My Nintendo E3 2017 Presence Thoughts and Opinions.
If you prefer to listen/watch, here is the YouTube link:
Hello Readers,
Welcome to TheSmartOjus blog, today we will be talking about my thoughts and opinions on Nintendo’s E3 2017 presence.
During the week of June 11th, the event known as Electronic Expo, E3, was held. At this event, gaming companies announced and showcased many of their upcoming games. A major participant for this occasion was, Nintendo, who had an overall presence all over E3 for their Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS platforms. I will be talking about the games we saw for the Nintendo systems at the event, the amiibo they showcased, and my thoughts on their presence this year.
The Games
At this year’s E3 for both Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo showcased a total of 23 games, which includes both first party and third party software. Of those 23 games, a majority of them were for the Switch, and a few for the 3DS. I am intrigued by the games for both systems, but mostly for Switch, so let us begin with that.
Nintendo Switch
For the Nintendo Switch, there were a total of 19 games showcased for Nintendo’s E3 presence this year. Most of these games being first party but there were also quite a few third party games showcased. Since I am a huge Nintendo fan, I am interested in most of the games shown, so I will be talking about a majority of those 19 games. Let’s begin by looking at all the first party Nintendo Switch announcements.
First Party
There were 12 first party Nintendo Switch announcements and showcases at the event that were shown through the Nintendo Spotlight, Nintendo Treehouse, or the tournaments. Of those 12 games, I have an interest in 10.
- Arms (June 16, 2017): We saw a very small snippet of Arms at the beginning of the spotlight, and then we had a full showcase of the game on Wednesday June 14th through the tournament and an exhibit on treehouse. We saw a lot more gameplay, and various strategies and skills from various players. Even Mr. Yabuki, the producer of the game, played against the winner of the tourney and he kicked Zerk’s butt! Yabuki-San showcased what the true potential of Arms can be in the competitive scene. We also saw the unveiling of two free DLC updates coming later this month and next month. For the month of June, Arms will be receiving a spectator mode update, and in July it will be receiving a new character, Mr. Brass. There is so much lore to Mr. Brass, and he looks really OP, or at least Mr. Yabuki was OP with him. Arms had a fair amount of presence at E3, and I will for sure be buying the game next month when I buy my Switch.
- Splatoon 2 (July 21, 2017): Just like Arms, Splatoon 2 received a brief few seconds at the start of the Spotlight, had a tournament, and was shown on treehouse multiple times. Through the tournament, we were able to see how much more balanced the game is for competitive play, the new maps, how abilities have been nerfed/buffed and the new changes to each ranked mode and weapons. We saw 4 professional Splatoon teams, from all over the world, play the game against each other, and the level of skill between all the players was amazing. Shout-out to the team that won, Deadbeat, they deserve the trophy and medals they received. We also saw gameplay of Salmon Run, and the Campaign mode through the treehouse. Both the modes look very great, and are full of gameplay, especially the story mode. One of major complaints of Splatoon 1 was the short and lacking story mode, but for Splatoon 2, it looks like they are going all in. As for Salmon Run, it looks absolutely fun and chaotic; it will be a great co-op game to play with friends locally and online. I love the fact that the developers of this game are making it very competitive friendly, and overall Splatoon 2 is shaping up to be a stellar game. I am looking forward to July 21st to get back into competitive Splatoon.
- The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild DLC Packs 1/2(June 30, 2017/Holiday 2017): We received an update on the DLC packs for TLoZ:BoTW in the spotlight, and we saw gameplay of the first DLC pack on treehouse. The gameplay of cave of trials looks really cool and hard, it is going to be a tough one to beat. The new hard mode also looks amazing, the difficulty has been amped right from the start and it’s going to be a tough one to finish. All the other features of pack 1 are just the cherry on top. As for DLC pack 2, we know it’s called The Champions Ballad, and my best guess is that it will be stories and gameplay of all the champions in the game. When I buy Zelda for Switch, I will be sure to buy the season pass for the DLC packs.
- Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle (August 29, 2017): We saw the majority of this game on Ubisoft’s presentation, a small clip for it on the spotlight, and a showcase on the treehouse. The biggest surprise for me was the fact that Mario + Rabbids actually work. The game looks absolutely amazing, and its looks like it has very promising XCOM style gameplay. All the Rabbids, weapons, and level designs look cute and amazing. You can really see the amount of passion that went into this game, and that’s one of the reasons I will be buying this game on August 29th.
- Super Mario Odyssey (October 27, 2017): We received a wonderful and majestic trailer for this game in the spotlight, it was the major attraction on Nintendo’s show floor, and it had a few slots on treehouse. This game looks absolutely phenomenal, the idea of capturing other objects and beings as Mario, I would have never guessed that was the new mechanic. I love the fact the game is taking an open world formula approach, as in we aren’t being transported to other areas through a hub world. From getting a power moon just for playing jump rope with the humans, to getting power moons from hardcore 3D Mario platforming, the game has everything. It even has outfits for Mario to cosplay as various themed things, and that is amazing. The cherry on top of all of this is the fact that the game is releasing on October 27th, that’s huge! You all can bet you butts off, that I will be purchasing this game on release day for sure, as I can’t wait to explore these new Super Mario worlds and just have fun capturing things.
