The "Revolution" has begun                   

  By Michael Parker

March 13,2006     finally, the time is at hand.  In just a few short weeks, many questions will be answered.   Rumors will be put to rest,  once and for all.  Oh yes folks, the granddaddy of all consumer electronic shows known as E3 is upon us.   Nintendo Revolution fanboys, REJOICE! 

  The road to Revolution started back in May 11,2004 at an E3 press conference being held in Los Angeles.  It was announced that Nintendo was developing the follow up to the Nintendo Gamecube.  Nintendo president Satoru Iwata basically said the new system would be more powerful than the Gamecube.  He didn’t really get into many specifics concerning the technical aspect of the system.  This led to widespread speculation as to what Nintendo’s next generation console was capable of doing.  Nintendo maintained that they wouldn’t be sucked into a console war solely based on specs alone.  This was kind of a let down for Nintendo enthusiasts, as we, I mean them, love to wage all out console wars whether it be at E3 or on the message boards.  Without this critical ammunition, how would we defend our beloved and hopefully soon to be released system?  In early 2005 information regarding the top secret Revolution started to trickle out slowly but surely.  Just enough to keep us from jumping the proverbial ship.  Damn you traitors!  We learned a bit more of the ability to download a vast library of classic Nintendo games the were once available for the earlier Nintendo systems as well as backwards compatibility which allows the Revolution to play the entire library of Gamecube titles.  This was a welcomed addition to a system that didn’t really show its revolutionary appeal in the beginning.

 The rumors were confirmed in March of 2005 that in fact IBM was working on a custom built CPU for the Nintendo Revolution codenamed Broadway.  ATI was confirmed later that month to be working on a custom built GPU codenamed Hollywood.  This furthered beliefs that the Revolution was indeed, a real player in the next gen console war.  Gamers wondered what the combined forces of two of the most respected chip makers in the  videogame industry could come up with to bring forth Nintendo’s vision.  Only time will tell.  There are many questions left unanswered.

  The Tokyo Game Show of 2005 proved to be a coming out party for the  Nintendo Revolution .  This marked the first time that the Revolutions controller, or as we like to say in Tendo Speak "revmote"  was officially unveiled to the video gaming public.  I myself was sort of shocked when I gazed at the Apple ipodish looking contraption.  I didn’t know what to really think until I saw the demo.  I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who had visions  of wielding Links mighty sword or maybe  playing as an extremely over muscled Barry Bonds in one the many baseball games that is sure to be released on the new system.  The possibilities are endless, provided that developers aren’t simply trying to rush games to market that have minimal play value and high gimmick value.  What makes the Revolutions controller so revolutionary is everything that this device imbodies.  First, you have the main functions which are the 360 degree 3d pointing and movement in real time along with tilt and rumble sensitivity.  It has the traditional D pad along with  A and B buttons The controller is also equipped with an expansion port for future upgrades.  This seems to make a bunch of sense because Nintendo has stated in the past that different  peripherals were in development for the Revolution.  Sources say that one such add on may allow gamers to connect a Nintendo DS as a touch pad enabled controller as well.  The most common add on most likely to ship with the unit is the analog stick which has two trigger type buttons located just under the control stick.   The Revolution will use some form of advanced motion sensing technology to make the gamers really feel like there part of the action.   At the Tokyo Game show, they unveiled a wave bird like controller shell that the revmote could be inserted into for those gamers that wanted to use a more tradional type of controller.  This also satisfies those third party publishers that aren't as keen on the whole revmote idea.  This gives them the choice to forego the lengthy coding it would require to adapt next gen titles to be revemote ready.

  Some of the  first games announced  for the Revolution are key first party Nintendo franchise hits, which shouldn't surprise anyone.  The Legend of Zelda has yet to be released for the Gamecube.  This has fueled rumors that some sort of duel release for both Gamecube and Revolution was very possible.  Some have even speculated that if released for Gamecube first, that a special menu would appear whenever the game was played on a Revolution. This menu would allow you to take advantage of the unique Revolutionary controller.  Word has it that certain levels can only be reached using the revmote.   Nobody at the Big N will take a hard position on this matter, but if I were to guess I would think that there might be some truth to the speculation  partly because the Revolution version of Zelda might not be ready at launch.  Just a hunch.  

  Mario 128 is the working title for the next gen Mario adventure.  I haven't heard much about this game.  At one point I believe it was supposed to have come out for the Gamecube.  It was probably decided long ago that this game would only see life on the Revolution.  It isn't clear at this time how far along in development the title is.  It was once said that this adventure would take place where Mario Sunshine left off but then that rumor was quickly put to rest at last years E3.  As it stands now, Super Mario 128 will be a completely newly designed game.

  Super Smash Bros is the sequel to the Gamecube multi character hit and has been confirmed for the Revolution.  Nintendo officials has stated that this title will in fact be playable at this years E3.  This game boast an even larger selection of characters than before and it should also be noted that this is indeed a launch title.  What will no doubtable separate this slugfest from its previous incarnations is the fact that this baby will be fully Wi Fi compatible allowing you to wage battle on just about anyone within an internets arms reach.  That's a pretty long arm.  It remains to be seen just how they plan on using the Revolutions controller to create a unique play environment.  That will be the major challenge.

   The game most fans cant wait to get there hands on is Metroid Prime 3.  This game has been in development for some time now.  Much speculation surrounds this game.  Its been said by many that this could very well be the last Metroid Prime title.   It is sure to bring forth some of the best action and play control ever witnessed on a console.  This is the sort of game that the Revolution was made for.  The controller is perfectly suited for first person shooters.   Much of the storyline is unconfirmed but rest assured that it has something to do with Shamus Aran blasting away at hordes of deadly interstellar foes while at the same time reminding fans what it was that made them fall in love with this title in the first place.

   This years E3 will indeed set the tone for the looming console wars that will compete for you hard earned gaming bucks.  It appears that Microsoft will be at a distinct disadvantage largely due to under achieving game support currently available for the 360.  Lets face it, the Wow factor ended right after you finished the first campaign  in Call To Duty2.  I still haven't plugged my 360 back in yet.  Should I?  Yes, I admit, the graphics are pretty to look at, but  what happens if you don't own a HD television?  The same old lame graphics.  Point made.  As for the playstaion3, I will take a wait and see attitude for this one, only because they keep changing there specs every other month.  I want to see actual games being played and not work station mock ups.  Its very clear to me that the front runner for E3 supremacy is the Nintendo Revolution.  They were forced to eat a bunch of crow at last years E3 and many fans including myself were left feeling betrayed because we had nothing to really look forward to.  There were no playable games to whet our appetites. This is all going to change in a few short weeks.  A couple of months ago, Nintendo sent out press releases reminding the different media outlets that they had something pretty damn big planned for this years E3.   This was the shot across the bow the let the entire gaming world know,  the Revolution has begun,  Which side are you on?