on to find out...


The Nintendo E3 Keynote Speech

Ramon Aranda has provided a tremendous account of the keynote speech itself, so you should definitely check that out first. What I'll provide here are my instant reactions to the announcements as they are made, as I'm writing this in ‘real-time' alongside the conference itself (think of this as Jack-Bauer-meets-Nintendophiles). I'm actually writing this section of the report last, so once this is all out of the way, everything else is "pre-E3" stuff from the hours and days leading up to the event. Hence why you'll find a few comments relating to what we'll "hopefully" hear from the keynote speech and the E3 event itself. Anyway, the conference looks to be getting under way, so without further ado...

-Shaun White Snowboarding. Predictable move, we all saw this sort of thing coming for the Balance Board. If it works well, I can see no problem.

-ANIMAL CROSSING WII. Woo hoo. Yes, it was all but revealed a few weeks ago, but it's great to see Animal Crossing: City Folk officially confirmed. Disappointed that it doesn't appear to have been upgraded visually, but there are some nice additions to the franchise, and I like the added emphasis on online play. The city stuff looks cool, although with Gracie, Lyle and loads of the ‘visiting characters' from past editions, who is left to actually visit your village now?

-Reggie still kicks ass. That is all.

-Lifetime sales of the Wii in the US= 10 million systems. DS has surpassed 20 million.Wii is basically kicking ass over everything. Good stuff. Although we already knew all of this as Nintendo likes to tell us every month anyway!

-Three new Wii games detailed. Clone Wars, Rayman Raving Rabbids: TV Party, and Call of Duty: World at War. All of which we already knew about. That sucks. Call of Duty looks nice though, I picked up on some good particle effects.

-Grand Theft Auto on DS! Wonderful news. Subtitled Chinatown Wars, we've seen no screens or footage, but it's coming, and it's retaining the sandbox gameplay we've come to expect from the series. Excellent stuff, is it too much to hope this is shown on the showroom floor this week?

-Wii Sports Resort announced, takes advantage of the new MotionPlus accessory (see below for more on that). Three modes detailed; Frisbee throwing, jet skiing and sword duelling. Jet skiing looks terrific, who needs Wave Race?! Doesn't look too complex but good Lord I could see myself having a ton of fun with this. I officially love Reggie again after his comment, "That's why they call me the Reggienator." Reginald, I salute you good sir. Global launch of Wii Sports Resort next Spring. Having seen this, I'm exceptionally excited about this new MotionPlus accessory. If it's easy to develop for and third-party developers properly take advantage of it,

-Wii Music uses balance board, nice touch! The whole thing looks very intuitive, this'll sell like hotcakes.

-Five people playing at once, great multiplayer I imagine. Although you really don't look as cool as when you play Rock Band.

-End of conference. Was rather disappointing at first, but picked up when GTA Chinatown Wars was announced. Wii Sports Resort is an exciting concept, and the technology involved in the MotionPlus accessory opens up the potential for some truly amazing stuff. Can't wait to see what other games are included in Resort.




At last, it's here - 1:1 motion control on Wii
Credit: Cubed3, IGN

Prior to Nintendo's Pre-E3 Conference, company executives revealed one of Nintendo's big announcements for the show, unveiling the MotionPlus accessory that slots into the base of the Wii Remote and allows for pixel-perfect precision pointing (try saying THAT after a few Coronas) and 1:1 motion control, replicating your real-life movements in real-time in-game. From the press release,


Nintendo's upcoming Wii MotionPlus accessory for the revolutionary Wii Remote controller again redefines game control, by more quickly and accurately reflecting motions in a 3-D space. The Wii MotionPlus accessory attaches to the end of the Wii Remote and, combined with the accelerometer and the sensor bar, allows for more comprehensive tracking of a player's arm position and orientation, providing players with an unmatched level of precision and immersion. Every slight movement players make with their wrist or arm is rendered identically in real time on the screen, providing a true 1:1 response in their game play. The Wii MotionPlus accessory reconfirms Nintendo's commitment to making games intuitive and accessible for everyone. Nintendo will reveal more details about the Wii MotionPlus accessory and other topics Tuesday morning at its E3 media briefing.


