With Nintendo’s E3 Press Conference coming up soon, and the news of a Nintendo Direct being streamed on the 15th of June at 5pm Irish time, there is no doubt that the Nintendo hype is starting to build again. News of a Switch Pro and other major rumours have been bubbling under the surface for the majority of the year, but now the moments of truth are finally approaching.
This article will be what my thoughts are regarding what will be spoken about by Nintendo in their 40-minute Direct on June 15th. As well as that, I’ll be going over some of my more hopeful wishes for this Direct, which no doubt will land me in a pool of disappointment in the end.
Expected Announcements
To begin, I’ll be going over what I expect Nintendo to realistically talk about at the Nintendo Direct. This section will be a more realistic take on what they will announce but do not fret, the over-hyped and euphoric induced speculation will come later in this piece! Nonetheless, here is what I think would realistically be mentioned in the E3 Nintendo Direct.
Mario Golf: Super Rush
In the same vein as Skyward Sword, it seems that Mario Golf: Super Rush will receive its own final bit of promotion ahead of its fast approaching release at E3. This game looks promising, especially for a Mario sports game. It seems to promote new ideas and unique takes on a sport as mundane as golf. It will be interesting to see if they have anything more to share regarding this title before its release later this month.
The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword
Of course, we already know of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword’s controversial existence. Along with features being locked behind an amiibo, the price tag has ensured that this game has received some well-deserved backlash. However, we all know this will definitely have no impact on the sales of the game. With Skyward Sword releasing not long after E3, it is expected that Nintendo will give one final push of promotion for this game. Although I am not getting it myself, I would love to see some additions to maybe validate the €60 price tag more.
Zelda Collection/Windwaker/Zelda 35th Celebration
Now by far the most exciting and maybe most hopeful addition to this section of the prediction is the addition of a Zelda Collection, Windwaker port or just a total Zelda 35th Anniversary Celebration. I definitely can see any of these three scenarios happening, and I’d be delighted with any of them. That being said, I can see why it may be unrealistic. A 40-minute Direct may be too short to fit a Zelda 35th in it. As well as this, Mario’s anniversary got its own separate Direct to itself. I think Zelda has a similar pulling power to Mario to warrant its own Direct for its 35th. That being said, I am hopeful!
No More Heroes 3
Although I know almost nothing about No More Heroes, the fact this game was set to release initially in 2020 says a lot about how close it must be to development now, almost three years on from its initial release date announcement. I am not particularly interested in No More Heroes, but I would be surprised if it wasn’t mentioned in this Direct.
Super Smash Bros Character Reveal
Obviously, there will be at least one more Super Smash Brother’s: Ultimate DLC fighter reveal. Many speculate that they will reveal the final two fighters in the same Direct, but I find this unlikely. I will be speaking about this announcement as if they were going to be announcing only one fighter as a result. This is probably one of my most certain predictions for the Direct.
As for who I’d want? Hmm… Rayman, Crash Bandicoot or Spyro would be something that would put me on the same level as both the Banjo & Kazooie and Sephiroth reveals. I think it’d be fantastic. Realistically it’ll probably just be another anime girl again though.
Animal Crossing Update
Lastly, I think an announcement for further updates to Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be mentioned. Animal Crossing, for all its success, has been treated embarrassingly bad in 2021. The game has almost flatlined in terms of new and worthwhile content additions, going so far as to re-use the same pointless events from 2020, this year. I think Animal Crossing needs a major quality of life improvement update, along with further content updates in 2021, or this game could be at risk of flatlining not too far into the future.
‘If Only’ Announcements and Reveals
Full Revival Update for Animal Crossing
This is quite similar to the final expected prediction of the previous section, so I’ll keep it brief. I expect an Animal Crossing: New Horizons update, however, I imagine an ‘if only’ reveal of the game getting a new breath of life into it. Not only pointless events that end after 10 minutes, but I am also talking about, full new features, complete quality of life improvements, improvements to villager AI, all alongside new events and items to collect too.
Do I think this will happen? Definitely not, that’s why it is in the ‘If Only’ section of this piece. However, I’d definitely be up to put a further couple hundred hours into Animal Crossing if an update to this scale came to be.
