Nintendo opted out of the official press conferences but instead chose to showcase their highlights in their Nintendo Treehouse Livestream. That’s nothing new from the legendary gaming company, as they shift away from traditional, media-centric reveals. There is no doubt that Nintendo is still iconic and has several franchises that they work hard to build on that remain wildly popular. It has been a while though since we’ve seen a start of something new. We would have liked to have seen some live demoes, however, this year will not be that kind of E3 showing.
But rest assured. For fans of their current successful franchises, the three games they showcased on their Treehouse Livestreams have some real appeal. Especially when Nintendo decides to hit us with more trailers and stage demos. Let’s start big.
Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Legend of Zelda, arguably the most iconic of all gaming franchises, continues to be an open world adventure. Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime claims this latest venture is one of the largest gaming experiences the company has ever created. The gameplay also reveals some combat and enemies types that will appear, and looks familiar, but there is the promise of lots of exploration with many shrines and runes to discover. There is also a new food and health mechanic that forces Link (the game’s protagonist) to hunt and gather and cook. Most exciting is the implementation of Nintendo amiibo (actual collectible, character figurines that interact with the game), with the promise that the Wolf Link amiibo from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD, when tapped on to the Wii U Controller will send him into the game and aid Link in battle. I wonder if our Master Chief figurine would work?
Impression: Thirty minutes of gameplay later, there is a much better understanding of Breath of the Wild. For one, the world looks fantastically beautiful in that classic Nintendo vision but is a new take on the Zelda world. It takes care in focusing on Hyrule and that is a speaks to a great feature. Zelda has been successful for so long and the franchise has been so strong that there is almost no doubt that this one shows even bigger hope that it won’t disappoint.
Pokemon: Sun / Pokemon: Moon
Both Pokemon games were showcased together and it wouldn’t make sense for us to split them up. Sun and Moon was used as symbolism for “teeming with life” because that is the basis of the game itself. One of the key features is being able, while in battle, to see not only the player’s own status but also that of the enemy. They introduce a new multiplayer mode called Battle Royals mode with allows four contenders to join with their choice of three Pokemons which they play one at a time. The round ends when a contender has used up all their Pokemon and the winner is determined by how many Pokemons they have defeated. These two games will be available on November 18, 2016
Impression: We are not quite so knowledgeable here with Pokemon games. However, the demonstration of the Battle Royals mode peaks our interest the most as the challenge is increased. It is now a battle of strategy even more because of the two extra Pokemons in the arena.
Lots more E3 news coming soon.