Nintendo at LGC - "Wii Prove Our Promise"

Well I for one could not wait for LGC. I thought that the launch of the Wii was right around the corner, so Nintendo would have to give some pretty big details. Plus, Nintendo said the price and date of the system would be announced bySeptember, so what's the difference if it's about 2 weeks early? I was expecting a lot from LGC. Unfortunately, we learned almost nothing new, and for what we did learn, honestly, I really do not care.

The conference started out with a lot of DS talk. All of it was old news for us. Very old news. For example, Phoenix Wright will be launching soon in Germany. One good thing was mentioned, however, even though it doesn't really affect us. A pink, scratch that, "Noble Pink" DS lite will be launching in Europe on October 27th. There have been rumors lately about a black and pink DS lite launching here soon, so maybe we'll be seeing those around the same time.

After DS, they moved onto the Wii. They showed some old videos, as well as a new one that shows people playing Wii while jamming to hip hop music. Confusing, yes. Next, Bernd Fakesch, General Manager of Nintendo Germany who was doing the conference, introduced Super Mario Strikers: Charged. This is the sequel to Super Mario Strikers and it will be a Wii exclusive. Apparently, sports are all the rage right now, but only if Mario is in the game. For example, Mario Hoops, Mario Strikers: Charged, and now Mario Smash Football for Wii. Personally, if I want to play football, I'd either play a real game or if I wanted to play a video game of it I'd play Madden. Soccer I don't really care for either way, so neither one of these two titles for Wii appeal to me.















Mario Strikers: Charged Info

* Gameplay: Use the skill the Wii Remote and Nunchuk Controller provide to win the ball, score unstoppable goals and take control of the goal keeper to perform spectacular saves
* Characters: Mario is joined by other famous Nintendo characters who take on the role of captain. Players then select a host of popular teammates to make up the rest of the team.
* How to progress through the game: Players form an original team by combining one of 12 captains with three of eight sidekicks before competing in one of the games many modes. Anything goes in Mario Strikers Charged as players are allowed to utilize a variety of special abilities to clinch important goals.
* Super abilities/power ups/moves/features: Each captain has their own set of skills, super abilities as well as the ability to perform special shots called Mega Strikes, where the iron ball splits up to five balls and flies at the goal. The defending player must use the Wii Remote to target and aim at and shoot these balls out of the air before they concede a goal. In this game players can also charge energy to the metal ball, making it more likely to find its target when fired at goal.
* Stadiums: Each of the stadiums in Mario Strikers Charged have various characteristics and contraptions, which influence game play. Players must learn to use this to their advantage to truly dominate the pitch.
* Multiplayer: Mario Strikers Charged will not only feature an action packed multiplayer mode but will also support the Nintendo WiFi connection service, allowing players to take part in tournaments with people from all around the world.


Battalion Wars on GC was supposed to be pretty good, however, I never played it so I can't really say anything about it. The sequal was announced for Wii, and it will be abbreviated as, "BWii."













Battalion Wars Wii Info

-BWii - Battalion Wars 2
-Tricked into believing that the Solar Empire is developing a devastating super-weapon, Commander Pierce and Colonel Windsor of the Anglo Isles launch a pre-emptive strike on the Coral Atolls. The world is once again at war.
-Drive tanks, command ships, pilot planes and direct your troops into the heart of the action in the return of the popular tactical action game for Wii.
-3 Online Multiplayer ModesAssault: Instant CombatSkirmish: Tactical depthCo-op: Work with friends
-3 Theatres of WarCombine land, sea and air combat
-5 New Naval UnitsBattleship, Frigate, Submarine, Dreadnought, Transport
-6 Different Races, 5 Different EnvironmentsWith new vehicles for each side
-Wii-ControllerProvides intuitive, all-action gameplay
-Greater tactical depthCapture facility buildings to re-spawn units (HQ, Barracks, Factories, Airfield, Docks)Use Map Screen Commanding to order from afar
-Bigger and Better20+ single player missions AND 15+ mp missionsIncreased replay value

So, all in all, LGC was very dissapointing; at least Nintendo's conference was. Let's hope that the third party developers give some new details and that we're not going to be forced to wait for months for new info. One thing that keeps getting me nervus is whenever a Nintendo rep says, "When the Wii launches later this year..." Later this year makes me think of late November or December and after all the talk of an early Wii launch in October/first week of November, I wouldn't be able to handle another 3-4 month wait. I want to play Red Steel, Corruption, and TP now.

I'm not sure where Nintendo "Proved their Promise." Maybe it was when the 7-year-old girl came onstage to try Wii Sports Tennis to try to show that anyone could play Wii, and then she kept missing the ball. Or maybe it was when they asked the girl if she had a DS and she responded, "No." It's also possible that it was when the person onstage said, "Where am I? Am I winning? I don't know where I am." Sounds right to me.