You'll no doubt be dying to see what the thing actually looks like, so here's the official picture:




It's inoffensive and looks to be of the same girth as the remote itself, so I can't see any complaints being made there. What isn't clear from the picture is how the nunchuk fits in, although one would assume that it would simply clip into place in the opening at the bottom of the MotionPlus accessory. We'll know for sure once Nintendo's keynote speech is over.

As far as I'm concerned, I can see no room for criticism. I've seen various message board posts moaning about the fact that Wii owners are ‘being charged for technology that should have been there from the start', but that's unreasonable. The technology simply wasn't there. I'd liken it to the PS3's situation with the DualShock controller, where the rumble feature was omitted due to time constraints and resources. Sure, it probably could have been included from the PS3 launch, but most likely to the detriment of other more significant features. What matters is that it is available now, and I have the same sentiment regarding the MotionPlus. We shouldn't be concerning ourselves with irrelevancies like that; we should merely be enthusiastic about the potential it now gives future Wii titles. First person shooters will finally get that ‘revolutionary' facelift we've been searching for. Heck, LucasArts might actually be able to give us the Lightsaber simulation title we've been dreaming of.

Nintendo will debut the accessory during the keynote speech, and whilst I'm not particularly a betting man, I'd wager that Nintendo have a game up their sleeves to go along with this, much like how Link's Crossbow Training was packaged with the Wii Zapper. Zelda with ‘real' sword combat? Excuse me whilst I go change my pants...




Layeth the Smacketh down on all of E3
Credit: IGN, Gamesmaster

E3 is always used as a platform to showcase the latest THQ WWE offering, and this year is no exception as WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 will be available for punters to get a little hands-on time with. However, a select few have already had that privilege, having been invited out to attend a special playtest prior to E3, where the Wii and DS versions were demoed alongside the ‘standard' versions on 360 and PS3. With our 411 representatives at the show, it'd be pointless to give a full rundown of what to expect in terms of gameplay, so we'll save that for one of the 411 Games exclusive previews. What I'd like to focus on here is the addition of gimmick matches.

No WWE game is complete without a selection of gimmick matches (which is why last year's Wii edition wasn't so successful), and thankfully Yukes have worked hard to bring the goods to Nintendo platforms. On the Wii, Ladder matches and Cage matches have been spotted, with more to be announced at the show itself. Yukes have been more forthcoming about the lineup in the DS iteration, revealing that the title will include Hardcore, Tables, Steel Cage, Ladder, TLC and Last Man Standing matches. Considering last year's effort only included a standard one-on-one match, that's terrific news.

On Wii, the gimmick matches will make full use of the Wii's capabilities. Wait, don't let that scare you! Ladder matches will require you to successfully execute a timing-based mini-game, and with each successful attempt, you'll knock the belt off the cable a notch. This has the potential to revolutionise the way we play Ladder matches, which have always previously relied on an RSI-inducing "hammer the A button" system. This looks to give Ladder matches a lot more interactivity, and an added level of strategy as opposing players can now take advantage of how much you've knocked the belt off and literally steal it from your grasp at the last second.

Cage matches on the Wii sound like a heck of a lot of fun. You'll climb the cage by swinging the Wii remote and nunchuk in turn, as if actually climbing, hand by hand. Fans of massive spots and bumps will be pleased to hear that for the first time in a Nintendo WWE game, you'll finally be able to stand on top of the cage and dive off onto your foe below. Cage match interaction doesn't end there, however, as you'll be able to shake both hands to shake the cage door and slam it back in your opponent's face. Get Santino in there and smash his face open!

Hopefully over the coming days we'll find out a load more regarding WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 on Wii and DS.




The Conduit aims high on Wii
Credit: IGN

I'll certainly be keeping my eyes open for this one during coverage of E3 this week, as The Conduit is shaping up to be THE game that shows how Wii FPS titles should work. Developer High Voltage spoke to IGN this past week about what to expect from the E3 demo, and where development currently sits.

