E3 2011 Predictions (By iNintendo Staff)

May 30, 2011, by Carl B, Robbie P, and Austin D. - With E3 2011 kicking off in just eight days, what announcements will Nintendo be making? Carl, Robbie, and Austin share their predictions for Nintendo's E3 press conference. Will The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword get a release date? How much will we find out about Project Cafe? Read on to find out!

Carl B.'s predictions:

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword gets delayed to Project Cafe

Likelyhood: 3/5 Reggies

This would be terrible, but considering Nintendo did the exact same thing with The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess, it certainly isn't impossible. It almost feels like Skyward Sword will make the change to Project Cafe, since we know so little about the game. The only thing really keeping it back is Miyamoto's insistance to use Wii Motion Plus with Skyword Sword, but wait... Project Cafe is rumored to make use of Wii controllers as well. Don't be surprised if this happens, but feel free to be enraged.

The Last Story gets localized

Likelyhood: 4/5 Reggies

Given the fact that 2011 is the Wii's last full year of life, Nintendo needs to release some Wii games. There's nothing better to go with than Mistwalker's Japanese RPG, The Last Story. Developed by the creator of Final Fantasy in conjunction with Nintendo, The Last Story is by far the best looking RPG to release this generation. The only problem is that it's very Japanese-oriented, and Nintendo may opt to not localize the game in North America and Europe. With that said, Xenoblade is being localized in Europe, so there's a good chance that The Last Story will see release outside of Japan as well.

Project Cafe sizzle reel

Likelyhood: 5/5 Reggies

When Nintendo first shows of Project Cafe at their press conference, a sizzle reel of games will go along with it to show off the system's power. We'll probably see a ton of third party stuff, some Mario, but no Zelda (to steal Skyward Sword's thunder... Unless it's being delayed to Project Cafe). Nintendo may also list all the developers that are supporting Project Cafe, similar to what they did with the 3DS at last year's E3.

Retro's new game is shown

Likelyhood: 3/5 Reggies

Retro Studios is said to be working on a game that "everyone" wants them to make. What is this game? It could be an F-Zero, StarFox, or even Zelda title for Project Cafe. My personal hope is for a new Metroid Prime on the Cafe -- given the power of the system and Retro's art staff, an amazing looking game can be made. Plus, Metroid: Other M was hardly a Metroid game, even though it was a great title. In any case, I expect Retro's new game will make a debut at E3 2011 in either video or demo form.

Robbie P.'s predictions:

Skyward Sword gets a release date

Likelyhood: 5/5 Reggies

My first prediction is that Nintendo will finally give us the one release date for which we've been waiting. That release date is of course for The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. When will the game finally hit our Wii? I can only see the game coming out this year as Nintendo has stated that they want the game to be released before the end of 2011. Sure, some rumors point to the game also being released on "Project Café", but the new console has no chance of coming out until 2012. With all of that being said, I can now confidently predict that we will be playing Skyward Sword on the Wii sometime later this year.

Super Mario 3D Trailer and demo

Likelyhood: 4/5 Reggies

Nintendo has had the 3DS on the market for close to two months and the device is beginning to lose a little steam. This could be credited to a fairly weak lineup of software to accompany the device. Nintendo really needs one of their best and most familiar franchises to jumpstart sales of the device. What better way to do this than to show the world Super Mario 3D? We have already received confirmation that the game exists and we do know that the game will appear at E3, but what we don't know is how Nintendo will show off the game. I predict that Nintendo will not only show a trailer at E3, but will also have a playable demo for those in attendance.

Pandora's Tower localization

Likelyhood: 2/5 Reggies

For those following coverage of Pandora's Tower you already know that the game is shaping up to be a great experience and you also know that the game is currently slated for a Japan only release. If history tells us anything about this issue, it is that some games just don't make it to North America. Regardless, at the moment the Wii lineup is pretty scarce and a great action game like this could do wonders to keep people interested in the console. Maybe Nintendo is waiting to see how the game performs in Japan before making any further decisions? Whatever the case may be, I would like to think that there is a slight chance that Nintendo will announce a Pandora's Tower localization for North America. This is surely an announcement that would make hardcore Nintendo enthusiasts happy

New Nintendo IP announced

Likelyhood: 1/5 Reggies

Nintendo announcing a new IP at E3 is very unlikely in my opinion. There are many franchises that Nintendo is currently revisiting and reviving. This is being seen currently on the Wii and 3DS, and with "Project Café" around the corner, Nintendo will likely keep new games to familiar franchises.

Austin D.'s predictions:

Paper Zelda announced for Project Cafe

Likelyhood: 1/5 Reggies

There was a rumor some time ago about a new Zelda title being released for Project Cafe, similar to the Paper Mario series. While I think Paper Zelda would be very enjoyable, I doubt it would ever see the light of day.

Mario RPG hits Cafe

Likelyhood: 2/5 Reggies

If you remember the Mario RPG for the SNES, then you could get excited about this. Nintendo would need to market the Cafe with a more mainstream Mario, so I doubt this would happen.

Smash Bros. announced for Project Cafe

Likelyhood: 1/5 Reggies

Would this be awesome? Yes. Will this happen? Probably not. Sakurai is busy with Kid Icarus: Uprising at the moment.

What are your predictions for Nintendo's E3 this year? Sound off in the comments below.