E3: Nintendo's titles, hands-on.

May 23, 2002 7:50 PM PST

Update: More games and movies are added, and both Mario Sunshine and Metroid Prime thoughts are updated...

Mario Sunshine

The outlandish Mario Sunshine E3 demo is the latest installment of the classic Super Mario Bros franchise, and may be for the 3D Mario games what SMB 2 was for the 2D Mario games. Both games look and play very differently from their predecessors. Mario Sunshine has a more kiddy look than Mario 64 with a style reminiscent of Yoshi's Island, but it is its gameplay that distinguishes it the most from Mario 64. Miyamoto has succeeded in achieving innovation and avoiding imitation, but the more complicated gameplay is less intuitive. Without a doubt, Mario Sunshine is an above average game, but the slightly less accessible gameplay and more kiddy theme make it less of a joy to play than its predecessor.

Mario Sunshine's gameplay revolves around Mario's new accessory: a water jet pack you can use to hose water or to fly/hover. The levels are designed so that you must use the jetpack to get from point A to point B, and filled with hydrophobic enemies and obstacles that you can only clear away with your trusty hose. There are a couple of aspects to the jetpack that limit the fun of the gameplay. Maintaining a water supply is not especially difficult, but in some levels, one must stop what they are doing and travel a considerable distance to get the water, and then go back to whatever it was that they were doing. This adds a certain measure of repetitiveness to the gameplay. Also important to keep in mind is that the jetpack has a short altitude ceiling, so flying consists mostly of hovering. Sometimes this can make you feel like a man in a box, but its not so bad after you play the game for a while. The control of the hose, however, is actually well done and I got the hang of it soon enough. Finally, you have many of Mario's old moves from Mario 64, but he's not as acrobatic as he used to be.

All of these characteristics came together in the demo level in which you have to liberate the Shine Mirrors. I saw some small ledges and hills that I would easily be able to jump upon in the old Mario 64, but Mario Sunshine makes it more difficult, although not impossible, so I tried the jetpack…no dice, short altitude ceiling. I had to jump from the nearby palm tree, but you can only climb up ¾ of these trees and then try to leap on the leaves, which float oddly apart. While vexing, this difficulty was particular to that level. Despite these setbacks, I made it, and once I got to the enemy I easily took him out, but there were more mirrors for me to liberate and I was out of water, which meant I had to go down, refill and start over. Since when has it been so difficult for a 20 something Italian male to get himself up? This isn't the case with every level, but it demonstrates that this Mario world is not quite as easy to get around in. Mario's mobility and action depends more on the jetpack, a machine, than Mario's body. So Mario is less acrobatic, and you can't move as quickly or easily as in Mario 64. As for the moves Mario Sunshine shares with Mario 64, I find them slightly tweaked towards inferiority. As for new gameplay, such as replacing things such as stomping, a perennial favorite move of Mario's repertoire, with the jetpack, well you must decide for yourself.

Finally, Mario Sunshine's visuals and sound and music are a considerable improvement over Mario 64, with neat animations and more visible detail per object, all of which you can see at once without the fogging of Mario 64. The art in Mario Sunshine is very kiddy, which doesn't ruin the game but limits its appeal a bit. I don't find the world to be all that fun at the moment, but it is brightly and creatively animated. The funfactor rests mostly upon the gameplay, and at this point all I can say is that it is good but less intuitive than Mario 64. Granted, we are not virgins to 3D gaming as we were when Mario 64 debuted, and that title also took time to get used to. I myself need more time to evaluate the gameplay, just as I did when I played Mario 64 at the E3 back in 1996. People were mixed on SMB 2, and I saw many fans eagerly lined up to play Mario Sunshine. A lot of people like this title and will enjoy the new gameplay. Miyamoto is something very close to a genius at what he does, and also has the wisdom to innovate the Mario series. Well he has succeeded at innovation, it's just a question of whether you like it or not.

