With E3 a few weeks out, it's time to take a look at what's to come in this year's trade show. For Nintendo, it's a question of keeping up momentum for the Switch after its March release.
Switch It Up
The Nintendo Switch, which released back in March, has been in high demand. Its two biggest are The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Edition. While there were other games, like 1-2 Switch, most other games that can be considered "system movers" are spread out. This could be credited to the unique piece of tech Nintendo's newest system is.
The Switch is the first effort from any console manufacturer to make a system that can work as a home or mobile system. Nintendo has always had a loyal following because of its willingness to experiment. The Wii is the best example of this, since it appealed to the mass audience and people who wouldn't normally play video games.
Nintendo hasn't seen that kind of success since, but it hasn't stopped the company from trying something new. That said, the uniqueness of the Switch has helped it stay in high demand, and any new bundles or changes to the Switch could only help it.
It's-A Me, Mario!
What will really help Nintendo keep momentum is a good showing for its upcoming list of games. As mentioned earlier, the big titles for the Switch appear to have been spread out, instead of released close together. While this made the launch feel somewhat empty save for a few games, it leaves plenty for fans to look forward to.
First there's Arms, Nintendo's new brawler. The game has players take control of spring-arm fighters, going one-on-one against other fighters online and in single-player. Early reactions to the game have been good thus far, but by the same token, a preview build isn't the full game. So a good showing at E3 could really help as its June release comes closer.
Then, in July, there's Splatoon 2, the sequel to the 2015 surprise hit, Splatoon. The game will offer more of the ink-spraying combat of the first game, with new weapons to help cover the map. It will also include a single-player campaign, like the first, though hopefully there's a little more to it than the first one. As with Arms, given the July release, a strong E3 showing could go a long way in ensuring a strong launch.
The big one of the show, though, is going to be Super Mario Odyssey. Mario's newest adventure will take him all over the world in an airship, presumably to stop Bowser. While it doesn't have an official release date, it is slated for a release in fall 2017.
Even with the other games in the pipeline that could drop this year, including the two previous titles, Mario is the flagship of Nintendo. This means that everything on the Nintendo show floor will likely be Mario-centric, much in the same way the Nintendo booth during last year's E3 was Breath of the Wild-themed. And if things go well, Mario on the Switch could prove to be the talk of the show, which will definitely help Nintendo keep momentum, especially going into the holiday season.
