For better or worse, Nintendo decided to handle E3 a little differently this year, and now it's easy to see why. Nintendo simply didn't have enough to show, unfortunately. At any rate, I decided to follow suit and do things a little differently this year myself. I spent most of Tuesday on Miiverse, sharing my thoughts as they came to me. Then I decided to wait until the end of E3 to do my traditional blog. Unfortunately Nintendo didn't take advantage of the extra time to announce anything else. A shame.

Show Pros: Direct and to the point - MEGA MAN! IT'S F- MEGA MAN!!

Show Cons: Nothing shown that wasn't announced before hand - No notable 3rd Party support announced - Wii Fit Trainer

Super Mario 3D World 

The mystery 3D Mario title has been announced to little fanfare. Which I think is actually a shame because it looks great to me. I loved the mix of 2D and 3D Mario conventions in the 3DS iteration, and I'm happy to see more. It also looks like it's going to be a great multiplayer game; being able to use four unique characters again will be a treat. The cat suit looks great too, and I love the clear pipes! 

Day one buy. 

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Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze 

Retro's mystery project is finally revealed, and the results have proven to be pretty disappointing for many fans. I dunno, I'm not really upset that they're not doing another Metroid, however I would have been a lot more excited to see a new IP or a series revival. That said, while I feel it didn't actually have a lot to do with the original trilogy and that this looks to be more of the same, I enjoyed Donkey Kong Country Returns and I'm sure this'll be great as well. With Dave Wise back for the music, it'll at least sound more like classic DKC I'm sure, and it's nice to see Dixie Kong back again. 

Day one buy.

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Mario Kart 8

Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart Wii combined and on steroids. Graphically the game was impressive of course and the anti gravity gimmick looks interesting. That said... I feel like the stages have been getting maybe a little too complicated lately and it looks like that's only more true here. Still, I'm definitely willing to give it a chance. 

Day one buy. 

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Monolith's "X" 

This is the prettiest game I think I've ever seen. That said nothing really new was shown, and since it looks like we're not even far enough in developement to have sorted out the title it looks like we're going to have a loooong wait. I'm sure it'll be worth it. 

Day one buy. 

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Bayonetta 2

This definitely looks cool and I was interested in the original... but I never played the original, 'cause I don't have any consoles that it was released on. So I'd definitely be more interested if they'd make it available on the eShop for me to enjoy. Until then, I'm not going to be first in line for this sequel.

Probably later. 

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Super Smash Bros. 

Honestly I was not blown away by their presentation. That is until the introduced Mega Man! I've wanted that forever, and Nintendo has decided to keep things classy by using the original Mega Man and not X. Graphically it looks like a slightly more vivid Brawl--nothing to get excited about, which is a shame because Brawl was certainly a visual stand out on Wii. Villager seems like a really (and surprisingly) awesome addition, and I just love what they did with him. Wii Fit Trainer gave me some nerd rage... The roster had better be damn impressive to not feel short changed with her taking up a spot. It's nothing that'll stop me from buying it though... I guess.

Day one buy. 

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Pokemon X and Y

Obviously Pokemon is going to be amazing. This is fact. I guess we get a Fairy type now, which is pretty cool. Anything to balance out those dragons. Over the course of E3 a handfull of new Pokemon were revealed. The standouts for me were Noivern and Talonflame, but nothing shown was offensive so I'm liking the sixth gen Pokemon a lot so far. Aerial battles were showcased and seem interesting, as well as horde battles. It also looks like the game is going to make fantastic use of streetpass. Overall, very excited. But you already knew that. 

I will do anything it takes to get this at midnight. 

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Closing Comments

So that was the show. As far as what was shown, I'm very happy with it all. As far as what wasn't shown, I'm worried. The Wii U's third party support looks like it's going to be much worse than Wii's, and that's saying something. The only 3rd party game I'm actively anticipating is Sonic: Lost World. Nintendo sadly didn't have any surprises of its own, either. Nothing was shown that wasn't known about before hand, and most of what was is slated for a 2014 release, so I guess we'll have plenty of time to save up. It's also worth noting that no new 3DS games were announced--yes, I know that the system is doing relatively well, but I can't remember the DS going without any announcements at E3. I certainly wasn't impressed with Nintendo's showing, and it's looking more and more like I'll have to get a PS4 too. No Kingdom Hearts!? 

