Nintendo Air Stream Tour Review
The Nintendo Airstream trailer
Each year, Nintendo sends out a trailer on a trek across the U.S. to show off it’s line-up for the upcoming holiday season. With Salt Lake City as one of the 10 stops this year, fans had the opportunity to try out some of the newest games, including some that aren’t released yet.
Complete with plasma screen TVs, amiibo toys that can activate in-game content and Nintendo’s current gaming platforms, aka the Wii U, 3DS, 2DS and the new 3DS XL, this trailer was stocked to appease any Nintendo fan.
Nintendo’s focus is on hardware and software. To accomplish this, Nintendo has produced various bundles for the holiday season. From the $99 2DS “Yokai Watch” bundle to the $299.99 Wii U “Mario Maker” bundle, there is a bundle for anyone who is looking to get a new console.
The first game I was shown was “Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash” for Wii U. The demo shows how creative Nintendo has gotten to keep this franchise alive. Rather than being the button-smashing game I was used to, this Mario Tennis forced me to think a bit more tactically. It made use of its four buttons, allowing my character to perform four different shots rather than just one or two. Randomly throughout the match, mushrooms were thrown out to make one or both the characters massive, creating spin shots and fast shots. With graphics up-to-date and with better gameplay, “Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash” looks like it could be a key party game for Wii U owners. It will hit shelves Nov. 20.
“Yoshi’s Woolly World” is a different kind of game. While sharing similar gameplay to the classic “Yoshi’s Island,” it takes place in a world of yarn. This provides adorable animation as a wool Yoshi fights its way through this side-scroller. While there is some easiness getting through the levels to appeal to younger fans, the difficulty of unlocking everything allows for more challenging gameplay.
“I liked ‘Yoshi’s Woolly World a lot,” said Franco Arellano, a Utah State University student who also demoed the games. “It looks like a game specifically targeting kids but I thoroughly enjoyed it.”
With an amiibo, the player can change the colors of Yoshi. For example, if a Mario amiibo were placed on the gamepad, Yoshi would turn blue, red and sport a mustache. “Yoshi’s Woolly World” is currently available for purchase and is perfect for fans of cute and fun games.
“Super Mario Maker” is also a different kind of game. It appeals to the veteran gamers who grew up playing the original “Super Mario Bros.” It allows players to make their own Mario levels. While testing it out, I was able to make a stack of goombas, flying piranha plants and giant koopas all go after Mario. This gives players the ability to make the game as easy or as hard as they want. They can even upload their levels for others to play as well as download other player’s custom levels. With an amiibo, the player can hide a power-up to turn Mario into the amiibo character. For example, if a Bowser amiibo were placed on the gamepad, Mario would turn into Bowser if he touched the power-up. “Super Mario Maker” is currently available for purchase as part of a Wii U bundle or separately. It’s a must have for veteran and nostalgic gamers.
“I’m most excited about ‘Pokemon Super Mystery Dungeon’ with it’s new story and ability to actually interact with all 720 Pokémon,” Arellano said.
Similar to previous titles, you play as a human that has been turned into a Pokémon. Through the game you travel through dungeons trying to get past each floor which contains anything from useful items to traps and enemies. With the graphics updated this looks to be a great title. “Pokémon Super Mystery Dungeon” will be released Nov. 20 on the 3DS and should be on every Pokémon fan’s wish list.
Other notable titles that should be mentioned are “Yokai Watch” for 3DS and “Xenoblade Chronicles X” for Wii U. I got a brief glimpse at “Yokai Watch” and it appeals to Pokémon fans by befriending Yokai and having them fight other Yokai. It has fast-paced battles and is based on an Anime series. It is available for purchase as part of a bundle or separately. “Xenoblade Chronicles X” wasn’t available to play, but is a highly anticipated because of the success of “Xenoblade Chronicles.” It will be released Dec. 4.
— leemjohnson1954@gmail.com