E3 Games by Eigotaku Part 3 : Pop Culture Leftovers

E3 Games by Eigotaku Part 3

May 28, 2016 10:13 am | Leave your thoughts

E3 would not be E3 without big conferences, thumping soundtracks, endorsement loving developers championing annualised cash ins to seasoned fans of the sports or shooter genres. Except when it’s not. Except when Nintendo is mentioned.

In 2008, Nintendo lynchpin Shigeru Miyamoto went on stage to demo a music game in line with the ‘touch generation’ philosophy of the Wii and DS. Get a controller into people’s hands, and the game will do the rest. Only Wii music didn’t. The infamous and awkward demo would prove to be one of the final nails in their press conference coffin, especially considering that just two years prior, The Twilight Princess reveal, still, to this day, remains one of the most defining moments of the expos history, Nintendo’s legacy and Zelda’s reverence among gamers.

I was initially planning to write an article titled ‘the seven stages of my Nintendo grief- a journey through disappointment and hope in the modern gaming landscape’. As pompous as that sounds, my energy being focused on something so negative that has given me so much joy over decades is as oxymoronic as it is futile. Truth is, I will always have a grain of hope in the midst of my melancholy, and especially after studying a bit of Japanese philosophy, the idiosyncrasies of a business, a company that has had such a resonance and emotional impact on my life is starting to make sense.

I’m am starting to accept the fact that with recent announcements, the beat of Nintendo’s drum is perhaps not my rhythm any more. Indy developers such as Playtonic (most of which are former Rare) and Yachtclub games are tapping into the nostalgic allure with games like Yuka Laylee and Shovel Knight, while Nintendo seem to be looking away from (or, dare I say, turning their back on) classic franchises such as Metroid in favour of making accessible incarnations of modern successes including fire emblem and animal crossing, as well as their toys to life line Amiibo, and the more recent social app Miitomo.

Finding peace and acceptance sounds way too much of an over reaction when referring to a company and a video game, but the medium of video games and the creator’s relationship with its audience is so unique, that as a writer, artist, consumer and now a father, it is a journey I’m embarking on with caution.

Since its inception, whether it be thematically or mechanically, the legend of Zelda has been a valiant and recently, even a reluctant advocate for new Ideas and control schemes implemented with each console generation, exemplified in 3D since the seminal Ocarina of time in 1998 on the N64 and the aforementioned touch generation software, with phantom hourglass and spirit tracks. Even the quaint irony that the crux of the 2013 3DS exclusive, a link between worlds turned our hero into a dimension shifting moving painting.

It is 2012. Nintendo isn’t resting on the laurels of skyward sword being the swan song for the immensely successful Wii, and at E3, shows off what was previously known as ‘project cafe’. What was billed as a new console was misunderstood, hastily and haphazardly publicised as an extravagant and expensive peripheral. This marketing catastrophe, would plague the Wii U’s, and Zelda’s existence. The tech demo showed with the reveal of the Wii U was beautiful, exciting, if not playable or even on the horizon. The subsequent treatment of Zelda on the Wii U was almost blasé and nonchalant, except the gaming public, press and even Nintendo itself, hold the series in such high regard, especially considering 2016 is the 30th anniversary. The games are special. Thier announcements are anticipated almost without equal. Sparsely exhibited and released on their own time. They have almost without fail been delayed. What makes this story so tragic is three fold.

Not only will the Wii U have the dubious honour of being the only Nintendo home console without an exclusive Zelda, not only has the title been teased and revealed throughout the consoles life, being one of the big selling points and Crown Jewels in the systems library, only to be promised in 2016 and delayed in readiness for the release of the (repeatedly stressed to the contrary, but in honesty, is) the successor to the Wii U. These would almost be understandable, if not questionable, but after the release of what should have been another tent pole game (star fox zero- which I reviewed) my excitement for the game itself is, I’m sad to say, waining. It is to be the games big reveal at this years E3 and Nintendos ONLY playable game that is potentially their greatest triumph in a recent history of inconsistencies, and if it is anything less than a wild success, I’m starting to wonder if Nintendo care about the management of the series and its legacy. E3 presentations have made way for cheaper, more intimate ‘Directs’, which are more streamlined, yet, somehow lack that sense of grandeur that a Zelda game deserves.

Their craft and attention to detail are not in dispute, but this years announcement seems like the last act of a desperate man rather than the ace up his sleeve. All Nintendo gamers have wanted for the last five years is a ‘traditional’ Zelda game, but the landscape has changed, and games have progressed so much, it seems to me, then, that the Zelda blow out at this years show is reactionary, almost petulant, considering the game’s emphasis on discovery, and especially as the game is STILL almost a year away. Watch Dogs is a great example of how not to manage time and manipulate the product to generate hype for a game. I’m worried that too much will be shown, or worse, like Star Fox, it has a shoehorned control scheme that would have had more relevance a few years ago. This could be the most scrutinised game of the show. Nintendos decision to re release HD remakes and spin off titles such as Hyrule Warriors highlight their awareness, but also test their audiences patience.

I’ll close with an explanation of the Japanese term ‘mono no aware’. ‘Mono’ means ‘thing’ and ‘aware’ (pronounced A-WA-RE) means pathos, sensitivity or awareness. The term is as ambiguous as it is expansive, but this explanation best sums it up to me.

‘Awareness of the transience of all things heightens appreciation of their beauty, and evokes a gentle sadness at their passing’.

Basically, the joy surrounding expectation of something is only equalled by the sadness experienced by its passing.

I am excited to see what the next Zelda is like, and the new console, code named NX, as much as I am worried that Nintendo are just unable to keep up with new developers that were and are inspired by the Zelda (and other Nintendo) games they grew up playing.

I guess as I grow older, the journey I have seen the Zelda franchise go through is one that is difficult to summarise. A Zelda game doesn’t just drift in and out of public consciousness. They are landmarks in artistry, creativity, innovation. Except since Skyward Sword, that might not be the case. It came out in the winter of a console life cycle that the majority demographic were either unaware, or a core fan base intolerant of motion controls, or who had simply grown tired of the drought during its autumn years and moved on, myself included. Whether it be through technical revolution or artistic reinvention, the mainstream impact of an event like a Zelda reveal is being taken over by games such as GTA, and while it could be the irony that every detail of the reveal will be under the microscope, I have conflicting feelings whether I want to see this much this far from release at all.

by @eigotaku

For more E3 Coverage in the coming days you should head over to Soundcloud and listen to Eigotaku’s Pubstumper Podcast !!!!

E3 Games by Eigotaku Part 3

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