The Legend of Zelda

Like its advertisement on the back of Thursday's E3 Showdaily, the Legend of Zelda Gamecube truly looks reborn. A far cry from its mature realistic look at last year's E3 demo, Legend of Zelda GC is perhaps the best cel-shaded graphic engine yet, which truly makes the game look and feel like a playable cartoon, and a wonderfully looking one at that. Fortunately, the rock solid gameplay of the Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask hasn't been reborn, but rather reincarnated as it smoothly carries a very different looking Link through a very different looking world. Link may move the same, but he has much more to interact with courtesy of some fresh new gameplay innovations, which I had the pleasure of trying out today at the main demo booth at the Nintendo Exhibit.

The first and most striking feature of the latest chapter of the Legend of Zelda is the graphics. Set in a sea-faring world, this swashbuckling style of adventure takes place after the events of Majora's mask, which is hard to believe given that it looks more like the latest Disney animated blockbuster than the fleshy 3D rendered world of its predecessors. The catalyst for the game's plot is the kidnapping of Link's sister, whom Link follows with the aid of friendly pirates through many exotic and perilous locations, including a pirate fortress, the ocean itself (Link can surf) and a volcanic dungeon, which I played through extensively. The game's levels are cleverly designed on an incredibly large scale, but in a game like this, the art is just as important as the skeletal design. Fortunately, the art is top notch and very original, so when I fought my way up the mountain, or crossed over a chasm full of lava, I had this sense of vertigo. It's just the sort of marriage of bare bones design and intricate art that makes a game immersive. As I said though, the game is not just another pretty face in the Zelda franchise, as there are some notable new features to the gameplay. Link can now pick up his enemies' weapons, all of which have a unique function that you must use to pass through the game. For instance, Link's default sword in the volcanic dungeon level won't cut through the boarded-up door, so you must kill an enemy and use his sword to break it open. The boss fights are definitely not your standard fare, as the boss level demo made very clear. If you thought slingshoting the off the wall spider from the ocarina of time was cool, try grappling a dragon's tail and swinging over that same spider, which is much more exciting thanks to the incredible sense of height made possible by the scale of the design and art. There are also some little touches, such as inching across thin ledges, that are possible by the nature of the cell-shaded graphics which have an easier time squeezing objects together than traditional polygons. Very cool, and did I mention the sound and music? Very crisp, and tasteful sound effects, some of which have been updated, and some of which are vintage Zelda, such as the item discovery theme, “Duh, duh, duh DUH!”. There is no spoken dialogue in the game, although there are some rather non-sequitur and downright strange grunts and noises made by elves and creatures alike. It does not detract from the game, however, as the majority of the game consists of the familiar sounds and fierce shouts of Link as he hacks and slashes his way towards his sister. The music, which is more cartoonish, but appropriately so, is definitely of a higher fidelity than the Starfox 64 midi library used in the Ocarina and Majora's Mask.

Along with Mario Sunshine, the Legend of Zelda Gamecube makes it clear that Miyamoto doesn't want to hackney his widely beloved franchises. A lot of people balked at the relatively radical direction he chose for the Legend of Zelda GC's art, myself included, but once more he has proven his ability to conceive incredibly creative concepts and make them a finely produced, well-polished reality. Legend of Zelda GC looks and plays like a dream, and will have an across the board appeal. It's a toss up between Zelda and Metroid Prime for best Gamecube game, but one thing is for sure, there are some good fiscal quarters on the horizon for Nintendo as it prepares gamers to one of its best lineups yet.

Metroid Prime

As the first pictures of Metroid Prime were released late last year, fans knew the end of Metroid's 8 year absence was finally near, a wait that outlasted the N64 itself. E3 2002 is the general public's first hands on experience of Samus Aran's stunning 3D debut on the Gamecube, which not only maintains but heightens Metroid's reputation as the sleekest and most mature Nintendo franchise. Clearly, the unique bio-mechanical world of Metroid has a dark organic look and haunting atmosphere that make it the unusual suspect of the Nintendo lineup. Retro Studios, one of Nintendo's all-star 2nd party developers, has successfully captured the essential look and to a lesser extent the feel of the Metroid series and made a fantastic game that is poised to be the Goldeneye of the Gamecube.

