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Now that the dust has settled and we're a full week past the end of this year's E3, Nintendo fans' negative reactions are getting locked in – E3 2012 is being inked into the history books as a definite disappointment. There are several reasons, which we've been discussing, but one of the most upsetting is that we actually know there are more games in development that could have been shown. They just weren't.
Here's a rundown of the Nintendo-related projects that were most conspicuous in their absence.
Retro's Project
More than any other in-development Nintendo game, Retro Studios' current project was the focus of this year's pre-E3 rumor mill. Coming off the momentum of 2010's wonderful Donkey Kong Country Returns and, before that, the acclaimed Metroid Prime trilogy, Nintendo fans have had enough trust established in the Texas-based developer that the thought of them taking on just about any other Big N franchise has been met with positive reactions and hope for the future.
But now it's all still one big question mark. From a Donkey Kong Country Returns sequel to another Metroid follow-up, from a Zelda installment to a cross-over between Fox McCloud and Samus Aran, anything at all revealed from Retro would have gained Nintendo a lot more traction last week. Now we've only learned a few details about what the game isn't – Miyamoto says it's not Zelda, and the Star Fox/Metroid rumor was debunked – but we're still waiting for any solid leads on what it is.
Animal Crossing 3DS
On the other side of the coin from Retro's almost totally unknown project is a game that we actually know quite a bit about already – and yet it, too, wasn't so much as given a logo on a PowerPoint slide during Nintendo's E3 events. Animal Crossing 3DS seemed like a total lock for demonstration along the New Super Mario Bros., Luigi's Mansion and Paper Mario sequels shown off for the 3DS at the show, so much so that we included it as an option in our pre-E3 poll of which games our readers were most excited to see for the handheld. But, nothing. Another no-show.
Animal Crossing did get some recognition as a franchise, thankfully, through the Animal Crossing: Sweet Day mini-game made playable through the Wii U's upcoming Nintendo Land compilation. But we were hoping to learn more about the next true sequel in the series, which promises to reinvent the focus of living in a town of virtual animal neighbors by letting you serve as the mayor instead of just being a common citizen. With luck, we'll hear more soon – perhaps AC on 3DS is an early 2013 release on Nintendo's schedule, and the decision to restrict E3 talk to just 2012 games simply cut it out of the current conversation.
Professor Layton
Though always a gentleman of impeccable manners, the good and proper Professor Layton unfortunately offended his fans this years with his unexplained absence. We were hoping to see him in attendance in any of several ways – through his 3DS sequel Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, or through the Layton/Phoenix Wright cross-over game with Capcom, or even showing up on the Wii U in console ports of his older adventures. Something. Anything. But, alas, none of the above occurred.
Miracle Mask is the most curious absentee, of course, since it served as a 3DS launch title in Japan nearly a year and a half ago. Level-5 also filed a trademark for its American name just last month, which seemed to be a pre-amble to an E3 appearance. It was even shown off at E3 two years ago, during the 3DS unveiling, with English language screens! Here's hoping whatever has held up Hershel and Luke gets smoothed out soon.
Electronic Arts' Wii U Projects
Here's another head-scratcher, as during E3 2011's initial reveal of the Wii U hardware, Nintendo seemed to have solidified quite a strong bond with mega-huge publishing house Electronic Arts. The CEO of the company, John Riccitiello, was even brought personally on stage during the Tuesday morning press conference to announce the partnership. This year, though? We hardly heard a word.
A port of Mass Effect 3 was the lone announcement, tossed into a sizzle reel with a handful of other third-party titles – Nintendo then quickly moved on to the next topic. So is the partnership not as strong as it was a year ago? Or is EA just holding back right now? The company claims it has games in development. It's a shame that the Madden franchise made more of an appearance for Microsoft, highlighting play-calling via SmartGlass – that same kind of example could have been used for Wii U's GamePad.
Near-Field Communication Games
Speaking of missed opportunities to showcase more of the GamePad, where were the NFC examples? Mr. Iwata made it a point to draw attention to the near-field communication capability of the new controller in the Nintendo Direct pre-show video that went out to the Internet days before the expo opened, but once we got in the doors there was no follow-up for this particular feature.
You'd think that Nintendo could have at least put together a quick announcement with Activision and its Skylanders brand – Spyro's toy-focused reboot did huge business with NFC tech last holiday season and is primed to repeat that success with Skylanders Giants this year. But that's shipping for Wii, not Wii U. A missed opportunity – a Skylanders U version that needs only the GamePad and no extra pedestal to activate the toys seemed like a no-brainer to announce, and it didn't happen.
