If Nintendo’s press conference was any indication, the company is in a pretty unusual place. The recent launch of their new flagship handheld, the 3DS, had lackluster success. Additionally, they are spearheading the charge into what we might call the next console generation with their formerly titled Project Cafe (revealed this morning to be named Wii U), but it is too far away from the platform’s 2012 launch to divulge too many hard details on it. As a result, Nintendo’s press event came off as fairly vague but some truly interesting ideas were relayed. The tone of the whole thing seemed almost apologetic to “core gamers” (I really hate that term) for the alienation that some of us have felt at Nintendo’s hand for the past few years. Iwata-san suggested during the event that they are looking for ways to extend their market in both directions–to the casual gamer and veteran alike, and I think this statement kind of defines the tone that pervaded the conference.

Several of the games discussed for the 3DS we had heard about in the past, except for Luigi’s Mansion 2. I always thought that game looked cute, but never played the original. As per usual, these five games (MarioKart, Super Mario, Luigi’s Mansion, Kid Icarus, and StarFox) had a trailer of edited together gameplay footage played for each and afterwards Reggie Fils-Aime said a few back-of-the-box type bullet points for them. Most seem like natural extensions of their predecessors, built for the new platform. For instance, StarFox can employ normal button controls or use the on board gyroscope and tilt controls. Reggie also said that StarFox would use the front facing camera in multiplayer, so that players can see the expression on the face of the people who they gun down. MarioKart seemed to have a fair amount of kart customization (for a MarioKart game), with a snippet of the video showing a player selecting a chassis and wheels irrespective of one another. Also, Kid Icarus has a 3 v. 3 multiplayer mode (and seemingly might make use of the AR cards that come with the 3DS, but the exact application was not stated outright). Third party development support for the platform was also heavily touted, with a montage of several games coming to the platform (e.g. Resident Evil, Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater, Cave Story, etc.).

Of course, the big question hanging over this event concerned the reveal of Nintendo’s new platform. Stories have varied wildly about what this thing is and what it can do, and it seems like most of the rumors are actually true. Most of the latter parts of the conference dealt with the application of the Wii U’s controller. In spite of how ridiculous the name is, conceptually it is pretty awesome. The controller has 2 analog sticks, a d-pad and face buttons (though they’re under the analog sticks–I wonder what that will do to comfort/ease of use), shoulder triggers, a 6.2 inch touch display, a microphone, speakers, a camera, a gyroscope, and an accelerometer. It seems like a theme this E3 is cramming as many modes of control as possible into whatever piece of hardware is being shown off, and this particular device looked enormous. Some of the applications discussed were the possibility of continuing to play a game on the controller alone after the television has been turned off (it wirelessly streams data from the console to the controller), and asymmetrical play experiences where some players are doing one thing on the television and others are doing something else on the controller. The platform will be backwards compatible with Wii hardware. They did not have any games playing on the platform in real time at the show, but Reggie did state that some tech demos were available to be experienced at their booth. One tech demo explicating the graphical capability of the platform was shown–so yes, it is in high definition. I’m actually very excited about where this platform can go. I immediately thought about PC games like Savage and Natural Selection that task one player to be a battlefield commander (playing the game like an RTS) while others play his/her soldiers from a first person perspective. This sort of experience would be equally possible and seamless with the sort of tech that Nintendo was showing off today, and I have to say I’m interested.

Reggie made an effort to point out that they’ve had a large amount of 3rd party support for the platform, showing a montage of games that will presumably get a simultaneous X360, PS3, PC, Wii U release and inviting EA’s CEO John Riccitiello onto the stage to talk about his excitement quotient. The Wii U is set for deployment after March 31st 2012.

Final thoughts: Bewildered. This was a good example of how Nintendo does these events. They often feel a lot more cohesive than Sony’s or Microsoft’s, as Nintendo traditionally has not had a ton of 3rd party support that they need to include in their presentation. They also always seem confident in the fact that you will buy what they are selling, which is why they do not need to belabor any one game or point too long. For instance, Iwata-san tangentially announced a new Smash Bros. game with presumed Wii U/3DS connectivity. He basically said “This exists, but we’re not gonna talk about it” and the response from the crowd was something like “W00TYEEEAHH!!” if I was to put it to words. That said, the Wii U seems like a strange piece of hardware but something that could prove to be very exciting nonetheless if developers handle it well. Still too early to tell definitively though.

The most striking feature of the game is its ability to maintain the soul of the series by faithfully duplicating its iconic art style, quirky sense of humor, and immeasurable charm. Set a mere nine months after the events of Okami, the child of Amaterasu, Chibiterasu, descends to Earth in order to rid the land of evil. It seems people have, once again, lost faith in the Gods so its up to Chibi along with several partners met along the way, to battle demons and restore peace to the world. While the story may take a few missteps, it is largely an enjoyable experience, driving players forward on the lengthy adventure. It’s filled with unforgettable characters both big and small and takes players on a journey through locales both familiar and strange.

In fact the first few hours may feel a bit too familiar, almost to the game’s detriment, retreading old ground and revisiting many of the same locations from the first Okami. Fans of the original might be overwhelmed by a nagging sense of déjà vu. However, Okamiden does manage to step out of the shadow of its predecessor and soon ventures forth into new territory.

When the first Okami hit the PS2 in 2006, it quickly became a cult classic, garnering a devout fan following but lackluster sales. In 2008, the game was given a second chance when it was ported to the Wii and the game’s brush mechanic was translated to the system’s remote control. However, Okamiden makes the best use of the drawing technique, pairing the DS’s touch screen with the Celestial Brush makes the series feel right at home on Nintendo’s handheld.

Many of the classic brush techniques return. At any time, Chibi can summon the powers of the Celestial Brush by clicking the L or R buttons and drawing on-screen. Cutting through an enemy or obstacle is as easy as drawing a horizontal slash. Cherry bombs can be placed by drawing a circle with a line for a fuse. The mechanic is far more responsive and much easier to pull off than its PS2 and Wii incarnations. However, with the DS comes a loss of analog controls as the system’s d-pad manages Chibi’s movement around the environment. It’s not ideal and, at first, feels downright clunky. Yet over time it’s easy to adapt and isn’t much of a problem. That being said it’s hard not to imagine how much better it would control on a 3DS with the circle pad.

In addition to drawing brush techniques, the touch screen is used to guide Chibi’s pals through various environments by creating a path for them to follow. It’s a nice addition regardless of being previously seen in other games. Yet despite encountering several partners along the way, they mostly come equipped with the same abilities including the guide mechanic. While some can direct water, others fire and lightning, it’s essentially the same thing and would have been nice to see a little more variety. Still, the characters themselves are a great ensemble and lend a layer of depth to the storytelling.

Of course, Chibiterasu and his cohorts run into their share of boss battles and Okamiden manages to create a few memorable encounters thanks to some clever and imaginative enemy design. The boss fights use the various brush techniques to their strengths, sometimes forcing players to juggle between several abilities. However, some of the ordinary combat can feel repetitive.

The game follows the same fighting design as the original, pitting players in self-contained arenas with a number of lesser enemies. Rather than being rewarded with experience points like most RPGs, battles offer money which can be traded in for weapon upgrades, items, and learning new brush techniques. It’s a solid system and works well though it can be exploited from time to time. Many enemies can be bested by repeatedly using the Slash technique, spamming the L or R button without giving them a chance to recover. It’s when the game throws in enemies which are immune to some moves that the combat offers a challenge.

Okamiden is a testament to the quality of games which greet the end of a console. It’s a tribute to the system’s strengths, pushing as much power as possible from the little portable. Throughout the game, it’s easy to feel a sense of awe at what the developers were able to accomplish on Nintendo’s handheld. The story is not perfect, even feeling artificially prolonged as it meanders a bit during the third act and old tropes of Eastern game design such as revisiting all the previous bosses rear their ugly head. But it’s easy to overlook such shortcomings when the experience is filled with charming characters and an engaging narrative wrapped around solid game mechanics and the wonderful Ukiyo-e inspired art.

From IGN’s review:

Sword & Sworcery is a must-have game for your iPad. I understand that it’s not necessarily for everybody; I don’t begrudge anybody who tries and determines they’d rather just play a traditional game instead, but it’s still something that should be tried nonetheless. The unity of sight, sound, and touch is something special, and it’s something that makes perfect sense on a device like the iPad. Please make it a hit. Because I wouldn’t mind seeing this EP become a full-fledged album.

Expect a review of the iPhone version on Gameshack next month when the game comes to Apple’s other portable powerhouse. Current iPad owners need not wait a minute longer.

