So where's this holidays core game that core gamers would get that they promised? I'm not mad, I just can't find a softer, gentler way to say it.

AC is not a core game.
Wario is not that big of a deal. I'm going to get it, but it's hardly the big announcement; and it wasn't talked about.

Nintendo has Wario Land Shake it, Fatal Frame IV, Disaster Day of Crisis, Animal Crossing and Kirby set for 2008. Considering the games already out this year, I'd say we were foolish to expect a lot.

Nintendo didn't show footage of them, instead they targeted the casuals. Why? The core will probably still buy those games.

They chose a different approach to E3 than usual.

Without knowing this thread I've have posted a similar message on the official Nintendo E3 thread, but Soriku and HappySqurriel are essentially correct. They have stopped releasing information prematurely for a marketing purpose. Referring to the past cases at E3 is no longer relevant here. Brawl website has been traditionally handled by Sakurai and it's an exception. Today you didn't see the stuff you want. But they are still coming. This year's E3 mostly concerns slightly slow fans who can't help but go nuts over the discrepancy between their arbitrary expectation and Nintendo's rational business strategy.