7:58:25: Aaron: Waiting here in the front row...

8:08:31: The crew has arrived.

8:16:32: There is trivia before the press conference showing questions about Donkey Kong, Epic Mickey, Nintendogs, and more. Guess we're hearing about the possible Retro Studios DK game.

8:41:58: Heeeeeere's Jonny! The Nintendo press conference is supposed to begin in less than 20 minutes, although no one expects it to start exactly on time. I just updated the RFN podcast feeds and fixed the AAC version, so listen to that while you wait!

8:45:35: We are all pretty tired this morning. Activision's "Preview Event" started over an hour late and consisted of mini-concerts by Z-Trip, DeadMau5, David Guetta, Usher, Jane's Addiction, Soundgarden, N.E.R.D., and Eminem. You might wonder where the games were, and so did we. Aaron was lucky enough to miss the spectacle, but instead he drove overnight from SF to LA and is operating on no sleep today.

8:47:47: Yesterday's third-party press conferences had little Wii content and not a single mention of DS. EA showed a couple of multiplatform games that will come to these platforms (incl. Sims 3 and Madden). Ubisoft announced Raving Rabbids: Travel in Time but gave no details on its gameplay. Activision stealth-announced a Goldeneye 007 remake but didn't show it at their 2-hour Super Bowl Halftime Show.

8:50:28: Nintendo's trivia slide show at the press conference notes that Ubisoft has released 34 titles in their "Imagine" franchise, 32 of which are for Nintendo DS. This question/answer has cycled through multiple times, and James dies a little inside each time.

8:52:28: There is also a trivia question about Dragon Quest IX, which hasn't even been released outside of Japan. It's due in America next month, and we are expecting to see it pushed here at the press conference. I predict that Nintendo will give a copy to everyone here today to help build word of mouth hype. It wouldn't be the first time they've given away large quantities of a Dragon Quest game.

8:54:28: By the way, major props to Aaron for setting up this liveblog page. He has been working on a total overhaul of our website -- look for a beta version to launch right after E3!

9:00:26: The trivia questions have been replaced by a large Nintendo logo -- we may be starting soon.

9:01:48: Countdown from 10. Here we go! Reggie steps out.

9:03:19: Reggie: E3 headlines spin on technology. But tech is only a tool. Best experiences come from matching technology and game design.

9:03:50: Reggie: Begin with something for Wii... Zelda.

9:04:54: Zelda: Skyward Sword. Link looks much like he did in TP, but the world is more colorful. Now Miyamoto is talking on video.

9:06:11: Miyamoto is holding a sword and shield in the video. Then they are replaced by Wii Remote and Nunchuk. Latter will be used for shield. MotionPlus will help with items as well as sword.

9:06:33: Bill Trinen now on stage, demoing Zelda.

9:07:22: Miyamoto emerges from a cloth screen and steps onto stage in person.

9:09:01: Zelda screen has a ghost image of Wii Remote on the right side, showing the button functions and "Swing sword". Sounds like most of the controls are very similar to TP except for sword/item usage with MotionPlus.

9:09:59: The Deku Plants have mouths that open either horizontally or vertically, and you must swing the same direction to beat them. Charge your sword for a beam by holding up to the sky. Swing with both hands for a spin attack.

9:11:27: There's an eyeball door that watches the tip of your sword. Confuse the eye by moving your sword in a circle very fast. Now defeating Octorok-type enemies by reflecting projectiles with the shield.

9:13:11: Swordplay against the goblin enemies looks just like Wii Sports Resort. Link can drink a potion while walking around, even during combat. Item selection works much like choosing a visor in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption.

9:14:49: Miyamoto is shooting spiders with the slingshot. It is pointer-based, much like the bow in TP. You can walk around and aim at the same time, though. Now showing bombs, which are thrown or rolled with a Remote gesture (think basketball or bowling).

9:16:17: The bow works just like archery in Resort, except you don't switch hands. By the way, Link is right-handed in this game.

9:17:23: Now showing a beetle item. You release it and fly it around by tilting the Remote. It can fly freely but dies out after several seconds. You can press A for a short speed boost while flying it.