Metroid Prime begins with the classic opening motif of the Metroid series: Samus Aran's bulky but elegant ship flying into an abandoned space station amidst the backdrop of a large and looming planet. As the ship touches down, you enter into a dimly lit space station, seen from the first person through a computerized visor, and encounter your first puzzle. This easy puzzle is merely a tutorial that forces you to become familiar with Metroid Prime's intuitive control scheme. Next you enter into the familiar corridors of the Metroid series, and are immediately impressed by a hundred intricately detailed things occurring all at once. The skeletal architecture, character and object models, textures, and dynamic lighting are phenomenal. As you pass through this seemingly deserted space station, you encounter several dead Space Pirates strewn about the floor until you enter the first catacomb of the ship. In this splendidly detailed and huge tomb you are witness to several, individually animated creatures hibernating in individual chambers, now awakened at your arrival. While these creatures pound the doors to escape, you realize not all of the space pirates are dead, and use your blaster for the first time in battle. You can use the L button to auto target, or the R button to free-aim, but in either case the control is smooth and you easily, making you cringe as you realize what Mega Man could have been. In the more spacious areas such as this one, you have the ability to jump, but find that Samus now jumps like any other FPS character. As you continue on, you must roll into a ball to pass through the wreckage caused by some mysterious but terrible force. Let me interject here that Samus's ball mode is rendered incredibly well and yes, you can bomb yourself into the air. Finally you find the root of this space station's demise: the queen parasite. It is your first boss, but a helpful info window pops up to clue you on how to win. After you defeat the parasite, which is fun, you must complete the ritual Metroid escape from the ship, which will self-destruct in 5 minutes. This time through, however, the ship is a whole different entity, with a host of slimy, mini aliens that splatter upon your visor. Sadly, I never made it out.

Though my gambit through the space station failed, it proved to me that Metroid Prime was the coolest game I played at E3 2002. Subjectivity aside, it is a quality game that looks to be the best Metroid game yet. In 3D form, the game resembles a “Metrodized” cross between Goldeneye and Resident Evil, the effect of which is very cool. The look of the game is subtle but rich, and despite the fact that it is a FPS corridor shooter, claustrophobic design is not one of the vices of Metroid Prime. Unfortunately, jumping is not an essential part of FPS, but it is an essential part of the classic Metroid gameplay. Even when in a corridor, however, the game's environment has a sense of enormity, and much of the game's levels will combine indoor and outdoor in their designs. Thus, I will reserve judgment until I see more, but I can only hope that jumping and the many attacks related to it remain intact. As for the rest of the gameplay, every core element from the old Metroid series has come down intact as far as the E3 demo showed. Metroid Prime has an intuitive game control that makes passing through the levels a pleasure. It is a gem of a game, and a much needed boost for a system that lacks killer apps that mature gamers can sink their teeth into. Look for it sometime this Holiday Season.

Wario World

Wario World is a mediocre to average Crash Bandicoot style game, with uninspired gameplay, graphics and level that do not speak well for the Wario character franchise. It is decent, but especially in comparison to Luigi's mansion, the gaming experience it offers is not unique or engaging enough to justify its purchase.

The simple game play of Wario World makes for a simple game. A is for jump, B is for punch, pick-up. If you press and hold B you punch and then dash punch. If you press B in the air you perform a ground pound, or as we say in the vernacular, a butt-stomp. That is it. The R, L, X, Y, and Z buttons were not functional at this demo. You can do all of this from the 3rd person perspective a la Crash Bandicoot, which is the basic template for the gameplay. In addition most of the levels move left to right, up and down, making it largely a 2D linear platformer with 3D rendered objects. Similar to that game, your main objective is to get from point A to point B, while hitting, hurling, or stomping bad guys. A Everything is well rendered, but the game is not fun enough for you to play it. To be fair, not all of the three levels were of the same mediocrity, as the Circus level was the most creative while the Pyramid was the least creative. But at the end of the day, however, it seems like this was a rush job as there is very little innovation put into it. Avoid this title unless it dramatically improves.