The idea of a Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire remake seems to be quite a polarizing one. In a world where apparently nobody's allowed to just be neutral to the idea, which side do you stand on? Are you pro R/S/E remake or anti R/S/E remake? For those of you who have cheated by reading the blog title, my stance on the issue is clear: Why would any Pokémon fan not want a remake?

Typically remakes take the original game, improve the graphics, add in some new areas/content, and maybe remix the soundtrack. And while that may be the only real justification a remake needs, Pokémon games dont just get remade --they get updated as well. A 3DS remake for Ruby and Sapphire would have all the standard fare and more. In glorious 3D!

A lot has changed for the series since the sepia-toned days of 2003. For starters, all of the new Pokémon introduced in generations four and five (possibly six?) would be available. Heart Gold and Soul Silver nailed the formula by allowing players to obtain these recent additions at any time through trade. Taking your favorite Sinnoh Pokémon on a campaign through Johto is a very real possibility, and the same idea could easily be applied to our remake in question.

Another big addition to the series in recent years is online play. The ability to battle and trade online played a big part in reigniting my love for Pokémon and its inclusion in any Hoenn romp would be welcome to say the least. I'd be remiss to mention internet play without mentioning competitive play, which is looking a lot better since generation three, and with Black and White's Rotation and Triple battles as part of the package, players wont be hard pressed to find a battle type that's right for them.

We're still at the tip of the iceberg here. There have been plenty of other important updates to the formula since the original Ruby and Sapphire, including but not limited to the fourth generation physical/special split as well as Black and White's implementation of seasons. While they're at it, they could fix some of the original's problems, such as their baffling decision not to implement the day/night cycle.

Maybe its just me, but I love the idea of taking my Sandile down a moonlit Hoenn road and having a rotation battle in the snow. And of course, Gamefreak can always add entirely new ideas to the game as well.

"B-but, Pixel!" you say. "I can already GET the Hoenn Pokémon in the games I already have! IN YOUR FACE!" Alright, calm down. If the only reason you play Pokémon is to complete your Pokedex, then you don't have to buy it.

"Is that a joke?!" you enquire. "I'd even be able to send Pokémon from the original games into the remakes! Ridiculous!" Am I the only one who thinks that's awesome?

"O-oh yeah?!" You blurt out. "Well there are, like, way too many Pokémon games already and stuff! Give it a rest, Gamefreak!" Eh, the remakes give Gamefreak more time to work on the next gen, not to mention balance the competitive aspects mid gen by giving the Pokémon new moves. At least its not quite an annual thing like Call of Duty, and again, nobody's forcing you to buy anything.

Now that that's out of the way, on to the big question: Do I think it'll happen? Well, all I can really go on is Gamefreak's history, and from that I can conclude that it's likely. The remake will be relatively easy money for Gamefreak, and theres really no reason why they shouldn't make them. Theres clearly some fan demand as well. On the other hand, nobody saw a direct sequel to Black and White coming, so perhaps Gamefreak is trying to break away from business as usual. Who knows?

At any rate, I think it should happen just so we can stop arguing about it.

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So, are you for or against an R/S/E remake? Do you think it'll happen? Anything in particular you'd like to see happen with it?

Discuss!

Show Pros: Pikmin 3 looks great - Reggie's body still ready

Show Cons: Pacing problems - Mostly devoted to things we already know - Boring

Pikmin 3

The show starts right off the bat with the only thing worth seeing. Even though we've known of the game's existence for a while now, it was nice to finally see some footage. The game looks nice and I'm definitely interested despite having only limited experience with the series. I only wish the rest of the show could have followed suit.

New Super Mario Bros. U

Another one we've known about for a while... yes, New Super Mario Bros. Mii is unsurprisingly making an appearance as a full-fledged game. What can I really say? I'm sure it'll be fun. The backgrounds look nice. They're reusing that terrible main theme again. The flying squirrel suit looks weird. Yeah.

Wii U Fit and Just Dance 4

Firstly, Nintendo, are you serious? Sometimes I wonder if Nintendo even understands who actually pays attention to E3. Yes, I know that these titles have sold well in the past and have helped move units, but these are simply not the titles hardcore gamers get excited about. I would think Wii Fit would reach more of its target audience appearing on Good Morning America of something.

