murfSTUFF

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, or “E3″ as it more commonly known, occurred last week. It’s one of the, if not the, biggest trade show for the video game industry. Gamers the world over turn their eyes to Los Angeles to see whats new and upcoming. I’m tickled excited with upcoming titles and hardware to be sure. I’m going to offer this fair warning though: my Nintendo Fanboy is going to shine through like the sun on a cloudless day. I’ve been playing on a Nintendo since the NES. I’ve owned every home console and an iteration of every generation of hand-held. I routinely return to the Big N because while some people enjoy shooting each other, I like jumping on blocks, fighting evil warlocks and inhaling 100 times my weight in food. That being said, let’s get rolling talking about what got me excited from E3.

Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

I’ve said it before, and I will say it again: my favorite game franchise is Zelda. So it stands to reason that any new home console Zelda game is experience I adamantly refuse to miss. To do so is a personal sin that I cannot abide. So here comes what is likely going be Nintendo’s last truly big hurrah on the Wii before bringing out the Wii U (which I’m going to talk about). Start with Zelda, end with Zelda. I’m really loving this hybrid style between realistic Zelda and “Wind Waker” Zelda plus it will interesting to see how they incorporate the Wii Motion Plus into the mechanics as well. In the end though, its a new Zelda game and that’s all I need to know or care about because when it comes to Hyrule, I’m a slobbering fanboy and I’m not afraid to admit that.

Kirby Wii

Really murf? KIRBY? To that I say: F— YEA KIRBY! I find Kirby to be most representative of why I love video games: Fun. I’m firmly on the side of the argument that “games are art.” But sometimes, fun is all I want and Kirby is good at that. I really enjoyed Kirby Epic Yarn not only because it was fun, but also because I got to play to play with fiancee who is not a gamer. Kirby to me represents a side of gaming I feel it often ignored in this modern age of brown shooters and gritty realism: whimsy. Fun and whimsy. I miss that. Kirby makes me smile. So a new Kirby with a New Super Mario Bros Wii style co-op mode andclassic Kirby game play elements? Sign me up yesterday.

Assassin’s Creed: Revelations

Let’s take a break from Nintendo. Let’s talk Ubisoft. I can’t think of a recent series that has caught my attention the way Assassin’s Creed has. A free-roaming game in stunning environments (like those), with stealth elements (like those too) and an intriguing story (really like those). All things I love in one happy package. I still need to play Brotherhood, but so far Assassin’s Creed 1 and 2 have been games I really liked. AC2 especially. However, when I saw the cinematic trailer for Revelations, I was floored. Not only is it amazingly visually, but it has to be one of the best trailers I’ve ever seen for anything. Seriously, go see it now if you haven’t. Not to mention that most it takes place at Masayaf, the home Altair from the first game which means it should really tie into the story from AC1. Ezio’s story is ending… and it’s going to be AWESOME! I can’t want to get stabby against the Knights Templar again. However, looks like its coming out in November and I’ll probably be a bit busy getting married. Either way, me wants.

Wii U

So, Nintendo is finally coming to the HD market and trying to court casual and hardcore gamers? I’m listening with rapt attention. “Wii U” is still a pretty stupid name (so was “Wii”), but that doesn’t matter. What I know is that Nintendo is trying to innovate once again, and while they’ve fumbled that in the past, they’ve also hit it out of the freaking park too. It really seems like Nintendo is trying once more to succeed where they once failed, and in this case the “Gamecube/GBA Connectivity” in particular.

Here’s my thoughts so far:

• HD? Finally.
• Bastard child of a Wiimote and an iPad? Interesting.
• One controller? Okay, that’s a bit odd but I’m sure you know what you’re doing.
• Keep playing games without the TV? Now we’re getting somewhere.
• Interesting new gameplay mechanics in space outside the TV? Okay, now you’ve really got my attention.
• Final thought: not 100% sold, but definitely interested to see the possibilities.

I’m most excited to see the potential use of what people can do with this system. I really hope Nintendo opens up sort of system for independent developers to make software for the Wii U. Seeing stuff people have done by hacking the Kinect has been amazing, but seeing a sort “App Store” akin to the iPhone/iPad in the Wii U excites me (if they even think about doing it) because I know that really top-notch innovation with inventive control schemes come from the indies. I think the Wii U has a lot of potential and I can’t wait to see what comes of it.

While I will always enjoy a standard controller in my hand, I always look forward to new innovations and ideas in how to play games, even if they don’t work in the end. Will I get a Wii U? Absolutely. With having owned every Nintendo home console and my rampant love of Nintendo’s first party franchises, it would be weird not to. In the end, the hardware is neat, and the idea is interesting, but it is the games that will draw me in and Nintendo always delivers the software, even when the hardware isn’t the best. Nintendo seems to push the envelope a lot and takes risks. That’s why I love them so much; because they help prevent the industry from going stagnate.

The “Zelda HD” tech demo

This last one isn’t even a game, I know, but I need to talk about it. So, new Zelda game should get my blood flowing with excitement. Favorite franchise and all that. More so than anything at E3 that had my jaw on the floor was the high definition Wii U tech demo using Zelda. Nintendo has had a long standing history of showcasing new hardware by using Link. Starting with the N64 onward, each new console showcases its power with a short Zelda snippet. The Wii U showcased Link walking into a hall where he we would soon fight the “armored arachnid” Gohma. It looks stunning. I know Nintendo is a little late to the HD game (and I curse that fact every time I play a Mario Galaxy game), but I don’t care because this demo fills me with such glee and anticipation I can barely describe it coherent thoughts. All I come up is “Now,” “Want” and “Give me.” What is truly astounding though, is if you look at each iteration of “what Zelda could be on our new console” is that EVERY TIME Nintendo out does what they promise. That is what has me most excited. That the Zelda they make for Wii U could possibly look better than that tech demo. I repeat: “now want give me.”

[The Friday Five is murf's weekly series on GeekLore. If you enjoyed this article, and want to see more geeky goodness from murf and others, please check out www.geeklore.net.]

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