9:18:40: The whip behaves according to your movements. It can cut grass but not kill large enemies, so its power level is similar to the whip in Spirit Tracks.

9:20:16: The graphics look blurry on this huge screen, partly due to some depth of field blurring. But even the ground texture looks pixelated. Miyamoto says we can look forward to playing it next year. (So what is the big holiday title?) Now showing one last gameplay trailer with many of the same items.

9:21:27: Reggie is back on stage. "New experiences for everybody." Going to show some sports games now.

9:22:21: Reggie is name-dropping some sports titles from third-party developers. Now for a new Mario sports title.

9:23:10: Mario volleyball. And hockey. And dodgeball.

9:23:50: And basketball. It's called Mario Sports Mix, coming in 2011. No sign of American football in the package.

9:25:55: Reggie: Sometimes the common wisdom isn't so wise. Wii didn't wane last year as predicted. Casual Wii owners do buy games. Wii owners play their systems more often than others. More people intend to buy a Wii in the next six months than other platforms combined. Wii owners don't just play Sports and Fit. Reason is bridge games like Mario Kart and NSMB Wii.

9:26:28: Next bridge title: Wii Party. Showing a trailer for it.

9:27:18: Attractive white people are playing Wii Party even though the footage is in Japanese.

9:28:06: Reggie is talking about Just Dance. Now showing trailer for Just Dance 2 from Ubisoft. (It wasn't even mentioned yesterday at the Ubi press conference.)

9:29:22: Reggie talks about Golden Sun: Dark Dawn. Showing trailer.

9:30:39: Golden Sun is fully polygonal, cartoony art style. Seems to retain the puzzles from the original two games. The battle system also looks very similar, with summons spanning both screens.

9:31:05: Golden Sun: "this holiday" for DS.

9:32:24: Now showing the Goldeneye trailer. It's a roundtable of fans talking about their memories of the original. They go nuts when the company rep tells them about a remake. The gameplay shown is same as the trailer released yesterday.

9:33:37: Goldeneye arrives this holiday.

9:34:42: Reggie now talking about Mickey Mouse. Introducing Warren Spector and producer Adam Creighton.

9:36:05: Spector: Welcome to Wasteland. Populated by characters, worlds, and rides that were abandoned by Disney. Mickey talks to Smee (Peter Pan). The cut scenes are animated in a 2D style that looks water-damaged.

9:37:40: Spector: We are making Mickey the game star that he should be. Core game mechanic is drawing and erasing (with paint and thinner). Change the environment by spraying this stuff all over the place. Can even melt characters.

9:38:47: Spector: You can play constructively or destructively. Characters react differently to you based on how you solve problems. "Play style matters." This is the kind of stuff you hear about Western RPGs like Fallout and Mass Effect.

9:40:03: Spector: There are "quest zones" and "action zones". Mickey is jumping into a movie screen. Now he's in a "travel zone" that is a sidescrolling 2D platformer, based on Steamboat Willie. It's mostly in black and white, looks fantastic.

9:41:31: What they've shown isn't really evocative of that early concept art, but the 2D stuff looks particularly wonderful. The 3D part is a bit muddy, but the environment seems to be very dynamic. Reggie is back and hypes an "Iwata Asks" with Spector.

9:41:55: Reggie is talking about Sakurai (Smash Bros., Kirby).

9:42:22: Going to show a new Kirby console game.

9:42:51: Can't believe Sakurai is working on a new Kirby. I thought he wrote that off forever.

9:44:28: Kirby's Epic Yarn trailer. The game looks like everything is made of yarn. Much like Yoshi's Island. Kirby is an amorphous pink outline. Incredibly smooth animation. Showing familiar transformations like UFO, and new ones like a giant tank. Kirby has a yarn whip that can catch enemies -- he doesn't seem to be inhaling, but I could have missed it.

9:45:07: Kirby coming out this fall. Looks absolutely amazing. Totally 2D, side-scrolling gameplay.

