This week's Nintendo Direct has now digested, and if you still need to catch up you can check out our big summary of the news for the full lowdown. After the last broadcast went big with some significant reveals, it was a more measured approach this time around, with the running time fleshed out with plenty of coverage for Pikmin 3, alongside some other eagerly awaited release dates.
It wasn't all more of the same, however, with some new reveals arriving on the scene, particularly of a SEGA flavour; Sonic's making a home on Nintendo hardware in the coming year, with Sonic: Lost World sure to intrigue ahead of more details being unleashed. Now that the dust has settled some of your humble Nintendo Life team members have decided to give their views on Nintendo's latest broadcast, and how it stacked up.
Anthony Dickens
Perhaps not the strongest Nintendo Direct, but personally I'd rather have this consistent trickle of information over holding back everything to just a few key announcements.
The partnership/deal with SEGA is quite interesting; I wonder if Nintendo will advise on game development, as the blue hedgehog still needs help adjusting to 3D, something Nintendo has completely nailed with Mario.
Talking of 3D Mario, it'll be great to see what shape Super Mario Galaxy 3 — or whatever it'll be — is looking in come E3. I think it's clear that Nintendo is working on a number of first party franchises at the moment, it just needs to get the release dates lined up nicely over the next couple of years.
New Super Luigi U amuses me; Nintendo's first proper foray into DLC for a console Mario game and they go and release it as a stand-alone game - amusing, but I welcome it - I'll be trying to get my hands on the retail version no doubt.
Finally, it's great to see The Wonderful 101 get a release date, I hope Nintendo promote this one with some guts, it could be a big seller in the west with the right marketing.
Mike Mason
This wasn't a blockbuster Nintendo Direct, as many may have hoped given the content of the last few, but it was an essential precursor to the E3 mayhem that will descend in just a few weeks. By putting out release dates and, in the case of Pikmin 3, plenty of extra information and footage, Nintendo cleared some of its decks in preparation for next month's presumably larger Nintendo Direct/s.
Pikmin 3 looks fantastic, and it's great to finally have date confirmation for it and The Wonderful 101 – the infamous launch window looks to be coming to its end at last. Considering the announced titles, probable surprises to be shown off at E3 and this release information, Wii U is set up for a strong six months at the back-end of 2013.
The big news of this Direct, however, was that Nintendo has picked up publishing and distribution rights for the next three Sonic the Hedgehog titles, launching exclusively on 3DS and Wii U. We already know of two of the games – Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympic Games and the mysterious Sonic: Lost World – but the third remains under wraps for now.
As a SEGA child, it's still ever-so-slightly strange to me to see Sonic on Nintendo platforms, and this takes it a huge stride further. Sonic's star may have lost some of its sparkle over the years due to sub-par titles, but he can still be a huge draw, particularly on Nintendo platforms – this is a superb pick-up for Nintendo, and I'm anticipating further third party partnerships such as this.
Tom Whitehead
In truth, my very first reaction when this Nintendo Direct finished was that of disappointment, sharing some rather crude criticisms with some fellow NL writers. That was for the first five minutes, but then I reflected on the wider picture and changed my tune to "well, it wasn't bad".
And that's pretty much where I stand overall. I think Nintendo was wise to weigh in with the SEGA news as something genuinely new for fans to chew over, and I'm cautiously optimistic. Even though I experienced the obnoxiously buggy PC port of Sonic Generations, I thought there were flashes of good form that should be polished and improved for Lost World.
The release dates were all good though, as I decided after an initial pang of frustration, as it outlined some genuinely excellent content coming in the Summer months. Pikmin 3 and New Super Luigi U (DLC for a lower price, in my case) should be a lot of fun, and I absolutely cannot wait for The Wonderful 101. Considering it's not far away, the lack of footage frustrated me, as based on my limited time with the game I think it merited a lot more than a new logo.
Overall though, this was a taster, a starter or a plate of canapes — or whatever other food-related descriptions I can think of. E3's presentation — who knows, maybe there'll be more than one — will be where it's at, and this one was directed at existing Wii U owners, saying "fret not, within 2-3 months you'll have some awesome games to play". It wasn't magical and didn't get my pulse racing, but maybe not every Nintendo Direct can realistically have that effect.
Andy Green
This Nintendo Direct presentation was hardly the largest one we've ever seen but it certainly had some great elements to it. I'm glad we got more information on the single player campaign of Pikmin 3, though it's a shame plucky old Olimar has been retired. The game looks gorgeous and I like the fact it's returned to a similar style we witnessed in the original GameCube title. I really can't wait for Pikmin 3 - it's one of the main reasons I picked up the Wii U in the first place!
