Nintendo will post its annual E3 Digital Event next Tuesday. They have been taking this approach for several years now and forgoing a massive stage show in favor of a more intimate video that is being beamed directly to the people who have kept Nintendo afloat: their fans.
It was questionable at first (I had my doubts as well), but it has been very successful. They have even gone so far as to release a regular cadence of Nintendo Direct videos spreads throughout the year.
My love for Nintendo is well documented, so it should come as no surprise that I am always very excited to watch their presentations. But, this year feels different to me. There is an air of mystery about it all.
Nintendo has already stated publicly that they will not discuss either their new console the NX or The Legend of Zelda (although that could have been a lie). It is also safe to assume that they will discuss Yoshi’s Woolly World and Mario Maker since they are scheduled for release this year. But, aside from that it is anyone’s guess as to what exactly they will talk about.
That won’t stop me from making some predictions and educated guesses though!
Nintendo will announce at least one HD remake of a GameCube or Wii game.
The Wii U and the 3DS are consoles that are kept afloat by games that Nintendo makes on their own. They don’t get a lot of help from third parties to help fill in the gaps. As a result, Nintendo has been stretched thin over the last few years as their development teams have been trying to maintain their standards of quality.
They have to have realized by now that they could very easily hire a studio specifically to remake some of their older games in HD for rerelease on the Wii U. There are plenty of games to choose from like Super Mary Galaxy and Super Mario Galaxy 2, Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, and Mario Sunshine.
Remastered editions have been selling incredibly well in recent years and many of the games that are putting up huge numbers were already released in HD like The Last of Us Remastered. All of the games I mentioned were released in standard definition and would definitely benefit with a fresh coat of paint.
Skylanders Superchargers for Wii U will include amiibo support.
This one might be a stretch, but it makes sense. Nintendo has sold over 10 million amiibo when they last reported on sales numbers. We know that the figures are out there. They have just been lacking when it comes to supported games. It makes a lot of sense that Nintendo would through some money at Vicarious Visions and Activision to have them include support.
Want some additional fuel for my wild speculation? This year’s Skylanders game involves vehicles for the first time ever. The game will allow players to pilot vehicles around specially designed levels using weapons to defeat enemies and overcome obstacles. Nintendo has their own game that would fit in with that theme quite nicely: Mario Kart. Think about it.
Retro Studios (The team behind Metroid Prime) will announce a new game.
I’ll admit it. This one is a bit of a softball at this point, but I feel like I have to follow up my wild Skylanders speculation with something a bit safer.
Retro Studios send out a rather ambiguous tweet the other day that simply said, “Can you dig it?” and linked to the Nintendo E3 page. I would be stunned if they were to make that type of a tweet out of the blue and NOT have some kind of announcement to make.
The question at that point becomes, “What are they going to announce?” Their biggest success with Nintendo was with the Metroid Prime series that was released on the GameCube and later on the Wii. Those games focused on environmental storytelling to help deliver a narrative as players explored the remnants of a lost civilization on an alien planet. The improved hardware power in the Wii U would allow Retro to make a much better looking game. The issue becomes whether or not Nintendo would feel comfortable spending the money to develop that style of game.
It has, however, been a long time since a new Metroid game was released so it makes sense that we would see a return at some point. Why not now?
What are your Nintendo predictions? Sound off in the comments!
aus roids
