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Last year’s E3 was so odd; the entire Nintendo booth was decorated for and dedicated to nothing but The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild—and it was the Wii U version, at that! It was a success, of course, with Nintendo miraculously stealing the show by demonstrating a lone piece of Wii U software (granted, it would only go on to be one of the most lauded games of all-time, but I digress). As cool as that was, however, 2017 is looking to be pretty different. Nintendo has a full lineup of different games that the company will be showing off, including Super Mario Odyssey, Arms, Splatoon 2, and much more that we don’t even know about yet.
With that in mind, let’s take a peek at the possible future announcements Nintendo will be making this week in Los Angeles!
Switch Predictions
- Virtual Console Goes Live—The absence of Nintendo’s classic games service Virtual Console did not go by unnoticed when Switch launched to the public back in March. Its absence has only been exacerbated by Nintendo’s odd silence in the months since. We do know that once 2018 comes, fans will have to pay to engage in online multiplayer matches on Switch, and that this service will bring monthly trials of classic Nintendo titles that can be purchased at a lower rate until the next month arrives. Beyond that, though, no one knows what to expect from Virtual Console. We’re going to predict that Nintendo not just debuts the service at E3, but that by the end of its online broadcast it will be up and running along with a new system update. We anticipate that the ever-present catalogue of NES and SNES titles will be first up to bat, but that the much-rumored (and desired) GameCube catalogue will also finally debut.
- Donkey Kong Strikes Back—Switch is all about connectivity, with its hybrid portable/home console take on gaming front and center along with its detachable Joy-Con controllers. As such, it only makes sense that Nintendo would want a new, 2D platformer featuring Donkey Kong to come to the system, this time likely touting the four-player antics that the New Super Mario Bros. series has become famous for. We’ll concede that we might just end up with a “remastered” version of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze and/or Donkey Kong Country Returns, but even that would be welcome!
- The Return of Samus—Look, Metroid Prime: Federation Force wasn’t a bad game by any means, but if there’s anything that can be definitively said about the title, it’s that fans were certainly not expecting a Metroid experience without series heroine Samus. Retro has been off the grid for a few years now, and though pundits have been predicting the studio’s return to Metroid ad nausea, now seems like the perfect time to pull the trigger on that particular reunion. Switch’s momentum makes it the ideal platform for Retro to bring us more Prime… or something Dread-ful.
“Huh? They need me right now?! Yeesh!”
- Super Smash Bros. is the Marquee “Surprise” Reveal of the Show—Given the somewhat anemic first-party lineup of software that has followed Switch’s release, it seems clear that Nintendo is a bit behind on development for its newest console—or at the very least being meticulous about it. Considering Switch itself was a gamble going in, it would make sense that Nintendo might have held off for a bit from going full-on into development for the system until after the dust settled; it certainly did so when it came to producing the system itself, after all. With that in mind, it seems predictable that the company would pluck the low-hanging fruit that is a Super Smash Bros. port. It’s one of Nintendo’s most popular franchises, it wouldn’t take much to transition it to Switch, and fans would lap it up. Expect word of its impending arrival along with perhaps a new fighter or two.
- A Major Third Party Announcement—EA, Ubisoft, and many other developers have been pledging their support of Switch since its announcement trailer, but now that the system has demonstrated its viability, expect them to really start capitalizing on the momentum that’s been built. An evergreen franchise like Call of Duty or Assassin’s Creed is likely inbound in one form or another, along with a new IP that will probably be a timed exclusive.
- The Next Legend of Zelda Game is the “Stinger” Reveal of the Show—It wouldn’t be the first time that Nintendo has ended an E3 with a Zelda reveal, and following the meteoric rise of Breath of the Wild, doing so again this year seems like a no-brainer move. Given that Nintendo has sought to latch onto the hype of successful Zelda games in the past (Majora’s Mask, for instance), it would be perfect to get fans dreaming of a Link adventure built from the ground up for Switch. Expect nothing more than a piece of key art at most… not to mention a really long wait until it finally comes out!
3DS Predictions
- Not Dead Yet—Nintendo doesn’t seem to be done with 3DS by a long shot. The now six-year-old handheld is still going strong for the company, selling solid numbers both at home and abroad. While Switch might be a hit, there’s no ignoring the established fanbase that continues to flock to the 3DS and 2DS family. A price drop might be inbound in the near future, though it will likely be announced after E3 and closer to Christmas. Do expect new bundles and/or color combinations for any of the multiple iterations of the handheld.
- New Kirby Detailed—It’s almost cheating to put this on here, as Nintendo has already dropped the news that a new Kirby adventure is in development for 3DS. That said, we have no clue what it is beyond being a multiplayer-focused experience, so E3 would be the perfect time to shed some more light on the project.
- Advanced Wars Strikes Back—It’s been a long time since Nintendo has published a game in its popular Advanced Wars franchise, but with Fire Emblem transitioning to Switch, the company will want to satiate tactics fans until the series makes its debut on the console.
- F-Zero is the Surprise Reveal for the Show—Okay, it might sound crazy, but hear us out; Nintendo has been skittish about putting out a new F-Zero for years now. The company has teased us with Mario Kart 8 costumes, karts, and tracks to test the waters, but now Nintendo will get serious about reviving the series… but will still play it safe by doing it on 3DS. Production costs on the handheld are smaller and the install base is larger, giving Nintendo a shot to really test fan commitment without putting too much at stake.
That’s our predictions for this year’s E3! Think they’re nuts? Or right on point? Share with us in the comments, along with your own predictions!
