Grazza

I remember the Thursday I got Twilight Princess on GameCube. I played it six hours straight. Excessive, yes, but that's what you do when you're excited. Wireless is my pet hate. It creates more problems than it solves. If only the Wii U controllers were wired (or just used GameCube pads), you could have four or more at once and never need to recharge them. Seems much better than having wireless to me.

Yeah, now this is good news!

I repeat, it makes me wonder how they can beat Nintendo at their own game...

If it's fake, it does make me wonder how an amateur can beat Nintendo at their own game.

I remember when every 5 or 6 years you'd get new games consoles with better graphics and new games, and that was enough. The people who were interested would buy them. Fast forward to today and it's all about buzzwords and inventing solutions to problems that don't exist. "Together. Better." Ugh. Nintendo have convinced themselves there's this massive problem where people sit in rooms not talking to each other! They're obsessed with it! It makes me furious when people slate the GameCube approach of having powerful hardware, a perfect controller and spectacular games. I bought it, I loved it, I bought loads of games for it. I'm entitled to defend that approach. Nintendo didn't make huge losses then either... I ask you, who the heck is going to buy a Wii U?!! Though I do not believe motion control helped gaming, it was at least amazing as a toy. I do not use the word "toy" to be derogatory, just to emphasise it as a single-purpose idea, just for fun. I for one didn't know technology allowed you to swing a remote and it be translated on screen. As much as I disliked it, it was impressive. Who, though, is going to be excited about a controller with a screen? I tell you, they've become obsessed with buzzwords and focus groups and, in the process, completely forgotten what gaming is about at its best.

What a load of rubbish! It was a disgrace. New Super Mario Bros U looks mediocre, in my opinion. The 3DS version looks even worse. It's saying something that the best two games were Luigi's Mansion 2 and Paper Mario; the former announced at E3 2011, the latter announced at E3 2010! Does it really take 2+ years to make a handheld version of Paper Mario? 30 months? That's how long it took Twilight Princess to be released! Pikmin 3 looks decent, but if you're going to start with that, it suggests you've got better to come. Going by this, I just don't see why anyone would want to buy a Wii U. It's one thing accepting they cater to the casual market nowadays, but did any of that stuff excite you personally? Did any of it set your pulse racing? A large segment of Nintendo seems totally oblivious to what exciting hardware and software is about these days, save for Sakamoto, Aonuma and some of their talented staff. The likes of Iwata and Miyamoto don't seem to get it at all. Compare it to E3 2006 when they had Super Mario Galaxy and Metroid Prime 3. Or 2010 when they showed off all those brilliant 3DS games which ensured I was desperate for one straight away (many of them still aren't out - what's going on with that?) Or even last year's, where that brilliant Zelda demo had more excitement in one pixel than all this year's games put together. Speaking of which, do you think any of the games shown suggest the machine is still as powerful as that...? What a letdown.

It's hard not to be excited as Nintendo has already said there'll be three launch games from them. The way I look at it, these have to be three games that will sell the system, even if they're not that exciting to me, personally. What I'm expecting: New Super Mario Bros Pikmin 3 Something else a bit boring What I really want: Zelda HD Metroid Prime 4 F-Zero UX On the 3DS...: Just those games we already know about - Animal Crossing, Luigi's Mansion 2, Paper Mario and New Super Mario Bros 2 ...And what I really want, but don't think there's any chance of: Metroid V Cel-shaded Zelda Shantae 3 But yeah, don't get too excited as it couild be really boring!!!

Have to agree with @dazzybee about 3DS resolution. Extra resolution would be nice, but isn't necessary (with 3DS revamps, I mean). Even now, the DSi XL still has something over the 3DS. Combined, they'd be even better!

If it's that good, it'll be on the next console anyway, right? Meaning it's not just a selling point for one generation...

