Before we talk about Nintendo's showing at e3, let's talk about e3 itself. I love e3 (especially the e3's of the past) for all the new news...but most feel e3 is dying. They were really sayin' this back in 2019, then the year of ccp flu happened and now this years was all digital. Leakers and "industwy insiders" sometimes take the fun out of it, but also how the ESA handles the event itself is...not something I like and I don't think a lot of other people do, either. Conspiracy theory: I think the set-up is already in place to try to replace the electronic entertainment expo with Geoff Keighley's Summer Game Fest when he was made into the "victim" of the ESA according to his own twitter. But this Dorito Pope game show is no better than the Game Awards show he does and the carcass of what's left of e3. Enough of that drama, on to Nintendo...
Before e3 started there was tons of rumors about a Switch "Pro" being announced beforehand so that 3RD parties could reveal their games for it...Nintendo tweets tat their Direct will only focus on Switch software. Rumors continued including showing off possible Switch "Pro" versions games in the pre-e3 PokéMon Presents...Nintendo doesn't do the presentation and instead only shows off box art of these PokéMon games. Then there was the GameStop event that was hyped up to be some Zelda 35TH/Switch "Pro" pre-order party after Nintendo's e3 showing...nope, just a Zelda poster as an in store promotion for spending $30 there. In the end, people need to hype responsibly as Nintendo doesn't go by our clock...they go by their own, especially if everyone is trying to ruin their surprises.
Here's the Nintendo Direct
Smash Bros. x Tekken
Now we have Smash representing characters from most major fighting game franchises. I'm not a Tekken fan, but this is still cool to see. One fighter left to be revealed in Smash...Doom Guy, Ryu from Ninja Gaiden, Master Chef (yes, I misspelled it, 'cos I don't believe it), Crash, Conker, etc.??? My hope is for another Smash Fighters Pass after this one. The reveal trailer for Kazuya was cool & funny.
Lot's of PlayStation/industwy staples on Switch
SMT, Life is Strange, Danganronpa, DBZ, Guardians of the Galaxy, Tony Hawk, etc. all coming, some surprising, some exclusive! The Switch is a bastion for Japanese made games as it's doing so well in the homeland.
Cruis'n
Maybe not a big deal, but Cruis'n is a part of Nintendo (N64) history and it should be noted that it's developer (Raw Thrills) does current day arcade games and this will be the first arcade to console port they've ever done. Could this lead to more ports of newer arcade games from them?
Fatal Frame
That was a surprise, especially how they didn't bring these games over properly in the Wii/Wii U days. Some are wondering if this Tecmo franchise is exclusive to Nintendo anymore since this one is coming to other platforms now. Some worry that it'll be edited outside of Japan like some games tend to be and whether or not this will have the Peach & Samus costumes? I mainly worry about if games like this will get proper physical releases or will they be digital only?
Some other surprises
Some I don't care about, but were still big news. Others are welcome padding for the Switch's library. Another Super Monkey Ball which is a remaster of previous games. Advance Wars was especially surprising and WarioWare is always good especially with 2 player added to play microgames. Mario Party with N64 boards & games is good, but ultimately I think that franchise show be more a game as a service with DLC (like Smash, Mario Kart, etc.).
Zelda
Some rumors suggested there would be a 35TH anniversary blowout...there wasn't...but I was glad to see the LOZ G&W since I figured Nintendo would skip doing another G&W since they may have overproduced the Mario G&W (I see them everywhere) and would do so for Zelda. It's said that there was nothing else planned for LOZ 35TH, but we'll see! I knew they wouldn't show anything to outshine Skyward Sword since they probably know if there was something to compete with it then it would hurt sales so they want the lackluster entry to have a spotlight. They advertised Age of Calamity DLC wave 1, so there will be other waves to milk time before the next BOTW comes out.
I also knew the sequel to the Breath of the Wild would be delayed. There was things I liked in the new trailer for it...but some Aonuma-esque things to worry about. Hopefully he won't kill the openness of Breath of the Wild with linear nonsense. He's obviously adding SS islands in the sky which could be cool if they're open like the field is, but again, I worry he'll mess it up. Link has a cybernetic arm now, swimming through rocks and a new ability to reverse time...that could be cool. Instead of exploring the sky I was hoping to explore in the waterways and undergrounds of BOTW Hyrule. We still got no name for the game yet...I think they may not play on the BOTW name if this sequel could potentially tarnish the BOTW world.
Metroid
I am a huge Metroid nut so I saved this for last. Definitely my show highlight and it was clear this was Nintendo's highlight, too since they put it right of the beginning of the Treehouse Live right after the Direct. It looks nice and it definitely has a Metroid Fusion feel with the E.M.M.I. hunting you like the SA-X did before. I prefer the spider-ball from Metroid II, but they added a new wall gripping ability and a cloaking ability which is cool. This is being developed by MercurySteam who did Samus Returns but sometimes the controls were a lil' off in their games, but hopefully Metroid Dread will remedy that. "Dread" was mentioned in a previous game and the game was originally planned 15 years ago.
Like with Aonuma on Zelda, Sakamoto on Metroid worries me. He seems to be repeating Fusion's style, ADAM, story and hunter being hunted approach, but Metroid should have more free-roaming exploration not hindered by anything linear. Hopefully the story doesn't break this game like it did with Other M. Also like BOTW, I believe they separate the "2D" series from the Prime series so they don't damage the one that sells better.
BOTW Zelda > Aonuma Zelda
Prime Metroid > Sakamoto Metroid.
Other things at e3
Microsoft seemed to make some happy with all the stuff they announced, most coming in 2022. I'm not an Xbox guy so meh, but them positioning the brand more as a service over hardware (with an xbox TV stick & streaming new games to old Xbone consoles) is a good strategy for them.
Square Enix sucks
Sans the Mana (Seiken Densetsu) series I really don't care so it's funny seeing their fans cry as they shoot themselves in the foot.
Devolver Digital
I still find this entertaining, but not as much as when it was new.
Limited Run Games
Good announcements, but too late for me since I got digital versions of Castlevania Collection & Zombies Ate My Neighbors before Limited Run made them physical. Companies (especially Konami) dick us on releasing digital way before physical in order to milk as much money from double dippers...but I won't reward bad behavior!
Here's Intellevision Amico
Post-e3
Lot's of rumors (hardware & software) didn't happen, but that's okay for me 'cos I hyped responsibly. I realize that a new Switch revision would be announced in it's own separate event closer to when it launches. We may have a PokéMon Presents soon after e3 for those who want that. We may have a LOZ 35TH Direct after SS launches (later in the year like with more Zelda stuff (some say WW & TP collection, but I'd like a TOOT remake in the style of the Wii U LOZ demo some day). Nothing came (or will come of) an Xbox collaboration on Switch. There were no-shows like No More Heroes 3, Bayonetta 3, etc. and lot's of heavily rumored stuff like Monolith Soft's new game, a Mario Kart sequel (why not just DLC?) and a new Donkey Kong that didn't happen (I'd like a DK40 arcade style game on NSO). I'm all about Nintendo speculation (search my Nintendo AGENDA YouTube vids) but sometimes I think Nintendo doesn't show things when the surprise has been ruined by leakers to spite them.
Other thoughts following e3 is that I see the gamerz industwy (hell, all entertainment mediums) heading towards cloud/streaming/digital more and physical less using the ccp flu as an excuse. That's sad.