E3 2012, where do we begin? Some of the biggest titles this year aren't even for a Nintendo console. I'll save those for the end of this article though, in case you like some of the pure adrenaline filled games that were announced at Ubisoft and Sony's press conference. My last article was very blah, and it was due to the rush I had to get it out. Stop reading now if you don't care for opinions that aren't your own, I'm not sure how else to do it! I'll bold the titles of the games for you.
Let's begin with the WiiU and the First Party games. As you've seen in previous posts Nintendo Land features the only new Zelda (mini)game for us to drool over. No new Zelda? Twitter agreed after the Nokia Theatre when I noticed "No Zelda" was trending. We can't have a new Zelda every year. To Nintendo and myself, OoT 3D and Skyward Sword are still fresh, so why release a new Zelda game? Simple answer is to wait and behold the next best Zelda game, complain now and you will still praise Nintendo later. Fan boys and girls just act this way, don't deny it. I won't complain, but I have to beat Link's Awakening still (as stated in our podcast many times, end shameless plug).
So besides no new Zelda, Nintendo Land seemed to be the highlight of Nintendo's E3. From what people that have played the demos at Nintendo's near replica of what it is pretty much a life size Nintendo Land, it's not half bad. Actually, nearly everyone was thrilled about what they saw. The biggest complaint is the fact that there are only 12 games in total. Personally, I think they should release this with the WiiU. They stated Nintendo Land is the WiiU's Wii Sports (minus the sports). DLC? Why not, but that's that. Look forward to the mystery that is Nintendo Land when it releases (like most of Nintendo's games) Holiday 2012.
The next big games (I'm not doing every game, I'll just list them a little later) is in fact Pikmin 3. Reggie is a purple Pikmin, just so you know. Besides the new meme that Reggie made for himself (again), this game looks to bring the best experience possible with HD and the GamePad. It will be incredibly easy to spot your tiny little Pikmin, even the rock ones. I suppose there are many newer Pikmin as well since we also saw some that had wings! I've never played Pikmin, but this game looks pretty good. Pikmin 3 is also one of the many games Nintendo has noted that can use the Wiimote and Nunchuck or GamePad.
Here are a few other WiiU games that I'm looking forward to with some side notes: New Super Mario Bros. U (with a push on Speed Runs, Nintendo does care!), LEGO City: Undercover (great use of the GamePad as well as a surprising overworld and crazy battle scenes), Project P-100 (it's just plain amazing to look at), Rayman Legends (musical levels and GamePad sweetness make this a must have for the WiiU), ZombieU (Zombies, survival, once you die it's over and you become someone new, then you can kill your zombie self! GamePad support looks like something you never would have guessed).
Assassin's Creed III, Batman Arkham City Armored Edition, Mass Effect 3, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge are also some good games to look out for on the WiiU if they ring a bell inside your head. There are many more games for the WiiU, and you can view them all in more detail at Nintendo's E3 site here.
As Nintendo did, let's move on to the 3DS. I'll state right now, Zelda is my favorite series. It comes first, and I'll buy every game that comes out. My second favorite series rivals my love for Zelda, and that is Kingdom Hearts. I'll hold back my fan boy praise for the game and just say it will answer nearly all of your questions about the series thus far. Think of it as a funnel, and if you don't know what's going into the funnel don't try to. Play the other games before you play KH 3D's, or play it again after you beat the other games. Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance will release July 31st of this year and is the most anticipated game for the 3DS.
On the Nintendo side of games, Luigi's Mansion: Dark Moon is looking to be that game everyone has been waiting for (even though we didn't know it). Multiple mansions, yes, Lugi as the main character, yes, have I ever played Luigi's Mansion, no, but I will now. This game looks to be the peak of Luigi's career, or the start of something much greater. New Super Mario Bros 2 is looking to be a heated battle between you and anyone you pass with StreetPass. Collecting coins is the name of this game, and Nintendo (for some reason) wants you to reach one million coins as fast as you can. Let's not and say we did, it will be a long and aggravating road to reach that goal. The final Nintendo game for the 3DS that looks to be as beautiful as it is creative, Paper Mario: Sticker Star. I've never played Paper Mario (I know!), and this will be my chance for sure! Paper Mario looks to be better than ever with new mechanics and plenty of sticky stickers to place throughout the land. Why am I saying so little? I plan to buy these games just because they look so good. Besides, if you haven't heard of games similar to these (ie prequels), then you are missing out and should Google those classics (Luigi's Mansion and Paper Mario).
Now to list off a few of the other 3DS games set to launch between now and next year: Heroes of Ruin, Disney Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion (not a sequel, not a prequel, but an epic something in a 2D-ish form for the 3DS), and Castlevania: Lords of Shadow -- Mirror of Fate (from the demo shown at the live 3DS showcase, Konami has made this as cooky as it is brutal and side scroller-y). There were other games announced, but I feel these are the top few announced alongside the others above.
Game wise, that's it from Nintendo. So let's move from Nintendo to everything else. Let's just say Sony and Ubisoft are the only ones that matter, and that I need to buy a PS3. The Last of Us by Naughty Dog is looking to be a very great game. The video is awesome, the acting is great, and you are attached to these two main characters as they explore the environment and do one thing: survive. This is not Nintendo related, so I can't link to anything (Google is amazing!). Watch Dogs (also for the PS3, at least) took every gamer by surprise. Seriously, if you haven't seen the trailer or demo you can't say one thing about this game. Trust me, this game is looking to be the best game of it's year. You can't keep any secrets in this modern world, and this game is an eye opener into what this world could become. Check it out, it truly is a work of art. Insert Assassin's Creed III here, if you love the series, done, if you haven't played it before, get it for the WiiU and have at it this Holiday! It was made with a new engine for the WiiU, and promises to make the gameplay flow more smoothly with the GamePad. I'm sticking to the Xbox 360 version, just because it has become instinct now. There were many more games at just these two conferences, but this article is long enough. This year might not have been the best E3, and no Zelda was announced (I have a huge backlog, so I can wait another year), but this E3 was definitely on par with what gamers wanted. If you weren't expecting a new Zelda game, and thought Microsoft had nothing significant to hand out, this year was amazing! My money is gone, where do you stand?