The Conduit has seen praise from many sources, but it still has its fair share of detractors. From that camp, it's been said that the title doesn't do anything ‘new' or fresh, merely rehashing old ideas instead of forming innovative gameplay methods. I'd argue that at this point in time, it's very difficult to give a completely fresh FPS experience without it seeming gimmicky. That's not to say it can't be done (Bioshock is a fine example of how the genre can be given a much-needed shot in the arm), but a game shouldn't be written off purely because it doesn't offer a revolutionary way of playing. Having said this, The Conduit has one seemingly insignificant feature that could in actual fact end up being a huge factor in the game's appeal; fully customizable controls.

Yes indeed, you read that correctly. And by ‘fully', that doesn't mean simply swapping the trigger from the B button to the A button, a la Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. No, High Voltage have taken a page out of Masahiro Sakurai's playbook for Super Smash Bros. Brawl and are allowing you to map the controls anywhere on the Wii remote and nunchuk. Even more excitingly, you'll be able to map commands to specific motion-controlled gestures, meaning a shake of the nunchuk could result in a grenade-throw and a twist of the remote could allow you to reload. Not only does this give the player ample room for messing around and having fun with the control scheme, it also allows you to find the best possible layout, ensuring that gameplay is tailored to your exact needs. This should eliminate any and all frustrations with the controls, allowing players to sit back and enjoy the experience from start to finish.

It seems that developers are finally coming round to the idea that online play CAN work well on the Wii, and High Voltage are no exception here, offering a 16-man online multiplayer, with the standard Deathmatch and Capture the Flag modes available. So long as development on this continues without a hitch, more complex scenarios and modes may be added, but High Voltage have stressed that they aim to provide "quality over quantity." I whole heartedly agree with this approach, as I'd much rather have a simple but robust online multiplayer that is actually fun and rewarding to play, rather than a watered-down effort that has ideas bigger than it is capable of.

As far as the E3 demo is concerned, attendees will be able to play through one of the later stages in the game (albeit stuck on the Easy setting so as to let casual/sucky players progress through the whole thing), which gives gamers a good look at The Drudge, the main enemies of the title. Several weapons will be at your disposal, and the environment on offer is said to show off what the game is capable of graphically, so it would seem that High Voltage are looking to impress passersby with The Conduit's visual prowess. From the little that I've seen myself, I'm already sold, so it'll be interesting to see what players think at E3 this week when they get a chance to go hands-on with the game themselves.




Rock Band 2 official for Wii
Credit: MTV Games

More of a tidbit than a full-on news piece, but gamers should be pleased to hear that Rock Band 2 has been officially confirmed for the Wii, after doubts about it being brought to Nintendo's home console were raised when the title was only confirmed as coming to the 360 this September. Harmonix followed up their press release by revealing plans for the sequel to come to PS3, PS2 and Wii a short while after the 360 release, but before the end of the year, presumably in early December in time for The Christmas Rush (TM).

Does this mean Microsoft have signed a short exclusivity deal with Harmonix? Could the move reflect the 360 version being the most successful (although that's hardly fair as it's had quite a head start over other versions)? Could it also mean the majority of resources are being put into the 360 version? Wii owners were distinctly short changed with the first Rock Band, which was figuratively castrated, featuring no online mode, no character creation, and no World Tour. At the very least, I'd hope for downloadable content from the upcoming sequel, although Harmonix will likely fault the Wii's lack of external hard-drive and ‘petite' on-board memory as a reason for being unable to do so.

Rock Band 2 is scheduled to debut to the gaming media on the E3 showroom floor, so hopefully we'll learn more about the Wii iteration in the coming days.


UPDATE: Full 84-track listing revealed...

