
Outside of the holiday release season, the most exciting time of the year for gamers and game journalists is next week. The Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is taking place in Los Angeles June 5-7, and all of the major game publishers and console manufacturers will be there, laying out their plans for the upcoming year. Some of the big highlights of the week are the press conferences that Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft hold, and this year, they could be particularly interesting. Nintendo is expected to show off its upcoming console the Wii U, and while Microsoft and Sony are denying announcements of new consoles, everyone will be tuning in to see if they’ve been lying to us. It’s late in the current console cycle, so anything could happen.
In addition to the big three, there are also announcement and unveilings from lots of major game publishers and developers, and every year there are some bombshell announcements that no one sees coming.
While I’m not sure what the big three or the publishers and developers will be bringing to E3 this year, I do know what I’d like to see. Over the next few posts, I’ll be talking about the three things I want from the big three, and then three games I’d like to see at E3.
To start, here are three things I’d like to see from Nintendo at E3:
1. The price point for the Wii U to be less than $250. I think the magic price point would be $199, but if it’s $249 with a pack-in game, that’s certainly a decent price point.
2. More details about the Nintendo Network. While nintendo announced this new online service back in january, there are still a lot of unanswered questions. I want a robust online network for both Wii U and 3Ds that’s similar to XBox Live. Easy ways to connect with friends, an achievement-type system and an improved marketplace.
3. Strong third-party support for the 3DS. Nintendo always does a great job with their first-party franchises like Mario, Zelda, etc. Let’s see some big third-party games now that the 3DS has recovered from its shaky launch.
Bonus--I want my 3DS to be able to interact with my Wii U. I want games that I can play on both and share saves (similar to PS Vita), and I want the 3Ds to be able to function as another tablet controller for Wii U for certain games. There’s a lot of ways the two consoles could interact, and I would like to see Nintendo take advantage of the potential.
So what do you want to see from Nintendo at this year's E3? Let us know in the comments below!