Starfox Adventures

The E3 demo of Starfox Adventures is the third demo of one game concept that has undergone two major overhauls on two consoles. Rare developed Dino Planet as an N64 game that mimicked The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, just as it had successfully mimicked Mario 64 with Banjo-Kazooie. In 1999 the E3 demo of the game showed off a graphics engine that was in some ways superior to that of Zelda's, and identical gameplay. It was subsequently shelved as a Gamecube project, and made its debut at the 2001 E3. Here Dinosaur Planet now featured the Starfox team as the protagonists, but the graphics and gameplay were underwhelming. At this point the real quest was not the one in the game, but the one it took to produce it. Now, the game has undergone another major overhaul, and looks and plays much nicer than I had imagined.

FoxMcloud is the protagonist you guide through his epic quest to thwart a local dinosaur tyrant named General Scales and his army of mutated Dinosaurs. Most of the action takes place on foot, in which fox uses a magic staff and a host of other weapons and items on a modified version of the much-acclaimed Zelda: Ocarina of Time gameplay, particularly the fighting scheme. My impression is that it plays smoother thanks to improvements such as hands free auto-targeting of an enemy. And like the game it mimics, this gameplay is put to use within a world that is teeming with stuff. Within huge worlds of grand scale, you will find puzzles, minigames and sidequests that make a game epic, such as gambling with an arcane dinosaur in a game of catch the scarab. Much is unexpected as well, like when you are thrust into a speeder in the Return of the Jedi like chase on the Ice Mountain level. Fortunately, vehicles control gracefully. As this sequence showed me, terrain such as the snowy slope is finely rendered, and the way obstacles and enemies work together against you in a sequence such as this one show that the levels have a surprisingly sophisticated design. Other vehicles include dinosaurs, which you can ride on the ground or in the air, and Arwings themselves. You will fly the Arwing in a traditional Starfox level, which looks and plays inferior to those of Starfox 64. Most of the control scheme is sound, but the exclusion of the lock-on targeting, in addition to uninspired level courses, make it an average experience. This is in contrast to the rest of the levels, whose environments and character models are incredibly detailed. Fox McCloud's hair, for instance, is uniquely and strikingly designed, and many of the larger character models look like they come from a special effects house, which, in a sense, they do. As said, the environments are enchantingly rendered, making the player before in the demo booth wander around just to see the world which, as he said, “has so much in it.”

Of course I witnessed the game in Dolby 5.1 and progressive scan, both of which the game supports as options that will soon be standard. So the game looked doubly impressive as it will for the majority of us playing Starfox Adventures on our regular TVs and sound systems. Regardless, it is a finely rendered feast for the eyes, with really nice sound effects and decent music. To be sure, it is tongue in cheek like most of Nintendo's franchises, or as their new ad campaign coins it, Gaming Giants, but if you the reader, whom I assume to have mature tastes, can get beyond the frivolity of playing in something equivalent to a Sci-Fi Don Bluth film, you will have a wonderful time. It is essentially a game like the Ocarina of Time, and in some ways shows what Ocarina would look like on the Gamecube, because it shares not only similar gameplay but similar graphics, unlike Legend of Zelda GC. It has several new innovations to add to the tried and true gameplay, which along with its incredibly rendered world, will make for a very fun and excellent adventure quest game. This quest begins September.

Media for download

Mario Sunshine: It's Mario in his solo Cube debut! Watch both the trailer and footage of Shigeru Miyamoto playing and commenting on the game. Also, another demo from off the show floor.

The Legend of Zelda: With its unique approach to cel shading, Zelda looks to be a very impressive title. Both the trailer and Miyamoto's demonstration are available. Here and here contain footage from the show floor, the first bearing fun with boats, the second showing off Link, the lawnmower man.

Metroid: Samus is back and she's badder than ever...

Wario World: It's Wario. It's platforming. It's 3D.

Starfox Adventures: Despite the lack of Arwing, Fox is still flying high

Josh Hsieh