I take a look at Nintendo’s E3 lineup…
A few weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get my hands on some of the games that Nintendo showed at E3 at their post-E3 event in London. Here is what I came across and my thoughts on the overall lineup.
Sonic Boom: Rise of Lyric for Wii U
Now I’m quite the Sonic fan, despite the decline in the blue hedgehog’s quality of games since he entered 3D. Sonic Generations was a return to form and a much needed boost for the franchise, while Lost World left a bad taste in fans’ mouths. Sonic Boom mixes things up again by changing the formula of fast-paced Sonic stages to what appears to be a button-mashing, beat-em-up starring revamped models of Sonic, Tails, Amy and a rather odd looking Knuckles. I played 4 levels at the event and I have to say I was disappointed with what I saw, the levels were badly designed, the camera was awkward and combat was repetitive. The last level I played was more of a return to the old Sonic style where you run through a stage and tap the shoulder buttons to move from left to right as you run, it almost reminded me of Sonic Dash for iPhone/Android and yet it was the most memorable of the levels. Overall, I doubt Sonic Boom will be the big hit that Sega hopes but maybe they can improve things before it launches in November.
Yoshi’s Woolly World
Yoshi is back in this new adventure which has the same look to it as Kirby’s Epic Yarn, but with the gameplay from Yoshi’s Island/Yoshi’s Story. As you would expect, there are plenty of hidden areas and items to find, I came across loads in just a few of the stages I played. I was impressed with the combination of the styles and I personally can see great things for this one. Keep an eye out when it spins out next year.
Amiibo
I didn’t see the Amiibo’s in action, but I did see some of them in a display case and they looked stunning. A video appeared above the case that showed what they can do and I can’t wait to get my hands on them.
Mario Maker
It’s the tool we’ve always wanted. Being able to design your own Mario levels has so much potential, I could have played it for hours at the event. You have access to pretty much every object in the Mushroom Kingdom at your disposal to make some of the craziest and best levels ever.
Splatoon
Splatoon has to be the sleeper hit of E3. At the event, they had tons of systems connected to do battle via LAN and it was incredibly addictive. You play as a squid in a team and the objective is to spray as much ink over the map in the time frame, it sounds easy but it’s anything but. Winning and losing can be flipped in the last few seconds as you don’t just have to spray the ink over your enemies territory, but also keep your base spotless as well. You can aim using the left and right analog sticks if you wish, but using the Gamepad to aim is a far more quicker and accurate way of success. I managed to get quite the large kill-streak and even though I got ripped apart by the Nintendo Post-E3 team, I did end up with the most kills on my team…which I was more than happy with. It’ll be nice to see how Splatoon pans out, I personally see big things for it.
Super Smash Bros for 3DS
I only had a short time with the 3DS version of Smash, but it did prove that the handheld can more than deliver a true experience of the franchise. I quickly played a Smash Run in which you and up to 3 others roam through a labyrinth of Smash stages where you gather new items, upgrades for your character and so on. It was fun and handled well, but it did suffer the issues of the Subspace Emissary from Brawl where platforming isn’t the series’ strong point. Then I played a 4 player battle, coming in 2nd with Link and it ran smoothly, combat was great as always and the game looked great to boot. All I can say is roll on October!
Super Smash Bros for Wii U
Here it is. The big one. Super Smash Bros for Wii U. Oh the potential, the anticipation of finally getting my hands on one of the most awaited games for the Wii U and best of all, I got to play using a GameCube controller! I played a number of matches, trying out new characters like Mega Man, Villager and Little Mac as well as old favourites like Link, Mario, Sonic and Zero Suit Samus. The game handles as you would expect, it’s madness as usual…especially on one stage which is a constant changing arena full of dangerous hazards.
As a Zelda fan, I had to check out the Skyloft stage from Skyward Sword and loved what they’ve done with it. I’d kill to see that remade in HD one day, but that’s the fanboy in me talking. The levels themselves are brilliantly done and even though I wasn’t playing with the full roster, I was seriously impressed with what I saw and can’t wait to get my hands on the final product.
Overall
There were a few other games at the event that I didn’t get around to playing, like Mario Party 10 and Captain Toad: Treasure Hunter and there was a lack of Hyrule Warriors for some reason. But other than that, I really enjoyed myself at the event and what I saw. Nintendo does have a strong lineup here and personally I think they won E3 with what they revealed. I love the idea of Amiibo’s and the potential they have not just in Smash, but also Mario Kart 8. Smash Bros was definitely a personal highlight, but Splatoon was also incredibly addictive too. All I know is that I simply must have these games, and soon!