[Every Friday (or whenever), Destructoid will pose topical a question to the community. Answer it if you want!]
With a new home console on the cusp of release, and a new portable that’s still working to prove itself as a must-have device, Nintendo had the most to lose and the most to prove at E3 2012.
While their showing was far from terrible, there were few surprises. We already knew thatPikmin 3,Super Mario Bros. 2,Arkham City, and aNew Super Mariotitle for the Wii Uwere coming. We knew that theWii U controller was getting a redesign. We knew about most of their 3DS announcements too. The biggest surprises were probablyProject P-100andNintendo Land, though few people (including myself) felt encouraged by the announcement of a new mini-game collection featuring Nintendo-themed characters. Sure, actually playingNintendo Landwas a lot of fun, but it’s not the kind of game you want toclose your show with.
Cut to a couple of weeks later and Nintendo holds an online press conference that’s packed with new announcements. The3DS is getting an upgraded SKUthat’s cool enough to entice to those who don’t have a 3DS, but not such a huge change that it might alienate those who already purchased the console. We got first news aboutthe upcoming 3DS/Wii USmash Bros.since E3 2011. We got announcement of paid DLC forNew Super Mario Bros. 2.We got updates on the development of the nextBrain Trainingtitle,Animal Crossing,Kirby’s Dream Collection, the nextCuldcepttitle,tons of new eShop VC games, anda lot more. We even got the release of a demo forKingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance.
Why do you think Nintendo didn’t announce this stuff at E3? Isn’t the point of E3 to come out with all guns blazing to prove that you’re the very best (like no one ever was?) Did it make more sense for Nintendo to spread out their big announcements over the course of the month, in order to extend their time in the public eye? And which presentation was more exciting for you, Nintendo Direct June 2012 or E3 2012? Could the days where all the big announcements happen at E3 be coming to a close?
