Nintendo to show Metroid Prime 2 and Wind Waker 2 at pre-E3 conference

Two of the biggest GameCube titles of the year will join the Nintendo DS at the company's pre-E3 press conference in May, sources close to the company have revealed, with new Zelda and Metroid games both set to appear.

According to our source, attendees at the platform holder's pre-E3 press conference will be treated to a presentation of both Metroid Prime 2 - the highly anticipated sequel to Retro Studios' stupendous first-person action-adventure - and the next GameCube Zelda game, which was first mooted by Nintendo of Japan in late 2003 for release by the end of this year.

The same source was unable to confirm whether Mario 128, as the next Mario title has been dubbed in the media, would be on display. Nintendo itself has happily confirmed that the title is well on into development in the past, but has been reluctant to show it off - reportedly in case a competitor decides to cull its ideas.

When contacted earlier this afternoon, Nintendo Europe told us it "does not comment on rumours, especially Internet rumours," and hasn't made any announcements relating to its E3 showing at this time. Other, that is, than the planned unveiling of Nintendo DS.

The showing of key titles such as Wind Waker 2 and Metroid Prime 2 ought to silence critics who have claimed that Nintendo is winding down support for the GameCube in order to focus on the forthcoming Nintendo DS platform and even on its next-generation home console platform, N5.