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The Vooks Teams E3 2010 Nintendo Predictions

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As we enter the final hours until the E3 kicks off. We sit down to predict (perhaps guess) what the big N will have on show

Daniel Vuckovic – Site Owner/Editor in Chief

Wii Predictions

My last year’s predictions were way off so I’m being more conservative this year. The new Zelda and Pikmin have to be locks at this stage, but I think we’ll see Nintendo again reach out to the core gamer. It won’t be 20 games or something big but 4 or 5 big exclusives – the Wii HD or whatever it’s called is next year’s game so they’ll be trying again to stretch the Wii for another year.


Surely this year Nintendo?

The show is two hours long, so in between these awesome cool new games we’ll get the other side of Nintendo’s market in the form of the Vitality Sensor and Wii Party. There’ll be a demo of the game that’ll all make us cringe as much as the Wii Fit demo, but just quietly, it’ll still sell its pants off. Vitality Sensor is the dark horse in this show; everyone makes fun of it and we all don’t understand it but there’ll be a couple of demos to show off how it can be used, most likely with some sort of horror game and a "Wii Fit Vitality".

3DS Predictions

Firstly, hardware. The device is going to be sleek but it’s not going to look like an iPhone or an HTC. It will still look like a game device but will look smart. It’ll have the same button layout but with wide screens and won’t be as powerful as an Xbox 360, but Nintendo won’t slouch this time around, they can’t. The 3DS needs power to render graphics in the third dimension, so it’ll have some beef behind it. Some sort of analogue stick and an accelerometer is in.

DSiWare will continue but you won’t be able to transfer purchases. However the Nintendo 3DS will have some sort of "Nintendo ID" – it won’t be very advanced but will keep track of purchases and possibly be expanded further on the next Wii. Piracy protection will cause region locking, and it’ll suck.

For games, I’m hoping we don’t see a Mario game. Not that I don’t think a 3D Mario wouldn’t be cool, but I think with 3 Mario games in the last 3 years, it’s just too much. I think we’ll see some alternative Nintendo franchises brought out for launch, perhaps even a Metroid.

Really, the 3DS itself will be big enough of a surprise.

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DS Predictions

We won’t be seeing much on the DS front, but since the 3DS probably isn’t going to launch in the US or Australia this year, there’ll still be some stuff. Golden Sun DS will make its first proper appearance and Jam with the Band will show up too for a US release. Nintendo won’t have anything else; these past two years have probably been spent all on the 3DS.

Most Wanted To See

Zelda
Zelda
Zelda
– 3DS

What We Won’t See

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F-Zero on Wii
Star Fox on Wii
– HD-comparable graphics on the 3DS
– Shiggy in Spandex

Non-Nintendo Wants

– Uncharted 3
– Not Natal or Move
– Kevin Butler


Obviously Zelda is going to be there… right?

Josh Moulds, News Editor and Features Writer

Wii Predictions

We know Zelda Wii is coming, but what else? The Mario goldmine was well-utilised last year when we got the announcements of New Super Mario Bros. Wii and Super Mario Galaxy 2, so it’s unlikely that there is more Mario around the corner. Best bet is for Pikmin 3 – many came away dissapointed it wasn’t unveiled last year despite many signs that it would. The play-on-Wii remakes of Pikmin 1 and 2 didn’t sell too great, so perhaps they went back to the drawing board to re-imagine the Pikmin formula. Retro Studios has been quiet for far too long and any announcement from their end would guarantee immediate interest.

3DS Predictions

The 3DS will be able to do things that no console or handheld has been capable of before, so Nintendo will be showing off software that can show just what we can expect from the device. There will need to be a tier-one mascot matched up with the 3DS to really knock it out of the park, and there’s really no better man for the job than Mario himself. Yes, the highlight piece of software for 3DS will be a Mario title, most likely a dedicated platform adventure game and not a spin-off. A new Mario Kart would be a no-brainer, but I’d like to see something different and don’t think Nintendo would simply phone it in with a new kart racer.

DS Predictions

There’s life in the trusty handheld yet. Golden Sun DS will get a showing, as will the next Pokémon games. With 3DS stealing all the limelight, there’s just no reason for Nintendo to deliver a big title for the now-aging handheld. It would be nice to send the DS out with a swan song, but I think that game has already been announced – Ōkamiden from Capcom already set my heart a-fluttering last year.

Most Wanted To See

3DS. I love handhelds and I’m a sucker for new tech gadgets so for me, E3 2010 is all about the 3DS.

What We Won’t See:

A Resident Evil title for Wii from Capcom. Poor sales of Darkside Chronicles and the discontinuation of the Wii remakes likely means that any plans for a Wii-only Resident Evil game were canned ages ago. I’d also love an F-Zero game, preferably on a handheld, but that dream is unlikely to come true.

Non-Nintendo Wants

Uncharted 3 please! Microsoft’s Natal will be interesting whereas Sony’s Move underwhelms but I just want a brand new shiny adventure game to enjoy.

