New Super Mario game at E3, and my thoughts on Nintendo’s future.

Continuing his trend of dropping rumor-laden comments, Shigeru Miyamoto has said Nintendo will be showing off their next big entry in the Super Mario Bros. series during the company’s press conference at this year’s E3 convention.

This news comes after reports that Nintendo has secured an internet domain for supermaioworld4.com, and rumors that the Wii-U’s true hardware specs and launch price will be unveiled at the convention as well — some speculating it to be as low as $300 USD.

I find this to be very promising. After years of core-gamers being seemingly ignored by the big N, I feel that Nintendo are taking steps to once again cater true gaming experiences. Super Mario on the Wii-U is a sure sell for many gamers of all ages, and with the word being they plan to price the console competitively, Nintendo have a chance to once again be relevant in hardcore gaming.

Of course, I may be a little biased here. I have enjoyed Nintendo ever since I was a kid, growing up with SNES and N64, and playing some of the best games of last generation on the Gamecube. Like many Nintendo fans, the Wii was a disappointment for me. And while I enjoyed the DS, the 3DS still hasn’t quite got the library for me to grab one. That being said, I still find the 3D handheld to be very intriguing, and a step in the right direction.

Is this in our near-future?

There are some strong and legitimate criticisms on the upcoming Wii-U, specifically those regarding the system’s hardware, but until we see the games in action in front of us, we won’t know just how powerful the new console is (or isn’t). However, I’m am quite optimistic about the Wii-U and Nintendo’s future at this point. Despite the console having a rather dumb name, games like Pikmin 3 and this new Super Mario give me hope. And with reports Retro Studios have been working on a new project (Metroid? Zelda?), I’m sure we’re in for some big announcements this year. I may currently be a die-hard PC gamer, but I love Nintendo enough that I’d be willing to pick up a new console if they do it right.

Here’s hoping Super Mario Wii-U and the rest of their E3 show does the trick.

Miyamoto teases Zelda fans with talk of an A Link to the Past sequel.

Not such an unlucky Friday the 13th after all.

Back in November, the Shigeru Miyamoto said he was “interested in creating something new maybe based on, or starting from, A Link To The Past.”

Following up on this statement during a recent interview with Edge, published today, the mastermind behind The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario had this to say,

“I think I’d be even more interested in creating something new maybe based on, or starting from, A Link To The Past. I think it’s important to bring some really new software.”

But seeing as how Miyamoto-san is now in a far less hands-on role at the big N on top of all ready being involved in a number of other projects, one could safely assume he would not play a majot role in the hypothetical game’s development. It lead to the question, who should — if such a project exists — head it?

Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Eiiji Aonuma, the long-time director of the Zelda series, working on the franchise since Ocarina of Time, picked as the man to make such a remake (or sequel).

But beyond that, I’d love to see Retro Games, the studio responsible for the amazing Metroid Prime series and the Recent Donkey Kong Returns. The studio is obviously masters at rebooting franchises, with the ability to push these frnachises into new directions, while never sacrificing their legacies. I think they’d be a great fit for new Zelda game, be it this project or another.

But, alas, this is all just hypothetical. Whether we see a new Link to the Past or not will only be answered with time. Let’s rejoice that Nintendo is working on new games, and that Miyamoto sees the need for new software.

For now, enjoy this artist’s rendition of what a possible Link to the Past remake could look like: