GTA DS and Animal Crossing lead Nintendo's new software push
Eight new titles for Wii and DS platforms unveiled at E3 conference in LA
Nintendo has unveiled four new games for the Wii and four new games for the DS set to come out later this year, at the company's E3 conference at the Kodak Theatre in LA today.
Ubisoft's Shaun White Snowboarding was the first game to be introduced, set to come out later this year exclusively for the Wii. Shaun White himself demonstrated the game, which a Nintendo spokeswoman revealed was designed from the ground up to utilise the Wii's balance board.
Animal Crossing: City Folk for the Wii was next, with the game's creator Katsuya Eguchi appearing on-screen to talk about updates to the franchise, emphasising the important of communication in the game.
Eguchi revealed that gamers will be able to talk to each other with the new microphone peripheral, Wii Speak, describing it as "a community microphone that lets every person in the room talk with another roomful of people anywhere in the world".
Reggie Fils-Aime joined the crowd to reveal a sequel to the Wii's launch title Wii Sports. Wii Sports Resort would, like it's predecessor, feature a number of mini-games based on the Wii remotes' motion control but this time would feature beach-themed content.
The new title will make use of the Wii Motion Plus, which Nintendo will package with every copy of Wii Sports Resort.
The final Wii game announced was Wii Music, introduced by Shigeru Miyamoto who took to the stage playing the Wii remote like a saxophone.
Rather than requiring symbol-matching and precise timing on screen in order to play, Wii Music allows "everyone including people who can't read music and can't play real instruments" to enjoy the feeling of playing music.
The game will feature 50 instruments to choose from, all of which involve the use of the Wii remote, nunchuck or balance board. The Wii's balance board was used on-stage during the demonstration as a replacement for a drum's foot pedal.
Four new games for the Nintendo DS were also announced, including Guitar Hero On Tour: Decades, due for release this autumn and said to feature song-sharing.
Spore Creatures on DS was also detailed, as was a November release date for Pokemon Rangers: Shadows of Almia.
The final DS title revealed was a spin off from Rockstar's Grand Theft Auto franchise, set in Liberty City, called GTA: China Town Wars.
"Set in a modern day Liberty City, the game features a custom game engine, new characters and the same free-ranging gameplay that GTA fans have come to expect," explained Nintendo's spokeswoman.