I suspect the main highlight for a lot of people is the Sonic announcements and I'm looking forward to seeing more of Lost World. Unfortunately, my faith in Sonic adventure titles has all but diminished but if this is a side-scroller then I will be uber-excited. I'm hoping it will be what with it also being on 3DS.
However, the game I'm probably most excited for is Game & Wario, as it looks like it does a tremendous job of really utilising the GamePad. It just looks like so much fun! Wii U should be about packing as many people into your living room as possible and just having a good time - and it looks as though Game & Wario will achieve that!
It's likely this is the last Nintendo Direct before the big E3 ones, so I think it did a good job of setting the scene. At least we now know when some of the most anticipated games, such as The Wonderful 101, will be released.
Ron DelVillano
I think it's great that new Sonic games are coming to Nintendo consoles and we finally have release dates for The Wonderful 101 and New Super Luigi U, but overall, I was a bit disappointed in this broadcast. While I understand that the point of the Nintendo Direct videos is to get gamers excited about what's coming up from The Big N, I feel like most of this information could have been pared down to a Miiverse/Swapnote announcement, or maybe a friendly email. It's a good effort on Nintendo's part, but announcing things like a discount on upcoming Virtual Console games and detailing Pikmin 3's gameplay feels much more like filler than substantial news worthy of a Nintendo Direct.
Nintendo wants to stay in constant contact with the gamers, but it's already backfiring. The intention with releasing the Nintendo Direct broadcasts is to keep gamers in the loop of what's going on and what's coming out, but when they don't have any real announcements to make beyond very basic teasers (I'm looking at you, new Sonic games), then it just becomes nonessential information being shared just for the sake of staying relevant. As much as I enjoy seeing the videos and hearing the news, I think that Nintendo needs to save the ND broadcasts for when they actually have major announcements to make, or else they're going to start losing interest.
But these are all just my opinions based on one Nintendo Direct, so really, what could I possible know? Believe it or not, I look forward to the next one!
Morgan Sleeper
This might have been a smaller Nintendo Direct than the last few, but as a longtime SEGA fan it was one of my favourites. I'm definitely excited about the new Sonic games, especially after the excellent Sonic Colours, and Wii U exclusivity is a big deal - if there's one company I'd love for Nintendo to have an 'unprecedented partnership' with, it's SEGA! I was also happy to hear that more Game Gear titles are on their way to the 3DS Virtual Console, and I can't wait to play Sonic Drift 2 again!
Taking off my SEGA shades for a moment though, I think the coolest announcement was Nintendo's plans for an interactive E3 at Best Buy. The E3 excitement is one thing when you read about and watch other people playing the latest unreleased games, but I imagine it will be quite another when we get to play them ourselves! I'm hopeful that they'll carry this 'power to the players' idea to its logical conclusion and also put some demos up on the eShop, so that people outside the US and Canada - or who don't live near a Best Buy - will be able to share in the fun, but at the very least I think this will be a great way to get people interested in the Wii U. Roll on June 11!
So that's what we thought, but what about you? Let us know in the poll and comments below.
What did you think of the Nintendo Direct on 17th May? (223 votes)
- I thought it was excellent
- It was pretty good overall
- I was a little disappointed, but not too much
- It was a let-down, I expected more
- I'm not sure how I feel
- Meh, I can't choose one of those options
Please login to vote in this poll.
Comments 54
For me it was just good.
This Nintendo Direct was just to give info and release dates in some games so they don't need to waste time with all that in Nintendo's Direct E3.
I really hope that 3rd Sonic game is Sonic Adventure 3 I have been waiting almost all my life.
Really disapointed. I expected more from it other than 2 new games and a whole lot of features from games we already heard about.
I think it's a positive that they seem to be getting the majority of the games we already know exist - and have seen before - out of the way before their all important E3 Nintendo Directs.
That is, of course, assuming this is the strategy they've actually adopted. Who knows, really?
I liked the Pikmin 3 coverage; it's been a while since we've heard so much solid information about it and the variety of control schemes is promising.Game seems to be shaping up well.
as Tom said this was aimed at existing WiiU owners which isn't exactly the right approach right now. Basically "please don't tell anyone about any slight disappointment you might have". The Wii never had any such problem because people were freaking out about the cool controller, that's why so many bought it fast (later some disappointment came from 'core' gamers, but it sold).
