E3's Done. How Did Nintendo Do?

But then I wouldn't be able to replay all the great Wii U games I own! :P

I still don't exactly know how the Inbox works, but let me comment: Question #3: For Nintendo's approach to E3, they brought the expectations very low, and set them through the roof! The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was simply phenomenal, and I also appreciate the different approach that Pokémon Sun & Moon are doing to the traditional formula. However, that got me to beg the question: Could Nintendo have performed better had there been a Digital Event? In my opinion, there might actually be enough information for one, and who says special events have to last an hour? They could've started off with Pokémon Sun & Moon, use the body of the event to discuss about other games such as Federation Force, Color Splash, Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE, and Ever Oasis, all building up to the hype of The Legend of Zelda! In fact, if they really wanted to, they could've gone full force and reveal the Nintendo NX here and there, and it would be a hit! If people ran just to play Zelda: Breath of the Wild, could you imagine the rampage had the Big N announced their latest system at E3, possibly the biggest gaming convention on planet Earth?! The fact that they not only had the reluctance to pull the curtains out of the Nintendo NX, but not even host a Digital Event baffles me. What could Nintendo possibly do to reveal their codenamed system, and how, if E3 is out of the question? I'm positively sure I'm not the only one who thinks this, but if the Nintendo NX is going to be unveiled to the public in a very grand, flashy way, what other way than Nintendo's Space World? It would be brilliant, with the unveiling of many games and, of course, their new home console! For those who are holding back the idea, I want to remind them that Nintendo's done it before, with the Nintendo 64 in 1995, the Nintendo GameCube in 2000, and the Nintendo 3DS in 2011 (renamed as Nintendo World). If Nintendo is going to return their name to the video game industry, let it be done beautifully and majestically!

I liked it. It was much better then last year if only because of Zelda alone.

On one hand, it's disappointing that neither the NX nor Mother 3 nor more third-party content (though that has always been a problem Nintendo has had since the N64 days) was available. On the other hand, the games that were shown looked absolutely astounding! Breath of The Wild looks like it's going to re-invent Zelda, and Ever Oasis looks really cute!

I think having our expectations set low did help Nintendo for what they did show this E3. Though for people like me who take off the day for their conference every year, it's considered a holiday; an unbelievably anticipated event where you can barely sleep the night before. And their lowering of expectations definitely diminished the lead up and overall enjoyment of the show. That said, Zelda was incredible, and there were at least a few new announcements that made it worthwhile. But still no announcement of the third EarthBound game being localized? What gives? Hopefully in a Nintendo Direct this summer! And the upcoming NX reveal event will pretty much be a second E3 for us Nintendo fans, so I'm still excited!

They got disappointment out of the way before E3 when they announced that NX was being saved for Tokyo. So they went simple and in Day 1 they made you feel that they only brought two games. Pokemon and Zelda. One for each system. Nobody left out, and Zelda was widely considered best game of the show... so It worked, simple. Microsoft failed trying to justify new tech and flipping violently between all their stuff being Cross Platform.. and all their stuff being Xbox Exclusive. In the end, Sony was a the freakin Powerhouse. (with the exception of annoying VR stuff)

This was a particularly tough year for Nintendo. The past several months have been met with little to no love on the the Wii U front with mixed messaging as to it's place in the future (the NX is not meant as a replacement for Wii U,yet beyond Zelda there have been no major games announced for the struggling platform). And Nintendo wants to excite us over the upcoming NX, but made it clear it would not be unveiling it at E3 2016. This made E3 a real challenge. I am still unsure if they made the right choice in holding off on the NX reveal, one thing is clear. They killed it with Zelda. If you are going to go to E3 highlighting a single game, that game better be all that and a bag of rupees. Judging by all the Best Game of E3 awards Zelda: Breath of the Wild has racked up, I'd say it lived up and then some. I may still feel a bit unsure of where Nintendo is heading next year, but I know I will be there to play the most exciting game in the LoZ series I've seen in years. And this gamer has been around to see them all.

Jason Gibson

Zelda looks incredible! I love the open world aspect, and it truly gives off a feeling of living off the land! Ever Oasis was definitely a pleasant surprise, and Paper Mario Color Splash looks beautiful, but I really hope it isn't just Sticker Star 2. I think it was a successful E3 overall, but I hope they go back to their previous format for next year's show.

