Charming to fault, what with it being book-ended by puppet versions of Satoru Iwata, Shigeru Miyamoto, and Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo's E3 showing however lacked any real substance. With its focus on the near-future, this led to a kind of empty line-up of Wii U titles being shown. On the other hand, the 3DS fared a lot better with plenty of Zelda and even a new Metroid game. But even so, lacked any big surprises. Click through for the highlights.


Kicking things off on the Wii U front was a look at the new Star Fox game, now titled Star Fox Zero - which makes full use of the Wii U Gamepad, which will provide a second-screen in-cockpit view for precision shooting. And in staying true to the series' overall look and feel, Star Fox Zero is set to provide some well overdue arcade-style shooting to the Wii U. Star Fox Zero is set for release later this year.



With the 30th Anniversary of Super Mario Bros. for the NES being this year, Nintendo are looking to celebrate this feat with the release of Super Mario Maker. A make-you-own-Super Mario-level creator that looks like a lot of fun. Albeit, a little underwhelming in lieu of a brand new Super Mario adventure.



Out next week in Australia, Nintendo also showcased Yoshi's Wooly World. A family-friendly game that turns the idea of a Yoshi-driven platformer into one set in a colourful world made up of different types of thread and yarn. And wool.



Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash is the new Wii U entry in the long running Mario Sports series of games that began all the way back on the Nintendo 64. Looking to feature the same multiplayer-centric gameplay as previous Mario Tennis games, Ultra Smash will also feature character-driven power-ups. Advantage, Giant Peach.



Already out in Japan, Nintendo also previewed a new look at Xenoblade Chronicles X the highly anticipated futuristic action-RPG for the Wii U. The game is set for release in Western markets later this year.



On the Nintendo 3DS front, not one but two new Zelda games were shown. First up was The Legend of Zelda: Tri Force Heroes a three-player co-op game that looks to take the classic Zelda dungeon formula and expand that into a multiplayer game. Online support will be available, as will the ability to buy new costumes.



The second Zelda game to get a showing was Hyrule Warriors Legends, the 3DS version of the Zelda-style Dynasty Warriors game released last year for the Wii U.



Next up was a new entry in the underrated Paper Mario series, the perfectly titled Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam.



Continuing the string of new entries in classic Nintendo franchise comes Fire Emblem Fates, which looks to be the most cinematic Fire Emblem to date. As a series that has featured some great if static storytelling in past entries, this is a great (and overdue) step forward for the series.



Finally, there's Metroid Prime: Federation Force. A new Metroid Prime! Well, kind of in name only as this looks to be a co-op game set in the Metroid universe that blends shooting, with mini-games and overly exaggerated zero g suits.



So, there you have it. And in a weird turn of the events, one of the biggest highlights from the presentation was getting to listen to master game designer Shigeru Myamoto's talk about the ideas behind the original 16-bit Star Fox.

Check out the entire entertaining and charming-if-light-on-actual-game-content Nintendo E3 presentation below.