This is Wish Bear
Well, E3 is once again upon us, and Microsoft had a pretty good showing today, so tomorrow morning it will be up to both Nintendo and Sony to strut their respective stuffs. Thus, it is as good a time as any to make some predictions before everything starts happening tomorrow. There have been very few rumours floating around before this E3, which is quite unusual. This could either mean that big things are afoot, or that nothing much will be happening at all. GoNintendo says that Iwatadono will be making an appearance this year, and that usually spells that something big is in the cards. Here are my predictions/hopes split into two categories: Predictions and Pipe Dreams.
Nintendo
Predictions
- New portable of some sort, most likely the DSmicro or something of the sort. Maybe even just the “ds” (lower-case letters). Rumours have it that it will scrap GBA support for a more sleek profile, have larger screens, and boast an accelerometer of sorts for new games and further Wii compatibility. I also hope for better speakers, a better touch screen (more solid, come with screen protector installed), and perhaps hinges that don’t shatter.
- More casual 1st-party games. Wii music, Wii monkey-training, anything so long as it doesn’t have to have a story. Nintendo is going a little far in the casual department.
- One good 1st-party core-gamer game. Be it a Zelda or a Metroid or a crazy-new Kirby, Nintendo will try to at least pay lip-service to its largest fanbase.
- More Wii MotionPlus info, a 1st-party game or two, plus Wiiware to go along with it.
- Longer Wii-sleeves to accommodate the MotionPlus
- Some balance board stuff that isn’t mind-blowing
- New Animal Crossing with online stuffs, hopefully backwards compatibility or something. Maybe even SNES or N64 games for your house.
- Something no one could ever have seen coming
Pipe Dreams
- a proper Wii storage solution because 512 MB just isn’t crapping enough for all of their stupid Wiiware. Be it an SD card channel, an external harddrive, or 3rd-party USB drive/harddrive compatibility, we need something.
- A new Zelda, possibly with 1:1 motion controls thanks to the MotionPlus
- DVD/CD channel for the Wii (very possible, I’ve played DVDs on my Wii)
- better online community, maybe for $20/year or something, but with some interaction
- complete absorption of SEGA after Sonic Unleashed is published
- A new Metroid, not Prime, but something. I like Metroid.
Sony
Predictions
- avoidance or heavy-skewing of sales figures
- more PSP stuff no one will ever use (GPS-camera-fridge-muffin oven attachment)
- new hardware, because they’re desperate (PSP phone and PS3/Viao gaming laptop)
- celebrities to draw attention away from lack of product (Coldplay performance or something)
- heavy pushing of LittleBigPlanet, Resistance 2, and Killzone 2 (they’re all Sony has left)
- some Loco Roco 2 action
- one or two new IPs to try and compensate for lack of Final Fantasy exclusivity (Nobi Nobi Boy?)
- new PS3 peripheral, either the 2-piece DualShock 3 or something else to try to attract more people
- talk about the next generation, because this one isn’t going so well
Pipe Dreams
- announcing that this will be the last generation that they try to pretend to be game makers
- admittance of the stealing of Nintendo’s proprietary work on the PS1
- make some actually good games
- launch Home this week
- better online community and proper bluetooth headset compatibility for the PS3
- New ICO or Shadow of the Collosus-like game
- Final Fantasy XIII Versus gameplay
- more Katamari!!!