Round Table: The Big Day

The staff share their hopes and expectations for tomorrow’s big broadcast.

By Nintendojo Staff. Posted 06/10/2013 10:00 1 Comment     ShareThis

It’s finally here. We’re less than 24 hours away from Nintendo’s big E3 Direct broadcast, and anticipation is reaching a fever pitch. We already know that the next Mario, Smash Bros., and Mario Kart games will be making their debut during the presentation (and we’ll be seeing more footage of already announced titles like The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker and Monolith Soft’s X, among many others), but what surprises await us? The staff share some of their expectations for tomorrow’s broadcast.


Andrew Hsieh

SUPER SMASH BROS AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.


Seems like Andrew is a little excited for the next Smash Bros. games.


Robin Wilde

What is obvious is that Nintendo, by making their presentation available worldwide, are trying to move to what appears to be a more universal approach to their fans. Following in that vein, I think we can expect to see a lot of emphasis on the social side of things. Of course, the main focus will be games, but I reckon we’re in for some exciting things with Miiverse.

On the game front, we’re all aware of the big announcements (Super Smash Bros., The Legend of Zelda) but what’s more interesting are the unknowns. What it is we’re going to see from Retro Studios, because we know it isn’t Metroid. What form the next 3D Mario game is going to take. How Nintendo are going to compete with the PS4 and Xbox One in terms of third parties.

They do have a great challenge to compete with Microsoft and Sony, but if we’ve learned anything from the GameCube, the DS, the Wii, the 3DS and, most recently, Miiverse and its popularity, we should not underestimate Nintendo.


Kyle England

I’m really interested in seeing how Nintendo’s new approach to E3 is going to affect the announcements. Sure, we’ll be getting the same kind of news from Nintendo, but without the press conference, its delivery is going to way different. In the E3 Direct, will Iwata be doling out the news like usual? Or will we get something more well-produced and flashy? It’s just details, but I’m quite interested in finding out what happens.

But obviously, the most important information is going to be the content of Nintendo’s presentations for E3. They already have developer interviews planned, which I think is great. We’ll get to learn about a game, and then immediately hear about its development. But I’m most excited for the games, games, GAMES! I’m also expecting some sort of announcement regarding the Wii U pricing or available bundles. I predict the system might have a “re-launch” similar to 3DS (and then current Wii U owners like me will get some sort of ambassador prizes!).

We’re also going to see the next Super Smash Bros. which is well overdue. That’s a game that sells systems. What will it be called? Who will be the new challengers? How will the 3DS and Wii U connectivity work? Has Sakurai gone Kojima Krazy? The anticipation is enough to make you tingle. And speaking of Tingle, I hope to see more information about The Wind Waker HD for Wii U. I expect it to be released as a budget title (yay!) and I hope it will have some cool new features– a topic that I wrote an article about. And while we’re on the subject of Zelda, we’ll no doubt learn more about the 3DS A Link to the Past sequel at E3.

But there’s one name that’s been whispering from everyone’s lips ever since the Wii U was announced: Retro Studios. What do the Texan masters of game design have in store for us? All we know about Retro’s current project is that it’s for Wii U, and it’s something everyone wants them to do. I’m going to disagree with Robin here and say that Retro probably isn’t done with Metroid. Something that everyone wants to see is Metroid Dread, a sidescrolling sequel to Fusion. Here’s what I think is going to happen with Retro: either we’re going to get Metroid Dread for Wii U (maybe 3DS) or we’re going to get totally surprised. In my dreams, I imagined that Retro comes and says that they are working on not one but two games. They have a new sidescrolling Metroid that Sakamoto wasn’t allowed near, and they are working on another Nintendo franchise.

I also think we might be surprised by some third party developers. Sega will have more to share about the exclusive deal with Nintendo for sure. In these times of supposed shaky third party support for Wii U, I think we’re going to be pleasantly surprised by the offerings coming to our console.

Oh, and I expect Nintendo to continue being awesome in every way because Wii U actually lets you play games offline, trade them back at your leisure, and share them with your friends. Unlike some other unsightly and obnoxious console that will be at E3 as well. I won’t point any fingers, but it’s a big box with an X on it.


Marc Deschamps

E3 is like the Super Bowl of video games. The highs are high, but the lows are low. This is when gaming becomes about winning and losing. The glory of victory and the agony of defeat. Sure, I own a PlayStation 3 in addition to my 3DS and Wii U, but I bleed Nintendo. When Nintendo loses, it’s like watching the Buffalo Bills or Sabres lose. I have to go sulk about it and try to make the best of it. Like 2003 when I had to pretend Pac-Man Vs. was exciting in homeroom the next day. That’s what E3 is all about: being a massive fanboy and having your choice in console validated by the gaming media.