Overall, I thought it was a good E3. Surprisingly, Breath of the Wild somehow proved to me that the irritating delay from 2015 to 2017 was worth it due to the size of the game. I'm also eager to see Paper Mario Color Splash, although I am a bit cautious on Pokemon Sun/Moon and wonder where the heck DQVIII went.

Seafoam Gaming

I was super impressed with Zelda. I think dedicating the booth was good, but I wish they'd had a special Nintendo Direct along with it like they had last year. I, however, was severely disappointed in no Mother 3. I'd also kinda wished for an HD remaster of Skyward Sword to complete it all.

Krit Petty

I was so impressed with Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Both the trailer and the demo were amazing. I enjoyed the other games that were showcased like Tokyo Mirage sessions, Pokemon Sun and Moon, and Dragon Quest VII. I really wished they would have given some information on the NX but other than that they really delivered on what they wanted to do. This was a much better E3 than last year. On a side note I wanted to see more about Metroid Prime: Federation Force.

Vegas

The trailer for Zelda: Breath of the wild was beyond amazing! Then Nintendo switched over to showing Pokemon, and for the next hour I nearly pulled my hair out waiting for more Zelda news!

Salty

Two years ago, I was featured in NF's "Inbox" section (Hello Issue #10!) talking about how Nintendo absolutely killed it at E3 2014. After such an incredible Nintendo Direct featuring a strong lineup of games, I was so confident that The Big N was finally going to turn things with the Wii U around. Unfortunately, last year's E3 was probably the worst showing by Nintendo in all the years I've been following E3 (well back into the 90s through Nintendo Power), and this year's E3 wasn't much better. The Zelda: Breath of the Wind footage was incredible and makes me very excited to get my hands on it, but there was literally nothing else to see. Since Zelda is launching on NX anyway, and neither it nor NX are coming out until next year, there's little reason to get too excited about anything Nintendo-related in the immediate future. Nintendo basically told its fans to look elsewhere for major games for the next year while it gets itself straightened out. All but the most diehard of Nintendo fans might as well trade in their Wii U's now.

Nick

For an E3 show without the NX and with a dying Wii U, I think Nintendo performed pretty well! It was definitely odd to not kick things off with a proper Direct, especially when they showed enough trailers and gameplay over the show to create a Direct if they chose to. I'm excited for Breath of the Wild, that's for sure! The main thing this E3 accomplishes is sets us up for a powerhouse, hyper-focused NX reveal in the fall. Now we're talking!

I have mixed feelings about this year's E3. The trailer for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild got me really hyped to learn all I could about the game. Then I sat around watching the Tree House presentations and my excitement gradually turned to frustration. Instead of quick and concise explanations of the game's new features, we fans had to sift through several hours of video for comparatively very little info. The presentation they gave on the new hunting and cooking mechanics alone is twenty-five minutes long when it could have easily been five or six. In the end, I'm still excited, but I wish Nintendo had done a more traditional video presentation in addition to the Tree House demos.

Glen Straughn

I was a little disappointed in Nintendo's presence at E3 this year. Seeing all of the gameplay for The Legend of Zelda was awesome, but there were no big announcements except for stuff that we already knew. Don't get me wrong, I am super excited about Zelda and Pokemon Go, but I was just hoping they would surprise with something we haven't heard about yet. Even if it was just Super Mario Galaxy HD. I'm hoping that we get a Nintendo Direct in July or August that will give us all the big news coming for later this year.

Since Nintendo announced their exact plans far in advance and delivered exactly that, I think they nailed it. They wanted to create an experience for everyone attending and really highlighting the game that would have stolen the show anyway. While I was watching, I was still hoping for some extra surprises because I have always loved getting chills when a trailer for a never-before-seen game shows up. However, since Nintendo explained their plans, you can't fault them for following through.

Bret Cook

I feel that, while I am currently playing Rhythm Heaven Megamix and am super happy they released it on the same day, we're just waiting on all these games, and the biggest and coolest thing, Breath of the Wild, is almost a year away, at LEAST. While E3 can be fun and has led to some cool announcements and demos, this E3 has kinda... turned me off of E3 altogether. I'd rather find the game in the store then get hyped and experience the game slightly biased. Bluh.

Matthieu Loose

As someone who picked up that gold NES cartridge at our mall game store way back in the day, and had my imagination go wild staring at the manual's illustrations, Breath of the Wild actually took my breath away. For all my frustrations over the years over Nintendo holding my hand in recent Zelda games, it finally feels like they heard what we want. Seeing on screen what I imagined in my childhood made this Nintendo's best E3 in years.

