Our verdicts on this year's conference

Traditionally, the console manufacturers' E3 conferences are the highpoints of the annual show. For us at least, there are few things more exciting than seeing Iwata-san or Miamoto-san on stage, beaming and showing off new hardware or software for the first time. Last year's DS-centred conference was spine-tingling; hopes were high that the Revolution's unveiling this time around would be as good. Well, the conference has passed and we've had time to mull over Nintendo's performance. For anyone who's late to party, we've a quick recap of the hour's events; as well as the pictures and a downloadable video of the conference right here.

Not Reggie's problem

A Recap:

"We remain all about the games, all about you," was the announcement from the opening video of Nintendo's E3 conference this year. Something about this resonated with the audience, who also enjoyed Satoru Iwata's banter with Reggie Fils-Aime. This was to be a solid showcase of Nintendo's plans for the future, although audience reaction at times was tremendous.

Reggie introduced proceedings with his usual confidence and began by looking at Nintendo's philosophy � Nintendo as not an "or" company, he said: Nintendo did not make games for one group "or" another, but rather made "and" games for all people to enjoy. This was a theme that would be carried throughout the show, beginning with the future of the DS.

Electroplankton was the game � or rather, "creative tool" � that was at the heart of this, with DJ David Hollands creating ambient music through the use of the game and two DS units. It was certainly impressive, and drew a great response from the crowd.

It was Nintendo's ambitious plans for the DS that received possibly one of the biggest cheers of the conference. Reggie explained that there would be no additional charge, no monthly fees for playing over the DS WiFi network, much to the delight of the audience. Reggie also berated the "overly macho nature" of the online world, and promised a more welcoming network. With Mario Kart and Animal Crossing promised for the end of the year, Nintendo's online plans for DS were generating much excitement in the crowd.

Tina Wood, who ran into much embarrassment when her dog became "friendly" with Shigeru Miyamoto's virtual pet, showcased Nintendogs. Cue much laughing from the audience, who up to that point were not too impressed with the iffy voice recognition capabilities of the game.

Reggie also produced the new GBA Micro (just bigger than the iPod Mini) from his jacket pocket to a hushed audience. The tiny new GameBoy did get much applause, although the big news was still to come.

Cue Iwata, who revealed the prototype sleek new Revolution. He wasn't kidding when he said it would be the size of three DVD cases. This public unveiling was short on technical specifications, and Iwata said the "very unique" controller would be shown later, much to the tangible disappointment of the audience. Nintendo only offered gamers a glimpse of the Revolution � Miyamoto was also keeping quiet. Yet the announcement of 20 years' worth of (downloadable) backwards compatibility got huge applause from a nostalgic audience!

And when a Nintendo conference ends on an epic new Zelda game ("part of your gamer's soul", according to George Harrison) you know that the Japanese giant can still deliver.

Iwata neatly summed up the Nintendo philosophy in one turn of phrase, saying that "the machine is just a tool � the experience comes from the software." Let's hope that the Revolution will stay true to this.

Is nothing sacred?

What We Thought:

Jordan:

This year's E3 was both great and at the same time an extreme disappointment. First off, we now know some fantastic details about Revolution. Smash Bros online, Metroid and other unknown title. Total backwards compatability sounds fantastic. DS finally goes online; Mario Kart and Animal Crossing both sound great as does Tony Hawk. Also, the Zelda trailer was breath taking as was all the other two I've seen. To be honest, it saved the conference.

Downside was that the lack of Revolution's proper presence was felt. No joypad, no game footage. All the DS and GC titles we already knew about and is it just me or does the Gameboy Micro seem totally pointless?

Tphi:

Honestly? Mixed feelings. The Revolution was there and it was looking great, DVD playback confirmed as well, although.. that's about all that was confirmed. No specs, no controller, hell even the design is definately going to change before the launch. And it seems to be launching after all the other next-gen consoles, despite what Nintendo has claimed previously. As for new GBA.. this is the third GBA now which doesn't really do anything new. Nintendo seem to just want to stretch out the GBA's lifespan as long as possible and sell some more units of what is basically the same system that launched years ago.

*Breathes* Anyway. Plenty of new games on the way, Zelda in particular looks absolutely amazing and saved the show for Nintendo. The dark Link/Wolf thing should be good, although I'm wanting plenty of normal Link on horseback action as well. Here's hoping we see the final Revolution soon and not at next year's E3 - I can without waiting another year, thank you Nintendo.

Here's hoping.

