[E3] What ‘Wii’ hope to see from Nintendo

E3 2012 begins next week and the coverage around the web is going to explode with details about new consoles, release dates, and reasons for gamers to anticipate upcoming games.  We’re going to kick off our E3 coverage by detailing what we want to see from Nintendo this year.

Wii U

The Wii U will most likely take center stage during Nintendo’s press conference, and if Nintendo has come prepared the whole expo.  Right away we want to see a new name announced for the Wii U.  The connection to a previous console generation — one that failed to attract the core gamer for Nintendo in a big way — is a mistake.  Unfortunately, we doubt it will happen because of the extensive branding Nintendo has done for the Wii U.

Nintendo needs to bring it with their Wii U launch lineup.  Lagging behind the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3 for years hasn’t done them any favors with gamers like us.  Sure, we love the first party Nintendo titles, but they’re few and far between.  When a new third party game launches, we don’t even consider the Wii.  That needs to change with the Wii U.  The new Aliens game is coming to the Wii U and we know about Darksiders 2 already which means Nintendo is hopefully off to a good start.  We want to see efforts made to bring the core gamer back to Nintendo.

Graphically, the Wii U is rumored to be on par with the Xbox 360 if not only slightly better, and we have lost all desire to even stomach all things ‘waggle’.  The Wii U controller is the linchpin with perhaps a little too much riding on it.  That controller with a screen in the middle needs to be at the front of first and third party titles’ innovation, and Nintendo absolutely must allow multiple people to use them instead of one new remote with others forced to use waggle sticks.

Achievements and better online functionality are also a must for Nintendo.  We’d love to see an achievement or trophy system, perhaps integrated into Nintendo.com or somehow sharable with others.  Multiplayer on the Wii sucks, so we’re anxious to see how Nintendo addresses that on the Wii U with the already announced “Nintendo Network”.

 

Games

Nintendo already announced they’re working on a new Pikmin and Super Mario title and teased unrevealed titles for the Wii U on their Facebook page yesterday.

Despite their likelihood, we have a list of the games we want to see talked about at E3 for various Nintendo consoles.

  • Remake of Majora’s mask on 3DS and a more classic (2d style) Zelda made for 3DS.
  • F-Zero game, haven’t seen one since F-Zero GX on Gamecube.
  • New StarFox game for the Wii-U or 3DS
  • Metroid sidescroller or Metroid Prime style
  • Mario Sunshine or Mario 64 style Mario game instead of another Galaxy, since we prefer the levels over the planetoids.

E3 2012 is Nintendo’s year to lose.  We hope to see them bring their best to contend with whatever Sony and Microsoft have to offer.

 

  • I personally want to see some new IPs this year from Nintendo. I want them to be the company that just bursts out of a human torso like “Alien” and says, “WE’RE BACK! No one saw this coming!”

    My predictions, however, are more cynical (as always). 😛
    -Super Smash Brothers: Somethingorother (God, such a moneymaker for them. I will be -extremely- surprised if it isn’t a launch title, that game alone will move consoles like hotcakes)
    -Pokemon Stadium that works with Black and White (1 and 2, since there wasn’t one for the Wii, and Black and White 2 are coming out in Japan soon, a great tie-in title that’s on everyone’s mind)
    -A new Mario game (Moves consoles by way of more “casual” gamers)
    -A new Metroid game will be announced with few details (To gauge fan reactions)
    -The Wildcard: More Kid Icarus, or another old IP we forgot about (To seem “new and fresh” for “casual” consumers and cause reporters to generate hype and hope for the direction Nintendo is headed)

  • Wish Nintendo would concentrate on the hardcore playerbase.
    I’m talking SNES quality or hold tight… better.

    Untill then not interested.
    (bought the wii just to play retro games.)

  • @Zyler: I totally agree. Part of me wants to believe the Wii U will do that, but Nintendo has gone so far down the path of being the console for everyone that it may be impossible to reposition themselves.