Lego City

Again, I don't see many people being overly excited for what looks to be a fairly standard, by the numbers entry in the Lego franchise with no surprises whatsoever. I've never really been interested in the series and this hasn't done anything to change my mind.

Batman Arkham City

While obviously a well-received game, getting excited for an enhanced port is a hard sell. As someone who never played Arkham City or the original game, what would have impressed me is seeing them bundled together. For what it is though, the game seems to be making adequate use of the Wii U gamepad.

3DS Presentation

In keeping with the apparent theme of the presentation, nothing really new is shown here. I know there's going to be a separate 3DS conference, but they could have at least revealed one new game, right? 'Cause that would have been exciting. To make matters worse, all three of the games they bothered to show were Mario games. As for relevant information on the titles, I guess NSMB2 emphasizes coin collecting more than past games in the series and Paper Mario uses Stickers found in the game world as special attacks.

Nintendo Land

Obligatory mini game collection. I think it has some potential. The Luigi's Mansion minigame certainly looked fun. It doesn't quite look like it'll be worth fifty, or heaven forbid, sixty dollars, but it would make a lot of sense as a console pack in. It's kind of ridiculous that this is treated as the big end-of-the-show reveal though.

Closing Comments

You know there's a problem when Reggie uttering that now iconic phrase is seriously a highlight of the show. I could have left after the New Super Mario presentation and not missed a beat, which is even worse considering how early in the show that was. There were of course more games shown than those above, but I think that my inability to think of something to say about them is perhaps even more telling.

There may be a silver lining to all of this. If Nintendo is using our reaction to the show to determine the Wii U's price, then I think we're at least looking at a cheaper console.

Overall, there was simply nothing to get excited about. Will I buy a Wii U? I'm sure I will. If nothing else, it's looking like there'll be a fine selection of titles at launch. But I'm a fan girl. This was Nintendo's opportunity to convince the masses, and they missed it.

I was just minding my own business, enjoying my Xenoblade (Which you need to go out and buy if you haven't already) when Jakor1 comes along with his Roster Maker and now all of a sudden Smash Bros. is all I can think about. Of course the most polarizing aspect of Smash Bros. discussion would easily have to be the new character additions. No fan is going to have the same list of characters they'd like? That's what makes talking about it so fun!

I personally think Bowser Jr. would be an excellent addition to the cast. Ever since his introduction in Super Mario Sunshine Bowser Jr. has had a pretty big role in the series and I'd like to see that represented here. If nothing else, it would be interesting to see Bowser's moveset on a smaller, speedier character.

I'm sure Paper Mario would make an interesting addition gameplay wise, but mostly I just really like Paper Mario on the N64. I like to imagine him using his Hammer to attack and turning himself into a paper airplane to recover, and I'm sure that between TTYD and Super Paper Mario the developers will have no shortage of ideas.

A fan favorite request. Whether the character is owned by Square or Nintendo seems to be up for debate, but either way I'm sure they could make room on the roster for Geno.

Starring in one of my favorite games of all time, Donkey Kong Country 2, I would love for Dixie Kong to be a part of the next Smash Bros. I could see Nintendo getting a lot of mileage out of Dixie's hair twirl and I think she'd be a lot of fun. Maybe she could even use her guitar!

What's interesting about this addition is that he's drastically different in all the games he's appeared in. Between a king, a pirate, and a mad scientist his moveset possibilities are nearly endless. If I had to choose only one version I would definitely choose his pirate incarnation, but I imagine K. Rool's design would get an overhaul similar to Pit's in Brawl.

Twilight Princess' Midna would be an interesting addition to the cast. With her magical abilities (which admittedly could have been fleshed out more in Twilight Princess) she has the base for a good set while leaving the developers room to be creative.

Another fan favorite request, Vaati has starred in The Minish Cap as well as the Four Swords games. I actually don't have a lot of experience with this character as I have yet to complete any of his games, but he seems cool from what I've seen and I do love his design.

After playing a bit of Uprising I've really come to enjoy Palutena's character. Not only that, but I love her design. I'm really not sure about her combat capabilities, but if the Ice Climbers can fight I'm sure they work with a goddess.

