Individual formats
– 1 DUKE NUKEM FOREVER XB360 2K GAMES TAKE 2
– 2 INFAMOUS 2 PS3 SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
3 3 ZUMBA FITNESS WII 505 GAMES 505 GAMES
– 4 DUKE NUKEM FOREVER PS3 2K GAMES TAKE 2
1 5 L.A. NOIRE XB360 ROCKSTAR TAKE 2
2 6 L.A. NOIRE PS3 ROCKSTAR TAKE 2
4 7 DIRT 3 XB360 CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS
7 8 BRINK XB360 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
5 9 WII SPORTS RESORT WII NINTENDO NINTENDO
– 10 RED FACTION: ARMAGEDDON XB360 THQ THQ
– 11 DUKE NUKEM FOREVER PC 2K GAMES TAKE 2
10 12 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS XB360 ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
8 13 DIRT 3 PS3 CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS
9 14 FIFA 11 XB360 EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
12 15 ART ACADEMY DS NINTENDO NINTENDO
6 16 THE SIMS 3: GENERATIONS PC EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
20 17 PORTAL 2 XB360 EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
13 18 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN XB360 DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
16 19 BRINK PS3 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
15 20 JUST DANCE 2 WII UBISOFT UBISOFT
11 21 MARIO KART WII WII NINTENDO NINTENDO
17 22 WII FIT PLUS WII NINTENDO NINTENDO
14 23 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN WII DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
18 24 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN DS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
27 25 ZUMBA FITNESS XB360 505 GAMES 505 GAMES
23 26 HUNTED: THE DEMON’S FORGE XB360 BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
21 27 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN PS3 DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
26 28 PORTAL 2 PS3 EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
– 29 RED FACTION: ARMAGEDDON PS3 THQ THQ
22 30 KILLZONE 3 PS3 SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
19 31 WII PARTY WII NINTENDO NINTENDO
24 32 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS PS3 ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
25 33 KINECT SPORTS XB360 MICROSOFT MICROSOFT
32 34 LITTLEBIGPLANET 2 PS3 SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
28 35 POKEMON BLACK VERSION DS NINTENDO NINTENDO
– 36 EA SPORTS MMA PS3 EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
29 37 POKEMON WHITE VERSION DS NINTENDO NINTENDO
39 38 CRYSIS 2 XB360 EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
37 39 FIFA 11 PS3 EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
33 40 DONKEY KONG COUNTRY RETURNS WII NINTENDO NINTENDO
All formats
– 1 DUKE NUKEM FOREVER GEARBOX SOFTWARE 2K GAMES TAKE 2
1 2 L.A. NOIRE TEAM BONDI ROCKSTAR TAKE 2
4 3 ZUMBA FITNESS PIPEWORKS 505 GAMES 505 GAMES
– 4 INFAMOUS 2 SUCKER PUNCH SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
2 5 LEGO PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN TRAVELLER’S TALES DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS DISNEY INTERACTIVE STUDIOS
3 6 DIRT 3 CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS CODEMASTERS
5 7 BRINK SPLASH DAMAGE BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
– 8 RED FACTION: ARMAGEDDON VOLITION THQ THQ
7 9 CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS TREYARCH ACTIVISION ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
9 10 PORTAL 2 VALVE EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
8 11 FIFA 11 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
6 12 WII SPORTS RESORT NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
13 13 LEGO STAR WARS III: THE CLONE WARS TRAVELLER’S TALES LUCASARTS LUCASARTS
12 14 ART ACADEMY HEADSTRONG GAMES NINTENDO NINTENDO
10 15 THE SIMS 3: GENERATIONS THE SIMS STUDIO EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
14 16 HUNTED: THE DEMON’S FORGE INXILE BETHESDA SOFTWORKS BETHESDA SOFTWORKS
15 17 JUST DANCE 2 UBISOFT (FRANCE) UBISOFT UBISOFT
11 18 MARIO KART WII NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
17 19 CRYSIS 2 CRYTEK EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
18 20 WII FIT PLUS NINTENDO NINTENDO NINTENDO
– 21 EA SPORTS MMA EA TIBURON EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
22 22 THE SIMS 3 THE SIMS STUDIO EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
16 23 RED DEAD REDEMPTION ROCKSTAR SAN DIEGO ROCKSTAR TAKE 2
27 24 HOMEFRONT KAOS STUDIOS THQ THQ
25 25 LEGO HARRY POTTER: YEARS 1-4 TRAVELLER’S TALES WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
20 26 TIGER WOODS PGA TOUR 12: THE MASTERS TIBURON ENTERTAINMENT EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
32 27 ASSASSIN’S CREED: BROTHERHOOD UBISOFT (MONTREAL) UBISOFT UBISOFT
23 28 VIRTUA TENNIS 4 SEGA SEGA SEGA
21 29 KILLZONE 3 GUERRILLA GAMES SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
– 30 SHIFT 2: UNLEASHED SLIGHTLY MAD STUDIOS EA GAMES ELECTRONIC ARTS
19 31 WII PARTY ND CUBE NINTENDO NINTENDO
29 32 MICHAEL JACKSON: THE EXPERIENCE UBISOFT (FRANCE) UBISOFT UBISOFT
24 33 MORTAL KOMBAT NETHERREALM STUDIOS WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE WARNER BROS. INTERACTIVE
30 34 CALL OF DUTY 4: MODERN WARFARE INFINITY WARD XBOX 360 CLASSICS ACTIVISION BLIZZARD
– 35 EA SPORTS ACTIVE 2 EA CANADA EA SPORTS ELECTRONIC ARTS
26 36 KINECT SPORTS RARE MICROSOFT MICROSOFT
39 37 LITTLEBIGPLANET 2 MEDIA MOLECULE SONY COMPUTER ENT. SONY COMPUTER ENT.
