
The Legend of Zelda on Wii U will be the sole attraction on Nintendo's booth during E3, a rather bold move alongside a day of online streaming from the Treehouse team and developers. Whatever our thoughts on an E3 with such a narrow focus, we will at least get a full look at the next entry in the iconic series.
It seems that E3 will offer two demos - reports point to two distinct builds that'll require a combined 1 to 1.5 hours. Picked up by Finder.com, Nintendo Everything was then contacted by the owner of PidgiNet which had posted about this earlier in the week.
Mention of an 'extended' demo was made when announcing a Nintendo NY Store run of appointments for the public which will take place during E3, so it seems that there'll be chances to explore the new game's Hyrule.
We'll have multiple staff at E3 when it goes down - plans admittedly made before Nintendo announced a Zelda-only presence - so at least they'll be kept relatively busy; naturally we're already working to ensure we can share impressions as soon as possible from the show floor.
On the flipside the dream for many will be that Nintendo defies convention and releases a demo to the eShop during E3 - we had Nindies@Home in 2015, and crazier things have happened.
[source neogaf.com]
Comments 66
I'm not even sure I would tease myself and play a demo of a game I can't play for nearly a year!
There's a better chance of them surprising us with Mother 3 than than there is for a Zelda eShop demo.
Why would they have this 500 people exclusive event but also have it on the eShop? Wouldn't really make any sense.
But if they spend 90 minutes on Zelda U, won't that leave very little time to play all the other Nintendo games at the show?
Oh.....ya.....that's.....right.....I.....forgot!
No chance these get on the eShop
Put one on the eShop so that this year's E3 won't be an absolute disaster Nintendo.
"Bold move"!? More like sad realization that the Wii U is dead because of the fact that nintendo isn't making anything for it besides Zelda.
I am keeping my fingers crossed on going to e3 Live.
Zero chance for an E3 demo otherwise the Nintendo NY store event is pointless. I'd be satisfied just with Nintendo finishing off the backlog of Wii VC not on Wii U VC for E3 downloads like Smash 64, F-Zero X and Majora's Mask.
They must be in love with this game to give it this kind of billing amd exposure. It will be interesting to here the impressions of those that get to play with it
"On the flipside the dream for many will be that Nintendo defies convention and releases a demo to the eShop during E3 - we had Nindies@Home in 2015, and crazier things have happened."
That's what I'm hoping for. For years I've wondered why, with the presence of digital stores and downloadable demos, companies haven't brought E3 to the living rooms of the masses. Nintendo's "Nindies at Home" last year was a big step in the right direction, and I hope this year Nintendo takes the leap and releases E3 demos for their own game(s). Also, "Nindies at Home part 2".
I hope this is the best Zelda ever and really exploits the gamepad like never before (yes, I know it's releasing on NX too), as a great send-off for the Wii U and a final temptation to all those that have ignored it's brilliance so far.
An eshop demo would go a long way in appeasing the disappointed fans out there and would help drive hype.
I just hope they don't over expose Zelda the same way as games like No Man's Sky and The Last Guardian have been.
It would be a dram come true to have an eShop demo during E3 of this new Zelda WiiU/NX, nintendo make it happen!!
There won't be a demo. I'd be happy to be proved wrong though.
No chance of a demo on the eShop - releasing a demo for this would completely overshadow the demos for Nindies that will no doubt be released.
@Mr_Zurkon Speaking of No Man's Sky, it's been delayed again.
It would be nice of Nintendo to put this demo up on the e-shop, especially since Wii U owners are getting screwed over so the NX can have a launch title.
I endured this same treatment with the Gamecube version of Twilight Princess.
At the very least, it would be nice of Nintendo to reward Wii U owners who have been waiting years for this game.
Come on Nintendo, do something nice for the Wii U owners who have not only supported your system, but kept having Zelda U dangled in front of our faces like a carrot only to have it pulled away numerous times.
@Grumblevolcano I saw that. Can't say I'm surprised and my interest has waned considerably.
