Arguably the most successful video game company ever, Nintendo has kept themselves competing for the top spots by giving people what they so often want: more games they’ll like featuring characters they know. Their massively popular franchises like the Zelda, Metroid and Mario games all appeal to fans because they’re well aware of what they’re getting into. Even some of the most current titles still have definite roots in the past.

Going with the ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’ business model, Nintendo has said that there’ll be some new games announced at E3 that will appeal to the ‘core fan base’.  Speculation will of course abound wildly as to what these games will be. With the only new Zelda game having been a Gamecube port, many will be hoping for a true Wii Zelda title.

Some are postulating the revival of old franchises: the inclusion of Pit, protagonist of the Kid Icarus titles, in Smash Bros. Brawl seems to hint that maybe we’ll be fighting medusa once again. Many gamers would love to see StarFox return to its roots with a more on-rails type of shooter that would likely appeal to some casual fans as well. With other franchises such as F-Zero in their camp, it’s hard to really predict what we’ll be hearing about.