- Fire Emblem Warriors (Fall 2017): This game had an information heavy trailer in the spotlight, and a few exhibits on treehouse. The games looks really great, and all the heroes look amazing, the gameplay looks like the awesome warriors gameplay I love. I got into the warriors franchise with Hyrule Warriors, and now I am planning on buying Fire Emblem Warriors this fall. I can’t wait to be able to understand more of the Fire Emblem universe.
- Kirby (2018): There was a first look trailer for a new Kirby game in the Spotlight. The game looks really gorgeous and the multiplayer aspect looks really fun. All the levels, and power ups looked great and intuitive. I am really excited play and see more of this game in 2018, and maybe even find out its official name in the future.
- Yoshi (2018): We saw a trailer for a new Yoshi game in the spotlight, and there was a showcase for the game on treehouse. The game looks absolutely cute and beautiful with its paper crafts art style and it seems to be taking inspiration from Wolly World. The gameplay looks really fun, and the idea of there being two sides to a story, or two sides to a level is awesome. The concept of interacting with objects and enemies in the foreground looks to be an intriguing gameplay element and I can’t wait to play this game in 2018.
- Pokemon (TBA): In the spotlight, we received a confirmation from The Pokemon Company that Gamefreak is indeed developing a core RPG Pokemon game for the Nintendo Switch. We unfortunately didn’t see a trailer, or even a logo, just a confirmation. I can’t get too hype for this as nothing was shown, but just knowing that it’s coming to the Switch makes me happy.
- Metroid Prime 4 (TBA): In the spotlight, we also received confirmation that Metroid Prime 4 is in development for the Nintendo Switch, as well as a logo. I am more of a fan of 2D metroidvanias, so it didn’t catch my eye that much. Just like with Pokemon, no gameplay was shown, so I don’t have much excitement, but I am glad it’s in development.
Those are all the first party games I am interested in for the Nintendo Switch. The switch has one first party game releasing every month for the rest of the year, that’s no small feat; Nintendo is putting in the work to make switch successful. I am very excited to play most of the first party Nintendo Switch games coming out this year and next year.
Third Party
Alongside the first party announcements, there were a total of 7 third party announcements as well. Of the 7 third party announcements, I am interested in 5 of them.
- Sonic Mania (August 15. 2017): This game was playable on the show floor, and I am excited to see classic sonic receive a refresh. They have made the game much better in terms of gameplay mechanics, and I can’t wait to play this game and feel a blast from the past on August 15th.
- Skyrim for Nintendo Switch (Fall 2017): Skyrim was showcased mainly at Bethesda’s conference and had a small glimpse in the spotlight. I have yet to play Skyrim, and the fact that it’s coming to Switch is awesome. To know that not only will I be able to play the game on the go, but I will also be able to use Zelda amiibo to unlock clothing and weapons is amazing. I am very excited to get my hands on this game in the fall.
- Rocket League (Holiday 2017): We found out about this game through the spotlight. I still haven’t played this game and I am glad I haven’t, as now I will be able to play the game on the go. It will also be receiving local coop play, exclusive customization features, and exclusive cars, which is amazing. The fact that it has cross network play is jaw-breaking, and I can’t wait to play soccer with cars during the holiday.
- Sonic Forces (Holiday 2017): We received a new trailer for the game, and it was playable in the Nintendo Booth. From both the trailer and the gameplay videos, I am very excited for all three modes the game has to offer. The modern sonic gameplay is very fast and it looks very fun, the classic style gives a new and modern take on that play style. I especially love the 3D look and feel the classic stages have. Finally, the OC hero mode, this has so many specific power-ups and gadgets, it looks so much fun and it has layers of gameplay. I am looking forward to going very fast this holiday.
- StarLink: Battle for Atlas (Fall 2018): We found out about this game at the Ubisoft conference. It looks really cool and the idea of being able to change your spaceship through a toy to life method is jaw breaking. The levels and the spaceships all look awesome, and this will be a day one purchase for my Nintendo Switch next year.
Those are all the third party games I am excited to see more of and purchase this year as well as next year. All of the third party support Switch is receiving so far is amazing, and I hope to see more in the future.
Overall, I am pumped up and ready to purchase 15 of the 19 games coming to Nintendo Switch throughout this year and next year. I am really looking forward to making the time to play all of these amazing games.
Nintendo 3DS
As we all know, the Nintendo 3DS is having lots of life being pumped into it by Nintendo and third parties. At E3 we found out about a total of 5 3DS games, and of those 5 I am interested in 3, and all 3 of those are first party titles.
