I've recently have seen a lot of guys doing some E3
predictions so I'd figure that I would go ahead and do my own as well. E3 2013 has a lot on the line for "the
big 3".
Nintendo while still living
in a pile of money is currently having issues with low sales of the Wii U. Sony is also in financial turmoil with a
similar situation as Nintendo. The
PlayStation Vita has been on life support for over a year now. But the PlayStation 4 is currently gaining
steam due to the recent blunder that was the Xbox One reveal event. And speaking of that, Microsoft has a lot of
convincing to do to make sure that the Xbox One will not be ignored by
gamers. While I'm sure the mainstream
gamer (CoD lovers, sports lovers, TV lovers, etc.) is pleased, myself and
actual gamers are not a big fan of the "always online" thing that
they want to do. It is worth noting that
Microsoft is promising many exclusives to the XBO so it may still be worth
buying... in a few years.
So yeah, we ALL know that a lot questions need to be
answered on the end of "the big 3".
I'm mostly concerned about Nintendo so I'll only be focusing on
them. I will watch all 3, but I really only have the time to write about one company, so Nintendo it is.
---
With the exception of the 3DS doing well now, negativity
about the Wii U seems to be one of the hottest topics on a lot of gaming sites.
It has become rather obvious that most of the media and game devs like to be
cynical and jump to conclusions. Michael
Patcher seems to love talking about the Wii U and Nintendo's failure. Oh, and EA. The Nintendo Direct during E3 will be either
Nintendo's doom to the Wii U or the beginning of the success of it. To get back to my original topic, I'll be
shooting out some predictions on what Nintendo may announce.
NOTE: I want to make a point that I'll mainly be talking
about the Wii U. I feel the 3DS is
already a well-established console and that only brief mentions of the console (3DS) will
be mentioned this year. I know they will
mention Pokémon X/Y along with probably the USA version of Shin Megami Tensei
IV. I can also see them talking about
other 3DS Nintendo based games such as Mario & Luigi, Mario Golf, etc. I'm really drawing a blank when it comes to
the 3DS and new games. =(
1. Wii U price drop. The recent "recall" of the basic
white 8 GB Wii U console is making this rather obvious. I'm predicting that the basic model will
become the premium model in terms of pricing ($299). Another guess is that the current white
console when recalled will have the 32 GB flash memory added and then the
premium console will be available in white as well. A doubtful guess is that another model with
more memory (64 GB, 128 GB) may take the place of the current premium console but
I highly doubt it as of this point. That
will likely happen in a year or two though.
2. Nintendo 3DS
remodel - Okay, this is a huge guess.
But the original 3DS model already has a few design flaws with it. The main two being the exclusion of the
second analog stick (which would later be added in with Circle Pad Pro accessory
-- BUT is only usable for a few games) and a slightly new design. The original 3DS design while good, has the
issues of making two marks on the sides of the top screen thanks to it laying
on the bottom touch screen. I would actually
re-buy my 3DS if a model like this is announced. Yes, the 3DS XL is good. But is still big. I want a portable console, not a tank.
3. Smash Bros reveal
& more. This is technically
confirmed but the rest of this is a guess.
I predict that Nintendo will show a trailer for the Wii U version of
Smash Bros. I have a gut feeling that
the 3DS version will be different from the console version, but will have
benefits if both of them are linked together.
If a potential release date is announced, I predict the 3DS version will
hit first as a sort of appetizer for the upcoming Wii U version. Then a year or more later, the Wii U version
will finally hit obviously with it being the superior (or a completely
different) game.
4. Mario & Zelda
Wii U reveals.
The Legend of Zelda Tech Demo for Wii U -- not the upcoming Zelda game... maybe.
Again, technically
they have been confirmed for a reveal as well but I predict the following: The
upcoming Wii U Mario game will likely be something very different as most
console Mario games typically do something new.
I have a feeling the game will have more of a cooperative feature due to
the Wii U's gamepad. Galaxy 2 let
another player help the main player, I feel that this idea will allow Luigi or
a new character to play cooperatively with Mario in the game. Obviously, the game will be a full on 3D
Mario game. Nothing like New Super Mario
Bros. U. I see this game coming out
likely around November of this year to hit in time for the holidays.
