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E3 2012: Nintendo 3DS press conference liveblog

See you back here at 2am BST / 6pm PST

E3 2012: Nintendo 3DS press conference liveblog
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3DS

E3 is once again upon us, which means games companies and manufacturers will be lining up to show off their new wares to gamers across the world.

After yesterday's Wii U-centric E3 press conference, Nintendo turns its attention exclusively to the 3DS today.

We're expecting Scott Moffitt, Nintendo of America's executive vice president of sales and marketing, to host a presentation on 3DS software and 3DS software only. No Wii U allowed, okay, Scott?

Check back here at 2am in Blighty or 6pm if you're on the west coast of America for our liveblog coverage of the event.

Nintendo 3DS presentation E3 2012 liveblog

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19:02 - ...and we're wrapping up. Looks like the new 3DS hardware rumour has been effectively kiboshed for the moment.

There really weren't all that many surprises, but the footage of the games shown was quite informative. This holiday season will be quite a busy one for Nintendo 3DS owners!

19:01 - New Super Mario Bros. 2 will be available on August 19th as a retail copy or a digital download. Looks like Nintendo is committed to this new digital distribution model.

19:00 - The 2-player single player mode allows you to play cooperatively or competitively. I'll be spending all my time in a bubble regardless...

18:59 - New Super Mario Bros. 2 will allow players to complete the entire single player campaign with the help of a friend. That's not technically single player, but who am I to correct Nintendo?

18:57 - The coins you collect in New Super Mario Brothers 2 are used to access this new competitive mini-game "Coin Rush Mode" ...and will also give you 1 ups in the game itself.

18:56 - New Super Mario Brothers 2 is up now, the emphasis again is on the proliferation of coins. The Golden Fireflower will turn you into "an unstoppable cash-making machine".

18:53 - Scott announces that a demo for Lego Batman 2 is now available on the Nintendo eShop.

18:51 - Scott Moffitt reports that 70% of 3DS consoles in the US have connected to the internet and presents a short trailer for a new 3DS exclusive series Theediots that will arrive on Nintendo Video.

The audience's silent reaction to the trailer does not bode well for this venture.

18:49 - We're reminded that the release of Pokémon Black/White 2 is only a few months away.

18:48 - Third party game montage time! Lego Batman 2: DC Superheroes (Warner Brothers), Transformers Prime The Game (Activision), Rabbids Rumble (Ubisoft), Heroes of Ruin (Square Enix) all are given quick gameplay teasers.

18:47 - Scribblenauts Unlimited receives a short video. The puzzles will not be episodic but part of a larger, open world. Nifty!

18:46 - A demo for Kingdom Hearts 3D will be available soon on the eShop. The game will support the Circle Pad Pro, and will add new features like slow motion finishing moves and reality shift (quick time events)

18:44 - Kingdom Hearts 3D [Dream Drop Distance] is on stage now. The demo video is pretty ace all around.

18:43 - Paper Mario Sticker Star launches this holiday season, a 3D trailer for this (and Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon) are available on the 3DS for free via the eShop.

18:42 - Still going on about the stickers... looks like Nintendo is going for depth over breadth here.

18:40 - To jumpstart a windmill, Nate uses "paperizing" (a feature which turns the game screen into a sheet of paper) and places a giant fan in front of it. The windmill blades turn, and I'm pretty interested in this game!

18:38 - Battles won't yield experience points, but there will be traditional RPG leveling up which happens through completing quests for NPCs and exploring the environment.

18:36 - The stickers you collect dictate your actions in combat (a jump sticker allows you to jump, a shell sticker throws a shell) but the action-based combat system remains. Innnnteresting.

18:34 - The demo Nate is playing looks great. Turn-based strategy, a feature of the Paper Mario Franchise, is confirmed to be in.

18:32 - Paper Mario Sticker Star is up now. Nate Bihldorff from Nintendo Treehouse takes the stage to walk us through it.

18:30 - Ok, so that was all background. The video's up and it's looking pretty good, if a touch simplistic.

Mizrabel, the evil witch from the original Castle of Illusion is trying to break out and takes Minnie and Mickey's friends hostage. I thought... this wasn't a sequel?

18:28 - Peter Ong claims to have beaten the original 1990 Castle of Illusion once every day in his youth. My eyes begin to glaze over a bit...

18:26 - Warren Spector and Peter Ong from Dreamrift take the stage to discuss Epic Mickey Power of Illusion. This will be an all new game: not a port or a sequel.

18:25 - Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon has a release date of holiday season 2012, available as a retail game and as a digital download via the eShop. Well done, Nintendo!

18:23 - Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon is up now and it's looking pretty polished.

This video is an expansion of the one Nintendo used during its presentation yesterday.

18:21 - There's platforming being discussed now. Jumping and swinging, all across pits and chandeliers... and all on a 2.5D plane (now confirmed).

18:20 - In addition to area-of-effect attacks, Trevor will have Dark Magic attacks to support him and access to a finishing move technique with the R button.

The L shoulder button will be used for blocking.

18:18 - Dave Cox, producer of Konami Digital Entertainment takes the stage to walk us through the game. Mirror of Fate will star Trevor Belmont, as rumoured.

18:16 - Short video, but there's some good gameplay footage in there. It's looking rather like it will be on a 2.5D plane in 3D. Also, Alucard is mentioned as an ally character.

A release window of Fall 2012 is announced!

18:15 - The trailer for Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate starts up and it looks gorgeous. Some good cell shading animation.

18:14 - Scott now thanks fans and lists some sales numbers before jumping into news about the new Castlevania title.

18:13 - He's now talking about Miis and says that his is 'ruly' and likes loud music. There should be a laugh from the audience there, but...

18:12 - Scott holds up Nonspecific Action figure as a special guest. Some droll laughter ensues, Reggie banters a bit and awkwardness abounds.

18:11 - Scott Moffitt is taking the stage and will be running this presentation as Nintendo indicated yesterday.

18:10 - Reggie is taking the stage, announces this as a Software Showcase... maybe there's no new 3DS model after all.

18:09 - It's go time!

18:07 - And... we're still waiting for the start.

18:03 - My body is ready, Nintendo is not.

17:54 - There's a lot to be excited about here tonight. Let's hope the big N comes through.

17:50 - What are some of the biggest questions for Nintendo to answer today? The rumoured hardware revision / new 3DS model is at the top of the list there, as is information on teased games like Scribblenauts Unlimited.

Additional news on Castlevania Lords of Shadow: Mirror of Fate and Luigi's Mansion Dark Moon would be nice, too.

17:45 - We're looking at 15 minutes to go before Nintendo unveils its bag of mobile goodies and games.

If you're joining us in the UK at 2am GMT... grab yourself another coffee, rub your reddened eyes, and chase off the sandman for a bit longer- it's almost time for the presentation to start.

Matthew Diener
Matthew Diener
Representing the former colonies, Matt keeps the Pocket Gamer news feed updated when sleepy Europeans are sleeping. As a frustrated journalist, diehard gamer and recovering MMO addict, this is pretty much his dream job.