I remember back in my NSIDER days that this was quite a polarizing suggestion. While obviously nobody from Animal Crossing is likely to be much of a fighter, I still say they could make it work. When I picture Nook in Smash Bros., I see him tossing Axes from a sack as well as using a shovel to attack.

Here's one I'd like to see promoted from assist trophy status. Little Mac has starred in three games now, and his battle prowess is impressive. So of course I think he deserves a chance to prove himself in the Smash Bros. arena. I think the only thing holding Little Mac back is that boxing is a little pedestrian by Smash Bros. standards, but regardless I think he could be a fine addition.

Another promoted unit. One of the three main characters of the first localized Fire Emblem; Lyndis is a strong sword fighter from the sacaean plains. Fire Emblem has never had much in the way of special techniques, so the developers would likely have to improvise a bit with her moveset. However Lyndis is great with a bow and arrow, which should help vary her options. This would likely make her the only Fire Emblem character with a ranged attack.

Obviously I don't have a lot of experience with Krom myself, but I do think it would be cool if they pulled a Roy and used Krom as an advertisement of sorts. Maybe this time we could actually have the game in question localized for North America.

When looking for a suitable Pokémon to represent the Johto region, Scizor came to mind immediately. Any 4th generation competitive battler likely has a lot of experience with Scizor; after Platinum gave it access to Bullet Punch it was nearly on every team, and rightfully so. Scizor has also been featured in the Smash Bros. games in the past as a Pokeball summon.

To me, Blaziken seems like a perfect fit for Smash Bros. As a starter Pokemon he's well known and very popular, not to mention he has the perfect build and fighting styIe. With the addition of Speed Boost Blaziken has become the first starter Pokémon to be cIassified as an Uber. For the Pokemon illiterate, this means he's considered too powerful for standard play by the top competitive battling authority.

The unofficial counterpart to Lucario, Zoroark would be a fine fit for Smash Bros. As well as being the first 5th gen Pokémon revealed, Zoroark also has the honor of starring in Master of Illusions, so if nothing else Gamefreak seems to think highly of him. It would be interesting if they could make use of Zoroark's ability to change its appearance as well.

The Operation Rainfall Three

Of course I would love to see some love for Shulk, Zael, and Aeron! It's always exciting when new games (and perhaps even new franchises) can be featured in Smash Bros., and Shulk and the gang would be a great fit for the games. I could be biased.

For better or worse and whatever your stance is on the matter, the 3DS seems to be a natural fit for remakes. As far as the developers are concerned, these projects are easier and less time consuming than new releases. For everyone else it's great to see cIassic games with updated graphics, 3D visuals, new content, and added portability. I personally have no problems with remakes, as long as they're needed in the first place and are done right. Here are some that I'm waiting for.

Final Fantasy IX

November 14th, 2000

My favorite game of all time outside of the Pokémon franchise. I could really go on and on about how great this game is. It's aged beautifully and it's still very enjoyable to this day, but that's not to say that it couldn't use an update. Just the chance to hear the soundtrack remastered would make it worth it in my book; Nobuo Uematsu's fantastic score is what made me fall in love with video game music.

Something I'd love to see from a remake is having Beatrix as a legitimate member of the party. She's arguably the coolest character in the game, so her presence would be a welcomed one. Another thing that always bothered me about Final Fantasy IX is that Dagger and Eiko are basically the same thing gameplay wise, and what's worse is that one is actually better than the other. More diversity between these characters would be greatly appreciated. Of course, this wouldn't be Square's first attempt at a Final Fantasy remake and the usual trappings should be expected as well. This would be a great time to flesh out the story and add voice acting, as well as add extra dungeons, spells, and side quests.

Final Fantasy IX is my personal Ocarina of Time. As a self-identifying Nintendo fan girl I'd love to play this on the 3DS, but if they announce this for any other console I'll buy it just for this game. I have literally dreamed of this game. Make it happen, Square!

Fire Emblem: Fūin no Tsurugi

March 29th, 2002 (JP)

As you may or may not know, the "original" Fire Emblem on the Gameboy Advance is actually a prequel to this game. Seems like kind of an odd choice to localize a prequel and then leave the "sequel" in Japan, doesn't it? Nintendo of America never fails to impress where localization is concerned. That said, Nintendo could earn back all their lost coolness points and then some with a 3DS remake. For us in the West, not only would we finally get to see Roy in context, we'd also get to visit the land of Elibe for a second time, which as a Fire Emblem fan would make me absolutely giddy.