• AC/DC "Let There Be Rock"


• AFI "Girl's Gone Grey"


• Alanis Morissette "You Oughta Know"


• Alice in Chains "Man in the Box"


• Allman Brothers "Ramblin' Man"


• Avenged Sevenfold "Almost Easy"


• Bad Company "Shooting Star"


• Beastie Boys "So Whatcha Want"


• Beck "E-Pro"


• Bikini Kill "Rebel Girl"


• Billy Idol "White Wedding Pt. I"


• Blondie "One Way or Another"


• Bob Dylan "Tangled Up in Blue"


• Bon Jovi "Livin' on a Prayer"


• Cheap Trick "Hello There"


• Devo "Uncontrollable Urge"


• Dinosaur Jr. "Feel the Pain"


• Disturbed "Down with the Sickness"


• Dream Theater "Panic Attack"


• Duran Duran "Hungry Like the Wolf"


• Elvis Costello "Pump It Up"


• Fleetwood Mac "Go Your Own Way"


• Foo Fighters "Everlong"


• Guns N' Roses "Shackler's Revenge"


• Interpol "PDA"


• Jane's Addiction "Mountain Song"


• Jethro Tull "Aqualung"


• Jimmy Eat World "The Middle"


• Joan Jett "Bad Reputation"


• Journey "Anyway You Want It"


• Judas Priest "Painkiller"


• Kansas "Carry On Wayward Son"


• L7 "Pretend We're Dead"


• Lacuna Coil "Our Truth"


• Linkin Park "One Step Closer"


• Lit "My Own Worst Enemy"


• Lush "De-Luxe"


• Mastodon "Colony of Birchmen"


• Megadeth "Peace Sells"


• Metallica "Battery"


• Mighty Mighty Bosstones "Where'd You Go"


• Modest Mouse "Float On"


• Motorhead "Ace of Spades"


• Nirvana "Drain You"


• Norman Greenbaum "Spirit in the Sky"


• Panic at the Disco "Nine in the Afternoon"


• Paramore "That's What You Get"


• Pearl Jam "Alive"


• Presidents of the USA "Lump"


• Rage Against the Machine "Testify"


• Ratt "Round & Round"


• Red Hot Chili Peppers "Give it Away"


• Rise Against "Give it All"


• Rush "The Trees"


• Silversun Pickups "Lazy Eye"


• Smashing Pumpkins "Today"


• Social Distortion "I Was Wrong"


• Sonic Youth "Teenage Riot"


• Soundgarden "Spoonman"


• Squeeze "Cool for Cats"


• Steely Dan "Bodhitsattva"


• Steve Miller Band "Rock'n Me"


• Survivor "Eye of the Tiger"


• System of a Down "Chop Suey"


• Talking Heads "Psycho Killer"


• Tenacious D "Master Exploder"


• Testament "Souls of Black"


• The Donnas "New Kid in School"


• The Go-Go's "We Got the Beat"


• The Grateful Dead "Alabama Getaway"


• The Guess Who "American Woman"


• The Muffs "Kids in America"


• The Offspring "Come Out & Play (Keep 'em Separated)"


• The Replacements "Alex Chilton"


• The Who "Pinball Wizard"


Bonus :

• Abnormality "Visions"


• Anarchy Club "Get Clean"


• Bang Camaro "Night Lies"


• Breaking Wheel "Shoulder to the Plow"


• The Libyans "Neighborhood"


• The Main Drag "A Jagged Gorgeous Winter"


• Speck "Conventional Lover"


• The Sterns "Supreme Girl"


• That Handsome Devil "Rob the Prez-O-Dent"

Opening the aperture on Fatal Frame IV
Credit: IGN, Famitsu

Screens for Fatal Frame IV have been released in drips and drabs, but this didn't stop them from impressing the Fatal Frame fanbase. Despite ever-increasing interest in the title, very little was actually known about it...until now. Not that developer Tecmo have revealed a ton, but it's enough to whet our appetites, and with the Japanese release hitting store shelves on July 31st, those unanswered questions shall no doubt be solved.





