I know that pretty much everyone out there who has a remote interest in gaming has already seen all the high points at this year's E3 by some method or another. You've likely seen previews for the games I'm about to write about. But you see, since the first unveiling of the Game Cube all those years ago (it has been a few years, wow) I've made a tradition on this site to emphasize the badassedness of said games. So, here goes...

First of all, and I'll set forth my richest creativity with amateur and unprofessional journalism skills, ADULT LINK. FRIGGIN' ADULT LINK. And not the fruity construction-paper version, but instead the dark, gritty, realistic Link. I tell ya, after the joke they call Wind Waker has come and gone, and after a sequel for it was announced, this hit the entire gaming community like a wall. (Yes, I don't like Wind Waker, and for better reasons than mud-and-construction-paper-graphics.) I opened the movie file (avaiable at IGN) expecting Wind Waker, but instead saw this in all its adult Link glory. I cried.

Okay, this is a Metroid site, so I guess I oughtta talk about the Metroid happenings at E3.
Metroid Prime 2.
Anyone who beat the first one will know that this game's coming was be a no-brainer. Hell, the preview screenshots have been floating around the internet for the last couple of months. The game's theme will take on the sorta Link to the Past or Soul Reaver design using a pair of parallel worlds, one light and one dark. It'll also involve a little bit of elemental stuff, the Light Beam that is harmful against dark world creatures, and the Dark Beam which is harmful against light world creatures. Damn their logic.

Anyway, Prime 2, officially known as Metroid Prime 2: Echoes sports some graphical improvements, yet another major modification on Samus' visor, and a "hunt or be hunted" theme. From what I gather of the preview movies (also available at said IGN page) there is a Dark World equivalent of Samus whose sole intent is to destroy her. It retains all the same abilities as she does, and it seems that Samus and her clone encounter each other a few times throughout the game. *cough* Metroid Fusion ripoff. *cough*

The game also does something new to the series: multiplayer. It's exactly what I pictured it would be from speculation a couple years ago... four differently-colored Samuses running around in a closed map fragging each other. Standard beam weapons can be picked up, and the morph ball is there at the player's disposal to get out of tight situations. The lock-on should make things frust... er, interesting. I'll try harder to veer away from my own opinion on these games. No more comments.

While Prime 2 came to be expected, Nintendo threw another one at us that was rather unexpected. Tentatively titled, Metroid Prime: Hunter, this is a still-beta version of Prime 2's multiplayer as a standalone game. Here's the kicker: It's for the DS, Nintendo's not-quite-next-generation system, made to coexist with the GBA and Cube. It pushes N64 quality graphics, impressively, on one of the screens. A demo I saw for Hunter was in full 3d, and looked very much like Prime. Again, I'll refrain from inserting my own opinion. I doubt anyone wants to know what I think about generic methods of making money.

In all, this year's offerings from Nintendo are certainly intriguing. In a half year we'll be celebrating the arrival of Metroid number six. w00t.