Reggie Fils-Aime kicked off Nintendo’s E3 media briefing by restating the company’s development mantra: “Technology is a tool, what matters is the experience.”

Words are well enough, but to demonstrate, Shigeru Miyamoto then took the stage and announced (finally) a new Zelda game, the Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword.

The game remains in development and is scheduled for release next year. Using the Wii MotionPlus and nunchuck, players control Link’s sword and shield – slashing with the WiiMote, blocking, deflecting and rebounding attacks with the nunchuck.

Link will have a variety of weapons available to him including a slingshot, aimed by moving – rather than pointing – the WiiMote. Bombs can either be rolled - Wii Bowling-style – or lobbed towards foes.

Unfortunately, the demonstration tripped a hurdle when Miyamoto tried to demonstrate the bow (wireless interference, we’re assured – but hey, for a game coming out next year, the odd hiccough can be expected). To use it, players hold the WiiMote forward, pull back the nunchuck, aim and release.

Link also has a flying mechanical beetle that he can launch and control by tilting the WiiMote. The beetle is used for scouting and collecting items.

The whip is the most intuitive and, we suspect, will prove the most gratifying item in our hero’s arsenal. A flick of the WiiMote unfurls the whip, which latches itself around collectables and foes.

As ever with Nintendo’s in-house titles, menus and integrated tutorials abound.

Mario Sports Mix followed, a collection of games in the tradition “Mario Kart.” Peach, Luigi, Kong, Bowser et al, compete with one another in events such as basketball, beach volleyball and ice hockey. The game also features variables such as tread-milling court floors.

Wii Party, a same-room social title offers a suite of casual games set in a variety of locales, such as Boardgame Island. Nintendo sees this release as ideal for house parties and similar events in the home. Wii Party includes 13 games and 70 minigames, and is due as the year closes.

Indeed, Nintendo know their audience, describing both Mario Sports Mix and Wii Party and popular intermediate or “bridge games” – interactive entertainment’s answer to gateway drugs. With these titles, they hope to invite more casual audiences into the next strata of gaming.

But it’s also widely held that the vast majority games worth your consideration on Wii are Nintendo’s own titles. To address that, Fils-Aime talked us through Ubisoft’s Just Dance 2, a title that will feature 40+ “hit tracks”, dancing duets, a “Just Sweat mode” (which we can only assume mimicks walking from the subway to E3 bundled with laptops and camera equipment), and dance crew dance-offs for up to eight players. It’s due spring (NZT) this year.

Then came a duet of golden titles: the new Golden Sun for Nintendo DS finally subtitled “Dark Dawn” – due over the holidays.

To much applause: GoldenEye 007 Wii (exclusive). The game reprises the play-style of the Nintendo 64 original, though Brosnan is out and Daniel Craig assumes avatar duties. We know it includes four player split screen and 16 game modes, and will bring you more details from Nintendo’s E3 booth.

Warren Spector and Adam Creighton took the stage to demonstrate Epic Mickey. It looks great. The Gameworld honours 80 years of Disney and is populated by often-forgotten cast members from Disney productions. While Mickey is a famous character, he’s never managed to make the transition to interactive entertainment.

Broken into three zone types, the first we saw was a Venture Land, themselves kind of quest hubs. In this one, the Wasteland, Mickey accepts a quest from Smee, Captain Hook’s first mate from Peter Pan. Identifying the references is part of the fun.

Action Zones are where the lion’s share of the game takes place. Here, Mickey can create or erase using a paint brush and paint thinner. How Mickey chooses to complete his quests, for example cutting corners with the paint brush, will impact on how the world’s characters interact with him. Disney states that consequential gameplay is the hallmark of modern gaming. Maybe. It’s certainly occurring with greater frequency.

Mickey was succeeded by the announcement of a new Kirby title, Kirby’s Epic Yarn: A 2D side-scroller with great presentation and quirky gameplay.

For the Nintendo DS, Dragon Quest 9: Sentinels of the Starry Skies has a Western street date of July 11th.

On August 31st Team Ninja’s Metroid Other M will go retail. The game is touted to reprise the series’ sense of isolation and exploration.

Donkey Kong Country Returns, a dynamic platformer featuring Kong and Junior in interactive co-op, is due this holiday.

Finally, Satoru Iwata ascended the stage to properly introduce us to the Nintendo 3DS, the first 3D device that doesn’t require the user to wear glasses.

Like the original DS, the 3DS features two panels. The top is a 3.5 inch “widescreen” 3D panel. The lower is a touch panel. Iwata explained, “3D and touchscreens do not get along very well.”

Iwata also noted significant improvements to the DS’ hardware, promising vastly superior graphics over the 3DS’ predecessor. Nonetheless, 3DS is compatible with Nintendo DSi.

A slide pad (and analog stick) has been added above the D-pad. The 3DS also features a motion sensor and a gyro sensor.

Two camera lenses on the extrior of the 3DS will allow owners to take 3D photographs.

The 3DS will also play 3D Hollywood movies, with Warner Bros., Disney and Dreamworks featured as partner studios.

Finally, Iwata unveiled the true nature of “Project Sora.” It is in fact a new Kid Icarus title for the 3DS subtitled Uprising. While we watched in 2D, we can confirm that the 3DS’ GPU is vastly superior to the DS – it’s closer to the Wii than it is to its cousin.

Iwata concluded by informing the collected press that Miyamoto is working on a 3D version of Nintendogs, one that also includes cats.

Nintendo’s Media briefing concluded with hands on time for attendees with the 3DS. We’ll bring you our thoughts on that after we’ve had another spin on it at the Nintendo booth.