E3 2019 Nintendo Booth Tour

Highlights: Nintendo Booth Tour E3 2019

When my meeting started, the Ninetendo representative handed me the list of the games queued up for demo:

• Pokemon Sword &  Pokemon Shield
• Luigi’s Mansion 3
• The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening
• MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black
  Order
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020
• New Super Lucky’s Tale

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3:The Black Order

Of course, being a fan of both Marvel and fighting games, I started with MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3:The Black Order. Nintendo has always been good at providing multiplayer experiences and this E3 did not disappoint.  I played a three player match during the demo, but the game supports up to four players in either local or online multiplayer. The best part of this game is the ability to play with an updated roster of Marvel, including Black Panther and Captain Marvel.  Our team consisted of Storm (my chosen hero), Captain Marvel, and Black Panther.  In addition to the typical melee and ranged attacks, each character has special abilities that become available after charging through battle. The trailer is available at the Marvel Untlimate Alliance 3 official website.

MARVEL ULTIMATE ALLIANCE 3: The Black Order releases July 19, 2019 and is exclusive to the Nintendo Switch.

I was worried that jumping right into Marvel Ultimate Alliance, might have made me jaded about the other games. The games continued to impress. I’d never played Luigi’s mansion before, the game premise, and the avoiding ghosts, was a good throwback to my days avoiding ghosts in Mario franchise. Confession, I was not good at it, and the Nintendo booth tour guide had to keep helping get me through the experience.  Because we were having such a great time, I didn’t get to play all the games in my alloted time.  I didn’t get to play Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 or New Super Lucky’s Tale, so can’t address those here.

The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening

I am not an experienced Zelda player, but this game was a good introduction to the world and story. There were a number of noteworthy observations I’d like to discuss about the The Legend of Zelda: Links Awakening demo.  Most natably was the attention that the UX team payed to reduce immersion breaks through the maps and menus. The developers of Links Awakening appear to have made an experience that is great for the avid fan, but also transcends to create an engaging experience for players completely new to Zelda.

Pokemon Sword &  Pokemon Shield

My other highlight from the Nintendo E3 2019 Booth tour was the opportunity to play Pokemon Sword &  Pokemon Shield.  I was very excited to see the new pokemon, and was even more excited to show my daughters.  This was only overshadowed by the Dynamax power. With Dynamax, one of your team’s pokemon per battle can grow to be a very large and superpowered version of itself.  Dynamax mechanic allows the targetted pokemon to have a max moves with extra damage and effects.  This, along with the multiplayer teams, creates a higher need to a more strategic approach to game play.

Since I’m writing this a month after E2, I can add the extra mechanic a Gigantamaxing a pokemon in battle.  This feature changes the size and the appearance of the Pokemon in  battle.

Pokemon Sword &  Pokemon Shield will be available November 15, 2019.

While I didn’t play Wolfenstein Youngblood on the Switch, I did play on PC in the Bethesda meeting.  This co-op game allows two players to be the amazing, butt-kicking and funny twins: Jess and Soph Blazkowicz.  Even playing with a stranger, the gameplay was true to the Wolfenstein style, with a bit of humor interspersed.

An exciting feaure that Bethesda provides for this game is the “Buddy Pass” which allows one player to buy the buddy pass for an additional $10 USD and then play through the game with a friend who hasn’t purchased the game.  Youngblood will come out on July 26, 2019, per Bethesda.

Overall Experience of the Nintendo Booth

Approaching the grandeur of the Nintendo booth during E3 2019 was just as magical as the last two times, and it will probably never get old for me.  The booth takes up a good section, maybe 20%,  of the Well Hall of the Los Angeles Convention Center and the signs for the Nintendo booth can be seen as you enter the hall.  Having an opportunity to interview staff from Nintendo, a company that brought me so much joy in my youth, is still mind blowing.  Aside from feeling like a child in the shadow of their larger than life Nintendo, I’m also happy that Nintendo is a sustainable company with 2.8 Billion in profits this year, as reported by Forbes. Fans of gaming in general, and Nintendo specifically, can celebrate the significant impact Nintendo has on the games industry.