The projects we know exist, but didn't see.
Shield Pose
Nintendo had plenty of first-party mini-games on the show floor to illustrate the GamePad's other uses, from designs that highlighted its asymetric screen to its capacity for touch. One thing missing this year, though, was a demonstration of the GamePad as a rhythm gaming device – previously shown off in 2011 through a demo called "Shield Pose."
Shield Pose played like a piece of a Rhythm Heaven game, as it tasked you to block incoming enemy arrows with physical movements of the GamePad to the left, to the right and straight up in front of you. It was an addictive little experience that seemed to suggest Nintendo would bring a full Rhythm Heaven sequel into the spotlight this year – but, again, no dice. Not yet at least. Physical movements of the GamePad were put on the backburner.
Battle Mii & Chase Mii
We discussed two more of E3 2011's Wii U demos in yesterday's breakdown of the 12 attractions of Nintendo Land, as it's our guess that both the Metroid-themed Battle Mii and the Mario-themed Chase Mii designs from last year will reappear in the theme park compilation later this year. If that turns out to be true, though, it makes it all the more odd that neither one was seen or mentioned at this year's show.
Nintendo may be setting themselves up for a second wave of disappointment with Nintendo Land when these two attractions are finally revealed – not at all because they're bad designs, but because they've set up six future attraction reveals when they only really have four more pieces of the theme park to actually unveil. A better strategy might have been to be upfront about these two mini-games at this year's E3, saying "Hey, remember those fun demos from last year? We're bringing them back in a compilation . . . with all these other new ones too!" E3 2011 attendees who played and loved them would have then been more on board with Nintendo Land from the start.
Super Smash Bros. 4
OK, this is one that's understandable – in part. Masahiro Sakurai and his team just finished and shipped Kid Icarus: Uprising a few months ago, and everyone was well aware that development on the next Smash Bros. sequel wouldn't start until that game was out the door. We get that.
But Nintendo still should have had Smash at the show. A brief teaser trailer, a logo or a few pieces of concept art could have been plenty to remind the industry that this next game is on the way. Sakurai could have made a quick appearance on stage and said "Development has now begun. Please look forward to it." That would have been something. And if they really wanted to get fans excited, they could have announced just one new detail about the project – a single new character confirmation, for example. There were lots of ways Super Smash Bros. 4 could have reasonably had a presence at E3 2012, but Nintendo opted for none of them.
The Legend of Zelda 3DS
Winding down our list now, we come at last to Nintendo's next two Legend of Zelda projects – the first of which is in development for the 3DS. This game isn't the Majora's Mask remake or the Link to the Past remake/sequel that Mr. Miyamoto discussed in our interview with him – it's the separate, standalone, original Zelda sequel that the company confirmed was in development in November of last year. Or maybe the Zelda team has changed its mind again. It's a little hard to tell these days.
Regardless, where was Zelda on the 3DS? Again, like Smash Bros., just a little information could have gone a long way with this one – an official word from the stage that it's on the horizon, a quick glimpse at a screen or two of the work in progress. Anything. A mere mention could have been a big boost for the 3DS and its few first-party game announcements last week.
The Legend of Zelda for Wii U
Lastly, the inevitable console Zelda. You know it's coming. I know it's coming. It's an understood, constant fact that Nintendo always has the next Zelda cooking behind the scenes. And last year we even got a glimpse at what the Wii U's new graphics could do for the franchise through the Zelda HD tech demo – so why not just come out and say that the next game is on the way?
It boggles the mind, especially since the company has been so good about teasing future Zeldas in the past. The E3 2004 trailer for Twilight Princess got fans hyped two and a half years in advance of that game's release. A bit of Skyward Sword concept art kicked off an equally long waiting period. Zelda fans are accustomed to long waits. That's not the problem. The problem is not having that little piece of info to help frame the wait. Be honest, be clear - but let fans have a taste of the future. They'll understand - and love you for it.
Nintendo was deliberate, controlled and slow-moving this year – many of the games we've just listed are absolutely known to exist, it's just that the Big N very clearly decided to pull back the reins on hyping their future arrival in 2013 and beyond to focus instead on experiences we'll be able to buy before the end of this year. It's an unexpected shift in strategy compared to previous E3s, and fan reaction suggests that it's been an unwelcome one.
If the company wants to do a bit of post-E3 damage control, they'll get Iwata into a conference room, set up a camera and have him record a new Nintendo Direct that confirms at least a few of these future projects – and soon. The fans were ready to be wowed by Wii U, but they weren't – in part because there were just too many conspicuously absent games.
