Jul 11 2008
Tanooki E3 Preview!
What games are you most looking forward to play?
Joey: This is a difficult question to answer since Nintendo has not released a lot of information about what titles will be present. I’m more or less anxiously waiting to see what they will have to offer this year. As far as third parties are concerned, I’d like to try Sonic Unleashed as well as Resident Evil 5, the latter of which unfortunately will not be on the Wii.
Ryan: To be perfectly honest, I really am looking forward to playing Resident Evil 5. I’m highly disappointed by Capcom’s decision to bypass the Wii completely. It’s disappointing when the masterpiece that is known as RE4 was on the GameCube, and the definitive version on the Wii sold over a million copies. It’s going to be hard to “de-evolve” back to using the dual analog setup once again, and it will be difficult to pull off one-second headshots without the Wii Remote’s dead aim. Hopefully Capcom decides to make a Resident Evil game using the same RE4 engine on the Wii. It doesn’t have to be RE5, but a nice spin off with Leon Kennedy somewhere would be awesome. That is, unless Capcom just doesn’t like money.
What known problems or issues do you hope will be resolved?
Ryan: The dreaded storage problem is huge. I just became Wii Point wealthy, and unfortunately every time I want to download a new game, my space is booked. If things stay as they are, it looks like I’ll have to use my SD card slot to do some back ups. Also, I don’t like relying on the internet to download stuff, because you never know when your connection will “take a dump.” What do you do if your life depends on playing River City Ransom, and you can’t connect to the Wii Shop channel?
Joey: I agree with Ryan on this one, and I know that despite what Nintendo may claim, a very high number of Wii owners do too. The half-gig storage capacity is just too small, especially with the recent launch of Wii Ware. Ideally, this could be solved with a system update that would allow us to use USB thumb drives to store game data. However, I doubt this will happen. In all likelihood, I expect Nintendo to announce a first-party storage solution that uses the USB slots so that consumers have to go through them in order to expand their storage capacity.
Also, I think that online voice chat is well overdue. Although it is too late to incorporate chat into games such as Brawl or Mario Kart, that doesn’t mean that future online titles have to miss out on technology that really should have been available from the start. Hopefully, Nintendo will address this sometime during the event next week.
Who do you hope to meet in person?
Joey: Like any hardcore Nintendo fan, I have always wanted to meet Shigeru Miyamoto, the father of Mario, Zelda, and modern gaming as we know it. Getting the opportunity to meet with him in person would be 
quite an honor. I’d also be thrilled to talk with Masahiro Sakurai, the creative force behind Kirby and Super Smash Bros., two of my favorite Nintendo franchises.
Ryan: This is a silly question, cause I think that all of us really just want to meet Shigeru Miyamoto. I have a bright yellow Super Mario Bros. shirt that could really use his signature. If by miracle it happens, I will put that baby in a frame, and mount it right over my television set. I also want Reggie to “kick my ass” and “take my name,” and show me games.
What new, unannounced games do you hope to see?
Ryan: I hope that there is a new Metroid announced for later this year. Considering that Metroid Prime Corruption came out on the Wii late last year, I have a feeling that the next Metroid title will come out on the Nintendo DS. At this moment I wouldn’t mind if it went either way: An outstanding 2-D game or an outstanding 3-D game. If I had to make a choice, considering my ultimate love for anything 2-D, I would love to see a 2-D game that continues the series after Metroid Fusion. I honestly want to know what the hell happened to Samus after she split from the space station after she defeated the Omega Metroid. Oh well, considering it will probably be in 3-D if it’s released, I am perfectly happy with that. I thoroughly enjoyed Metroid Prime Hunters, and it would be nice to see them bring some of that multiplayer fun back, along with a more engaging story.
Joey: I’m praying that Nintendo reveals a new Legend of Zelda title for the Wii. With Twilight Princess approaching its two year mark, I’d say that there is a good chance Nintendo is ready to unveil some information on its next Zelda project. Being an Ace Attorney fan, I also would like to learn more about the next Apollo Justice title, or the Miles Edgeworth: Perfect Prosecutor game that is in development.
In addition, if half of the online speculation out there is true, then we should be seeing new Wii titles for existing Nintendo franchises. If I had to take a guess, I’d say that Pikmin, Animal Crossing, Kid Icarus, and Kirby are the top contenders for this.
What games do you wish would make an appearance, even though it may be very unlikely?
Ryan: Honestly, I want a 2-D Castlevania game. I know it’s impossible with the new “stripper” fighting game coming out (Castlevania Judgement), but honestly I want a game that really goes back to the NES days that I remember. While I think that the DS iterations have been excellent, I especially liked Portrait of Ruin since it actually brought back the Vampire Killer that was sorely missed in Aria of Sorrow. I really want some of that teeth grinding, mouth swearing, furniture breaking 2-D gaming. None of this “Metroid-vania stuff,” but just straight-up, pure Castlevania toughness. I truly hope that other publishers look at Capcom’s Mega Man 9 for this type of inspiration. I know I’m not the only person who has a desire to play some NEW old games.
Joey: Although I doubt it will show up, I completely agree with what Ryan said before that Capcom should make a new Resident Evil game using the engine and control scheme found in Resident Evil 4: Wii Edition. They tried a new angle with Umbrella Chronicles, and the gameplay wasn’t nearly as fun as RE4’s. Considering that RE4 sold millions on the Wii, (which is quite a feat for a port) Capcom would literally be throwing money away if they never released a new follow-up title. However, with Resident Evil 5’s release just around the corner, any future titles in the Resident Evil franchise will probably remain a secret for at least another year.
