E3 2012: Nintendo Wii U Keynote Roundup

We stayed up for Nintendo’s E3 Media Presentation for Nintendo last night/this morning to hand us the lowdown on what they have in store for us gamers and the Wii U.

Of course, Miyamoto-san had dibs on the opening sequence as he got ready to litter the crowd with Pikmins and one for the Wii U.

Pikmin 3
The third game in the real-time strategy series will introduce new forms of Pikmin, including a new rock type that’s capable of breaking down walls and a flying pink one. The protagonists from the previous games were not shown, though new Captains were introduced. The game offers single- and multiplayer play through the of the Wii Remote and Nunchuk attachment, with the Wii U GamePad acting as an interactive minimap. The Wii U GamePad is also capable of working with the game alone.

New Super Mario Bros. U
Nintendo has probably learnt from their past folly with the launch of the Nintendo 3DS  by ensuring a Mario game will appear at launch of the Wii U this time. New Super Mario Bros. U will feature Mario and friends in oodles of platforming goodness. It’s still has the 4-player co-op from NSMB Wii and will support the Wii U GamePad, most likely with the ability to play the game away from the TV like in the recent Nintendo Direct Pre-E3 address.

Batman: Arkham City – Armored Edition
You read that right. Still think Nintendo consoles aren’t for the big boys now? WB is bringing Batman Arkham City to Wii U, bringing the same story from the other console versions to the Nintendo console, as well as all the previously released DLC. The Wii U GamePad functions as Batman’s on-arm computer on his left arm, so you’re always up to date on objectives, gadgets and forensic evidence. The game is scheduled for a Holiday 2012 release.

Then Reggie diverted some time away from the Wii U so Scott Moffitt could talk about the Nintendo 3DS, which will have it’s own media presentation tomorrow morning at 9am local time.

Paper Mario: Sticker Star
Paper Mario returns in a new adventure for the Nintendo 3DS in a world overrun by stickers that Mario has to collect, which he can use in battle! The details are still as spectacular for a Paper Mario game, more so since it’ll be in full 3D on the Nintendo 3DS. Slated for a Holiday 2012 release.

A New Super Mario Bros. 2 was also announced for the Nintendo 3DS for August 19th, as were several other titles including Scribblenauts Unlimited (also coming to Wii U), Castlevania: Lords of Shadow – Mirror of Fate, Epic Mickey and Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.

We then got back on track with more Wii U announcements..

LEGO City Undercover
I called it a “reverse GTA for kids”, and I’m sure I’m not too far off. Players control the minifig protagonist Chase McCain in a totally LEGO’d New York-style open-world city fighting crime the way we did when we had LEGO City sets. Oh, and these minifigs talk. A first for games in the LEGO franchise made by Tt Games. Duly impressed. Reggie also teased a different, more portable version of the game for the Nintendo 3DS.

Ubisoft
It seemed no presser at E3 this year would be complete without a visit from Ubisoft, who brought Just Dance 4 and ZombiU into the scene, along with a quick trailer confirming the existance of Assassin’s Creed III on Wii U as well as Rayman Legends and a new Rabbids game. They also AR-zombified Reggie into a French-food loving zombie, likely a ZombiU feature tease.

Nintendo Land
Nintendo wrapped things up with a preview of Nintendo Land, further emphasising on the company’s new stride in taking more social gaming to the living room. Players are dropped into the theme park for Miis and play multiplayer minigames featuring Nintendo IPs such as The Legend of Zelda, F-Zero and Luigi(‘s Mansion).

Nintendo has another presser for more Nintendo 3DS talk. What do they have in store for us there? The live stream starts at 9am tomorrow. Join us for another liveblog then!