Takin' a break from the blog

Hey y'all. Just letting you know that it's time for a break! Despite the fact that I've only got a quarter of the amount of credit hours I normally have in a single semester of school, I'm feeling more stressed than ever this summer. I'll be free from school in two weeks. In the meantime, I need to focus on class more than I have of late, and that means something's gotta go. Unfortunately, as you may have guessed, it's the blog.

But I'm not gonna leave you without something Nintendo-related to think about! I'd like to highlight some of my favorite content from E3 2012! Prepare yourself!

The whole hour-and-ten-minute-long presentation from Tuesday morning can be viewed right here. Though it felt rather less than exciting, Nintendo fans shouldn't miss out!

Favorite Trailers
Rayman Legends (Wii U)
If you like music as much as you know I do, do yourself a favor and watch this trailer for Rayman Legends on Wii U.

New Super Mario Bros. U (Wii U)
My brother'll tell you that this was my favorite trailer in Nintendo's presentation. I'm particularly fond of the music. And did anyone else think it funny that getting mini Yoshi to shoot bubbles out of his mouth takes the shaking of the remote?

Project P - 100 (Wii U)
I have no idea what this game is all about, but the trailer for it was pretty entertaining.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star (3DS)
I love the music in this trailer! Aaaand it looks like a good game too. I've never played Paper Mario, but I will get around to that some day!

New Super Mario Bros. 2 (3DS)
Coins galore! Return of Reznor! New gold-related power-ups! Return of the P-wing! And...this trailer has great music too!

Well, good-bye my friends! I'm trying to sound optimistic here, but truth be told, the future of this blog is uncertain. I'll keep you posted regardless, even though it might be a while before you hear from me again.

Nintendo's E3 presentation: Nintendo Lifeline weighs in

Welcome, Nintendo fans, to one of the many excited places on the internet at this joyous time of year! Nintendo kicked off E3 2012 with a presentation that began at 9:00 a.m. PT this morning (that was 10:00 for me). As always, it was full of surprises, important people, and bad jokes.

Here we will focus on the stuff that matters, however, the bad jokes not being in that category. Pikmin 3 dominated the first part of the presentation. I have never played Pikmin before, but I look towards Pikmin 3 with all of the optimism in the world, especially after what I saw today.

Is anyone out there getting tired of all the New Super Mario games? Well, I'm not. And New Super Mario Bros. U is the second game that has me all excited. So the Mario franchise is more than 25 years old. Is that the reason people complain about new ones? I have come to trust Nintendo to make each new Super Mario game bigger and better than the last, providing new reasons to own every last one. New Super Mario Bros. U can't come soon enough!

I really enjoyed seeing all of the third party support for Wii U, as well. Most of those games I probably won't ever play, but a few got my pulse pounding. Rayman Legends looks great, Just Dance 4 seems worthy, and Scribblenauts Unlimited might be worth checking out. I think it's great that the Wii U will have a great variety that includes, as Reggie Fils-Aime put it, "the hardest of the core", but that's not my realm.

A Wii U game called Nintendo Land also made its debut at today's event. I have to say, I was less than impressed. The limited look we got at the game made it seem far too Mario Party-esque, which was an instant turn-off for me. It looks like a game that will deliver only cheap thrills, but only time will tell on that one. I'm expecting to be disappointed, but Nintendo may prove me wrong.

All that said, I think potential is the word that comes from all of this. I'm in love with the Wii U hardware. If developers think creatively, I believe the Wii U system can ultimately provide more than a few mind-blowing experiences. Just think of how it might change and evolve some of our favorite Nintendo franchises: Metroid, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Pokemon, Super Smash Bros. and more come to mind. Who knows what the future holds!

What were your favorite or least favorite parts of Nintendo's E3 presentation?

Ohmigosh! E3 is tomorrow! Nintendo Lifeline gets excited

Here's a riddle for you all:

I'm the biggest gaming event of the year.

I take place in Los Angeles, CA.

I'm full of exciting news.

I start tomorrow.

Haven't guessed yet? I'll just go ahead and tell you, then! The answer is: "I am E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo) 2012." How 'bout that? Nintendo Lifeline has a thing or two to say about this year's expo, so read on!

Pre-E3 Video by Nintendo President Satoru Iwata

Click here to whet your appetite with a video from Satoru Iwata dedicated to the Wii U system. I don't know about anyone else, but it has me excited! Nintendo must have a lot of news about the Wii U if they need a half-hour before the expo even gets started. I'm particularly fond of the connectivity the Wii U will apparently have...Miiverse looks pretty sweet.

Our Hopes and Predictions
New game trailers are the most exciting part of E3 to me. Is that strange? Anyway, I wanna see new trailers for games that have already been announced and, of course, games that will be announced for the first time at E3. If I could have all my dreams come true, I would like to see a new Pokemon RPG announced for the Nintendo 3DS system. I held out on Pokemon Black and White with the expectation that the third installment in this generation would be on the Nintendo 3DS. I was entirely wrong. Even Pokemon Conquest (which got 9/10 in Nintendo Power magazine, by the way) ended up on the DS! I don't care what kind of Pokemon RPG ends up on the 3DS, I just want it!

