By
Matthew Scott Hunter
 E3
2012: NINTENDO PRESS CONFERENCE
At last year’s annual E3 media briefing, Nintendo
tried in vain to explain the appeal of their
next-generation console, the Wii U. And at this
year’s press event, they tried again. With only
months remaining before the console’s holiday
launch, it seemed reasonable to expect mention
of a specific release date or perhaps even a
price point. Instead we got more vague promises
about the unique gameplay experiences that will
be delivered by the Wii U’s controller—a bulky
tablet with its own screen. A haunted house
multiplayer mini-game demonstrated one of these
unique experiences, pitting four ghost hunters
(controlled with Wii remotes) against an invisible
ghost (controlled with the Wii U GamePad). The
GamePad’s screen allowed the player to see and
operate his ghost while his competitors remained
in the dark as to the specter’s whereabouts.
But this two-screened experience could easily
be replicated with the use of online multiplayer,
with the requisite two screens being supplied
by each player’s own television screen.
Other demos for the Wii U also failed to impress,
either seeming like one-off gimmicks or showcases
for a needlessly convoluted control scheme that
made you long for the simplicity of the Wii’s
waggle interface. Beyond the underwhelming controller,
all the Wii U has going for it are its HD graphics,
which seem more last-gen than next-gen. In point
of fact, third-party launch titles announced
for the console include games like “Batman:
Arkham City” and “Mass Effect 3,” which PlayStation
3 and Xbox 360 owners have been playing for
months. The Wii U feels more like a collection
of minor upgrades to its predecessor than a
full-fledged, new console. Just as Move and
Kinect added motion control to hardware that
had HD graphics from the beginning, the Wii
U is essentially adding HD graphics to a console
that had motion controls from the beginning.
The difference is that neither Kinect nor Move
cost the full retail price of a home console,
and the Wii U certainly will.
NINTENDOLAND
Nintendo of America president Reggie Fils-Aime
described this launch title as “Wii Sports”
for the Wii U. In other words, it’s a collection
of mini-games that showcase the various ways
in which you can use the Wii U controller, and
it’s presented as an amusement park with attractions
inspired by “Zelda,” “Donkey Kong” and Nintendo’s
other icons. Whether or not “NintendoLand” will
come free with the console as “Wii Sports” did
remains to be seen.
PIKMIN 3
Those adorable hordes of plant/animal hybrids
are back, and their minute, little world looks
absolutely stunning in HD. Pikmin composed of
rock appear to be the most notable addition
to this installment of the real-time strategy
series, and so far, it looks as though the GamePad
screen will be dedicated to providing an eagle-eye
view of the microcosm you explore.
NEW SUPER MARIO BROS. U
The launch lineup wouldn’t be complete without
an appearance by Nintendo’s mustachioed mascot,
so here he is in the sidescrolling successor
to “New Super Mario Bros. Wii.” The game will
feature classic power-ups like baby Yoshis as
well as new items like the Flying Squirrel suit.
Players using the GamePad will be able to assist
their friends by stunning enemies and creating
new item boxes. | 