As we'd be experiencing the game as a sequel, it would make a lot of sense to feature more Fire Emblem characters from the "original" game. Lyndis in particular should really make an appearance of some sort here. Other than that they could be as liberal or as conservative with the changes to the game as they want, really, as long as the story remains intact. I really just want the chance to play this one! You'd think Nintendo could make some easy money by releasing translated versions of the unreleased Fire Emblem games on Wii Ware or something, but that's a different conversation entirely.

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

October 26th, 2000

Here's an obvious one. Since they've already gone through the trouble of remaking Ocarina of Time, why not go the extra mile and remake Majora's Mask, too? I'm clearly not the only one who would appreciate this game, and I think our chances of seeing this are actually quite high.

While I have yet to pick up Ocarina of Time 3D, this would be a day one purchase for me. I've always really loved the game's story and atmosphere. Unfortunately I never got around to finishing this one, so I'd love the chance to.

Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire

March 19th, 2003

Now I bet none of you saw this coming. Obviously I would love a remake of Pokémon Ruby and Sapphire! Of course it's true that Pokémon from the original Ruby and Sapphire can still be sent to Black and White, albeit not directly. But is that really such a big deal? I even think it would be kind of cool for the remake to be able to connect with the originals to be honest. So then, the only reasons you have left to remake Ruby and Sapphire are… pretty much the only reasons to remake any game ever.

The most important of which, at least as far as Gamefreak is concerned, is money. For the gamers, so much has changed in ten years for the series. Obviously the graphics will be enhanced by a great deal. The original Ruby and Sapphire were hardly standouts as far as graphics are concerned, so why not really take advantage of the 3DS and create something stunning? On the other hand, the music in the game is some of the best in the series and I could definitely go for some higher quality remixes.

Many of my complaints with the originals could be fixed in the inevitable remakes, just as Heart Gold and Soul Silver did before them. Gamefreak's decision not to implement the day/night cycle was baffling to say the least, but now not only will we be able to experience Hoenn at night, we'll also be able to experience it in spring and autumn! This time around we'll even be able to bring all of our favorite 4th and 5th gen Pokémon with us! I'm twitching with excitement just thinking about it.

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So, what are some remakes you'd like to see on the 3DS, or elsewhere?

When the 3DS was revealed at E3 2010, I have to admit I was highly impressed. As long as the 3D effect worked out, it seemed that it would have everything going for it. Now that I've had some time with the 3DS, it seems my faith was unwarranted.

The 3DS is capable of some very impressive visuals, as demonstrated by a nearly flawless emulation of Super Street Fighter 4, and despite my doubts the 3D effect itself works great. The controls perform adequately enough as well, so on a basic level the 3DS has everything a handheld needs. It doesn't hurt that for the most part it's a sleek and appealing little gadget, either. With that said, the 3DS has gotten off to a very rough start.

It's easy to see that the 3DS was released too soon and for too much, and the fact that the 3DS didn't have a must have title or even some of its most basic features at launch didn't help matters. Super Street Fighter 4 is the closest thing we got to a killer app at launch, and while it was impressive to play a PS3/360 game on the go, everyone knew what they were getting. To make matters even worse, the most anticipated game for the system was Ocarina of Time 3D, yet another game many of us have already played. There just wasn't a compelling reason to pay $250.00 for a 3DS.

Nintendo itself has acknowledged this and has lowered the price of the 3DS just four months after its launch to a much more attractive $169.99. For those of us that were on the fence this is fantastic news. For those of us who took the bait, Nintendo's efforts to compensate us-- and in their defense, there were at least efforts to compensate us-- will likely fall flat. I could go on and on about the Ambassadors Program, but suffice it to say that even if it would take more than eighty dollars to purchase the games individually, it doesn't quite compare to having a fatter wallet.

Unfortunately, the 3DS hardware itself is marred by a few physical problems as well. The stylus is stored at the mid left of the system, and removing it during gameplay usually requires me to stop what I'm doing and put the system down. While this is only a minor inconvenience, it does seem to be an unnecessary one since the DS lite's placement worked perfectly. I can't say I'm particularly fond of the cheap feeling 3D slider or the unresponsive power button either, and it doesn't help matters when after all these years Nintendo is still handling their serial numbers with a cheap sticker at the back of the unit.

