Ninty Executives

It seems that the clouds are starting to clear after an E3 day one that was largely full of rancour, disappointment and online fury. By day two the feelings lingered but started to ease off, and my hope is that as E3 heads towards its conclusion - and we all return to something resembling normality - we can reflect on the fact that things are a little better than they seemed. There are plenty of games on the way, not just at retail but on the eShop too, and some of them look marvellous.

My personal disappointment mainly rests on the upcoming Animal Crossing releases on 3DS and Wii U, which seem to be more intent on plugging amiibo than benefiting the franchise, and like many I think Metroid Prime: Federation Force would have been better in not being a Prime game. Unlike the Animal Crossing titles, though, I actually think that Federation Force looks like a relatively enjoyable game; the Treehouse demo on day one showed that it had some neat - albeit simple - puzzle aspects, and it looks like solid fun. When it comes to Next Level Games, I have confidence that the experience itself - disregarding branding - will be entertaining and well constructed.

Moving on from that controversy though, I genuinely believe that there are games worth looking forward to - not many are straight-up A-list smash hits, but nevertheless are experiences that should be worth a playthrough. The infographic below, from that fateful first day of E3, gives an idea of the decent flow of games on the way; it misses out a few notable names, too.

Click for a larger view

There are reasons to be pleased, I'd suggest, especially once we stop dwelling on the games we want that aren't coming, and simply consider what is actually on the way. Super Mario Maker looks like an outstanding effort, transforming from a promising but so-so app last year into a potentially glorious creative tool at this year's show. Then there's Star Fox Zero - our first impressions are mixed, and I think our man on the ground has made some great observations, but I'm keen to take a punt on it regardless. Even if it's rushed, a little primitive graphically and the ground sections look 'meh', I'm happy to dig into the new entry and see whether it evolves into one of the stronger showcases for the GamePad. That one is definitely an example where I'll let the heart rule the head.

Beyond those I hope that over-exposure to Yoshi's Woolly World won't put many off, as it's a top-notch platformer in its own style, while Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash should be harmless fun just like its predecessors. I absolutely cannot wait for Xenoblade Chronicles X, and let's not forget Devil's Third; though the violent shooter hasn't been shown at E3 - for reasons I plan to tackle once the LA event is done-and-dusted - it's a fascinating release that's on the way in August, with a solid North American date being the only question mark at this stage. Beyond that there are a handful of third-party titles, and we still have The Legend of Zelda coming to Wii U in 2016, as confirmed by Shigeru Miyamoto. [Update: Oh, and Fatal Frame: The Black Haired Shrine Maiden is coming this year, sorry for missing it initially!]

The 3DS retail picture is a little thinner, at least for my tastes, but that's only due to the fact that titles such as Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon and YO-KAI Watch don't appeal to me personally. I'm certainly excited about The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes - especially after reading the first impressions of one of our team in LA - and regular followers of our Treehouse live blog will know that I'm giddy about Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam. As a fan of Awakening I'm also keen on Fire Emblem Fates, and those last two games alone could devour dozens upon dozens of hours of playtime - not to mention Bravely Second End Layer, too. As for Hyrule Warriors Legends? I like the Wii U game but I'm not sure I want to buy it again, but for 3DS owners that missed out that's an excellent reveal.

Nindies@ Home

I've listed quite a few games there, and I haven't even got to the eShop. I'm a tad frustrated that, after launching the excellent Nindies@Home Wii U demo promotion, Nintendo has effectively skipped download games. The question is, why? Some of those demos are for hugely promising games, and for my money FAST Racing NEO absolutely knocked it out of the park on the Treehouse - be sure to catch up with that video in 720p / 60fps. There are a number of titles on the Wii U and 3DS eShop not mentioned at all during E3 that are worth watching, and I've argued in the past that downloads are now a vital part of any Nintendo system library. There are some beauties on the way, including the likes of SteamWorld Heist, The Swindle and various others.

In the coming days we as a site will be writing about the big picture coming out of E3, and it won't all be super-positive, but I just wanted to try to look on the bright side on this final day. The day of Nintendo's Digital Event was hugely wearying for me, as a fan, due to the torrents of discontent. I'm not criticising those that were unhappy, far from it: it's that passion from fans that drives Nintendo, and it needs to be acknowledged, understood and - in most cases if not the most extreme examples - respected. Yet still, the passing of a couple of days has, I think, taken the edge off.

Nintendo's upcoming line-up may be thin for some, depending on gaming preferences, and that ongoing issue of lacking 'triple-A' third-party blockbusters won't go away - but there will be some delightful gaming moments in the next 12 months.

It's fine to be disappointed and to want more - I'm in that boat. But for the sake of variety, and in this last day of E3, I'm going to look on the bright side and get excited about some gems on the way, even if they aren't necessarily all the games I would have asked for this time last week.