E3: Nintendo's Super Smash Bros Digital Event and More!

Here comes a new challenger! Watch Nintendo kick off E3 with new Super Smash Bros. content, the return of the Nintendo World Championships, and more!

For those of you who don't have the time to watch all of it, here is one of the more exciting announcements.... the official unveiling of Street Fighter's Ryu for Smash Bros.

Nice to see Tekken represented with a Heihachi Mii costume as well. What's so amazing is that Ryu retains his moves from Street Fighter, including the traditional inputs from the famed fighting series. Doing these inputs adds damage to Ryu's moves. In addition, his moves vary depending on whether you tap or press down the attack buttons, AND he has two Final Smash attacks depending on your proximity to opponents. So Ryu is definitely one of the most versatile characters on the roster.

Now check out the return of Fire Emblem's Roy!

Roy is definitely not just a clone. He has a powerful sword attack that does incredible damage to opponents when fully charged.... if they survive it. This attack, among others, also does flame damage, which adds an extra "oomph" to Roy's attacks. Overall, he is fun to play and is a welcome addition to the roster, even with the current Fire Emblem representation.

Ryu, Roy, Lucas, and more are available for download on the Nintendo eShop now!

Nintendo also announced EarthBound Beginnings for the Wii U Virtual Console!

This is a localized port of the original Mother game from 1989, which was never released in the US. Its sequel, Mother 2, was released in the US as EarthBound. EarthBound Beginnings is available on the Nintendo eShop...... now!

Nintendo finished the day with the return of their Nintendo World Championship! The show is long but ended up being a lot of fun to watch. They played a variety of games including Splatoon and Mario Kart 8. Take a look at least for the Mario Maker portion at the end. It is intense.

Much like in the film The Wizard, the Nintendo World Championship served as a great marketing tool to sell the latest Mario game. They really showed off what Mario Maker is capable of. Mario fans have something great to look forward to whether it's creating levels or playing them.

Mario Maker is scheduled to be released for the Wii U in September.

That is all for today, but E3 is just beginning. Nintendo has another digital event this Tuesday at 9am PT, which will show off a lot more games. Of course, other companies such as Microsoft, Electronic Arts, and Sony will have their own shows throughout the week, so keep an eye out.

For more E3 Nintendo goodness, make sure to check out their official Nintendo @ E3 2015 website and their official YouTube page.

Fallout 4 - First Official Trailer

Bethesda has finally released the first post-apocalyptic trailer for Fallout 4!.... "War never changes."

I really appreciate that Bethesda chose to use in-game graphics rather than trying to wow us with pre-rendered cutscenes. It gives us a much better idea of what to expect from the game, such as the familiar aesthetics we've come to expect from the series, and the huge open world. Kudos on getting Ron Perlman to come back as well.

Bethesda promises to show more at their E3 Showcase on Sunday, June 14th at 7pm PT.

No release date has been announced, but Fallout 4 will arrive for the PC, PS4, and Xbox One.

Batman: Arkham Knight - "Gotham is Mine" Trailer

Batman must protect Gotham from Scarecrow in the newest trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight.

Each trailer looks better than the last one. It appears Poison Ivy is returning along with The Riddler, Harley Quinn, Two-Face, and The Penguin. Could not help but notice the heavily armed thugs as well. Each Arkham game has raised the stakes and this one looks to do the same. However, Rocksteady Studios appears to be pushing the envelope even further than before, seeing as this is the first Batman game to be rated M for its mature content. Nonetheless, considering how good Arkham Asylum and Arkham City were, this is a game that should be on almost everyone's radar.

Here is a short synopsis:

"In the explosive finale to the 'Arkham' series, Batman faces the ultimate threat against the city he is sworn to protect. The Scarecrow returns to unite an impressive roster of super villains, including Penguin, Two-Face and Harley Quinn, to destroy the Dark Knight forever. Batman: Arkham Knight introduces Rocksteady's uniquely designed version of the Batmobile, which is drivable for the first time in the franchise. The addition of this legendary vehicle, combined with the acclaimed gameplay of the 'Batman Arkham' series, offers gamers the ultimate and complete Batman experience as they tear through the streets and soar across the skyline of the entirety of Gotham City."

