One Month Until E3 2017 - Top 5 Anticipations

Can you believe it folks?  It's only one month until E3!  In anticipation for this exciting extravaganza of games to come, I thought it'd be fun to share my Top 5 Anticipations for E3:

-1- Retro Studios (Likelihood - 90%)

Retro Studios is an esteemed first-party developer for Nintendo, responsible for the astounding Metroid Prime series and stellar Donkey Kong Country revival.  Their last showing was in fact Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze for the Wii-U back in E3 2013.  Since then, they have been very quiet these past 4 years.  Will they make a third game in the Donkey Kong Country series, like they did for Metroid Prime?  Will they help bring Metroid back into the spotlight?  Or will they visit another Nintendo series or start an entirely new IP?  Any of these scenarios would be exceedingly exciting.  Considering Retro Studios has never gone more than 4 years without making an appearance at an E3, the likelihood we will see something this year is very likely, and I just can't wait!

Donkey Kong Tropical Freeze (left) - Metroid Prime (right)

-2- Kingdom Hearts III (Likelihood - 80%)

Kingdom Hearts III is the climatic conclusion to the main series fans have been waiting for the past 15 years.  There have been a few glimpses since its initial debut at E3 2013, but if recent rumors are to be believed, we should expect to see more this E3 along with a Holiday 2018 release date.  As is always part of the fun anticipating a new Kingdom Hearts title, what new Disney themed worlds can we expect to make an appearance with this entry?  So far, Tangled, Big Hero 6, and Hercules have been confirmed.  But since the release of Kingdom Hearts 2, Disney has also now acquired Marvel, Star Wars, and Pixar.  The possibilities for new worlds to explore are grander and more exciting than ever before.

-3- Beyond Good & Evil 2 (Likelihood - 50%)

Almost just as long as Kingdom Hearts, fans of Ubisoft's Beyond Good & Evil have been waiting 14 years since the gripping cliff hanger that its first (and only) game ended on.  In 2008, a teaser trailer was shown for what looked to be this long awaited sequel, but its development has since then become an uncertain status.  This all changed in September 2016, when the director Michel Ancel posted teaser images on his Instagram over the course of the next week and confirmed that the series is once again in development.  There were rumors of this sequel being funded by Nintendo and to be released as an "exclusive" for the Nintendo Switch.  Whether these rumors hold true or if the game is yet ready to be shown, we'll just have to wait and see.

Teaser image posted by Michel Ancel on September 27th, 2016.

-4- Super Smash Bros. (Likelihood - 80%)

With the success that Super Smash Bros brings to Nintendo consoles, it seems inevitable that such should be released sooner than later.  Rumors suggest that two Smash Bros games will see release in 2017, likely to be a Virtual Console edition of Melee and a port of Smash 4 (aka Wii-U and/or 3DS).  If such is to be believed, why would this Smash port not have been released near launch like Mario Kart 8 Deluxe was?  A few possible reasons come to mind:

1. If it includes content from both the Wii-U and 3DS versions, the 3DS content will need its content up-scaled for better resolution and quality.
2. Perhaps they are taking additional time to create new content, like a single-player adventure mode or additional characters?
3. They may need to renegotiate the rights to retain certain 3rd party characters in the game, such as Mega Man and Cloud.

Or perhaps they just aren't working a port of Smash Bros right now.  Only time will tell.

Mega Man, you belong with Nintendo.  Don't go...

-5- Nintendo's Online Plan (Likelihood - 80%)

With Nintendo's online service expected to be available come this Fall 2017 and to be a paid service for the first time in the company's history, E3 seems like a very possible platform in which to showcase more details about such.  Players will want to know how they'll be grouping up and swapping strategies during Splatfests.  We can expect the paid service to be cheaper than that of Sony and Microsoft, but how do the other benefits compare?  And when can we expect the Virtual Console?  Will GameCube games be included with this Virtual Console, and will the GameCube Controller Adapter be usable for such?  Will purchases finally be saved to a universal Nintendo account?  Will we finally see Mother 3 release outside of Japan?  I don't expect we'll find answers to all of these questions at this E3, but I'd be amiss if some of these topics weren't at least mentioned.

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Of course, there is much more to be excited for with this coming E3, such as the reveal of Microsoft's Scorpio or seeing the return of exploration-focused 3D platforming in Super Mario Odyssey.  Be sure to share your biggest anticipations for this year's E3 2017 in the comments below.  And look forward to more E3 posts and other game discussions to come.  Until then, all aboard the Hype Train!