Nintendo made a big change last year by opting out of their live press conference and broadcasting a Nintendo Direct in its place. It was a decent effort, but many would say that concept didn’t do much for Nintendo. I thought the Direct broadcast was alright for what it was, but it really did lack that “flair” many expect from an E3 event.

Fast forward to E3 2014, and Nintendo once again opted out of a press conference. Although, it felt like they learned a lot from last year’s performance and came into E3 2014 with a very different attitude from last year. We got a sneak preview of that newfound attitude from Nintendo’s video with Mega64. Looking back at that video, it really was just a glimpse into what Nintendo was planning.

Then E3 2014 finally arrived. With all the live press conferences past, everyone’s eyes were on Nintendo and what they had up their sleeve for this “Digital Event” that they were going to show. Needless to say, everyone came out of that event talking and with lots of mixed emotions. From what I’ve managed to read from various forums, media, and social outlets, the overall impression was very positive. It was definitely a different video from last year that was not only full of that flair, but was an overall joy to watch. That wasn’t the only thing Nintendo had planned for E3 though. They were only just beginning.

Nintendo was also live streaming many of their games that were shown in the Digital Event, along with others that weren’t shown. Providing developer interviews along with gameplay demos from Nintendo’s Treehouse members. It greatly opened up Nintendo’s line-up to its audience. Getting live impressions from the people who have been logging in lots of hours on them. It really was quite something to watch across all three days of E3. It even sold me on a couple games that I wasn’t quite sure about.

Lastly, probably one of the most memorable things Nintendo has pulled off at E3, the Super Smash Bros. Invitational. The Super Smash Bros. series has grown a huge competitive community and Nintendo has fully embraced that by hosting this tournament and opening up the event to all. It was quite the spectacle to see, as hundreds of fans came to see it live, while thousands came to watch it via live-stream. It was a well put together event full of many memorable moments for those who watched, and more especially for those who were involved.

What Nintendo tried to do last year didn’t leave too much of a big impression, but I give a lot of credit to Nintendo for keeping at it and greatly improving on it. I am a Nintendo fan, but I was still a little skeptical about their approach after what was shown last year. They’ve really nailed it this year, and made E3 2014 quite a memorable one for me, although I wasn’t even there.

For as great as it was, it also had some disappointments. One fault was the lack of third party. Nothing shown at all in the Digital Event from third parties. Indie games and Monster Hunter 4 Ultimate did make an appearance on Treehouse Live, but it would have also been neat to see more third party titles be demoed, like Sonic Boom on Wii U or Persona Q and the new Harvest Moon for 3DS. A lot of eyes were focused on the Nintendo stream, so it would have been a great stage for third party titles.

The biggest disappointment though would be if Nintendo backtracks from this at next year’s E3. It would be very hard to see them not do something similar next year, but lots of variable can come into play. Nintendo had a solid line-up this year for the E3 show floor, with plenty of playable titles. That may not be the case next year. And Super Smash Bros. will already be out, but that won’t mean a tournament is not possible. However, it may not have that same interest draw of being an unreleased game. So I don’t think it’s a guarantee that Nintendo will take this approach next year, even though I’d say it was a very successful showing for them.

After all that Nintendo put into for their E3 presentation, it’s hard to argue against them. Many would agree that Nintendo won E3 this year. That’s great, but then the big questions start to come into play. Does all this turn things around for Nintendo? Will the Wii U start selling huge numbers? Will the third party support come? It’s hard to answer those right now, and we probably won’t see answers until we get closer to E3 2015. Although, what Nintendo did at E3 this year is a huge step in the right direction. They got their message across this time and got people talking about Nintendo. They made an impact and everyone is curious to see what they will do next year.