[E3 2006] Nintendo Press Conference

Sony should just stop talking. They don't sound like jackasses when they keep their collective mouths shut.
 
sony is still lying thier asses off. they say that it been in development for a long time, liars, yet the orginal boomerang contrller didnt have these functions.
 
The 37 media outlets voting for the Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2006 have announced this year's winners.

Best of Show
Wii
(Nintendo)

It's a good thing Nintendo got the name change of its next console out of the way before E3. With the shock of that announcement mostly over, the company proceeded to become the talk of the show (and possibly a fire hazard for the LA Convention Center) by inviting audiences to get their hands on an impressive lineup of fun and interesting software for the Wii...not to mention that wild controller. People practically stampeded to try it out--either that or they waited in line for hours. Yet most of them seemingly still came away more excited than ever by Nintendo's weird, inspired vision for how gaming could be different.

Some important questions remain about how the Wii will finally turn out, but by giving E3 show-goers a taste of what playing games on the Wii will be like, Nintendo seemed to gather much more momentum for the system's launch later this year. So despite how many great-looking games were on display at this year's show, the Wii stood out as the single most exciting and remarkable new product at E3 2006.

- Greg Kasavin, Executive Editor, GameSpot


Best Original Game
Spore
(Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

With Spore, storied game designer Will Wright is taking “god” games to the Nth power, creating an original game that we expect will devour many hours peeling back its many layers. Wright didn’t stop with his ingenious game parameters that let you nurture your characters from amoebas into interstellar explorers. He takes the game online in a stealth mode that uploads other players' creations so that we can explore the strange new worlds and new civilizations that they create – without the hassle of actually dealing with them. As the guys on the TV ads for Guinness beer say, “Brilliant!” - Mike Snider, USA Today


Best Hardware/Peripheral
Wii
(Nintendo)

Set aside your potty humor for a sec (Nintendo's Wii wins "Best Hardware"? Too easy...) — this console's legit! While its competitors are improving (bigger, better, prettier) on what's already out there, Nintendo is moving the game console experience in a different direction altogether. The Wii — with its funky motion-sensing and sound-emitting controller, always-online awareness, and retro-friendly virtual console — promises new, totally fresh gameplay experiences that will appeal to the young and old, hardcore and casual, and even the "cool kids" who won't mind looking like idiots while frantically waving a piece of plastic in the air. Can one machine really do and be all that? The three-hour lines to see Nintendo's Wii at E3 seem to indicate, "Hell yes."

-- Dan "Shoe" Hsu, Editor in Chief, Electronic Gaming Monthly


Best Console Game
Gears of War
(Epic Games / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

The hype machine's been in motion for a full year on this title, but it took an E3 hands-on multiplayer demo to prove that Gears of War packs as much substance as style. The demo had players take up arms as either the Coalition of Ordered Government (COG) forces or the nasty, subterranean race known as the Locusts. A few of the many features that set GOW ahead of the action pack include a context sensitive cover system for ducking and crouching with the tap of the A button, and an atmospheric, jittery 3rd person camera. In short, a great-looking, unique and fun as hell game sure to be blowing up the Live servers come Q4. Oh, and that chainsaw bayonet? A thing of beauty.

-- Alex Porter, Senior Editor/Producer, MTV Digital


Best PC Game
Spore
(Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

When Spore won Best PC Game last year, it was at least partly a vote of faith. With not much gameplay to go on yet, the Game Critics judge were nevertheless blown away by Will Wright's audaciously ambitious game design, which finds you evolving from single-celled organism to interplanetary space traveler. At this year's E3, Spore was much more "real"-- and, guess what? It wins again. Once again, no PC game at the show came close to matching Spore's originality, scope, and breadth of design. As Will Wright personally demo'ed the game--creating a creature, spawning, forming a society, building a city, venturing into space and beyond--you could hear audible gasps from the packed theater, as it became more and more clear that what was once just a cool idea is fast becoming an even cooler reality. Spore was *the* event for PC gamers this E3, and thus an easy call for Best PC Game.

