E3 Preview – Nintendo
Techpedition may not be attending E3 this year, but we will definitely be there in spirit. There are a lot of knowns and unknowns coming out of the press conferences and one of the big three is sure to trot out the show stopper. With software publishers also having a lot of games to show, this year’s E3 could be one for the ages. Nintendo will be there, let’s discuss what to expect from them.The biggest news will be the unveiling of Nintendo’s next console. Are the controller rumors true? Will it be playable? Will they finally get online right? Are 3rd parties going to care? You can also expect to see Skyward Sword again, a proper showing of Mario Bros 3DS and Kid Icarus needs a date. As much as we know about what’s coming from Nintendo, the amount that we don’t know is even greater.
Here are the projections and conjectures on what might go down:
Tons of 3DS games will be announced. With the Wii dying, and it being very likely that development of its games has been shifted to the next console, Nintendo will focus very heavily on the 3DS. The reigning king of the handheld will not let Sony outshine them with the NGP and they have some ground to make up after the weak 3DS launch titles. Mario Kart, Kirby, Paper Mario, Yoshi, Metroid, and Animal Crossing might pop up, and 3rd parties should have a nice chunk of software as well. If Nintendo were developing games for me specifically they would announce a new Smash Bros for 3DS…I’m just sayin’.
As for the new console, expect to see tech demo-y software and sparse details. I think we have to see a controller. With the Wii they were secretive about the controller, but enough speculation has surfaced about this one they can’t get away with omitting it. the console itself probably will not a have a finalized name. Whether its currently called Project Cafe, is really irrelevant. Connectivity to the 3DS is possible, and compatibility with Wii games and controllers is also a huge possibility. Being the first company to have to deal with what to do about downloaded titles they might talk about future availability of Virtual Console games on the new hardware.
As to whether or not the new console will be playable at the show, I highly doubt it. The Wii, (then called the Revolution) was kept behind closed doors for nearly a year after being announced before it was playable, but Nintendo could surprise us. Expect very few big-name Wii games to be mentioned. Barring an announcement of Pikmin 3, most of what’s coming to the Wii this year is already known. What do you want out of Nintendo this year?
