Nintendo’s E3 2007 press conference wrap-up

Nintendo’s Reggie Fils-Aime was in high spirits today (July 11, 2007) as he opened Nintendo’s annual E3 press event, rattling off sales figures that indicated Nintendo world domination, especially in the expanding non-traditional markets.

The conference was peppered by montages showing just how much media attention the Wii (and the DS) is receiving by mainstream media, and how far the Nintendo has penetrated the non-gamer marketing, showing families, women, older people, and even toddlers getting down with all the Nintendo action. Iwata summed it up in his later speech, stating “Games are for everyone.” and that Nintendo’s goal was to break the barrier between hardcore and casual gamers, by offering titles that both categories can enjoy together.

Amidst the air of self-congratulation, several important announcements were made. First and foremost, the big games all received release dates. Hotly anticipated Super Mario Galaxy will launch on November 12, 2007, Super Smash Brother Brawl will be released December 3, 2007, and a new Mario Kart game (complete with its own wheel peripheral) is due out first quarter 2008.

Peripherals were another big feature, with the Wii Zapper, which was shown along with Resident Evil: Umbrella Chronicles; the aforementioned Wii Wheel for Mario Kart; and the Wii Balance Board – announced alongside the surprise title of the show – Wii Fit. Miyamoto himself unveiled the peripheral, and proceeded to test it out with Reggie in a battle of soccer-goalie skill. The exercise title features four categories of activities and tracks your progress over time in terms of balance and body mass index.

Another major portion of the show focused on Nintendo’s online plans, which are slowly but surely coming to fruition. Warming up, a new Wii channel was announced called “Check Mii Out” and the stats for the virtual console and Wiiware were mentioned.

Moving on to the games, Mario Strikers Charged will be adding online play, as well as Madden 08 and FIFA 08, which will feature complete online leagues. Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (for the DS) and Guitar Hero 3 will also boast online modes. Most exciting was the announcement that the new Mario Kart will feature full online play in both racing and multiplayer battle modes. No word yet on whether friend codes are part of the online equation.

Overall, the message was pretty much what Nintendo’s been preaching since it unveiled the DS three years ago – market expansion, mixing hardcore and casual games, expanding core franchises, and innovation.

Read [VGGEN] Site [E3 Nintendo]