Our Nintendo E3 2011 Predictions (Part 2)
E3 is just around the corner (again!), so here are our Nintendo E3 predictions (also again!). Part 2 covers things that have the possibility of happening, but are mostly are own hopeful wishes.
-”Killer app” for Project Cafe
Gloryfinder: While the 3DS was a fairly safe transition from the DS system, as proven by Nintendo’s confidence in third-party developers at launch, it would make sense for Nintendo to release a strong first-party game, like Mario, in some form that takes advantage of the new technology. Since the public is more than likely to be cautious about jumping into a new type of gaming, Nintendo will likely put less reliance on other developers and guarantee a solid launch for the system to attract gamers to it. At the same time, there’s a chance we’ll see some other solid Project Cafe titles from third-party developers since Nintendo is making them a much higher priority than with the Wii, which means this system could have not only an impressive showing at E3, but a very strong launch in terms of games.
Pelord: If the system is going to be playable, there has to be one title that will get everyone’s attention. Even the 3DS had the announcement of Kid Icarus: Uprising. Just like with every gaming system, this new console is going to need to deliver the software, or it will be negatively criticized along with the recent 3DS launch. Even then, the ‘Killer app’ doesn’t have to necessarily be a game. We still don’t know what the new console’s primary difference is from Nintendo’s previous consoles. Why would controller with a touch screen warrant a completely different console? Some have branded the upcoming console as ‘Stream’. Could this rumored name be the secret behind Project Cafe? Live stream sites like Justin.TV are becoming popular places for gamers to share gameplay and interact live with other gamers. Is this the direction Nintendo is thinking, or are they just going back to ideas like Four Swords Adventures and Pac-Man Vs.? The former would be a first for an actual feature in a gaming console, and something that would gain attention, though it probably isn’t the kind of feature that would sell units alone. The latter would be disappointing.
-Project Cafe being affordable
Gloryfinder: The definition of “affordable” really varies from person to person. Since the system has been half confirmed to have a tablet-like controller, just recently from a reliable source, it’s tough to judge how Nintendo will price this mysterious beast. With both the system itself (I’m assuming) and special controller, which can’t be cheap, so it’s pretty safe to say it will cost no less than $350. There’s also no guarantee a price will be revealed, especially if the system is released next year. The finalized priced will depending on development time/cost, part cost (which is usually a lot cheaper than full retail price), and the profit/loss margin they’re willing to take.
Pelord: No one can really determine any kind of retail price until we have solid confirmation of the technology. The good news here is that Nintendo likes to wait for the value of it’s technology to go down before releasing it in their products. Hopefully it won’t become obsolete too soon if that’s the case.
-A solid Wii Line-up for the Second Half of the Year
Eliwood8: Let’s be honest: outside of Skyward Sword (which does not have an official release date), Wii games for this year are looking pretty bleak. Sure, last year’s E3 had plenty of surprise Wii game announcements that made it out before the end of the year, but with the newly released 3DS as well as Project Cafe on the horizon, Wii’s software line-up has me a little worried. Here’s hoping that Nintendo doesn’t ignore their current console’s software in favor of their future console’s. A new IP? Another franchise revival? The nigh-mythical Pikmin 3? C’mon, show us something, Nintendo!
Gloryfinder: Sales have still been pretty solid for the Wii, much like they have for the DS. With the 3DS out the door, the Wii 2 (Project Cafe) still a ways down the road, it should still receive some solid Nintendo support for at least the next year and a half. First-party games have generally been the strongest Wii sellers, but there’s a chance for a few surprise translations of bigger name games released in Japan, in addition to potentially a couple new first-party games from Nintendo. The amount of effort put into covering the Wii during the conference is highly dependent on what games are announced, because Nintendo will not want to take away too much time from the 3DS or Project Cafe. Try thinking of a new first-party game Nintendo has announced after last years E3. If your mind is coming up blank, don’t worry; so is everyone else’s. Nothing that spectacular, or at least that memorable, has been announced this year, so Nintendo is hopefully going to reveal a lot of new games that haven’t even been hinted at yet.
