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Last year was an interesting one for the House of Mario, a year of ups and downs. On the plus side, the Nintendo 3DS successfully bounced back from its first few months of being less than awesome and silenced naysayers across the board. On the other hand, several factors, such as the 3DS' somewhat drastic price drop back in August to the miniscule number of truly worthwhile games on the Nintendo Wii (seriously, I can count them on one hand), have served to bog the company down, resulting in Nintendo's first ever annual financial loss. With a new console on the horizon, they will have to pull off a few feats of mass persuasion to get people back on the bandwagon. E3 2012 will be crucial for the Big N.

And now, here, in neat and tidy fashion, is what we at GameDynamo expect to see from Nintendo next month:

Confirmed:

• Nintendo press conference: The press conference to end all press conferences (you never know) is scheduled to take place at 9:00 am PT on Tuesday, June 5th, 2012. While that's good and all, what truly matters is what will be shown at the conference. Which leads me to…

• Wii U: Nintendo didn't exactly blow people off their seats when the Wii's successor was unveiled at last year's E3. This year can be different. Since the console will be shown in its "final format" at the event, it is expected that Nintendo will reveal all there is to know about Wii U, from what the final form will look like (hopefully they will actually show the system itself on stage this time) and what its tablet-esque controller, graphics, and online functionalities will be capable of.

• Pikmin 3: It's been almost eight years since the last Pikmin game came out, and nearly four years since Shigeru Miyamoto confirmed the development of the next one. As time went on, and next to nothing was said about it, people were beginning to think that Pikmin 3 would never see the light of day. But now the wait is (somewhat) over, and we'll finally see the Pikmin in action once more, and in glorious HD too. 

• Super Mario Bros. for Wii U: While little is known regarding Nintendo's first-party Wii U games, we do know that a new Mario game for the console will be revealed at E3. According to Nintendo, it will be based off the New Super Mario Bros. Mii demo from E3 2011. It's not yet clear if it will simply be a full-length version the demo experience, or if it will add cool new features unique to itself.

• New Super Mario Bros. 2: Worry not, the 3DS won't be missing out on the Super Mario love. After the successful launch of Super Mario 3D Land, Nintendo has a sequel to the DS's original New Super Mario Bros. in the works. The game will bring the 3DS's updated graphics to the mix, while borrowing elements from the classic Super Mario Bros. 3, such as Raccoon Mario and his ability to fly. Of course, we're talking about a 2D side-scroller this time around.

• Luigi's Mansion 2: Luigi's Mansion 2 was the one of the pleasant surprises of last year's show, the sequel that most people probably didn't see coming. The sequel promises more of the ghost-busting antics of the first, but with the inclusion of gyro controls, more puzzles, 3D (obviously) and more haunted mansions for Luigi to vacuum his way through. 

Likely

• More on Nintendo Network: While announced back in January, there is still much that we do not know about Nintendo's new online service. With the Wii U to be revealed in its final form during E3, Nintendo will have the perfect chance to fill the Gamersphere in and convince us all that Nintendo Network will be able to go toe-to-toe with Xbox LIVE and PlayStation Network.
• Third-party announcements for Wii U and 3DS: A big part of Nintendo's presentation last E3 was the number of third-party developers that were on board for Wii U. It is likely, then, that we will see plenty of news games announced, along with more info on the ones we already know of. It is also possible that more third-party titles will be announced for the 3DS, whose line-up could certainly use more AAA third-party titles.
• 20 years of Kirby: 2012 marks the year that the round pink sucker becomes old enough to drink in his native Japan. To celebrate the occasion, an anthology featuring Kirby greatest adventures, Kirby 20th Anniversary, will be released for the Wii. It's not likely, however, that it will have too big a presence at E3. Probably just a trailer or something like that.

What We Hope For

• Bring back F-Zero: There are a few classic Nintendo franchises that the company has neglected somewhat for the last few years. F-Zero is one of them, and it's a series that would certainly get the fans' attention if a new entry was announced for the Wii U. And let's not forget about Star Fox, who, if the rumors are to be believed, may come to the new console sooner or later.
• A more worthwhile finale for the Wii: With The Last Story being the only big game on the Wii's release schedule, the console seems set up to go out with a fizz instead of a bang. Our hope is that Nintendo and/or other developers are preparing a few more games for Wii, to ensure that it can sail into the glorious twilight with its head held high. It's not too late for that to happen.
• HD (or 3D) Zelda: They showed that Zelda could be done on the Wii U last year. They have no reason not to. If not, we would just as happily see more Zelda on the 3DS instead. We're not picky here. 
• Our minds blown from sheer awesomeness: Make it happen, Nintendo. Make it happen!

Peter Grimm A writer, journalist, and aspiring storyteller, Peter Grimm has been gaming since the days of the Nintendo 64, and reporting on the goings-on in the World of Gaming since late 2011. His base of writing operations is located within the void between Here and There, or so he would have you think.

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