Nintendo's 2004 E3 press conference began with marketing boss Reggie Fils-Aime (pronounced "fees-ehm") introducing three GameCube titles -- Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, Starfox, and Resident Evil 4 -- that he termed "a new day for Nintendo". It was the first public showing the company has given for the widely-anticipated Metroid sequel, and so far it looks just as graphically impressive as its predecessor -- the trailer showed Samus fighting off aliens, staring down a "dark" version of herself, and generally kicking ass. Starfox looked similar to the footage and playable game Nintendo offered at last year's E3, with Fox and the rest of the crew fighting each other on foot, in hoverpod vehicles, and in spaceships somewhere in outer space. Both of the above titles were announced for November 2004 releases.

Continuing his presentation, Fils-Aime touted Nintendo's continued commitment toward all types of gamers. "My job is to find a way for you, the game experts, to have fun," he said. "We recognize that Nintendo is not your only choice, but what you see here should help you understand that we're serious about expanding what we do." Fils-Aime also emphasized that Nintendo will continue to cater for a broader audience than the traditional hardcore game fan -- "There are gamers who aren't your age," he said while looking at the audience of games media and Nintendo fans, "gamers who live for Mario, Yoshi and Pokemon. It's Nintendo's job to make sure we satisfy all our gamers, and to do it better than the competition."

To demonstrate Nintendo's commitment to software, Fils-Aime compared his company's strategy to that of Sony and Microsoft, their main rivals. "One competitor of ours is a Japanese manufacturer who wants to capture all of your entertainment dollars," he said, "and another one doesn't care what you do as long as you do it on their operating system." Fils-Aime closed by stating that Nintendo's software focus will continue into the future and will provide the company with more momentum into this year and beyond.

With that, Nintendo vice president George Harrison came up to offer some solid facts behind these claims. According to the figures he presented, Nintendo's GameCube was the only console to experience increased dollar sales over the previous holiday season, primarily thanks to its $99 price. The Cube was also the only console to increase its unit sales over the past year, compared to PS2 sales slipping 28 percent and Xbox sales holding steady. Nintendo is also second in software tie-in figures, with Cube owners having an average library of 12.8 games.

According to Harrison, Nintendo expects that hardware companies will sell 20 million current-generation consoles before they're through. "We see plenty of business left in this generation," he said, "and unlike the competition, we want to play out our hand. It's how we play the game because it works." Nintendo's first strategy for completing this mission, according to Harrison, is the attraction of casual gamers via familiar characters, pick-up-and-play games, and value-priced software. The $99 price will also play a major role: "We think it'll be a while before some matches the $99 price point," Harrison said. On the subject of Sony's PSP, Harrison demonstrated confidence, noting that more than 25 million Game Boy Advances are already in players' hands -- a number which even eclipses the PlayStation 2's userbase by about half a million units.

After Harrison finished, another trailer was shown outlining the GameCube and GBA's major releases for the rest of the year. Among the new games revealed:

Donkey Kong: Jungle Beat (GC) An action game that uses the bongo controller included with Donkey Konga in Japan. How's this work? Sort of like ancient arcade classic Pac-Land -- you repeatedly tap one bongo or the other to run around, and clap to stun enemies (via your "sound waves", you see). Despite the simple controls, the game's pretty expansive, with vines, rideable animals, and "boxing matches" with rival, er, Kongs.

Advance Wars: Under Fire (GC) Kuju Entertainment's first GameCube title is a console version of the cult-hit GBA strategy series. The jump to 3D, however, makes for a game that looks very different visually -- instead of moving little squares around on a field map, you're on the field itself, directing units in a gameplay experience that reminded the audience of Command & Conquer and other real-time strategy games.

Fils-Aime then turned his attention to the Nintendo DS, a brand-new portable system and one fully discussed in 1UP's previous E3 coverage. As he described it, the DS doesn't simply stand for "dual screen" -- it also stands for "developers' system," since it opens up an entirely new field of gaming for creators to play with. "This is like buying a car," he said as he held the portable in his hand. "Your left brain looks at the numbers; the horsepower, the 0-60 rate, and so on. You right brain, though, is different -- the only question it has is 'Where will this baby take me?'… Do you want to go just a little faster, or do you want to go down a new road, to places you've never seen before? That's the DS difference."

After the DS presentation was over, Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stepped in to back up Fils-Aime's point on innovation. "All innovation changes games, and so will the Nintendo DS," Iwata said. "The DS is not simply new or more functional; it is different." This emphasis on being different is Nintendo's mantra for the future -- "For creators and players, you need to create more and more unprecedented play experiences," Iwata commented. "I want you to know that Nintendo is working on our next system, and that system will create a gaming revolution. Internal development is underway, and I suppose I could give you a list of our tech specs; I think you'll like that, but I won't for a reason: they really don't matter. The time when horsepower alone makes an important difference is over. From now on, we must create something more, the same way we have with the DS."

Fils-Aime closed the show with the first unveiling of the next Legend of Zelda, a trailer followed by creative head Shigeru Miyamoto's appearance, Link-style sword and shield in hand. "Even after 18 years, the legend of Zelda never stops changing," Miyamoto said to an ebullient audience. "We are now taking you to a world where Link has grown up, a world where he will act different and look different. In order to grow, Link must not stand still, and neither can I."

To close the conference, Fils-Aime expressed confidence that Nintendo's strategy will propel them to the top spot in the game industry. "Zelda, Resident Evil, Pokemon, Mario, and the DS all boost the momentum we're carrying into this E3 and beyond," he said. "We're giving players what they want, and they're rewarding us with more market share. I hope if I've done anything, I've shown you that this is a new day for Nintendo."

Copyright © 2004 Ziff Davis Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. Originally appearing in 1UP.