I also want a demo. Hoping they at least put up a smaller version of the one at E3...
@Yorumi What do you mean they could't make it to NLA in an hour? From the beginning of the game NLA can be reached in just a couple of minutes and there is a small boss battle along the way with loads of smaller enemies to fight. If they went an hour without seeing the city, they were probably not starting from the beginning but exploring the overworld later on, which is full of a lot more than "nothing". Mira ain't no open field. If I recall, the treehouse played the part in Chapter 4 around where you meet L for the first time. That part's in Noctilum. There's a ton of monsters to fight in there, and tons of giant glowing plants that are mind-boggling. That's boring? Nah.
@Spoony_Tech The original FFXV demo Duscae was out 14 months ago, still 4 more months until the game releases, maybe, that'll be 18 months. Not saying you should play the demo, just that it isn't the earliest a demo has released.
Nintedo has been getting pretty good at following some Sony conventions, so maybe they'll put the Zelda U demo on Paper Mario: Colour Splash discs. If they had put it on SFZ maybe so many wouldn't have been traded in.
And the finished Zelda U is a demo, for the NX version.
@rjejr And then the NX is a demo console for their smartphone games.
@rjejr They have to show the Wii U version, right? I mean I'd love to see the NX version, but I'd guess it would make the Wii U version look pretty bad.
What they really need is a Zelda NX demo on a PS4 game.
(And yes, I did misunderstand what you said)
I'll watch some of it. 90 minutes is too long to keep me interested with watching someone else playing it.
Given I'm lazy, I'll just repost my comment I wrote for the "500 fans" article.
"And as far as Europe goes, you could... you know... release the demo on the European eShop, so people who can't afford plane tickets, hotel rooms and E3 tickets can still enjoy the demo.
Seriously, Nintendo. You know, if you're worried about the fact "this way anyone could play it", think again - with region locking and different eShops, you could be sure the only ones playing the demo via eShop would be people far away from the U.S.; in fact, this would be the only istance of regional lockout - I can't believe I'm typing this - being actually useful. Feel free to read the sentence again if you will."
@A01
In order:
1) Fair enough, but we live in an era where the internet kind of connects everyone to each other. Nintendo fans in other regions might have a fair amount of trouble affording what they need in order to attend E3, and bringing a bit of E3 to players' homes wouldn't hurt, especially in the case of Nintendo as it would help their currently "behind-the-times" image.
2) "This software is a work-in-progress. Feature may differ or be improved in the finished product", or any similar disclaimer for that matter, should clear things up for players, in case the words "E3 Demo" weren't clear enough.
3) Ditto.
4) As you said yourself, considering this is a Nintendo first-party game we're talking about, the only possible platform is a Wii U (and I doubt other games would be released on "non-specific hardware" when demo booths have very specific and unmistakable controllers). So the whole "different hardware" excuse really doesn't hold up.
Yeah, not counting on being able to play a demo of this game anytime soon. I'm just happy I'll get to see footage lasting considerably longer than 10 seconds.
@aaronsullivan "the NX version, but I'd guess it would make the Wii U version look pretty bad."
Unless NX is an under-powered retro handheld type machine, in which case the Wii U version would look better. I'm thinking Hyrule Warriors Legends.
Or, NX is a clone home console, no 2nd screen, so all the cool stuff you can do on the fly on the Gmaepad you need to pause an d o on the TV like Zelda games of the past, in which case NX again looks like bad hardware.
And until Nintendo tells us something I'll just continue to run in circles like a dog chasing it's tail.
Oh, and more than once I've joked about Zelda PS4 edition. And then they made it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEJT5XRftOU
@Grumblevolcano But, uh, ah... speechless.
Probably a section of map to explore and then a dungeon. Can't wait to see what they've come up with. Don't let me down Nintendo! This is one of my most anticipated things you've ever made.
@rjejr I guess I've convinced myself that somewhere in the NX strategy is a way for me to play on my big screen with power comparable to PS4 and XB1. That's what I'm going with for now because, like you I'm dizzy from guessing/speculating and I'm just gonna stick to one idea.