- Jeff Green, Editor in Chief, Computer Gaming World


Best Handheld Game
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
(Nintendo for Nintendo DS)

The Legend of Zelda franchise is pure gaming gold, and who better than Nintendo knows how to buff up its 24-carat richness. Anybody doubt that Phantom Hourglass would shine for DS? Amid stiff and deserving competition from Nintendo's own DS product line this game cast out all the proper hooks with a rich storyline, impressive cel-shaded graphics goodness, and innovative touchscreen gameplay to haul in E3 honors. Phantom Hourglass will pick up where the GameCube’s Wind Waker left off, and nothing could be finer for Zelda fans. Despite the obvious difference in processing power the graphics were spot on, but creative touchscreen action is what will make Phantom Hourglass shine. Frankly, as far as E3 demos went, this version even matched up well against Twilight Princess for the Wii.

-- Wes Nihei, Editor, GamePro


Best Action Game
Gears of War
(Epic Games / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

Who knows what it is about certain games. Is it how they look? Maybe. Is it how they play? That’s a lot of it. Is it the talent behind the project? Possibly. But there’s no doubt about it, some games just manage to magically capture the gamers’ imagination like no others. It’s what we like to call the “it” factor. Halo has “it.” Metal Gear Solid has “it,” and no one can deny Gears of War its rightful place as the “it” game of E3 2006. From the game’s mysterious dilapidated sci-fi aesthetic to its arrestingly intense spin on futuristic shooter gameplay, Gears gives us that twinge in our bellies – that twinge we got when we first stumbled on the Flood in Halo, discovered a secret cave in Zelda or carjacked our first sedan in Grand Theft Auto. It's a rare game that accomplishes this feat in such early form, and for this reason, Gears of War deserves every bit of the attention it's receiving.

-- Francesca Reyes, Editor in Chief, Official Xbox Magazine


Best Action/Adventure Game
Assassin's Creed
(Ubisoft Montreal / UbiSoft for PlayStation 3)

Few games at this year’s E3 screamed “next generation” more than Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed. From the first glimpse of its big gorgeous graphics (the screen shots are true in-game, not “target”) through its Prince of Persia-meets-Thief gameplay, Assassin’s Creed provides an excellent taste of what the PS3 can and will deliver. Ubisoft’s A-team – the Montreal Studio – is creating Assassin’s Creed like the blockbuster it wants to be: an epic Crusades setting with a super-acrobatic hero in an intriguing storyline that has some surprising twists yet to be revealed.

The character design, both main and NPC, is noteworthy. Ubi Montreal has always brought a deep sense of gravity to their main characters (when climbing, jumping and fighting, there’s a real-world “weight”) and our assassin is no different as he traverses buildings and leaps from rooftop to rooftop with believable effort. Ubi is upping the NPC role by making them reactive. When our hero runs through crowds, he has to do it quietly and carefully; too much bumping can upset the wrong people, people who’ll turn on him and slow him down – or worse.

- Tom Byron, Editor in Chief, Official PlayStation Magazine


Best Role Playing Game
Mass Effect
(Bioware / Microsoft Games Studio for Xbox 360)

With no less than three previous titles winning this very category (Baldur's Gate in 1998, Neverwinter Nights in 2000-2002, and Jade Empire in 2004), veteran RPG developer BioWare is at it again in 2006. This year they wowed RPG fans at E3 with Mass Effect, the first in an already-announced trilogy of sci-fi RPGs.

With a deep storyline, incredibly detailed environments, full character customization, and branching conversations that have a profound impact on gameplay, BioWare isn't straying too far from the formula that has made them RPG champions in the past. However, what they are doing differently is refining all of these elements to create what looks to be one of the most elegant and well-designed RPGs we've ever seen.

BioWare is throwing a few new bits into the mix, such as real-time squad-based combat with a tinge of RTS styling as well as creating a world where realistic facial animations and eye movements are important gameplay elements, even if the alien denizens are all digital. Expect a return of the ethical choices that we saw in Knights of the Old Republic and Jade Empire as well, only this time it's not just on a personal level -- it extends to your squad mates, who may leave your party depending on where your morality meter swings.