Banjo Kazooie Collection for Switch
This is definitely the most farfetched wish on this list. However, it doesn’t come without any background. For a number of years now, Xbox and Nintendo have been gaining more and more ground in terms of building a co-operative relationship, allowing Banjo & Kazooie to make their iconic entrance to the hall of fame that is Super Smash Brothers: Ultimate.
With that being said, it doesn’t seem likely that anything is going to be done with Banjo’s IP anytime soon, and at the moment, the only way to play the original two Banjo games is through a Nintendo 64 or on Xbox. I think a Banjo Collection would warrant huge hype, and the sales would definitely show how much fans want these characters to have a chance at a revival.
Metroid Prime 4 Update & Metroid Anniversary Celebration
Now I’ll whisper it quietly, but I have never actually owned or played any Metroid game. That being said, the main reason it makes its place on this list for me, is purely just a passion in me for Nintendo. Although I would not care too much for Metroid news, I want fans of the series to get their moment. Similarly to how little I care about Smash Bros., it still grips me seeing updates to the roster and game, as I am invested in the communities if not the game itself.
I think there are games that build up so much hype around them stemming purely from their development patterns and how long it takes to receive any updates. Metroid Prime 4 having an update would be almost holy, although I think even just an acknowledgement that it is still developing smoothly and releasing a port of older Metroid games for the Switch in the meantime in acknowledgement of Metroid’s anniversary would be fantastic too.
New Donkey Kong Game
Controversially, I bought Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze, yet never played it. Although I loved Donkey Kong Country: Returns on Wii. IF the rumours are true that the Super Mario Odyssey team are working on a new Donkey Kong game, then that is something to be really excited about. I’d be surprised if this game continued to be a 2D interpretation of Donkey Kong, and I think a return to the concept of a 3D DK like Donkey Kong 64 would be an interesting and bold concept to try and refine a second time around.
P.S. I also wouldn’t be opposed to seeing a return of the Mario vs Donkey Kong series, which sort of tailed off and then ultimately died a number of years ago now, but I loved it on the Gameboy Advance.
Windwaker, Ocarina of Time & Majora’s Mask Remasters/Remakes
I know I mentioned a celebration of Zelda’s 35th in the Direct as being likely, however I also think it fits into the ‘if only’ category, due to the length of the Direct and due to the weight that Zelda holds. Mario got his own Direct dedicated to his 35th, and I think Zelda arguably holds similar standing in terms of being a Nintendo powerhouse.
As mentioned, I’d be happy with a port of Windwaker alone, but remakes/remasters of Ocarina of Time/Majora’s Mask for Switch would really be something. As I said though, I find this incredibly unlikely given the length of the Direct, and given how Skyward Sword is due to release a month after this Direct. That game already has enough bad press as it is, so releasing some better Zelda related games and news would certainly overshadow the sales of that game in the following month.
Breath of the Wild 2
The pinnacle of this Nintendo Direct would be any further news on Breath of the Wild 2. I could see this happening, but at the same time, I find it unlikely. Despite it being two years since we were told that Breath of the Wild 2 was in development, I feel that as a game, it has begun to earn that mystical status that some Nintendo games get, such as Pikmin 4, Metroid Prime 4, and Bayonetta 3. That isn’t to say I think it is as far away as some of those game’s releases. However, I do think any real reveal for the game this Summer would truly be something that would blow people away, as it is still a bit early in my eyes.
Conclusion
So there you have it, those are my realistic predictions for the main games I expect to be spoken about by Nintendo at E3. As well as this, I also went over some more hopeful and wishful games that I want to be discussed during their Direct. Being mainly a Pokémon fan myself, I’d have liked to have spoken about Pokemon in this piece, however I feel a Pokémon Presents is more fitting for news of that nature. Nintendo Direct’s are almost always met with disappointment regardless of what they show, so let us just try to be positive and meet whatever they show with some level of positivity!
I am a 20 year old student from Ireland who has major interests in writing about Nintendo, Pokemon and PlayStation related topics on the side!
