E3 2010 may still be a couple weeks away, but PrE3 here at Nerdum is officially in session. PrE3 is a series of articles where we’ll be taking a look at what to expect from the big three at this year’s E3 show in LA. First up: Nintendo.

The Nintendo Wii has lost favor with the hardcore gaming crowd, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that it never really had that favor to begin with. The general notion is that the Wii is aimed at casual gamers, that motion controls are just a gimmick and that the console just doesn’t have anything to offer the long-time gamer. Over the years, while this thought process was being further ingrained in the minds of the gaming populace, the Wii itself was busy amassing a sizable library of fantastic games. The sad thing is that many of the Wii’s greatest titles will go unnoticed as they get lost under a heap of shoddy Wii Sports clones.

I won’t deny that the Wii sees more than its fair share of crumby software, but you have to admit that as silly as they look; the Wii Sports and Wii Sports Resort games are actually quite a bit of fun. Aside from these casual offerings, the Wii also has a lot of great “gamer’s” games that get overlooked. First you have the Nintendo staples; Super Mario Galaxy, SMG 2, Mario Kart Wii, The Legend of Zelda and Metroid, but there are a few third party gems out there as well including No More Heroes, The Conduit, Silent Hill and MadWorld. Sadly, none of these games have been able to rid gamers of the misconception that the Wii is just a kid’s toy. This year at E3 though, Nintendo may be able to do just that.

The company has some big games lined up and could have a few surprises in store that may make Xbox 360 or PS3 only owners take notice. One of the most treasured franchises in gaming is Nintendo’s Metroid, and at E3 people are sure to fall head over heals for Metroid Other M. Despite the questionable title, this game is looking fantastic. Tecmo’s Team Ninja is at the helm and the game looks like its benefiting from their personal touches. So far all the early reports on the game have been overwhelmingly positive.

Super Mario games are still among the best in the biz

With the Super Mario Galaxy titles, Nintendo has shown that they can still make some of the most original and fun titles in the industry; can we expect more first party announcements at E3 this month? This is an obvious affirmative. Rumors have been circulating for months that a new Zelda title will make its debut at E3 2010. Another popular series that may get a surprise announcement at E3 is Pikmin. The first two games were fantastic on the GameCube and a new Pikmin title on the Wii would likely be just as great. It doesn’t stop there though; Nintendo could pull out another ace such as a new StarFox game. I recently played through StarFox 64 again and its still more fun than the majority of the games released this generation. If Nintendo creates a new StarFox game as good as the N64 one they’ll have one heck of a hardcore lineup.

Of course, this is mostly just speculation; I haven’t heard a peep about a new StarFox game or even Pikmin, but these are two Nintendo franchises that could make a comeback. A new Legend of Zelda title seems likely, but with the shows we’re expecting from Microsoft and Sony, Link alone won’t get the job done. That does beg the question though: is Nintendo really competing with MS and Sony? At this point, I’d have to say no. Nintendo took a completely different approach to this generation of console gaming and went after an entirely different market. The Nintendo market is one that both of the former rivals are now attempting to enter with Natal and Move, but so far Nintendo is the only real player there.

Team Ninja’s take on Metroid

Things are a bit different on the handheld front; as stated earlier, Nintendo sees Apple as their new competition and as well they should. Apple’s iPhone and iPad devices have been siphoning away Nintendo’s handheld users. I’m certain we’ll see Nintendo focus a large part of its attention on the 3DS and showing off never-before-seen software. Will it be enough to keep Apple at bay? It’s tough to say at the moment, but it should be interesting to see what kind of stuff they decide to show us.

Below is a simple list of some Nintendo E3 2010 speculations and what I personally expect or don’t expect.

The rumored HD Wii announcement will not happen.
A new Zelda title will be announced.
Metoid Other M will impress.
We will get at least one big surprise announcement for a first party title on the Wii.
There will be a large focus on the 3DS.
The Wii will still be mistakenly ignored by “hardcore” gamers.

Expect to see Link return at E3

What do you think? Agree? Disagree? Let me know by leaving a comment with your own predictions and speculations!