From what we saw at E3, Mass Effect promises to be more open-ended and in-depth than any BioWare RPG to date, and that's saying a lot.

-- Talmadge Blevins, Editorial Director, IGN.com


Best Racing Game
Excite Truck
(Monster Games / Nintendo for Wii)

Nintendo and Monster Games have traded in dirt bikes for off-road trucks in their first arcade flavored racer for the Wii. As Nintendo strives to get everyone into playing their games, both the hardcore and casual gaming set can easily adapt to Excite Truck's control scheme. Subtracting the nunchuck, everything is easily controlled using the Wii remote's tilt functionality.

While visually not the most stunning game speeding to Nintendo's new console, Excite Truck is all about addictive fast-paced racing, dynamically changing landscapes, turbo boosting, huge air, and colossal crashes - Yosemite Sam mud flaps not included.

-- Billy Berghammer, Managing Editor, Game Informer Online


Best Simulation Game
Spore
(Maxis/Electronic Arts for PC)

It’s just not fair. The other nominees in this category didn’t stand a chance against the most ambitious sim ever conceived. We refer to some games as virtual worlds - Spore makes that term seem hopelessly inadequate. Will Wright and his team at Maxis are creating a virtual universe that’s absolutely staggering in its scope. This year we got to see it in a lot more detail, and we got a much better sense of how it, like the Sims and Sim City before it, employs simple rules and procedures and intuitive tools and interfaces to create an amazing diversity of emergent play experiences.

Spore is shaping up to be a game that you could literally spend a whole lifetime exploring. Intelligent Design is a reality…at Maxis, anyway.

-- Chris Baker, Wired Magazine


Best Sports Game
Wii Sports
(Nintendo for Wii)

If there was a game at E3 that truly demonstrated Nintendo's vision for its new console, it was Wii sports. Simply put, it's a new way to play sports at home – Wii Sports is quick to pick up, super intuitive, and can be enjoyed by anyone. Making use of the Wii remote (and only the Wii remote), Wii Sports encompasses three sports favorites – tennis, golf, and baseball – and for each, it's all about waving the remote to interact with the game. You actually swing the remote to hit a ball...

What could be more natural? It's, like, actually playing sports but without the potential for [serious] bodily injury. Wii is really well suited for simple games, and at E3, this is where Wii was at its best.

- Sam Kennedy, Editor in Chief, 1UP.com


Best Fighting Game
Heavenly Sword
(Ninja Theory / Sony for PlayStation 3)

I was so taken aback by Heavenly Sword that I declared this supercharged action-adventure-fighting game my best in show immediately following the demo. More than just a pretty face, Heavenly Sword features a rich storyline told via first rate voice talent, along with a mixture of intense, diverse combat and adventure. Beyond its amazingly detailed and animated leading lady -- whom at this moment I believe to be the ultimate female video game heroine ever created -- the choreography of the arena fighting battle on display at E3 was beyond anything I’ve ever seen. It's like God of War fused with Hong-Kong cinema. And the depth, lighting, and all around character model integrity sets a new standard for real-time visuals.

-- Dave Halverson, PLAY Magazine


Best Strategy Game
Supreme Commander
(Gas Powered Games/THQ for PC)

Chris Taylor enjoys his role as the comedian of the game industry. But underneath that facade is a hardcore real-time strategy gamer. With Supreme Commander for THQ, Taylor's Gas Powered Games is out to show that the RTS genre still has much to offer gamers. The vision for Supreme Commander is to create a game that has the scale and scope for huge battles fought by vast armies with futuristic weaponry.

- Dean Takahashi, San Jose Mercury News


Best Puzzle/Trivia/Parlor Game
Guitar Hero 2
(Harmonix / Red Octane for PlayStation 2)

Six months before the Wii stunned E3 audiences, Guitar Hero proved a well-designed game with a custom controller working [bad pun alert] in concert could instrumentally change things for the better. And like a great rock show, casual observers and hardcore enthusiasts were left wanting more.

The promise of 55 new songs for Guitar Hero 2, and new co-op modes featuring rhythm and bass guitar, all but guarantee more fan-trampling anticipation in our rush to get our hands on this sequel. The working multiplayer version of Van Halen's "You Really Got Me" on the show floor was, in retrospect, an early indicator for judges' votes in this category.

-- Tom Russo, Editorial Director, G4


Best Online Multiplayer
Enemy Territory: Quake Wars
(Splash Damage/id/Activision for PC)

Initially released in 2003 as a free, standalone download, Wolfenstein: Enemy Territory was a highly compelling, top-tier multiplayer modification. Now, Enemy Territory: Quake Wars takes all the juicy bits from the first game – tight, objective-based maps, well-balanced classes, multi-mission campaigns, performance upgrades through experience – and adds the joys of vehicular combat, two distinct warring factions, Quake's futuristic setting, and the ability to drop assets directly onto the battlefield. And powered by an improved Quake IV engine, it's a phenomenal visual treat. Easy to jump into, but extremely deep, Quake Wars was a massive hit on the E3 show floor and promises to be just as successful when the war begins online later this year.

- Richard Greenhill, Editor in Chief, Yahoo! Videogames
 
It's interesting to note that aside from the hardware awards, the only categories Wii games won were ones where there wasn't much competition to begin with (sports, handheld and racing). Surprising since many of Nintendo's heaviest hitters were playable on the show floor, yet Mass Effect outed Zelda for the Best RPG of the show award (by many other media outlets as well), Assassin's Creed knocked out Mario as Best Adventure Game and Gears of War has been cleaning out the Best Action and Best Console Game awards consisntently. Heck, Will Wright's Spore managed to take home the title of Best Original Game for the second year in a row despite the presence of many Wii's "innovative" and "original" titles.
 
*sigh*

How can you read something GOOD about Nintendo and turn it around and make it something bad? That just blows my mind. How anyone can read that and NOT be excited for the Wii is beyond me. Some of you guys need to pull the stick out of your asses.
 
My post merely attempted to highlight the pure and simple fact that Nintendo did not "own" everyone else at this year's E3 like so many Nintednophiles on this board were shouting a couple of weeks ago. And as the choices of those game critics clearly show, there were games on the 360, PS3 and PC that were *gasp* actually better than the Wii's strongest titles. :eek:

Note that I didn't say anything negative about the Wii per se, only that how there were other titles on the show floor that were deemed superior to Nintendo's "holy trinity" of Mario, Zelda and Metroid.

You blokes need to stop being so goddamned defensive every single time someone says something remotely critical of Nintendo (or some of it's overzealous fans, for that matter).
 
Phaser said:
My post merely attempted to highlight the pure and simple fact that Nintendo did not "own" everyone else at this year's E3 like so many Nintednophiles on this board were shouting a couple of weeks ago. And as the choices of those game critics clearly show, there were games on the 360, PS3 and PC that were *gasp* actually better than the Wii's strongest titles. :eek:

Note that I didn't say anything negative about the Wii per se, only that how there were other titles on the show floor that were deemed superior to Nintendo's "holy trinity" of Mario, Zelda and Metroid.

You blokes need to stop being so goddamned defensive every single time someone says something remotely critical of Nintendo (or some of it's overzealous fans, for that matter).
Click to expand...
but.. but.. the controller has a MOTION SENSOR. :eek: :confused:
 
There was an actual news headline here in Chicago that was titled "Nintendo beats out Sony and MS at E3". So it's not just some fanboy website thing.
 
terry78 said:
There was an actual news headline here in Chicago that was titled "Nintendo beats out Sony and MS at E3". So it's not just some fanboy website thing.
Click to expand...

Well you know what they say about opinions and @ssholes. Everybody has one and thinks theirs smells like roses. It's the facts you base your opinion on that ultimately counts and gives validity to your views and the facts say - no, it wasn't a one company show this year at E3. The "Best of E3" awards are proof of that.
 
