E3 Recap

So, for the past few days I've been following E3 news online.  (For the uninformed, E3 is basically a huge show where video game companies get together and show off all the cool stuff they've got coming up.)  I was pretty impressed with E3 this year.  All three major companies (Sony, Microsoft, Nintendo) had pretty strong showings, though I must admit I'm kind of a Nintendo fanboy.  I watched their press conference live Tuesday morning, and I was pretty much blown away.  Some of the announcements were expected, but others were a complete surprise.  Below I'd like to highlight several of my favorite trailers and upcoming games of E3, first with a couple of non-Nintendo games.

The Old Republic - This trailer is just made of all kinds of awesome.  This is for an upcoming MMO by BioWare.  I say, why not just let BioWare do the Star Wars movies?  They'd do a better job than the prequel trilogy or the animated Clone Wars show.  (The E3 2009 trailer is pretty ridiculous as well.)


Portal 2 - Sequel to one of the best games I've played.  It looks like the puzzles are going to be even more awesome, and it sounds like the trademark humor is still there.


The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword - Now we move into the Nintendo section of my recap.  This is the game that we've been waiting for information about since last year at E3 when they showed one piece of artwork.  Although Miyamoto's on stage demonstration had a few hiccups, everything I've read from people who played it on the floor said that it works perfectly.  This is probably on the top of my must-play list.

Kirby's Epic Yarn - This was one of the big surprises of Nintendo's conference.  Kirby hasn't starred in a console title since the days of the N64.  This unique art style struck me as charming the first time I watched this trailer, and it just keeps growing on me.  I can't wait to play this game when it comes out this fall.


Donkey Kong Country Returns - Yet another huge surprise from the press conference.  There had been rumors for a few days before E3 about Retro Studios, the genius behind the Metroid Prime Trilogy, working on a revival of Donkey Kong for the Wii.  It turned out that those rumors were completely true.  I loved the old DKC games on the SNES and I'm extremely excited to play this one soon.

Golden Sun: Dark Dawn - This game was first announced at E3 last year.  Since then, I've been waiting (mostly impatiently) to hear more about the sequel to my favorite RPGs of all time.  The gameplay looks to be pretty much the same as the first two entries in the Golden Sun series, which is by no means a bad thing.  Obviously the graphics have gotten a big bump up the the level of the DS, and the summons look like they're going to be pretty epic.

Kid Icarus Uprising - This is the kicker.  Kid Icarus hasn't had a new game in the series since the Game Boy in 1991.  He did make an appearance in 2008s Smash Bros. Brawl, but he hasn't starred in his own game in nearly 20 years.  Not only do we get a new Kid Icarus game, but it's the headlining title for the new 3DS system, which will display the graphics in full 3D without the need for glasses.  Excited?  Very yes!


For all kinds of Nintendo E3 goodness, visit e3.nintendo.com.