Witcher 3 is a game I'd like to try out actually. Tough to find time for it because I can't play with the kids around. I'd like to try this Summer though.
@aaronsullivan Well being a PS4/X1 clone makes sense, even if it isn't a clone only just as powerful, but if that's the case I don't think Ntineod can put another Gamepad in the box, too expensive, so the NX experience would be less than the Wii U, even with superior graphics. And to be honest I'm not impressed by PS4 power, I'm playing Tomb Raider on PS3 and it looks just fine. And XCX is beautiful. So NX at PS4 level wouldn't necessarily be noticeably different graphically from Wii U.
But no screen = no map or items. XCX w/o the Gamepad would be a different game. Same for WW HD.
Which is why Nitneod needs a $100 tablet to do the MS Smartglass thing. Or 4DS as a controller. Something combinable, but sold separatley to keep the price down. Which makes the Wii U version superior, or way more expensive to play on NX + 4DS or a NX tablet.
So Wii U only at E3, Spaceworld to explain how NX Home, NX Away and NX tablet all work together. It's the only way NX skipping E3 makes sense, and I'm trying to give Ninned the benefit of the doubt. If NX is only a home console, it should have been at E3 w/ Xbox 1.2 and PS4K Neo.
Wouldn't keep 'em crossed too long for fear of them growing together permanently, since it'll take that long before Nintendo will ever release a demo of this game to the general public...
I don't think there'll be a demo, as much as I want one. You don't release a free demo when it's supposed to be an exclusive shot at the game (E3, Nintendo NY).
@Yorumi
Well I imagine they'll be doing live streams and trailers and the like, so it won't just be watching people play a demo.
Did you try that Odin Sphere demo that just dropped on PS4? That was a nice, hefty little demo there. One full world and with each of the 5 characters. Game is brilliant too.
Nothing beats Square Enix's 13 hour Battle of the Three Cavaliers demo for Bravely Second though. That's gotta be bigger than some $60 games lol
I'll be leaving this site for a few weeks after the E3. I don't want any spoilers and I will get them in headlines and screenshots in the preview of the article. It'd be cool if you made a Zelda section for this website so people like me can avoid Zelda news and still see what else is going on with Nintendo but I know that is way too much to ask for.
@A01
I'll be damned, you learn something every day!
Point is, I remember last year's "Nindies@E3", which IIRC was received with thunderous, if not near-unanimous acclaim. Wouldn't kill Nintendo to bring whatever little of E3 to their non-American fans' homes.
If there was a demo on the eshop, I'd play the crap out of that.
Highly doubt we'll get an eshop demo but we can only hope!
Personally I would prefer no demo and the less footage the better. I know I'll be buying the game day one, so I'm avoiding all media related to the game until then. This will be quite a battle against temptation!
Gods, I can only hope this game makes good on its promise to follow through on the early zelda design philosophies, with the power of modern technology.
The thought of actually discovering a temple in that kind of free world...
And then the inevitable letdown when I know its just going to be following the purple dot on a map with icons vomited everywhere...
I'm very curious to see what people's reactions are to the demos, but I will not be watching any footage, nor would I play a demo if it was released on the eshop. I would prefer not to spoil anything for when the game eventually comes out. I'm hoping Nintendo doesn't give away too much in these demos because It'll be tough to avoid coming across any spoilers after E3.
I have managed to calculate that 3 hours worth of new footage, will keep Gamexplain in content for the next decade!
Wow that's long. How's that going to work during an event with literally thousands of people...? Are you going to have to wait in line for 2 days to play once? XD
Anyway, I'm excited! Any word on whether they'll release some trailers in addition to the demos? Surely yes?
Um, and it would be the most surprising thing of the year to me if Nintendo released an eShop demo... XD
@Radbot42 Or you could just choose to simply NOT click on any of the related articles, instead of taking a several week long break from the site, that will almost certainly also contain other news that you DO want to read/might want to read...
