WiiNintendo

It must be that time of year again, every blog on every game-related website stands up and says, “Hey, look at our E3 predictions!  Our website rocks!  We have no idea if we’re right, but this post will net us some traffic!”  Well, we here at wiinintendo, and by we I mean me, are no different, and with that in mind here are my personal picks for what Nintendo has up its collective sleeve for Wii at this year’s E3 event.

 HARDWARE:

Storage solution:  Come on Nintendo, enough is enough.  We need storage and we needed it a long time ago.  I believe that we will see a storage solution from Nintendo mentionedat this E3.  I have no idea if what they mention will be shown, or if they will just let us know that they have something in the works.  Here’s hoping that whatever they do mention will be available before the end of the year.  I also believe that the solution that Nintendo has come up with will fall short of all of our expectations and make us cry ourselves to sleep on our big, otaku pillows.

Voice Chat:  This has been heavily hinted at a number of times over at IGN and they believe that we will not be seeing a traditional headset ala Xbox Live and PSN; but they do believe that we will be seeing Nintendo’s “unique” (read: ineffective and silly) solution at E3.

Wii SOFTWARE:

Donkey Kong Wii:  And no I don’t mean a sequel to that crappy jet barrel blast game thingy that pretended to use the bongos.  This will be the real deal and will be pitched as Nintendo’s biggest release this coming holiday season for the “core” gamer.  Like it or not, Nintendo thinks we all want Donkey Kong, so that’s what they are going to give us.

Animal Crossing Wii:  There are so many expectations for this title.  People think it is going to be the next big leap forward for the Nintendo Wi-Fi Connection.  I have a sad feeling that what we are going to get is a rehash of the Gamecube game with some small online component.  I hope Nintendo proves me wrong, but I am not holding out any hope for this title other than it being a competent sequel in a good franchise with Gamecube-quality visuals.

Kid Icarus Wii:  Again, every website under the golden Nintendo sun is pretty certain that this will be shown at Nintendo’s press conference.  It is also rumored to be developed by Factor 5, the talent behind Rogue Squadron for the Gamecube and Lair for the PS3.  If nothing else I am looking forward to the visuals in this game to get an idea of the true power behind the Wii console.  If their is any developer out there besides Nintendo that can show us what the Wii is really capable of, it’s Factor 5.

Pikmin 3:  I have hope that we will at least see this in video form, but I am not really betting on it coming out this year.  The Pikmin franchise is one of my all time favorites and I cannot wait to see how Miyamoto brings the little guys to the Wii.

Metroid Prime 1 & 2 Wii Release:  We haven’t heard anything from Retro Studios since the release of Prime 3 (other than the fact that some of their top talent left the company) and the rumblings are that they have been working on a Wii version of the first two Prime games using the same great controller setup from Prime 3.  Expect Nintendo to tout this game, which I believe will be packaged together as a single product, as their way of catering to the “core” gamer.

Wii Music:  Despite it being low on most of our radars, this will most likely take center stage, along with Animal Crossing, at Nintendo’s press conference.  Consider it this E3’s Wii Fit.  You can bet that Nintendo is going to make this their new casual focus.

The Legend of Zelda:  The last installment, Twilight Princess, was released in Fall 2006.  It is almost two years later and Nintendo needs to show the hardcore crowd that they still care about them.  I believe that Nintendo will close out their press conference this year with a short teaser for the next Legend of Zelda.  It will in no way come out this year, but it will be their big holiday 2009 release.  Expect the trailer to be light on the gameplay and different from what we saw with Twilight Princess.  Here’s hoping we see a re imagining of the series.

WISH LIST:

These items are not based on any current rumors or fact, but are simply the things that I would be most excited to see announced at E3.

New Super Mario Bros. WiiWare:  The sequel to the hit DS game should really come to WiiWare.  What a perfect way to show support for Nintendo’s new download service and the thing would become the biggest downloadable game of all time, without a doubt.

A New 2D Castlevania WiiWare:  There isn’t much left to say.  Just don’t ever give us a fighting Castlevania game again Konami.

Super Mario RPG and Zelda Majora’s Mask VC releases:  These should both be mentioned during the press conference and then be immediately available for download on the VC.  Come on Nintendo, I thought you guys wanted to make money!!!

Retro Studios Developing the next Zelda Game:  Isn’t it time Nintendo gave someone else a shot at the series?  And who better than the team who brought the Metroid series to its pinnacle: Retro Studios.  This is, by far, my most unlikely wish, but a guy can dream right?

 Again, these are just my opinions, and I am sure that you all have many more.  Feel free to post your ideas in the comments and tell me just how crazy I am :).  Also for all the other writers on wiinintendo, what are your E3 predictions?