It's all about Project Cafe for Pedro.
Well, another year, another E3 is upon us. While on New Year's I promised I would try and make it this year, some important matters surfaced and thus I can't attend. Maybe next year. But for now, I will yet again be watching the spectacle online (and reading all about it on Nintendo World Report, of course!)
So, what do I expect to see at E3 this year? Well, the most obvious one is Project Café, especially since Nintendo confirmed it would be shown off this year. But this is what I think will happen...
Much like last year with the 3DS, Nintendo will sing the praises of the new technology powering this system, maybe even getting some renowned third party developers to confirm that fact. Then they will show off the controller and the early design for the console itself, along with some in-progress footage of Café games. A Mario game will definitely be present as the highlight of the Café presentation, along with less unknown, but still promising efforts from Nintendo and other companies.
Finally, Nintendo will give the system a vague fall 2012 release, BUT the system will be playable at the conference along with some choice games that best illustrate the concepts behind Project Café.
Regarding the 3DS, Nintendo has to pretty much win back any player that felt burned by the release of the handheld near the start of the year. A release date for Star Fox 64 3D will finally be confirmed along with an expanded demo on the show floor. The same can be said for Kid Icarus: Uprising, which was the star of last year's press conference, but a release date has yet to be confirmed for it. Mario Kart 3DS will finally make its playable debut along with the recently announced Super Mario 3DS.
As far as wild surprises go, I think a new Super Smash Bros. game will be announced. It could be for the 3DS or Project Cafe, but considering it’s been nearly six years since Brawl was announced by surprised at E3, it might be time to get players hyped up once more.
With the Wii being on what may be its last year at E3 and on the market, it's very likely that Nintendo will show off some surprise games in order to keep gamers interested on the system for at least one more year. Back in 2009, Nintendo announced the Vitality Sensor, a Wii add-on that reads a player's pulse. Nintendo has been quiet about it since then, briefly mentioning that it is still in the works.
One of two things may happen: If Nintendo doesn't bring it back, the project has been silently killed off in favor of Project Cafe development. If Nintendo announces it, it will be attached to a game in the Wii series, one focusing on relaxation and active lifestyle.
As far as Wii games go, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, the new Kirby game, and Wii Play Motion are sure to be the stars of the Wii lineup at the conference.
There might be one surprise game announcement, one that will be released next year and serve as the swan song of the console. Since my predictions have been pretty tame so far, I am going out on a limb and say that it will be a brand new Wario platforming game in 3D, akin to Wario World, first released in 2003.
And those are my predictions for E3 2011 on the Nintendo side of things. Regardless if I am right or wrong, it sure will be an interesting one this year.