Here's a rundown of the Nintendo-related projects that were most conspicuous in their absence.
Retro's Project
More than any other in-development Nintendo game, Retro Studios' current project was the focus of this year's pre-E3 rumor mill. Coming off the momentum of 2010's wonderful Donkey Kong Country Returns and, before that, the acclaimed Metroid Prime trilogy, Nintendo fans have had enough trust established in the Texas-based developer that the thought of them taking on just about any other Big N franchise has been met with positive reactions and hope for the future.
But now it's all still one big question mark. From a Donkey Kong Country Returns sequel to another Metroid follow-up, from a Zelda installment to a cross-over between Fox McCloud and Samus Aran, anything at all revealed from Retro would have gained Nintendo a lot more traction last week. Now we've only learned a few details about what the game isn't – Miyamoto says it's not Zelda, and the Star Fox/Metroid rumor was debunked – but we're still waiting for any solid leads on what it is.
Animal Crossing 3DS
On the other side of the coin from Retro's almost totally unknown project is a game that we actually know quite a bit about already – and yet it, too, wasn't so much as given a logo on a PowerPoint slide during Nintendo's E3 events. Animal Crossing 3DS seemed like a total lock for demonstration along the New Super Mario Bros., Luigi's Mansion and Paper Mario sequels shown off for the 3DS at the show, so much so that we included it as an option in our pre-E3 poll of which games our readers were most excited to see for the handheld. But, nothing. Another no-show.
Animal Crossing did get some recognition as a franchise, thankfully, through the Animal Crossing: Sweet Day mini-game made playable through the Wii U's upcoming Nintendo Land compilation. But we were hoping to learn more about the next true sequel in the series, which promises to reinvent the focus of living in a town of virtual animal neighbors by letting you serve as the mayor instead of just being a common citizen. With luck, we'll hear more soon – perhaps AC on 3DS is an early 2013 release on Nintendo's schedule, and the decision to restrict E3 talk to just 2012 games simply cut it out of the current conversation.
Professor Layton
Though always a gentleman of impeccable manners, the good and proper Professor Layton unfortunately offended his fans this years with his unexplained absence. We were hoping to see him in attendance in any of several ways – through his 3DS sequel Professor Layton and the Miracle Mask, or through the Layton/Phoenix Wright cross-over game with Capcom, or even showing up on the Wii U in console ports of his older adventures. Something. Anything. But, alas, none of the above occurred.
Miracle Mask is the most curious absentee, of course, since it served as a 3DS launch title in Japan nearly a year and a half ago. Level-5 also filed a trademark for its American name just last month, which seemed to be a pre-amble to an E3 appearance. It was even shown off at E3 two years ago, during the 3DS unveiling, with English language screens! Here's hoping whatever has held up Hershel and Luke gets smoothed out soon.
Electronic Arts' Wii U Projects
Here's another head-scratcher, as during E3 2011's initial reveal of the Wii U hardware, Nintendo seemed to have solidified quite a strong bond with mega-huge publishing house Electronic Arts. The CEO of the company, John Riccitiello, was even brought personally on stage during the Tuesday morning press conference to announce the partnership. This year, though? We hardly heard a word.
A port of Mass Effect 3 was the lone announcement, tossed into a sizzle reel with a handful of other third-party titles – Nintendo then quickly moved on to the next topic. So is the partnership not as strong as it was a year ago? Or is EA just holding back right now? The company claims it has games in development. It's a shame that the Madden franchise made more of an appearance for Microsoft, highlighting play-calling via SmartGlass – that same kind of example could have been used for Wii U's GamePad.
Near-Field Communication Games
Speaking of missed opportunities to showcase more of the GamePad, where were the NFC examples? Mr. Iwata made it a point to draw attention to the near-field communication capability of the new controller in the Nintendo Direct pre-show video that went out to the Internet days before the expo opened, but once we got in the doors there was no follow-up for this particular feature.
You'd think that Nintendo could have at least put together a quick announcement with Activision and its Skylanders brand – Spyro's toy-focused reboot did huge business with NFC tech last holiday season and is primed to repeat that success with Skylanders Giants this year. But that's shipping for Wii, not Wii U. A missed opportunity – a Skylanders U version that needs only the GamePad and no extra pedestal to activate the toys seemed like a no-brainer to announce, and it didn't happen.
The projects we know exist, but didn't see.