James Mitchell, Community Manager and Reviewer

Wii Predictions

Despite having many dream projects that I would love to see brought to life, it’s hard to not ignore the facts and subtle hints that many of Nintendo’s key personnel have been dropping. Besides all that we know and can predict will be at E3, I’m thinking that there might be something Star Fox-orientated announced for the Nintendo Wii, with Miyamoto hinting at a return of the franchise for quite some time now. Similarly, we all know that another Pikmin title is in the works and I have a gut feeling this will be the time that this long running project is finally unveiled.

3DS Predictions

While it’s pretty easy to just create ports of already-existing DS titles with some new 3D effects, which I predict will happen anyway, I’m hoping that Nintendo completely blows our expectations and finally releases a Smash Bros. title for the Nintendo 3DS. Not only would it include Mario, but Nintendo’s other flagship mascots too. Just imagine having players’ characters thrown out of the screen thanks to the 3D capabilities of the console. It just seems like a great fit for the system. That being said, I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw some kind of 3D mini titles that bring the Mii/Wii style of games (Sports, Play and the upcoming Party) to Nintendo’s handheld systems.

DS Predictions

As previously mentioned, I’m predicting that Nintendo will start to incorporate their Mii systems into the DS handheld, as well as launch the previously longed-for portable Virtual Console. It’s a long shot, but maybe it’ll happen.

Most Wanted To See

The 3DS and how it actually works. On a software-related note: the final unveiling of Zelda 2010 and more of Metroid: Other M. Finally, I’d love to see Nintendo announce Xenoblade or The Last Story for localisation.

What We Won’t See

A fighting game from Capcom designed to compensate for the lack of Marvel vs. Capcom 3 on the system. I can dream though.

Non-Nintendo Wants

Both the motion-sensing projects of Sony and Microsoft interest me, though I am, unsurprisingly, looking forward to Capcom’s unannounced projects finally being shown.


More of what’s happing on the left side, less of the right.


Phantom Ganon –  Moderator / Wi-Fi Event Co-ordinator

Wii Predictions

I’m thinking the Wii might still have a few more years in its lifespan even if we are edging towards the end of this generation, so I’m tipping no news from the Wii HD at this particular E3. But with a press conference twice as long as they normally come out with, I’m thinking there are going to be some great surprises from the Wii at this E3. Zelda Wii is the obvious big one and the least surprising too, seeing as it’s meant to be out before the year is out. I’m thinking not only will it close out the show with an awesome trailer but also that it will be playable on the show floor afterwards, primarily to demonstrate the MotionPlus combat.

Pikmin 3 will finally be unveiled too, and this one might include an on-stage demonstration. I expect that one to also be out before the end of the year, or at least before E3 2011. Then we have the usual Nintendo IPs that we hope will make a comeback. The past few E3s have been filled with wishes for Star Fox or F-Zero, and every time our hopes are dashed. Naturally, I’ve become less hopeful. But I’m thinking there might be something in the works for the Star Fox franchise and a trailer might be incoming. My hopes for F-Zero are far, far less and I’m pretty sure it won’t feature at all within the Wii’s lifespan. It is unfortunate as I’m someone who, at the beginning of the Wii’s life, was extremely excited with what an F-Zero on the Wii could’ve done.

I guess we’ll get a Vitality Sensor demonstration as well. I don’t want to put people off but they probably will have a casual demonstration here with Cammie Dunaway demo-ing "Wii Relax" or something. What I’m hoping will also happen is a trailer or a demonstration for an Eternal Darkness sequel using the Vitality Sensor as an input to determine the gameplay. Now that would be innovative.

3DS Predictions

It’ll be the hardware to steal the show and a huge portion of the time at the press conference will be devoted to it. Nintendo will know that demonstrating the 3D capabilities of the 3DS to the press during the conference won’t be feasible, so they’ll have booths on the show floor. They might, however, use the press conference to show off the graphical capabilities and some software in the works for the console’s release. This is probably the least predictable part of Nintendo’s E3 2010 as the software demonstrated could be anything. Mario is the obvious answer – the flagship mascot would ensure a strong start to the 3DS’s life but it could very well be anything.

DS Predictions

The DS is the outgoing handheld and although it won’t play a prominent role in proceedings, it will have its final major titles announced. That probably means Ōkamiden and Golden Sun, which will have trailers shown and not much more. In reality, it’s all going to be about the 3DS and this means that Nintendo’s money-printing handheld has already seen its last major E3 and it will slowly drift off into the sunset, its job well and truly done.

Most Wanted To See

Zelda Wii
– 3DS
– Other major Wii titles

What We Won’t See

F-Zero Wii
– Much of the DS
– Wii HD

Non-Nintendo Wants

– More information for Star Wars: The Old Republic
– Valve’s E3 surprise (whatever it may be)

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About The Author
Team Vooks
When more than one of the Vooks team writes something together we use this account to publish it. No mere single account can hold us all.

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