Of course, my DS Lite will still work in a 3DS world. However, this month marks the release of what is arguably the system’s swan-song, Okamiden. Billed as a sequel to the PS2 cult-classic, Okami, the game looks like the perfect fit for the DS’s touch-screen. Coverage of the game tells me I’m in for a 20-hour romp while saving the land of Nippon, yet again, from certain doom. I can’t think of a better way to say goodbye.

Admittedly, I was late to the DS party. It wasn’t until the revamped Lite version came out in July 2006, two years into the DS lifespan, that I entered the fray. Since then, the DS Lite has been my go-to gaming device whenever its big brothers, PS3 and Wii, have been in that time between games. It’s always when I put in a new game I rediscover just how great this thing really is. The battery lasts forever, it’s lightweight, the touchscreen proved to not be a gimmick, and the library of games is arguably the best since the SNES days. Nintendo managed to sell more than 150 million worldwide which is no small task but also not surprising given the amount of fun I’ve had with it over the years. In many ways, it saved Nintendo from disaster while the company was struggling to identify its blue ocean strategy in the post-Gamecube era.

I plan to review Okamiden as a fond farewell to the system that kept me busy all these years. Since getting an iPod Touch I’ve neglected my DS Lite but I already know my time with this game will remind me why I enjoy the system. Now, I have to admit. When it comes to DS games I have a bit of a problem. Perhaps I play too many of them. Here’s a list of every DS game I’ve enjoyed over the years, by far the most for any system I’ve ever owned. The crazy thing is I already know there are still so many games I’ve missed.

Advance Wars Days of Ruin
Advance Wars Dual Strike
Bangai-O Spirits
Bomberman Land Touch
Brain Age
Brain Age 2
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin
Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow
Contra 4
Contact
Cooking Mama
Dead N Furious
Dementium The Ward
Diddy Kong Racing
Electroplankton
Elite Beat Agents
Final Fantasy III
Flower Sun & Rain
Geometry Wars Galaxies
Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars
Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure
Hotel Dusk
Kirby’s Canvas Curse
Kirby Squead Squad
Korg DS-10
The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks
The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
Legendary Starfy
Lunar Knights
Mario & Luigi: Partners in Time
Mario vs. Donkey Kong 2 March of the Minis
Meteos
Moero Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii Osu Tatakae Ouendan 2
Moon
Mario Hoops 3-on-3
Mario Kart DS
Megaman ZX
New Super Mario Bros.
New York Times Crosswords
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Nintendogs
Okamiden
Osu Tatakae Ouendan
Peggle Dual Shot
Picross DS
Picross 3D
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Professor Layton and the Diabolical Box
Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
Retro Game Challenge
Rhythm Heaven
Scribblenauts
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Sonic Rush Adventure
Space Invaders Extreme
Star Fox Command
Super Princess Peach
Tetris DS
The World Ends With You
Trauma Center Under the Knife
Trauma Center Under the Knife 2
Yoshi’s Island DS

Nintendo published games

Third-party games

“Playstation Suite extends the Playstation experience beyond the PSP by providing Playstation content to other devices,” Hirai said when he detailed the company’s upcoming cross-platform program.

Sony is making a dynamic shift to its mobile strategy with Playstation Suite. Playstation branded games will be available on qualifying Android phones and tablets. Sony is also working to bring first generation PSP games to Playstation Suite. So if you just dropped $199 on a new Droid you’ll be happy to know you’ll soon be playing SOCOM, Metal Gear Solid, and other PSP titles on your smartphone. There will also be a Playstation-specific Store alongside the Android Market, allowing Playstation Suite games to be delivered to all those phone users who are gaga for Google’s OS. Sony also announced a Playstation Certified program which will maintain a measure of quality control on Suite games.

Then came the formal announcement of the successor to the PSP. Unlike the PSP-3000 or even the oft-malign PSP Go, Sony’s next handheld is more than just a slight hardware refresh, it’s a technological juggernaut. Codenamed Next Generation Portable, NGP for short, the PSP2 isn’t a far leap design-wise from its predecessor. Under the hood, however, is a different story.

The NGP comes equipped with two analog sticks, a 5-inch OLED touch screen, the usual Playstation-style buttons & D-Pad, front and rear-facing cameras, dual microphones, gyroscope for motion sensing, and a touch-pad on the back of the device for some interesting gameplay concepts. It supports Bluetooth, Wifi, GPS, and even 3G cellular connectivity.

