Nintendo at E3 2017: What Can We Expect?

Ah, how I love this time of year; the sun is shining, the tank is clean, and E3 is right around the corner.

The relationship between Nintendo and E3 has been a rather odd one in recent years. While Microsoft and Sony are still dedicated to the idea of a grand spectacle in front of a live audience, Nintendo have moved away from this model and into something a bit more low-key and intimate.

This year will have a similar setup, with Nintendo having already announced their Spotlight and Treehouse presentations, along with new tournaments for the upcoming Nintendo Switch releases: ARMS and Splatoon 2. Their pre-recorded videos will be a far cry from the technicoloured light shows of the exhibition floor, but Nintendo are still very capable of blowing the roof off the treehouse with a few tasty announcements.

Nintendo are having a good year so far. The Switch has enjoyed an encouraging launch period, bolstered by the record-breaking Breath of the Wild and the chart-topping Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and the future looks bright for Nintendoā€™s wee machine.

With that in mind, then, what sort of things can we (maybe) look forward to seeing at E3?

 

Super Mario Odyssey

Super Mario Odyssey

Nintendo have already confirmed that Super Mario Odyssey will actually be playable at E3, so expect the game to hit the runway like itā€™s the finale of Ru Paulā€™s Drag Race.

Marioā€™s first open-world adventure since Super Mario Sunshine will appeal to those gamers who felt let down by the linear focus of the plumberā€™s more recent outings, and the trailers have so far shown off an intriguing new game world with a wonderfully eye-catching visual style.

A more extensive showcase of Odyssey would build on the buzz already surrounding the game from its previous trailers, and a glimpse into the new game world would certainly get the hype train a-moving.

 

The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild

Breath of the Wild

Thanks to its Expansion Pass, Nintendoā€™s Switch-launching masterpiece still has plenty of surprises up its sleeve in 2017. Nintendo recently released some details on the contents of the first DLC pack, so will they use E3 to shed a little light on the second?

Hereā€™s to hoping that they do, because the second pack is the one that contains a new dungeon and a new original story. Um, a new story? For Breath of the Wild? More information please, Nintendo!

 

Metroid

Metroid
Source: Metroid Wikia

Samus Aran hasnā€™t had a great time of it lately, has she? Her most recent ā€˜properā€™ outing, Metroid: Other M, released yonks ago and weā€™ve spent all the time since trying to forget about it by doing literally anything else. Then came Metroid Prime: Federation Force, a frankly bizarre experience in which Samus doesnā€™t even appear as a playable character.

Come on, Nintendo, we need proper Samus back, please.

 

PokƩmon

pokemon-sun-and-moon
Source: digitaltrends.com

The rumour mill has been going haywire over the possibility of a PokĆ©mon game on Switch, and news that the developer of the series, Game Freak, is hiring new staff to work on a ā€œworldwide popular RPGā€ certainly hasnā€™t helped matters.

If PokƩmon is indeed headed for Switch, and it is still an if, what form could it take? Could it be PokƩmon Stars, the hypothetical follow-on from PokƩmon Sun and Moon that certain internet folks seem almost convinced is happening? It could be a new PokƩmon Colosseum? Hell, it could even be a HD remaster of PokƩmon Snap. Actually, fingers crossed for that one.

 

Super Smash Bros.

The release of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch delivered Nintendo their first all-platform UK chart number one since 2011.

Originally released for the Wii U in 2014, the re-release of Mario Kart 8 has proven a must-have for the Switch, but what about the other big release from 2014? You know, that one. The one about punching. I mean, Iā€™m not saying that Super Smash Bros. Deluxe might make its way to Nintendo Switch from Wii U but, hold on, thatā€™s exactly what Iā€™m saying.

 

Virtual Console

nintendo-switch
Source: Forbes

The fact that, at time of writing, weā€™re nearly three months into the Nintendo Switchā€™s life and the Virtual Console still hasnā€™t made an appearance is a bit of a pisser. One should stay optimistic though, and hopefully this sizeable delay is because Nintendo is working on something big for when the VC comes to Switch. Iā€™m talking ā€˜Gamecube games on Nintendo Switchā€™ big. Iā€™m talking ā€˜being able to play games like Paper Mario: Thousand Year Door and the original Chibi-Robo!ā€™ big.

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