Nintendo

Nintendo came out firing on all cylinders with Zelda, kept the momentum going with all the wonderful new games, drove it home with a new 3DS, then served up dessert with a sugary parade of beautiful young models cuddling shiny glowing 3DSs in their arms. Sony and Microsoft really need to study Nintendo’s keynote this year as they showed everyone how it’s done. Of all the gaming companies who earned the right to boast it is Nintendo, yet they only spend a few short minutes trashing the competition in a humorous yet effective manner. Then we have the games, oh the wonderful new games that are heading our way this year.  We have:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword:

Extensive utilization of the Wii Motion+ guarantees a unique and fun new Zelda experience that everyone will want to try for themselves. The Wii Zelda game we always wanted. At first glance looks like it might define the new standard for motion control games. Easily a 15 Million+ title.

Donkey Kong Country Returns:

The older versions’ gameplay still holds up brilliantly today so the Returns update looks fabulous. Everyone will love and play this game. It will sell MILLION$!

Epic Mickey:

This game has appeal across many different gaming genres on all sorts of levels and is a genuinely unique title in today’s sea of sequels. It’s like Fallout 3 for kids along with platforming steeped in Mickey cartoon history. The duck is in the details but at first glance it’s looking like a monster hit. It will sell MILLION$!

New 3DS:

Behold Nintendo’s latest portable gaming console, the 3DS. The glasses-less 3D technology is exciting – you can easily imagine how it enhances the gaming experience. 3D movie contracts ensures its place as a popular 3D media viewer. It’s fully Backwards Compatible with the DSi, so that platform lives on as well. The 3DS will also be the first successful mass marketed 3D camera.

Graphical resolution is an improvement over the DS at 800×320 (400×320 in 3D) but leaves something on the table for Sony. No mention on the launch date or price. My guess is this Christmas for $189. Game developers are falling over themselves delivering their AAA ‘hardcore’ titles to the device guaranteeing one of the strongest launch lineups in history. Just look in at this incredible list of AAA titles:
- Street Fighter IV 3D
- StarFox 64 3D
- Kid Icurus
- Zelda Ocarina of Time 3D
- Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D
- Saints Row
- Assassin’s Creed
- Splinter Cell Chaos Theory
- Resident Evil
- Square Enix Titles
- Kingdom Hearts
- Batman
- The Sims 3
- FIFA Soccer
- Dead or Alive 3D
- Madden
- Chocobo Racing 3D
- DJ Hero 3D
- Professor Layton
- Nintendogs + Cats (uses facial recognition)

Other notable game releases for the Wii: Wii Party, Mario Sports Mix, Kirby’s Epic Yarn, PokePark Pikachu’s Adventure, Metroid M, and Samurai Warriors 3.

Sony

Sony got off to a dreadful start sucking all the life and fun out of the hopeful audience for nearly a half hour before finally getting some people on stage who actually seemed to enjoy games, like Kevin Butler (of Sony commercial fame) who saved the show, along with the parade of games that followed. They unveiled an exciting lineup of future titles including many new IP announcements.

Sony Move

Sony showed plenty of Move titles along with a new category and price-point for Move games, $39.99. We also learned the price for Move itself which is $49.99 for the main controller, $29.99 for the camera, and $29.99 for the nunchuck/navigation unit – available around November 19th. There’s also a bundle with Move, the Navigation unit and Sports Champions game for $99.99. Was hoping for more hardcore title announcements for Move, something to really differentiate Move from the Wii, so perhaps we’ll get more before its launch. A Ps3 Bundle with everything including a PS3 will cost around $399.99. Here’s some of the highlights of the show:

Sorcery (Move game):

A brand new IP for Move and the first ‘hardcore’ game I’ve seen in action so far. An action/adventure game that makes full use of the Move for more than simple waggles. Cast spells on enemies with different motions, and combine spells to create even more powerful versions. One of the most interesting games of E3 blunted only slightly by the long shadow cast by Zelda. Luckily they have plenty of time to look and learn from the masters.

Heroes on the Move:

A brand new IP combining all time classic characters; Jak, Daxter, Sly, Bentley, Ratchet and Clank. I love all these old games so looking forward to see what this is. You have my attention Sony!

Grand Tursimo 5:

The most anticipated racing game in history finally has a release date on November 2nd, 2010. No more slipping… Nov 2, Nov 2, Nov 2!!!! Hip hip, hooray! Hip hip, hooray! Damage, online racing, Nascar, 3D, updated physics – easily a 15 Million+ title.

LittleBigPlanet 2:

Sackboys everywhere make their return with tons of new gaming modes including FPS, flying, motion control and my personal favorite: new physics suits to fix the floaty jumping mechanics. This game will delight gamers and would-be designers for 100s of hours and will sell MILLION$.

Portal 2:

Gabe Newell, lead developer at Valve Software gave the surprising announcement of Portal 2 for the PS3. Surprising since he once said the PS3 is such a total disaster, Sony should scrap it and start a do-over. If priced right, this game will sell MILLION$.

ICO/ Shadow of the Colossus Collection:

PS2 greats for the PS3. Pretty much a must-buy title if you haven’t played them. Sony’s strategy of removing PS2 backwards compatibility is really paying off. (Sorry loyal PS2 fans)

Sly Cooper Collection:

More PS2 greats on the PS3. All three Sly games on one disk. Another must-buy if you haven’t played them.

Final Fantasy XIV:

Many people are super excited for the next version of this classic RPG fantasy game.

New Twisted Metal:

A remake of the classic auto-combat game to be released in 2011. Twisted Metal has amazing atmospheres and wonderful characters but I always become quickly bored of the gameplay. Looks like the PS3 version has added some much needed game modes and flying helicopters. Keep an eye on this one.

PlayStation Plus:

Brings some additional gaming options over PSN, available later this month. $49.99 for one year, and $18.00 for 3 months. I can’t imagine ever paying for this.

Gaming Bundles:

Sony announced two titles which come bundled with their previous version included on the disk. Dead Space 2 and Dead Space: Extraction will come bundled together for the price of just Dead Space 2. (Move enabled, yay!) Also, the new Metal of Honor will also include “Metal of Honor: Frontline” on the disk. This is a nice strategy which lures gamers who never played the previous versions by offering a better value while simultaneously stemming used game sales for the previous titles. A win-win for publisher and gamer alike. Keep it up Sony, let’s see lots more of this.

No New PSP

Rumors of a new PSP proved to be false. Too bad since PSP’s future is cloudy now that 3DS is looming. Poor Marcus (new PSP advertising spokesman). I say good riddance and now let Sony release the portable they should have always created.

A portable with FULL PS2 compatibility with two sticks and two shoulder buttons. You keep the PS2 ecosystem alive on two consoles; the PS2 and PSP2. You slide the best games over to the PS3 giving them the HD treatment along the way. Developers are thrilled with two revenue streams for the price of one, and they get to use the same development tools they already know, own and love. This insures the games are inexpensive- perfect for a portable.

No Love for Insomniac?

No mention of StarHawk or Resistance 3. And unfortunately, Insomniac is not the developer for Heroes on the Move. Is Sony giving the cold shoulder to Insomniac Games as punishment for their cross-platform deal with EA?