by Ken Gagne

Sony may have our dollars, but Nintendo has our hearts, as demonstrated by the polite applause at SCEA's conference and the heartfelt cheers and whistles at the latter's.

Perhaps that's because no other console manufacturer has the history of software icons that Nintendo does. In the next nine months, Nintendo will launch more franchise titles than they have in any other period in their storied history.

Nintendo opened their press conference with Metroid Prime, a game that demonstrates the company's ability to expand beyond the "kiddie" market and attract older demographics. Step inside the gravity suit this fall as Samus Aran returns to fight the energy-draining Metroid organism. As has been well-publicized, developer Retro Studios has made this game into a first-person perspective adventure title. Though the camera did occasionally move to the third person when the bounty hunter used certain items or techniques, the amount of shooting in the first person has not alleviated my concerns that Metroid has become a shooting game, akin to Quake or Goldeneye. Of course, the press conference was not the time for us to experience the game firsthand, so the playable demo at E3 will be a better judge of the game's nature.

Eternal Darkness — another second-party project, this one by Silicon Knights — provides another opportunity for Nintendo to capture a more mature audience. This Resident Evil look-alike spans millennia as players control a cast of a dozen character through the ages. Not everything is as it seems, blurring the line between reality and illusion. Watch for this title on June 24th.

The engine used in the GameCube adaptation of Resident Evil will also be seen in this fall's release of the original title, Resident Evil Zero, which tells the story of the disappearance of the Bravo Team the day before the Alpha Team was sent to look for them in the first Resident Evil.

Of course, Nintendo's flagship character has always been, and continues to be, Mario, who will make his GameCube debut in Super Mario Sunshine this August 26th. Just as his brother had a vacuum strapped to his back, Mario comes with a pack of his own, which he'll use primarily to shoot water and clean the mess that's plaguing the island of Shine. Super Mario 64 showed how 3D platformers should be done, and though Sunshine is unlikely to redefine the genre, it is sure to be a more fulfilling expression of Miyamoto's imagination.

Speaking of flagships, the GameCube's Legend of Zelda game surprised many last year when Nintendo introduced a cartoonish look to Link and his world of Hyrule, abolishing the darker look originally shown in tech demos. Some people think the new art style looks fantastic, and Nintendo says it is "both unique in look and realistically expressive in nature." I remain dubious of this combination of Saturday morning cartoon and Escape from Monkey Island. Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto has never failed us, though, so I will keep the faith.

The delay of Legend of Zelda has been confirmed, knocking it from Nintendo's Christmas 2002 lineup and into February of next year. Those who wondered how Nintendo could let its Metroid and Zelda games compete for the same shelf space this holiday now have their answer.

Other titles that were briefly shown include Mario Party 4, 1080 Whitestorm, Wario World, and Magical Mirror Starring Mickey Mouse. Expect at least 150 titles by Christmas.

Though Nintendo does not consider the online model profitable, it will not be standing on the sidelines watching its competitors's forays. Separate broadband and dial-up adaptors will be available this fall for $35 each, coinciding with the availability of Sega's Phantasy Star Online Episode I & II. No online-enabled first-party titles were announced at the conference.

While Nintendo fights for console market, they remain the undisputed champ of the handheld platform. The Game Boy Advance's library will expand to over 300 titles by the end of this year, including a new game by the name of Metroid Fusion. An adaptation of the Super NES classic The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past is also on the way, with a new four-player mode — as Miyamoto-san demonstrated with representatives from Sega, Namco, and Capcom. Expect these titles in November and December, respectively.

The GameCube game Animal Crossing will demonstrate the connectivity possible between the console and the Game Boy Advance. Players can create their own animal town and use the handheld to exchange data and create new clothes, among other details.

This game will also debut the e-Reader accessory, which allows gamers to swipe data cards through their GBA. This technology will also be employed in adaptations of Pokemon, fusing the collectibility of the card game with the maniac obsessiveness the video game engenders.

I would be hard-pressed to show where Nintendo is innovating and Sony isn't, but it's hard to be as excited about new, no-name titles as it is for new Mario, Zelda, and Metroid games. Nintendo may not release as many titles as other companies, but their hit ratio is much higher. Though I highly value innovation, it's only a means to an end: fun. Nintendo's track record offers a greater assurance than Sony's that their games will be fun. And that's what I find exciting.

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This article is copyright (c) 2002, 2007 by Ken Gagne. All rights reserved. Not to be distributed without permission.

Original publication: Gamebits, 22-May-02

Tags: 2002, E3, Electronic Entertainment Expo, ESA, IDSA, Nintendo