E3 2011 Day Two Recap

by Matt Miller on Jun 07, 2011 at 04:30 PM

Nintendo revealed its new console to the world, and the show floor finally opened. Start here for all the day's biggest news.

Another day, and another several dozen major games, announcements, and stories that will change the video game landscape in the coming years. Yesterday, we brought you our complete day one recap, including details on the Microsoft, EA, Ubisoft, and Sony press conferences. Today, we continue our coverage with links to the biggest stories our editors encountered throughout the day.

The morning was dominated by Nintendo and its long-awaited press conference, which included the biggest news of this year's E3: the reveal of Wii U. The successor to the Wii features a dramatic new controller that includes both touch-screen and traditional control inputs. Game Informer had a chance to put the new console through its paces. including extensive hands-on time with the interactive demos Nintendo had prepared for E3. After multiple console generations where Nintendo failed to find adequate third-party support for its consoles, the company went out of its way to show third-party support for the system, including the announcement of games like LEGO City Stories and Darksiders II for the new system. We also learned some of the basic specs for the system and had an inside glimpse of Miyamoto and Iwata discussing the device.

For Nintendo fans, the Wii U announcement was exciting news, but came sadly lacking a release date, and little concrete info on the big first-party games and how they'd fit into the equation, with the exception of a Smash Bros. game that will target both Wii U and 3DS.

On that note, most of the rest of Nintendo's media briefing focused on the 3DS and the software on its way to the recently released handheld in the coming months. Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart, Super Mario, and Starfox were all promised, as well as the appearance of Luigi's Mansion 2.

And just so the Wii users don't feel they've been forgotten, Nintendo promised a holiday release date for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

[Next up: The sprawling expanse of the E3 show floor, plus trailers and screens galore]

With Nintendo's conference concluded, the show-goers were finally able to storm the LA Convention Center and dig into the wealth of games on display.

Publishers took the opportunity to begin revealing numerous trailers, including videos for Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, BioShock: Infinite, Mass Effect 3, Sonic Generations, Final Fantasy XIII-2, and Blades of Time. We also saw new screens for games like Halo 4, The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, and Overstrike.

Meanwhile, our editors on the floor went from booth to booth exploring some of the coolest demos on display. We have dedicated previews on great games including Gears of War 3, Fable: The Journey, Aliens: Colonial Marines, Defiance, End of Nations, Dance Central 2, Gunstringer, Prey 2, Rage, Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

In addition, we followed up on the morning Nintendo conference with closer looks at Kid Icarus: Uprising, Mario Kart 3DS, Kirby Wii, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, and Super Mario Bros. Mii.

With the exception of all the Wii U-related reveals, opening day on the show floor didn't hold too many huge surprises, but there's no dearth of great games on display. It takes far more than one day to see it all. Check back to the site all day tomorrow as we continue to explore the hundreds of games being shown at this year's show.