Worst of all though is that the ridges surrounding the bottom screen actually scratch the top screen when everyday pressure is applied, such as keeping it in your pocket; and while I can't say for sure that this is a common problem I can say that I'm not the only one to experience it. I've already had to send my 3DS in for a new screen once, and despite my best efforts to stop this from happening it seems that I'll be sending it in again soon. Maybe it's just me, but a portable system that can't go in my pocket seems counter intuitive. The battery life is also nothing to write home about.

While obviously the 3DS is primarily a gaming device, it also offers a variety of other distractions, including the ability to take 3D photos, browse the Internet, and play music. Perhaps unsurprisingly at this point, none of these really end up being worthwhile. The biggest disappointment of course is the 3D photos. They absolutely work from a technical perspective, but with such a weak camera they can never be more than a novelty. Indeed, even many cell phones have cameras that are miles ahead of the 3DS.

To be fair, the Internet Browser is an improvement over its DSi counterpart and works well for simple things like checking email, but the lack of flash is a disappointment. While it may be unreasonable to expect Nintendo to add 3G to the 3DS, the fact remains that any moderately powered smartphone is going to be a better choice for internet on the go. And to its credit, the 3DS does fare better as a music player, complaints with the interface aside it seems to perform adequately if perhaps underwhelmingly. Noticeably absent however is the ability to watch 3D movies. Nintendo has been silent about this ever since the 3DS was revealed at E3'10, so for now I guess we'll have to stick that into the ever growing pile of Nintendo's empty promises.

Central to the online experience for any 3DS owner is the eShop. In almost every single way it is an improvement over the DSi version, but it suffers from one crippling flaw. The payment system for all of Nintendo's eShop adventures has been horrible, requiring users to purchase points in set intervals instead of just letting us pay for the games directly. As bad as that is, they've somehow managed to make it even worse here.

Before, tax for the transactions were handled when you bought your points, so a 1200 point game would come out of the 2000 points you bought earlier, leaving you with 800 points that could be used to purchase another title. Not so for the 3DS. Now tax is applied after you buy your points, so if you add $10.00 and buy an $8.00 game, you'll now be left with $1.32 that you can't do anything with. I can't help but feel this is some sort of scam. If a game costs $12.00, why can't I just give you $12.00? Most uncool, Nintendo.

Perhaps the worst thing about it is that even conceptually the 3DS is flawed. The 3D effect is nice, but it essentially undoes all the positive effects the original DS had on gaming. While admittedly the DS' bottom screen was rarely used creatively, when it was the results were fantastic. The lack of 3D coupled with the apparent lower processing power makes the idea of putting the main image on the bottom screen a laughable one. I don't see highly unique experiences such as The World Ends With You, Kirby: Canvas Curse, and Phantom Hourglass working well on the 3DS, and that's a shame.

As I said, the 3DS has everything it needs to be a successful system. It looks like it's going to have a great holiday lineup and at $169.99 it's a much better buy. Indeed, many of my complaints can be fixed with the inevitable "3DS lite" or even system updates. That said, I can't help but wonder if the 3DS was a mistake.

As an RPG fan, I was thrilled to see Xenoblade revealed at E3 2009. So as some (a few?) of you have probably read, I was pretty disappointed when it failed to make an appearance at E3 2011. The Wii's lineup is looking pretty dismal with the exception of Zelda and the Wii suffers from a severe lack of RPGs in general. I had hoped that Nintendo might surprise us with news of a state side release; however it seems likely that that isn't going to happen.

I just have to ask, why? There's clearly fan demand for the game and it's already being translated into English. It's hard for me to imagine that the physical costs of bringing it over here would outweigh the profit. And if Nintendo really doesn't think the game has mass appeal, why not give it a limited release as they did with the Metroid Prime Trilogy? It's the same idea – the games are already translated, they're just waiting to be shipped out.

As a longtime fan, I'm very disappointed with Nintendo of America. Don't even get me started on The Last Story; I'll be wanting that too. When Nintendo of Europe is proving itself to be the cool one you know you have problems. I'd also like to add that this wouldn't be as much of a problem if they hadn't region locked the Wii in the first place, but I suppose that's neither here nor there.