Batman: Arkham Knight will arrive on June 2 for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Mortal Kombat X - Kitana and Kung Lao Gameplay Trailer

Kitana and Kung Lao return in the newest gameplay trailer for Mortal Kombat X!

It is nice to see Goro brought back into the mix, though it is too bad he is pre-order DLC. Nonetheless, there seems to be a nice mix of old favorites and new fighters for the newest iteration of the gory fighter.

Mortal Kombat X is set to release on April 14 for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, and PS4.

Clueless Gamer - Conan O'Brien Reviews SUPER SMASH BROS.

Conan O'Brien took a trip to E3 last week and had a chance to check out Nintendo's Super Smash Bros. for one of his "Clueless Gamer" segments. The result was the following hilarious review.....

Catch Conan on TBS weeknights at 11/10c. For more great Conan videos like this, make sure to check out the official Team Coco website and the official Conan YouTube page.

Super Smash Bros. is scheduled to release on the 3DS on October 3rd, while the Wii U version is scheduled for this year's holiday season.

Batman: Arkham Knight - E3 Gameplay Trailer

In case you missed it, Warner Bros. and developer Rocksteady Studios debuted an impressive new gameplay trailer for Batman: Arkham Knight at Sony's E3 press conference. Check it out now!

It makes sense that this game is only for current-gen consoles since the game features highly detailed but expansive environments. The Batmobile is not just for show, as it serves an important function for traversing the streets of Gotham and dispatching enemies. The ability to launch Batman out of the cockpit is also a really nice looking and practical feature.

What little has been shown looks great so far. Rocksteady has a proven track record with the Batman franchise as they always aim to make each game bigger in scope, while adding gameplay elements that are both fun and help overcome the new challenges that arise from creating a larger game.

Batman: Arkham Knight is set to release next year for the PC, Xbox One, and PS4.

Pac-Man Confirmed for SUPER SMASH BROS.

Hot off the heals of announcing the Mii fighters and Palutena, Nintendo officially announces Pac-Man for Super Smash Bros for the Wii U and 3DS. Check out the trailer here!

Pac-Man's inclusion means that four major gaming mascots will be taking on the fighting stage at the same time for the first time. Players will be able to duke it out between Mario, Sonic, Mega Man, and Pac-Man in a fight for gaming supremacy.

It also looks like Mr. Game & Watch will be making a return to help Pac-Man fight for the honor of 1980 gaming icons. The cast is definitely shaping up to be one of the best in the series ever.

Super Smash Bros. is scheduled to release on the 3DS on October 3rd, while the Wii U version is scheduled for this year's holiday season.

Nintendo E3 Digital Event Impressions; Open-World LEGEND OF ZELDA Announced

E3 is under way, and Nintendo finally put out their digital event presentation. Take a look at the full digital event here!

The digital event was quite entertaining with lots of great inside humor that Nintendo fans can really get into. Let's look at the highlights!

For those not willing to wade through the entire Nintendo Digital Event, here is the announcement trailer for the new Legend of Zelda for the Wii U!

The game is a departure from previous iterations in that the level design allows for much more free-roaming in a huge open world. A big part of the gameplay is figuring out how to get to all the destinations you can see in the far off distance. The art design is similar to the painterly style of Skyward Sword, which probably helps render such far distances in a way that is pleasing to the eye.

This is the game I am most pumped to play in the foreseeable future. Cannot wait to see more. Legend of Zelda for the Wii U is scheduled for release in 2015.

Another great reveal was being able to use your Mii in Super Smash Bros. Fortunately, this wasn't just an after-thought as the Miis are customizable with various fighting styles to choose from. The Miis were also put in as a way to create and play as characters that didn't make the final roster.

The long rumored Palutena from the Kid Icarus series was officially announced for Super Smash Bros. She rounds out a great cast of characters filled with a healthy proportion of strong female fighters such as Samus Aran, Princess Zelda, and Rosalina. In addition, the trailer seems to hint that Dark Pit may be a playable character as well, or an alternate skin for Pit.

