An In-Depth Look at the Nintendo Direct Presentation (1.23.13) or: MY GOD THE WIND WAKER IN HD IS ON THE WAY.
by Ray on
Let it be known henceforth from this day forward across our land and all territories beyond her borders what a flat out badass presentation that was this morning. Like a lot of Nintendo fans, I was hoping for a few surprises here and there but WOW. I really wasn’t prepared for Iwata to just let it all hang out like that. For those of you who went into the show with lowered expectations, have fun wiping those chunks of brain off your bedroom wall. There’s a lot to get to today so let’s just hop right in shall we?
First, how about we get the one bit of news that I was hoping to hear but wasn’t addressed out of the way: Sure new stills for Pikmin 3 are always welcome, but the closest we were treated to an official street date for the game was Iwata apologizing for the lack of any 1st party software coming out in the next couple of months. Odds are on a Spring release but come on: Haven’t we been waiting for this thing long enough? I want concrete information.
Apparently the lead guy behind both Yoshi’s Island (SNES) and Yoshi’s Story (N64) is teaming up with the development team responsible for Kirby’s Epic Yarn on this one. It’s kind of crazy to realize that this will be the first console game to feature Mario’s sweet little dinosaur friend as the main character since Bill Clinton was enjoying hummers in the oval office. Let’s just hope it plays a bit closer to Super Mario World 2 than the 64-bit follow up.
Longtime producer of The Legend of Zelda series, Eiji Aonuma spilled the beans on not one but two Wii U adventures for Link that are currently in the works. A completely new entry is obvious but still a ways off so in the meantime Nintendo is offering up a gorgeous HD remake of The Wind Waker. A game who’s charms I was immune to until only a few years ago. I’ve come to truly love and appreciate the visuals and in my opinion the combat still has yet to be topped by any subsequent Zelda. Still, I think there’s some bullshit going on with the tacked on fetch quest toward the end and overall there’s just way too much sailing for my taste. I’ll buy this day one.
At Last, Details on the Wii U Virtual Console:
For me personally, THIS was the big news of the day. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve got a serious problem when it comes to downloading games off of the Virtual Console. So with that in mind, I couldn’t be more excited to get my hands on these upgraded Wii U versions of games that I already own and don’t really play all that much. According to Nintendo: “*A spring system update will add Virtual Console software to the Nintendo eShop for Wii U. The service will launch right after the spring update and will include a selection of NES and Super NES games, with Game Boy Advance games to be added in the future*.” But what will they COST!? I hear you scream into your monitor. Well, let me just preface the answer by saying it could have been a lot worse:
“The prices for NES and Super NES Virtual Console games for Wii U will be the same as they were for the Virtual Console on Wii. People who have already purchased the Wii version of a certain NES or Super NES Virtual Console game and transferred it to their Wii U console can buy the enhanced Wii U version of the same game for the reduced price of $1 for NES games and $1.50 for Super NES games.”
This is something I can absolutely live with which is a good thing because at heart, I’m really not a violent person. Iwata then goes on to mention the fact that the original Famicom is turning 30 this year and the company is celebrating the anniversary by offering up a selection of NES and SNES game for 30 cents. Did you get that?
Super Metroid For 30 Cents. Repeat: Super Metroid For 30 Cents:
Beginning right now and continuing through July, Nintendo will have one retro game available in the eShop at the low, low price of a nickel and quarter for precisely 30 days each. After which they’ll revert to their normal cost. It’s just too bad we have no idea what games to expect to see. Oh wait! We totally do:
This is all well and good but guess what else the Wii U version of the VC will have to offer? If you said fully customizable controls then congratulations: You’re good at guessing things. It turns out that not only will players be allowed to map actions to the buttons of their choosing, just about all Wii and Wii U control setups will be compatible with the service. Wii-Motes, classic Controllers, the Wii U Pro and of course the tablet which will include the option to play your games on the pad’s native screen. I’ve never felt more alive.
New Trailers And Stuff:
There were also some new clips of software we’ve been waiting for for a while now on display.
There’s Bayonetta 2 footage…
Some weird Japanese thing I won’t ever play…
A very cool looking sequel(?) to the *Xenoblade* game I remember hearing about last year…
and *The Wonderful 101* which I still can’t make heads or tails of:
And Finally Some Other Details That I’m Kind of Whatever About:
From Nintendo’s Press Release:
Wii Fit U Communities: New features coming to Wii Fit U include letting players create user communities on Miiverse from within the game. Community members can discuss exercises, BMI or weight changes and other health topics with other players as a way to encourage one another to reach their fitness goals.
I’m really glad I don’t know anyone in my personal life that would actively participate in something like this.
Super Mario is on His Way: The Nintendo EAD Tokyo Software Development team that created the Super Mario Galaxy games for Wii and Super Mario 3D Land for Nintendo 3DS is working on a new 3D Mario action game for Wii U. The game is scheduled to be playable at this year’s E3 Nintendo is also working on a new installment of the hit Mario Kart franchise. This game is also planned to be playable at E3.
Why is this on my “Whatever” list? Because this is a total non-announcement. Everyone knows that we’ll see these games at some point in the system’s lifespan so what’s the point of just confirming that they’re being worked on without showing so much as a screenshot? Boo, Nintendo. Boo.
Pikmin 3 Photos: The upcoming Pikmin 3 game includes a feature that lets players use the Wii U GamePad as a camera to share the same perspective as Pikmin and take close-up pictures of landscapes and creatures in the game and share them in Miiverse.
How about you just cut the shit Nintendo and give us a new Pokemon Snap already.
A New Wii Party: A new entry in the franchise is planned to launch this summer. The game features various play styles, including one that lets both players compete head-to-head using just the GamePad.
Did anyone actually buy the first Wii Party game? Nintendo sent me one for free that I promptly turned around and traded in for store credit.
System Updates: Two major updates are on the way, one in the spring and one in the summer. The updates will introduce a wide range of functionality, such as Virtual Console capabilities and shortening the time it takes users to launch software or return to the menu screen.
I admit that it does take just a little too long to boot stuff up and my time is money so this is actually pretty good news.
Miiverse Expands to Smartphones: Starting this spring, people will be able to browse Miiverse from their smartphones. Initially the experience will be browser-based, but Nintendo plans to create a dedicated Miiverse app in the future.
I hope all you damn kids are happy now.
You can check out the full presentation for yourself right here:
