One little three-letter word defined the span of time in-between E3 '05 and 2006's E3 show, and that little word was "Wii." Nintendo announced that strange-sounding, oddly-written branding as the final name to be given to its upcoming home console, which had previously been called the Revolution. And "Wii" was so weird that it made the entire industry go wild.
Nintendo smartly let the name be known months before 2006's actual E3 show, anticipating that the oddity of it would ignite a firestorm of controversy. They were right – people hated it. The Internet went ablaze with Wii hate as soon as it was confirmed, with longtime fans' reactions ranging from rage-filled to just completely confused. Why would Nintendo choose a name that sounded so dumb?
The name that everyone hated.
And, worse, why would Nintendo choose a name that was so suggestive in connotation and so easily lampooned? Wii jokes, likening the new machine to various bodily functions and male body parts, made the rounds quickly. But hey, it was an attention-getter, no doubt about that.
Another key detail had been unveiled about the new system a bit earlier than the name, though, and that was the fact that it would feature motion-capable controllers. Nintendo had only shown off a prototype plastic casing of the system at E3 2005 while announcing a handful of details – the signature motion controller wasn't revealed until later that year. It, too, was met with skepticism at first. What was Nintendo up to with this crazy new console?
And that was the attitude leading into E3 2006. We knew we were about to see Nintendo taking its first steps into the unexplored territory of motion gaming. We knew that it was branding this new endeavor in a very odd way. But we had no idea that we were about to bear witness to an incredible, actually revolutionizing success story in the making.
The initial shock of the "Wii" name announcement died down before E3 '06 opened, which was a good thing – the name would have overshadowed everything else about the system at the show. And it turns out that Nintendo had a lot more to talk about, regarding its new Wii.
It was information overload. Nintendo had kept the details of Wii software under lock and key before its press conference, so we had an avalanche of announcements hitting in rapid succession – Wii Sports, the anyone-can-play athletic compilation. Excite Truck, the motion-controlled driving game and revival of the Excitebike franchise. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the confirmed return of Retro Studios' Prime series that had been teased the year before.
One of our first looks at Mario's galactic journey.
Super Mario Galaxy soared into view, as Nintendo sent its main mascot out into the stars. A new Fire Emblem promised strategy gamers wouldn't be forgotten on the new system. Third parties stepped in, confirming their Wii contributions like the guns-and-swords action game Red Steel, a new Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and a new Rayman game starring some weird-looking new rabbit things. (Who'd have thought the Rabbids would go on to such popularity?)
The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess then made its third, and thankfully final, E3 press conference appearance. Nintendo fans had already been waiting two solid years for the game by this point, after its epic unveiling at E3 2004. This last E3 appearance, though, unexpectedly shifted the project – from being a GameCube swansong to a Wii launch title. The Big N showed off its new widescreen visuals and motion control support, then promised it would finally be ours to own by the end of the year.
Even at its third E3, Twilight Princess impressed.
All of that info would have been enough to make for an interesting show, but there was even more to come. Nintendo addressed its portable market, too, finally acknowledging that the DS had become a true success and a successor to the Game Boy Advance (which was pointedly ignored at this E3.) A robust new lineup of software for the dual-screened handheld was presented, including our first looks at Star Fox Command, The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass and Elite Beat Agents.
And then the new DS showed up. No one was all that fond of the first retail DS system – it's gone on to be called the DS Phat by many, lovingly critiquing its chunky form factor. Nintendo responded by announcing and showing off its remixed, smaller, slimmer new version – the DS Lite. A major improvement over the first DS, the Lite would go on to become the definitive DS for the core the system's life cycle.
The redesigned Nintendo DS "Lite."
Nintendo then closed its press event, but surprisingly had one last card to play one day later. After the expo proper had begun, a rare time to make any more major announcements, Nintendo shocked the show by sharing an all-new Super Smash Bros. Brawl trailer. The video confirmed the return of Pit from the Kid Icarus series to active mascot status, showed off Wario, Meta Knight and Zero Suit Samus as additional newcomers to the multiplayer fighter series, and then saved the best for last – the screen went dark, a familiar phone-ringing sound rang out, and Konami's Solid Snake appeared on the screen. The confirmation of a third-party character joining the Smash Bros. franchise for the first time was a delightful surprise, and it capped off an incredibly satisfying set of announcements for the Big N in 2006.
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