Then there’s Mario Kart, which doesn’t really need much introduction. We know the series is a money maker. After the 3DS’ less than stellar launch, Mario Kart 7 helped pick things up and Nintendo are probably hoping lightning strikes twice with the Wii U. Stunning HD visuals, online functionality, a release date of 2013, perhaps the announcement of Sonic as a racer… these are all things that would help get Mario Kart noticed at E3.

Pikmin 3, Game & Wario, The Wonderful 101 and New Super Luigi U (despite the fact most of them should be out by now) round off what looks to be a good summer line-up for the Wii U so Nintendo would benefit from showing a little more of these titles. Not a lot mind you - we have seen these games for quite some time now so perhaps show a compilation trailer for the bunch rather than dedicating specific time to each. E3 should be able the new, not the kind of new.

Then there are the lesser known titles like Bayonetta 2, Wind Waker HD, Yarn Yoshi, X and Retro Studios’ next project, the latter of which we know next to nothing about. Some more information on these in the form of trailers and release dates wouldn’t go amiss. Yarn Yoshi already looks stunning and after the fantastic Kirby’s Epic Yarn, fans are eager to hear more. Same goes for X, a project worked on by Xenoblade Chronicles developers Monolith. Wind Waker HD, we know will be great, it’s just a case of what Nintendo will add to the remake? Perhaps the unused dungeons missing from the Gamecube version? Perhaps…

As for Retro Studios, the element of mystery behind this title is leading to plenty of hype and Nintendo need to deliver here. Is it a new Metroid? Starfox? F Zero? Or a brand new IP entirely? E3 is a time where thanks to the internet and internal leaks, surprises are few and far between – Nintendo have an edge here with Retro’s title.

Then there are the out of nowhere surprises. The one’s you never see coming. Nintendo have been known for them – we just need to take a look at the past few Nintendo Directs where we saw a sequel to Link to the Past, Yarn Yoshi, Yoshi’s Island 3DS, Wind Waker HD, a new Mario and Luigi to name but a few. What could Nintendo have up their sleeve? A new Wii Sports? There was the brief video of someone playing golf using a Wii remote and the gamepad. Perhaps, a very brief glimpse of the next official Zelda title on Wii U? Nintendo have a number of development studios under its wing leaving plenty of potential for unexpected announcements so chances are there must be one or two ready for reveal at E3.

Third parties, while perhaps less than eager to support the Wii U at the moment might also have some impact on Nintendo’s line-up this E3 hoping to turn things around. We already know of three Sonic titles coming for the system, Ubisoft have a whole bunch of exciting projects as do Warner Bros, Disney and Activision as well and that’s just the stuff we know about. How about a sequel to ZombiU? Whether they’re exclusive or not, Nintendo needs the support and the company needs to prove publishers haven’t given up now more than ever.

We also mustn’t forget Nintendo’s handheld system which over the past year or so has seen a huge number of AAA titles released. It also looks like Nintendo are set to keep the momentum going with a new Animal Crossing, Mario & Luigi, Yoshi’s Island, Professor Layton, Mario Golf and Zelda (deep breath) to name a few on the horizon. While we’ve only seen brief glimpses of a big number of these games it would make sense for Nintendo to show as many of these off at E3. Remember Nintendo is a two system company and together the number of titles could easily surpass what any other publisher is offering.

So there you have it. While next generation consoles are certainly exciting, you should never count Nintendo out. With plenty of expected games and surprises planned for this year’s event, gamers definitely have something to look forward to next week.

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