My Impressions of Nintendo's E3 2015 Presentation

Every year I look forward to this one event - E3. The Super Bowl of the gaming community. The place where new games are announced and existing ones are shown off. People get excited and surprised. There are almost always big surprises and reasons to love being a gamer. And just like Christmas every year, E3 has come and gone in what feels like mere seconds. So how did it measure up this year? I can't speak for anyone else but I can tell you one thing about this year's E3. The event definitely struck up some emotions in me.

I think this is the year I have been most divided on how to feel post-E3. Usually I can flat out say whether the whole thing was very overwhelmingly great or underwhelmingly disappointing. I think the event ended with me feeling very mixed. Since Nintendo is my main focus I'm going to dedicate 90% of this post on their E3 showing. But first I just want to outline a few great things Sony and Microsoft have shown.

Microsoft

I have zero interest in getting an Xbox One and I have almost no interest in what Microsoft had to present, to be honest. I didn't even watch the conference but I did read about it just out of curiosity. Two things struck some minor chords with me during their presentation.

1. Rare Replay

If you've followed by blog you'll have no doubt figured out by now I am a huge fan of Rare. Specifically SNES and N64 era Rare. Now that Microsoft owns Rare we will never see the likes of Banjo-Kazooie, Conker, or Perfect Dark on another Nintendo console. We will never see them not even in Virtual Console form. But for owners of Xbox One, the compilation disc, titled Rare Replay, will feature many of their great hits (minus anything strictly Nintendo related such as Donkey Kong). So far we know Perfect Dark, Conker's Bad Fur Day, Battletoads, RC Pro Am and Banjo-Kazooie are confirmed. It's something that's a nice fan service package to Xbox One owners who also happen to appreciate the old Rare. This is not even close to being worth buying an Xbox One for, so I won't be getting it. Besides, I already own most of their games anyway. Still it's a cool little package.

2. Xbox One Backwards Compatibility

Easily the best announcement Microsoft had in my opinion, the fact that Xbox One will be able to play Xbox 360 games is a huge draw to the system in my opinion. It's not enough to make me want the system but if I were thinking about getting the XB1, then this news might've pushed me towards getting one since I missed out on 360 in its entirety. A really great announcement and hopefully one that will eventually persuade Sony to do the same with the PS4, to include PS3 backwards compatibility. Let's be honest, it's getting a little ridiculous with the amount of consoles that have been put out in the last 30 years and who has the room for all of them? Backwards compatibility is important to me and many others and is a feature that is a huge draw for me personally. Good job on that one, Microsoft.

Sony

Like Microsoft' conference, I was really only interested in two things that I saw. Since I am much more of a Sony fan than Microsoft, I watched most of this conference until my internet crapped out. So even with only two notable announcements (to me) Sony's conference kind of blew me away. These two announcements were HUGE ones. They pretty much solidified my decision to buy a PS4 at some point. Prior to this E3 I was very much against buying into this generation of consoles, but they really changed my decision on that.

1. The Last Guardian

This game was teased for so many years that everyone thought it was never going to come out. Well guess what? It's coming out! And you know what? It looks absolutely fantastic! Sure it's been 8 years since it was first announced, but the fact that it's still alive and looking good makes me very happy. This is made my the team that made Ico and Shadow of the Colossus, two games that unexpectedly blew me away and whenever I get around to playing the Last Guardian I expect no less than to be extremely impressed. 

2. Final Fantasy VII: Remake

Easily the best thing to come out of E3, many people have long awaited a remake of this fantastic game, and it's here. It's finally official. It's been teased, joked about, forgotten about, and at last it's real. They may have only shown a very tiny teaser trailer and nothing more but that's all I needed. Just the fact that the game exists is enough for me. And if that trailer ends up being the introduction video in the final game, then mark me very very pleased. This news was honestly the best news in gaming in a very long time.

Nintendo

Well, here we go with this one. I have a lot of feelings about Nintendo's E3 presentation. Not all of it is bad, but I really think this was one of the worst E3 showings for them in at least a couple years. Let's break down their entire presentation, one announcement at a time.

