E3 may not have pleased everyone with its somewhat limited showings, but one presentation that ended the annual gaming industry conference on a high note. Nintendo's E3 presentation was full of amazing announcements, including tons of returning franchises that fans have long wanted sequels for. Rather than relying on its tentpole franchises, Nintendo chose to highlight smaller and returning franchises, ending E3 in a great way.
Of course, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and The Legend of Zelda still got their moments to shine. However, a majority of the presentation was focused on fan-favorite franchises that haven't received new installments in quite some time. Metroid is getting a new 2D game, Advance Wars' first two games are getting remakes and Shin Megami Tensei V finally has a release date after years in limbo -- and Nintendo shining a spotlight on these underrated franchises is a breath of fresh air.
After most Nintendo Directs, there's usually a fair amount of disappointment at the offerings. While franchises like Fire Emblem and Mario often have amazing games, these don't appeal to everyone. Nintendo's greatest strength is its massive range, though that sometimes works against it as fans of one franchise may not be happy with news about another. However, its E3 Nintendo Direct gave almost everyone something to look forward to.
Fans new and old were given things to look forward to, with everything from Mario Party Superstars to Danganronpa getting their time in the spotlight. Incredibly telling was that the only Mario news related to three spin-off games: Mario Party Superstars, Mario Golf: Super Rush and Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope. Mario series is Nintendo's flagship franchise, but at this year's E3, smaller franchises really got the chance to shine.
Other notable absences included Pokémon and Fire Emblem, the former of which has two major games launching in the next couple of months. Nintendo seems to have made a clear effort to give underrated franchises attention here rather than ignoring them as is too often the case.
While other companies used E3 to highlight their largest upcoming releases, Nintendo didn't shy away from presenting games that will likely only appeal to a niche audience in its biggest Direct of the year. This sends the message that Nintendo has faith in these games and believes them worthy of being shown off on such a big stage. In the past, games like WarioWare or Advance Wars would be announced and released with little fanfare, possibly being mentioned in a Direct where they're overshadowed by Mario or Pokémon news.
Nintendo's E3 Direct featured announcements that would appeal to all types of gamers rather than trying to appeal to the largest swath of fans with one or two broadly appearing titles. It also served as a reminded of how many amazing, underrated IPs Nintendo owns -- and may indicate that the company's ready to finally dive into its back catalogue. Now, fans of games like Kid Icarus, Punch-Out!! and Chibi Robo have reason to hope that their favorite franchises may come back in the future just like Metroid and Advance Wars.