New Goldeneye was just about the least exciting thing about the Nintendo conference.
OK, here's my more composed highlights:
Led off with Zelda: Skyward Sword. Art style is lightly cel-shaded, looks like a hybrid of Wind Waker and Twilight Princess. The combat will actually require finesse rather than just random waggling. For example, you have to cut Deku Babas along their mouths to damage them, and swing around the guards of Moblins or they'll block your attacks. There were some tech glitches during the demo, Miyamoto claimed it was wireless interference but you know Nintendo won't release it until it's perfect so I'm not worried either way. It isn't this year, unfortunately, their tentative date was 'spring 2011'.
Warren Spector came out on stage to demo Epic Mickey, which was kinda crazy. It has a really nice art style for cutscenes, and Spector claimed that the game would react dynamically to whether you used the paintbrush to help the denizens or just kill everyone in your way. It has sidescrolling levels that work as transitions between hubs and are themed after Mickey cartoons. The one they showed in the press conference was Steamboat Willy, and it looked really good.
Showed Dragon Quest 9, but that game's been out in Japan forever and is almost out here so there wasn't much to say.
Showed Golden Sun: Dark Dawn gameplay, it's set many years after the first two games and the characters are descendants of the people from the originals. Some summons were shown, it looks really good.
Wii Party is Mario Party with Miis. It looks like a Mario Party game and will sell millions upon millions of copies, that's pretty much all you need to know.
Mario Sports Mix is basketball, volleyball, hockey, and dodgeball in one package. The Mario sports games are usually good for some ridiculous arcade fun, so that's cool.
Kirby's Epic Yarn is being made by Sakurai and it looks incredible. It's not fully 3D like the other (presumably cancelled) Kirby Wii game, but it has a really charming art style and at one point Kirby is in a giant robot that looks like himself. It's apparently co-op too, although that wasn't in the trailer at all.
Another Metroid: Other M trailer. Reconfirmed the new August 31st release date, aside from that no new info.
Goldeneye Wii, as mentioned. It's being made by Activision, not Rare, and is a 'reimagining' of the original game. Again, probably the least exciting thing for me personally.
Donkey Kong Country Returns is a new 2D platformer from Retro Studios, aka the Metroid Prime dudes. Also co-op with one player for both Donkey and Diddy. This has a nice graphical style too, it's a nice blending of the old prerendered DKC stuff and the style they gave him in Brawl. At one point they were silhouetted in the background but you could still see Donkey's tie and Diddy's cap outlined in red, it was a nice effect.
Finally, they announced the 3DS hardware. It's got 3 cameras for capturing 3D images, an analog nub along with D-pad and buttons, and 1 (not 2) touch screens. The 3D effects are actually on a slider, and can be adjusted on a gradient from full to completely turned off. They only announced showed one game for it at the conference itself, but it was a big one: Kid Icarus Uprising, also being made by Sakurai. It looks like a Wii game: those pre-show rumors were not exaggerating about the 3DS's hardware, I was supremely impressed. The game itself actually looks more like a Sin and Punishment reskin than the original Kid Icarus games, but Sin and Punishment rules so I don't mind in the slightest.
Nintendo's E3 site has a bunch more games announced for 3DS, and the lineup is impressive to say the least. Up-rezzed remakes of Star Fox 64 and Ocarina of Time, as mentioned, but also new Paper Mario, Mario vs. Donkey Kong, Pilotwings, Animal Crossing, and Mario Kart games. From third parties, a port of MGS3 with added 3D effects, a new Professor Layton (hopefully we'll get the 3rd DS game first), Dead or Alive, a brand-new Resident Evil, Saints' Row (what), and a whole bunch of other stuff. Nintendo is really bringing out the big guns with the 3DS, I'm really surprised.
That's about all the Nintendo stuff I can remember but it was a LOT. I was really blown away, I was honestly expecting them to show Zelda and maybe one or two other worthwhile things.
