Big at E3 2006: Talkin' 'bout the Next-Generation

Written by John Scalzo  on May 10, 2006

Specials: How many Wii jokes could a game writer make if a game writer could make Wii?

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With the Press Conferences behind us it's time to look ahead to the show itself and the mass of loud music, booth babes and flashing lights that is E3.

While it's hard to pick a winner before E3 even starts, I have a sinking feeling that I already know who will come out of this E3 looking the worst: Sony.

The thinking was that by going first they could get the drop on everybody and shock the world with some big announcements that no one saw coming. Maybe even show off that new-look controller they've been promising. And that's what happened, but I don't believe it had the desired effect.

The controller was a dud. As much as people hated the boomerang (and I actually thought it looked pretty nifty), the Dual Shock 2 retread (now with a stripped down version of Nintendo's motion sensor!) was an even bigger bust. The D-pad is still sitting in the prime real estate of the absolute left. By a show of hands, who else is sick to death of reaching over to the middle of the controller for the analog stick? Because I know I am.

But the controller was quickly pushed aside when Sony announced a release date (November 17, as expected) and a price ($500 for a system with a 20 GB HDD or $600 for a 60 Gig model). Not two days ago I predicted Sony would never announce the price of something that was still six months away and I was proven wrong. I'll bet right about now they wished they had listened to me and a lot of other amateur Miss Cleos. The sticker shock felt through the geek community was loud. Wallets cringed. Credit cards crumpled. Checkbooks caught fire. Six hundred dollars? For a console? What was Sony thinking?

And then later the real truth would come out. You want true HD output? Not available in the $500 system. You want memory card slots? Not available in the $500 system. You want Wi-Fi? Not available in the $500 system. This is way beyond the 360's Core and Full systems, which are only separated by a hard drive that can be purchased separately. These two stickers represent two completely different game consoles. "Krazy" Ken Kutaragi was even quoted later as saying that the PS3 is a wholly different experience and comparing the price of the systems was ridiculous. Well watch this Ken: the PS3 is too ****ing expensive.

What's even worse for Sony is that the "unmatched power of the PS3" is getting pretty well matched on every front. Nearly every major game for the PS3 (sans the big exclusives like Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy) are scheduled to release for both the PS3 and the Xbox 360. And there's none more major than the four words that every Sony executive will curse until his dying day: Grand Theft Auto Four. This next-gen battle is very quickly turning into a coin toss that will leave Nintendo as the real winner because anyone with the means will choose a PS3 or an Xbox 360 AND a Wii to get the most bang for their buck.

Now, allow me to pass it to Nintendo editor Michelle Villanueva with some of her thoughts on the show so farЕ

Okay, forget for a moment that Nintendo decided to name the thing Wii. I mean, when I was a kid, we'd invite friends over to "play Nintendo". Okay, so back then, the NES was the only console available, but this practice carried over to when the SNES was released, and the N64. It was always "Let's play Nintendo". Strange name aside, with the new motion-sensitive controller, more and more people will have a chance to "play Nintendo". Clearly, this was the purpose. Heck, the last time my mom picked up a videogame controller, it was for the Atari 2600, which had one control stick and a single button. I honestly think the Wii might get her back to playing videogames again. It's simple; it's intuitive; and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out. I say bring on the Wii, and let's still call it "playing Nintendo".

The more I see the Nintendo Wii in action, the more I actually want to pre-order the thing so that I'll have it on launch. Skeptics need look no further than the recent Twilight Princess demo at E3. Sure, we're used to pressing button combos that allow Link to do his attacks, but this will be taken to a whole new level thanks to the innovative Wii controller. I'm most excited about what this means for the fishing mini-game. Although Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess was first imagined as a GameCube title, Nintendo seems to be trying awfully hard to push it as a Wii launch game. Not that I'm complaining too much. It's great that they haven't completely abandoned the GC, but Nintendo's savvy enough to know that many a fanboy and fangirl will salivate over a new console. Nintendo needs its big franchises to help launch the new system, and there won't be anything bigger than Zelda...except that little plumber named Mario.

And then there's Resident Evil for Wii. Let's ponder that for a moment. Let's imagine sitting in a dark room with nothing but the Remote and Nunchuck in your hands, moving the character through the latest offering in survival horror. Perhaps your character has a flashlight, and you can only see certain illuminated areas at a time. The darkness is oppressive. You can't tell where you're going half the time. You think you saw something move near the dim edges of the light. Should you go there or shouldn't you? Your flashlight shines on a zombie closing in for the attack, and then you must fumble through your inventory to reach your weapon before Mr. Undead goes for your brains. Thankfully, we won't have to just imagine how this would work. Capcom has announced that Resident Evil is coming to the Wii. Get your arsenal (and probably a change of underwear) ready.

We'll have more E3 news, specials and speculation throughout the week. So be sure to keep checking back for round-the-clock updates as time (and our sleeping schedules) permits.