In just a few short hours, Nintendo will host the company’s latest E3 presentation. With anticipation at a high, we asked the staff to tell us what they expect and hope to see at this year’s show!
Andy Hoover
I’m going to go ahead and make a wild guess — most of us are probably hoping to hear more about upcoming Switch games. Nintendo has already given us plenty of details about Arms and Splatoon 2 and we know that Super Mario Odyssey and Xenoblade 2 are supposed to be coming out before year’s end. That leaves us with plenty of questions about what else to expect.
Naturally, many of us are likely most curious to see whether or not any more of Nintendo’s big franchises will get some time in the limelight with new iterations on Switch. In this regard, I’d be totally pumped to see Retro return to the Metroid series. However, I’m actually most interested to see what else is coming from major third parties because that has always been something of a major weakness. Nintendo will likely continue delivering plenty of beautifully crafted titles, both new and familiar, made by their internal teams and close partners. That said, they still need strong outside support to avoid the intermittent AAA software droughts that have come to define Nintendo consoles. And while the rumored Mario and Rabbids crossover has materialized and Skyrim is a known quantity, a few more big names would go a long way toward keeping me excited.
If I had to make one specific wish, though, it would be that Nintendo continue its partnership with Platinum Games. Having recently played through Nier: Automata, I am once again reminded of Platinum’s brilliance as game developers. Naturally, I would be extremely excited for a Bayonetta 3, but I must admit part of me would be very curious to see their take on classic Nintendo franchises. I’m thinking that maybe Kid Icarus could use another highly original title seeing how it’s been a while since Uprising.
Jon Stevens
Super Mario Odyssey is already featuring heavily in Nintendo’s E3 promos, so I have no doubt that we will hear plenty about it — I really can’t wait to see more of the game. With the Nintendo Spotlight only lasting 30 minutes though, I expect that Nintendo will dedicate a large section of the Treehouse to it during the week.
I am also hoping that Nintendo shows off at least one other new AAA first party game that is coming to Switch in the next year. I really don’t mind which of the major franchises it is, I’m more interested in seeing a substantial Switch lineup for 2017/2018. If that’s in place, I think Nintendo can take a backseat and rely on all of the exciting small third party games that keep getting announced.
My main hope though is that we finally see how Nintendo will update the Switch hardware itself. The information revealed so far on their online plans just doesn’t cut the mustard and, despite how much I love the Switch, its eShop/system infrastructure hasn’t really improved much on that of its last two consoles. And now is definitely the time to reveal that Virtual Console!
Marc Deschamps
This is going to be a very interesting E3 for Nintendo. It’s the first since the debut of the Switch, so the company will likely want to impress, but the system already has big momentum right now, and with the Nintendo Direct presentations proving so successful for the company, I have to wonder if E3 is really that important for Nintendo.
It’s safe to assume Super Mario Odyssey will get a lot of attention, as well as the rest of this year’s scheduled releases: Arms, Splatoon 2, Pokkén Tournament DX, Xenoblade 2 and Mario+Rabbids Kingdom Battle. I would also suspect the announcement of some Amiibo!
We’re definitely due for some surprises, I’m just not sure we can expect all that much. I think we’ll certainly see the Virtual Console, and we’re also long overdue to find out what Retro Studios has been up to. It’s been so long since they’ve released a new game that I’ve not only had a child since then, but she’s also almost three-years-old! So, whether it turns out to be a new Metroid or not, I think we might finally learn something! I’ve heard murmurs of a new Eternal Darkness from the company, but I’m not sure how much stock to put into that. It is interesting that Nintendo has continually renewed that particular trademark, though…
My biggest hope for the show is to see the Switch continue to make in-roads with outside publishers and developers. I would love to see Capcom put some faith in the company; it’s a shame that neither Mega Man Legacy Collection 2 nor Disney Afternoon Collection has been announced for the system just yet. Here’s hoping there’s some legitimacy to the rumor of a combined Mega Man Legacy Collection physical release. It would seem like a no-brainer for the platform!
Finally, I just hope to see a good show for the company. It’s hard not to be happy with the Switch’s success, and I hope Nintendo can continue building on that.
Robert Marrujo
Can I be a nuisance? I mean, I’m not trying to be annoying intentionally or anything, but I do tend to get feelings from time to time… and my gut is telling me that there’s going to be something disappointing about this year’s E3. I guess I’m just feeling a bit jaded by last week’s Pokémon Direct. I was happy to see new games coming to 3DS, especially because Sun and Moon were exceptional. Still, between the Ultra duo and Pokkén Tournament, the announcements felt exceedingly safe, which is something that I don’t think Nintendo needs right now. Sure, fans need their comfort games, so more Pocket Monsters on handheld is a must. At the same time, though, if all you do is give fans games that they can see coming a mile away, it’s not going to do much to get anyone very excited.
I’m expecting Smash Bros. for Switch, first and foremost. It’s a no-brainer and a must, frankly, especially with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe out in the wild. Switch needs to have all the necessary check boxes filled, and a Smash Bros. title is one of them. There will be one either big or huge surprise, either in the form of a Metroid announcement, Mother 3 or something like that. Sorry, I know I sound down here, but again, my expectations are low this time around. I think we will see some cool new games, but I’m not anticipating that my socks will get blown off.
Oh what the heck, one ridiculous thing that might come true, but probably won’t… I’d be stunned if Nintendo brought some of its Satellaview titles to the West. Wouldn’t that be awesome?! I’d love to see some of those oddities head our way, modified to be standalone titles and no longer part of a satellite service. Probably not going to happen, but it would be pretty cool.
With that, we leave our readers in the same position we find ourselves in: like kids on Christmas Eve! So before we sign off, we advise fans to get to bed early, and leave a plate of cookies out for Mr. Miyamoto in the hopes that he’ll have some surprises to deliver in the morning!
I’ve believed Mother 3 is coming for a long time, and when it was a no-show at E3 last year I figured it had been moved to Switch (or NX, as it was still called). I hope to be proven right tomorrow.
Also, with Mario + Rabbids being given to the Ubisoft conference, I’m hopeful Nintendo has plenty of their own games to show during the Showcase. And as a dream I’d love to hear that Beyond Good and Evil 2 is coming to Switch. I doubt it’s an exclusive, as Sony has uploaded the trailer, but Nintendo fans have been among the most vocal in calling for it and it’s not going to be an especially profitable game, so I hope Ubisoft doesn’t ignore that portion of the fan base.