9:46:52: Reggie now talking about Dragon Quest IX. "Practically begs for multiplayer action." Explaining the tag mode, which works when the DS is closed. July 11

9:48:44: Now showing Metroid trailer. Last day of August (31). New gameplay, but similar to what we've seen before. One section is zoomed in on Samus, showing her from behind the back much like Dead Space as she walks through a tight corridor. Lots of dramatic camera angles. No voice heard at all in this trailer.

9:49:15: Reggie says sense of isolation and exploration have not been lost. But there is a new emotional core.

9:49:47: Time for Retro Studios. Showing Donkey Kong trailer.

9:50:50: DK is 2D sidescroller, looks similar to Jungle Beat. Multiple planes of action in some levels. Tons of barrels... looks a lot like a modern DK Country.

9:51:18: Title is Donkey Kong Country Returns. This holiday.

9:51:59: Reggie: Close today by going into the "far future" of gaming. Time for 3DS.

9:52:34: Reggie: Nintendo 3DS. Official name. New logo is the old one with a big red 3 before DS.

9:53:35: Reggie: Talking about the cons of 3D glasses. "Ample game content available the first day on the market."

9:53:59: 3DS trailer showing the history of 3D displays.

9:55:28: Podium rises from the stage, holding the new system. It's blue and has two lenses on the outside. Iwata comes out to open it. Top screen is wider than bottom, but not by much. Large round joystick is above the D-pad.

9:56:40: Iwata closed the 3DS, now walking around stage. It looks no bigger than a DS Lite. Showing a diagram on the big screen.

9:57:50: Talking about touch panel, finger smudges and other problems. That's why only one screen was touch for DS. Same for 3DS.

9:58:46: Iwata: "graphics improvements". Joystick is called "slide pad". Has both motion sensor and gyroscope.

9:59:43: Iwata: Full compatibility with DSi. Inner camera is above the top screen now. Outside camera has two lenses for taking 3D photos. There is a home button between select and start, all along the bottom of the system.

10:00:36: Iwata: Can show 3D Hollywood movies. There will be trailers showing in the booth this week.

10:01:14: Iwata: Remember Project Sora? Established for one reason: to create a game for 3DS.

10:02:04: Trailer for Kid Icarus. Graphics look like something for Wii. Kid Icarus Uprising.

10:03:22: This looks amazing. Pit is flying, he's running around, he's shooting and slashing. Some parts look like Sin and Punishment, some like Star Fox, some like Gears of War. Damn this is beautiful. It actually looks better than most Wii games.

10:06:29: Iwata talking about communication with 3DS. When it's sleeping, it will search for WiFi and other systems. Works even while you're playing a game. No monthly fee, and anyone will be able to use this feature.

10:07:50: Iwata thinks they will have the biggest third-party launch support ever. Miyamoto working on 3D version of Nintendogs + Cats.

10:08:54: DJ Hero 3D. Kingdom Hearts 3D. Resident Evil and Street Fighter IV. Metal Gear Solid.

10:09:13: Iwata dropping logos and game titles like cluster bombs.

10:09:43: Iwata finishes with a trailer of developers talking about 3DS.

10:11:02: Kojima included in this trailer. Also devs from Vicarious, Capcom, 5th Cell, Level 5, Ubisoft, Team Ninja...

10:12:21: Reggie returns. No mention yet of 3DS launch window or price.

10:13:30: Reggie: Keep watching e3.nintendo.com for more news and trailers coming right up.

10:15:30: Another 3DS video. Comedy. Iwata sucked into the system by Mario. Then Miyamoto by a puppy. Star Fox's Arwing flies out of the system. Reggie walks over to find all kinds of Nintendo stuff on the ground. He watches Iwata and Miyamoto in the game. Bowser jumps out and breathes fire in Reggie's face.

10:16:48: Reggie: We're going to let everyone go to 3D right here, right now. Tons of ladies walking out with 3DS demo units for us to play.

10:17:01: Reggie: We're going to let everyone go to 3D right here, right now. Tons of ladies walking out with 3DS demo units for us to play.

10:17:44: This looks like a trippy version of Deal or No Deal.

10:18:23: Zelda demo units rise up in the front for others to play Skyward Sword.

10:18:56: Shuttles to Sony won't start for another 40 minutes. LOLOLOLOL