E3 Wrap Up – Nintendo Keynote

Cross Post from @techdivajessa

Cammie Dunaway, Nintendo of America’s Executive VP of Sales & Marketing opened the keynote announcing the company’s goal to “create surprise.” Commenting, “Now, once in a while, surprise breaks down the door in a form of absolute innovation; something so amazing that everyone instantly recognizes it. And sometimes it sort of creeps up on you; a grin, or a shout buried in the middle of a level. Today, we will bring you both.”

If you like Animal Crossing….

By @jenhennen

Many a geek girl is familiar with the dangers of Animal Crossing. Just when you’ve managed to extricate yourself from the game’s magnetic pull and have stopped shaking trees to see what falls out, two more AC-like games are being released within the next few weeks. Earlier this spring, Magician’s Quest: Mysterious Times was announced for DS and promises to be AC in a Harry Potter world. You can cast spells and take part in a adventure mini-games, all while doing familiar tasks like bug collecting and fishing. The environment looks like it has much more variety than AC’s trees/grass/beach environment, and the game makes use of both DS screens to show off the 3D environments. The game also promises to have a much larger shopping district than Nook’s or even the “City Folk” city. Let’s hope Magician’s Quest makes money grow trees too!