E3 2016 Tuesday Impressions #gamer #E32016

E3 2016 Tuesday Impressions: This Gamer Can Haz Opinions?

I struggled with whether or not to write this post today. Frankly, I was supremely disappointed with Nintendo’s showing yesterday. They showed off their latest Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all day yesterday… and that’s about it. Don’t get me wrong, a new Zelda game is always a welcome addition, but we already knew it existed and we already know that it’s been delayed to 2017. Nintendo’s offerings for the rest of this year are slim at best. Whereas the 3DS at least has Yo-Kai Watch 2 and Pokémon Sun & Moon before the end of the year, the Wii U has an anemic Mario & Sonic Olympic Games (again, again), Tokyo Mirage Sessions FE, and Paper Mario: Color Splash… and that’s it. Much like I feared earlier this year (click here to read my assessment of modern day Nintendo), the Big “N” doesn’t have a plan for the rest of this year. Essentially, they are coasting until March, when the ellusive “NX” will allegedly drop. That’s what’s happening here. Nintendo has moved any and all major game releases away from the Wii U and has put them on the NX, likely to bolster the release frame offerings and also to ensure that the post launch drought doesn’t happen. I understand why they are doing it, I just can’t believe that they aren’t putting up a better fight for the Wii U in 2016. In the end, they could end up shooting themselves in the foot if they abandon the Wii U too early and then beg us all to trust that they will fully support the “NX” after launch. It all just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Usually, I’d say all aboard right now, but instead I’ll say…

Nintendo Treehouse: It was all Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild all day, with just 1 small break to show gameplay from Pokémon Sun and Moon. Zelda looks good, if not derivative of every Zelda game ever made, but good nonetheless. Check out the trailer:

It’s decent enough. The rock climbing and new weapons are nice. The addition of being able to jump is good as well, but to be fair should have been introduced in to the series 20 years ago. My Take: I’m sure that it will be a fun and competent game set in the Legend of Zelda universe. It just comes off as sour grapes because now we know it’s a hold over for the NX when it launches in March. So like Twilight Princess, you can buy the Wii U version, but the NX version will likely be much better visually.

I know I sound jaded and it’s because I am. I expect more from Nintendo, and this year in particular they did not deliver. No E3 Direct? Are you kidding me? No stealth announcements? No megatons? None of the above, just Zelda and Pokémon as far as the eye can see. Sure they talked a bit about Yo-Kai Watch 2 and a few 3rd party releases, but there was just no energy at all behind their Treehouse presentations. I really hope they get their act together this fall when they start publicly talking about the “NX” and it’s features. (Brief aside: I did a feature on what I’d like to see in reference to the NX, you can read it here)

UPDATE: Nintendo did also announce a new IP for the 3DS on Wednesday titled: Ever Oasis. It looks like a cross between N64 style Zelda gameplay, with light Animal Crossing elements of town building and character interaction. My Take: It could be OK, but it’s too soon to tell. It didn’t look all that special, and the footage they showed was underwhelming. Check it out for yourself:

Other Developers: The only other game that I haven’t covered in my E3 impressions so far is Volition’s Agents of Mayhem. An open world multi-platform release from the studio that brought us the Saints Row series, Agents of Mayhem is an action packed, over-the-top, dive into the wild world of super spies. My Take: This will likely be a fun arcade style single player game with a lot of variety. Their may not be a co-op multiplayer mode, which would be a bummer, but hopefully they just haven’t announced it yet. Check out this cinematic trailer and an extended gameplay demo:

That’s all of the E3 goodness that I have for you today! Unless something major happens before the end of the week, I’ll probably only be posting more “pay it forward” style posts this week.