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.

Game Informer Magazine claims it has confirmed, through multiple sources, that Nintendo is set to announce the successor to the Wii before or during this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo. With Wii sales beginning to taper off and a rumored price drop to $150 for the motion control marvel, the current console is looking a tad long in the tooth. Few details were known regarding control schemes but smart money’s on the next Nintendo system sporting some form of motion control. If there’s additional support for traditional control schemes, well, the more the merrier. For now, Game Informer states that the console is most definitely going to be an HD console capable of spitting out 1080p like the Playstation 3 or Xbox 360. Whether the system is more powerful as current-gen consoles is still unknown. Reportedly, Nintendo has been making the rounds to developers in order to entice them, garner third party support, and give plenty of lead time for development before the rumored 2012 launch. Will this just be a Wii in HD? Or does Nintendo have something more clever up its sleeve? Only time will tell. All we hope is that this doesn’t mean The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gets pushed back for the next console ala Twilight Princess. Nintendo, don’t do this to us!

“As you know, ‘Wii something’ are the titles that we use only with software that Nintendo has developed exclusively for Wii with the aim to make them marquee titles for Wii. We are developing this game with the aim to make it a marquee party game for Wii.

The developers are spending significant [amount of] time for this title so that they can include elements that are must-haves in a party game as well as making sure that adequate volume of game play are available. We are developing it with the intent that every Wii player will be able to find a game that can be enjoyed. In a game play mode called ‘Living Party,’ there are unique game play only available with the Wii Remote.”

The game will include minigames and Mii support. No word yet on Wii Motion Plus, Wii Speak, or Nintendo Wifi Connection integration. Set to release before the end of Nintendo’s fiscal year (that’s March 2011 for all you normal calendar folks, out there) Nintendo of America has yet to confirm a date for North America. Can we expect a Reggie/Cammie demo at E3? I can only hope.

Gamers compete by guessing the most popular terms in a given web search. At the end of the game whomever has the most correct guesses is the winner. The game is powered by Google’s search engine and can be played in both online and offline modes. Offline mode is said to contain more than 10,000 pre-stored searches. Online mode allows for data to change and adapt due to trends in Google search.

Google search fights can settle many debates. Who’ll fin in a fight between Superman and Batman? Who knows. But in a Google fight- Batman wins 51,200,000 results to 27,600,000.

Mega Man 10 – March 1st

Alice in Wonderland – March 2nd

Calling - March 9th

Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon – March 16th

Sushi Go Round – March 16th

Let’s Play Ballerina – March 16th

Cave Story – March 22nd

How to Train your Dragon – March 23rd

Pizza Delivery Boy – March 23rd

Rooms: The Main Building – March 23rd

Red Steel 2 – March 23rd

Sakura Wars: So, Long My Love – March 23rd

Here are the main highlights, prepare yourself.

Wii

Mario Galaxy 2, sequel to the 2008 hit, will be launching in America on May 23rd! The game is importing many of the great mechanics from the first Galaxy but adds many new elements including new power ups (Nintendo demoed a drill during a boss battle), new worlds, and Yoshi!

Sin & Punishment: Star Successor will be released on June 7th. Sequel to the cult-hit Nintendo 64 game, Sin & Punishment looks to be Nintendo’s answer to hardcore gamers craving something non-Mario but still, undeniably, Nintendo.

Monster Hunter Tri from Capcom is coming to North America, bundled with the Classic Controller Pro, on April 20th. Nintendo confirmed it will also be compatible with the Wii Speak accessory for voice chat. Nintendo is also working with retailer, Gamestop, to provide a demo disc with two quests on March 8th. Also, if your pre-order through Gamestop, customers get 500 points for either the Wii Shop Channel or DSi Shop.

Metroid: Other M, the game being developed by Team Ninja- the studio behind Ninja Gaiden, was also mentioned. A release date of June 27th was announced and while Nintendo was keeping other details quiet, it did promise the press some hands-on time with the game. Expect more details in the near future.