1. Star Fox Zero (Wii U)

Nintendo came out really strong when they opened with Star Fox Zero. It looks like it will retain the same great style as Star Fox 64 with a few added surprises. The gameplay on the tv is in third person while the gameplay on the gamepad is in first person inside the cockpit. Really clever if you ask me. The graphics are great, the gameplay looks like a lot of fun, and they even introduced transformations. That's right - the Arwing and the Landmaster can transform. Really, really cool. They showed a bunch of gameplay after their presentation and it kept my interest. I'm not a big Star Fox fan as I really only like Star Fox 64 and none of the other entries in the series, but they really sold me on this new entry. Well done, Nintendo, well done!

Verdict: Hit!

2. Skylanders Supercharged (Wii U)

Next they showed off Skylanders Supercharged. Not a fan of the Skylanders franchise since it depends on you buying more figures. If I were 10 I'd probably love it but I can't keep buying new figures to play the game. But one cool thing they pointed out is that, exclusive to the Wii U version, there will a Bowser and a Donkey Kong Skylander figure to play as in the game. Not groundbreaking but still a cool announcement.

Verdict: Miss

3. Legend of Zelda: TriForce Heroes (3DS)

So, here we have a new Zelda game for the 3DS that uses the Link Between Worlds engine. Just like Four Swords and Four Swords Adventures the focus will be on multiplayer. I wasn't super excited to see this, as I'd rather have a new full Zelda game rather than another spin-off but it doesn't look too bad. As long as you are able to play the game entirely on your own I will be purchasing this one.

So far, at this point Nintendo is batting 50/50. Star Fox was a hit with me, Skylanders a miss, and TriForce Heroes I'm kind of torn on. But we're barely a quarter way into the presentation so there's still more to come!

Verdict: Undecided

4. Hyrule Warriors Legends (3DS)

Another Zelda-related announcement, and yet another spin-off. This game is a port of the Wii U version of Hyrule Warriors. I had very little interest in the game on Wii U and this one doesn't seem too different but I just might try it. It doesn't look bad but I don't know if it's for me. Another game I'm undecided about.

Verdict: Undecided

5. Metroid Prime: Federation Force (3DS)

And here's where I decided Nintendo really dropped the ball this year. I am disgusted at the existence of this game. Why? Well, let me give you an analogy.  It's kind of like ordering a steak at a restaurant (wanting a new Metroid), expecting a hamburger (expecting some form of Metroid), and being served a pile of dog shit (Metroid Prime: Federation Force). If you're not too familiar with Metroid then you might not understand my disgust with this game but fans of the series have been dying for either a new Metroid Prime or a new sidescrolling Metroid. What we got instead was something that very loosely resembles Metroid Prime but with no Samus, bad graphics, and a focus on multiplayer. So basically everything a Metroid game is not. The look and style of the game is probably the worst thing about it too. It's doesn't even look good. I was fuming when this was announced since Nintendo knows we want a new Metroid. A good Metroid. Instead we got a pile of crap with the Metroid name. This is borderline insulting to me as a fan of the series. I'd have been less disappointed with E3 overall if there was not a single mention of Metroid than seeing this garbage spewed out. And the fact that Nintendo actually thought this was good enough to debut at E3...laughable.

Verdict: A HUGE Miss

6. Fire Emblem: Fates (3DS)

Not a huge Fire Emblem fan but it looks pretty cool. We already knew about this game for a couple months but I suppose it is something else to look forward to. This reminds me that I never finished a single Fire Emblem game. Overall though, not disappointing or exciting. A solid buy.

Verdict: Hit

7. Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem (3DS)

This is some kind of mash-up between Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem. It looks interesting and I'm sure fans of both franchises are wetting themselves right now, but this is just not for me.

Verdict: Miss

8. Xenoblade Chronicles X (Wii U)

Holy crap, if I didn't think this game looked amazing before, I definitely do now! We've known about this game for months, maybe even a year or more, but the more I hear about it and see the more interested I am. I never finished Xenoblade Chronicles on Wii or 3DS, but with a release date finally announced for this (December 4, 2015) I have something to work towards. Really impressed by the footage they showed here.

