So after having a little more time to reflect on E3 and after feeling slightly underwhelmed in my video yesterday I am not quite as bitter today because after all it was just a show for all intents a purposes, and the hardware itself looks very nice indeed and there are some really nice concepts that can be done with the hardware just may take Nintendo some time to completely implement them in the games as well as for third parties to do the same. It is also worth noting that all the games that were shown off on the day and at E3 itself this week are only launch window games so if there are any in development that are due out after that they just haven't been announced as of yet much like the date or the price, but I expect those to be announced around about the time of the Tokyo Game Show later on in this year.

Nintendo also seems to be on a huge push now for social networking, where with the Wii they pretty much tried to keep things as anonymous as they could they are aiming for the opposite with the Wii U, and i can't deny i like the ideas real time feed updates on your game pad ad you go and able to get help or advice from people actually playing the games is a great way to build a community, and of course video chat through the controller, whether or not you can still do it through just the game pad or not is unknown like was shown off last year or if it is just shown on the tv but to me it is a good idea and shows Nintendo are trying to become more media based with this system, although I felt the Wii was pretty good in that regard with the  likes of The Nintendo Channel, BBC iPlayer and Newflix as well as being able to view videos on YouTube through the internet browser. On the same note I kind of like the idea of being able to use the Wii as a remote for my TV as it makes it similar to many tablet remotes in that respect, but only as long as the software is robust enough to let you do more than just turn on the TV and change channels.
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The slightly redesigned controller or Wii U Game Pad as it's now known is slightly larger than last years model but featured pretty much all the same tech as it did then with the exceptions of the scanner an the left hand side under the D-pad and the not so secretive analog sticks that was already leaked but they also now act as extra buttons much like most other controllers these days.

I was already pretty excited over this anyway just from the idea and concept of it and the only thing I was worried about was the slide pads used in the original design as I thought they may have caused issues with controls from extended use since I feel the 3DS has that issue at times and my thumb slides off on some of the more intense games so I am really happy about that choice. 

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Of course I also like that the Wii U is being designed with having multiple ways to play right from the start, so not only do you have the Wii U Game Pad and the Wii Motion + controllers, but you also have the new Wii U Pro Controller, which is designed for games that you want to get extended play from and use a lighter controller, screams of third part multi platforms games to me that don't use the screen in many new ways but at least they are promoting it as a main way of playing games and not an after thought like the Wii Classic controller, personally I love the Classic Controller Pro  as it is my choice of controller with many games the only thing I felt was missing was rumble and it not being wireless so my prayers have pretty much been answered with this as well as having extra buttons in the analog sticks now so pretty much every multi platform game will have the same controls now, although I am not fully sold on the placement of the four face buttons yet although maybe I am just used to seeing an analog stick there on every controller, but I am sold on it right away anyway. 

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What about the games though, and after my initial let down of few big games being announced I have had time to sit down and take a look at the ones that I liked the most and really the ones that were exclusive as well as I like some of the multi platform games and will definitely be picking some up on the system but they really weren't anything new.

The first game that has me interested is definitely Pikmin 3 since I enjoyed the original so much and this game has been said to be in development for insane amounts of time so hopefully it is just right, also seem's nice that it is giving you multiple ways to play right from the start either way I can see it being a solid game and a must buy for the launch.

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New Super Mario Bros. U also floats my boat and is the return of Mario as a launch game for the first time since the N64 launch and you can say it is just a higher resolution version of the Wii game but that isn't really a bad thing as the New Super Mario Bros. games all offer great challenges, and some people may mock the game for the look of it but really it's Mario what did you expect?

I will make a bold prediction too if this isn't the best selling Wii U launch game and possibly the best selling Wii U game over the life of the system I will be shocked as the new Super Mario Bros. games sell very well regardless but one at launch may be a clincher even more if it comes bundled with hardware although I don't think it will I think something else will which I will get to soon.