@Yorumi "Anyway as for zelda it would be cool if they did like atlus, release like the beginning of the game through the first dungeon as a demo and the save carries over."
That would be great if the game was releasing a few weeks later but 9 months is a long time to be left hanging.By the time March comes I'd want to start over again.Maybe if they release the demo for Xmas,it will have a better effect.
@ThanosReXXX
I wouldn't click on them, but I'd still see the screen shots. That's spoilers too
@Radbot42 that's true, though NLife is getting a little better in that area. They still assume that after a month, those spoliers are old and spoil them casually in an unrelated article, but only a few writers seemed to do that. I'd just tread carefully and skim the article first to make sure.
@Radbot42 Well, those are hardly bigger than thumbnails, so they couldn't possibly give away that much. I'd wager that the accompanying headline gives away much more...
I for one will welcome the gameplay footage whole heartedly!
I don't think there'll be too much story spoilers. Mainly the gameplay will be showcased, and in a sense that is spoilery, but it doesn't matter to me.
Why is this Zelda rated M? Are there nudity in it?
Nice quality stuff.
I totally misread the article. I read it as the demo will be "1 to 5 hours". If that was the case, there would be absolutely no reason to watch this year's E3 (which I probably won't anyway considering it'll just be Zelda and no other games) Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Zelda, but a whole E3 dedicated to it is crazy.
Along with Final Fantasy, Halo and Assassins Creed, Zelda is one of my favourite all time franchises. So it pains me to say this game is just dead to me, hype wise. I feel no hype whatsoever after multiple disappointments. When the game does finally release (Im guessing September 2017) I am certain I will adore it. But until then, no amount of demo footage is going to get me excited for it. Frankly, there is too many other games that haven't emotionally bruised me that I would rather give my time to.
Would love a demo on EShop!
@Marshi Try not to take it so much to heart.
Just remember it's more important for Nintendo to release a finished game as opposed to a half finished one.
Another thing that doesn't seem to be mentioned is that I suspect we will finally get an official title for this Zelda and we can finally stop calling it "Zelda Wii U".
@vio unless it's just called, the legend of zelda you know?
Field and dungeon, of course!
@liveswired Pretty sure some of these delays are solely because of NX dual launch.
@Grumblevolcano I've no doubt nx plays a big part. But Nintendo will undoubtedly continue to add and develop until release.
@rjejr The price of PS4 performance is much lower now, 3+ years later, though. Also, PS4 performance is important for third party support because that's what they'll be targeting for the next few years and scaling back too far is a pain. For example, the lighting models are a nice leap in that generation and aren't easy to back up from.
Also, please let Nintendo just gain a little ground on performance. It's not just the shiny but the amount of interactivity. Hyrule Warriors without pop-up and super simple geometry on enemies and backgrounds, more pervasive physics or many entities with deeper AI. It all adds up.
I want a second screen though. I agree it will feel like a downgrade without one. I'll pay extra for it. I'm not sure another dedicated device is the best way, but I'm still hoping that the "Away" doubles as the second screen controller... maybe a tablet, but... that brings in a whole other category of questions and speculation I just don't want until something solid is confirmed!
@aaronsullivan I'm really getting bored to tears with all of this. I'm trying to get myself excited for the Mario & Sonic Olympic game, b/c what else is there? That game comes out in 24 days, 10 days after E3, but Ninteod is dedicating all of E3 to Zelda U, which doen'st come out until 2017. And Google can't find me a shred of facts about that game. Does it have online? Amiibo? Nothing. 3DS I can find, that's already out. Wiki is all I got.
Of course Paper Mario is coming, but is there really any reason to think it also won't be on NX at this point? And if it is coming out in 2016 why not showcase that at E3 as well?
I still don't believe Ninteod is going after AAA 3rd party support. Toys-to-life, Just Dance, indies, all the Wii stuff, but not FPS or sports, EA is dead to them. A cheap system w/ some cheap games.
