Engadget & Joystiq live from Nintendo's E3 2009 keynote
By Paul Miller 
posted Jun 2nd 2009 12:01PM
posted Jun 2nd 2009 12:01PM
We're live! We're on the scene at the Nintendo keynote, getting ready to fire salvo after salvo of news at you, our readers. Get those bingo cards ready and start making your own predictions of what the Big N's got planned in the comments section. (And no, "Cammie Dunaway does something embarrassing" doesn't count!)
1:13PM And it's over! We're going to roll up into balls and exit the theatre.
1:13PM The game will take you deeper into Samus's story, and further into the Metroid universe, according to Reggie. It appeared to show some kind of origin story, maybe.
1:11PM Samus Aran, for the first time, speaks in the trailer. Footage includes first person and third person sequences.
1:11PM 2010: Metroid: Other M.
1:10PM THIS IS A METROID ACTION GAME FROM TEAM NINJA. THIS IS HAPPENING. WE ARE LOOKING AT THIS THING THAT IS HAPPENING.
1:10PM IT'S METROID.
1:10PM Team Ninja and Nintendo collaborating on something. It's in space.
1:09PM Could a new, edgier game also be coming from Nintendo? "The answer is, absolutely." Team Ninja!
1:09PM Dead Space Extraction got a pretty decent amount of applause! People here like monsters and stuff. All of these games will be on the show floor, Reggie says.
1:09PM Dead Space: Extraction now. Maybe this is why EA didn't show it -- because Nintendo is.
1:09PM These are titles we knew about, so far. The Conduit first, and now here's Resident Evil: The Darkside Chronicles. Trailers for both. So he meant "more" than is currently out, not more than we knew about. For now, at least.
1:08PM "I'll be honest. I read the blogs too," Reggie says. He knows that we want more. And that more, he says, is associated with third parties. So now he's introducing Wii exclusive titles with a "harder edge."
1:05PM Easily the biggest applause of the show. Perhaps because it's the biggest surprise? Besides the Vitality Sensor.
1:03PM Super Mario Galaxy 2. That's the name.
1:03PM Yoshi can pick up power-ups that allow him to bloat up like a balloon. A big button will freeze large bodies of water so Mario can run on them. And now there's a little world that blooms with flowers whenever Mario runs over an area. 2D sidescrolling levels showcased, with the return of Bee Mario.
1:02PM Looks like a sequel to Super Mario Galaxy. Mario's riding Yoshi on some spherical worlds. Can we call megaton?
1:02PM A second full 3D Mario title on a single Nintendo console for the first time!
1:01PM Cammie's back to deliver some more "stimulation" after that "relaxation" from Iwata. How can you top the heartbeat thingy?
1:00PM Wow, I just realized this is really close to that fake "Wii Relax" helmet that went around for a while. Good call, whoever did that. Nintendo liked your idea.
1:00PM "For example, how nervous am I?" Slight chuckle in the audience. Maybe everyone can use the sensor to relax with videogames!
12:59PM What's next for games after Wii fit and Brain Age? The Wii Vitality Sensor. It's one of those biorhythm doodads you stick your finger in. Except it connects to the Wiimote.
12:58PM He wants these to increase understanding of games, and then the social standing of gamers.
12:57PM "In a sense, each of these could be considered everyone's game."
12:57PM Games like Pong, Space Invaders, and Donkey Kong satisfied everyone. They were intuitive enough to be enjoyed by all. Nintendo, last year, addressed this idea with Mario Kart and the Wii Wheel. Further toward that goal: New Super Mario Bros. Wii, Wii Sports Resort, and Wii Fit Plus.
12:56PM "If we simply lower the bar, we won't satisfy highly skilled players. And I'm also troubled by the imaginary wall that is built... between veteran players and new players."
