Star Fox Zero, Zelda: Triforce Heroes and a bunch of other stuff
Nintendo started their E3 like they’ve done in years past, with a digital event on the Internet and not a press conference like the other big companies. This strategy has worked in the past for Nintendo but this year’s digital event was met with mixed results. Since Nintendo had announced that Zelda for Wii U wasn’t going to be appearing at E3 this year, everyone was wondering what Nintendo was going to bring with them to Los Angeles this year?
The presentation started off in grand fashion with Reggie, Mr. Iwata., and Mr. Miyamoto as Muppets. When I saw these Muppets, the first thing that came to my mind was when Bart ask Homer on the Simpsons what a Muppet was. Homer said “they’re not quite a mop, they’re not quite a puppet, but man, they’re. To answer the question I don’t know.” When Nintendo says they’re going to extend their brand, they really mean it. Last year’s digital event had Robot Chicken and this year had the Muppets.
First game up on the docket for the digital event was Star Fox Zero which is coming out for the holiday season. Transformation will be key in Star Fox with the Arwing being able to transform into Walker mode. It was mentioned that Walker Mode was in Star Fox 2 but since that was never seen outside Japan, this was the perfect time to use it. This was also apparent when Reggie and co transformed into Fox’s team during the presentation. I was blown away by the graphics of Star Fox Zero when I saw them during the digital event but when you find out the game uses gyro controls, it scares me a little. I have always been a little turned off by things like that but I’m going into Star Fox Zero with an open mind.
It’s an anniversary for our favorite plumber from Brooklyn. Mario is turning the big 3-0 and he doesn’t look a day over 25. Super Mario Maker will allow players to create their own Mario levels that take inspiration from various Mario games such as Super Mario 3 and Super Mario World. You’ll be able to play levels with friends globally and see who the best Mario player around is! The levels range from simple to mad scientist crazy so have fun with them and be creative.
Skylanders is one of the most popular franchises around but Nintendo couldn’t join in on that, could they? What would you say if I told you Bowser and DK were joining the ranks of the Skylanders? I’ll give you a minute to pick up your jaw. Turbo Charged DK and Hammer Slam Bowser are joining Skylanders Supercharged just in time for the series to add supercharged vehicles! DK throws barrels and Bowser throws hammers, shockers I know! The interesting thing with these two figures is that they double as Skylanders and Amiibo by a flip of a switch on the bottom of their base.
The Legend of Zelda and Metroid both make appearances in the Nintendo Digital Event and this could be where the digital event starts to take a dive (after the Zelda reveal, of course) The Legend of Zelda: Triforce Heroes is a multiplayer Zelda game that looks a lot like a Link Between Worlds. Another gameplay/graphical comparison could be 4 Swords Adventures. The game is all about teamwork and you’ll have to work with your teammates if you expect to get anywhere in the world that is heavily into fashion! Clothes dictate what abilities your character will have so make sure you know what certain clothes do!
Hyrule Warriors is coming to the 3DS and will have all the DLC characters. It will also have new additions from the Windwaker franchise such as Tetra so fans of the series will want to pick this up in the first quarter of 2016. Now is where the downward swing could have occurred for people, when Metroid was mentioned and it wasn’t the one people wanted. Metroid Prime: Federation Force is a multiplayer game where you team up to complete co-op missions. You perform these co-op missions in robot mech-suits and then play 3 on 3 Blast Ball. Blast Ball is fun and similar to soccer but don’t get hit with the ball too much. If you do, your robot will explode and you’ll have to eject.
The lack of a new legit Animal Crossing game probably got the fans of Nintendo upset. I’m not saying we didn’t get any Animal Crossing games, we get the Happy Home Designer and the Amiibo Festival but these feel like applications that could be downloaded onto your Wii U. I would have no problem with the Amiibo Festival being unlocked with the Animal Crossing Amiibo!
Next, the fans received two 3DS games, Yokai Watch and Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam. Yokai Watch is like Pokémon where you locate entities by using your watch. This game has been talked about for a long time so its good to finally see it. Mario and Luigi: Paper Jam has the worlds of Mario and Luigi and Paper Mario colliding. Will other characters interact with eachother as well such as Bowser or Princess?
The Nintendo Digital Event was a mixed bag. It was good to see Star Fox Zero but we didn’t get Metroid and The Legend of Zelda got left out of the show. Since we already knew Zelda wasn’t coming, I wasn’t sure what to expect from Nintendo and was happen to see Triforce Heroes and Mario Tennis: Ultimate Smash!