Verdict: Hit

9. Animal Crossing: Happy Home Designer (3DS)

Another game I knew about already and am undecided about. I love Animal Crossing but this seems to be just a spin-off where you design villagers' homes. Not that I necessarily think it looks bad, but it might not be for me, which is fine. They will introduce Amiibo Cards with this game as well, which work like Amiibos but in the form of trading cards. Cool idea. Not sure if I will purchase this one or not.

Verdict: Undecided

10. Animal Crossing: Amiibo Festival (Wii U)

I am a little disappointed with this game's existence. People wanted an Animal Crossing game on Wii U, and I would've liked one, but what we got was a Mario Party type game. It's almost the same thing that happened with Metroid. They gave us something we didn't want. The fact that this game has Amiibo in the title makes me wonder if I'll be required to buy Amiibo to play it. Really not interested in this game at all, and pretty disappointed that there's no true Animal Crossing on Wii U. Still, less offensive that the pile of Metroid-esque garbage.

Verdict: Miss

11. Yoshi's Woolly World (Wii U)

This game looks phenomenal. In my opinion this was Nintendo's show stealer. We've known about this game for a year but it keeps looking better and better. Yoshi's Island on SNES is my second favorite game of all time and Kirby's Epic Yarn on Wii is easily in my top 20, and this game looks to combine the greatness of both games. We could be looking at a new Top 10 game here for me. I am super pumped for this game. Seriously, it looks phenomenal. I really can't wait for this. On top of new footage we also got a release date: October 16, 2015. So close yet so far away. I hope these next 4 months go by fast!

Verdict: A HUGE Hit

12. Yo-Kai Watch (3DS)

I really have no idea what to think about this game. They show almost nothing the trailer. Well, not enough to really assess what this game even is. I was not impressed but was not really turned off either. I'm more confused than anything. Still, overall, another miss for me.

Verdict: Miss

13. Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (3DS)

Probably the biggest surprise from Nintendo this year. This game is a mash-up between the Mario & Luigi series and the Paper Mario series. I'm looking forward to it since I enjoy both series but it's not quite the Paper Mario game that I was hoping for.  Still, it looks fun, and it was something I did not expect so that's a bonus.

Verdict: Hit

14. Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash (Wii U)

A sort of ho-hum announcement, Nintendo showed off their new Mario Tennis game on Wii U. Really underwhelming as far as a new game goes. Mario Tennis is fun and all but I expected something much better to be announced instead. I'll probably skip it since I already have 3 Mario Tennis games and they're all almost identical, and this one will probably be the same, so this announcement was a bit of a letdown.

Verdict: Miss

15. Super Mario Maker (Wii U)

This game has been talked about and hyped since last year's E3. And for good reason. It looks really good. You can make your own Mario levels in 4 different styles - Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World, and New Super Mario Bros. By the looks of it, you can do a lot of different things in these levels. Really, this is something I've wanted to do for a long, long time. Oh, and apparently you can turn into Link, Yoshi, and maybe a few other Nintendo characters by use of Amiibo. This game was made to celebrate Mario's 30 year anniversary and this is definitely one game I'm pumped about. They officially announced the release date too which is nice: September 11, 2015.

Verdict: A HUGE Hit

So all in all, this year's E3 had some ups, it had some downs, but Nintendo's presentation in particular I found to be very disappointing. Moreso than last year. Last year they showed us a tidbit of Zelda on Wii U, Splatoon, Code Name STEAM, Yoshi's Woolly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, and Mario Maker, but last year these were all new announcements. This year we're seeing most of these again but we already knew of these. They also showed off Chibi-Robo: Zip Lash on 3DS just before the official presentation, which looks cool as well. But overall this E3 was pretty underwhelming. Final Fantasy VII and the Last Guardian are probably the best things that came out of E3 this year. Yoshi's Woolly World, Xenoblade Chronicles X, Super Mario Maker, and Star Fox Zero all look great but none of it was really surprising. My faith in Nintendo was already crippled by lack of really understanding what the fans want, and having just constantly disappointing me over the last year or so but I'm coming more and more to the conclusion that I have simply outgrown Nintendo. At least there's always Sony.