12:55PM "Imagine if the number of players could grow by 50 percent." Next goal is to create individual titles that can satisfy every population of gaming at once. He describes this as a challenge. Traditionally, gamers have assumed the best games are the ones that are hardest to play. Nintendo disagrees with this.
12:55PM "For every two people now playing, there's one more just waiting to jump into the game." Nobody tell him what Microsoft's Xbox marketing slogan is. He'll be mad.
12:53PM "There are some now who believe the audience expansion movement is starting to fail." Describing three populations of people: people who play video games, people who NEVER play, and "maybes."
12:52PM It's impressive Nintendo has made so many announcements without introducing Iwata. Regardless, the audience is quiet. No applause for any announcements so far.
12:52PM Cammie is now introducing Satoru Iwata. And the man himself comes out to some kind of guitar solo.
12:49PM This summer, you can automatically upload photos from DSi to Facebook. It's a Facebook-off!
12:48PM WarioWare: DIY. This is the game released in Japan as "Made in Ore." It's a complete suite of tools to create your own WarioWare games -- draw the graphics, make the music, create the game logic, everything. For a five-second-long game. You can share your microgames as well.
12:47PM It's going to be DSiWare, available June 8. "That's right, this coming Monday."
12:47PM Mario vs. Donkey Kong: Minis March Again. It looks just like Mario vs. Donkey Kong, but now it has a full level editor with online level sharing!
12:47PM Moving Memo is coming out, now called Flipnotes Studio, this summer! This is the DSi app that lets people draw animation and upload it.
12:47PM Different features, different price points, and different audiences for the DS Lite and DSi. Total DSi sales in North America are over 1 million, with 400K Lites sold in the same period.
12:45PM Now it's a video that appears to be from the DSi launch, about how much people like the DSi. People in line to buy a DSi really love the DSi they're about to buy, apparently.
12:45PM Finally! Have you been waiting for the North American release of Nintendo's fashion game "Girls Mode?" Because I have. No, I'm serious, actually. It was a really big hit, and I'm kind of curious! It's going to be called Style Savvy here. Features wireless connectivity, to shop in other players' boutiques.
12:42PM Cop: The Recruit from Ubisoft. "More urban, open-world gaming," says Cammie. And now a trailer, which looks like Flash animation. This appears to be a RE4-style shooter. On DS.
12:39PM Women's Murder Club: Games of Passion, based on James Patterson's work, for DS. "Why join a book club when you can join the Women's Murder Club?" the trailer says. Because I don't like... murder?
12:39PM 2D sprites on dynamic 3D environments, with 3D monsters. It was a quick look, but more of Golden Sun than we've seen in years. And that wraps it up for the RPG portion. They really aren't going to mention Dragon Quest IX?
12:37PM Golden Sun DS - 2010. I totally thought he was hyping Dragon Quest, and then Reggie pulls this on us!
12:37PM Mario & Luigi Bowser's Inside Story is launching this fall in North America and Europe.
12:37PM The game is adorable, of course! Side-scrolling platforming combined with turn-based RPG mechanics. All inside a giant dinomonster's digestive system.
12:37PM This is the RPG segment of the presentation. Talking about Mario & Luigi: Bowser's Inside Story, the new name for Mario & Luigi RPG 3. "Bowser really does suck ... and I mean that in a good way."
12:37PM Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days now. We're watching a trailer for that. I hadn't heard any Utada yet today, so I'm glad Nintendo hooked me up.
12:34PM And now we're watching a trailer for Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers. Reggie called it an "exclusive open world RPG."
12:32PM Now Reggie is talking about Red Steel 2, which is MotionPlus exclusive. "These new titles begin to suggest how third party development is flowing to Nintendo." More third party games were sold for Wii and DS than any other platforms, he says.
12:32PM Wii Sports Resort launches July 26. We knew that. Now Reggie is showing off Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 and talking about its bundle.
12:32PM It's a shooting contest. Two players grab a ball, shoot, then grab another one. It looks like each player is on his own screen. I don't want to speculate or anything, but how do most people play console games on two screens? It could be a demo, or it could be online.