A few thoughts (was going to quote people but it looked messy): * When I saw the Classic Controller I laughed, thought "Again?!", then realised I wished it was the main controller. * Developers will only know Wii U owners have the Wii U GamePad. As such, I expect anything else to come bundled with games, although it's hard to see why anyone would include a Classic Controller, unless it has extra functionality...? * If no Wii U controller has analogue L + R triggers that will ruin the Virtual Console. No Mario Sunshine?! It just wouldn't be playable. * I too got excited about the Darknuts and chastised myself for wishful thinking. Let's hope it really was a tease though. * If everything can be played on one screen (the controller's), that's a very good thing for legacy. I've been wondering how Wii U games would be playable on a future console if it doesn't have the same controller. Hopefully playing on one screen will just mean you have to press "Start" to get the menus up.

So, what I took from it really: Analogue sticks - great Clickable analogue sticks - great! No information on whether L + R are analogue. Motion sensing and gyro controls - didn't realise it had both Wii U Controller Pro - looks good, but will mainly be for multiformat, right? Nintendo titles will use the screen. In fact, this should be confirmation that using the screen is not mandatory at all. By the way, please tell me these controllers are all rechargeable and don't use AA batteries! Or, for that matter, it doesn't plug into the Wii U Gamepad... But, overall, not bad. I'm glad that stuff's out of the way for Tuesday.

So, tomorrow, we should find out for sure whether the Wii U pad really does have analogue sticks instead of slide pads. I don't have much doubt about it myself, but it'll be nice to get confirmation. Hopefully there'll be something else too.

I came in from work feeling a bit low, then Nintendo do this and send my endorphins flying. E3 really is like Christmas for gamers!

How sad that this is indeed excellent advice. I don't like mandatory tipping. On the other hand, the Americans and Canadians are entitled to structure their society in any way they choose, and if I went there I would conform to that. When in Rome, etc. All we can do is be vigilant this type of attitude doesn't take hold in Europe. As an Englishman, I'm embarrassed about the London waitress complaining to @Jonnas' friend.

There was something about that on BBC2's Stargazing Live (a very good show this year). There was a physicist or astrophysicist (I've done a quick search and can't find the exact details, sorry) who said that we might expect to see two front-facing eyes, as that feature has developed about 11 times independently on Earth. An interesting way to approach the subject, I think.

It's probably just for the Facebook audience who don't actually watch the Press Conference.

When I heard Nintendo were making a handheld that offered stereoscopic 3D, I was extremely excited. For the first year, I did indeed play most games in 3D. A year later, the novelty of 3D has worn off. That's not to say I don't like it, just that my 3DS is in 2D mode as standard. I only flick on the 3D when I want to concentrate on a difficult bit (which it really does seem to help with). In other words, it has its uses, but is no longer a thrill. It's generally nicer and more relaxing to play in 2D. In no way do I dislike the 3D, but nor would I be unhappy if everything was 2D-only from now on.

It'd be a bugger if he's a Sony fan.

Congratulations to you both.

Not really, no. It's more to do with (as you say) filling HDTVs. So do I! To me, widescreen gaming has always looked bad in SD (PS2 included, not just Wii), then when I put it in 4:3 mode it all looks so much better. Nope.

If they can, great. It's hard isn't it? The Lizalfos and the harder Bokoblins were also my least favourite enemies. You might not get better at it either - I too just waggled my way through! It's funny, "waggle" was a dirty word for a few years, but it's probably the best way to have motion controls - if you're going to have them at all. I was playing Twilight Princess on GameCube the other day. One of those flying monsters swooped down upon me whilst I was atop Epona. Normal sword swings didn't work, so just I pushed the analogue stick upwards at the same time as my sword attack - Bash! I cut down the monster. Simple, elegant, responsive.

Playing Twilight Princess recently has made me realise it'd be a perfect candidate for an HD version. In no way does it need a remake, but if Nintendo simply offered it on Virtual Console, which version would it be? They could offer both, but it would seem inelegant. Far better to make a new version that, when used with a traditional controller, has left-handed Link in the overworld that has Kakariko village in the East. When used with the Wii Remote, it'd obviously be just the same as the Wii version. So, what would the benefit for those who just want the GameCube version, apart from HD? Widescreen. I think it could be a great deal more enjoyable in widescreen.

