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E3 2004: NINTENDO DS: HANDS-ON WITH EVERY E3 GAME!
Massive pre-E3 preview as we get exclusive access to the system everyone is talking about - find out about the titles which are setting handheld gaming on fire inside
0:53 May 12, 2004 has been, without doubt, the most significant day in the gaming calendar so far this year. Why? Because both Sony and Nintendo unveiled their new handheld consoles and with them, outlined dramatically different strategies which have already shifted the battle lines in the console war.
While Nintendo paraded DS in front of a packed and highly charged audience at its pre-E3 press conference this morning, it only showed two games, and there were certainly no hands-on opportunities, which do not begin in earnest until tomorrow when the show officially opens.
Which makes us all the more grateful for being invited along by Nintendo to an exclusive hands-on session at its booth in West Hall yesterday afternoon, where we experienced first hand Nintendo's latest incredible hardware and played every last game on the booth.
If you haven't yet read our in-depth impressions of the hardware itself, we suggest you do that right away, (go here for the action) then sit back, relax and read your fill of our comprehensive impressions of the complete line-up, in advance of tomorrow's show.
Wario Ware Inc. DS
Oh boy, did this come as a pleasant surprise. One of our all-time favourite games and this writer's top and most played game of 2003 is recreated on DS and inexplicably it's even more fun.
Wario on DS retains the frenetic randomness of the original GBA game whilst offering a whole new series of mini-games created specifically for use with the stylus. On the version we played, you have 40 seconds to clear as many games as you can, ranging from the fiendishly taxing to the downright absurd. Rotate a 3D Wario head with the stylus until you reveal his face; tap cards in numerical order; separate items with a skilfully drawn line; swipe to cut a rope and drop the cage. We're already in love with this demo, which is a dead cert to make a full release and is exactly the type of innovative software which will make the competition go green with envy.
Super Mario 64 x 4
Good old Nintendo; we spend 365 days a year muck-raking through this fine industry to uncover developer's deepest, darkest secrets, but time and again Nintendo is usually the only company which manages to keep its biggest titles completely under wraps until D-Day.
And this pay dividends on Monday when we were stunned to discover a brand new 3D Mario game exclusively for DS. Super Mario 64 x 4 the demo is a superb remix of the opening castle grounds stage of the genre-defining N64 classic, turned into a frenzied multiplayer romp.
Choosing from classic Mario character such as Mario, Wario and Yoshi, players leap into the memorable fray in a competitive pursuit for stars. The game supports up to four-player simultaneous action, via wireless connection which works with only one cartridge. 64 x 4 doesn't use the stylus for the main action, just the D-pad and button configuration, and while the control attempts to ape that of Mario 64, it's a little on the sluggish side at this stage, but nothing a good old tweak shouldn't fix.
The top screen is an overhead map which shows the locations of other players and stars; if another player grabs a star, you can knock it out of their hands with a well-times punch. Stars can be hidden in high places so you'll need Mario's old feather cap from Mario 64 to fly around, and you'll also find the sparkling little bleeders hidden in trees and even on the end of Chain Chomp's tail.
You can use the stylus to tap the map screen, which changes the display to that particular area; if you tap again you go back to the map screen. This means you don't have to actually journey to the location itself to check it out.
To see what is effectively a hi-res version of Super Mario 64 running on a handheld is a truly breathtaking experience, and one which we dearly hope gets the care and attention it deserves to turn it into a fully fledged standalone tite.
Metroid Prime Hunters
Metroid Prime Hunters is, without question, the title which will define Nintendo's excellent DS unveiling at E3 2004 and quickly raises itself as an obvious candidate for 'killer app'.
To see a game running on a system you previously had grave doubts about, which ends up looking pretty darned lose to Metroid Prime on GameCube is a real shock to the system. To then discover that the stylus controller effectively changes the face of the FPS gaming is a real moment to savour. Indeed, despite having played it the day before, this writer still got shivers down his spine when the game showed up on the big screen today, received by a deafening chorus of cheers from attendees.
Once you get over the beautiful visuals, you get to appreciate the unique gamestyle in full. Buttons and d-pad work the same for left- and right-handed players, moving you backwards and forwards, left and right. With the stylus, you can then tap and drag to spin Samus 360 degrees, and tapping the stylus on the screen also shoots your weapon. Furthermore, you can hold it on the screen to charge, use the shoulder buttons to lock onto an enemy, tap the icons to switch weapons or go into morph ball mode.
As in Mario, the top screen serves as a map showing where power ups and enemies are located, and displays status messages and info about who has just been killed and so on. A fully realised single-player game is planned as well and we simply cannot wait to get our hands on the game again. Developed by NST, if you are attending E3, check out the intro movie to the game for a good indication of the power of DS.
Pac-Pix
Despite the brilliance of Mario, Wario and Metroid, our favourite DS game may well be a third-party offering from Namco. And it's a Pac-Man game. Pac-Mix is just plain inspired, one of those off-the-wall, yet utterly compelling ideas which DS will hopefully facilitate in great numbers, with the unique functionality it offers.
On the top screen you have information including a bottle of ink; on the bottom you have a phalanx of pesky ghosts and a pen operated by the stylus. Here's the clever bit: you have to draw Pac-Man, and if you get the shape roughly right, your creation is suddenly animated into life and dashes off after the ghosts. Being careful with your ink, you wait for more ghosts to appear and draw more Pac-Men to deal with them. If you have a lot of ink you can draw a huge one whose ravenous mouth is the size of the screen, or you can draw a dinkier model which requires greater manipulation.
