Countdown to E3 2012: What to Expect From the Nintendo Conference

Nintendo's E3 press conferences are generally pretty interesting, to say the least. It seems that, just like Star Trek movies, the even numbered years often have the best conferences (with the exception of 2008's), while the odd tend to be... not as good (with the exception of 2009).

After 2010's conference, where they revealed the incredibly inspired-looking Kirby's Epic Yarn, the 3DS and the games in development for it, and Donkey Kong Returns, Epic Mickey, and other games, 2011's was suitably less epic, especially given the awkward introduction of the Wii U, which left many people confused as to whether it was a new controller for the Wii or a brand new console (thanks in part to Nintendo not showing the console in plain view).

In keeping with the numbered pattern I mentioned earlier, this year could be different and Nintendo has the chance to start new with the Wii U and do it right this time. It also doesn't hurt that they actually have real games to show off this time around with working demos.

However, they shouldn't forget about the 3DS in the process. If they're smart, they should spend a little time at the start of the conference discussing 3DS, show off a sizzle reel of upcoming games, then jump right into Wii U and spend the rest of the conference discussing exactly what it's all about and what their strategy for it is.

Here are a few other things to expect from the Nintendo Conference.

 

Pikmin 3 & New Super Mario Bros. Mii

As far back as 2008, Miyamoto had announced that they have been working on the long awaited third installment in the Pikmin series. At last year's E3, he announced the game had made the jump to Wii U development, presumably as a Wii U launch title, and this year, he announced that we would finally see it at E3. The Wii U seems like a perfect fit for the strategy game, so we're eager to see what Pikmin 3 has in store for fans.

On the Mario side, we'll see the fully realized version of the New Super Mario Bros. Mii demo that was shown off at last year's E3, and if the recent screens from yesterday's Nintendo Direct presentation were any indication, it'll have some beautiful backgrounds. In addition, we know that it will include many of the new social aspects Nintendo recently revealed as well as possibly a new flying squirrel costume (among others). And while logic dictates that this game will be launching alongside the Wii U, might we see what Nintendo's EAD Tokyo studio is up to, even if it is just a short teaser?

More than likely, I believe so. Expect to get a glimpse at the next fully 3D Mario game, which is almost all but certain to be named Super Mario Universe (you'll... get the connection soon enough if it didn't hit you immediately).

Kirby Collection

Last year, Nintendo spilled the beans on exactly what their plans for Zelda's 25th anniversary was, and I imagine they'll do the same for Kirby's 20th anniversary this year, albeit briefly. Iwata already announced that a Kirby Collection will be coming, but unfortunately I don't believe it will include as many games as we'd like it to have. Judging by what happened with the Super Mario All-Stars Limited Edition a couple years back, I expect maybe 3 or 4 Kirby games at the most, but nowhere near 7 or 8 like some people are predicting.

So which games will be in it? Kirby's Adventure seems a likely choice given that it's the first console Kirby game, and Kirby Super Star would likely be the next to show up. Kirby's Dreamland 3 seems like a safe bet as well, having appeared on the SNES, though the first two Dreamland games may not appear as they're Gameboy games. However, Kirby's Dreamland is already on the eShop as a VC release and I imagine they could release Kirby's Dreamland 2 day and date during their conference, similarly to what they did with Link's Awakening last year. The last game to show up on the collection will likely be Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards.

While that isn't necessarily a bad lineup in and of itself, I'm a bit more interested to see what other extras they'll include. An art book? Kirby patches (like the ones from Club Nintendo)? I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens next Tuesday.

New Zelda

Skyward Sword only just released last year but we're already hearing that there's another Zelda in the works. Aonuma mentioned that an original 3DS Zelda is in the works (not a remake like OoT) and that it would be closer visually and design-wise to the console version than to that of the DS games. As such, it seems likely that this would be the game they might announce at E3, especially with series producer Eiji Aonuma having sent out a swapnote earlier this year saying "I hope you're looking forward to more Zelda soon."

There is an off-chance that another developer may have been working on a console Zelda title as well; perhaps even Retro Studios, which has been rumored to be working on a Zelda title in the past. Aonuma also mentioned that it's possible that we could see outside developers working on the series now, and with the Wii U needing some strong games to show off, a next-generation Zelda may not be too far-fetched as an announcement, especially if it was in development along with Skyward Sword.

Metroid's Return

It's high time for a new Metroid game, especially since Other M came out some two years ago now, so the time would seem ripe for another entry in the series. And while it's entirely possible that Nintendo could have outsourced the title to one of their other second party developers, chances are that Retro Studios is once again developing another Metroid Prime game for the Wii U.

If you think about it, this would be one of the best ways to show off the Wii U's graphical capabilities, especially considering Retro's excellent pedigree when it comes to visuals.

No 3DS Redesign

Nintendo will likely wait at least another half year at best before introducing any kind of 3DS redesign, but make no mistake - it is coming. With the needed inclusion of a second analog stick for future games, you can bet Ninty already has some kind of design in mind. If there is any time that is ripe for the announcement, it will probably be at TGS.

More Third Party Support

One of the greatest parts of Nintendo's 2011 E3 conference was when they showed off the sizzle reel of hardcore third-party games coming to Wii U. Even though some have since already released for the PS3 and 360, this reel was important because it demonstrated that Nintendo was serious about trying to get third parties back on a Nintendo console, and there were a few games that were legitimately shocking to see on there. Metro: Last Light? Darksiders 2? Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge? Those are about as hardcore as you can get.

With that in mind, expect to see Nintendo dish out a few more surprises along those lines. If they can secure Grand Theft Auto V as a release for the Wii U, it would be astronomically huge. In addition, Square-Enix is celebrating the 10th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts this year; it's possible they may release an HD collection not only PS3 but on Wii U as well since four of the games in the series have appeared on Nintendo handhelds (GBA, DS, and 3DS in July). Finally, I expect a few other surprise third-party titles that you wouldn't expect to see on a Nintendo console.

Am I expecting too much? Possibly, but I'm willing to bet Ninty pulls out at least one or two big shockers..

Something New

It's somewhat of an understatement to say that Nintendo never releases new original IPs nowadays. They've introduced great games such as Chibi-Robo, the Baten Kaitos series, the Art Style series, Endless Ocean, Xenoblade Chronicles, The Last Story, and more over the last 6 years, but these titles are often overshadowed by the fact that Nintendo does iterate on their own franchises much more often then Sony and Microsoft do, especially given that at least one or two titles with "Mario" in it come out every year.

However, it has been a while since Nintendo's core teams have developed a major new IP in the same vein as Pikmin some 10 years ago, and now the signs are all there that they are poised to finally reveal a brand new IP this year. Miyamoto has dropped hints over the past two years about a brand new series in development, so what could it be? Some rumors hint that it may have to do with a character that resides in water; after all, that would be present a vastly different type of gameplay than their other series.

Whatever it is, expect this to be the year they blow the lid off their newest IP.

 
What do you think Nintendo will show off? Anything out of the blue? Sound off below!