If this isn’t incredibly obvious at this point, we’re not sure what else is. This August will mark six full years since the last title in the franchise, Metroid: Other M, launched on Wii. Since then, we haven’t heard a single peep from the company on the Samus front, so E3 2016 is as good a year as any to announce her return.
The new Metroid game, in our perfect world, would launch alongside NX, as will the new Zelda, giving Nintendo a huge set of launch line-up games that would please any Nintendo fan. Oh, did we mention the next Mario game would also be in that launch line-up?
For Nintendo to really deliver an incredible set of experiences on NX, they need content. It probably wouldn’t be the best thing to actually have Metroid, Zelda, and Mario all launch with their new console because staggering games is probably a better business decision, but who ever heard of a company launching three mammoth franchises all at once? It’s never been done, but doing it this time would certainly show fans that Nintendo is by no means backing away from supporting its new console.
The new Mario game could be something entirely new or it could be based on either of the Super Mario 64, Sunshine, or Galaxy arenas. To be perfectly honest, we wouldn’t mind any of them. There’s something to be said for new experiences, but the gameplay loops in the mainline, truly 3D Mario games of the last two decades are all exceptional.
Nintendo would be remiss, some might say foolish, not to announce some sort of actual game for the smartphone at E3. Of course, we expect to be updated on the success of its social platform, Miitomo, after its first few months on the market, but we’d also love to see Nintendo introduce a small game into the App Store to begin asserting some dominance over the smartphone space. Their first true game must be unique to Nintendo but also captivating in a way that makes people want to return for more later on. The smartphone space is extremely tough to crack, especially considering the lack of developer loyalty there is with console and traditional handheld gaming.
These might be some oddballs, but the F-Zero franchise has been rather stagnant lately, and with Mario Kart 8 relatively fresh in everyone’s minds, it may be time to bring out something new to hold over racing fans. With that said, if they want to bring back some other unique entries from their past with all-new entries in any of the aforementioned series, we’d be all for it. It has been a while since there’s been a good snowboarding game, and even longer since we’ve enjoyed the cool mist from our jet skis.
On this list, we reason that maybe about 15-20% of it will actually happen, while the rest remains in our gaming imaginations. There’s actually a half-decent chance that a new Metroid finally gets announced, and while we think Zelda will get some sort of DLC, it’ll likely be clothing or some neat basic items, nothing game-altering. Mario is a good bet, and probably the safest of all, so don’t be shocked if the famed plumber is announced as the star of a new game for NX.
As for that Pokémon MMO or those amiibo cards? Don’t hold your breath on the former, and while Nintendo has proven that amiibo cards are certainly on their radar with Animal Crossing, this one is a wicked pipe dream that we don’t see happening in 2016. Perhaps we’ll have more luck with this in 2017.
We’ll be live at E3 2016, and while we’re hoping Nintendo is there, too, we’ll be reporting on all their latest news no matter how they announce it.
What do you want to see from Nintendo at E3 2016? What is your pipe dream and what do you think might actually happen? Let us know on Facebook, Twitter, and in the comments below!