E3 Nintendo Round-Up
It was mostly Nintendos… not many Nintendon’ts…
As the dust settles on another E3, all eyes, it seems, are on Nintendo. For the most part, viewers have come away a little disappointed and underwhelmed by the conference. There were some really high highs like Keanu of course but a lot of ‘meh’ content in between. Enter the Nintendo direct.
Unanimously Nintendo’s Nintendo Direct has been the highlight of this year’s E3. They gave the people exactly what they wanted and more, with gameplay and trailers of content players really want to see. If you missed it, I would recommend you go watch it, but if you prefer a quick recap and some thoughts about the Direct keep reading.
Luigi’s Mansion 3
We have known that there was going to be a 3rd game in the Luigi’s Mansion franchise for a little while now, however this was the first time that we got some solid gameplay and Gooigi, Luigi’s co-op partner in slime (ay get it?). Basically what Nintendo showed us, was that it’s not straying too far from the world already built in the first two games. It’s the same idea of Luigi, the brave stoic soul, battling his way to eliminate ghosts in creative and Ghostbuster-y ways. With the addition of Gooigi, though, we now get more ways to play with friends in coach co-op. Co-op doesn’t end there, however, as it seems Nintendo always loves a party mode, where now 8 players seem to be able to get involved in a competitive variation on the game. Seems very cool, probably going to be lots of fun.
Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has also been in the works for a while, no surprise to Nintendo fans, as Animal Crossing games (excluding Pocket Camp) always do really well. This time round you, the player, aren’t being chucked into a town as its mayor, or living in the shadow of a big city, you’re settling down on a deserted island surrounded by nature. From the trailers and gameplay it does look like you will be joined by some friendly faces, such as new friends and Tom Nook. You also won’t be seeing an angry face in the form of Mr Resetti, the angry mole dude who shouts at you when you forget to save before exiting the game, as auto-saving is now a feature of your tropical island life. I’m always excited to be given an opportunity to live a perfectly normal life in digital form, and I know others are too.
No More Heroes
Admittedly I’ve never really engaged with the No More Heroes franchise, although I have watched some gameplay here and there over the years. What you need to know is, uh, it’s coming back. Like pretty much everything on this list.
Pokemon Sword and Shield
I’m not being dramatic when I say Wooloo is my heart and soul and when Pokemon Sword and Shield does come out, I will make at least one account with just a team of Wooloos. Nothing else. I digress, Pokemon Sword and Shield has a lot of information floating about, in various forms of gameplay, trailers and press releases. From the general overview it seems that Sword and Shield will be 3D, massive and have a memorable cast of gym leaders. Sadly, it might not include your favourite Pokemon, as after a couple decades and several generations has led to hundreds if not over 1000 pocket monsters. It’s understandable though, there has to be a breaking point when it comes to encounters, of how many names a player, especially a new one might be able to understand. It’s a good marketing move, what can I say? Can’t say I’m not sad but at least I get Wooloo.
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild 2
I’m trying to forget that this trailer exists. Not because it wasn’t good, or because I’m not excited for the game. In fact, it’s for those reasons that I want to forget it! Breath of the Wild 2 is coming to Switch players some time in the future. When? We don’t know. Can you play as Zelda? We don’t know. Why did Hyrule Castle look like it was about to blast off into space? We don’t know! I still play the original Breath of the Wild today, it’s one of my all time favourite games and certainly my favourite in the Zelda series, I can’t wait to get some more of that world, but I want to forget about it so I can enjoy the games I have in the meantime.
Link’s Awakening Remake
Like this one! I never played the original Link’s Awakening. I love to go back and play some golden oldies but this was a little too far back for me to get into. The Link’s Awakening Remake is a perfect way for myself, and others of the same age, to go back to the roots of one of the most famous game franchises to ever exist. It’s taken on some beautiful graphics as well as letting the players make their own variations of dungeons to challenge their friends with. A welcome addition to the Zelda series indeed.
Astral Chain
The best game you’ll never play. I say that but it could be an instant classic for all I know. I might have to eat my hat, though, because I just get the feeling Astral Chain will be played by a very niche crowd. During E3 there was no one more consistent conference than Square Enix. It knows what it likes (anime), and does what it likes (anime). Astral Chain sort of feels like it would have slotted really well into a Square Enix box than just a plain Nintendo one. The simplest way you can describe this game, I feel, is you have a dog, a big scary dog that loves you but would fight anything else. This dog also doubles as pretty much anything else because it’s a really cool dog. This dog however, is so clever that you’re not just holding its leash, it’s got one on you to. If your dog gets booted across a stage, you do too. And Bob’s your uncle, you get Astral Chain. Sort of.
Banjo-Kazooie and Dragon Quest Heroes in Smash Ultimate
The moment we have all been waiting for. The highlight of the conference. Dragon Quest DLC for Smash… is unimportant, no one cared because your main boys Banjo-Kazooie are back. It’s been a while since we saw these friendly faces, even if Banjo’s eyes are weirdly glossy, but they were a good bet to have for the next DLC announcement. Phil Spencer, XBox’s face, has been pretty open about wanting Banjo-Kazooie in Smash for a while now, so it wasn’t a complete surprise. Even so, fans are delighted to be able to get their hands on their beloved bird-bear duo, even if it isn’t in traditional platforming.
There we have it folks, it might not be a perfect round up of Nintendo’s conference but reading this was shorter than the 43 minutes the conference took. Speaking of, you might actually want to go and watch the conference so I’ll leave a link just in case. I’m looking forward to the next couple years of hauling my Switch wherever I go, and dare I say, you should be to.