12:30PM It's basketball. Very friendly trash talk between Bill and Reggie. Friendly and awkward. Really awkward. Seriously awkward. Uncomfortable silence fills the room. Reggie makes fun of Bill's height.
12:29PM You get three shots per target. The screen zooms in more as you pull back more, but it also gets shakier. He's showing one more sport, for which he's going to compete with Reggie.
12:27PM Next up, archery. Hold the Wiimote vertically like a bow, then push A to grip. "It feels great." Hold Z, pull Nunchuk back to pull string. Let go of Z to shoot at the target. There's a wind gauge to help compensate for wind. There must not be too much archery practice over at NOA. Just sayin'
12:25PM Now there's a giant Busby Berkeley-style formation. Music swells, then everyone's chutes open. "Welcome to Wii Sports Resort."
12:25PM "You, and everyone else who plays the game, will start by jumping out of an airplane." Seriously. You hold the Wiimote as if it were your falling body. Spin it around, position it to grab other Mii skydivers. Speed up by diving downward. He's made a formation of five people now.
12:23PM Bill Trinen back out to demonstrate MotionPlus. He's going to show us more Wii Sports Resort things. He's talking about the added precision in gameplay.
12:22PM Now they're showing us a MotionPlus demo video that happens to feature new Wii Sports Resort stuff. Archery, kayaking.
12:19PM Reggie is out now. He's talking about the Wii interface -- first the Wiimote, the Nunchuk, the Balance Board. What's next? Oh, right, the MotionPlus.
12:19PM This will be out fall 2009 in both Balance Board bundle and standalone versions.
12:19PM In addition, fifteen new balance games: skateboarding, juggling, a math game in which you bump numbers with your hips to add up to ten. There's even a sort of Mario-esque platformer, though it scrolls toward you and not from left to right.
12:16PM Six new strength and yoga training activity. You can now set up playlists of exercises, it sounds like -- continuous strings of exercises. Wii Fit Plus will keep track of total calories burned.
12:15PM Introducing Wii Fit Plus now. "This next version moves in an added direction -- helping find a specific workout routine" for you.
12:14PM Cammie just referred to Wii Fit as a "gaming platform." I see what she did there.
12:13PM The game (called New Super Mario Bros. Wii) will launch this holiday 2009 and is playable at the show floor.
12:13PM At the end, the players are ranked based on points, coins, lives, and enemies killed. Cammie came in fourth.
12:12PM The screen pans out when players spread apart. Hidden areas appear behind walls, and the player sees a cutaway through the walls as he approaches.
12:12PM You can play the main mode in single player or in co-op. You can switch at any time. There's a propeller suit that allows Mario to fly upward when you shake the Wiimote. It looks like jammies with a propeller on top.
12:10PM The game is classic Mario, in New Super Mario Bros. style 3D. Four players play at the same time, competing for coins. When you die, you pop back up onscreen in a bubble.
12:10PM Bill Trinen from Treehouse is out. Treehouse people are coming out to play simultaneous multiplayer Mario. Oh, that's right. One Mario, one Luigi, two Toads, in side-scrolling 3D.
12:09PM 4 is the key to Mario's surprise. Miyamoto has been thinking of doing a new way playing Mario. Wow, a new Mario game? That was fast! How many more megatons?
12:07PM "Innovation in the form of the next leap forward in game control. And surprises in places you might not have thought there'd be any left."
12:05PM "One thing we all have in common: we're all professionally involved in video games." She's comparing video game sales to other media. Surprise: favorably.
12:05PM Cammie Dunaway comes out first, to polite applause.
12:04PM "Everyone's GAME" -- a montage of Wii game videos up now.
12:03PM The music just stopped. We're starting!
11:27AM On the screen, Nintendo showcases various trivia questions. How much of a Nintendo nerd are you?