JJ Mahoney

No decision made yet. Focusing on getting Issue #22 completed and out the door for you guys! The stretch goal bonus will be included in a future issue. :)

The Nintendo Force

I feel they did a better job than last year, but there were absolutely no surprises since they announced everything before they showed it off in the treehouse.

Where's the update on the "stretch goal"? I want to know if you went the playing cards or not.

And this is Joshua I think overall it was a good ish e3 for nintendo. I mean pokemon sun and moon gameplay was great. And at least a have a dozen people I know said they are going to buy a wii u just for the new zelda. I would have liked to see more big games "cough cough" metroid prime? But zelda was amazing so huge. But really nintendo no nx? But it really did show how a delay has really helped legend of zelda breath of the wild.

While most people were upset that Nintendo wouldn't have a traditional press conference or Digital Event this year, I remained optimistic, knowing that they would deliver with fantastic new Zelda footage. In the end, I think they exceeded everyone's expectations. Calling Breath of the Wild "phenomenal" would be an understatement. The game absolutely blew me away! Aside from Zelda, we also had the surprise announcement of Ever Oasis (which is pretty cute, to say the least), release dates for long awaited games, and a stealth release for Rhythm Heaven. Last but not least, we had Treehouse members gushing over shirtless Link! All of this was delicious icing on the cake that is Breath of the Wild.

I didn't think Zelda could carry a show for two days, and boy was I wrong! Zelda Breath of the Wild looks amazing and Nintendo knew it could stand by itself and carry their corner. Just look at the Twitter stats that have been flying around for proof that Zelda took that show. I guess we should learn just to trust Nintendo. They knew they had something good, and wow, did they deliver.

I think it was good to focus on huge content they were actually ready to deliver, which stood in good contrast to Sony and especially Microsoft. However, it would obviously have been better to have seen more big content ready for 2016 and early 2017 than this. Also, NX seems like an elephant in the room now, and I'm not sure E3 did much to clean up concerns of people interested in Nintendo software who do not yet own a Wii U or New 3DS in how they should proceed, and hopefully this doesn't impact momentum for titles like Zelda BotW or Pokemon Sun and Moon.

David Perek

Need help, i never received the issue #21, nor my magzter account recognize me as a patreon/subscriber so i cant access the magazine And by the way, is thee any way i can add my old PDF version of NF magazines to magzter so i can sync every issue i have ?

AND giving an immersive experience, with the giantized real-world displays of parts of the game. It was so much fun just wandering around the Nintendo booth seeing the monsters and crossbows, and everything.

Stephen Staver

Surprisingly well, Zelda taking Day 1 was wise choice. Let's face it; Zelda usually dominates when it's supposed to be just an aside, might as well let us get it out of our systems in one huge surge. Other new games were also interesting, though I am worried Paper Mario has lost it's way. AND we know we're getting more later whenever they actually start showing off the NX.

shadowscribble

I was very skeptical when Nintendo announced that they would only showcase the new Zelda game at E3. I didn't believe it was a smart move. I have always put stock in the E3 press conferences. I was proven wrong. The full day Treehouse presentation of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was perfection. I fell in love with the game after a couple hours of watching the Treehouse Staff wander around the Great Plateau. As a full-time employed adult and father, I wistfully pine for the nostalgic adventures of my childhood. Back when I had seemingly unlimited time to explore Hyrule, or just the woods in my back yard. The presentation of Zelda captured everything that my childhood was - adventure, wonder, exploration and exhilaration. Thank you Nintendo for making me feel like a kid again - and cannot wait to partake in my own adventure in Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

I was at E3 this year, and I think Nintendo handled E3 excellently. You know everyone wanted to play the Zelda demo, and Nintendo knew that people wanted to play the Zelda demo, so they made sure that there were enough demo stations to keep the wait line moving as fast as possible, while still giving attendees ample time to explore and interact with the demo.

Stephen Staver

I think Nintendo had a great presentation at E3 this year, certainly better than I expected when they first announced they would focus only on Zelda. Breath of the Wild looks amazing! And I was pleasantly surprised that we got more games on Day 2 than what was originally announced. Color Splash looks great, and Rhythm Heaven: Megamix and BOXBOXBOY! were nice surprises. I still need to finish Rhythm Heaven Fever and the original BOXBOY! before I tackle the new ones though. I do hope Nintendo goes back to a Digital Event, or even a traditional press conference, for future E3s, but they still managed to surpass expectations this year. I can't wait to see what's in store for the NX though!

