The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past 2 - Preview by Neal Ronaghan

Link to the Past 2 was a huge surprise when it was revealed last April. The sequel to the Super Nintendo classic will take place in the same overworld and feature a similar presentation and art style, though it will all be updated in 3D. Verticality will be an emphasis, as the demo from April showed off a multiple story dungeon that you traveled up and down by using pads that launched Link into the sky. The other hook is hieroglyph Link, which flattens Link to a wall animation, allowing him to move across the wall to solve puzzles and explore.

While we still have much to learn about it before its holiday 2013 launch, I personally don't think we will see much of the next portable Zelda game at E3. At best, there might be an updated demo including a few more segments not seen in April.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD - Preview by James Jones

Not much has been said about the Wii U remake of the 2003 GameCube title. Nintendo showed a few screenshots of Windfall Island during a January Nintendo Direct. Zelda series producer Eiji Aounuma noted that development of the Wind Wake remake was a side product of internal experiments converting the art style of previous Zelda games to an art style designed with HD in mind.

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker will be out for Wii U this fall. It will feature off-screen (GamePad) play, Miiverse integration, and what Nintendo president Satoru Iwata called “tuned-up overall game experience.”

Yoshi's Island 3 - Preview by Andrew Brown

In a surprise announcement during the April 17 Nintendo Direct, the next main game in the Yoshi's Island series was shown on 3DS in full swing. This game takes the core elements from the two previous titles and presents the action in what looks like a textured clay art style.

In the small amount of footage revealed so far, we can make out plenty of classic Yoshi enemies such as Shy Guys and Crayzee Daisies. Yoshi can perform all his key moves from previous games, including Flutter Jumps, Ground Pounds and Egg throwing. Yoshi was also seen retrieving a humongous, screen-filling egg from a Egg Block and sending it hurling like a giant wrecking-ball across the stage, obliterating everything in its path.

We hope to see some playable demos at E3, and we look forward to bringing more details as soon as possible.

Yarn Yoshi - Preview by Andrew Brown

While the 3DS is getting the next major instalment of the Yoshi's Island series, Nintendo aren't neglecting the Wii U from a little of their dinosaur love. The as-yet unnamed game, which we have temporarily dubbed “Yarn Yoshi”, was inspired by the Wii title Kirby's Epic Yarn and looks to feature much of the same gameplay mechanics. This game will feature a textile look, with characters fashioned from yarn outlines and environments made from cloth and cushions.

Rather than collecting eggs to throw, in this game Yoshi will himself turn into an egg when he eats an enemy, which appears to grow more “yarn” onto his body and fill out his pudgy 3D form. This could indicate that Yoshi is able to take hits and suggests a system of lives and health, which was absent from Kirby.

Hopefully, E3 will shed some light on this unique and adorable title.

Pokémon X and Pokémon Y - Preview by Josh Max

This October the world will see a new age of Pokémon arrive with the coming of Pokémon X and Y. Announced in January, Pokémon X and Y promises a plethora of new gameplay features, along with a fresh batch of Pokémon. So far only a handful have been revealed including the three starters: Grass-type Chespin, Fire-type Fennekin and Water-type Froakie. The two new flagship Pokémon, Xerneas and Yveltal have also been shown in trailers. Taking place in the region of Kalos, players will encounter new Pokémon, locations and gyms.

These newest installments in the series players will also have plenty of new Pokémon as well as many new features. From the beginning players will be able to customize their characters, something that had previously been unavailable. Additionally, for the first time in the series, the entire game will be fully rendered in 3D. All Pokémon, environments and battles will be shown in 3D. This allows players to move diagonally and interact with pieces of the environment as well as Pokémon. Players will even be able to ride Gogoat, a new Grass-type Pokémon, around like they would a bike.

Pokémon X and Y will be released worldwide in October, 2013.

X - Preview by James Jones

Nintendo first announced X, the sequel the Monolith-developed masterpiece Xenoblade Chronicles, earlier this year. The brief trailer did not offer a tremendous amount of information but it was rife with hints as to what X will be.

The trailer showed combat and world exploration that looked very similar to Xenoblade Chronicles - which means we should expect an expansive world full of stunning vistas and hidden areas as well as real time battles with a wide variety of foes, apparently using the same menu as Xenoblade used. And indeed, despite the short length of the trailer it featured multiple massive enemies and impressive settings. 

A new quirk is the addition of giant robots that can be taken into battle - apparently known as Dolls. One of those dolls was shown transforming into a bike that was used to quickly traverse the world.

Although unconfirmed the trailer did offer hints that the game could contain online gameplay. At multiple times during the trailer, a chat window was visible on screen. Within the window was (in Japanese) an apparent conversation between individuals making plans and just generally talking.