So, is there anything we can do? Not much—writing Nintendo is pretty much our only option. This sort of thing has worked in the past though (there are some notable examples, just look at Futurama and Family Guy) and I think it's important to let Nintendo know we're unhappy. If nothing else, at least we can say we tried.

If you'd like to write a letter, I have some tips! Destructoid has a template, but I highly recommend writing a personalized letter and physically sending it to them if possible. Obviously, it's important to be polite! At this point, Nintendo would almost be doing us a favor releasing these games in the US and nobody's going to go out of their way to please a rude fan base. If you are a longtime Nintendo fan or someone who might be interested in buying a Wii for these games I highly recommend that you say so. It wouldn't hurt to give Nintendo some options either. How about a limited release? Why not release these games alongside the Wii U? After all, these games are aimed at the hardcore gamers Nintendo seems to be trying to impress. Finally, specify that you intend to buy it! If it ever gets released in the states I don't want to hear that you're no longer interested because it didn't get a 10. We need to put our money where our mouths are.

In the end, we not only Nintendo's fans but their customers as well. We can buy used and we can support Nintendo's competitors instead. Nintendo should want to keep us happy. Let's show them that it's worth their while.

Show Pros

No sales figures period - Focus on Third Party Developers - Wii U Revealed

Show Cons

Wii U Information is vague - No Last Story or XenoBlade - Maybe a little too much focus on 3rd Party Developers

Last years show was a total pep rally. It was new game after new game, and the 3DS reveal was so exciting. When it was said and done, I was left with so much to be excited about. This time around I'm left with more questions than answers. How much is the Wii U and its controllers gonna cost? Where are the first party games for it? Will we ever get Xenoblade and The Last Story here in the states (Please)? Is that controller going to be even remotely practical for traditional games? Is the Wii Remote going to be a legitimate option or an inclusion for the sake of being included? Is it gamecube compatible?

Meanwhile we didn't get much in the way of new games from Nintendo--Luigi's Mansion 3D and Smash Bros. (Though with no concrete information whatsoever) being the only real surprises. Seeing Super Mario 3D footage for the first time was easily my favorite part of the show, but we've known about the game for a year. Everything else they showed us for the 3DS was more info on games that were announced at last year's E3, making this feel like E3'10 part 2. Still, the Mario Kart 3D footage looks promising and I'm as excited for these games as I was last year at least.

With that said, Nintendo was obviously pushing third party support over even its own, so for the most part I guess the exciting game reveals are going to have to come from them this year. So what managed to catch my eye? I'm looking forward to playing Batman: Arkham City; Tekken and Ninja Gaiden are maybes. That's it. A lot of what was shown are the same games I have no desire to play on other consoles. With all the focus on third party developers, I would have liked to hear from Capcom, Square Enix, and Konami.

Obviously the biggest part of the show was the Wii U. Graphically it's pretty much what I would want and expect, so no complaints there. With basically no information on what else it has going for it, that leaves us with the controller. To be honest I'm not so sure about this one. When everyone was wondering what the Wii controller was going to be like the idea of a touchscreen was thrown around a lot. At the time I thought the idea was unoriginal (Considering the newly released DS, oh how time flies) and impractical. A generation later, and here we are.

Of course, this generation has shown me that no matter how much the naysayers naysay, Nintendo can make pretty much anything work. I'm confident that Nintendo (and to a lesser extent, 3rd party developers) will find exciting and appropriate uses for their new controller, and I LOVE the idea of being able to play console games on the controller itself, but I do worry about more traditional games and the fate of Motion Controlled Gaming. I'm not gonna lie, the idea of playing Wii Sports with a tablet controller instead of a Wii Remote seems silly at best, terrifying at worse.

So really I don't know what to think at this point. All I can really say is that I hope Wii Motion+ and maybe even the cIassic controller remain viable alternatives. Really though, the only Nintendo system out of the DS, Wii, 3DS, and Wii U to really excite me at the reveal has been the 3DS, and I love me some DS and Wii, so I'd say I'm cautiously optimistic. We all have lots of questions, so here's hoping Nintendo doesn't keep us in the dark for too long.

Also, very cool of them to sneak in two Kirby game reveals at the end.