Nintendo also introduced their Amiibo figures, a line reminiscent of Disney Infinity and Skylanders. The Amiibos are supposed to be compatible with several games including Mario Kart 8, but the only Amiibo demo shown off was with Super Smash Bros.

The new Amiibo figures... Nintendo really wants your money.

You can place an Amiibo on the Wii U gamepad, and have that character fight for your Mii in Super Smash Bros. These characters can be trained and leveled up, but cannot be used as regular fighters, so they feel more like helpers for your Mii.

Amiibos definitely have a lot of potential. It will be interesting to see how Nintendo decides to use them in the future.

Nintendo also showed off Mario Maker, an interesting new game that lets you create and play your own Mario levels. The trailer does a good job showing off how fun and challenging created levels can be. Definitely a fun tool for budding game designers.

Another standout title was Yoshi's Woolly World. The gameplay appears to be a cross between classic Yoshi games and Kirby's Epic Yarn. The game's graphical style on the Wii U looks amazing. It definitely catches the eye. It just goes to show how much art design can help a game stand out from the rest.


Of course, there are a lot more games to see during E3, but these were the ones that stood out the most to me.

Cannot wait to see what else Nintendo shows in the future. Time will tell if their slate of games will win over the hearts of gamers, but that Zelda game alone has me wanting to buy a Wii U. Nintendo was out to steal the thunder with that announcement.

Nintendo brought out their big gun today.

For even more games and videos, make sure to check out the official Nintendo@E3 website and their official YouTube page.

Mortal Kombat X - Announcement Trailer

NetherRealm Studios officially announced their newest video game, Mortal Kombat X. The trailer features series favorites Scorpion and Sub-Zero, as well as an original track from Wiz Khalifa titled "Can't Be Stopped." Check out the announcement trailer below!

The game is expected to make an appearance at E3, so keep your eyes open for more info in the very near future.

Mortal Kombat X is expected to launch in 2015 for the PC, Xbox 360, PS3, Xbox One, and PS4.

CastleVania: Lords of Shadow 2 and Mirror of Fate

Welcome to another edition of The Doctor's Prognosis!

I have to say, I feel a bit disappointed that I missed something from E3. I suppose it's always possible since E3 is so big and so many announcements occur. And this particular tidbit seemed to be glossed over on most sites, since they were too busy talking about stuff like Watch Dogs, Wii U, and The Last of Us.

As a big fan of previous CastleVania games, I was excited to see more on the Lords of Shadow series from Konami and developer Mercury Steam. The first game in the Lords of Shadow series was a flawed game, but showed potential for the future. And the new games in the series have me excited for that potential.

Let us begin with the trailer for Lords of Shadow 2, which Mercury Steam refers to as the end of the series. WARNING: the following videos assume you played and finished the first game. They contain a major spoiler on the story.

Was that Alucard at the end of the trailer? And how badass was Dracula fighting that army? My hope is that we get to play as Alucard.

According to Mercury Steam, the game will have more exploration elements that are so popular from the MetroidVania style games, but do not have any RPG elements. So don't expect another Symphony of the Night. But that doesn't mean that it can't be any good. CastleVania games before SotN were mostly action style games like the first LoS game. So they appear to be inspired by those games, which were great in their own right.

The other new LoS game is a portable game called Mirror of Fate, which will be available on the 3DS. This game looks more like an old school CastleVania game, mixed with gameplay elements from the LoS series. Here is some gameplay of GameSpot's E3 stage demo.

Definitely looks more like a throwback, while including some of the newer elements from LoS. Being able to play as multiple Belmonts with different abilities should be fun, and is reminiscent of older games in the series. As mentioned, there will be more exploration elements similar to older games like SotN. This is good news for fans of the more traditional games in the series. But there will still be no RPG elements.

For more info on the upcoming games, here is an interview with Konami's Dave Cox.