Sony did not reveal a price for the NGP but did announce its release was scheduled for the end of 2011. Hirai noted it would be within the calendar year so we should expect a Japanese launch before the end of December.

Several game developers were on hand to show off the NGP’s capabilities. A new Uncharted game stole the spotlight as a live demo showed the NGP is capable of graphics and performance nearly on par with the PS3. Metal Gear creator Hideo Kojima unveiled a scene from the PS3 title, Metal Gear Solid 4, running on the NGP with very minimal effort needed to port it to the handheld. Other games shown included a glimpse at Monster Hunter Portable 3rd and Lost Planet 2. Sony also demoed a game, Little Deviants, which showed attendees how to use the rear touch pad. By touching the back of the NGP, the terrain of the game changes as if the player’s finger were coming through the device.

Games will be delivered on proprietary flash-based memory cards (think SD cards but Sony-branded) as well as digital downloads via the Playstation Store.

Other features include applications such as Near, a GPS-based program that tracks your location and shows who is playing what games in your area. Sony hopes it will enrich the discovery process of games and link to their big push into social networking.

We can’t wait to hear more about the NGP including a price, an actual name, and the forthcoming games. Expect more news at E3 this June when Sony and third party developers dish more details on the new handheld. In the meantime, enjoy all of Sony’s official press photos of the NGP.

Nintendo of Japan recently held an event called Nintendo World to give the public their first hands-on with the upcoming 3DS. People lined up around the block and braved the hours-long wait for a chance to see the new handheld. With the Japanese launch a month away, Nintendo let loose plenty of details including game pricing, accessories, and more. The following launch titles were confirmed for the Japanese launch, available February 26th 2011.

Prices range from 4,800 – 6,090 Yen which is roughly $58 – $74 USD.

An attendee was able to take an off-screen video of a sizzle reel running at the event, showcasing some of the upcoming games.

Source: Kotaku

Tiles of various colors will fall from the top of the screen in random order. Players must match up two or more colors in order to clear them away. By tapping on a tile, players can choose the order in which the blocks fall to the bottom. This allows for not only some serious combo opportunities, it soon twists your mind as you frantically race to tap colors into place. Players must think ahead, planning out the order of the colors while the music plays and the timer slowly clicks.

Shibuya can seem a little daunting your first play-through but don’t worry. While you get used to the idea of strategizing your tile order, the game makes things as easy as possible, generously offering a Slow mode to help get you started. Players will quickly master the easier settings, grasping the key concepts, as the game’s addictive qualities make their way into your subconscious.

The game is made up of two modes; Quickplay for two-minute rounds on-the-go and Endless where players see just how long they can last. In-game achievements with OpenFeint integration will keep the most-dedicated players testing their limits for a long time. Personally, I would have liked to see the game support the newly released GameCenter system but Never Center tells me they’re currently looking into it.

Shibuya’s great mechanics are reenforced by a charming, though sometimes sparse, art style and incredible soundtrack. Inspired by the Shibuya district in Tokyo, the game’s visual design mimics the neon lights, bright colors, verticality, and overall kinetic atmosphere of the neighborhood. After playing the game for so long, I did tire of seeing the same static background, wishing there were at least some options to mix up the look but the game’s edited approach to design keeps what really matters, the puzzling itself, front and center. It’s a testament to the design of Shibuya that it’s actually able to convey a sense of time and place in a small puzzle game. The licensed music from Millionyoung is not only a joy to listen to but really helps set the overall tone of the experience. The app thankfully provides a direct link to purchase the music direct from the iTunes Music Store, I highly suggest giving it a listen.

I would have liked to see more game modes and options, whether it’s a mode in which players must clear out a few blocks already placed at the bottom before moving on, or otherwise. In addition, as much as I love the soundtrack, I eventually wished I could play music from my iTunes library. After all, there are only five licensed tracks and the most addicted Shibuya players are likely to hear them many times. However, these are minor issues that come only from spending several hours with the game and, well, it’s tough to fault a developer for making a game I can’t stop playing.

As it stands, Shibuya is a touch-controlled narcotic with a beautiful art style, amazing soundtrack, and clever puzzle mechanic. I’m hesitant to bring up the issue of pricing because iPhone owners should simply try it regardless. However, at $1.99 it’s downright inexcusable not to get it considering how many hours I’ve spent in Shibuya knowing I’ve paid more for Vitamin Water. Put your headphones on, crack your knuckles, and enjoy.