LinkedTriforce

After watching Treehouse footage of LoZ:Breath of the Wild, I can totally understand why Nintendo went all-in on the game as an E3 strategy. I can also understand why people were waiting for 8 hours for the chance to play 30 minutes of the game. I can't wait for more details about the game to come out. The hype train is real! Choo choo! (^_^).

I'm not going to pretend I wasn't let down by the lack of Mother 3, but the thing is, I'm not disappointed for myself—I'm disappointed that more people don't get to play the game right now. Maybe it's coming soon, maybe not, but it would've been great to fill in the summer months with something as huge as Mother 3 to complement Rhythm Heaven Megamix and Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE. Beyond what wasn't there? Nintendo typically has something for every fan, and this year was no exception, with Dragon Quest VII, Yo-Kai Watch 2, Ever Oasis, and yet another new Pokémon (yawn) filling in that RPG quota on the 3DS, Paper Mario: Color Splash bringing the under-appreciated experimentation of Paper Mario: Sticker Star to the Wii U. I have trouble taking any gamer seriously who can't find at least one title to love among that stellar lineup, and of course I haven't even mentioned The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which looks like a cross between Skyward Sword, The Witcher 3, and a Studio Ghibli movie. Seriously, BotW looks like the biggest, most epic game Nintendo's ever made, and if that doesn't get the Red Potion pumping in your veins, I don't think anything will.

I can absolutely understand now why they chose to focus on Zelda. They're holding a trump card, and they know it. Breath of the Wild looks to capitalize on both the nostalgia of the original title and the current interest in more challenging/less handhold-y games. There isn't an IP around that could wield this much intrigue, as evidenced by the responses to E3. The lack of Mother 3 was a huge disappointment. I tried not to buy into the rumor, but the evidence was very strong. So strong was my experience with Mother 3 that I can't stand it still not being made available to a wider audience.

I was pleasantly surprised with Nintendo's strategy this year. Pokemon and Zelda would have been safe bets regardless, but I think they did a great job of showing interesting elements of both. In the case of Zelda, I think the amount of gameplay they showed off was astounding! Gameplay over pre-rendered ads are a trend I hope that more developers and publishers follow. There's tons of content for eager fans to dig through now, and yet still plenty of mystery left to keep us eager for more. They've managed to reassure me that the game will be new and interesting, but I don't feel like I've been spoiled on anything crucial. That's a hard balance to strike! In addition, their online presence has been fantastic as well. The Nintendo e3 site is well designed and full of content for eager viewers to consume. Would I have liked more games? Of course. Would I have loved NX news? Absolutely. That said, I'm happy that what Nintendo showed was showed well. I'd always prefer one gem to a bunch of rocks.

Andrew Czudak

I believe the decision to not show the NX and it's launch lineup was a last minute call and this was all Nintendo could piece together with the time available. In that regard, I think it went over fairly well. That said, I hope this isn't what we can expect from them at future E3s. Watching Microsoft and Sony's conferences really made me wish I was seeing the same thing from Nintendo. Also, I really enjoyed the Smash Bros. Tournament and Nintendo World Championship the last two years and really missed that from them at this E3.

I'm not sure if I like the format they did compared to what the companies do, but if we want to talk numbers, the sure managed to "win" E3 with Zelda social-media-wise: <a href="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClHNtXNWAAA27ZQ.jpg:orig" rel="nofollow noopener" target="_blank">https://pbs.twimg.com/media/ClHNtXNWAAA27ZQ.jpg:orig</a>

I think the live stream approach really worked this time around. It really hyped up Zelda and showed off a few other games as well. However, I hope Nintendo goes back to E3 Directs after this. I'm quite sour there was no Mother 3 though... Still holding out hope that it'll show up in the NX Direct.

As far as Nintendo's booth and their presence at E3, I think they knocked it out of the park! But their livestream and presentation of games/announcements could've been better. Specifically, when they showed Pokemon Sun/Moon, they talked a lot about basic Pokemon things most Pokemon players know about. As far as Zelda goes, it looks great, but they might have gone a little overboard with their coverage of it. The best part for me was the surprise release of Rhythm Heaven Megamix! Been looking forward to the US release since it came out in Japan! Still disappointed we don't know anything about the NX, but a good show of games for Nintendo.

PSWiitch