Every few months, Nintendo hosts their own online broadcast entitled "Nintendo Direct," which the publisher uses to show off new games and hardware before release. And while things have been quiet on Nintendo's front since the launch of the Wii U last fall, tomorrow's "Nintendo Direct" broadcast could potentially amplify excitement for upcoming Nintendo products.
The May 17 broadcast will showcase upcoming Wii U titles for Spring and Summer, as well as some new games for the 3DS. Since E3 is less than a month away, the publisher will be saving their major fall titles for gaming's big expo.
So how can Nintendo keep gamers engaged tomorrow?
It's no secret that Nintendo hasn't exactly been "keeping up" with Microsoft and Sony in terms of hardware. Many third-party Wii U launch titles were ports of Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 games from the year prior, and the system's price tag is still deemed a little too steep. With Wii U about as powerful as today's current gen systems, the console could very well feel outdated by the time new Xboxes and Playstations are in the living rooms of gamers everywhere.
In order to succeed this summer, Nintendo needs to play to their strengths: Exclusives.
The iconic house that built Mario might not create the most powerful hardware, but they do enjoy the benefit of beloved names such as Metroid and The Legend of Zelda. And while the Wii U library has been thin since launch, this summer's schedule could finally fill the spaces in between the game shelves of Nintendo fans.
There are plenty of major Nintendo titles releasing this Summer, so Nintendo needs to focus on those to keep tomorrow's show a relevant one. The upcoming Game & Wario will mark the latest entry in a wacky franchise that began with Wario Ware on the Game Boy Advance, and the title should be making clever use of the Wii U's touch controller. The legendary Pikmin franchise is getting its third installment in August for the Wii U, and Nintendo diehards are surely salivating for more info regarding the game. There are also many titles such as Platinum Games' Bayonetta 2 and Wii Fit U that will hopefully go from "TBA"s to getting solid release dates tomorrow.
New 3DS software will also be shown off tomorrow, though the gaming industry doesn't need any convincing that Nintendo knows how to handle handhelds. Sega, Namco, and Capcom's major crossover RPG Project X Zone is hitting shelves next month, and this fall's Pokemon X and Y has all but guaranteed a boost in sales for the portable console.
By showing off the best of their first-party titles and providing more information on upcoming third-party games for the Wii U, Nintendo can make tomorrow's broadcast an enjoyable one for diehards and skeptics alike.
You can stream "Nintendo Direct" tomorrow night at 7 am PDT on the company's official website. What are you hoping to hear about?