Buy Shibuya here

Let’s get a few things out of the way. Will OnLive replace traditional PC gaming for hardcore PC gamers? No. If you have the hardware that can handle these games, there are few reasons to spend the monthly subscription fee just to gain access to games you can already run. Is OnLive for people who love having a physical copy of the game? If you absolutely must have the game’s box on your shelf, lined up with all the others, then move along. This is purely cloud-based and anyone leery of owning a game for as long as they subscribe to the service need not apply. For someone like me, an avid gamer, who has often lamented my Mac’s gaming Achilles heel, the service is a no-brainer. My first reaction after installing the application was “Oh my God, it works!”

After a year of naysayers, decrying OnLive to be too far ahead of its time, I was pleasantly surprised to see Borderlands, running on my old Macbook. The specs of my Macbook run down like this:

While it’s more than adequate for running my day-to-day chores, my Macbook has always been a writing laptop first and a gaming laptop a far distant second. Valve’s recent embrace of the Mac lead to some heartbreak as, time and time again, I found my Mac unable to run games like Portal. With OnLive it looks like things are finally about to change. Anyone who knows about computer hardware will see that integrated-graphics processor as a real stumbling block when it comes to gaming. Without something a little beefier, this Macbook isn’t going to get very far.  That’s why it was such a treat to see games like Dirt 2 running and my computer’s fans hadn’t even come on.

Like any relationship, things aren’t always perfect. Currently, OnLive requires a hard-wired connection to the internet which means no wi-fi. At first, I thought I could just log-in, see what games were on offer, and deal with any lag caused by my wireless. That’s a no-go. OnLive won’t even start until you’re tethered directly to your router. As someone who lives wirelessly 99.9% of the time, I know I’ll be less inclined to relocate my whole computer set-up just to play. But I realize I could easily be in a very small minority when it comes to this. For most people, this will be a non-issue. But it’s worth noting in case some users are truly unable to access a hard-wired connection. OnLive asserts its “technology does indeed work well with good quality Wi-Fi connections” but doesn’t plan on releasing that functionality “once OnLive is better established”.

Since it was first announced, people have worried that latency would be an issue. Latency, or lag, is a constancy concern for any online gaming experience. Latency occurs when there is a spans of time between the player’s input such as firing a weapon and the results occurring in the game. In an online match, for example, lag could be the difference between life or death. OnLive has built servers around the country to cut down on the distance between your machine and its servers. The shorter the distance and the stronger your internet connection, the better it gets. In fact, unlike most discussions of PC gaming, OnLive is less about your computer’s hardware strength than it is the strength of your connection to the internet. In my time, I have yet to experience any extreme latency issues. My inputs have been mirrored in the game world faithfully. While playing Borderlands, for example, I have tested the time it’s taken for my to left-click to fire my weapon and the time my gun actually fired bullets. The time was nearly indistinguishable. I say nearly because while OnLive’s servers are doing an incredible job of translating and moving all this data, it’s merely a nanosecond behind what you would expect if playing the game directly from the disc. However, for me it quickly fell into the realm beyond “good enough” and I easily adjusted and forgot all about how the game was getting to me and just played.

The selection in the Marketplace is somewhat limited at the moment but OnLive promises more is on the way. I was annoyed to see Mass Effect 2 is only available to OnLive users connecting through a PC. I’m unsure who was behind this but the beauty of OnLive is that it is hardware agnostic yet even in the remote reaches of the cloud, the school-yard fight between Apple and Microsoft persists. It’s a shame. I’m also hoping the pricing sees some more restructuring. Players can purchase a three-day or five-day rental of some titles for $3.99 or $8.99 respectively. But not all games are available for rental. I wish there was more consistency in the pricing and availability. Full price purchases are often at the standard MSRP of $59.99. Hopefully, OnLive takes a cue from Valve and embraces the wonders of Steam Sales. The advantage of online gaming over brick and mortar retail will always be its ability to drop prices as it does not need to deal with overheads, shelf space, etc.

Other features such as the Arena which allows users to drop in and spectate on other player’s games are a fun distraction and seem more like a crowd-pleaser to show off an “ooh and ahh” factor of the service. OnLive is going to continue rolling out across the United States. The service is, at the moment, only offered in America but Perlman has expressed an interest to expand to other countries. Expect more impressions as my time with OnLive continues.