Today, at 9:00, I went to Nintendo's media briefing. Now, it can't be understated the significance of this event. Ever since I heard about E3, Nintendo's press conference is where I've always dreamed of going! I forgot my cell phone as the shuttle was about to leave, so I had to let everyone go ahead of me, run up and grab it, and wait for the next one.
To my great sadness, my industry idol, Shigeru Miyamoto, decided to skip the conference. That made me a sad panda. But the show itself was great! I got lots of cool pictures, and there were absolutely MIND-BLOWING games! :D
New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Super Mario Galaxy 2, Metroid, Cop, Kingdom Hearts DS, Wii Sports Resort, the new Wii Motion+ add-on that increases the controller's sensitivity--honestly, they had one of the best shows they've ever had. I wondered if they'd be able to keep up with Microsoft, and they absolutely did.
Afterward we went to Sony's press conference, where they also showed some very awesome games, like God of War III, Final Fantasy XIII, Gran Turismo 5, and more. They also showed a new motion controller, completing the trifecta. Their's involves having a Playstation Eye Camera and two special sticks with lights on the end, so I can't see this one going over too well.
Since Nintendo's press conference ran long, Sony's was delayed, and thus we all missed our first appointments of the day on the show floor. My colleague Mike and I went to a keynote speech by Michael Gallagher, head of the Entertainment Software Association, on his views on where the industry is going. He could have ended it in five minutes, but he basically chose to endlessly spout different figures about how much the industry is growing.
I then had some free time, so I went over to Nintendo's booth and tried out New Super Mario Bros. Wii fo rmyself. It was fantastic! Classic Mario gameplay, gorgeous graphics, and four-player simultaneous play. There's no better feeling in gaming than riding up with a full posse of Yoshi-riders in tow, knowing that NOTHING can stop you. Basically, you play competitively and cooperatively at the same time, helping each other get points while simultaneolusly attempting to kill one another. Tons of fun with three other people, especially when I got one of my colleagues involved (I got Yoshi to eat him a lot ;) ).
I also toured a couple of booths and played the odd game for a few minutes, but none of the others I had the chance to try 'really' impressed me.
One of the coolest things of the entire show was when I was touring the Into the Pixel Art gallery, and I came across a booth with a scanner inside and figured I'd see what it was all about. The answer was this:
I was completely floored, and it was an amazing way to end the day for me.
Back at the hotel, I helped write some articles about the events of the last couple days.
Here are some of them (some were cowritten):
Hands-on of New Super Mario Bros: http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3818
Picture blog of Nintendo's press conference: http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3816
Picture blog of Ubisoft's press conference: http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3823
Playstation and Xbox game called Trine: http://news.vgchartz.com/news.php?id=3815
Well, I've got plenty more scheduled for tomorrow, and I'm psyched! Later!