I do think NX Away will work as 2nd screen. It worked for FFCC and Animal Crossing on Gamecube. Not sure why they went away from it, or charged 99c for SSB control, cheap.
And for all the nutters who said - Nintendo can't sell the $100 Gamepad separatly, nobody will buy a $100 controller for 1 or 2 games - Starfox, Splatoon, Super Mario Maker, Ntinedo Land. Well do you now how many $89.99 Wii Balance board controllers were sold for only 1 game, Wii Fit?
A. 10 mil
B. 20 mil
C. 30 mil
D. 40 mil
The answer is D. The Wii U sold 13.5 million, but the $90 Balance Board sold over 42 million so people could weigh themselves.
https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/01/wii_balance_board_enters_record_books
What if Wii U had launched as Wii HD or Wii 2 for $199 w/ NSMBU aka Mario in HD, then Gamepad came out 2 years later bunlded w/ Nintnedo Land for $89 alongside Spaltoon, w/ SMM and Starfox to come? Nobody could tell me Wii U would have sold worse at $199. And looking at those Balance Board numbers, obody can tell me Gamepad woudln't sell. Gamepad woudl get a lot more use than Balance Board ever did - W wHD, TP HD, XCX.
So, knowing that history, NX Home for $200, NX Away for $200, the 2 work together for Splatoon type games. And make a $89 tablet as a 2nd screen controller like Smartglass for the DeNA games in a year or 2 after NX. I don't see why not.
But basically I'm just waiting for PS4k Ultra Neo news. FFXV releases Sept 30th - well maybe, I'm still doubtful - then I'll have a backlog of Uncharted 4 and R&C, my kids can finally play Lego Dimensions - I won't buy it on Wii U just to have no LD2 support, see SW:A season pass - and maybe I'll try out Witcher 3, should have a GOTY Complete Ed. by then.
But Nitneod, well I'd like to know, but they've lost me as far as hype goes. Maybe my boys too, teenagers want other things than an endless parade of Kirby, Yoshi and Captain Toad 2D platformers. They are still playing XCX, but how long until XC3? They'll be playing Titanfall 3 by then.
They might buy a Ntneod branded tablet though, tablets are good. I think my boys both get their own Chromebooks from their schools next year. technology is everywhere. NX Away may depend on price and game support.
@Grumblevolcano @aaronsullivan So, do we care that Xbox One is now $299, same as Wii U?
http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/31/11820778/xbox-one-price-drop-299
http://www.xbox.com/en-us/xbox-one/consoles
Does Nintendo care? Would be hard to justify the same price based on 32Gb vs 500GB storage alone. And Quantum Break is 2 years newer than MK8. I guess the Lego Movie bundle is comparable at that price point. Maybe they'll bundle Zelda U in March for $199 to clearance out the last of the Wii U stock before moving on entirely to NX? E3 is all about Zelda U, might as well announce a bundle, they're already spending the whole show on a game that's still 9 months away. Nintendo, making their die-hard fans die harder.
@rjejr The important thing is not that XB1 is now $299 but rather Microsoft's E3 conference. Namely things like: How much memory does the rumored slim model have? How much is the rumored slim model? Is the rumored XB1 Scorpio worth waiting for or is it just a VR experience enhancer like PS4 Neo? What is happening with the Windows 10 anniversary update for XB1?
@Grumblevolcano I never watch the MS conference, not interested in any Xboxen, but I think you just talked me into it. And I do like hololens. Still looks like a work in progress, but 10 years from now we might all have a pair.
I'm one of the people who thinks Nintendo should release a demo on the eshop. Honestly limiting who can play the demos to a certain number of Zelda fans that are able to attend E3 isn't really that fair. Every Zelda fan has been forced to wait years for this game to be released and after being told numerous times that it would be released this year the game was delayed once again to next year just so it can have a dual release and the only compensation Nintendo gave us was a picture of Link by himself. Now an opportunity has arisen for Zelda fans to try the game themselves but most of them won't get to. Given the circumstances I don't think an eshop demo is unreasonable.
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