Pelord: There’s that ‘Not Epic Yarn’ Kirby game that’s in the works, but that game, along with any other game that’s been in production late in the Wii’s lifespan, is in the position to jump to the next console. Well, Wii Play Motion obviously isn’t, that would just be silly. What about third-party games, though? Most of the already announced third-party titles are most likely still safe bets as Wii titles (such as Madden NFL ’12, and Spider-Man: Edge of Time), but what of the more obscure third party titles like say, The Grinder, or the supposed Call of Duty game in development by Sledgehammer Games? Unannounced games are anyone’s guess. I personally don’t see the return of as many popular IP’s as last year, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be anything.
-Japanese Imports for WiiEliwood8: This is something of a repeat of the above prediction, but I wanted to emphasize that Japanese Wii owners have had plenty to look forward to, with an assortment of beautiful RPGs and action games. We know that Xenoblade Chronicles is headed state-side–supposedly this year–so hopefully The Last Story, Pandora’s Tower, and other currently Japan exclusive titles make the journey with it.
Gloryfinder: I’ll be perfectly honest. There’s a lot of DS games that some gamers have been bummed out about not seeing Stateside, or at least in English, yet. It’s difficult to say how much faith developers will have in the DS as its supremacy wanes, but there’s still games like Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 and Devil Survivor 2 (which is an upcoming Japanese release), or more niche titles like Medabots and Ouendan 2. And remember Last Story, the game that made many gamers frustrated due to it supposedly being too complex to translate for the Wii? There’s more great (currently) Japanese only games than could easily be discussed here within a reasonable amount of time, which leaves a lot of opportunities for both the DS, and the Wii, to get a surprise major announcement this year.
-Download Services Get a Little Love
Eliwood8: With the 3DS eShop launching the day before Nintendo’s press event, you know that they’ll have a few things to say about the new download service. But hopefully it’s more than a cursory glance at some virtual console titles; playing games in 3D can be quite an experience, and small, downloadable games that focus on the 3D effect sound like the perfect way to bring 3D to the masses. Additionally, the Wii’s virtual console/WiiWare service has been fairly quiet lately–unless Nintendo decides to just give up on it, they need to roll out a revival plan. Hopefully Nintendo will have a few announcements for these services, for better or for worse.
Pelord: I don’t see anything major happening on the Wii front, but the eShop is an interesting topic, even if only for the fact that we threw in a spot-on prediction about it in last year’s ‘Unlikely’ article. With the slow progress of the Wii Shop, it seemed that the idea was a bit of an unpopular one, but Nintendo seemed to be thinking about it after all. I would think something would be mentioned about the eShop considering it’s timely release around the same time. Really, there aren’t any classic Game Boy games that would surprise me, and I can’t even say that Virtual Boy games would (something else I speculated last year), though a list of some titles would be nice. The applications that will be available in the eShop are a bit more interesting. Netflix was already confirmed, as well as Nintendo Video.
-Announcement of YouTube Video application
Pelord: Speaking of which, I actually wouldn’t be surprised if Nintendo uses this as an opportunity to announce the YouTube application that’s known to be currently in the works. The job description for development on the app was a bit confusing, as it mentioned development for the Wii, but also mentioned that it would involve development for the next generation of consoles. Does that mean the consoles that are available now, or could Project Cafe be part of the plan? Also, while it wasn’t confirmed to be in development for the 3DS, it would be one of the few platforms that could easily handle YouTube’s 3D video support. The Nintendo Video app might be the one thing in the way of 3DS support, though. Personally, if the YouTube app is going to be mentioned at all at E3, I see someone else beating Nintendo to it (mostly Microsoft, since the 360 currently has no applications that can view YouTube videos), but it is supposed to be multiplatform, leaving it open to being part of Nintendo’s plans.
-In-Depth News regarding upcoming 3DS titles
Pelord: 3DS games are definitely going to be part of Nintendo’s showing, but the amount of information we’re going to receive regarding those games is questionable. We can expect sufficient Super Mario 3DS information, but what about Paper Mario 3DS, or Animal Crossing 3DS information? Animal Crossing, in particular, has already been confirmed to bring something new to the series, but how similar will it actually be compared to the previous titles? And going back to previous predictions, what about some release dates for these titles, or at least estimated ones? (Thanks Fifi, for reminding me to mention Animal Crossing here.
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This ends Part 2 of our Nintendo E3 2011 Predictions. Check back soon for Part 3, our list of things that have a very small chance of ever happening (but would be amazing if they did)!