Zelda on the other hand will likely only get a trailer. It's been said that this one will again, have
many new gameplay elements that have never been used in past Zelda games. My guess is that Nintendo will show an
action-packed trailer with Link duking it out with Ganon or another new villain
along with showing of the game's new HD graphics. Honestly, I feel that most gamers will be
sold on the Wii U alone thanks to a trailer of this. I predict it being released sometime in
2014.
5. Mario Kart, and
other various Nintendo based games & IPs.
I predict a new Mario Kart game will be announced for Wii U
(no brainer at this point). They might
only make a brief mention of it, but I don't see having any game play or a
trailer at this point. I feel Iwata or
whoever announces it will tell us to "stay tuned" for a future
Nintendo Direct.
Other Nintendo IPs such as a Mario sports game (Soccer,
baseball, basketball, etc.) will likely be announced as well. This sports game will likely hit this
year. I also can see an
"oddball" title such an older Nintendo IP get an announcement, but
again, asking us to stay turned for more info (nothing of the game will be
shown). Then Nintendo will likely
announce a well-known Nintendo IP such as Metroid, Donkey Kong, or Starfox will
be getting a new game on Wii U along with a trailer. Again, another "stay tuned" will
likely be slapped onto this title too.
6. More progress
concerning currently announced Wii U exclusives will likely be revealed,
I'm guessing they will all be compiled into one big trailer for games hitting
in 2013 or the beginning of 2014. Games
such as Sonic Lost World and Wind Waker HD will likely get individual mentions
either before or after the viewing of this said trailer as they are big
releases that will likely hit this year.
The games in this trailer will likely be as follows: Pikmin
3, The Wonderful 101, "X" (mech game), Shin Megami Tensei X Fire
Emblem, Yarn Yoshi, Yakuza 1 & 2 HD, Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker HD, Sonic
Lost World, etc.
6. As always,
Nintendo will claim that 3rd party developers are their BFFs.
We know how Nintendo struggles to get developers on their
home consoles. This is something I don't
need to discuss. But a few publishers seem to be still supporting Nintendo such
as Ubisoft, Activision, Sega, and uh... OTHER developers. I predict Nintendo will talk about how
"unique" their versions of Watch Dogs and Assassins Creed IV will be
compared to other versions of these games.
A brief video might show a guy at Ubisoft praising the Wii U versions but
I doubt it. Call of Duty Ghosts will
likely be announced for the Wii U as well (as I don't think it has formally
announced at this point).
A trailer with known upcoming 3rd party titles (non-exclusive)
will likely play after this.
7. An unexpected 3rd party game or exclusive will announced
for Wii U & 3DS. This is always an
easy one to guess on as it almost ALWAYS happens. A lot of developers have openly said that
aren't developing their current games on the Wii U (that are on PS3/360). But what if Nintendo gave them a call and
offered them $$$ & a publishing arrangement? I can see a developer being easily convinced
with that.
For Wii U, I think Grand Theft Auto V would be huge. I consider Rockstar to be a good developer who
are open to other consoles. Nintendo
managed to get them to make the once exclusive GTA: Chinatown Wars on DS, so I
still consider a Wii U version of GTA V as a potential "shocker"
announcement.
As for the 3DS... it’s
hard to honestly think what the 3DS could get next. Most of the currently big IPs are on the
console now (except for the obvious "hardcore" games). I can't even make a guess for this one. =S
8. Ending the E3 Nintendo Direct with Reggie but he's awesome -- If Nintendo doesn't
end the Nintendo Direct with a random announcement with Reggie at the end, I
will be very sad. AND if he says
"my body is ready" in any sort of way, it will just be epic even if
he announces something completely random.
How can you not stare at this?
And that's it! I
really have nothing else to say. We'll see on how many of these will be right (or partially right) on Tuesday. See you at E3 (via the interwebs of course)!