All jokes aside, this year, I’m really hoping Nintendo pulls out all the stops. It’s not a secret that they’ve had a rough few months and could use the positive press. We should definitely expect details on the next Mario, Smash Bros. and the Wind Waker HD. Those are all in the immediate future, and I’m excited to see what’s in store. For the record, I’m gonna predict Pac-Man and Lloyd Irving are revealed as new challengers in Smash Bros. since Namco is developing. Just a hunch. I’m also hoping for some details on Yarn Yoshi. Kirby’s Epic Yarn is one of the underrated gems of the Wii era, and now we might have a little Yoshi’s Island thrown in for good measure. I’m excited about that game.

I really do hope Nintendo has some more stuff hidden up their sleeve, though. Like Kyle, I’d love to see what Retro Studios have been up to. I’d also like to see Nintendo show off some third party love and curtail a bit of the negative press they’ve gotten in that regard. This is Nintendo’s chance to pull a 180 and get things heading in the right direction. Here’s hoping they pull it off.


Andy Hoover

I think the general consensus among everyone here is games. We are all painfully aware that getting some great games on Wii U is the single most important factor on Nintendo’s plate. There is always the possibility that Nintendo will be blissfully unaware and pull off something totally random and uncalled for like Wii Music or the Vitality Sensor, as they are sometimes want to do. But we are optimists here and I think the general vibe right now is that Nintendo has been getting their head realigned to face the reality of their situation.

Probably the biggest question that eludes me right now is just how much third party support we are going to see next week. Nintendo has obviously been getting close to Sega with some Sonic exclusivity, but I am personally hoping we will see more come from this relationship. Skies of Arcadia 2, anybody? I will make one wager on this subject; expect more Japanese developers to show support than Western publishers. Ubisoft will be the exception, like usual, and Call of Duty: Ghosts will probably be confirmed, but I’m not expecting EA or 2K to show up with open arms.

The big focus of E3 for Nintendo will be their usual stable of mega hits. Whether they’re on Wii U or 3DS, I expect the majority of Nintendo’s franchises to show up in various states of development with a surprisingly large number of them being released between now and early 2014. Nintendo knows this is the best way to combat the new consoles from the competition and to move enough consoles to start drawing the attention of third party developers.

And 3DS will of course continue to be just plain awesome, with a ridiculous treasure trove of content that will be more than enough to keep it dominating the handheld market for people who actually care about good games.

As for how the new approach will affect Nintendo’s E3 performance, I honestly don’t think it will have that big of an impact for better or for worse. The hardcore crazy folks like us will watch the Nintendo Directs just as we watched the press conferences of E3 past, the larger media outlets will cover just as they always did, and, though I hate to admit it, there will be a greater amount of attention being given to Xbox One and PS4 regardless of how good of an overall showing they actually have.


Maurice Tyler

This year’s E3 is shaping up to be very interesting for sure. On the one hand, you have two next-gen consoles being introduced– which, normally, would be cause for tremendous excitement. However, this excitement seems to be somewhat muted than during previous console release cycles. My guess is that this is due to the fact that there is nothing revolutionary happening here. Combine that with the realization that there is just an incremental improvement in graphics and you’re left with the only distinguishing factors being ‘value-added services.’ Unfortunately, it’s been proven in the past that consoles that don’t focus strictly on games tend not to have a great introduction (read: 3DO). I’m just not seeing any compelling reason to own a new console at this time. The greatest games of the current generation are easily comparable to anything coming down the pipeline. I just wish there was something disruptive introduced like the Oculus Rift.

On the flip side of the coin you have Nintendo. While, technically, the Wii U is a next-generation console, the perception is not aligning with the reality. This perception problem needs to be overcome by Nintendo and ASAP! Otherwise, they risk having another N64 on their hands. Some liken the Wii U to the Dreamcast, but I disagree with that parallel in that Sega did not have the killer franchises to sustain the Dreamcast that Nintendo has in its war chest. Speaking of Sega, I see a gaping hole in Nintendo’s 3rd party support system that could easily be filled by Sega. Since EA has all but abandoned Nintendo, any 3rd party like Sega could clean up on the Wii U with some good sports genre titles. While the Wii U may not reach anywhere near the sales success of the Wii, if Nintendo keeps pumping out their traditional quality line of franchises, they will survive this generation.

Another defining factor for this E3 will be whether or not Nintendo’s new presentation strategy will get any traction. If the Nintendo Direct style of ‘press conference’ works for Nintendo, look for Sony and Microsoft to follow. In this economy, companies are looking for various ways to save money and I could easily see them following suit for subsequent E3’s.


Now it’s your turn to join in the hype. What games are you most looking forward to tomorrow? What surprises do you think we’ll see? Share your thoughts with us in the comments!

One Response to “Round Table: The Big Day”

  • 1555 points
    penduin says...

    Maurice touched on something I’d completely forgotten about – Sega Sports! I’m not a big sports fan, but I have bought the occasional football/hockey/basketball/baseball game. The Dreamcast was the last console for me with great sports titles. After that, EA was the only game in town, and their bland brands do nothing for me.

    If EA wants to leave the Wii U open for some kickass Sega Sports revivals, or, dare we dream, some sort of modern Tecmo Bowl, then their shortsightedness with regards to the Wii U could be a huge blessing in disguise. :^)

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