The names of places and people will likely change for the Western release of Fatal Frame IV (known as Zero: Tsukihami no Kamen in Japan), but as it stands, you'll be traversing Rougetsu Island, a place where five girls were abducted and taken to in their youth. Two of those very girls, Misaki and Madoka, return to the island, hoping to find out what went on all those years ago. Main character Ruka Minazuki follows them, but the snag is she's lost all of her memory prior to the abductions. This is where the Famitsu translation gets a bit hazy, as it's not apparent if Ruka herself was one of the kidnapped girls, but nevertheless, it all starts coming back to her as she progresses through the island (and, by proxy, the game).

Aside from controlling Ruka Minazuki, you'll also be thrust into the cockpit of Choushiro Kirishima (yeah, that one's DEFINITELY changing for the West), who was the detective who rescued the five girls originally. He gets the ‘pleasure' of revisiting Rougetsu Island, after Ruka's mother recruits him to go after her and bring her back safely. Ruka and Choushiro's paths will undoubtedly cross at some point, but for the majority of the action you'll be swapping back and forth between the two, armed only with a camera and a torch to fend off these pesky ghosts. No idea where said ghosts come into it though. Mind you, SUDA 51 is on board the development team; did you REALLY expect to follow the whole plot?

The in-game menu system was briefly mentioned by the Famitsu guys, and aside from the usual Map and Use Item options, it appears that saving your data can be accessed at any time from the main menu. Will this be like the save function of Zelda, which allows you to save at any time but throws you back to the beginning of a dungeon when you restart, or will it be like the Quicksave function found in most PC FPS titles? This is a feature seldom found in console titles, so it's an interesting prospect, albeit a perplexing move, given the fact that Quicksave kind of takes away the fear of instant death, which in turn defeats the object of a survival horror. As I said earlier, the game sees an Eastern release in 2 weeks, so if we're patient for a little while longer, we'll find out soon enough. Personally, I'm just eager to see the game in motion; the screenshots have been drool-worthy, and I'm keen to see if this carries over into the game itself.




World at War: Reporting for Duty on Wii and DS
Credit: Nintendic

I always love the week running up to E3, as some of the major publishers often hold special conferences, meetings and demo days, inviting the gaming media to get an early look at their E3 offerings in a more comfortable and quieter environment. Treyarch representatives Rich Farrelly and Noah Heller (the Creative Director and Senior Producer, respectively) recently sat down to speak specifically about the Wii and DS versions of Call of Duty: World at War, the latest in the Call of Duty franchise that looks to take a far more grittier turn than we've previously seen.

Farrelly and Heller started off by mentioning that the Wii "has not been pushed to its limits yet". With World at War, Treyarch are looking to do just that, and not only in a visual sense; a revision of the Call of Duty 4 engine is being used, which means that Wii owners are in store for some top-notch physics as well. Clearly, this will be no cheap knock-off, evident in the fact that the Wii version will support everything that the 360 and PS3 versions include. Yes, this includes online play, and we are told that the game will run at a solid 30FPS whether it be online or offline. A co-operative mode has already been confirmed, but Heller and Farrelly state that there is something still being kept under wraps regarding this. Online co-operative, perhaps?

The Wii version has the benefit of being Wii Zapper-enabled, and currently this functions in the manner you would expect, i.e. shooting off-screen to reload, etc. We should know more about this on the E3 showroom floor.

Top priority is apparently being given to the camera and how it is controlled. I can't tell you how pleasing it is to hear that, as dodgy camera controls can easily ruin a good game and are especially problematic in first person shooters. The developers gave an example of the kind of features they hope to implement in this regard:

For example, if you are climbing on a hill, in a game, you would have to adjust the point of view manually…but that is not as in reality, where you would instinctively look a bit higher over your head. That is the kind of adjustment we have obtained working on cameras on the Wii version.

Finishing up on the Wii side of things, the Treyarch reps pointed out that they are aiming to bring more fluidity to the actual shooting in the game. Specifics weren't mentioned in this regard, but look for tightened animations and less visual ‘jumping' when swapping weapons. This should help to add another level of realism to the proceedings and will keep it on a parallel with the ultra-smooth next-gen versions on 360 and PS3.

