When Nintendo announced its
Wii gaming console at the Electronics Entertainment Expo in 2004, it all seemed a little quirky to traditional gamers, what with the motion-sensitive
Wii remote instead of a traditional gaming controller. Even so, the system's initial strong sales when it hit retail shelves in November 2006 was no surprise (Nintendo has a kajillion fans who will buy anything it produces). Still, it's the continued success of the system is nothing short of amazing. This year at the annual
E3 video game conference, Nintendo is resting on its laurels somewhat, with no groundbreaking announcements, but more of what the fans need. Here are the highlights from Tuesday's press conference:
Wii MotionPlus Controller - The Wii controller has definitely changed the way people think about video games, but for all the good it's done, it has some problems. The Wii-mote doesn't really pick up small, subtle movements and it can't detect rotation unless it's pointing right at the screen. But this will all change with the
MotionPlus attachment, an extension to the original controller that greatly enhances sensitivity to movement and allows for such nuances in movement that everything from a realistic sword fighting game to chopping down trees from different angles is possible.
Wii Sports Resort - 'Wii Sports' has proven to be the most popular title on the Wii, despite being the first and, in many regards, most simple game on the platform. Nintendo's hoping to capitalize on the title's popularity with a new title that includes some more tropical-themed sports. '
Wii Sports Resort' uses the MotionPlus accessory for many of its games, including fencing, and will come with a single MotionPlus included. No word on exactly what that price will be, or how much additional MotionPlus attachments will cost, or on exact the exact release date, except that it sadly won't be until sometime early next year.
Animal Crossing - Yes, the Wii is finally getting its own version of '
Animal Crossing,' one of the most popular titles on either the N64 or the
Nintendo DS, in which players arrive in a new town and must earn money by performing different random tasks. The Wii version is called '
Animal Crossing: City Folk' and will feature the same sorts of distractions found in the earlier games, like fishing and random archeology. Gamers can also now travel into the city to buy new kitsch for their characters, but the real extension comes with the online aspects. Gamers can now invite up to three other players to their towns and actually play directly with them, using the optional
WiiSpeak microphone to talk. You can also send e-mails and texts from within the game, but those who have played the original may be somewhat disappointed to see that this one looks almost identical graphically.
Wii Music - One of the first titles shown for the Wii was a game in which players used the Wii Remote to conduct a virtual, onscreen orchestra. After said initial demo, the game disappeared, but it has finally re-appeared as '
Wii Music,' a music-focused game in which you can play 50 instruments, all without having the faintest idea of how they are played! Just tap random buttons on the controller and move like you're playing the instrument and, voila, you'll be part of a band. This is in sharp contrast to other music games such as 'Guitar Hero' and 'Rock Band,' in which you actually have to have some musical ability to excel, but we're not entirely sure how it differs from just getting in front of a TV and playing air guitar, but we'll take it on faith that this game is somehow compelling, since it's the brainchild of Shigeru Miyamoto, the legendary creator of 'Mario Bros.' and 'Zelda.'
DS - Nintendo was quick to tout the success of its
DS handheld, far and away the most popular portable gaming system in the world at the moment, and bound to be more popular with the announcement of '
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars' and a new 'Guitar Hero' game, '
Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades,' which will add more tracks and more multiplayer options. Nintendo also talked about plans to extend the functionality of the DS by letting travelers get flight info and weather updates delivered right to the device, but it remains to be seen just how that will pan out (or if it'll end up being at all useful now that most cell phones have similar abilities).
So, an understated start to E3 for Nintendo; no major announcements or shocking revelations, but when you're producing the hottest console and handheld gaming systems on the market, you don't really have much to prove.
For a play-by-play account of the Nintendo press conference,
check out the Engadget/Joystiq live blog here.