DS

The next iteration of the DS hardware, the DS-XL, will be coming to North America on March 28th for $189.99. The DS-XL is, essentially, a jumbo version of the current model, DSi. Nintendo of America rep, Cammie Dunaway explained the screen is “about ninety-three percent larger” and “fills the gap between portable play and the kinds of social experiences that up until now have only been available on consoles.”

Pokémon Heart Gold and Silver will be launching on March 14th. These are remakes of the Gold and Silver titles that came out for the Gameboy Color. Not much else was mentioned during the event but if you’ve played one Pokémon game, you’re likely aware of what to expect.

WarioWare DIY is hitting store shelves on March 28th! Create your own WarioWare-style microgames. The title will also be available as a WiiWare companion piece.

Augmented reality game, Ghostwire: Link to the Paranormal was demoed, showcasing the DSi’s camera allowing players to take photos and interact with them in-game.

WiiWare/DSiWare

Cave Story has been in development for quite awhile but today Nintendo revealed the WiiWare remake of the PC-community darling will be coming to the service on March 22nd.

Max & The Magic Marker is Drawn to Life meets Crayon Physics meets Harold and the Purple Crayon. Already available on PC, the WiiWare version drops on March 8th.

Capcom’s Mega Man 10 continues the 8-bit revival by bringing more great bosses, more insane platforming, and more of that Blue Bomber goodness. Nintendo mentioned that, in response to the last game, an easy difficulty was put in to allow casual players to enjoy Mega Man 10 while hardcore fans will get the same difficulty they’re used to on higher settings.

Bizarre and innovative platformers, Super Meat Boy, as well as And Yet It Moves were also given “Summer” release windows.

By the looks of it, Nintendo is going to have a jam-packed first half of 2010. It’s surprising to see so many top-tier titles getting released between now and mid-Summer. Hopefully, Nintendo still has a few surprises in store for the holidays. Either way, it looks like this event was the company’s answer to, what some have argued to be, a lackluster line-up as of late. There’s no doubt this is, once again, a great time to be a Nintendo fan.

Periodically, the nightmare world takes over, enveloping the town in a thick layer of ice. These sequences give rise to Harry being chased by horrible creatures. As I said before, Shattered Memories does away with any combat from the previous games. Harry is completely defenseless against these monsters and must resort to running for his life. While these moments are a welcomed change of pace, the game suffers a bit from having the danger of being killed separated from the rest of the experience. It’s only during these chase sequences, that Harry can be hurt. When he’s not in the nightmare world, there is no danger. So while players explore the school, the mall, and other places, there’s no real need for concern so long as the ice is at bay. As a result, the game is not very scary once players settle into the comfortable pattern of therapy session, exploration, chase sequence, and repeat. While the game may not be as terrifying as some may like, Shattered Memories innovates where other Wii developers falter.

Silent Hill is not a particularly long game. Most will be able to get through the first play-through in about six hours. Subsequent runs will require much less time as the puzzles don’t change much and, while player’s choices might alter some aspects, the experience is generally similar. I wasn’t bothered by the game’s length for one main reason. The game has got an agenda- it has a story to tell and a fantastic one at that. Perhaps this is why the puzzles are so easy, you almost get the feeling the developers want to push you toward the ending. Once you’re there it’s fantastic. During the credit sequence, the game even suggests a second play-through, encouraging players to make different choices to render different results. I was so floored by the ending and the possibilities of the psychological profiling I immediately began a second game, making entirely different choices. I easily got through it in one sitting in about three hours.

