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Nintendo, as is their tradition, has a much lighter approach to the press conference than does Sony. Nintendo's show called mostly upon VP of Sales and Marketing Peter MacDougall to expound upon upcoming software, online gaming and so-called 'connectivity'. They are as software based as ever, and plan to spend 25% more money this year in development than they did last year, when they launched their two platforms. They pushed the idea of 'Game Giants' which is rather silly, but that's the route they chose. These giants include continuations of several popular franchises on the Game Cube. Most notable were Mario Sunshine, Metroid Prime, Resident Evil Zero, Super Mario Party, F-zero, Star Fox and The Legend of Zelda.
The Gameboy Advance also had a few new additions, including a four player Legend of Zelda which looks very promising. Execs from Nintendo, Sega and Namco all played the game together, and the mishmash of four screens of action was hard to follow. Nintendo's own Shigeru Miyamoto had an especially large amount of trouble staying on the platforms and not falling to his doom. The crowd seemed very pleased with Nintendo's first party offerings, but whether these titles will transfer to profits remains to be seen.
Nintendo's stance as far as online gaming is a wary one. They are not sure how to make it profitable, but at the same time they have pledged to take no revenue from online gaming fees. Honestly I believe that to be the only way to go, if one is to coax the casual gamer online.
Connectivity is something Nintendo touts as an innovation, yet the idea is not a new one. Sega's connectivity to the Neo Geo Pocket Color is a prime example, though there are others. View the incredibly silly promo video if you dare. Honestly, it's the cheesiest thing I've ever seen in terms of promotion anywhere, ever.
Nintendo's final words countered Sony's statement that the console wars are over with the proposition that they had only just begun. Time will tell…
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Media for download
Metroid: Samus is back and she's badder than ever... or so they say.
Resident Evil 0: This game is obviously a huge part of Nintendo's campaign to reach mature gamers. The lighting was poor, but the vid is still nice.
Eternal Darkness: Also reaching out to mature gamers is this horror title from Silicon Knights.
Gameboy Advance games: Check out footage from Metroid Fusion, Golden Sun, The Legend of Zelda, and Yoshi's Island...
Welcome To Animal Crossing: Amazingly cheesy commercial. A must download!
Starfox Adventures: After a long time in the making (since N64 days when Starfox wasn't attached to it) it seems like it will shape up to be a decent action platformer...
Mario Party 4: It's Mario Party with a new number attached to it. Guess what that means.
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.
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. Watch as Miyamoto searches in vain for the sword that allows him to proceed further into the level...
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