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Now Project P-100 looks like quite an interesting mix of RTS and all out OTT action, and it is being developed by Platinum games and their track record is pretty good and thought that Mad World deserved more in terms of sales than it got on the Wii, but this is a different sort of game than we are used to from them but it does seem like it will be a good game that can be played online if they decide to include a feature like that, but as of now it is a single play game only.

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Of all the games Nintendo Land is the one I most expect to get bundled with the system because I think there is a lot of emphasis on what the Game Pad can actually do and how it can be used for one person to have a different experience that the other people playing and there are some good concepts there, although I can't say I will be too compelled to buy the game if it doesn't come with the hardware as much as it seems like good software I don't know if it i something I would go for as a stand alone game because much like Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort I don't know how much long term appeal this will have for me to keep me interested, but then again I could be wrong.

I am also slightly surprised they haven't called it Wii land in away too keep it tied in with other games like Wii Sports and Wii Fit but then it's just a name so it really doesn't matter. 

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Next is a game when I first seen it my first thought was not another Lego game but I actually kind of like the idea of a GTA style game Lego style and the city looks pretty detailed to.... well as much detail as you can get out of Lego blocks that is call me crazy but you can never be too old for Lego. Despite the fact there is probably going to be little depth to this game I can still imagine it will be a good laugh to play plus it's GTA Lego style really can't say much more to sum it up than that. The use of the Game Pad seems functional too where you receive all of your missions orders on it as well as it turning into a scanning device to find the bad guys kind of in a similar Style to what Batman Arkham City will also use.

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Seeing as the pre E3 Nintendo direct was about showing the functionality of the controller more than what was know it meant that Ubisoft could show off their games first with out spoiling anything Nintendo would have wanted to show, and the first of those games was Rayman Legends sequel to Rayman Origins which got amazing critical acclaim last year so it is nice in a way that the sequel is coming to the Wii U for launch and it looks every bit as beautiful as the last game if not more so, and is another one of those games that supports up to five people playing and the person using the Game Pad is in more of an assisting role, and the game seems to be played at an insanely fast pace at time too.

With bothe New Super Mario Bros. U and this game the Wii U could launch with potentially to amazing platform games which to me that is great news indeed.

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Last on my list is ZombiU the game that evolved some how from last years Killer Freaks From Outa Space that was shown last year and the game look pretty nice indeed and is a Zombie apocalypse games based in England, will have to say I loved the presentation video of this when it played the English national anthem on the day of the Queens jubilee of all days quite fitting in a way.

This game has the potential to be great fun though and a good solid launch game, although I don't see it being the best FPS for some reason I can see it ending up like Red Steel did on the Wii, but the concept is great and hope it turns out great too.

Of course they are just the exclusive games games like Aliens: Colonial Marines, Darksiders 2, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, Assassin's Creed 3, Mass Effect 3 and Batman Arkham City all have my eye as launch games and even though some of those games are ports they are still good quality third party games which is what the Wii often lacked and out of all of those games I can in all honesty see myself picking up ten games on launch day as I have pretty much stepped away over this past couple of years from buying Xbox 360 games and even PC ones for now and I planned on sticking to one system in the next few years although Sony is making that hard for me right now with some of the games they are releasing, but enough of that that original disappointment  has now gone and now I just have to wait for the date and price of it all.        

 
 
 
 
 
Well it has certainly been some time since I have been on the sight at all, and that is down to the sad fact that life seems to have gotten in the way of things that I want to do, and well that and a certain member of the opposite sex taking up other parts of my time, but I do plan on getting some time put into the site soon and adding a few new features and finish of my Mario platform game set of reviews.

