By: Max Cannon
Nintendo is normally joked about for being a bit behind the times, however they were well ahead of the rest of the competition with their E3 prescence. Forgoing the flashy and expensive -- yet beloved -- press conferences of the other major players in the video game industry since the start of the Wii U era, Nintendo has decided to go with a pre-made video in their Nintendo Direct series. Nintendo has been pretty quiet about what to expect on the Switch, so what could we see? Here are our predictions on what Nintendo will bring to the table during E3 2019.
Nintendo's last traditional press conference was back in the Wii U era.
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC
This is a pretty safe prediction but while we're happy to be running around a new stage as Persona 5's Joker in the most recent DLC for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, it's time to get a taste of what else Nintendo is cooking up. There have been plenty of rumors that suggest we'll be playing as a character from Square Enix's Dragon Quest series. This feels like a safe bet for a few reasons.
Joker Joins Smash - Kidzworld Weekly News
First off, the most recent Dragon Quest game is getting a special version on the Nintendo Switch -- so there's already an established relationship. Second, fans have long hoped for "Dragon Ball"'s Goku to make an appearance despite not being primarily a video game character. Adding a Dragon Quest character would be a great olive branch to players because both Dragon Quest and Dragon Ball are made by the same artist, Akira Toriyama. We'll have to wait and see for some more concrete information, but this seems like a pretty safe bet if you ask me.
Though there aren't any rumors floating around, Cuphead would fit well into Smash.
Even More Zelda on the Switch
The Switch kicked off with one of its best games, Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. The Zelda franchise has an impressive and important reputation, so each and every entry into the series demands a lot of attention from players. The cutesy classic on the Game Boy, Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, has already been revealed with a remake on the Nintendo Switch with a confirmed 2019 release window. We'll certainly see more of the game during Nintendo's E3 show but there are rumors that this isn't the only Zelda game that Nintendo has cooking up.
Link's Awakening boasts a charming new art style.
Link's Awakening is of the "top-down" variety of Zelda-game, so there's certainly a more-traditional 3D Zelda game cooking up. While we haven't heard anything at all about the game, Nintendo has been spotted looking to hire employees for what seems to be the next Zelda and there's a bit of hope that it's Breath of the Wild 2. I'm not as confident on this take as I am on the Smash content but there's a bit of a hope to be had. And I'm absolutely certain we'll see more of Link's Awakening, which looks awesome.
What Does Retro Studios Have to Show?
Retro Studios is the Texas-based team behind the recent Donkey Kong Country games and the upcoming Metroid Prime 4. With development on Metroid Prime 4 starting from scratch, it doesn't seem to be super likely that we'll see much from the new game. However, Retro had to be working on something before getting handed the keys to Metroid and E3 2019 would be a perfect time to debut that new title.
Reggie's going away card from Retro teased a tiny new character in the bottom left corner.
There isn't too much to speculate on, there were rumors of a Star Fox racing ame and a hint of a new character on a farewell card from Retro to retiring Nintendo president Reggie Fils-Aime. Retro is one of the most talented teams working for Nintendo so whatever they have to show will likely impress.
Share Your Thoughts!
What do you hope Nintendo shows at E3? Are there any games you're hoping to see? Share your thoughts below!
