Matt C has a nice editorial on IGN about his expectations for E3. I've bolded the most important parts, but I think the whole thing is interesting. E3 has changed a lot over the years, and it's interesting to see some of what goes on behind the scenes.
Also, it looks likely that Animal Crossing is in fact coming. And for all your Matt haters out there, his expectations about Kid Icarus are realistic (and sound cool! Adult Pit ftw!!)
http://wii.ign.com/articles/885/885790p1.html
Also, it looks likely that Animal Crossing is in fact coming. And for all your Matt haters out there, his expectations about Kid Icarus are realistic (and sound cool! Adult Pit ftw!!)
http://wii.ign.com/articles/885/885790p1.html
It's Tuesday, 9:49 p.m., and I've just taken a phone call from Konami to plan coverage for one of its anticipated Wii projects, Castlevania Judgement. Yeah -- it's definitely that time of year again. Time for the Electronic Entertainment Expo 2008, a show that exists today as a shell of its former (spectacular) self, but nevertheless an event to be reckoned with. While E3 may no longer be drenched in booth babes and glitzy, rock star displays of Hollywood envy, publishers still line up to show off their lineups and many of the industry's biggest secrets are guarded until the kickoff of each first party's anticipated media briefing. For Microsoft, that would be 10:30 a.m., Monday, July 14 and for Sony, it's 11:30 a.m. the next day. If you're still reading, though, I imagine the one you care about is Nintendo's, which takes place at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday, July 15.
This year, Nintendo's conference promises to be big and as always, I look forward to it with a tangible sense of excitement and dread. Like all of you, I will sit transfixed the moment the lights dim and reps like Reggie Fils-Aime and Shigeru Miyamoto take the stage. Of course, you'll be able to watch the entire presentation directly from IGN's live stream (which, I can tell you, is going to be better than ever) and -- unlike me -- you won't have to sprint back to a writing room to start publishing stories. This year, the IGN Nintendo team is bigger than any E3 prior -- we'll have six dedicated editors covering nothing but Wii and DS games. The hope is that this extra manpower will translate not only into more stories, but more thorough articles, as each of us will be able to spend additional time with our assigned software and with the people making the games.
I have been covering videogames for more than 10 years now, I've watched E3 balloon into an epic undertaking and then deflate into something much more manageable, and I can tell you that just as the show itself has changed, so has the process of covering it. In the past, we would go to pre-E3 events and adhere to information embargoes typically designed to lift with the beginning of the exhibition. In contrast, publishers like Electronic Arts and Ubisoft have this year already held major pre-E3 events which housed most of their projects. Rayman Raving Rabbids TV Party and Shaun White with the Wii Balance Board. New Madden. Tiger. FIFA. You name it. These are the same games we'll be seeing at E3 2008 and I've got playable versions of most of them on my desk. We've written about them in some capacity already.
Sure, there will be a handful of surprises saved just for the event. Take, for example, EA's Wii Fit killer, an ambitious entry that company execs have hinted will be unveiled at the coming show. But in glancing at my internal list of third-party games scheduled to appear at E3, all in all there's really not a big number of surprises. I expect some secrets are being held -- that always happens -- and yet I think many publishers will be primarily showing off updated software, not completely new software. You're going to see new builds of titles like MadWorld and Star Wars: The Clone Wars. You will see Mega Man 9. You will see Rune Factory 2 and Little King's Story. And Moon. And Deadly Creatures. And Order of Ecclesia. And Bleach: Dark Souls. The list goes on. And if all goes well, we will have the majority of these titles covered in the days leading up to the show. Also, I think you're going to find some announcements saved for the events taking place beyond E3 -- in Leipzig, for example.
