Leave Luck To Lylat – Nintendo’s E3 Conference Wrap
June 17, 2015
Nintendo’s Digital Event brings the last of the console platform owners to the stage, and boy was it a doozy. Here we go.
Starting off with an introduction seeing the familiar heads of Nintendo portrayed as Muppets, the tone was set for the conference: transformation. And what better way to demonstrate that than by starting with Star Fox Zero, the latest entry in Nintendo’s sci-fi pilot battle series. Fox and co can transform their Arwings mid combat into a ground based mech, as well as having access to at least two more vehicles for players to pilot. We see the return of Star Wolf and co, and Miyamoto-san demonstrated the use of the Gamepad as a cockpit view in conjuction with the classic third person view. The game is due later this year.
Reggie then took us to Vicarious Visions, who showed off a Skylanders Ammibo crossover with Bowser and Donkey Kong, showing off both their Amiibo and vehicle for the upcoming Skylanders title. The figures can be switched between Skylander and Amiibo mode, meaning it can be used on other Nintendo titles. Obviously, this will be exclusive to the WiiU version of Skylanders.
Next up was a Zelda double whammy, with a first look at LoZ: Triforce Heroes. Taking some obvious cues from Four Swords Adventures, the game is a three player dungeon that requires teamwork and cooperation to proceed. The various Links will use different powers and costumes to open up paths and defeat enemies, as well as combining those powers together to progress. The previously announced Hyrule Warriors Legends for 3DS was next, and will come packed with the already released DLC characters, as well as new Wind Waker DLC. Triforce Heroes is due later this year, and Hyrule Warriors in 1st Qtr, 2016.
The return of first person Metroid Prime for 3DS came next, with Metroid Prime Federation Force announced. The unique stylus based action is back in force, and 3v3 “scifi soccer” shown off briefly. Federation Force is due next year.
Fates is the upcoming title in the Fire Emblem series, with gameplay similar to Awakening, and some familiar faces and production quality showcased as well. We then saw the latest trailer for Shin Megami Tensei X Fire Emblem, now called Fire Emblem Shin Megami Tensei. A healthy dose of idols, “Mirages” and cutscenes were on display, but no release date unfortunately.
Xenoblade Chronicles X had a new trailer, which showed off some more of the game’s stunning visuals, and gave us a release date of the 4th of December this year.
Animal Crossing Happy Home Designer showed off the ability to design homes, gardens and builidings in your particular town, and will hit 3DS on September 25th of this year. AC Amiibo Festival then presented us a Mario Party style game set in the Animal Crossing world, and requiring an Amiibo for each player in the game. You’ll be able to get your KK Slider fix later this year.
Yoshi Wooly World and its fluffy Amiibos were shown off by their creator, and we were introduced to the Mario Yoshi in game. October 16th this year was the release date given for this one.
The popular Yokai Watch series is receiving a 3DS game, with the ability to find and battle your various Yokai making up the majority of the gameplay shown.
Two of my favourites were up next, with Mario and Luigi RPG crossing over into Paper Mario. Much like the previous games in the series, different buttons control different characters in the team, and combos involve the three coming together in various ways to power up attacks and defend against enemies. We even saw a giant Papercraft Mario smash his way through waves of enemies. Early 2016 will see this one hit 3DS.
A new iteration of Mario Tennis for WiiU, subtitled Ultra Smash, gave us giant powerups, familiar shot styles and the bright visuals we’ve become accustomed to from the series. Anthoer one due out this year.
Finally, the old boys waxed lyrical about making Super Mario Brothers, showing us the original design documents used to make the game. They have introduced a flying cloud option for Mario to use, as well as stacking enemies and various other different uses of traditional Mario assets. Amiibos will also make an appearance in game, with the ability to play as your various characters through the game, as well as a special 8Bit Amiibo which comes with an “Sample course” book. Mario will be melting enemies this September 11th.
