Everything From Today’s Nintendo Direct
Nintendo held its most recent direct earlier today, during a time when tensions within their community are on the rise. The 38 minute-long presentation showed off a flurry of highly anticipated titles and clarified just what fans can expect in the next few months. Here is everything that was presented during the newest Nintendo Direct.
1. Overwatch is Coming to Switch October 15th
The popular online team-based shooter is making its way onto the Nintendo Switch, confirming early leaks of the news just before the direct began. It’s been a little more than three years after its initial launch, but Nintendo and Blizzard are committed to providing a fresh experience with new features like motion-controlled aiming and a portable experience.
2. Luigi’s Mansion Drops On Halloween
The anticipated third installment of the Luigi’s Mansion series will be released on October 31st, 2019. The Direct revealed several floors(which are essentially levels): Mezzanine, Castle MacFrights, Garden Suites, Tomb Suites, The Dance Hall, and The Spectral Catch. A new mode, ScreamPark, was also revealed to be a party mode where two teams of four (eight players in total!) can play either online or local multiplayer with a single Switch in a series of games including ghost hunting and coin collecting.
3. Super Kirby Clash is Available Today
Everybody’s favorite beginner-friendly Super Smash Bros. character is starring in a new free-to-start co-op boss brawler where you can either play alone or with friends to join forces against a series of powerful bosses from throughout Kirby’s long history of games by equipping powerful gear and taking on specific classes to form a balanced team.
4. Game Freak’s Little Town Hero Will Drop on October 16th
The mysterious passion project from Game Freak has finally been given a few more details. Specifically, the game’s unique strategy-based combat was showcased, highlighting the mechanic by which townsfolk will assist in combat when called upon. The game is available to pre-purchase beginning today!
5. Banjo-Kazooie is Playable, and Fatal Fury’s Terry is in Development!
Sakurai and everybody on the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate team took the stream by storm when they announced the newest fighter, Banjo-Kazooie, is already available to play in the game! Sakurai even held a small showcase of the character immediately following the Direct. If that wasn’t enough, they announced the fourth DLC fighter from the Challenger Pack: Terry from Fatal Fury. 90s kids everywhere are clapping. The final bit of Super Smash Bros. news came when they announced even more fighters outside of the initial five from the Challenger Pack will be coming. These fighters will not be included in the Challenger Pack and must be purchased separately when the time comes.
6. Link’s Awakening Remake Arrives September 20th
The remake to one of The Legend of Zelda’s best handheld titles will be remade into a modern title this month. This new-and-improved version will feature enhanced stylized visuals that have already become extremely popular, while still retaining most of the original’s charm and gameplay. The Chamber Dungeon is the series’ first shot into the world of customization with their dungeons. Tiles collected through normal gameplay can be used to create unique dungeons, which can then be stored into amiibos and be played anywhere!
7. Pokémon Sword & Pokémon Shield is Dropping November 15th
With the Pokémon community up in arms regarding several issues highlighted throughout the production of these upcoming titles, Nintendo and the Pokémon company had to come out swinging in this direct. They emphasized the amazing character customization system, providing players with the most freedom the series has ever seen! From hats to shoes, from hairstyles to makeup, there seems to be plenty of opportunities to show off a little personality. Pokémon Camp acts as this game’s quirky feature where we’re allowed to play with our Pokémon, much like Pokémon-Amie and the Poké Pelago before it. Players can enjoy benefits (which weren’t explicitly explained) by camping out with their Pokémon and up to three other friends. A cooking mechanic was introduced via the region-favorite curry dishes, which can be uniquely transformed into one of one-hundred different varieties depending on the ingredients used. Several new Pokémon were also revelead. The ghost-type Polteageist and its Weak Armor ability, along with the water/flying-type Cramorant and its unique Gulp Missle ability were shown off.
8. Super Nintendo Games are FINALLY Here!
Well, actually, the roster of twenty amazing titles are schedules to drop tomorrow (September 5th). The games available at launch are: BRAWL BROTHERS, Breath of Fire, Demon’s Crest, F-Zero, Joe & Mac 2: Lost in the Tropics, Kirby’s Dream Course, Kirby’s Dream Land 3, Pilotwings, Star Fox, Stunt Race FX, Super E.D.F. EARTH DEFENSE FORCE, Super Ghouls’n Ghosts, Super Mario Kart, Super Mario World, Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island, Super Metroid, Super Puyo Puyo 2, Super Soccer, Super Tennis, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past. Nintendo Switch Online members will also be able to enjoy a new, USB-chargeable SNES controller ($29.99) dropping at a later date.
9. Animal Crossing New Horizons Arrives March 3rd, 2020
The newest Animal Crossing will also be the first entry to be released on home consoles. This is a huge leap in itself, but the development team behind the game refused to allow that to be the only innovation. An entire crafting system has been implemented, changing the fundamental way players experience the world. Most other systems remain the same, with a few quality of life improvements and even a few achievements to work towards!
10. Xenoblade Chronicles — Definitive Edition is Coming in 2020
Arguably one of the best Xenoblade games is coming to the Switch in its definitive version. Not much was talked about, but this classic title originally released back nearly a decade ago in 2010 speaks for itself. The enhanced visuals alone are sure to persuade most (me)to pick this title up again.
Those were ten of the biggest and most surprising headline titles that were featured in the direct. But Nintendo was not shy and kept it going with a hefty roster of upcoming projects. Here is a complete list of upcoming titles in chronological order:
Divinity: Original Sin 2 — Definitive Edition (September 4th, 2019)
Deadly Premonition: Origins (September 4th, 2019)
Tetris 99 (2.0) (Digital: September 5th, 2019//Physical: September 6th, 2019)
NBA 2k20 (September 6th, 2019)
DAEMON X MACHINA (Prologue Demo: September 4th, 2019//Full Game: September 13th, 2019)
GRID Autosport (September 19th, 2019)
Devil May Cry 2 (September 19, 2019)
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch (September 20th, 2019)
Star Wars: Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast (September 24th, 2019)
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age S — Definitive Edition (September 27th, 2019)
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt — Complete Edition (October 15th, 2019)
Call of Cthulhu (October 18th, 2019)
Vampyr (October 29th, 2019)
Just Dance 2020 (November 5th, 2019)
Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games (November 5th, 2019)
Doom 64 (November 22nd, 2019)
Return of the Obra Dinn (Fall 2019)
Farming Simulator 20 (December 3rd, 2019)
Assassin’s Creed: Rebel Collection (December 6th, 2019)
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE Encore (January 17th, 2020)
Trials of Mana Remake (April 24, 2020)
Deadly Premonition 2: A Blessing in Disguise (2020)
Rogue Company (2020)
Dauntless (Coming Soon)
The Outer Worlds (Coming Soon)