So where does that leave Nintendo fans when the lights finally do fade to darkness and the bigwigs take center stage? Honestly, where it always leaves us: directly with Nintendo. And in stark contrast to third-parties making Wii and DS software, Nintendo is clinging tightly to its E3 agenda, scarcely revealing a morsel of information, let alone anything that might qualify as a meal. So, as ever -- and this really has become the tradition -- we're all left to speculate about the possibilities. So far, I'm operating on rumors and vague promises from Nintendo folk that every last one of us will be pleased with the announcements to come, and that's about it. I've got a good idea that a new Kid Icarus game starring an adult Pit is in development for Wii, but Nintendo hasn't confirmed whether or not the title will actually show at E3 2008, and if so, will it be playable? And since I'm set to interview EAD's Katsuya Eguchi, I've also got a pretty good feeling about Animal Crossing for Wii being unveiled. After all, he is leading the team developing it. Again, Nintendo isn't elaborating. And then of course, there's Fatal Frame: Mask of the Lunar Eclipse and Wario Shake, not to mention Mario Super Sluggers, all of which will undoubtedly be on-hand. But that's really not a lot to go on.
As always, I'm left with more questions than answers. What about Retro Studios? These guys have been working hard on unannounced Wii titles for a while. And what of NST? Project Hammer is a goner so what might the Redmond-based developer have to replace it? I'm convinced we're going to learn more about the projects from both companies going into E3, but even these will take a backseat to whatever it is that has Shigeru Miyamoto returning to America. He'll be there to show off -- well, something. It might just be Animal Crossing, of course, but I wouldn't bet on it. I think he's got something else. Perhaps it'll be Nintendogs. Or Pikmin 3. I certainly wouldn't complain if Captain Olimar finally made his way to Wii. I can think of few franchises better suited for the Wii remote, that's for sure. Perhaps Nintendo will finally show off one or both of these franchises reborn on Wii. I wouldn't turn away a sequel to Super Mario Galaxy, either, for that matter.
I think it just as likely, though, that we'll be seeing something altogether new. Nintendo is a company known for its surprises, a truth proved again at last year's exhibition. We all knew about a title codenamed "Wii Health Pack," but none of us had any idea we'd be seeing a full-blown exercise program complete with a brand new peripheral. Whether we're talking about the Pikmin franchise, which came to be as a result of Mr. Miyamoto's routine gardening, or Wii Fit, which progressed after he came up with the basic concept of weighing himself on a daily basis and examining the results, it's clear that a lot of Nintendo game ideas start out as Miyamoto hobbies. And last time I interviewed the legendary designer, he admitted that he had some new hobbies. Bearing all that in mind, I am optimistically hoping for at least one major new intellectual property from the publisher.
E3 2008 may also house some hardware news. I don't think Nintendo is too worried about Wii or DS console sales -- both top the charts on a monthly basis. But DS sales have seen a relative slowing in recent months (they're still substantial) and there have been few first-party game announcements for the handheld. Soma Bringer and ASH out of Japan, both all but confirmed for America at this point. A Kirby remake and a new adventure title, Mystery Case Files, based on a popular PC series. Some good stuff, but not in the same league as New Super Mario Bros. 2, for example, which seems like a shoe-in given the first's excellent sales. Could a hint at the next DS surface? It's been four years since the handheld released. Meanwhile, rumors abound suggest that Sony will be showing off some new PSP hardware at E3 2008. And then there's the Apple factor, the very fact that iPhone is becoming a viable games platform in less than two weeks. Nintendo certainly doesn't need to rush into its next portable, but it might be time to show its cards -- or at least give us a quick peek.
As for Wii, I've been reduced to praying that Nintendo will finally offer a proper solution for the console's ridiculously limited storage solution. As it stands, too many system owners have to "clean out the fridge" on a weekly basis, effectively deleting WiiWare and Virtual Console games they are not immediately using so that they can make room for new downloads. I think it's time that the Big N addressed this issue, which is incredible frustrating for a lot of us and not just for a small group of geeks and otaku. That being said, I don't see why the company would need to unveil new Wii hardware colors -- not with the system selling so well on a monthly basis, as is. It can do that next year, when and if sales actually start to slow.
As an IGN reader, I think you're going to want to stay tuned. We've got exclusive looks at Star Wars: The Force Unleashed today. We'll have detailed impressions and new media for other third-party efforts leading up to E3, including everything from Skate It and FaceBreaker KO Party to Castlevania Judgment. Hopefully, we'll even have a surprise or two for you. All of us -- me, Boz, Craig and Daemon included -- are working behind-the-scenes as you read this to make some of these promises a reality. And when July 15 finally rolls around, grab some popcorn because you can bet it's going to be good.
