Summary
Not many fans know this butNintendodid not begin as a console-based company with the NES or even as an arcade company like withDonkey Kong. Instead, they began as a toy manufacturer in Japan as far back as 1889. So, they’ve been around for a long time and they will continue to grow so long as they make the pillars of their franchise kingdom appear on new consoles likeMario,Pokemon, andThe Legend of Zelda.
All ofthose Nintendo franchiseshave had big reveals over the years from E3 events to Nintendo Directs. Minus hardware announcements, these games were big surprises, and with a bright past and present, players can only wonder what will the Switch 2 bring to the table.
Punch-Outis a big seriesfor some in the Nintendo world and getting to see a new one for the Wii was huge. It was announced during the Nintendo Media Summit in 2008 with a quick trailer lasting less than a minute. Little Mac was training in a dark room followed by him pummeling classic opponents like Glass Joe and King Hippo.
For context, the last game in the series,Super Punch-Out, was released in 1994 for the SNES. While shown in 2008, it wasn’t released until the following year, making the gap between the two games fifteen years. Sadly for Switch fans, thePunch-Outgame for the Wii is still the latest edition.
5Golden Sun: Dark Dawn
The Power Of The Sun In The Palm Of Your Hand
The twoGolden Sungames for the GBA werewell-reviewed turn-based RPGsat the time. They came out in 2001 and 2002 in Japan and their data could be linked to continue the journey. After that, things went dark until E3 2009.
There was a brief trailer for a third game shown during Nintendo’s press conference and it was simply titledGolden Sun DS. The gap between the two games was eight years, so it was an exciting update. At E3 2010, it was given the nameGolden Sun: Dark Dawnand it was released later that year on the DS. LikePunch-Out, there have been no more entries in theGolden Sunseries.
The lead into the reveal ofDonkey Kong Country Returnsat E3 2010 was masterful. During the Nintendo presentation, then Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime, told the audience that they could almost hear a jungle beat which is when theDonkey Kong Countrytheme started piping in followed by a trailer. It was a big surprise and a bigger deal that Retro, the studio behind theMetroid Primeseries, was working on it.
Even greater was the fact that it was going to launch on the Wii that Fall. The lastDonkey Kong-focused gamebefore that wasDonkey Kong 64for the N64 in 1999. However, if one wants to get technical, the lastDonkey Kong Countrygame wasDonkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Troublein 1996 for the SNES.
The firstSuper Smash Bros.was a big deal when it was released on the N64 in 1999 as abizarre crossover game. Every release in the series following that would boost the franchise’s appeal more. However, starting in 2013, Nintendo upped their game in how they revealed these things. The 3DS and Wii U versions of the newSuper Smash Bros.game were interesting because it was the first time the series was going to a portable system and both games were slightly different.
At this E3 2013 Nintendo event, they also had the first big CG reveal trailer which involved Mega Man joining the fray. At E3 2014, there was a funny live-action skit involving Reggie Fils-Aime and Satoru Iwata fighting before they started playing the Wii U version ofSuper Smash Bros.During that fight Iwata pulled out a Mario Amiibo which was a wild reveal for the collectible line. This dramatic showcasing of characters would continue for DLC and the release ofSuper Smash Bros. Ultimateon the Switch in 2018.
Kid Icaruswas a game that was a hit when it debuted on the NES in 1986 in Japan, but it did not blow up like other Nintendo franchises. It got one sequel in 1991 on the Game Boy,Kid Icarus: Of Mythsand Monsters, and then that was it. Fast-forwarding nearly two decades later, Nintendo announced the secret game known asProject Sorain 2009. There were few details given other than Masahiro Sakurai was working on it, the mastermind behind theSuper Smash Bros.series.
At E3 2010 when the 3DS was having its big blowout unveiling, Nintendo finally announced whatProject Sorawas. A trailer began to play and eventually, Pit showed up to say, “Sorry to keep you waiting!” Project Sora wasKid Icarus: Uprising, a sequel that took twenty-one years to arrive as it eventually launched in 2012. Years later, fans are still clamoring for Nintendo to port it to the Switch.
The N64 was popular thanks to hits likeSuper Mario 64andThe Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. However, it does not have a giant library compared to its competitor, the PS1. The successor console, the GameCube, faired even worse next to the PS2 which is still one of the best-selling consoles of all time. Nintendo desperately needed a hit, but no one on the development staff could have predicted how momentous the Wii was going to be.
Part of its success has to go to thepack-in game,Wii Sports. It was demoed onstage at E3 2006 to showcase how easy it was to set up a game of tennis, baseball, bowling, golf, or boxing. The motion tracking, while not perfect, was good enough to be mind-blowing in the early 2000s. Because ofWii Sports, the Wii would go down as one of the wildest console releases of all time and in turn, helped rejuvenate the spirit of Nintendo as a brand.
