
A stopover at Nintendo’s E3 booth is always anticipated at E3 as you’re sure to find a variety of tried and true, yet still exceedingly fun, titles from the company. They maintain a huge presence at E3 and this year was no different with the company displaying a variety of Wii U and 3DS titles. We went hands on with their hotly anticipated releases and can report that Nintendo fans have a lot to look forward to in the near future.
The first game I jumped on was a title that had previously been revealed by Nintendo, but we didn’t see gameplay footage until the company’s Nintendo Direct on the Tuesday morning of E3. Star Fox Zero, a title co-developed along with Platinum Games (we were also surprised) pits you into the familiar cockpit as you navigate Star Fox around the stage. The controls are the biggest change here, and to be honest I was having a bit of a hard time initially getting used to them. Using the Wii U GamePad, you navigate the ship using the left analog stick, and the GamePad’s display acts as the “cockpit” view within the game. As Nintendo claims, the cockpit view is a more accurate method of aiming, but at the same time it becomes problematic as you try to make sure that you’re flying in the correct path as well as shoot with precise accuracy. I felt a bit of a disconnect having to shift my vision between the TV and the GamePad; it didn’t feel natural, especially in the heat of the battle. Whether this is due to the very limited time I had to get accustomed to the controls is possible, and perhaps with some more experience with this new control setup players will feel a bit more comfortable. Star Fox Zero will be out this holiday season.
We also had some hands on time with Yoshi’s Wooly World. A game developed by Good-Feel, who was behind the recently released Kirby’s Epic Yarn. Yoshi’s Wooly World is one part Yoshi’s Island, and one part Kirby’s Epic Yarn. You take control of Yoshi, making your way around colorful fun environments while eating enemies to turn them into eggs. Eggs are then used to interact with the environment to open up platforms and other paths, or just used as a deadly projectile against other enemies or bosses. The classic Yoshi’s Island gameplay is then mixed in with the aesthetic of the aforementioned Kirby game giving a toy/doll like appearance to Yoshi and the world by wrapping them in yarn. The graphics style is well executed, even though the Wii U is lacking in the raw strength compared to the PlayStation 4 or Xbox One, Yoshi’s Wooly World exploits its quirky style to great effect. But don’t let its childlike demeanor fool you, the game offers interesting puzzles and platforming complete with secret areas to find hidden goodies. For kids or gamers looking for a more relaxed experience, Wooly World offers a mellow gameplay mode available on the fly which gives Yoshi wings to allow him to fly over rough areas. Yoshi’s Wooly World is scheduled for release in fall of 2015.
Suspecting that Super Mario Maker would suck up a ton of time, I left it for last out of the Wii U titles being showcased that we intended to see. Having played it last year, we already knew that it was a genius idea that should have probably been done way sooner. This is Mario like you’ve never seen it before. Basically Super Mario Maker allows you to create custom levels based on visual styles and physics from the original Super Mario Bros, Super Mario Bros 3, Super Mario World or New Super Mario Bros. You can create frustratingly difficult and seemingly impossible stages, depending on how evil you feel. Or you can simply create more of the Mario games you love, without the intense difficulty. The Mario world is your playground, and it’s great to see Nintendo doing something fresh with its IPs. While I didn’t get a chance to try out the creator this year, I did test out a variety stages, which got progressively more difficult; I had trouble beating quite a few. You’ll also be able to upload your own designs to the community servers and share them with players around the world. The game also has a tie in with amiibos, which when paired up with the GamePad will allow you to unlock skins from various Nintendo franchises that will transform you into characters like Wii Fit Trainer, or Animal Crossing’s Isabelle. With its nearly endless design possibilities, Super Mario Maker will surely have many hours of gameplay, and you’ll be able to dive in when it launches on September 11.
Lastly I tried out the unexpected new Chibi-Robo game for 3DS titled Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash. Chibi-Robo seems to be placed into a new type of game with each release he is in, and it definitely keeps things interesting for the adorable little robot. This latest title for the 3DS puts Chibi into a sidescrolling platformer adventure, where he uses his plug to vault himself over through stages, as well as to attack enemies. It appears there will also be some variety to the different stages, as one of them had Chibi latched onto a jet ski and waterskiing through. Overall it seems like an enjoyable platformer for the 3DS, and it’s great that the franchise is switching things up. Chibi-Robo! Zip Lash is launching on October 9.