Sunday, June 9, 2019

E3 2019: Hopes and Expectations

E3 2019 logo

The E3 2019 is about to start and there will certainly a few things to look forward to. Here are my hopes and expectations for the Nintendo Direct event on Tuesday.

Super Smash Bros. Ultimate: Challenger Pack 2


This was already confirmed by Masahiro Sakurai yesterday after the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate World Championship 2019 - we will see the next Challenger on Tuesday! I would expect a full gameplay reveal for the next newcomer with a release date for this month. But it's also possible that they might end things with a teaser for Challenger Pack 3 as well, so we will know three out of five characters at the end.

Recent rumors have been all about Banjo-Kazooie, Erdrick from Dragon Quest, Steve from Minecraft and the Doom Slayer from DOOM. I personally would prefer the last two, but let's see. Maybe there will be even a surprise fighter that no one saw coming. That would probably be the best...

Other than the Challenger Packs there could be announcements for the next big update with new modes and extras, like the return of Home-Run Contest, a free Echo Fighter or finally a Mii Mage class.


Link's Awakening


Nintendo has already confirmed that the game will be playable at E3 and there will be without a doubt new footage from the remake. I would expect a release date, a potential Nintendo Switch bundle, as well as some information about new features like a bonus dungeon or a 2nd Quest mode. It would also be good to know whether the features of the DX version will make it back or not.

But for Zelda fans Link's Awakening will most likely be the highlight of E3 2019.

screenshot of the Goponga Swamp near the entrance to the Bottle Grotto


First Glimpse at the Breath of the Wild Sequel?


While Link's Awakening will certainly take the spotlight for Zelda at E3 2019, it's possible that we get a first teaser for the next big Zelda game just to show us that Nintendo is working on more than just remakes and remasters when it comes to Zelda. I would not expect anything major here, however, so only a small glimpse at what they have been working on and no real gameplay.


Skyward Sword HD?


It's possible that this might be showcased already, but I'm not fully expecting it, because it would just take the attention away from Link's Awakening. Similar to Majora's Mask 3D and Twilight Princess HD, they could reveal this later this year, when Link's Awakening is already released, for an early 2020 release. So, this probably won't appear at E3 2019.


Metroid Prime Trilogy HD?


Similar to Skyward Sword HD, they could announce this at any time, because these remasters aren't exactly the most spectacular showcase. However, since we would get the entire trilogy remastered in one neat package and these remasters would give us a glimpse at how Metroid Prime 4 will feel on Nintendo Switch, this could warrant a spot at E3 2019 nonetheless.


Retro Studios' Latest Project?


We know that Retro Studios has taken over the development of Metroid Prime 4, but we don't really know what they've been doing for the last five years, ever since the release of Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze in early 2014. It could be one or even more failed projects, which never will see the light of the day, or they could be finished with their latest game, which will also release in 2019. It would be nice to know what they've been up to in any case.

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