Rickoss:

Despite being obviously disappointed at the lack of a few key products on show (have Nintendo completely forgotten about Mario 128 now?), there look to be a few gems in the making. Fresh screens of Geist and Battalion Wars are looking very promising, and Zelda is looking better than ever, offering up some new play mechanics as well as showing off how beautiful the Zelda world can be. The announcement of Mario & Luigi 2, while pretty low-key, is also a very welcome surprise on my part.

I just feel that Nintendo are focusing far too much on gimmick and selling their franchises rather than trying to come up with fresh new titles. Just look at how many Mario games were on show, and then think of how many you'll actually buy? Exactly. The Revolution was also a bit of a let-down; not the console itself, which, as Reggie promised, looks slicker than anything Nintendo have ever done, but the lack of anything other than online information, something we already knew partly anyway.

In contrast to the Nintendo that does everything different, E3 2005 seems to be about Nintendo selling units rather than setting the market alight. Of course, the speak of online Smash Bros and the like will certainly leave me salivating through to E3 2006...

James:

Nintendo are a sly bunch. When they decided to keep those watching the live conference waiting for forty five minutes before beginning, some of us reckoned it would actually be worth the wait. Nintendo built up our anticipation like a bored man would build up a house of cards, and took only slightly longer to knock them back down again. With Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 leaving a tantalising taste of the next generation in our mouths, we were eager to dig our teeth into some fresh information about the Nintendo Revolution � especially with the Big N touting its revolutionary control interface as a new zenith of gaming.

Instead, we were treated to a glimpse of a machine that looked uncannily like one of those mini PS2s, a couple of slideshows showcasing information we already knew about the machine, and no information on the controller whatsoever. We have been promised that we'll see this new control method 'later', but Mr Iwata couldn't (or wouldn't) be more specific than that. Nevertheless, one rather interesting new aspect of Nintendo's new console is the ability to download and play any game from Nintendo's past � from Nintendo 64 to NES. When Nintendo said the machine would be backwards compatible, they really meant it, didn't they? With such a feature in place, however, it's difficult to imagine Nintendo's new control interface being all that revolutionary after all. There's still hope, I suppose.

Speaking of new hardware, the appearance of a 'Game Boy Micro' stunned many watching the conference � not 'Wow, that's incredible!' stunned, but 'Wow, they're really pushing it!' stunned. Come on, Nintendo. Do we really need another iteration of the Game Boy Advance? Even the DS can play GBA games, and unless this supposedly iPod-esque new piece of kit comes at a really, really low price (the technology is essentially five years old now) I really cannot see any point to owning such a machine.

The GameCube line-up held no real surprises (come on � you weren't expecting Metroid Prime 3?), with enough Mario and Pokemon to keep gamers occupied until Revolution's release. The trailer for the new Zelda title (dubbed Twilight Princess) certainly still had enough jaw-dropping power to send even the most cynical journalist into hysterical cries of 'OMG WOW! He can turn into a WOLF!', but out of all the consoles on show it was the DS that once again stole the limelight this year. While again, the games on show didn't surprise anyone, a wonderful little presentation of Nintendogs with Shigeru Miyamoto (only made all the more wonderful when that poor woman couldn't make her dog react to 'New Zelda'), and an astounding musical piece composed by a top artist using Electroplankton certainly helped to further demonstrate the potential of the DS.

However, all of these entertaining little distractions failed to cover the fact that Nintendo really didn't have much to say this year, other than 'yes, all the projects you already knew about are going well'. With Nintendo's E3 conference track record mimicking that of the Star Trek films, it stands to reason that E3 2006 will be one to keep an eye on. But no matter how well Nintendo perform during the Electronic Entertainment Expos, you can be sure that Cube-Europe will always have the very best coverage. Stay tuned.

They're such a tease

Eluria:

Well, it being my first live E3 Nintendo conference made it special you know ?

Looking at what they had to offer, there were some surprises;

The GameBoy Micro, the size impressed me initially but afterwards I just thought; "why?" The absence of Mario 128 (again) was a shame but probably something to look forward to next year. I believe they mentioned the Revolution versions of Mario and Zelda already being underway. That was unexpected yet good news.

The on-line capability and the 'virtual console' aspect of the Revolution are appealing. Being able to download every(?) previous Nintendo game is just amazing news. The trailer for Zelda, while interesting, finished a conference which left me with mixed feelings.

Conor:

My reaction after viewing Nintendo's press conference was a simple one:

"That was it?"

