Nintendo are striking hard and fast this year after their success
last year. And they have even more big games to show. With the Switch released
and already being a big hit, it’s time to take that into overdrive. Super Mario
Odyssey is obviously going to be a big focus this year, and there are
tournaments for both ARMS and Splatoon 2 being live streamed. The Treehouse
team is back in full force after the Spotlight presentation, with a full three
days showing off games for both 3DS and Switch [where Spotlight seems to focus
only on Switch].
As for what I want, I’m really going far out with this one, but I
want to see Kingdom Hearts back on Nintendo hardware. Dream Drop Distance
released in 2012, and since then Sony have had ports of most games, along with
HD movies on those collections as well. Since Nintendo have never had the main
series games, porting these over to the Switch would be welcome, even if the
third main entry doesn’t reach it [though that certainly would be a bonus].
It’s not too out there of an expectation if Square-Enix really are confident in
supporting the Switch, and they have shown they are certainly willing to.
In terms of the Switch itself – Virtual Console has to be a must.
And yes, of course I’m going to say it – with Gamecube support. There are
numerous games that could be brought to the service, and though complications
will always arise, Nintendo had a strong presence with their own games on the
system for it not to matter too much. However, recent comments about being
unsure on whether to bring the service over makes me question whether it will
happen at all. I'm also expecting something about expanding the Switch's UI, whether that being with themes, new apps, or expansions on the current eShop and other features.
As for games that are expected, Pokémon on Switch is going to be a
big one if it gets announced, even if it is just a third DX version of Sun and
Moon with HD graphics. Animal Crossing on Switch will also be a big game, as
the series has found footing on handhelds better than a home console. Now, with
the power the Switch provides, we can have a larger game on a handheld. Super
Smash Bros. 4 is bound to get a port, combining both WiiU and 3DS games into
one, and adding in a few extras, just as Mario Kart 8 Deluxe did. As definitive
versions go, Smash 4 Switch should be a goldmine. While I’m uncertain if it
will, I also want Mario Kart 8 Deluxe to get some more tracks and characters
added through DLC. There’s the question of whether that would really show up at
E3 though. Just as on Wii U, I’d expect an announcement on that to come
sometime August.
As for those games that are already out in the wild waiting for
release, Fire Emblem Warriors is following on from what Hyrule Warriors did,
and should be full of references to its series just the same as Hyrule Warriors
did with Zelda. There’s also the case of the other Fire Emblem games. The 2018
Switch title is yet to be shown in any detail, but hints as to what it includes
could be shown here. Kirby is also another series getting two other games soon,
and again we know more about one than the other. Kirby’s Blowout Blast was
shown to be a 3D styled game where inhaling more enemies will increase your
attack power. With over 25 stages announced, now is the time to show them. The
3DS title can’t be far off from release, leaving time for the next major game
to also be revealed at E3. We know it will be a multiplayer focused game, but
that’s about it.
For Nintendo@E3 then, we have the Spotlight event at 09:00 PDT/17:00
BST on the 13th, with the first day of the Treehouse immediately after. The
Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational takes place on this day as well, starting
14:30 PDT/22:30 BST. The 14th has the second day of the Treehouse at 10:00 PDT/18:00
BST, with the ARMS Open Invitational starting 15:30 PDT/23:30 BST. The
Treehouse on the 15th will start the same time as the previous day, and be the
only thing on during that day.
EA have shown they are committed to providing the greatest
Battlefront experience in the second game, having announced a load of content
for it at Star Wars Celebration. Now it is time to show they have listened to
fans, and show off not just the single player campaign missions in action, but
a revamped multiplayer touching on those things that people have stated. For
instance, the amount of modes and the power-ups on the map. Vehicles as tokens
never felt right to me, making them feel more like bonus equipment rather than
being actual tools of the battlefield. Same with the extra equipment like
rocket launchers and thermal imploders. As for the modes, Walker Assault is
practically the only mode I’ve played for the past few months, with the
exception of DLC playlists. Walker Assault feels like it belongs in the game.
As does Fighter Squadron, even if I’m still not too fond of the flight controls.
The DLC modes went some way to correct the issue by making them more focused, but
now it is time to go full out with it in the sequel. It’s already been
announced that a multiplayer match of the game will be showcased, with The
Assault on Theed sounding like a reworked Walker Assault as the Republic have
to work to stop a Multi-Troop Transport from reaching the palace gates. Darth
Maul and Rey will also be cutting through the troops as they work with their
respective sides to win.
Away from Battlefront, it is possible the other games that have
been in the works start appearing. I’m not going to talk about them until we’ve
seen them, but I’m expecting some great things from them. Away from Star Wars,
Need For Speed Payback will be showcased. They have teased what is coming, and
it sounds like they might have a grip on finally perfecting the formula. As an
added bonus, no always online restriction for this game. Should certainly be
fun to see what comes out of it. With the trailer from a few days ago setting
the tone, the gameplay should follow to really show how this game will work.
