PixlBit

A slew of new titles and some massive news about the 3DS define the briefing.

This year’s Nintendo E3 presentation brought with it an assortment of new and old, combining the recurring titles that Nintendo fans adore with the rebirth of IPs and the future of handheld gaming.

As we anticipate the opening of the show floor where we will have the opportunity to explore the numerous titles available at the Nintendo booth, we will take a quick look back at the press conference.

Nintendo wasted no time starting off with their newest Zelda title, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. The first noticeable difference from its Wii brethren, Twilight Princess, is that Skyward Sword will feature a cell shaded art style that resembles a mix of Twilight Princess and Wind Waker. Familiar weapons have made a return, including the slingshot, arrow, and bomb, although Nintendo has changed up some of their functionalities. Players can now roll bombs in addition to placing and throwing them. The bow will control exactly the same as in Wii Sports Resort, although during the conference, technical difficulties prevented a successful demonstration. In addition to the familiar weapons a whip has now been added to the mix which can be used to stun enemies, cut grass, and pick up items. With the realistic control of the bow and arrow it is not surprising that players will now be able to have full control of Link's sword with the help of Wii Motion Plus and control of the shield by way of the Nunchuk. There are plenty of new features, including running and enemies that will block attacks, and we will detail them more in our hands-on experiences.

Releasing in 2011 will be Super Mario Sports Mix, an encompassing title that will include several Mario sports games instead of just one. While there were sparse details revealed, the trailer showed that volleyball, hockey, dodge ball, and basketball will be included. Keeping true to the Mario Sports core gameplay it seems as though power shots will be making a return.

For Mii making fans, Mii Party will allow players to utilize their customized personalities in a whole new way. There will be 13 party games and 70 mini games in this family-friendly pack that will support the balance board. The title will be released this holiday season.

Revivals were a big theme of this year’s Nintendo E3 presentation and there were plenty to go around. For all those who spent unbelievable hours playing GoldenEye on their N64s back in the day the franchise is coming back to a Nintendo console. It will feature split screen co-op and online multiplayer. There will eight classic characters to choose from in addition to 16 modes that include paintball and melee. GoldenEye 007 will release this holiday season exclusively for Wii.

Coming back from the SNES era is the Donkey Kong Country franchise with Donkey Kong Country Returns. It seems to be true to its roots, featuring side scrolling 2-D in 3-D gameplay with all of the vine swinging, barrel rolling action that fans of the series remember.

Then there's the squishy pink guy that became popularized way back on the NES in his all new title Kirby's Epic Yarn for Wii. The art style is drastically different than any other Kirby title before, featuring a fabric theme and a Kirby that is merely an outline of yarn. The side scrolling 2-D adventure seems to follow traditional NES Kirby style gameplay with noticeable similarities and differences. Kirby will still have the abilities to transform, as we saw him skateboarding and, my personal favorite, flying as a UFO. This time around, Kirby seems to have a yarn whip of some sort that he uses to defeat weapons and help him platform. A Kirby staple that was not viewed was Kirby having the ability to inhale air and float, but we will have confirmation on whether or not that will be featured when we play the title hands on. Kirby's Epic Yarn will release this fall for Wii.

Epic Mickey was discussed in detail, and the most noticeable new information released was the player’s ability to customize his or her experience. As Warren Spector stated during the conference, they wanted players to "control the essence of [their] cartoon being: paint and paint thinner." Using these tools, players can choose to erase or paint to restore. Every decision and interaction with characters will have an impact on the players experience and each character’s storyline. Epic Mickey will feature three different location types, including an action zone and a travel zone, and a third that we hope to find out on the show floor. During the conference we saw the travel zone demonstrated, which offers up 2-D side scrolling action inspired by classic platformers.

Finally, the conference concluded with many details regarding the Nintendo 3DS. The most notable details include the graphics improvement, which will allowed 3DS titles to rival those seen on the Wii. Thereis now a slide pad similar to that of an analog stick, in addition to a motion sensor and gyroscope. The 3DS will contain multiple cameras similar to that of the DSi, however with two cameras on the outside, owners will have the ability to take pictures in 3D.

The biggest revival featured at today's press conference (and one that has been rumored since the release of Super Smash Bros. Brawl) is the new Kid Icarus. Previously codenamed Project Sora, Kid Icarus: Uprising was the first (and only) Nintendo 3DS title featured at the press conference. Featuring graphics up to par with those seen on Wii, gamers got their first glimpse of Pit since his debut on the Gameboy.

There are plenty more details to discuss about the platform and we will delve deeper in later articles. However, we cannot end this article without mentioning the outstanding support from 3rd party developers who seem incredibly excited with Nintendo's newest handheld device. With so many titles on the backburner currently in development, it was a task to write them down quickly enough. The IPs currently in development includes Metal Gear Solid, Guitar Hero, Resident Evil, Kingdom Hearts, Street Fighter, Batman, and more.

That concludes our summary of the highlights of the Nintendo E3 press conference. Be sure to check back throughout the day as we will be covering Nintendo titles as well as those for Microsoft and Sony. Feel free to leave feedback asking questions regarding titles and even requests for specific sneak peeks on titles that you the reader are interested in.