Nintendo

Welcome to "Worth It - Games Worth Playing this Week," a weekly column you'll find here every Monday. In Worth It, I'll sift through the games being released this week to let you know what you can look forward to and, sometimes, what is just too bad to ignore.

New ideas in game design are always risky, and this week we have two new entries to existing franchises that go in interesting new directions. I am glad to see major franchises taking chances, but there's a certain amount of inertia that comes with an established brand. So are what are these two games, and do they look like they will be worth your money? Find out after the jump.

Certainly a huge announcement for the Wii owners of the world was news that Donkey Kong was coming back in Donkey Kong Country Returns, but now you can see the game in action. It looks just as much fun as the originals, but somehow, I miss the art style of the Super Nintendo classics. Still, full 3D rendering aside, DKCR is easily my most anticipated Wii title announced at E3. Check it out for yourself above.

I've never been a fan of the Legend of Zelda series. That's right, I said it. But I understand that Link is a mildly popular character among gamers. So for the 3 or 4 of you who might be interested, here's the announcement trailer released in a vain attempt to create some hype for an almost unknown franchise. Check it out above, if you feel like it. Seriously, though, another Legend of Zelda game! Rejoice, sword wielding, green hat wearing warriors! Rejoice! 

This trailer actually leaked a while ago, but at the time couldn't be called anything more than a rumor. However, Nintendo confirmed that a Goldeneye 007 remake is on the way exclusively for Wii owners. Along with most people who were around during the original game's release, it was my favorite FPS by far. I certainly hope they do a good job of maintaining the feel of the original, or it could be a flop. I'm already disappointed that Pierce Brosnan is being replaced by Daniel Craig. Something about that just doesn't sit well with me. Anyway, check out the trailer above.

So the 3DS is pretty, plays all your favorite DS games, and features 3D. The hype surrounding this little device is huge, but how does it look on paper? Hit the jump for 3DS specs in bullet form!

During Nintendo's press conference, Epic Mickey was demoed for everyone to watch on the show floor, and one of the first things that stood out was how great the game looked. Mickey will have the ability to use paint or paint thinner to change the gameplay and environment to their liking, and it was also stated that these choices will have an effect later down the line - do you choose to destroy enemies? Or do you wish to become friends with them? This story isn't all about happiness though, and you'll see some of the qualities that make Mickey a hero, as well as rejected Disney characters. He'll be making his debut later this year, exclusively on the Wii. Hit the jump to see the E3 teaser trailer.

Apparently, what you're seeing above is a legit list of the release titles for the Nintendo 3DS.  Now, this is leaked information and not confirmed by Nintendo, so take it as it is, but it seems like a pretty solid list.  I'm down for a 3D contra game, but what's the deal with the lack of pokemon news at E3?  This just adds to it, there's no 3D Pokemon game for launch.  Anyway, take the image for what it is.  Here's a link to the full length thing.  See it while you can because it won't be up forever.

I've never heard the words "yarn" and "epic" in the same sentence, let alone the same title of something. However, this Fall that's exactly what we'll be seeing.  Don't get me wrong, I love any semblance of a Kirby game, even those not so good ones they released on the DS.  Despite Kirby not actually sucking anyone into his gullet, this one actually looked pretty impressive.  Tank-kirby is my favorite.  He uses a yarn lasso to unzip stuff and pull people to him, which I guess is pretty cool and a close second to swallowing things whole, I guess.  Hit the jump for the trailer.

As a finale to their E3 media briefing today, Nintendo announced the beginnings of a new franchise featuring none other than everyone's favorite cherub, Pit, as well as a slew of details on their newest handheld platform, the Nintendo 3DS. Kid Icarus: Uprising will be the flagship 3DS title, a high-flying action game built from the ground up to display the power of Nintendo's glasses-free 3D handheld. Find out more information about the 3DS after the jump!

Big news at the Nintendo E3 conference today, aside from Zelda, Kirby, and just about everything Nintendo could throw at us, one more of Nintendo's classic characters returned in his more successful format.  Donkey Kong Country Returns is the side-scrolling platformer we've been waiting for Nintendo to come back at us with.  Let's face, New Super Mario Bros. was an excellent co-operative experience if you hate your friends, but this is the single-player platformer I've wanted since I beat DKC3.  Hit the jump to see the trailer.