With Super Street Fighter 4, Dead or Alive Dimensions, and BlazBlue 2 all available within two months of the system's launch, it looks like the 3DS is going to have a really healthy selection of fighters to choose from. Which is great for me because I personally love them--They're so exciting! Well, as someone new to the DoA series, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I'm having a great time with it!

The game seems to have a lot going for it. For one, it looks REALLY good! It looks a lotlike playing on the 360, which I suppose isn't surprising considering Capcom's nearly flawless emulation of Super Street Fighter 4. The character models and the environments all look really sharp and detailed, as well. I think Team Ninja did a really good job here. The 3D adds a great sense of depth but doesn't add to the experience too much, except maybe in Chronicle mode where everything is laid out to take advantage of the 3D. The scenes are animated in such a minimalistic fashion that it doesn't really add up to anything worthwhile though.

DoA Dimensions offers all the typical fighting game trappings; there's Story Mode (Chronicle), Arcade, Survival, Training, Local Multiplayer, and Online Multiplayer. As for more original offerings there's always Throwdown, which lets you fight people you've met with Street Pass, and Showcase mode, which lets you take 3D photos of all the Figurines the game offers as rewards. It's all a little bare bones but fun all the same. I do wonder why they didn't include a dedicated Time Attack mode though.

Of course I've been spending all my time online. It's so addicting! I've been working my way up and I'm finally at the point where I'm consistently winning more than losing. Currently I've won 106 out of 197 matches, which I suppose isn't too bad for someone who's been at it for two days. I tend to take these more seriously than I should though so when I lose it only makes me want to play more so I can prove I can do better. But then if I keep losing it puts me in a bad mood. Eventually I have to force myself to put it down! :oops:

Anyways, the options are pretty limited, but the battles are fast paced and mostly lag free. After the system finds an opponent for you, it asks both players if they want to proceed with the battle or reject the opponent, which is nice. It was always so frustrating in Tatsunoko vs. Capcom when the computer kept pairing me up with someone I just couldn't beat. This system also gives you some control over what characters you face by displaying potential opponents most used character. I got so tired of the projectile spam that it got to the point where I was rejecting anyone who mains Hayabusa. Which happens to be a lot, unfortunately. Something I found really odd though is that they don't give you the option to rematch your opponent after the battle. You'd think that'd be standard by now.

Since the online is so limited, what really pushes the game forward is the fights themselves. Luckily this isn't a problem as they prove themselves to be quite enjoyable. The fighting is based on a triangle system where Punches and Kicks beat Throws, Throws beat Grabs, and Grabs beat kicks and punches. It's all really fast paced and exciting. Something I really like too is that all the stages are all really different and actually have a role in the outcome of a fight. It's so satisfying tricking someone into falling off a bridge or pushing them into an electric fence! So yes, very happy with it gameplay wise, and that's what's more important.

The game features 25 characters, but some of them appear to be clones, at least in appearance, which is a disappointment. As someone used to Street Fighter's zanier character designs (Rufus!) the DoA cast seems decidedly toned down as well. Still, I'm crazy about LeiFang's design, and I do like Kasumi's, Hayabusa's, Zack's, Hitomi's, and Ayane's designs, so overall I'm pretty satisfied with the roster, but it could be better.

Obviously I'm thoroughly enjoying Dead or Alive Dimensions and I highly recommend it. It's been really awesome learning how to play the game from scratch and I think the game is worth a shot for anyone looking for something to hold them over 'til Zelda comes out. :P If anyone has the game and wants to play I'd be happy to obliege.

Title | Status | Average Critic/User Score

UMD

Dissidia Final Fantasy | Completed | 81/88

Kingdom Hearts Birth By Sleep | Unfinished | 83/90

Mega Man Powered Up! | Completed | 83/85

Final Fantasy 7 Crisis Core | Unfinished | 83/92

Disgaea 2 | Completed | 84/91

Download

Prinny: Can I Really Be the Hero? | Completed | 75/77

Disgaea | Completed | 88/89

Castlevania Dracula X Chronicals | Completed | 81/83

Dissidia Final Fantasy 1.5 | Completed | 79/87

Persona 3 | Completed | 92/92

CIassic

Final Fantasy IX | Completed | 93/91

Final Fantasy VII | Completed | 92/96

Street Fighter Alpha 2 | Completed | 82/84