Are there any franchises that you hope are NOT at the show?
Joey: There are many “shovelware” franchises that I have had just about enough of. Pretty much any Wii game that ends with the letter “Z,” involves some kind of pet, or both could fall into this category. When the market gets saturated with these rushed titles, games that are legitimately good can fall under the radar.
Ryan: Honestly? Madden. I have nothing against sports games in general, but the series hasn’t seen a major overhaul in years. Unfortunately, by just looking at the sales charts, it doesn’t appear that EA needs to make any changes. People will probably just continue to buy it year after year simply for the new roster. By the way, I also don’t want to see anymore carnival games, beach games, college games, farmer games, fair games, garbage-man games, etc. You get the point, just say no!
What big surprise will be unveiled?
Joey: I think this is going to be the year for Wii Music to shine. There have been a few tech demos for the game shown in the past where the remote served as a conductor’s baton, but I believe that there is much more substance to this game than has been revealed. I have a good feeling Wii Music will be the next big hardcore/casual crossover game that is released by Nintendo.
I’m also keeping my fingers crossed that Nintendo will unveil a brand new franchise this year. It has been a while since Nintendo has done this, which leads me to believe that this very well could be the year for that to happen.
Ryan: A couple of weeks ago I would have said Animal Crossing but it seems as if this is already in their plans to discuss with us. While making guesses is not my strong suit, if I had a choice for a game, I would have to say Pikmin 3. It has a solid fanbase, is geared toward a more niche market that the Wii hasn’t been sticking too, and is an IP that certainly could be expanded. The game itself is just screaming to come to the Wii due to its original gameplay design.
What new peripherals do you expect to see?
Joey: If more details for Wii Music are announced, there is a possibility that some new peripheral will be incorporated into its gameplay. As far as what this may be, that all really depends on what direction the game ultimately takes. Odds are, though, that it will most likely not be another guitar considering that the market is already saturated with two rhythm-based guitar games. There is also a good chance that a new Balance Board title will be revealed.
Ryan: I’m a strong believer that Activision is going to use the Tony Hawk franchise to try and cash in with more peripherals due to the strong sales with Guitar Hero. While many think that the Wii Balance Board would work perfectly, I believe they would rather produce their own equipment than rely on customers already owning the Balance Board.
As far as Ninendo is concerned, I don’t think they will reveal any more peripherals this time around. I believe that Nintendo will try to give the sustaining gamers a chance now, as the broader gaming market has been penetrated successfully last year with Wii Fit, Mario Kart, and several other Touch Generation games.
Do you think any new consoles will be announced?
Ryan: I think there is a chance that a new Nintendo DS could see a new form-factor. While some disagree considering that it hasn’t seen a price drop and yet is still flying off the shelves, one thing that people fail to realize is that the Nintendo DS has been getting its butt handed to it by the PSP in Japan right now. I think Nintendo might be a little rash and try and keep the entire Japanese market, in order to be the “Big Dog.” I also think that the DS has also reached a point of saturation over there.
If it is changed, some flash memory would be nice for downloads from the Wii. This could even make it possible to download Game Boy games onto the DS from the Wii Online Store. I know I’m dreaming, but how cool would it be to finally go back and once again play “Terminator-Samus” in Metroid II? If this does happen, we also wouldn’t have to keep the system powered on all hours of the night to keep downloaded content in the system’s RAM. Also, after talking to Christian about other possible changes, I would have to agree with his opinion that the DS could use an external switch or button to control brightness in game. It is pretty annoying that you have to reboot the system to change this, and isn’t really feasible when you are in the middle of a game.
Joey: I doubt it. The Wii is still very young, and Nintendo has mentioned before that the DS will have a long life-span. If any company is going to announce a new console, I’d say that it would be Microsoft, given that the Xbox 360 is the oldest system in this generation. I still think we have at least two more years to go, though, before any news of next-gen consoles is released.
Who will steal the show out of the big three companies?
Ryan: Obviously, Nintendo. It has been too quiet, and their releases have come to screeching halt. I have a feeling we are going to be blown away by some newly created IPs as well as some new visions on existing ones. I also expect to see a larger presence from third party vendors who have finally figured out that the Wii is not a fad, and it isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.
While Microsoft has a franchise favorite of mine in Banjo and Kaoozie: Nuts and Bolts, the really big titles such as Gears of War II probably won’t have that big of an impact, considering there are already teaser trailers out there. Sony has Little Big Planet, Home, and the next chapter in Final Fantasy, but I doubt that these titles have the potential to match whatever secrets Nintendo is holding the keys to.
Joey: I think I am going to generate some controversy on this one and not pick Nintendo. Although I have no doubt that Nintendo will put on a good show, I have a feeling that Microsoft has some ace up its sleeve that will make it the “winner” of this year’s convention. Let’s face it, both Sony and Microsoft have been trying to claim some of the market that the Wii has been enjoying, and if anybody can come up with something good enough to compete with Nintendo, I think Microsoft is the company most likely to do it.
As I said before, though, I do not think this “ace” will be a new console announcement. Most likely, it will be either some new software or peripheral for the Xbox 360. Therefore, I think Microsoft will come out on top, followed closely by Nintendo, then Sony.
There you have it folks! With only a few days left until the big event, we have given you some of our predictions, hopes, and wishes. Feel free to let us know some of your telepathic visions, or at the very least what you hope to see at this year’s conference. Also, don’t forget to check back on Monday for the start of our live E3 coverage!
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So awesome. Congrats on the invite guys!!!