Author:Michael Parker, Online Game Editor
Date: 4/25/2012
E3 2012: Nintendo’s Up To Bat….
Unless you have been living under a rock for the past 10 plus years, you have heard of the ”Mother” of all interactive gaming and entertainment expos, E3. E3 is considered by many in the interactive entertainment world as the Prom for gaming Enthusiast and Developers alike. This year is no different, in fact many observers predict that the battle lines have already been drawn between the top 3 video game system developers : Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony.
As we approach E3, It becomes quite apparent that not only are the top 3 gaming system developers in a heated battle for your gaming dollars but they are also in a battle to land the most exclusive titles for there next generation gaming systems. E3 will be the place that the 3 gaming giants will get to strut there stuff for the gaming world. Nintendo seems to have the most to lose at this years show because many pundits believe that they absolutely must blow the competition away with the Wii U to have a chance at regaining the top spot. Many feel that the first Wii was tremendously under powered compared to the Xbox 360 and the Sony PS3, in fact observers are saying that the Wii U may be just slightly less powerful than the 2. Nintendo’s newest system will finally get the upgrades and specs that it needs to compete with the current systems. The real question then becomes, how will the Wii U compete with Sony and Microsoft’s newer systems due for release earlier next year?
Gaming companies are seeing record losses and as a result they must now allocate fewer dollars for gaming development. Its been predicted that we may see fewer and fewer cross platform games because companies simply don’t have the resources to spare R&D. This wont have as much an effect on the higher tier games, as those games generate enormous profit’s for the respected companies and make it worth the financial risk. This will have the biggest effect on the smaller tier games which make up the bulk of the games sold. Because of these reasons its vitally important that the Big 3 companies produce systems that will garner the biggest fan support to insure a healthy and robust gaming library in a time that has gaming budgets shrinking at an alarming rate due to poor overall game sales.
It seems like yesterday when we first got our collective hands on the brand spanking new Wii mote for the Nintendo Wii. We marveled at its innovation and imagined all of the cool gaming experiences that could be had on the system. We were promised many things regarding the potential growth of the system that never really seemed to materialize. Some of the more glaring faults of the Wii system were the online gaming capabilities. It was just abysmal to say the least. The friend codes were a real pain in the ass well. The impending release of the Wii U has given many Nintendo supporters like myself a reason to hope for the best in a company that has seen record losses this year. Its pretty much all or nothing at this point. I must say after viewing some of the preliminary specs for the Wii U, I was very impressed as well as intrigued. The six inch LCD based controller harkens back to the good ole days of the Sega Dreamcast which at the time was considered revolutionary by many gamers and Developers. Unfortunately For the S Dreamcast, its magical fire was soon extinguished. What Nintendo has with the Wii U this time around is the graphical fire power that the first Wii lacked and the ear of the hardcore gamers which can make or break a system in the crucial initial release period. From every indication that I’ve seen thus far, this system should theoretically pose some challenge to the current generation of gaming systems and even future incarnations. It all depends on who you talk to. If the Zelda Tech demo shown at last years E3 was any indication of things to come on the Wii U then I think we are all in for a treat. That being said, Nintendo must do all it can to encourage its developers to push the systems capabilities to the max to unlock its full potential. From what Ive been told, the Wii U you development kits are very similar in scope and performance to those of the original Nintendo Wii released in 2006. This should make it much easier for the 3rd party developers to get the most out of the hardware. One thing is for sure, Nintendo is likely to come out at E3 with all guns blazing, showing live playable games. I’m expecting to see a slew of third party games there in some form or another. Nintendo simply must dominate the entire show from start to finish if they are going to have any chance of reclaiming the number one spot and earning the top 3rd party exclusives that they so desperately need to insure a successful life span for the Wii U. I cant wait to get to E3. I am anxiously awaiting the unveiling of the Wii you. I just hope Nintendo realizes what is at stake here and have made the necessary preparation’s to insure a successful outing. At past shows, Nintendo would always come out swinging when there backs were against the wall. Who can remember the first time that you seen Donkey Kong Country or Killer Instinct for the Super Nintendo? How about the first time you gazed in amazement at Super Mario 64? Those were key defining moments in Nintendo’s gaming history that have shaped the minds of gamers and game developers to this day. Nintendo has always been a pioneer in the gaming world and I truly believe that we are all going to be reminded of this very fact come this years E3 Expo! Please stay tuned for further updates as we are going to be covering the events and providing live updates throughout the show as they happen. Next stop, E3 2012.
