Nintendo: Casuals and the Hardcore
E3 2008 was not good for Nintendo, to put things nicely. From the Wii Music drummer, to the lack of any games for the hardcore audience, it was easily the weakest presentation that year and Nintendo has taken a lot of heat from their longtime fans for it. Can they redeem themselves this year?
Last fall, Nintendo had another press conference which revealed the Nintendo DSi and a slew of unannounced non-casual games for North America. It brought back the confidence of some of the non-casual gamers, but Nintendo needs to have a strong showing at this year's E3 if they do not want a repeat performance of last year's debacle.
So, what can gamers expect this time? It's been almost two years since Super Mario Galaxy and almost three years since The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Nintendo has officially confirmed new games in both series are in development, as well as a new Pikmin game. Any of the three games should be long enough in development to show off a quick demo at E3, so it wouldn't be unlikely that we would see at least one of the three present at this year's E3. Considering the success of the Wii, we could also see some unexpected third party titles be shown, like Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars for the Nintendo DS at E3 2008.
As for the Nintendo DS franchise, more information about The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks is expected, since the game will be released later this year. A Virtual Console for the Nintendo DSi's DSi Shop, hotly rumored ever since the release of the handheld, could be announced during E3. DSi-enhanced games, akin to the early Game Boy Color-enhanced games, could also be revealed.
Will Nintendo repeat last year, or redeem themselves with the non-casual crowd? Gaming Union will be covering Nintendo's press conference on June 2nd, so be sure to come back and see what comes out of this year's conference.
