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Nintendo Direct At E3

Nintendo Direct At E3

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There had already been plenty of things going on in the rumour mill before Nintendo’s E3 presentation this year. From potential new Smash fighters to a portable version of Witcher 3, there were all sorts of whisperings going on. On top of that, there have been plenty of previously teased games that were yet to see any real coverage? How many of these would crop back up, and how many of the rumours would turn out to be true? And with so much ready to go before they even got started, would Nintendo have any other special treats to show off? Let’s find out…

A New Fighter Joins Smash

This one had been heavily rumoured before the reveal, to the point where it was more or less confirmed.  The Hero from Dragon Quest joined the battle in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate. The one detail that most people wouldn’t have expected was that we got a load of different iterations. While it was pretty cool to have a whole new series added to the mix, this one seems a little safe compared to Joker, the first DLC character, and I have to wonder if the game really needs five more Jarths added to the roster. Oh well, we can hope that the remaining 3 DLC characters up the ante. Personally, I’m holding out for Goku!

Luigi’s Mansion 3

Next up was Luigi’s Mansion 3, one that we knew was coming and thankfully it came with plenty of details, along with plenty more coverage on the Nintendo Treehouse.

The Dark Crystal – Age of Resistance Tactics

This one caught me by surprise. Not only because I wasn’t aware until now that Dark Crystal was coming to Netflix so soon, but because it seemed odd for a Netflix affiliated title to launch with a console that doesn’t run the Netflix app. Either way, I’m happy out on this one!

Link’s Awakening

It caught me totally off guard when it was revealed at the last Nintendo Direct and I was eager to see more this time around. The Playmobil-esque aesthetic is still looking great, and this time they showed off some added features for the new release. And did you see the new Amiibo? I can’t wait for September to roll back around so I can dip back into my first Legend of Zelda title!

Trials of Mana & Collection of Mana

This one is a bit of a two-for. First they announced a remake of the original Trials of Mana, followed by Collection of Mana, an compilation featuring the first three titles in the Mana series; Mystic Quest, Secret of Mana and the original Trials of Mana. The latter of the three is being released in the west for the first time as part of this collection.

The Witcher 3 Wild Hunt – Complete Edition

I’d heard the rumours on this one, but really couldn’t fathom Witcher 3 (hereafter referred to by the entirety of the internet as Switcher) running on Nintendo’s handheld. Even with cut down graphics, I imagined even the engine alone would pose issues, but here we are. The visuals have undoubtedly been toned down but on a smaller screen it may not be as noticeable. It might not be enough to make people give up their home console or PC versions of the game, but for anyone who hasn’t had a chance to play before now this is a welcome addition to the Switch’s catalogue.

Fire Emblem – Three Houses

Not many new details here. I expect it’ll be getting its own dedicated Nintendo Direct closer to its release on July 26th.

More Resident Evil

Resident Evil 5 and 6 will be joining Resident Evil 0, 1 and 4 on the handheld this autumn. They may not be the most popular titles in the series, but I’m hoping this continued support leads to a re-release of Code Veronica and Biohazard VII.

No More Heroes III

It seems Travis is back for a return to normality. Well, for a given value of normality when it comes to this series.

Contra Rogue Corps & Contra Anniversary Collection

Daemon X Machina

Another trailer for the anime mech exclusive. There’s a demo available now for anyone who’d like to try it. It’s fun, but I’m not sure if it would hold up its edge for the course of a full adventure.

Panzer Dragoon

Another one that I found surprising in an “Oh, that’s nice. I haven’t played that game in forever” kinda way. I heard a while back that this was getting a general release, but it had slipped my mind before the Direct. It was a lot of fun back in the day, so I’m curious to see how it holds up.

Astral Chain

More footage from the newest project at PlatinumGames. Yep. I’m hyped for this. I’m a sucker for anything Platinum release, especially when Kamiya is involved.

Empire of Sin

This one felt like it came from nowhere. Absolutely wasn’t expecting this sort of release from Romero Games (John and Brenda Romero’s new development studio in our very own Galway, for the 5 of you who didn’t know yet.) X-Com style gameplay and gangsters? Sign me up.

