Once again, Nintendo has brought us a video showcasing their newest projects. It’s nice to see that the company is trying to keep everyone current and up-to-date on their latest products, but each Nintendo Direct video feels awkward. The scripted humor is less than dry…it just isn’t funny. And the transitions between speakers act more as unnecessary filler. Fortunately, I didn’t major in cinematography, so that will be all of my production critiques.

The video starts off with Reggie Fils-Aime, President and COO for Nintendo of America Inc, greeting us and quickly going over the last two weeks since the Wii U launch. He then gives us some numbers about the amount of games Nintendo is promising to bring out. After telling us a brief history of the LEGO games series (and awkwardly telling something resembling a joke), he throws us over to Erik Peterson from Nintendo Treehouse. Apparently, the Treehouse is the product development branch of Nintendo of America.  Erik shows us some clips for LEGO City Undercover, and describes various features in the game. I’m actually excited about this game, despite its childish tone.

Next comes Pikmin 3, a game I cannot wait to play. We’re shown a gameplay video full of beautiful environments, new and familiar enemies, and, of course, Pikmin. Most of the mechanics looks the same, but a few of the enemies look more challenging than the previous two games. Our excitement is cut short when Erik states the game will be released in the second quarter of next year. So much for launch window.

Then we are passed on to Corey Olcsvary, who starts off by talking about the new Wario game. Instead of a traditional Wario Ware game full of hundreds of micro-games, this game includes 16 games. In the video, they describe two games. The first sounds like a new way to play the classic micro-games. The second…sounds like a mini game. I was hoping Nintendo would stray away from mini-game collections, but it looks like the new Wario game may be in that group.
Wii Fit U was expected. Corey briefly shows us the new Fit Meter, a fancy pedometer. While Wii Fit U looks very similar to Wii Fit, its predecessor’s sales make this game a logical next step. I may pick it up, seeing as I’m too lazy to leave my house for exercise, and I love keeping track of my progress in a virtual environment.
Next, Yosuke Hayahsi, the producer for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge, talks about his game. According to him, the difficulty stays true to the series, and based on the video clips he shows, the gore is there, too. He shows off some of the new abilities, and explains that the game can be played entirely on the gamepad’s screen. There is also a free character available for download.

This next segment came as a bit of a surprise to me. Erik shows us the Wii U Panorama View, a feature I’m not really excited about, but incorporating Google Maps into the software was a smart choice. I’m sure there are plenty of people out there excited to explore the world in a smooth Panorama View on the street level.
Switching back to Corey, we are thrown into the 3DS section of the video. We are shown Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon and Brain Age: Concentration Training. The first of which, I’ll be picking up, seeing as how I loved the first Luigi’s Mansion. Concentration Training is all about teaching you how to focus in a world full of multiple devices (cell phones, computes, etc.). Expect similar brain puzzles and exercises from the Brain Age series.

Erik shows us the final new game in the video, Fire Emblem: Awakening. It looks to be everything Fire Emblem is known for, with updated graphics, beautiful cut-scenes, and new gameplay elements. There appears to be much more customization in this version than any previous title. It’s been a while since I’ve seen a great RPG like this, so I won’t be missing it.
To close out Nintendo’s list of games, Erik shows us the new DLC for New Super Mario Bros. 2 (some of which are free for a limited time), and two digital games for the 3DS. The first game is called Tokyo Crash Mobs. It looks like Zuma with “real” people. That’s it. The second is HarmoKnight, from GameFreak. I am a huge fan of rhythm games, so I may end up purchasing this one. Price could be the deciding factor.

Reggie finishes the video by giving us a brief overview of the entire video and thanking us for watching.

Overall, I’d say it felt like an infomercial, but I’m not really sure what I was expecting. I don’t believe the other gaming companies provide “regularly scheduled” videos that update people on current hardware and software. So while I applaud Nintendo on trying, they really need to step up their marketing team…and stop delaying Pikmin 3.

–Robbie