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?