Overall, I'm excited to see more from this series. Lords of Shadow 2 is supposed to be the end of the story. But if these games end up good, I'd definitely like to see more. Of course, if they went back to the MetroidVania style portable games, I wouldn't complain.

But are you looking forward to these games? Or did Lords of Shadow leave a bad taste in your mouth? Let me know what you think.

See you next time!

E3 2012 Musings

Welcome to another edition of The Doctor's Prognosis! E3 is done and it's time to contemplate what we've seen once again.

Microsoft

Why is the Xbox my most used console, yet Miscrosoft continues to disappoint every year with their conferences? The gist of it was this, Microsoft wants the Xbox to be your primary media hub. You can play games, watch movies and ESPN, and now link up with your iOS, Android, and/or Windows Mobile devices with what they call Xbox SmartGlass.

I like the idea of being able to watch almost anything on my Xbox. I wouldn't need cable or satellite any longer so it would save me money. But unfortunately, I want to see games from E3. And they focused almost entirely on how the Xbox is going to rule the world. Not to mention the overly long Usher sing and dance routine.

So what did I like? Halo 4 looks ok. Nice graphics but I'm not excited for it. I like Gears of War but it feels a little early for a new one to be announced. Though I do like that it's supposed to be VERY difficult. Resident Evil 6 looks like fun too. But what I like best from the MS conference was the South Park RPG!

They made fun of Microsoft and made me excited for their game all at the same time. I love me some South Park, and The Stick of Truth could be a hilarious good time.

Sony

I was actually impressed with Sony's press conference. That's saying a lot since I tend to use my PS3 primarily as a BD player. Sony focused on games for the most part, faulting mainly with that Wonderbook demo thing. I guess that's good for the kids.

First, I was very impressed with Beyond: Two Souls. It looks amazing. The story has me intrigued and I want to see what happens to the main character, played by Ellen Page. In fact the in-game character looks exactly like Ellen Page!

The other game that impressed me was The Last of Us.

The gameplay looks so visceral. I see myself playing this when it comes out. And I'm actually looking forward to using my PS3 as more than just a BD player. Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale looks like a fun game as well. It's basically a Smash Bros rip-off, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. The new God of War could be fun too.

Bravo Sony on a good conference overall.

Nintendo

With the exception of the WiiFit stuff, I think Nintendo did a good job overall with showing off games. Nothing too exciting, though I like Pikmin 3 a lot.

I like how Miyamoto teases giving away the red Pikmin before being all, "Haha no. It's mine!" I can see myself buying that along with maybe Ubisoft's ZombiU.

On that note, Ubisoft looks to be very gung-ho on the WiiU tablet controller, which can only be a good thing. It has the potential for innovation. There were also a lot of 3rd party games shown, but many of them are older games. Arkham City: Armored Edition adds some tablet functionality, but it's unlikely to make you want to buy the game again.

Thankfully, Nintendo also showed off New Super Mario Bros. U and a new Paper Mario. Good stuff but nothing terribly exciting. I want to see a true next-gen Mario, Zelda, Metroid, etc.

They closed off their show with NintendoLand, which is a game based in a theme park filled with minigames. These minigames are supposed to show off what the tablet can do. This should really be a pack-in game with the WiiU. I just can't see anybody clamoring to buy this thing. Even worse, the graphics look like a vanilla Wii game. They're still using the same Miis. Beef the graphics up a bit! Show off what your console can do!

Overall a good show but could have been better. I'm still excited to see what else they have up the pipeline.

Bonus!

What else got my attention?

Watch Dogs looks like it has an interesting premise.

Dishonored also caught my attention. I'm getting a Bioshock meets Assassin's Creed vibe from it.

And anything from PlatinumGames is going to be on my radar. Project P-100 for the WiiU looks like one to watch.

Now if I had to pick a winner of E3, I'd have to say Sony pulled it off this year with their conference. I can't believe I just typed that. I think Nintendo and MS have good things going for them, but Sony actually got me excited to play some games. And in the end, that's what is most important coming from the biggest game show of the year.

So what did YOU think? Which games got you most excited? What did you feel was lackluster? Let me know your thoughts on E3!

See you next time!