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E3 2006: Micah's Biggest Surprises from Nintendo's Pre-show
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I had heard the name of this game leaked onto message boards late the night before the conference, and I began to grow giddy with anticipation. What exactly would this game entail? Would I be able to send Mario careening across space from one mini-planet to another, each possessing its own unique physics and enemies? I went to sleep with thoughts of my favorite plumber leaping into the murky depths of space as he embarked upon a quest worthy of his oh so lofty pedigree. As the E3 demo reel started to roll and Mario Galaxy footage began to play on the screen, I realized that this is exactly the sort of gameplay I would be seeing in the new title. The trailer shown was painfully short, but it served pretty well to whet my appetite for a game such as this.
It seems that the game will make extensive use of the FHC, just as I had hoped, allowing Mario to perform a number of distinct moves unprecedented in a Mario game. Mario can jump, flip, kick, punch, and everything else that we have come to expect from him all through minor movements of the FHC. Through watching just this short 20-second video, I've grown excited to a level that only matches the feeling I first got when I saw Super Mario 64 for the first time all the way back in 1995. I am envisioning a game where the unique gravity is actually palpable for each of the planets; a game where I can perform astonishing leaps across black chasms of space. Most of all, I want a game which will usher in a new era of 3D platformers, where the control is so easy to use and so fluid that people of all ages can perform marvelous feats of acrobatic skill with ease. It looks like Super Mario Galaxy has a good chance of being that game. I can't wait to see what Nintendo has in store for us.
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I was really anticipating Smash Bros. for Wii. I think this title is easily one of the most important for Nintendo as they go into risky territory with their unique approach to "new-gen" gaming. Super Smash Brothers Melee is by far the best selling game on the GameCube even though it was one of the first games on the system. A Wii sequel that retains the same gameplay that made Smash Brothers so addictive is a very important game for Nintendo. Nevertheless, it failed to appear at the press conference. Who knows whether we will see a video of it in the coming days, but at the very least, this means it will not be a launch title. This is a hard pill for me to swallow as a Nintendo gamer.
It seems like Nintendo realized that they would be blowing their wad a little prematurely if they released Twilight Princess, Super Mario Galaxy, and Super Smash Bros. Wii all at launch day, and so they decided to push the game back to pad their upcoming release schedule. While this is a perfectly sound business strategy, the problem that it may lead to is that Smash Bros. was supposed to be the star game in Nintendo's online service. Now there might not be any key online title to be the flagship for the launch of the system. In fact, Nintendo barely even made reference to their online plans at all. This is a semi-bad sign as we all know how much people have been clamoring for Nintendo to finally make the plunge into online gaming and to do it right. I know that delaying Smash Bros. into 2007 is the right thing to do, but I really hope that this is a not a sign of weakness in Nintendo's online plans, but more of a testament to their devotion to solid game development.
[ NOTE: Super Smash Bros. Brawl has since been unveiled by Nintendo. Scratch one disappointment! ]
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This game came as a complete surprise to me. It is totally out of left field as far as not only game design, but just who in fact was developing it. The developer of the game has turned out to be Monolith, the developers of acclaimed titles such as Baten Kaitos and Xenosaga. Not only were these games of high quality, they were also aimed at more mature audiences. And this in fact makes me extremely excited for this new IP. It is not exactly that I am some sucker for "mature" content in video games, but a game like this can go a long way towards revamping Nintendo's image.
Additionally, this game does not sound like it features your conventional "run-and-gun" gameplay that is repackaged so often within this industry. Instead, players will find themselves racing down the slopes of volcanoes as they erupt and stumbling through wreckage as buildings collapse down around them. This game could be something that ends up being phenomenal when played with the Wiimote (as some members of the press have started to call the new controller). I hope that this game ends up pushing the power of the Wii so that a sufficient feeling of desperation is conveyed through the experience. This game should be terrifying to play, as death might be lurking around every turn while it feels like the entire world is about to come down around you.
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// A mysterious character within the Banjo-Kazooie series was meant to star in his own N64 spin-off...
Click for more . . .
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// Delve into the philosophical world of gaming in this Pikmin 2 special, Buried Treasures
Check it out . . .
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