Please, please let these come back!
Sometimes, I look out the window, and I wonder to myself, what is my favorite season? It's a rather difficult question. On the one hand, I love winter. But, I'm just as big a fan of summer. However, the more I wrestle with this question, the more obvious the answer becomes. My favorite season is, of course, E3 season! That's right, I simply can't get enough of this time of the year; the leaks, the anticipation, the predictions, the expectations, and then finally, the reveals. Needless to say, I've spent a lot of time thinking this year's show over in my head. And, after all that thinking, I've reached what I feel to be a fairly realistic set of predictions. So, without further ado, let's jump right in with, dare I say, game of the year 2018.
A Huge Focus on Smash
Super Smash Bros is undoubtedly Nintendo's biggest gun for the year, but we hardly know anything about it. As such, Super Smash Bros will be the focus of the show. I anticipate a fairly large chunk of the show to be dedicated to it. We'll get a bulky overview trailer that shows off various elements of the game, including new characters. In terms of those, I think we'll see two: Ice Climbers and Pyra. The Ice Climbers are a shoe-in, considering they only were removed last time for technical reasons. In terms of Pyra, we know that Sakurai loved Xenoblade Chronicles 2, and she is the most iconic character from the game who'd offer a different play style in comparison to Shulk. However, I do think we'll naturally see more characters than that. Veterans will show up alongside the newcomers, but I doubt that they'll get any sort of fanfare. Most likely, they'll just be shown in some sort of overview trailer.
Likewise, I do think Smash Bros will make a second appearance as the stinger for the whole conference. This time, Banjo and Kazooie will be revealed. What a barn-burner that'd be, huh? When considering third-party characters, they need to be both important to Nintendo's history and excite a crowd. Banjo and Kazooie certainly fit that bill. While some think it's impossible, Phil Spenser has gone on record saying he'd like to see the bear and bird duo in Smash. These character reveals in conjunction with an overview trailer would set up Super Smash Bros to dominate the fall. Thinking on that grand of a scale, I do feel that it'll be called Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo Switch, and I think it'll launch in later October. This would allow for a Black Friday bundle with the Switch and the game for $300. If Nintendo is still targeting 20 million sales this year, aggressive moves such as a Black Friday bundle will be a must.
The Official Unveiling of Yoshi
Yoshi will get a new trailer that reveals a couple new locations as well as a name and release date. I'd venture a guess that Yoshi launches in August, similar to Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle last year. It'll be targeted more towards kids, but won't enter the cringy territory that Yoshi's Woolly World entered. None of this, "Woashi, it's a double Yoshi exploshi" nonsense. I also don't think it'll be tied in whatsoever to Nintendo Labo, nor do I think it'll take the Yoshi's Island moniker. The former seems to be a pillar totally separated from Nintendo's core gaming ventures, and the latter implies transporting around Baby Mario, which isn't the case this time, as evidenced by last year's reveal.
Fire Emblem is Shown Off
Pokemon Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu will Appear
This is a bit of a double prediction, so hold onto your hats. I think Pokemon Let's Go Eevee/Pikachu, which I do firmly believe are real, will be revealed before E3. Then, the game will get a second trailer during Nintendo's E3 showcase. Pokemon has historically done their announcements external to E3, and I think that trend will continue. But, I also think that we'll see a trailer for the game during Nintendo's show as well. Considering it will be a huge sales draw this holiday, Nintendo will want to give the game as much exposure as possible. The two versions will launch this November.
Super Mario Maker 2 Revealed
I have a full blog post on this subject, which you can read should you feel so inclined, but I am almost certain Super Mario Maker 2 is a shoe-in for 2018. This would be a perfect game for Nintendo to announce and subsequently release to coincide with September's launch of the Nintendo Switch Online Service. It has been three years since the original hit the Wii U, and that game can and should be used as the base for this sequel. Furthermore, if Nintendo really wants to hit 20 million hardware sales this year, Super Mario Maker 2 could be a huge third pillar this fall.
The "Surprise" Announcement of Star Fox Grand Prix
Another leak that I've having no trouble believing is Star Fox Grand Prix. In fact, I'll be shocked if this turns out to be fake. It's just been corroborated by too many people and there are too many specifics for this to be one big hoax. I just don't believe it. And, hey, I'd be over the moon if Star Fox Grand Prix turns out to be real, so I might be projecting just a tad. With that in mind, I think we're due for a gameplay trailer and a tentative 2019 release date. Similar to how we saw Yoshi and Kirby at last year's E3, I do think that Nintendo will tease us just a bit with upcoming projects, one of those being Star Fox. It's a shame that this alleged title got spoiled ahead of E3, because this would've been a huge surprise.
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Well, that's all she wrote. Some people are expecting an absolutely massive showcase, but I don't think that is realistic at all. In recent years, we've seen a more agile, nimble Nintendo that announces and releases games extremely close together. It's no longer in the business of announcing a title, and then having it release three years later. This has been proven over and over; look at titles like Mario Tennis Aces, Metroid: Samus Returns, Splatoon 2, and many more. I firmly believe that there are a lot of games in development, Nintendo isn't going to leave a team sitting around doing nothing after all, but I think the era of seeing titles that are barely on the horizon has long passed.
I do believe that Pikmin 4, Animal Crossing Switch, top-down Zelda, Mario Party, and many more are in active development, but are simply being held back for the proper time. I actually had a whole paragraph about both Animal Crossing and Pikmin written, but I had to take a step back and think about the release calendar. There simply isn't room for these two games in 2018, as much as I'd like there to be. And, while it would be disappointing to go another year without them, could I really be mad with a hypothetical back-to-back lineup of Super Mario Maker 2, Super Smash Bros, Pokemon, and Fire Emblem? No, I couldn't. 2018 got off to a rocky start. That much is undeniable. However, I really do feel like the second half of the year could turn out to be a complete 180. The dominoes are in place, it is merely a question of whether or not Nintendo is ready to knock them over. It all comes down to E3.
Hey Everyone,
I am really sorry for my prolonged absence! School just got absurdly busy, and I had to focus on that first. However, by the time you're reading this, I have all my assignments done for the year! As such, I can finally return to Penguins With Capes, full time. I've really missed being able to write. As you've probably noticed, the site looks a bit different. I went ahead and changed the theme to allow for a more fully featured sidebar. Penguins With Capes used to be powered by the Contempo theme. It looked great, but it was riddled with technical issues that held me back from implementing such features as email and RSS subscriptions. So, if you'd like to follow Penguins With Capes now, you can! One other thing I'd really like to do this summer in addition to familiar pieces like these and my Switch to Film series is release shorter hot takes throughout the week. Many times, news will break that I'd like to give my opinion on, but just haven't due to not having an overwhelming amount of things to say on the topic. I've been trapped by the idea of having only one post a week of a considerable length. Hopefully, I can add some flexibility to the account in the near future, which will result in more numerous and varied pieces of writing. I'm really looking forward to throwing all my energy back into Penguins With Capes, and I hope you all stick around! Thanks!
~Abram Buehner
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