We've already detailed what we want to see from Microsoft's E3 press conference and Sony's E3 press conference, but now it's time to highlight the most overlooked of the three console developers – Nintendo.
Nintendo hasn't had the best year financially, and they will certainly be looking to use the expo to increase interest in the Wii U. However, as they are not going to be holding a press conference, instead opting to reveal their games on the show floor whilst offering playable demos of them to the public at local Best Buys, it's difficult to anticipate whether or not the big N will manage to steal the spotlight away from its peers at E3 2013. As a fan of Nintendo, I hope that they make far more of an impression on the expo than they did last year, and I think that this could be accomplished if they give us what we want. So what do we want? Well…
[h=2]More uses for the GamePad[/h]
To those who claim the Wii U's touchscreen GamePad is a mere gimmick, sit down with a few friends and a copy of NintendoLand for an hour and then we'll talk. The GamePad is the Wii U's biggest selling point, but thus far the library of games for the console do not utilise it to its full potential, with many simply delegating it to the role of a map or an inventory.
If Nintendo really wants to push the Wii U at E3 2013, they need to showcase games that take advantage of its best feature, and reveal ways in which the controller can be successfully implemented into its core franchises. also, 5-player Super Smash Bros. please, Ninty.
[h=2]More solid online games[/h]
Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate has proven that the Wii U can do online play well, and with two of Nintendo's most popular multiplayer series set to have new installments revealed at the expo, I want to see both Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart's online gameplay to be much more fleshed out than their predecessors'.
While Nintendo's focus on making fun local multiplayer games has always been a key selling point of theirs, with the Wii U it seems that they have belatedly came around to the idea that online play can actually complement a game (who wudda thunk it?). Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS was the most accomplished online Nintendo game yet, and I'd love to see them replicate it on a home console and finally give those of us who don't live in a house swarming with children a reason to keep playing their great multiplayer games outside of when we have family/friends visit.
[h=2]Revitalise existing IPs[/h]
Playing New Super Mario Bros. U forced me to experience a side of Nintendo I'd never really experienced before. While it wasn't a bad game by any standards, it wasn't a particularly good game, either. It felt tired and, crucially, unnecessary. Likewise, Mario Kart Wii felt like a big step down from the underrated Mario Kart: Double Dash, Super Mario 3D Land was underwhelming and even The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword divided opinion, with many claiming that it felt like Nintendo had run out of directions to take the series in.
I love Nintendo, but over the past few years a lot of their first-party titles haven't been living up to their impeccably high standard. So, as the quality of the 3DS's library has improved with the addition of the likes of Luigi's Mansion 2 and the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I hope that at E3 we'll see them continue to make big leaps forward with their portable console, as well as bring their core franchises into the next generation with the Wii U.
Nintendo hasn't had the best year financially, and they will certainly be looking to use the expo to increase interest in the Wii U. However, as they are not going to be holding a press conference, instead opting to reveal their games on the show floor whilst offering playable demos of them to the public at local Best Buys, it's difficult to anticipate whether or not the big N will manage to steal the spotlight away from its peers at E3 2013. As a fan of Nintendo, I hope that they make far more of an impression on the expo than they did last year, and I think that this could be accomplished if they give us what we want. So what do we want? Well…
[h=2]More uses for the GamePad[/h]
To those who claim the Wii U's touchscreen GamePad is a mere gimmick, sit down with a few friends and a copy of NintendoLand for an hour and then we'll talk. The GamePad is the Wii U's biggest selling point, but thus far the library of games for the console do not utilise it to its full potential, with many simply delegating it to the role of a map or an inventory.
If Nintendo really wants to push the Wii U at E3 2013, they need to showcase games that take advantage of its best feature, and reveal ways in which the controller can be successfully implemented into its core franchises. also, 5-player Super Smash Bros. please, Ninty.
[h=2]More solid online games[/h]
Monster Hunter 3: Ultimate has proven that the Wii U can do online play well, and with two of Nintendo's most popular multiplayer series set to have new installments revealed at the expo, I want to see both Super Smash Bros. and Mario Kart's online gameplay to be much more fleshed out than their predecessors'.
While Nintendo's focus on making fun local multiplayer games has always been a key selling point of theirs, with the Wii U it seems that they have belatedly came around to the idea that online play can actually complement a game (who wudda thunk it?). Mario Kart 7 on the 3DS was the most accomplished online Nintendo game yet, and I'd love to see them replicate it on a home console and finally give those of us who don't live in a house swarming with children a reason to keep playing their great multiplayer games outside of when we have family/friends visit.
[h=2]Revitalise existing IPs[/h]
Playing New Super Mario Bros. U forced me to experience a side of Nintendo I'd never really experienced before. While it wasn't a bad game by any standards, it wasn't a particularly good game, either. It felt tired and, crucially, unnecessary. Likewise, Mario Kart Wii felt like a big step down from the underrated Mario Kart: Double Dash, Super Mario 3D Land was underwhelming and even The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword divided opinion, with many claiming that it felt like Nintendo had run out of directions to take the series in.
I love Nintendo, but over the past few years a lot of their first-party titles haven't been living up to their impeccably high standard. So, as the quality of the 3DS's library has improved with the addition of the likes of Luigi's Mansion 2 and the upcoming Animal Crossing: New Leaf, I hope that at E3 we'll see them continue to make big leaps forward with their portable console, as well as bring their core franchises into the next generation with the Wii U.