Nintendo Did the Exact Opposite of Sony – But that Doesn’t Mean It Was Any Better

Just last night I criticized Sony for not showing enough games that we’ll get to play this year.  So logicially, it would follow that I would praise the company that did the opposite of that and showed primarily titles that we’ll get to play this year.  Nintendo did just that, yet I find myself not exactly loving it like I logically should.  Perhaps this shows that a balance of near and far titles is best, but allow me to explain just why I’m so disappointed.

I think I’ve been trained from years of E3 conferences to expect surprises and enjoy the spectacle.  This is likely my own personal failing; the purpose of the show is to showcase products and not necessarily to have everything become a “megaton”.  When your expectations are out of whack disappointment is an inevitability.

But at the same time, there’s something to be said for genuinely surprising your audience.  The announcements that make the biggest impression are generally the ones that nobody saw coming; the long awaited game that’s finally seeing the light of day.  The surprises generate hype, and the hype is what gets both the hardcore and the casual audience interested.

And that’s exactly why I’m so disappointed.  There was no hype.  New titles were revealed, but they weren’t grand, sweeping projects that we expect from E3.  They were mostly smaller games like the Animal Crossing board game or a Metroid/e-sports crossover (although I am hyped beyond all reason for Zelda: Triforce Heroes).  Big projects obviously take time, and so anything big that they show us wouldn’t be releasing this year anyway and as such beyond the scope of this Digital Event.

Maybe it was also the pacing.  Even though the show was a little less than an hour long, it seemed like it dragged on with the Developer stories.  Not that I don’t love them (in fact, I’d say that they’re probably my favorite part), but they felt out of place for this presentation.  Nintendo already has the Treehouse Live event, which would have been a more appropriate venue for such things.

Overall, the Nintendo Digital Event was oddly paced and didn’t have the “oomph” that E3 events are generally known for.  Perhaps it’s our own fault for expecting so much, but in a year where it seems every other company brought their A game, it’s disappointing that Nintendo’s show seemed see lowkey and, dare I say it, normal.

Oh, and the Super Mario music presentation at the end was… odd, to say the least.

Earlier I gave Sony grief for not showing enough 2015 titles, and now I’m giving Nintendo some grief for showing too many.  I’m the hardest type on consumer to please.  I don’t know what I want.