This is part III of our 3-day feature. Click here to read Part I, and here for Part II.

Katharine Byrne:

2011 was definitely a year of swings and roundabouts for Nintendo. Their hotly touted 3DS stumbled out of the gate in March with such a spectacular false start that it prompted a huge price cut over the summer. With all their distress flares seemingly spent, the S.S. Nintendo looked ready to sink under the mighty wave of its competitors, and many argued that lowering the lifeboats was their only remaining option. Fast forward to January, though, and 3DS has made a roaring comeback, outselling the first year of its wildly popular predecessor in only eight months with a huge lineup of titles ready for the holiday season.

Kevin Knezevic:

Even with its rocky start, 3DS still had a considerably better year than Wii did. Outside of The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (and Xenoblade Chronicles for those fortunate enough to be living in Europe), the console saw little in the way of substantial releases these past twelve months, giving fans the impression that Nintendo had all but abandoned its home console in favor of its newest handheld. And yet, despite how destitute its software library has been, Wii was still able to achieve its most successful Black Friday sales this past November (no doubt on the strength of New Super Mario Bros. Wii, which has supplanted Mario Kart Wii as the system's pack-in title, and Link's latest adventure), but whether or not Nintendo will be able to sustain this momentum going into 2012 is another question entirely.

With little left in store for the company's current home console (and the next generation looming on the horizon), how do you think the new year will play out for Nintendo?

KB:

Speaking from the European side of the pond, I think Wii will finish on a reasonably positive note this year. It won’t go down in a blaze of glory by any means, but with The Last Story now slated for February and Pandora’s Tower arriving sometime later, European Wii owners like myself won’t need to start up the funeral dirge just yet. I’m skeptical as to whether Wii will continue to co-exist with Wii U as Reggie Fils-Aime has been promising, though. Wii U will most likely launch in the latter half of the year, probably just before Christmas, and, by then, Wii’s swansong should have been sung. If Wii does continue to co-exist with Wii U, I can’t see it being anything more than at a casual party-game-type level, and it definitely won’t pull a DS and continue living alongside Wii U for another year.

KK:

Yeah, I very much doubt the two will be able to co-exist at all once Wii U is released. Whatever momentum Wii had this holiday season will likely dissipate in the coming year, even with Xenoblade now heading to North America. Beyond that game, there is simply little to look forward to on the console – The Last Story will also likely make its way stateside at some point (as Sakaguchi's involvement will no doubt be a big selling point to fans of JRPGs), and PokéPark 2 and Rhythm Heaven Fever have already been confirmed, but, on the whole, this year looks as if it'll be even more barren than 2011. Pandora's Tower, I fear, will not see an American release despite the best efforts of Operation Rainfall, which would leave Wii with nothing besides a couple of notable titles and a continued stream of shovelware and movie tie-ins.

KB:

Wii U, on the other hand, will have a very strong lineup of launch titles, if Nintendo have learned anything at all from the first few months of 3DS. That said, even if Wii U launches with titles like Batman: Arkham City and Darksiders 2, it might risk falling over the same hurdle if gamers have already bought these games for other systems several months earlier. While third-party support looks promising, I still think Nintendo are going to need Mario or another of their first-party franchises to help give Wii U its killer launch app. Do you think we’ll see something at E3?

KK:

Yes, I think 3DS's launch has only reiterated the importance of having a strong piece of software early on in a console's lifetime. This coming E3 will likely be a re-unveiling of sorts for Wii U, complete with pricing and full launch lineup, which will consist of the third-party titles you've already mentioned in addition to Dragon Quest X. The New Super Mario Bros. Mii demo from last year's expo will also likely re-debut as a full adventure (considering how successful its predecessor was), which would give Wii U a killer app that could appeal simultaneously to both casual fans and gaming enthusiasts.

Now that the home console front has been mapped out, what do you think this year will have in store for 3DS?

KB:

3DS will really come into its own in 2012. After all the big releases over Christmas, many of us finally have a reason to actually own a 3DS, and considering that we've still got Luigi's Mansion 2, Resident Evil: Revelations, Kid Icarus: Uprising, and Metal Gear Solid: Snake Eater 3D (and, hopefully, Monster Hunter Tri G) on the horizon, those reasons can only get stronger. I don't think it will have any trouble holding its ground once Vita arrives next month.

Of course, one of the most highly anticipated announcements concerning 3DS this year is whether we'll see a redesign. Personally, I don't think this will happen. Considering everything that's happened this past year, not to mention everyone who’s just bought a 3DS for Christmas, Nintendo would be shooting themselves in the foot by announcing a redesign too early. The GBA SP and DS Lite both took two years to appear from their original launch date, and this won’t change for 3DS.

KK:

I agree that 2012 will be a strong one for 3DS. In addition to all of the titles you've listed, I predict the next iteration of Animal Crossing will also be released (likely around the holiday season), as well as the new installments of Paper Mario, Fire Emblem, and Mario Tennis. I also agree that we won't be seeing a redesign anytime soon – the system is just starting to hit its stride, and Nintendo would be sabotaging any of the progress it’s made these past few months by releasing an upgrade so soon after. There's no doubt the system will be refreshed (and sometime in the near future, as history seems to dictate), but I don't think it will happen until ‘13.

There is also the impending announcement of Pokémon Gray. While I feel the game is more likely to be a DS title (considering the trio of which it is a part was designed for that handheld), 3DS's rough start and the upcoming release of the PS Vita may have convinced Nintendo to shift development over to its new handheld. In either case, the game will look almost identical to its two counterparts (and will boast some mild stereoscopic effects, a la Harvest Moon: The Tale of Two Towns 3D, if it is indeed released for 3DS). The "third" game in a generation is never drastically different from the duo that preceded it, and any more embellishments – like three-dimensional character models – would be a waste of resources, especially as Game Freak is no doubt already at work on the inevitable sixth generation.

KB:

So, in sum, 3DS will be firing on all cylinders until Wii U arrives around the late autumn mark. As the older generation gradually bows out of the race, it could prove risky putting so much pressure on 3DS to do most of the company’s heavy-lifting in 2012, but all potential teething problems aside, we have little doubt that Wii U will serve as a serious statement of intent from Nintendo as we go into ‘13.

This year’s E3 is definitely going to be one to remember.

Katharine Byrne and Kevin Knezevic are staff writers at Nintendojo.

______________________________________________________________________

Thanks for reading Part III of our "The Year Ahead" feature! Parts I and II can be found below.

Part I: The Xbox 360 Will Die before the 720 Comes Out

Part II:  Pinning All of Our Hopes on the Vita…for Better or Worse