33 38 POKEMON BLACK VERSION GAME FREAK NINTENDO NINTENDO
34 39 FOOTBALL MANAGER 2011 SPORTS INTERACTIVE SEGA SEGA
37 40 BATMAN: ARKHAM ASYLUM ROCKSTEADY STUDIOS XBOX 360 CLASSICS SQUARE ENIX EUROPE
Iwata on the key points Nintendo wanted to address with the Wii U concept…
“We really want to change the structure of home entertainment. As you know, by now, home console video games have been wholly dependent upon home TVs. In other words, without home TV sets, we could not play video games at home. And we thought, “What if we were able to be independent from the TV?”
Then we came to think about the possibility of adding the second screen. And then we started thinking about that kind of possibility, and the mass potential it would provide for us. So far, we have been able to showcase only a glimpse of the total possibility Wii U will be able to provide. This product is slated for next year, not this year. Closer to the timing of the launch, I think we will be able to showcase a lot more.
Another thought behind that is thinking in terms of how busy people’s everyday lives are today. I thought we definitely need this kind of structure of entertainment. Otherwise it’s going to be difficult for our new console and device to be melded into the daily lives of consumers, naturally.”
Nintendo will be offering a gold Wii Remote Plus to celebrate the release of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. However, the company will not release a gold nunchuck to accompany the Wiimote. Reggie Fils-Aime told Kotaku:
“We looked into it. It was a little more bling than I think the average consumer was looking for.”
Here’s some commentary from everyone’s favorite game analyst, Wedbush Securities’ Michael Pachter…
“We were once again impressed by this year’s E3, and the show continues to get better and better. The hardware displayed was impressive, and each of the console manufacturers showed many core games for their respective systems. The most impactful ‘reveal’ at the show was the Wii U, which, in our opinion, is arriving two years too late. Depending on pricing, the system will be either a phenomenal success or a phenomenal failure, as competitive bundles for Xbox 360 with Kinect and PS3 with Move are likely to be priced below $300 by the time the Wii U launches.”
“We expect the 3DS to sell well at holiday, due to a phenomenal lineup of content, but think that the PS Vita will capture some share early next year. Solid sales of each device should bode well for GameStop, which will likely receive preferential allocations. Sony also continued to try to integrate its other consumer electronics products into its E3 presentation by announcing a 3DTV PlayStation-branded bundle priced at $499, which we expect to sell exceedingly well.”
“In all, we think that the new hardware introductions have some potential to reinvigorate the video game market, and think that the core games scheduled for release later this year and early next are sufficient to allow the industry to again begin to grow. We expect investors to remain on the sidelines until they see tangible evidence of industry growth, but we are confident that this will occur over the next several months.”
And what does Pachter think of the Wii U name? When discussing the PlayStation Vita name, Pachter said that it’s “the second-dumbest name for a device after Wii U”.
Nintendo has reintroduced 3D gaming in the form of the 3DS. It’s a well-known fact that the company was able to offer such an experience without the need for glasses. One would think that, technically, Nintendo would be able to incorporate similar technology into the Wii U controller.
So why has Nintendo decided not to include 3D screen for the controller? Satoru Iwata told TIME’s Techland:
“We have a separate mission with Wii U and Nintendo 3DS. Of course, there are some TV sets with the capability to show the 3D available today but it’s not dominating yet. Of course, you may want to say now that you have the second screen and you have the 3D technology with Nintendo 3DS, however after all, that kind of experience we can explore over the existing Nintendo 3DS machine. As I said, we are trying to make a new structure of home entertainment and because we are trying to make something unprecedented, we just wanted to focus on something different.”
Another thing worth mentioning is that making the controller 3D-ready would likely increase the cost of the device further. I imagine that it’ll be pretty expensive as it is now – it has a 6.2 inch touch screen, gyroscope, accelerometer, and a camera.
Sony’s Andrew House has provided some thoughts about the Wii U. Although House is aware of the console’s announcement, he doesn’t appear to know much in the way of details. The exchange with GamesIndustry is certainly interesting… I’ll let you read it for yourselves…
Q: What was your reaction to Nintendo’s console announcement at E3 and are you worried that it’s going to encroach on PlayStation 3 growth?
Andrew House: Honestly, the way these conferences work, I’ve had zero exposure to it.
Q: But you know it’s happened, right?
Andrew House: Yes, of course. I’m aware of the announcement but in terms of details I’ve not seen a great deal. It’s intreaging, but I’m interested to hear your reaction as a journalist because I’ve heard varying opinions.
Sometimes you just need to shake things up to keep them interesting. That’s especially true with the recent launch of the Nintendo eShop, a new virtual store that gives Nintendo 3DS™ users access to a wide variety of downloadable games and select content that can be viewed in 3D without the need for special glasses. To mark the debut of the Nintendo eShop – and provide consumers with a valuable one-stop showcase of all the latest downloadable content across Nintendo systems – the weekly Nintendo Download is about to get a makeover.
Starting June 16, the Nintendo Download will include information about the newest additions to the Nintendo eShop, including new 3D games, 3D Classics (select classic video games re-mastered in 3D), Virtual Console™ versions of games from the Game Boy™ and Game Boy Color systems, and hundreds of games originally offered via the Nintendo DSiWare™ service. What’s more, this modified weekly update will be posted Thursdays instead of Mondays, giving fans a heads-up on the latest offerings just in time for the weekend.