EA will have their usual sports games to show, but this time they
have an extra FIFA for the Nintendo Switch. This hasn’t been included in the
numbered entries for other games, and it is possible we will see why if it gets
shown off. It could either be a Nintendo exclusive version featuring some wacky
Nintendo character based teams along with the real deal, or it could just be a
testing the waters deal for EA as a whole. Time really will tell on that front.
EA’s presentation begins E3 off on the 10th, with the main
event starting at 12:00 PDT/20:00 BST, and The Assault on Theed multiplayer
event happening at 12:30 PDT/20:30 BST.
Microsoft are showing Project Scorpio this year, in even greater
detail than they did last E3. Along with this are numerous games, with
Crackdown 3 sure to be among them. Having first been seen at E3 way back in
2014 [with the title being revealed at Gamescom 2015], we know it will be
massively larger than previous entries in the series with cloud-powered
real-time destruction in multiplayer modes. It must have run into a few
difficulties since, but with Scorpio on the horizon it should be shown off.
Forza Horizon 3 sure has been a blast, and while I haven’t jumped
into the Blizzard Mountain and Hot Wheels expansions yet, I’m expecting a whole
lot of new challenges from them. For the series at E3 this year, it is clear
Motorsport 7 will be there. Again, it will be showcasing the extra power given
by Scorpio, though as Microsoft are keen to express, the game will still be
playable on Xbox One. I’ve put more time into Horizon than I have Motorsport
these past few years, so it will be interesting to see whether E3 can draw me
into the game. I’d much prefer a more open racer like Horizon, so if any get
shown off [and Need For Speed is a possible contender] than I’ll probably be
going for that instead.
There’ll be a little something for Halo fans at the conference
that Microsoft has promised, but what that is no-one will know. Sea of Thieves
should also be around, possibly with a release date. The multiplayer pirate
game is Rare’s chance to show they can do something on a large scale again.
There should also be some surprises. After all, showing expected things is well
and good, but giving a surprise is much better. I’ve kind of given up asking
for a new Midtown Madness at this point, and with Forza Horizon, open-world
racing is already covered. I honestly can’t think of something from Microsoft
that would surprise me, though if they want to hit up something that caters to
me, I wouldn’t say no to an RPG of some type. We’ll see if they do have
surprises in store when the presentation starts on the 11th at 14:00 PDT/22:00
BST.
I don’t usually follow what Sony do, owing to the conference time
being so late for the UK and it being my least preferred platform, but there
are a few things to point out. Sam Witwer is the main lead of a game called
Days Gone, and he has teased it will be showing at E3 in a big way. The God of
War reboot will be around, and so will the Uncharted spin-off The Lost Legacy.
Playstation VR will likely feature at some point, and if Kingdom Hearts 3 and
Final Fantasy 7 Remake are featuring anywhere at E3 it will more than likely be
here. Sony’s conference takes place on the 12th at 18:00 PDT/02:00 BST.
Ubisoft will be showing off their usual stuff, with some South
Park thrown in. Support for Nintendo is likely to feature, though the rumoured
Mario x Rabbids game will more than likely be saved for Nintendo’s Spotlight.
Ubisoft head the stage before Sony at 13:00 PDT/21:00 BST.
There is a lot to look forward to at E3, and while I’ve only
focused on the main five here, there is a lot more going on. There’s the PC
Gaming Show to look forward to. IGN always have something going on, as will
other gaming sites. Announcements away from the conferences are also usually
around, such as the cancelled Star Wars 1313 being a notable one. Unless they
feature at one of the conferences, I’m expecting Sonic Mania and Forces to both
have reveals like this. Below is all the times I’ve covered again in
chronological order, but that’s all from me for now, so E3 hype here we come.
Saturday-10
-EA – 12:00 PDT/20:00 BST [The Assault of Theed 12:30 PDT/20:30
BST]
Sunday-11
-Microsoft – 14:00 PDT/22:00 BST
Monday-12
-Ubisoft – 13:00 PDT/21:00 BST
-Sony – 18:00 PDT/02:00 BST
Tuesday-13
-Nintendo Spotlight – 09:00 PDT/17:00 BST
-Nintendo Treehouse Day 1 – 10:00 PDT/18:00 BST
-Splatoon 2 World Inkling Invitational – 14:30 PDT/22:30 BST
Wednesday-14
-Nintendo Treehouse Day 2 – 10:00 PDT/18:00 BST
-ARMS Open Invitational – 15:30 PDT/23:30 BST
Thursday-15
-Nintendo Treehouse Day 3 – 10:00 PDT/18:00 BST