The WiiU has no such appeal so it's it's strange that they're still expecting random iphone users to suddenly want one (judging by the content) but also expecting it to look all 'next gen' to hardcore gamers, which it just doesn't.
If you own one you'll probably argue that it's fine that it's not all "hardcore", sure that's cool, but just who IS the WiiU target audience? I feel like I have a little bit of both of those targets in me and it's not quite satisfying either one clearly.
These directs are just weird to me; who cares about these trickles of info about things announced a year ago besides us Nintendo nerds on this site? They need to make some real ads for the masses and stop with these weird fan service home videos until the system is actually selling.
It was alright. They told us exactly what to expect beforehand and then they delivered on it. If there was any shred of disappointment, it was only your own fault.
Considering the eshop is capable of handling demoes i fail to see why they arent also going that route for e3. I get if you dont own the console it would be nice to try all the awesome games before you buy but i already own wii u. Id love to try the demoes of new 3dprofile mario but the closest best buy to me, at an hour away, most likely isnt even 1care of the 100
Also I hate typing on smartphones.
I think the game that caught my attention most was Game & Wario. There are some nice little touches in it's presentation, but hopefully it's fun too. Then again, how could it not be?
Too much Wii U and not enough 3ds
Too much Wii U and not enough 3ds
@ngamer155 You need to stop having high expectations for a Non-E3 Nintendo Direct. It's silly to expect them to make big announcements at a Nintendo Direct in May. They are saving the good stuff for E3
It was pretty good overall, I just wish it was a bit longer and that they showed a bit more gameplay for some of the games.
I think people need to realized that this is the first of many Nintendo directs that are coming, Nintendo has stated that there will be many of them during E3 so I doubt we have even hit the best parts. my guess is they are going to have a few games on each and go into a lot of depth on each one for a game or two and then minor details about other stuff.
@ferthepoet Too much Wii U? Are you kidding me? That's what Wii U needs to start selling again. Nintendo shouldn't be talking about 3DS at all so be happy they still talked about it
It seems like there is a lot of negativity around this direct. I do not really no why; it does not seem bad to me. I really liked it, although I have not seen the previous installments.
I think I said enough about this the past 2 days (I haven't even checked my emails yet, I'll probably spend the afternoon explaining/defending myself) but 1 thing I'ld like to say from about a month ago:
After all the E3 build-up last year for Pikmin 3, and the 2 delays (launch window to Q2, Q2 to Q3) and all the NDs, I felt Pikmin 3 was slighted by announcing it's release date in a Tweet. I know Tweeting is the "in thing" right now, but I would have preferred a big "ta da" moment in 1 of the NDs. I know it's a small thing, and judging by the few replies Pikmin 3 posts get nobody cares about this game but me, but it's how I feel. I hope it at least gets a WiiU kiosk makeover like the 3DS did for Luigi's Mansion. Or a skin. Or toys. Poor rejected Olimar.
Not as good as others, but the real cat is gonna break out of the bag in less than a month so I felt this did a good job on the Wii U front lacking on the 3DS side of things. Not like the 3DS needs anything else right now!
I liked the ND. I think those who were disappointed should have known better than to have expected a megaton.
I don't see why people are complaining, Nintendo is clearing some of their older announced titles out the way so that we have a cleaner slate for E3 announcements. The reason that they put a few sega games is so that we feel it was not all old content and the Lost World announcement was so that we can hype it for E3.
The one disappointing thing was when they were talking about the E3 experience for fans, I was sure that meant they were gonna beam game demos to my 3DS... but the Best Buy thing is good enough, I suppose.
I feel that the recent Nintendo Direct was pretty good overall. I was surprised that they had Wii U exclusive Sonic titles in development with one currently unannounced. I also felt that bringing E3 demos to BestBuy was a great move by Nintendo since E3 has been more for the press than anyone else recently. This could give the Wii U and its future games the wide spread attention it needs. For the next Nintendo Direct, I hope Nintendo blows minds with announcements of games so I can be further convinced to buy a Wii U.
It would have been better if monster hunter 4 was announced for NA and EU I also wish that they had announced the release dates for the new legend of zelda and wind Waker hd then it would have been awesome also I wasn't impressed by any of the other games
@Yellowgerbil
My thoughts exactly!