First Party
- Miitopia (July 28, 2017): Treehouse showcased this during E3. If you took Tomodachi Life and Miitomo and added RPG style gameplay to them, you would have Miitopia. Miitopia is a fun and wacky game that makes one laugh at the various personalities characters have. The game looks to be very adventurous and has quite a lot of strategy. The game feels like a more robust version of the Find Mii game on 3DS streetpass, and that was one of my favorite streetpass games. I can’t wait to play Miitopia on July 28.
- Metroid: Samus Returns (September 15, 2017): This game was revealed on the first hour of treehouse through the legend himself, Reggie Fils Aime. Like I said, I love 2D metroidvanias so when I saw this, my jaw dropped because I couldn’t believe what my eyes were seeing. A fully fledged 2D Metroid with a map, with all of Samus’ awesome abilities, and unlockables, I nearly had a heart attack. The game looks to be a phenomenal remake of Metroid 2, and I can’t wait to morph into a ball on September 15th.
- Mario & Luigi Superstar Saga + Bowsers Minions (October 6, 2017): This is another game we found out about through the treehouse. I am a huge fan of the Mario & Luigi RPG series, so when I saw this I was really excited. Superstar Saga is one of my favorite games in the series, so for it to receive a remake is awesome. The addition of Bowsers Minions is really great, as now we can play as evil characters, especially the Goombas. The remake looks to be shaping up really great and I am looking forward to defeating enemies as a Goomba on October 6th.
Those are all the 3DS games shown at E3 that I am looking forward to playing later this year. Now that we see the games for 3DS, it makes more sense why Nintendo is still pushing that system, and hopefully everyone who either has or buys a 3DS enjoys all the games coming to it.
Out of the 24 games showcased at E3, I am interesting in purchasing 18 of those games for my Nintendo Switch and Nintendo 3DS. It’s quite the amazing year for software on Nintendo platforms, especially Switch since it is literally receiving one first party game every month for the rest of the year. I am definitely a Nintendo fan, and I will be enjoying most of the games they release this year.
The Amiibo
If E3 2017 is any indication, Nintendo is going full swing on Amiibo as it makes them a ton of cash. At the event 13 new amiibo, that will be releasing throughout the year, were announced and showcased. Alongside the new ones, 13 already announced amiibo, that will be releasing this month and next month, were showcased as well. Of the 13 new Amiibo I am interested in purchasing the Mario Odyssey ones, and the Metroid: Samus returns figures. Of the 13 amiibo we already knew of, I am interested in buying the Splatoon 2 ones, and both the smash bros. Bayonetta ones. I look forward to all of these amiibo and future amiibo announcements. I am definitely not an Amiibo collector but for those who are, their wallets will be empty by the end of this year.
The Quality of Nintendo’s E3 2017 Presence
Nintendo had a pretty great presence at E3 this year as they were able to find ways to stay relevant throughout the week. Through most of the other conferences they either received a mention or a nod, Fifa 18 with EA, A nod at the Xbox conference with Minecraft cross-network play, Skyrim with Bethesda, and Mario + Rabbids with Ubisoft. They were able to keep themselves in peoples mind even before their spotlight. Then we had the Nintendo Spotlight on the morning of June 13th, and it was very well paced and was just about one thing, games and only games. After the spotlight, Nintendo held their Nintendo Treehouse live stream during all three days of E3. Through this treehouse they were able to showcase and conduct interviews with developers and producers for their respective games. They also used treehouse as a way to introduce 3DS games coming out later this year. Finally, Nintendo held three tournaments, for the games Splatoon 2, Pokken, and Arms. All of these tournaments showcased what all the games have to offer, and were really fun to watch. The commentators did a very great job during the tourneys and all the players, for their respective tourney, did very well and represented their game in full force. All of this combined together makes me give Nintendo, for the first time in quite the few years, an A+ for their E3 2017 presence.
At this year’s E3, Nintendo proved why it is I will be buying a Nintendo Switch soon. There are games releasing for it every month that I want to play. Nintendo has done a great job of convincing me to make my wallet empty by the end of this year and I hope that they did the same for others as well. Whether you are a huge Nintendo fan, like me, and are going to be purchasing most of Nintendo’s games this year, or are a gamer looking forward to Mario Odyssey, I hope you all enjoy what Nintendo has to offer for this year and the future.
Thanks for reading! :D
Be sure to check out my other E3 2017 opinion articles:
Sony: https://medium.com/@TheSmartOjus/my-playstation-e3-2017-conference-thoughts-and-opinions-fd36a4465af
Microsoft: https://medium.com/@TheSmartOjus/my-xbox-e3-2017-conference-thoughts-and-opinions-41fdd01e8b6c
Third Parties: https://medium.com/@TheSmartOjus/my-third-party-e3-2017-thoughts-and-opinions-a16bf7f4725d
Links to Social Media:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheSmartOjus
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/The_Smart_Ojus-128805494363302/
