Instant Alert: Nintendo is about to reveal its plans for the next 6 months at the biggest game show of the year — here's what to expect

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Nintendo is about to reveal its plans for the next 6 months at the biggest game show of the year — here's what to expect

by Ben Gilbert on May 31, 2018, 11:43 AM

Nintendo is on a serious roll.

Super Mario Odyssey

The company's latest console, the Switch, is a major hit. The two biggest games for Switch are massively popular entries in the long-running "Super Mario" and "Legend of Zelda" franchises.

And the future looks as big — or maybe even bigger— for the Japanese gaming giant. How does a new Pokémon game for the Nintendo Switch sound to you? How about three? Or maybe a new "Smash Bros." game is more your style?

That's just the beginning! Nintendo is about to announce tons of new stuff during its annual briefing at E3 2018 — here's what to expect:

Nintendo's plans for E3 2018, broadly speaking:

Nintendo's annual E3 video presentation on all things Nintendo Switch is Tuesday, June 12 at 12:00 p.m. EST / 9:00 a.m. PDT.

As always, Nintendo will broadcast its video presentation on several platforms — Twitch and YouTube are both hosting streams of the event.

The E3 briefing is Nintendo's annual opportunity to announce major games, further detail upcoming games, and — generally speaking — address its most loyal fans directly. It's the kind of event where Nintendo might reveal a major new "Pokémon" game, for instance (which happened last year).

It's a presentation full of surprise reveals intended to wow viewers, and this year is no different. But we do have a few good ideas of what to expect.

Here's what we know about Nintendo's line-up:

"Nintendo Switch Super Smash Bros." (working title)

If you've never played a "Smash Bros." game, think of it as a fighting-game version of "Mario Kart."

Nintendo's large cast of famous faces — from Mario to Donkey Kong, Pikachu to Princess Peach — take each other down in a simplified fighting format. They each have their own set of moves and traits that map to that character: Pikachu shoots lightning, Mario throws fireballs, Link wields the Master Sword, etc.

Rather than taking players on one at a time, "Smash Bros." distinguishes itself by throwing anywhere from two to eight players into a match. It's a chaotic, silly, surprisingly deep fighting-game series with a serious following.

And in 2018, it's apparently coming back: The series is headed to the Nintendo Switch in 2018.

So far, we can spot Link, Bowser, Pit, Pikachu, Kirby, the two Inklings from "Splatoon," and Mario — and it looks like Link is represented in his "Breath of the Wild" form. But there are a handful of other character silhouettes in the trailer.