Maybe it's too early to hope for this, but I want to see a Nintendo 3DS redesign at E3. I have come to dislike the current Nintendo 3DS system design. How the top flap sticks out slightly over the bottom, how the stylus holder is in a very inconvenient position on the back of the system, how the surface surrounding the 3-D screen is unnecessarily reflective and inconsistent with the rest of the system. Ugh...I'm getting worked up now! I guess we'll just have to wait until tomorrow!

What are you looking forward to the most with this year's E3?

The new trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

Cheers!

Two days, too much to cover...but I'll try

Update: Here are the links to a handful of new trailers Nintendo has released at E3:
Paper Mario
Mario Kart
Animal Crossing
Super Mario
Ocarina of Time 3D

I'll get straight to it today: starting with the brand-new eShop for Nintendo 3DS. With this important system update, Nintendo offered 3DS users everywhere two free downloads. The first is 3D Classics: Excite Bike. The original NES title remains untouched except for the addition of 3D depth. And it just so happens that a cool 3D trick comes into play: as the player moves the 3D depth slider, the whole background image shifts along with the depth itself.

The second piece of free Nintendo goodness is the Pokedex 3D. Users will start out with a limited amount of Pokemon data, but more can be obtained through SpotPass and by other means. Pokemon can be viewed in full 3D and can also be placed in the real world through augmented reality. Also included is comprehensive info on each acquired Pokemon: types, stats, and moves are just a few examples of what players can expect.

As if that didn't take up enough space, those little tidbits are nothing compared to the flood of new details revealed from Nintendo's E3 media conference, which took place Tuesday morning. Here goes:

2011 is The Legend of Zelda 25th anniversary. Fans can expect a host of celebratory events to take place throughout the year, starting with the ability to download The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening on the Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console service. That'll be seven bucks, please! Next, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D will be released on the 19th of this month. Club Nintendo members will be treated to a complimentary copy of the game's official soundtrack for registering their game...offer valid while supplies last, people! The long-awaited Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword will finally be released for Wii this holiday season. A special promotion will see fans with super-awesome gold Wii-motes with the Zelda crest on the front.

New trailers are available for the following Nintendo 3DS games: Mario Kart, Super Mario, Animal Crossing, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D, Star Fox 64 3D, Paper Mario, and more. In fact, 3D versions of said trailers can be downloaded for free on the Nintendo 3DS system. They all look amazing, by the way! The current Nintendo 3DS drought will be remedied by year's end, no doubt about it.

Readers, if you've made it this far, you're in for a treat, because Nintendo has pulled back the veil on their next home console. Rumors that the controller would have a built-in, 6-inch touch screen were, indeed, true (see the image on this post). The official name of the console is (drumroll, please)...Wii U! If Wii was able to capture the non-gamer market, then Wii U will capture the hardcore market. All thanks to a highly versatile controller and HD graphics capabilities. Non-gamer market, worry not: Wii U is backwards compatible with Wii games and accessories. In fact, Wii-motes will continue to be at the forefront of control with Wii U. The intention is that four Wii-motes and one touch screen controller can be used at one time. It's a new system, but incorporates the ol' Wii overtly, yet...subtly. Expect more details to emerge before the system's 2012 release. 

It's all happening in June

Release of eShop
When I first acquired my Nintendo 3DS, I found that it had an internet browser. Curious, I tapped it. All I got was a message that said internet access would be available in a future update. I'm certainly not the only one who was a little disappointed. In fact, one of the greatest qualms critics had about the system was that it seemed incomplete without all the online features that were promised. Well, the wait is over on the evening of June 6, when internet access and a myriad of other features will appear through the most anticipated update to the Nintendo 3DS system yet. The eShop will be a channel through which WiiWare-esque games can be obtained. It will also include a Virtual Console that will make GameBoy and GameBoy Color games available in all their original glory.

E3 (Electronic Entertainment Expo)
E3 is easily the biggest event of the year for gaming fans. Nintendo will kick off E3 on the morning of June 7 with a live media presentation, which will be available here. Afterwards, Nintendo fans can look forward to daily updates. These are sure to include new game trailers, first impressions, and special Nintendo presentations. As always, Nintendo is sure to reveal new, highly-exciting details about the games and systems the company has been working on. Project Cafe, anyone?

Game Release: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time 3D
Hardcore Zelda fans such as myself have already marked June 19 on their Club Nintendo calenders as the day Ocarina of Time 3D is released. This game promises to be more than just a remake with updated graphics and controls, the inclusion of the Master Quest, and a brand-new Boss Challenge mode.

It's a great time to be a Nintendo fan, so don't forget to keep your eyes open. I predict that every last Nintendo fan alive will be cheering about something over the coming month.