Nintendo cleans up at E3
Being there first-hand to see the ginormous lines, I can safely say that Nintendo did indeed have the most attention at E3 '06. I was quite surprised, as I figured the PS3's lifelike graphics would have the fanboys drooling, but then again the Wii's novelty and sheer difference from the competition grabbed more mainstream attention. It's one thing to have the diehard Nintendo faithful stampeding through the doors to get in line, but when the exhibitors themselves have been waiting in line an hour before the show opened...
The Game Critics Awards: Best of E3 2006 has awarded Nintendo its highest
honor. Nintendo's upcoming Wii(TM) console won the Best of Show award, as well as the best
hardware award. Nintendo's Wii Sports title won the best sports category, Excite Truck(TM) for Wii
won as the best racing game and The Legend of Zelda(R): Phantom Hourglass for Nintendo DS won as
the best hand-held game of last month's Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3). (Photo:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060601/LATH108 ) (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050516/NINTENDOLOGO ) "It's extremely gratifying to hear independent confirmation that our
approach resonates so dramatically with the people who know video games best," said Nintendo of
America President Reggie Fils-Aime. "These multiple awards demonstrate which company has momentum
and which products will be in the highest demand this holiday season." Nintendo won five Game
Critics Awards, more than any other publisher or hardware manufacturer. The Game Critics Awards
are issued annually by an independent group of journalists from 37 leading North American media
outlets that cover the video game industry in newspapers, in magazines, online and on television.
For more information about the Game Critics Awards, visit www.gamecriticsawards.com. The Game
Critics Awards add to the long list of accolades Nintendo received after E3 from the video game
media. A sampling is below: IGN.com Best Platform Game: Super Mario(R) Galaxy Best Puzzle
Game: Mario vs. Donkey Kong(TM) 2: March of the Minis Most Innovative Design: Wii Remote Best
Hardware/Peripheral: Wii Remote Best Hand-Held Game -- The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass
GameSpot Best Hardware: Wii Best Platform Game: Super Mario Galaxy Best Puzzle/Rhythm
Game: WarioWare(TM): Smooth Moves The GameTap broadband entertainment network: Best Adventure
Game: The Legend of Zelda(R): Twilight Princess Best Platform Game: Super Mario Galaxy Best
Sports Game: Wii Sports Best Portable: New Super Mario Bros.(R) Best Surprise: Wii Remote
Best Announcement: Super Smash Bros.(R) Brawl Game Trailers Most Innovative: WarioWare:
Smooth Moves Best Action/Adventure Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Best Sports
Game: Wii Sports Advanced Media Network: Gadget of Show: Wii Remote Most Innovative: Super
Mario Galaxy Booth of Show: Nintendo booth Best Trailer: Super Smash Bros. Brawl Best
Surprise: Snake from Konami's Metal Gear Solid series in Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Gamehelper.com: Best Adventure Game: The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess Best Platform
Game: Super Mario Galaxy The worldwide innovator in the creation of interactive entertainment,
Nintendo Co., Ltd., of Kyoto, Japan, manufactures and markets hardware and software for its
Nintendo DS(TM), Game Boy(R) Advance and Nintendo GameCube(TM) systems, and upcoming Wii(TM)
console. Since 1983, Nintendo has sold nearly 2.2 billion video games and more than 375 million
hardware units globally, and has created industry icons like Mario(TM), Donkey Kong(R), Metroid(R),
Zelda(TM) and Pokemon(R). A wholly owned subsidiary, Nintendo of America Inc., based in Redmond,
Wash., serves as headquarters for Nintendo's operations in the Western Hemisphere. For more
information about Nintendo, visit the company's Web site at www.nintendo.com