Other than some sexy new Pikmin 3 info the main thing I took away was that the next Nintendo Direct is BEFORE E3
For finally slaying the ghost of the now infamous "launch window" and setting the scene for a much more momentous E3 direct i thought the execution was execelent. Now lets all get our bodys ready and our mother brains super stoaked for the real "GOODS" in just a couple of weeks soooo exicited
It was good. A little disappointed (I expected another X-like surprise at the end. Oh well), but when Iwata confirmed the exclusivity (Sonic) deal with SEGA, I started squeeing like a little girl
@ferthepoet Dude, the two previous Nintendo Directs were all about the 3DS. Besides, people need to be more concerned about Wii U, not the 3DS. The 3DS already has a massive library with more games coming and the Wii U hardly has anything. It's a really good thing that Nintendo talked about the upcoming Wii U games because that's what us Wii U owners are looking forward too. Please watch the directs from February and April if you want to see 3DS announcements not Wii U ones.
The partnership with BestBuy makes perfect sense. To those who want to play demos on their consoles, fear not. I'm sure all games playable at BestBuy will get their own demos the month of release. Let's not be ignorant here. The partnership is about one thing and one thing only- advertisement. For one, crowds of people are not going to see you playing a demo of Smash Bros if you're at home on your WiiU. And secondly, potential customers can't see and play for themselves with eShop demos, just the people who already own the console. And if these demos were playable via eShop, no one would go to BestBuy! They NEED people to go to Best Buy to generate hype for the unsuspecting potential customer to see, so that they, as a result, get hyped themselves, and hopefully will purchase a WiiU or put it on their Christmas list. Nuff said.
I was a little disappointed, but some of the news was just great. The first few showings like New Luigui U, Mario and Donkey Kong: Minis on the move was quite interesting, and, the thing that excited me most, the new Sonic game! Sega had major success in colors and generations and Nintendo has always impressed, so Sonic: The Lost Worlds is really interesting to hear about. The new winter games looks neat too. The middle was really stuff I didn't have much care about, however, the end was great. E3 will be held in around 100 Blockbusters around the U.S and Canada and could be the potential for a Wii U Metroid game (Yes! ) The upcoming Mario Kart, 3D Mario game, and new Smash Bros. are also great games to hear about. I'm really excited for the new Sonic games and the future Nintendo releases. Most of this is awesome news.
Not Blockbusters, Best Buy is where E3 will be held.
@JaxonH good point they want to generate human traffic in the actual stores very coy of them
I liked it well enough but wish their was a little more info on some of the 3rd party titles I am interested in being Dues EX and Sniper v2. Nintendo needs to be reaching out to devs with games coming soon and say 'hey we want to help promote your title send us so demo footage to include.'
That said I think the Sega announcement is a big deal,and the Winter game looks slick and supports a bunch of varied control schemes for different events which looks cool. If Sony or Microsoft had announced an exclusive deal with a major developer like Sega it would have been huge news everywhere so I feel this being largely overlooked by mainstream gaming press is one more example of anti Nintendo bias going on now. Game and Wario looks really fun and is going to be cheap as well at $40. I have very fond memories of the DS titles so if they can capture that element they will have a fun party game. Pikman 3 is looking really good. The environment grafx are certainly looking very crisp and next gen to eye. Again impressed by the variety of controller support and off tv option. I can't wait to hear the multiplayer and online features as if they handle it right it could be a really breakout game for Nintendo in the online arena.
Can't wait for E3 directs and hope they do both lengthy and separate videos for 3DS and Wii-U. I too think the back end of 2013 is really going to make up for the drought we have had in the first half of the year.
I really believe that sales will pick up after some great software is released.
I don't think Nintendo Direct broadcasts need to be huge, ground-moving announcements. It's still pretty early in Nintendo's endeavors when it comes to these broadcasts, so I think jumping to rash conclusions that people are going to "start to lose interest" if every Direct doesn't get your heart racing with excitement is a bit preemptive,
I say give them time, and don't expect every broadcast to be more monumental than the last. Honestly, we can't expect "E3" every time Nintendo decides to show off some of its products.
It was about what I expected, but maybe they could have thrown in some Virtual Console news. The next SNES games or even another system added to it.
I guess I have been spoiled by recent ND, but I still don't feel that disappointed. I appreciated the Pikmin footage and 101 getting a release date.
The New Luigi U tears me as now I have to decide which version to get. That box looks sweet but it is coming two months later at a higher price.
