….holy shit.

Here’s all that they had to show for us today:

• The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (2011)
  
• Mario Sports Mix (2011)
• WiiParty
• Just Dance 2
• Golden Sun: Dark Dawn (Q4 2010)
• Goldeneye 007 (Q4 2010)
• Epic Mickey
• A Kirby game that I can’t remember the name of
• Donkey Kong Country Returns (This game probably got the biggest applause out of every game there)
• Dragon Quest IX (July 2010)
• Metroid: Other M (August 31st, 2010)
• Nintendo 3DS Reveal
• Kid Icarus Uprising

As far as the 3DS is concerned, Nintendo announced a possible lineup of games including DJ Hero 3D, a Kingdom Hearts game, and even the possibility of a Metal Gear Solid game.

If you weren’t saying “Holy shit” when you started reading this, you are now.

UPDATE: Destructoid has posted a list of games/fanchises that are supposedly being developed for the 3DS here.

I can remember when I first got a DS. It had already been out for about a year and a half and it just so happened that the first New Super Mario Bros. was on its way, promising an experience that mixes Mario’s new moves in an old 2D-style game.  Nevertheless I got it when I had the chance and loved every minute I spent with it. Being an 80′s kid that logged countless hours playing Super Mario Bros. and Super Mario Bros. 3, the game brought back many nostalgic moments from the plumber’s 8-bit glory days.

Despite this, I didn’t know what to think when Nintendo showcased New Super Mario Bros. Wii at this year’s E3 press conference. It could have been the fact that they spent all the time on boasting about 4-player simultaneous half co-op, half competitive multiplayer, but it really took me a while for this one to settle in… In fact, it was only yesterday that I actually was sold on the game by demoing it in single-player. (I’m really the only gamer in the household so it’s really hard to be sold on a game that only offers local multiplayer.) A couple of trade-ins later and I find myself headed home with the game’s bright-red box in hand, ready for yet another classic Mario experience.

Game Overview:
The actual storyline of course is just a shadow to the same old thing. Bowser comes, kidnaps Peach, starts terrorizing the Mushroom Kingdom, yadda yadda yadda… Nothing new there.  Okay, so now that we’re past that… New Super Mario Bros. Wii follows in the footsteps of its DS predecessor by offering a modern Mario game in a classic 2D environment. It’s the type of game that will no likely please just about everyone in one way or another… There’s really just no way I can describe this in greater detail.

How does it play?
With the exception of the mega mushroom, all of Mario’s moves from NSMB can be done here. The controls, assuming you’re using just the remote, (which if you’re like me is the only way to play a game like this) have been simplified down to something reminiscent of an NES game, with a few extra things that require you to shake or tilt the remote, such as spin-jumping or tilting a special kind of platform.  The game takes a lot out of Super Mario Bros. 3 in a way.  The game features the return of airship-style stages, replaces the SMW-style “reserve item” system from the first game with an inventory system similar to 3′s, and even brings back the Koopalings from a long leave-of-absence.  Yoshi also makes an appearance and controls much like he did in his debut nearly 19 years ago complete with gobbling berries, stomping out most enemies in 1 hit, and jumping off his back. (Many times causing him to make noble sacrifices so that Mario can complete his quest.)

Progression is similar to that as in the DS version; Worlds are set out into branching paths and each world contains a castle at the end and 1 or 2 towers along the way. Ghost houses, mushroom houses, warp cannons, and now even enemies that wander the map make a return in NSMBWii. Mario must jump, stomp, and slide his way through to the ever-so-classic flagpole at the end of each level, which obviously opens the way to the next level. He does have the help of a few new powerups along the way; The ice flower works much like the fire flower except that Mario can freeze enemies. This allows him to pick a frozen enemy up and toss it like a koopa shell. The propeller hat allows Mario to fly straight up with a shake of the remote, then slowly float back down. Penguin mario negates the effects of ice and also enhances his sliding ability.

Unfortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to try multiplayer yet, though I’m confident that one day I’ll be able to give it a spin… I just need people that I can actually play it with.

Pros:

Cons:

• Stale story. Seriously… I don’t know how many ways you can conjure up a story that has the same result… Princess gets kidnapped, plumber sets off to save her.

Do I Like It?
It’s… Mario, and it’s a Mario that just about everyone can relate to.  The presentation is a nice mix of old and new and controls with a similar style to that of the older Mario games. As I said before, I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this game until I was able to try it out for myself, and once I did it was golden. This game is a must-buy.

