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E3 2010: Nintendo reveals more Zelda, 3DS, and new Pikmin details at roundtable discussion
After the company's blockbuster press conference and post-event game reveal, Nintendo still had plenty of details to dish about its upcoming DS, Wii, and 3DS games. Read on to learn about what Miyamoto and company had to say.
Nintendo held its annual E3 press roundtable in Los Angeles, California today. On hand at the event were Shigeru Miyamoto, Eiji Aonuma, Hideki Konno and Bill Trinnen to discuss the company's E3 presence.
The event began with the three game designers discussing several of the 3D remakes that were announced for the 3DS at Nintendo's Media Briefing this morning. Miyamoto also confirmed that The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is being brought to the 3DS.
Steel Driver was also mentioned, which, turns out, has been in development for six years. It originally showed up at E3 2006 as a tech demo for the DS. Miyamoto noted how the game was far along in development on DS, but once Nintendo came to the team with the idea of 3D, they felt it was right to bring it to the new DS instead. Star Fox 3DS was also talked about briefly. Miyamoto said that as soon as Nintendo came up with the idea of 3D DS, he wanted to see how Star Fox and 3D would mix.
Nintendo revealed that it has officially put Konno in charge of overall development of all 3DS software. He'll have his fingers involved in all Nintendo-developed software for the handheld.
The first game Nintendo talked at length about was Nintendogs + Cats. Konno said that he had hoped to keep the title secret for this E3, but jokes about the fact that Miyamoto accidentally and inadvertently let slip that some kind of cat-related game was in the pipeline when he revealed that he recently got a cat. He added that at least people were surprised by the game's title – Nintendogs + Cats, not Nintencats. For those who don't get the joke, Miyamoto is illustrious for creating games based on his recent hobbies – and new pets now too, apparently.
Miyamoto said that they started development by simply adding cats to the Nintendogs engine. The team liked the addition of cats to the game and decided to include cats in the full version.
Konno noted that it's "very interesting" to watch cats and dogs interact with each other. Miyamoto drew from watching his own dog and cat interact with each other, which influenced much of what you'll see in Nintendogs + Cats.
Thanks to the 3D technology in 3DS, there have been many graphical advancements, including enhanced 3D fur effects. The handheld's 3D camera is also utilized. When you tilt the camera side to side, the dog will follow suit and tilt its head side to side, mimicking you.
The two talked about how the game allows you to interact with other players around you. For example, it will detect nearby players who own Nintendogs + Cats and you'll be able to interact with each other and exchange pets.
The next game shown was The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. A Nintendo employee demonstrated the game for the audience, but it was the same level shown at Nintendo's E3 Media Briefing this morning. He showed off the game's true 1:1 motion controls, letting you swing the Wii-mote to trigger Link's sword attacks.
Miyamoto said that the game is in the final stretch of development. But he is not entirely confident that it'll be ready for release this year. Most likely, it will be a 2011 release.
Aonuma talked about the storyline and graphic design of the game. He noted that the scene in the trailer when Link dives into the cloud is incredibly important to the story. Link is born in a land that floats above the clouds called Sky Loft. One day, it is revealed to Link that there is another land that exists beneath the clouds. This land is ruled by dangerous forces, but because of recent events, Link must visit the land. Over the course of Skyward Sword, Link will travel back and forth between the floating island he comes from and this land beneath. The sword Link wields in the game – what begins as the Skyward Sword and later becomes the Master Sword – is integral to the game.
Talking about the graphical style, Miyamoto said that impressionism was a huge influence for the game's art-direction and emphasizing the look of the sky was important to the team. Much of the development time has been spent on the graphical style. Aonuma joked that if the team had simply used the Twilight Princess art style, the game would be done.
On the subject of the 3DS remake of Ocarina of Time, Aonuma brought up a past memory of his development experience working on Ocarina of Time for N64 over a decade ago. He brought up the water temple and how he has lived with the bad memory of having been involved with the design of it. The level, for those unaware, is infamous for being quite tedious because of its forcing you to switch between the iron boots and Link's normal footwear. He said that in the Ocarina of Time 3DS remake, this process is made more intuitive by the touchscreen. What's more, he added that switching between Link's tunics has been made easier by the touchscreen as well.
Miyamoto added that the process of switching between items in Link's inventory is something that Skyward Sword development team has spent a lot of time tweaking and polishing.
Following the presentation of Skyward Sword, Nintendo held a Q&A session.
Here's what was asked (paraphrased):
Q: It seems like the HUD in Skyward Sword takes up a lot of room. Is it final?
A: It was designed for E3. Not sure if it will be final or not yet. This version of the HUD was designed for E3, though.
Q: Will Zelda have orchestrated music or voice acting?
A: There will be at least some orchestrated music.
Q: What's going on with Pikmin for Wii?
A: Miyamoto dodged the question and laughed it off. He said that Nintendo considered showing Pikmin at E3, but worried that people wouldn't give it enough attention because of how many other great games Nintendo is showing this year.
Q: How does the 3D effect impact the 3DS's battery life?
A: Nintendo is looking to match the battery life of the DSi.
Q: In Skyward Sword, when Link uses a potion, the gameplay continues without any pause or cut-scene. In past Zeldas, a cut-scene is triggered that shows Link drinking a potion, freezing all gameplay action around the character. Why the change for Nintendo's latest Zelda?
A: Aonuma wanted a very seamless experience, so he decided to get rid of the more traditional effect of freezing the game while Link uses a potion.
Q: Which came first? The development of the whip in Spirit Tracks or Skyward Sword? What was the inspiration for the item?
A: The same person responsible for the item in Spirit Tracks is the same person who implemented it in Skyward Sword.
Q: Is the team concerned that the sword controls may become tiring after long game sessions?
A: Miyamoto said that it can be a little tiring, but it creates for an interesting way to play. Aonuma added that the pacing of the full game will be slower than what's being shown at E3. At E3, Nintendo is showing a lot of swordplay, but there will be segments such as puzzles that don't require as much energy to play.
After the Q&A, the roundtable concluded.
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