Shield Pose
Nintendo had plenty of first-party mini-games on the show floor to illustrate the GamePad's other uses, from designs that highlighted its asymetric screen to its capacity for touch. One thing missing this year, though, was a demonstration of the GamePad as a rhythm gaming device – previously shown off in 2011 through a demo called "Shield Pose."
Shield Pose played like a piece of a Rhythm Heaven game, as it tasked you to block incoming enemy arrows with physical movements of the GamePad to the left, to the right and straight up in front of you. It was an addictive little experience that seemed to suggest Nintendo would bring a full Rhythm Heaven sequel into the spotlight this year – but, again, no dice. Not yet at least. Physical movements of the GamePad were put on the backburner.
Battle Mii & Chase Mii
We discussed two more of E3 2011's Wii U demos in yesterday's breakdown of the 12 attractions of Nintendo Land, as it's our guess that both the Metroid-themed Battle Mii and the Mario-themed Chase Mii designs from last year will reappear in the theme park compilation later this year. If that turns out to be true, though, it makes it all the more odd that neither one was seen or mentioned at this year's show.
Nintendo may be setting themselves up for a second wave of disappointment with Nintendo Land when these two attractions are finally revealed – not at all because they're bad designs, but because they've set up six future attraction reveals when they only really have four more pieces of the theme park to actually unveil. A better strategy might have been to be upfront about these two mini-games at this year's E3, saying "Hey, remember those fun demos from last year? We're bringing them back in a compilation . . . with all these other new ones too!" E3 2011 attendees who played and loved them would have then been more on board with Nintendo Land from the start.
Super Smash Bros. 4
OK, this is one that's understandable – in part. Masahiro Sakurai and his team just finished and shipped Kid Icarus: Uprising a few months ago, and everyone was well aware that development on the next Smash Bros. sequel wouldn't start until that game was out the door. We get that.
But Nintendo still should have had Smash at the show. A brief teaser trailer, a logo or a few pieces of concept art could have been plenty to remind the industry that this next game is on the way. Sakurai could have made a quick appearance on stage and said "Development has now begun. Please look forward to it." That would have been something. And if they really wanted to get fans excited, they could have announced just one new detail about the project – a single new character confirmation, for example. There were lots of ways Super Smash Bros. 4 could have reasonably had a presence at E3 2012, but Nintendo opted for none of them.
The Legend of Zelda 3DS
Winding down our list now, we come at last to Nintendo's next two Legend of Zelda projects – the first of which is in development for the 3DS. This game isn't the Majora's Mask remake or the Link to the Past remake/sequel that Mr. Miyamoto discussed in our interview with him – it's the separate, standalone, original Zelda sequel that the company confirmed was in development in November of last year. Or maybe the Zelda team has changed its mind again. It's a little hard to tell these days.
Regardless, where was Zelda on the 3DS? Again, like Smash Bros., just a little information could have gone a long way with this one – an official word from the stage that it's on the horizon, a quick glimpse at a screen or two of the work in progress. Anything. A mere mention could have been a big boost for the 3DS and its few first-party game announcements last week.
The Legend of Zelda for Wii U
Lastly, the inevitable console Zelda. You know it's coming. I know it's coming. It's an understood, constant fact that Nintendo always has the next Zelda cooking behind the scenes. And last year we even got a glimpse at what the Wii U's new graphics could do for the franchise through the Zelda HD tech demo – so why not just come out and say that the next game is on the way?
It boggles the mind, especially since the company has been so good about teasing future Zeldas in the past. The E3 2004 trailer for Twilight Princess got fans hyped two and a half years in advance of that game's release. A bit of Skyward Sword concept art kicked off an equally long waiting period. Zelda fans are accustomed to long waits. That's not the problem. The problem is not having that little piece of info to help frame the wait. Be honest, be clear - but let fans have a taste of the future. They'll understand - and love you for it.
Nintendo was deliberate, controlled and slow-moving this year – many of the games we've just listed are absolutely known to exist, it's just that the Big N very clearly decided to pull back the reins on hyping their future arrival in 2013 and beyond to focus instead on experiences we'll be able to buy before the end of this year. It's an unexpected shift in strategy compared to previous E3s, and fan reaction suggests that it's been an unwelcome one.
If the company wants to do a bit of post-E3 damage control, they'll get Iwata into a conference room, set up a camera and have him record a new Nintendo Direct that confirms at least a few of these future projects – and soon. The fans were ready to be wowed by Wii U, but they weren't – in part because there were just too many conspicuously absent games.