Marvel Dark Alliance 3

I’ve been all aboard this hype train for months. I wasn’t expecting it to happen, and I definitely wasn’t expecting it to happen with this amazing voice cast. Throw in a few new faces like Ghost-Spider and Miss Marvel and you can take my money. The character packs did make me a little wary of this turning into a DLC factory, but so long as the base game is well put together I can avoid any shoddy DLC.

Cadence of Hyrule

A little more info on the joint project between Nintendo and Brace Yourself games. We get to see a little more gameplay from the rhythm fighter and a release date to go along with it.

Mario & Sonic at the Olympics 2020

I was amazed when I first heard of the original iteration of this series and even though the games have generally been a load of fun, I’m surprised that the series is still going when it has competition from the likes of Mario Party, Mario Tennis, Mario Kart, Mario Decathalon, Mario Elephant Polo, etc, etc…

Animal Crossing New Horizons

Like young Jamshed Nahasapeemapetilon, I have waited for this day. Animal Crossing is a major timesink game for me and the new footage seems to have some fun new features for the series. It was disappointing to hear that it was getting delayed until March, but that’s probably better for my own safety.  That and it’s nice to know it won’t be rushed to release with a squad of developers facing major crunch. There’ll be more gameplay shown off at the Nintendo Treehouse over the next few days.

And at the Nintendo Treehouse…

Before closing out, Nintendo played a short reel crammed to the gills with trailer snippets. The majority of these were smaller titles that have been on the way for a while, had already been shown at E3, or that have just had release dates confirmed. Among them were the re-addition of Spyro Reignited Trilogy to the Switch lineup, with a release date set for September,  Silksong, Ni no Kuni, Minecraft Dungeons, The Elder Scrolls : Blades, My Friend Pedro, Doom: Eternal, The Sinking City, Wolfenstein Youngblood, Dead By Daylight, Alien Isolation, Crystal Chronicles, Gods & Monsters, Disgaea 4 Complete+, Oninaki, Dragon Quest IX S, Last Remnant Remastered, Romancing SaGa, Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, Dragon Quest Builders 2, Just Dance 2020, Stranger Things 3, Settlers of Catan, Super Lucky’s Tale, Dauntless and Super Mario Maker 2.

Phew, try listing all of those in one breath. Many of the titles mentioned will be shown in more depth at the Nintendo Treehouse running on Switch hardware. I’ll be particularly interested to see how Doom Eternal and Wolfenstein Youngblood compare to other consoles. I replayed the most recent Doom on Switch and I was very impressed with how it played. I don’t know if these releases are running on upgraded engines, but either way, it’s nice to see Nintendo’s little bundle of joy holding its own with its higher powered home console competitors. Pokémon Sword  and Pokémon Shield  will also have a large presence at the Treehouse with new monsters and features being shown off, despite making on the shortest of appearances in the main Nintendo Direct.

…Raring To Go!

Remember how I was disappointed with the last Super Smash Bros. Ultimate DLC reveal? Well…

Banjo and Kazooie will be joining the Smash.

Humanity’s reach exceeds its imagination.

Banjo-Kazooie on the good old Nintendo 64 was one of the first games that I loved. Like, loved loved. It holds a place in my heart right up there with Ocarina of Time. I always had some hope that we might see this day, but I never really expected it. Despite knowing that the ominous IP rights that people often mention when saying it could never happen are very similar to the ones that Diddy Kong falls under, I didn’t think there’d be more than a niche demand. Like, right now, I realise some of the people reading this are going to be below a certain age and have no clue who Banjo and Kazooie are. You poor souls.

So yeah, this is about the point when I flipped my lid on what had been a mostly low key E3 for me.

Now there are loads of listings appearing for a Banjo-Kazooie re-release. Once again, I return to hoping, but not for a second expecting.

And can I just add how sad I’ll be to see the last of these Super Smash Bros Ultimate reveal trailers when they’re all done? Every one of them has been a ton of fun.

But wait, there’s more.

Yep.

I think the Kong family can best express my feelings here.

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