11:27AM Club Nokia is an interesting place to hold the Nintendo conference. It's very sleek, with some nice lounge and club music playing in the background.
We're live! We're on the scene at the Nintendo keynote, getting ready to fire salvo after salvo of news at you, our readers. Get those bingo cards ready and start making your own predictions of what the Big N's got planned in the comments section. (And no, "Cammie Dunaway does something embarrassing" doesn't count!)
something for hardcore gamers.
ha,
Hopefully a bunch about Wii Motion Plus.
Maybe with a few comments about No More Heroes 2 and Red Steel 2...
Elite Beat Agents 2, pleeeeaaaaase?
(Or at least say that there won't be a sequel if that's the case, stop taunting me with your "To be continued" at the end!)
+1. That game was hardcore.
Finally! The time is going UP!! I don't have to scroll to the bottom after a refresh.
Actually, trainwrecka this sucks. I like the latest at the bottom approach better. FF retains scroll position after a refresh. It's annoying if you close the window and come back later, you need to scroll halfway to the bottom and then come back up again. Meh.
wow this is a big cup of yawn. I don't think Big N was anticipating the Microsoft stuff yesterday. They've become fat from sucking on the teet of their cash cow. these first party games are just more rainbow colored sameness.
"these first party games are just more rainbow colored sameness" - inteller
Yeah, sorta like Halo 18 Episode 12: Master Chief Resurrection.
Astroturf Different.
Screw this live video coverage at gametrailers guys
Can we all agree that "C.O.P.: the recruit" is the worst name for a game since 1996?
YESSSSS HIGHEST RANKED IS BACK!
@DirtyVegas
Fox keeps the scroll position? Very smart. I use Safari - bookmark syncing between iPhone and various Macs. There are a couple features I miss from FF, now I'll add this to the list.
second?
Nintendo better come out with a bad-ass game for Wii. I'm tired of all this gimicky stuff.
this press conference will reveal that Nintendo is officially out of gas. probably quaking in their boots since the Microsoft briefing yesterday.
What about the Conduit and Red Steel 2? Do those count? I'm really looking forward to the both of them
Yeah inteller, I'm sure the "who knows when it will be released or if it will even work" arm flail controller (Xbox fans *hate* arm flailing, remember?) yuppie-named Project Natal has Nintendo *really scared.*
*snicker*
m8 i just saw Wii Fit 2 listed on play.com so thats probable
http://www.play.com/Games/Xbox360/3-/340969/2-/Promo.html?dpr=340969
Amen brother.
Hey everyone... I'm attending E3 and can't find the addresses to either the Nintendo or Sony keynotes... I know I'm too late for Nintendo now, but what is the location of the Sony one, please!
Bwahaha way to fail. You don't deserve that E3 ticket.
Why is that a fail? I'm just trying to figure out where it is; they're private events not actually sanctioned by the ESA so they don't post it up.
Any help would be appreciated.
That means youre NOT attending E3... FAIL haha
Yeah, okay then.
In any case, someone who is actually helpful would be great, thanks.
It'll say on your invite... oop, probably don't have one, huh? I'm not sure of your press credentials but every time I've been at E3 my invites to keynotes, secret press events, and after-parties usually include an address... follow fluffy bunny.
Whatever guys... way to make the community a better place. You guys are both sitting at home watching the show, probably jacking to it at the same time. Enjoy my press coverage at www.eggplante.com if you don't believe me.
Wow, those are strong words... you kiss your mother with that mouth. I've moved on from the gaming media, but spent 12 years covering it so I'm not sure if one guy who's the "CEO" of his own company which has two iPhone ripoff clone-games... and apparently wandering around LA, lost and alone, should be throwing stones.
I can't find the info on physical locations on E3's site.
My advice is, look in the printed materials you got when you picked up your badge. Or find an information booth, or an E3 staffer who can point you towards it.
