Nintendo Direct Highlights Fans Can’t Stop Talking About
The Nintendo Direct is always a special time for the company’s fans. Occurring only a few times per year, each Direct is jam-packed with game announcements and trailers for Nintendo’s latest systems. It’s like a mini-E3 presentation. This September’s show featured a heaping helping of information from upcoming Nintendo Switch games. Here is a recap of the top highlights that caught people’s eyes.
A lot of story and world details arrived through the latest Xenoblade Chronicles 2 trailer, but the biggest news by far was that the game will make it to store shelves this year, December 1 to be exact. And in case you were wondering, the game still looks great, the story already shows amazing promise, and the characters seem fun. I’m intrigued by Rex and Pyra’s relationship, one between a frontline fighting Driver and a power-granting Blade.
Fire Emblem Warriors is getting a new playable character: the fan-favorite Lyn. Her inclusion is huge for several reasons. For one, Lyn is one of the protagonists from the first Fire Emblem game released in the West, making her a very nostalgic character. Her special attacks even replicate her animations from the Game Boy Advance game. Second, she is one of the few representatives outside Fire Emblem Fates and Fire Emblem Awakening to be confirmed, giving hardcore fans hope that more legacy characters will return.
Bethesda is a big deal for many gamers, but Nintendo has continuously missed out on the company’s offerings…until now. Following the E3 announcement of the Switch version of Skyrim, the Direct revealed that Bethesda is bringing two more of its hot properties to the system: DOOM and Wolfenstein II. The publisher’s support of the Switch is huge and will hopefully incite a revival of AAA third-party games on Nintendo consoles.
Back before the Switch had even come out, Square Enix unveiled that they were working on an RPG tentatively titled Project Octopath Traveler. This Direct finally fleshed the game out, revealing its new name to be…still Project Octopath Traveler. But at least now the name makes sense; the game stars eight different travelers, each with their own story path. Humorously enough, the developers describe the graphics as HD-2D, referring to the beautiful hand-drawn sprites and backgrounds. To many a surprise, Square Enix put out a demo on the same day, which you can now play in preparation for the exclusive Switch release in 2018.
With all the Switch hype, it’s easy to forget about the Nintendo 3DS, but the Direct revealed that there’s more for its reigning portable yet. The biggest reveal was that there would be at least two new Pokemon in the upcoming sequels, Pokemon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, bringing the total count to 804. UB Burst and UB Assembly, exclusive to Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon respectively, are the latest Ultra Beasts, special pseudo-legendary creatures. UB Burst resembles a clown-like jellyfish while UB Assembly looks like a fortress.
Another big 3DS game represented the surprise same-day launch announcement for this presentation. Mojang released its popular series Minecraft for the first time on 3DS. The franchise is a great match for the handheld, but a lack of online mode and a limited number of texture packs may dissuade even the most hardcore fans from picking it up. Still, touch screen support goes a long way, and younger gamers will likely appreciate Minecraft on yet another system.
One key highlight, or lowlight as it were, was that Nintendo would be releasing its retro games on the Switch. You’d be forgiven if you thought this was an announcement of a proper Virtual Console. Instead, Nintendo is digging deep into its vault to rerelease old arcade titles in a series called Nintendo Arcade Archives. Sure, some games like Punch-Out!! will be novel to many who have only played the NES version, but others like Mario Bros. and VS. Pinball aren’t much to get excited about. Hopefully, this is a sign that a true Virtual Console is coming!
The motion-controlled fighting game ARMS came and went on the Switch, almost forgotten once the hyped Splatoon 2 launched. Nintendo is trying to get people back in the game with the first new character, Lola Pop, a cute clown who can expand herself like a balloon. The company released it on the same day of the Direct, showing resolve in returning hype to the game. Whether it succeeds is to be determined, but I’m certainly enjoying the steady free DLC.
The previously announced Kirby game for Switch now has a name, Kirby Star Allies. As suspected, it looks like a nice blend between Kirby Super Star and Kirby 64, both fan-favorites. However, what caught everyone’s attention during the trailer was a ridiculously buff version of King Dedede. Clearly, Kirby’s long-time nemesis has been training because he is ripped. Hopefully, he can use his strong arms to finally clobber dat dere Kirby.
Finally, we come to Super Mario Odyssey, one of the most hyped games for the Switch, period. The Direct spent a substantial amount of time talking about this upcoming title, and my next article will go more in-depth on what’s new in Mario’s world. For now, here’s a GIF of what fans were eager to talk about, days after the Direct. No, it’s not about gameplay. It’s not even about the new worlds or transformations. It’s Mario’s nipples.
There were a lot more announcements during the Direct, but these were the most noteworthy highlights that excited, disappointed, and in the case of Dedede and Mario, confused people.
Source: Nintendo Direct
Alex Mateo is a lifelong gamer and a huge Nintendo fan. You can find his articles here and his gaming videos here.