I blame the forty five minutes delay. Me, Tim and a bunch of other staffers sat about on MSN; staring at a blank video feed and sitting about in anticipation. The anticipation took hold of my rather understandable hopes (for some concrete information on the Revolution and maybe software information) and doubled them several times over. By the time the damn thing actually began, I was on a high. When it faded to black I crashed.

Put simply, it was a disappointingly poor showing from Nintendo. It wasn't half as embarrassing as Microsoft's hyperbole-fest on Monday (which deserves a whole article on its own) but it was still a depressing hour for any Nintendo fan watching. We waited and waited...and waited...but the killer moment never came. For weeks we had been speculating about what exactly made the 'Revolution' so revolutionary, bounding about theories and speculation, all in anticipation of the E3 conference's moment of revelation. And now we have to wait further for it?

It's like getting all dressed up to go out at night: you buy a new shirt; put on that fancy cologne you got for your birthday; polish your shoes and gel up a funky hairstyle. The taxi brings you to the club and you step out, ready for a great night. You approach the door, only for a large bouncer to step in your way. You look up; it's Reggie. He's shaking his head. "Sorry mate," he growls, "Gig's been cancelled. Try again next month." Bastards.

Honestly, where they really serious? The GBA Micro? Mario Soccer? That "right side of your brain" talk? Yes, the Revolution looks ace (best designed console of the three), and the super-backwards compatibility is an inspired move, and Twilight Princess should be awesome. But that was not enough. How about some definite online set-up details? Launch information? Some sort of indication of Revolution's technical power would've made sense, beyond assuring me it would make me go "wow". That's great Mr. Iwata, but it's a weak counterattack to Sony's awesome PS3 videos.

I'll reserve my final bitterness until E3 is over, and there's no chance of Nintendo springing a surprise on us to shatter the pessimism. But right now, I'm not holding out much hope. In fact, I'm starting to get worried. Here's a crazy thought: what if Nintendo don't actually know what they're doing? What if even they are unsure about what makes their new console revolutionary? What if they don't even have a controller sorted out?

Well done Nintendo; you've turned my cautious optimism into paranoia.

Nintendogs was one of the better titles on show

Darren:

I think I agree with the 'mixed reaction' view. It was great seeing some of the innovative titles coming our way such as Electroplankton and Nintendogs, the live demonstrations really got me excited.

However parts of the conference seemed like a letdown. I was really hoping to see a demonstration of the DS's online service; however it was briefly mentioned without showing us any footage.

This idea was echoed with Nintendo's unveiling of the Revolution. It was great hearing all these amazing features, but we want to see them, not simply hear about them. I do understand that Nintendo wants to keep some surprises, but we were shown nothing except the console itself, which was already being posted online before the conference was underway.

I have absolutely no interest in the Game Boy Micro. Do we really need ANOTHER GBA? Most people already have, or are getting, a DS, and so I don't see how there will be a big enough demand for the console, unless it is fairly cheap.

Lastly the Zelda trailer looked amazing, I'm so excited about this game and I suppose it was a great way to end a conference - even if it was a fairly average one.

Nick:

I thought Nintendo did a decent job; not spectactular but solid.

The Revolution is a sleek bit of gear. It looks fantastic, a great bit of design. WiFi, backwards compatibility, all good - mercifully, they didn't drone on about tedious specs, although I realise that Nintendo's plans seemed a bit vague (where was the controller?!)

GBA Micro looks tidy, but just how many people are going to shell out for another GBA at this stage? It's a big ask unless it's cheap. As for DS - online network, WiFi, and no subscription fees! I am a hardened online-sceptic - I can't stand the thought of multiplayer over the internet, but this made me sit up and listen.

And of course, Zelda looks phenomenal. So, it's a good start, but the games will have to be revealed soon.

Tim:

I enjoyed the conference a lot. Nintendo has put up a great show. The Gameboy Micro and the Revolution look fantastic! Also, a ton of quality games were shown. Oh, and let's not forget the free online service for the Nintendo DS. I can't wait to enter in Mario Kart DS tournaments with the folks from Cube-Europe.

Unfortunately, details on the Revolution remained scarce. I like the backwards compatibility, but I was hoping for a far more revolutionairy announcement. I know it is still going to come, but why couldn't it be yesterday? I guess we have to wait and see when the other half of the Revolution is announced. Rumours are suggesting it would be tomorrow. I know Nintendo wanted to do it different. But is waiting a couple of days really different? I am not sure.