Thanks for the help Jon..... They're no help because the press conferences aren't official E3 events.
Odd, you'd think they'd know anyway... Sony, MS, and Nin are pumping millions into this thing.
go have lunch. nintendo's conference is boring as fuck! Follow the crowd to sony's afterward (if you're reallythere)
Please let there be some hardcore games... my Wii has been sitting on my shelf catching dust, and that's not just because I'm out of town!
you're going to love my zune!
Bring on the WiiHD!
My predictions:
Sales figures
Market Disruption
Wii Motion Plus [hyping] and new support games
Wii Music Plus
DS Shopping channel stuff
Something to do with the new Wii Mario game that was mentioned very briefly last year, it'll be a good old platformer with some Wii twists. ;)
Oh yeah...Cammie will somehow manage to trip and injure herself on stage doing some strange Wii related activity.
I hope you are wrong, but I fear (and expect) you are right.
I have a feeling this will be underwhelming.
But at least I will be able to make a checklist for games that sound interesting for my homebrew "backups".
Ok my Wii had some dust on it until Punch out. Now I keep getting my butt handed to me by Bald Bull.
hope that they will make nintendo branded memory sticks! lol.
New Zelda or Mario?
It's called Nokia Theater, not "Club Nokia"... and yes, it's a very nice venue.
Technically it may be called the Nokia Theatre but everyone (including G4's live broadcast) is calling it Club Nokia.
$199 wii
any idea where to get a live feed i cant get cnet or gamespot to work and thats where i watched MS event
What happened to my comment?
Of course Nintendo's out of gas, I was the one who gave them the DS concept to begin with. They applied the same concept to the GC and the Wii was born, since it was a outside concept they didn't take any liberties with the hardware and profit was a big concern right out the gate.
They kind of burned me but maybe they figured since they then developed and built my idea I was of no use to them, but they only have about 2 consoles left before they start to fade(unless they drastically change how they do things) so time will tell. Their problem is they get overconfident really really quickly and this is why they fail, e3 shows should be about what's up and coming not marketing ads about the past. I guess my next idea of brilliance I'll submit to ms or maybe even sony and see how they respond.
Soo.. it doesn't even matter, to me, what they show. I already gave 'em the finger and bought a PS3. I've owned nothing but Ninny systems since the nes but they completely let me down.
Nintendo is probably going to have a release for one of its major franchises, and a new color for the Wii possibly, and of course Wii Motion plus along with a plethora of other new peripherals. Thats my guess :D
Battle Toads 2 anyone?
That Mario game looks Lame
Maybe they will confirm those rumors of Netflix Watch Instantly on the Wii... Or that the camera on your DSi is actually used for government spying... or maybe they will confirm those rumors of Netflix Watch Instantly on the Wii.
What gives. Comment system got hacked.
The is the most boring thing ever ... Zzzzz .. (watching it live)
Why does Engadget keep doing the upside down blog posts? I keep reading it wrong.
They were doing it the right way yesterday for MS. Remember this is Nintendo they are Japanese they read shit backwards. !ekil siht
sooo, Mario in the style of Little Big Planet?
hmmm
not as innovating as it could be...
Most idiotic comment ever.
Wow these are some lame ass questions I got one; What platform had what most critics claim to be the worst keynote in E3 2008?
a. Nintendo
b. Nintendo
c. Nintendo
d. Nintendo
1:1 Zelda or bust.
Seeing that Mario game makes me a little sad I sold my Wii.
This is fail in progress. Might sell though, but we know it's fail.
What the hell is wrong with the comment layout?!?!?!?!?! 10 comments on some pages, 2 on others, sometimes all of them at once. AHHHHH!!!!
There are now charging contacts on the bottom!!
awkward trash talk LMAO
Can we please have the pictures in relation to the words...
Off-Topic: So,
1) We're back to bottom-up blogging (booo!!!!)