Speaking of which, you guide Pac-Man by drawing lines in his path. Depending on which direction you draw the line, Pac-Man will move in that direction; draw top-to-bottom, Pac-Man goes top-to-bottom. You can also draw really ugly Pac-Mans but the technology is good enough to animate it into gameplay; the only rule is you must start with the V mouth and end at the top. Also, if a ghost hits you before you finish, then you'll have to start over.
It might be a bit cheeky to palm this off as a full game, but regardless, you simply have to experience the gameplay to understand just what DS is capable of. We'll try and get you a movie of it in action just as soon as we can.
Mario's Face - DS tech demo
A neat demo which shows off the unit's 3D capabilities and the manipulation offered by the stylus. Mario 64 fans will recall this from the title screen of Super Mario 64, then a demonstration of the power of N64. You just grab parts of Mario's face with the stylus and stretch and contort them. There are various icons which we couldn't exactly decipher the functions of, but often cause Mario's 3D head to be sucked up a pipe from the bottom, into a 2D traditional Mario scene with Wario on the top screen. We've no idea why, but it looked kind of cool.
Pikachu - DS tech demo
It wouldn't be a Nintendo handheld without a Pokemon title now, would it? So say hello to Pikachu. In Pokemon Park. Who wants you to "tease and tickle and tame" him. With the stylus. This assortment of twee mini-games is clearly aimed at the younger player: you get to play scratch card, strum along on a guitar to When The Saints Go Marching In, using the stylus; play the xylophone; pop balloons; and attempt to draw the whiny yellow git, only for it to turn round and say it's not impressed with your efforts. Stabbing Pikachi repeatedly in the eyes appeared to have no effect, so maybe the stylus isn't all that after all.
Very twee, but serves a useful purpose in highlighting the myriad possibilities DS offers to developers.
Balloon Trip
Another Miyamoto title and yet another cracker. Baby Mario (of Yoshi's Island fame) is falling from the sky in the top screen, while horrible things lurk below amidst gold coins and other goodies.
Armed with the stylus, players must draw lines of clouds to direct Baby Mario away from danger; you can also draw circles around certain baddies which then become encased in bubbles which Baby Mario can burst for extra points.
At the bottom of each vertically scrolling stage, Yoshi catches Baby Mario and the player's score is totted up. Deceptively simple, Balloon Trip proved to be by far one of the most diverting experiences on DS.
Sonic E3 demo
A flashy technical demo from Yuji Naka's Sonic Team which shows of the processing power of DS, while masquerading as a bizarre Track & Field-style clone. Sonic sprints in glorious 3D along a linear path along the top screen; the faster you rub the stylus from side-to-side, the quicker ol' spiky pegs it and you can jump for rings by tapping the top of the bottom screen.
Fast and furious though it is, Sonic seemed to be one of the more limited offerings, but would do well as a mini-game in a bigger adventure.
Pac'n'Roll
Another Namco effort as the company defies all logic by finding yet more ways to exploit its beleaguered mascot. Happily, this works very well; an isometric 3D version of the standard Pac-Man game, you use the stylus to guide Pac-Man around a maze, munching pills and ghosts along the way. This largely shows off the pinpoint accuracy with which the stylus can be employed, as Pac-Man really does do everything you tell it, by dragging along the bottom screen, effecting movement on the top one.
Bomberman
Hudson classic should be right at home on any handheld platform and looks in fine fettle on DS. Control is via standard pad and buttons, but if your character is haunted, you must quickly scribble with the stylus to reverse the situation, adding an extra layer of tension.
Egg Monster Hero
Drag allies towards enemies to attack on a 3D map, tapping the sector you wish to assault. We couldn't make head nor tail of this one, but it's by Square Enix so is probably worthy of further exploration.
Submarine - DS tech demo
Having subsequently discovered this is a Miyamoto project, we'd like to spend more time investigating the charms of this quirky title, which involves guiding craft to SOS points.
Yu-Gi-Oh - Nightmare Troubador
Big, crazy creatures fighting each other, with card-based gameplay effecting battles. Another confusing title, which needs a bit of time to get your head around, we suspect.
Mobile Suit Gundam
Smacks more of Bandai showing its support to Nintendo rather than a distinct game in its own right, Mobile Suit Gundam offers up flashy 3D space fighting, with aiming and firing taken care of with the stylus.
Carving - DS tech demo
Shows off the abilities of the hardware, as you chop your way through various produce by swiping the stylus across the screen. Nothing fancy, but a nice demo.
Table Hockey
Does what it says on the tin. Top-down view with you controlling the paddle and the puck with the stylus. Inoffensive and fun.
Special Effects Demo
More examples of the power of DS, with dazzling light and sound effects ripe for the tweaking via your friendly stylus.
That's the complete list of titles on display on Nintendo's cosy DS booth, which is likely to become unbearably busy over the next few days as members of the press fight like rabid dogs to go hands-on with Nintendo's new little wonder. Our time on the stand was mercifully much more relaxed, allowing us invaluable time to fully experience the various facets of Nintendo DS.
With a handful of absolutely superb demos and a range of quirky, clever technical displays, this amounts to a strong initial showing from Nintendo, with a sense that there's still so much more to come. Our main concern at this stage is that all the titles, beyond the novelty of the controls, seem a little limited.
However, it clearly wasn't Nintendo's desire or need to rock up to the show with complete games; what we have here are examples of the types of software we can expect in the near future from this hugely promising console, and with that in mind the future is looking very bright indeed. Rest assured we'll bring you anything and everything on DS as we get it.
Johnny Minkley
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