And best of awards aren't opinions and "@ssholes"? :o
 
the best of E3 awards arent really factual either their all based on opinions. and no one said nintendo completelky owned E3. they just had the best showing at E3. which completly owned sony and micro.
 
GoldenAgeHero said:
the best of E3 awards arent really factual either their all based on opinions. and no one said nintendo completelky owned E3. they just had the best showing at E3. which completly owned sony and micro.
Click to expand...

Your post is both redundant and contradictory.
 
jaydawg said:
And best of awards aren't opinions and "@ssholes"? :o
Click to expand...

There are entire live demonstrations of those games available for your viewing pleasure. It's not just fanboy gushing in the air.
 
And if I might add, the journalist opinions you are now dismissing are the very same ones who showered praises on the Wii as well. Which consequently makes their judgement of Wii and Nintendo equally questionable, doesn't it? :)

Unless of course, you're being selective for the sake of positivity...ah, the trademark of the fanboy.
 
Phaser said:
And if I might add, the journalist opinions you are now dismissing are the very same ones who showered praises on the Wii as well. Which consequently makes their judgement of Wii and Nintendo equally questionable, doesn't it? :)

Unless of course, you're being selective for the sake of positivity...ah, the trademark of the fanboy.
Click to expand...

but your just doing the samething as well. so it really doesnt matter,which way your trying to make it look, your just a fanboy like all of us.
 
GoldenAgeHero said:
but your just doing the samething as well. so it really doesnt matter,which way your trying to make it look, your just a fanboy like all of us.
Click to expand...

How so? I've already stated that I hold no ill-intentions towards Nintendo. I merely attempted to spotlight my observation that despite Nintendo's great showing at E3, their strongest titles failed to make as good an impact on the attendees as their competitors'. Considering many Nintendophiles' oft-repeated mantra that "it's the games that are important", their predisposed opinion of Nintendo "owning" Sony and Microsoft at E3 now appears to be nothing but hot air.

Microsoft managed to come out of E3 looking pretty strong. Heck, even Sony managed to scavenge something good for themselves in the end after their absymal press conference. Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword and the 15-minute MGS4 demo surely must account for something.

Again, this is not a jab at Nintendo. It's merely a reality-check for all those juvenile posters who couldn't resist posting unsubstantiated babble like "It's official : Nintendo owned Microsoft and Sony at E3" and whatnot. I honestly couldn't see what was so wrong with the best 360 and PS3 games back then that warranted such indifference from many a members on this board. I thought it was just me. But seeing the very same games repeatedly being crowned "Best of E3" by different media outlets, now I know I wasn't the only one thinking that way.
 
Phaser said:
How so? I've already stated that I hold no ill-intentions towards Nintendo. I merely attempted to spotlight my observation that despite Nintendo's great showing at E3, their strongest titles failed to make as good an impact on the attendees as their competitors'. Considering many Nintendophiles' oft-repeated mantra that "it's the games that are important", their predisposed opinion of Nintendo "owning" Sony and Microsoft at E3 now appears to be nothing but hot air.

Microsoft managed to come out of E3 looking pretty strong. Heck, even Sony managed to scavenge something good for themselves in the end after their absymal press conference. Assassin's Creed, Heavenly Sword and the 15-minute MGS4 demo surely must account for something.

Again, this is not a jab at Nintendo. It's merely a reality-check for all those juvenile posters who couldn't resist posting unsubstantiated babble like "It's official : Nintendo owned Microsoft and Sony at E3" and whatnot. I honestly couldn't see what was so wrong with the best 360 and PS3 games back then that warranted such indifference from many a members on this board. I thought it was just me. But seeing the very same games repeatedly being crowned "Best of E3" by different media outlets, now I know I wasn't the only one thinking that way.
Click to expand...


false, nintendo's strongest got great reveiws. and nintendo did win E3 as the best presentation, despite you thinking its fanboyism, thats pretty much the consensus, by websites and the like.
 
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