Anyway my thoughts on E3, well in a way it was both exciting and anti-climatic at the same time, on the one hand you had this exciting new console shown off that plans to change how consoles are controlled much like the Wii did, but the new Wii-U as it is named looks to tap into the tablet craze that seems to be going about right now thanks to the i-Pad. I will admit I am excited about the potential it offers us for new kinds of games and that Nintendo is releasing something that will match what is currently out there meaning that we will get all the top multi-format games and not watered down versions or PS2 ports, with maybe the exception of Activision games like Call of Duty which seem to be the one series of games that aim to deliver a unique Wii only experience and each passing one has included more and more while trying to stay as close to the originals as they can.
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I am going off subject a little there but I am hoping this means for the most part having one console will mean not missing out on the best versions of the games now. On a more negative note the fact there was little to no games shown and just a few tech demos from Nintendo and nothing much from third parties either other than a hand full of announcements and one or two tech demos, so there is no real way of judging the true power of the console itself compared to the others that are out there until the games start to be shown and many stories it may be quite a bit more powerful and others suggest it wont be any more than what is currently on the market, either way we know as much about the system as we don't know about it.

On a whole I am pretty happy with how the hardware itself seems to have turned out pretty much matching and surpassing anything the PS3 has to offer from a technical standpoint although it has really yet to be fully confirmed, at least the discs will match that of Blu-ray in capacity and it will be able to output games in 1080p, although whether it renders them is another thing that is unknown at this time. The potential of the controller alone makes things very exciting and I believe that I said the Wii-U would come with a camera I just never thought it would be in the controller, or that it would feature video chat for that matter, but the Mii-maker feature as seen in the 3DS is not easily possible.
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Personally I am not to sure how often I will play games on the controller itself but the feature is pretty amazing as it allows you to continue the game even if some one else wants to use your TV, within a certain distance of course and although the resolution of the controller is not HD from what I understand it is pretty razor sharp anyway.

One thing that has really yet to have any great depth into it is the online infrastructure, but I expect it to be some kind of hybrid of what the Wii currently has, the 3DS system and X-box Live with player accounts and maybe even achievements, but how ever it works I would imagine Nintendo are going to try and correct any mistakes of the Wii.
 
Well after what seemed like it was going to be a quiet month of gaming from a Nintendo point of view, things happened to change quite quickly, with the announcement that their newest home console will be unveiled in playable form at E3 in just over a months time, although it's not yet known if it will be playable to the public or just certain people behind the scenes.

The main reason for the announcement is due to the mass of rumours coming out about the console all at one so in a way it seems to have forced Nintendo's hand, but at the same time other factors seem to have pointed in that direction namely the slowing Wii sales and the lack of any real substance to the Wii line up for the year beyond a handful of games.

I am going to take a stab in the dark at some things that I feel will be happening with this new system, first I feel full back wards compatibility with both Wii and Gamecube games, I also think it will adopt similar feature to what the 3DS has done and that is have much more in depth player profiles again using the Mii's as avatars and multiple ones on each system too for the first time, even doing away with the friend code system. I can also see it incorporating the Mii maker feature from the 3DS where you use a camera to create the Mii's likeness to your own, so I do think it will use that camera as part of the control too with maybe some enhanced version of the Wii-mote plus being used so it can be backwards compatible too, although I do think there will be some other additional form of controller too with an improved version on the classic controller pro with some sort of motion control in a similar vein to Sony's six-axis controller as well as rumble support but some other addition too to keep it fresh and unique.

Now what about the rumours doing the rounds? Well for one regarding power I can see it for one being easily able to match anything the X-Box 360 and PS3 can currently do and then some more, how much more? Well that all depends on how much it will cost Nintendo as they are not ones to build a console that will cost them money and they will also want to sell it at a reasonable price. As for the controller I have already said I think they will use an enhanced version of the Wii-mote plus that takes advantage of a camera to track over a sensor bar, but I actually think the classic controller pro will become the main form of control with all the extras I feel it will have that I stated above, and be a standalone rechargeable controller but the main rumour going about is it will have a built in screen now I can actually see this happening, but if it does or doesn't only time will tell.

What ever happens from now on out it really promises to be exciting time for Nintendo fans and gamers alike over the next few months and even year leading up to the release of the system.