Family Party: 30 Great Games Winter Fun – February 8th

Data East Arcade Classics – February9th

Super Monkey Ball Step & Roll – February 9th

Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Justice for All - February 15th

Shiren the Wanderer – February 16th

Free Running – February 16th

Endless Ocean: Blue World –  February 22nd

Sled Shred – February 23rd

Sonic & SEGA All-Stars Racing - February 23rd

Chicken Riot – February 23rd

No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle starts off with a bang. The action is bloodier, the humor is more off-the-wall, and the experience is even crazier than the first. The game is influenced by things as varied as the Kill Bill movies, manga, animé, and even David Lynch films. Series protagonist, otaku, and deadly assassin Travis Touchdown returns in, what executive director Suda 51 considers, a story that’s much darker than its predecessor. Travis is on a mission to cut his way back to the top of the United Assassins’ Association and this time he’s out for revenge. As players assume the role of Travis Touchdown, they’ll behead a Final Fantasy character look-a-like, fight a giant mech high above the city, battle a team of cheerleaders, slice dozens of enemies creating buckets of blood, play with your pet cat, watch as the game repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, and morph into a tiger.

That’s all within the first hour.

The sequel improves upon so many aspects of the original, namely the open world clunkiness and side mission banality. The tedium of moving around the open world of Santa Destroy has now been stream-lined. Instead of driving from place to place, players are given a menu with various locations and fast-travel to each one. While it’s somewhat disappointing to see the developers go this route instead of improving the open world design, in the end it’s a much-needed change. It speeds things along, allowing you to quickly get to the next ranked fight. Between missions comes the greatest addition to the series. Gone are the job missions of the last game that, while fun at times, were usually a chore to get through- especially considering they had to be played repeatedly. In their place are a set of incredibly crafted 8-bit style minigames. Travis will do anything to make a buck whether it’s delivering pizzas, frying steaks for finicky customers, collecting coconuts, or exterminating bugs. All of these jobs are lovingly rendered as bygone products of the 1980s. From the visuals, the audio, and scenarios, the job minigames are so much fun you’ll find yourself going back to them again and again.

Desperate Struggle retains some of the same problems that hindered the last game. The game’s camera system can be very frustrating. In heavy combat situations, my view was often blocked by objects, walls, enemies, and more. There is no camera control other than a re-center button of which I made extensive use. Even with a lock-on system, the camera still lost sight of enemies. This is partly to do with the game’s less-than-stellar level design. Environments in Desperate Struggle felt cramped and bland. They’re usually just empty parking lots, empty buildings, or empty streets. There’s not much life in them and, at times, it felt like there wasn’t enough room to fight and maneuver. They really only serve as platforms for the combat. In a few instances, the poor level design only added to some of the frustation during boss battles. Many of the locations for the ranked matches suffer from the same claustrophobic design. It felt like there wasn’t always enough room to fight, dodge attacks, and still be able to keep an eye on what was going on. This wasn’t the case for every fight but it’s still worth mentioning.

Shinobu and Henry return from the first game as playable characters and the addition is a welcomed one. Shinobu is back from battling in Asia and has, unlike Travis, gained the ability to jump. While it mixes up her fighting style somewhat and allowed the developers to include a platforming puzzle, it doesn’t do anything drastic to the No More Heroes formula.

No More Heroes 2 does something more Wii developers should consider. It gives players the option to control the game via the standard Wii Remote and Nunchuck combo or playing via the Classic Controller. I started with the old standby but switched to the Classic Controller about halfway through and I’ll never go back to the original. Playing with the Classic Controller felt great and, even if some gamers would rather have motion controls, it’s nice to be given the option to use standard controls. This is how third party development should continue on the Wii.

In the end, No More Heroes 2: Desperate Struggle took many of the things that didn’t work in the first game, scrapped them and, in their place, made a more stream-lined, energetic, hectic, thrilling experience. While I was initially sad to see the open world of Santa Destroy get pushed to the way-side, I can’t argue with the results. Despite still being bogged down by a clunky camera, the game feels much snappier and the 8-bit minigames are simply amazing. Add that to another great cast of epic boss battles, more oddball humor, more style than some game studios craft in a lifetime, and Suda 51 has managed to up the ante on a series I hope is around for a long time.