And I support Morgan about having the demos to be downloaded as well. Can't we be Wii U Ambassadors to entice our friends who may not be able to go to a Best Buy? I understand the traffic thing but downloadable demos won't overshadow that. With having them after E3 is over would be enough for me.
In my humble opinion, this is one occasion where getting the physical copy (Luigi U) over the digital is just plain not worth it. Normally I swing both ways and understand both sides, but is the physical box really worth ten dollars more?
My answer is no, personally.
I don't understand how people could be disappointed, yes it wasn't as packed with new things as the previous Ninty Directs were but you have to keep in mind E3 is nearing and Nintendo wants to keep all extra surprises in the waits till then.
I think you expectations going into the directs have a big impact on whether or not you enjoy them. I liked this one because it was exactly what i expected, plus a surprise Sonic announcement. If you were expecting more than that, you were bound to be disappointed.
I think they were saving the the really big stuff for E3, but even then I love the Nintendo Directs, if every company in the industry did something like this it would be awesome!
If announcing a big deal with sega for 3 sonic games, one of which sounds like a sonic adventure type game, doesn't do anything for you people I don't know what will.
i'm saving myself for the E3 nintendo direct. that'll be when the really big stuff happens.
Well the only thing I thought was interesting were the GG games coming out. It's about time, since I never had a GG when I was a kid and thus never played any of these games. I want Columns and G-LOC.
Ultimately, I think the purpose of this was to let players know the last details of what has been announced so that they don't have to waste anytime at the e3 direct on any weak punches. There will be a strong e3 lineup from what we've heard with nearly every franchise represented.
Overall, I thought it was pretty good. Was I expecting ball-busting and earth pounding announcements? No! We are close to the E3 show so why would Nintendo make huge announcements BEFORE the big event? (YES, even though the fact stands that they are not going to have a presentation like Microsoft and Sony.)
They will show off their games and I have faith that Nintendo is holding on some good stuff and they will share it with us at E3.
They need more that pink ants were are the big titles soft is unleashing the xbox3
@Mr_Trill281
Never underestimate Nintendo at all, mister. We need more Wii U news including the release date of each and every game. Releasing New Super Luigi U, Pikmin 3, and The Wonderful 101 are just the beginning of the Big N's rebirth of the U.
Sure this Nintendo Direct may not be what everyone wanted but the way I see it is this, at least Nintendo Fans are getting SOMETHING rather than nothing. Look at Sony and Micro$oft for example, do they ever release or hold something similar like Nintendo Direct? Absolutely NOT! Unless they are announcing a new system or some convention then yeah they release some video to hype the crowd but other than that they never do anything to keep the fans in the news or up to date. I always enjoy watching Nintendo Direct on my 3DS or Nintendo Wii U because I feel like Nintendo is allowing the fans to enter the Nintendo Home and learn about interesting stuff that Nintendo is working on or whatnot. Even the videos where some Developer is talking for 5-10 mins are interesting too because most companies like Sony and Micro$oft they have that policy where employees or developers are not allowed to talk about the games or current state of the system at all unless they get permission. So the next time Nintendo does another Nintendo Direct I will be there to watch it on the 3DS or Wii U because it's fun and interesting! It almost feels like we are a part of a secret Nintendo Fun Club in some ways!
@Mr_Trill281: And I really hate when people post just to rile other people up. :3
@theblackdragon Personally, I just really hate pineapple on pizza.
I imagined it wasn't going to be as big of a ND as other times just because it's obvious they are saving the heavy arsenal for E3, with this said i don't think this ND was bad but i'm sure i speak for many Nintendo fans.... I have high expectations for the next ND, hope we get to see Mario 3D, Mario kart, Super Smash bros, Legend of zelda (not wind waker HD), Sonic Lost world, Earthbound, retro's IP, and the wii u summer update... Not sure if I missed something
I'm a little confused as to why so many people thought that this last Nintendo Direct was just okay. I thiink that it brought so much to the table. Release dates, SEGA partnership (AMAZING!), new Sonic games, Demos playable at Best Buys around the country during E3 (much better than one Press Conference), Pikmin footage...and the more I see of Wonderful 101, the more I'm in love!
While I loved the Galaxy games, I really hope the new 3D Mario is not Galaxy 3...
I'd prefer the setting to be in Mario's world - you know with castles and stuff, a la Mario 64...
I have always loved the sonic franchise! Hope this instalment on Nintendo ,hope it can at the very least keep up with the sega games. At the best I hope it knocks our socks off!
@WiiURockz Its just my opinion.
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