Of course, with all the excitement over the very promising-looking Wii version, we can't ignore the handheld iteration on DS. The major improvement over last year's DS offering is that online play is being introduced, which is fantastic news. If the online modes of previous Call of Duty games are anything to go by, this should rocket straight to the top of the Most WiFi Connections list. Fingers crossed Treyarch are putting a lot of effort into this portion of the game.

Fans will be glad to hear that there are some more complex ideas floating around for potential touch-screen use, as opposed to the rather unimaginative proceedings of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on DS, which focused on cutting cables, turning off devices and disposing of bombs in mini-games. Again, this is still under wraps for now, but if the game is demoed at E3, we'll likely hear all about it in a day or two. The combat system is said to be drastically improved, but we are none the wiser as to how this will exactly be done.

I don't know about you, but even without seeing any screens I can honestly say I'm really liking the sound of this. The franchise is of a very high pedigree, and Call of Duty 3 on Wii was perfectly fine, only let down by a lacklustre online mode. This looks to be addressed in World at War, and with a visual lick of paint and improved physics engine, we could finally have an FPS on our hands that is actually worth getting excited about.




The E3 Titles To Look Out For

As always, I'll be back next week to cover the fallout from E3, but with the show only just kicking off at the time of writing, that seems like a helluva long way away. To compensate, I thought I'd rundown my pick of the Nintendo titles you should look out for over the next few days. All major gaming media sites will be providing coverage, so it won't be too hard to find all the info you need, but please remember that our 411 representatives are also reporting from the event, so check 411 Games first for any hands-on previews from Ramon Aranda, Caleb Newby and Jacob Lopez.

The Conduit - As mentioned earlier, this could be the next must-buy FPS title, and I'm particularly interested in seeing what people think of this upon getting to grips with it in person. The demo sounds as if it offers up a good idea of what we can expect from the full game, so these first impressions should be a good indication of what the rest of the gameplay provides.

Wii Music - The next Nintendo title to take the casual market by storm, Wii Music is shaping up to be an entertaining little jaunt. No idea as of yet if it has the depth to rival your Guitar Heroes and Rock Bands, but the presentation as part of the E3 conference looked pretty fun at least.

MadWorld - The debut trailer for this looked awesome, and as the only ‘mature' title for the Wii in the foreseeable future, I'm intrigued to see if there is any hidden depth to the gameplay or if it ends up being a simple (but oh so violent) hack-n-slash. Presentation-wise, it's excellent, but it's the gameplay I want to hear more about.




The 411 Games Crew

Derek Robbins and The 10th Hour celebrates all things E3 with a list of the Top 10 E3 Games he wants to see at the show this year!

The Full Circle 360 News Report is brought to you by Joe Roche and covers the Microsoft E3 Press Conference. Wow, Final Fantasy XIII making its way to the 360? That's like a sure sign of the apocalypse coming, right?

Mark Salmela goes B3yond the Report for E3 this week, in the final run up to the Sony press conference.

The Negative Edge News Report makes a triumphant return as Tommy Coloma brings you news on PS3 Trophies vs 360 Achievements, a Street Fighter title not making it to the US, Persona and MGS 4 talk and much more!

Chris Evans presents The PC Centric Extravaganza, with the first concept art for Half Life 2: Episode Three, talk on Left 4 Dead, and an awesome Far Cry 2 video.

Chris Vicari presents The Forgotten PC Games turns to Ultima Online from some retro RPG goodness.

Working Title by Jordan Williams tackles the Dead or Alive movie, and according to Mr Williams, it was awesome. Check out his thoughts on the film inside.

The Select and Start News Report is brought to you by Vincent Chiucchi, with news of a lawsuit between Konami and Harmonix, Jack Thompson losing his license permanently, the status of Activision and Blizzard and much more.

The Checkpoint takes a look at what it would take to make Guitar Hero IV fresh again. Check out what John Curry has to say on the matter.

Drew Collins debuts a new column on 411 Games with Coming Attractions, which takes a look at the week's upcoming game releases. Forget GameRankings, this is the only place you need to go to find out whether or not to make a purchase!


Phew, what a week! I think I need a little siesta. I'll see you back here in 7 days. Peace.

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