2) Comments are frakked up (again/still/forever)
3) NOA better release some killer games soon.
Microsoft was newest at bottom and now this is newest at top!
make up your minds!
I'm sorry I don't see anything new?
"The game is adorable, of course! Side-scrolling platforming combined with turn-based RPG mechanics. All inside a giant dinomonster's digestive system."
Lemiwinks?
WOOOO! Golden Sun is back!!!!
Anybody notice how quick they switched to the DS?
Makes you wonder if Nintendo will still be making consoles a couple of years from now.
"Because I don't like... murder?"
Don't knock it until you try it!
Golden Sun for DS? DO WANT.
Golden Sun DS, Woohoo! Its about time!
hmm so far microsoft > nintendo for this year's E3. let's see what sony has to say
uhh what's with the missing comments?
And this is why even though they've sold all those consoles, none of them are actually used after the novelty wears off.. BOOOOOOORRRRIIINNNGGGG!
Am I the only person that hates this backwards post? Every time I refresh I basically have to scroll past spoilers of what I'm about to read, atleast when it's top down the browser automatically takes me to where I left off before the refresh.
I was excited this crap had stopped after the 360 press conf yesterday.
ugh.
Great coverage, I just hate the presentation.
Ask me. I'also looking for them.
Watching this while listening to the Jurassic Park soundtrack makes it much better!
Fuck this shit! MORE FUCKING ACCESSORIES FK NINTENDO FK FK FK FK! Its bad enough that games are selling at $60.
Nintendo's announcements: We're making more metroid and mario games.
What fans want: MORE ZELDA. JUST GIVE US ZELDA.
and here comes the Zelda crybabies
wow. one of the WORST keynotes i have ever seen. nintendo could have saved themselves some money and just come out with a press release. this is exactly why i dont consider nintendo a real contender in the video game world. yes they sell more consoles than their competitors and anything mario is great but they can be seriously underwhelming. i feel like they dont care about wowing people anymore just because their sales are high.
Coming 2011: Wii blood pressure cuff.
wooooooooooow. one of the WORST keynotes i have ever seen. nintendo could have saved themselves some money and just come out with a press release. this is exactly why i dont consider nintendo a real contender in the video game world. yes they sell more consoles then their competitors and anything mario is great but they can be seriously underwhelming. i feel like they dont care about wowing people anymore just because their sales are high.
Who would have ever guessed that the comment system could get worse?
nintendo have failed, they suck
Terrible, Terrible, and Terrible. 3.5 years since the last Zelda and not even a mention of it today. Your stock has bottomed out with me Nintendo, way to blow it two years in a row. I despise Microsoft but they have destroyed you in every conceivable way. How about an updated Wii bowling that you can play online and with a little bit better graphics? Nah, lets come out with a pulse sensor FFS.
WAEKEST E3 for ninty EVER!!!
I am a ninty fanboy, well not really but shit i play games since the 80s and i always hated nintendos and love PCs but wholly shit this was a total FAIL in inovation and introducing new IP. It's like Rocky XXIII mode. Those nintendo bastards are fucking drones, that suck on the tits of a hand full of designers, if they don't come up with new shit they just do the same game again and again.
I wonder if i can put my dick in that thing!!! HUM...
I want Ocarina of Time or a comporable 3D Zelda game for the DS, not some shit ass Vitality Sensor. Nintendo you reek of FAIL.
James Patterson Women's Muder Club Games of Passion sounds like a blockbuster to me Nintendo. Reggie, Cammie, I'd start looking for other employment if this is the best you guys can do.
Well with the Project Pulse-reader, I guess NIntendo can claim the over 70 gaming audience. I think someone at marketing is looking at US population charts (top heavy with baby boomers) as opposed to original gaming concepts.
The two Golden Sun games for GBA were fantastic, can't wait for a new one.
Wii Vitality Sensor, LOL
Time for Reggie and Cammie to start looking for new jobs.