Who should buy it?
Everyone that has a Wii. I’m not saying this as a fanboy, or a Nintendork, or an old-school gamer. There is something that will please just about everyone in this game unless you absolutely hate platformers… Or old-school games. (I have yet to be given a valid reason as to why someone should hate an old-school game, though.) People who grew up with an NES will like it for its single-player gameplay, and maybe the young ones will like the multiplayer aspects.

First Impression: Very Good. At this point I don’t think Nintendo could have done better… aside from the story.

Nintendo’s press conference was pretty much rattling off game after game after game, a lot of which the core gamer will enjoy.  There’s a full list of what they announced after the jump, but be warned, it’s LONG.

• New Super Mario Bros. Wii (Wii – Holiday 2009)
• Wii Fit Plus (Wii – Fall 2009)
• Wii Sports Resort with WiiMotionPlus (Wii – July 26th)
• PGA Tour 10 with WiiMotionPlus (Wii)
• Grand Slam Tennis with WiiMotionPlus (Wii)
• Virtua Tennis 2009 with WiiMotionPlus (Wii)
• Red Steel 2 (Wii) – Note that this game is going to be WiiMotionPlus exclusive.
• Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers (Wii)
• Some new Kingdom Hearts game that I wasn’t able to catch the name on. (DS)
• Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story (DS – Fall 2009)
• Golden Sun DS (DS – 2010)
• Women’s Murder Club: Games of Passion (DS)
• Cop: The Pursuit (DS)
• Style-Savvy (DS)
• Flipnote Studio a.k.a. Moving Memo (DSiWare – Summer 2009)
• Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again (DSiWare – June 8th)
• WarioWare: Do It Yourself (DSiWare)
• DSi Camera Facebook functionality
• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (DS)
• Wii Vitality Sensor (Wii)
• Super Mario Galaxy 2 (Wii)
• The Conduit (Wii – June)
• Resident Evil: The Dark Side Chronicles (Wii)
• Dead Space Extraction (Wii)
• Metroid: Other M (Wii)

The ones I’m personally excited about are bolded, but right now all that’s going through my mind right now is, “Holy shit it’s a new Golden Sun!” That’s definitely something I’ve been waiting for for a while.  The concept of four player co-op in New Super Mario Bros. Wii also looks really cool.  Although I didn’t really get into Super Mario Galaxy, I’ll probably give it another shot with Galaxy 2, and I nearly creamed myself when I saw the trailer for Metroid: Other M.

WarioWare:DIY is something I’m looking forward to, mainly because of the fact that the game is based upon your own creations. That should be really cool. Same goes with the new Mario vs. DK that’s going to be coming out on DSiWare this coming Monday.

But Nintendo seriously redeemed themselves after last year’s conference. Definitely a strong showing this year, and hopefully they will keep this up for years to come.

On a day where Canada is marking the one year countdown to the start of the opening ceremonies for the 2010 winter games, Sega decided to mark the occasion in their own way by uploading a teaser video on YouTube for their second Olympic-based game following their Mario and Sonic mashup of Beijing 2008, Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games.

A short video, it starts with a computer generated flyby starting with the stone “Inukshuk” (which in reality is prominently displayed on Whistler mountain) culminating with Mario, Sonic, Eggman, and Wario at the boardercross start on [which I would believe to be] Cypress Mountain.  There’s nothing special about the video other than the announcement about the game itself.

The press release on Sega’s website goes into greater detail:

Developed by SEGA of Japan, under the guidance of Shigeru Miyamoto, Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games will take players to lifelike Olympic venues where they can choose from a legendary cast of playable characters, including new faces to the series to be revealed later this year. Following the phenomenal worldwide popularity of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games, which has sold over 10 million copies worldwide, this fresh gaming experience will feature completely new Olympic Winter Games events from the official competition schedule including Alpine Skiing and Speed Skating with more events announced throughout the year.

It then goes on to detail some of the new gameplay options, such as co-op play, (which I’m guessing would entail either speed skating relays, figure skating, curling, or hockey) and the ability to use the Wii balance board.

Now, I wasn’t to big on Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games but even though I don’t think this game will be spectacular, I do get a warm feeling about this game; If not for the fact that this is Vancouver’s Olympics or my involvement in them that we’re talking about, then it’s more about the relation to winter sports and the fact that my main source of income involves hockey and that in the winter I ski on a weekly basis at one of the Olympic venues.  Even if this game isn’t all that great, you can probably expect me to be picking up both versions of this game.

Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games is currently scheduled for release late this year on the Nintendo Wii and Nintendo DS.