It's a dilemma. Arguably the charm of the dungeons in the 2D games is that they don't look organic at all. They are a series of linked squares, with doors and walls on the top, bottom, left and right. I've always thought this formal nature was a huge strength. As for the 3D games, I lean towards saying they should fit into the overworld, such as the Forsaken Fortress or Dragon Roost in Wind Waker. The Forbidden Forest is a mixture of the two approaches, as it fits into the overworld well, but feels very artificial once inside (technical limitations, probably). Generally, I'm in favour of buildings really feeling like what they're meant to be - I'd particularly like to see some good castles - but once you take out things like locked doors it's gone too far. Quite. Whilst I'm in favour of subtley, I do think what's described sounds very like Metroid or Shadow of the Colossus. Zelda does need stronger tone, atmosphere and exploring, but I think it's worth remembering that some of the best entries in the series - Link to the Past, Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker - do have quite straightforward storytelling. As such, I believe Zelda does not need to go back NES levels to be at its best. I've been thinking about that. Maybe Link should only possess the items that it's somewhat feasible to carry - sword, shield, bow (with fire, ice and light arrows), hookshot, boomerang and gauntlets. The two-handed weapons - Darknight swords, ball & chains, hammers, axes - could be picked up from enemies in dungeons. Say there's a wall to be knocked down... you just find the nearest Darknut, steal his sword, take it over to the weak wall and swing away at it. I'd love to see a lot more of this in Zelda - temporary items - extending as far as ride-on boars, griffins, dragons etc. It would give it a more playful sense.

They are both fantastic styles, indeed, TP and WW. I don't like them either - TP's and OOT's are probably the only ones I like, but I give the edge to TP due to the hogs, Bublin camps and the fact it's generally not too much of a pain in the neck to traverse. That's a very good point. I knew I had a small reservation about it. At the same time, the calming music and impressive draw-distance win me over. Was it really big though? I've always thought it wasn't really that big - you can ride round it quite quickly on Epona. This is the thing about Twilight Princess - you can see what they were aiming for and I think it was a very noble goal indeed, just let down a bit by technical limitations. The overworld, though, was definitely along the right lines. It's a case of "You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone", because I for one could not predict that Zelda would start to abandon large, explorable overworlds. If Twilight Princess is - for the most part - the traditional Zelda experience, to me Skyward Sword is like "playing through a story". What I mean by that is that it sets up scenes and locations for you. It's not just that it holds your hand; it's actually very hard to describe. I am confident I will not look back and say Skyward Sword was a classic. Just to be clear though, I think there were some very good things about it that were indeed an improvement on TP and we may miss from future entries: 1) The Bazaar in Skyloft was excellent. Castle Town remains one of my biggest peeves with TP, as you don't really feel you're down there in it. Skyloft's Bazaar is superb though - bustling with life, humour and much more Zelda-like NPCs. 2) The Loftwing. We may indeed come to miss having a flying mount. The small islands in Skyloft were quite enjoyable in that you had to approach them at the right angle. In other words, they existed in 3D. Unlike the main town, you could jump off your mount and land exactly where you intended. This gameplay was a very good addition. 3)

I've only been watching Eurovision properly for five years. Basically, one Saturday in 2008 I accidentally had the evening off work. I slouched on the sofa with a pint of beer, Eurovision came on and I thought "I'll watch the whole thing". Everyone took the mickey out of me as I was the only one who watched the entire 3+ hours! I was hooked! Anyway, this chap from Spain came on and lit up the stage. To this day, I can't get the track out of my head, such is its rhythm and humour. Personally, as much as I enjoyed Eurovision this year, I thought there were too many dance tracks and nothing as good as this: