NINTENDO E3 RECAP
NINTENDO E3 RECAP
Nintendo had quite an impressive E3 briefing. In keeping with their recent tradition, Nintendo broadcast a livestream Nintendo Direct, instead of physically hosting a briefing at an E3 stage. They showcased more than thirty titles, making a rather densely packed forty-five plus minute conference. First party games were absolutely the major focus of their livestream, with Legend of Zelda games, Animal Crossing, Mario Maker 2, Luigi’s Mansion 3, and Super Smash Brothers Ultimate featured predominately.
BOWSER
A fun segment near the beginning of the briefing, was the formal introduction of Doug Bowser, the new President of Nintendo America. They had a skit with Doug and a CGI Bowser on screen together, discussing the fact that they get mistaken for each-other frequently; a nice, light hearted way to introduce new leadership. Fully embracing the jokes about the Bowser name, and him (a Bowser) now being in charge of Nintendo itself, is a smart move.
SUPER SMASH BROTHERS ULTIMATE
Super Smash Brothers Ultimate had only two announcements, but they were magnificent. They opened the show with the first announcement. It was an official unveiling of Hero from the legendary JRPG series, Dragon Quest, being revealed as a character for Smash Brothers. Not only will Hero from the most recent entry be playable, but alternate skins of the various other versions of Hero from the series (complete with varying skills), will be playable. Smash Brothers, not to be undone, finally made the announcement that fans have been wanting for twenty years; Banjo-Kazooie in Smash Bros! In a landmark agreement between Nintendo and Microsoft (since Rare is owned by them), the two companies collaborated to get Banjo into Smash and make it feel as authentic as possible. This is huge for many reasons: one, it is an unprecedented collaboration between the two companies; two, Banjo is the very first character from a Western series to be added to Smash Bros; three, this sets up Banjo perfectly for getting a new entry into his own series going forward. (Hint, Hint!) Smash Bros invitations have been used by several dormant franchises to gain awareness and popularity for them, and to be used as a springboard for new entries in their respective sagas. Judging from the sheer euphoria of the internet interest and E3 crowds, Banjo is still incredibly loved and has a place in modern gaming (and perhaps a desire for that to happen further). I’m thinking this could definitely be the first step for Banjo returning with an all new game for Xbox (and maybe Switch) in the not distant future. People absolutely want one. If Banjo appearing in Smash, along with all the recent surge of merchandise and marketing are a sign, Xbox clearly still values the character and IP.
ANIMAL CROSSING
Animal Crossing: New Horizon’s was revealed along with some modest gameplay. The story will take place on a far away island as the villager will be helping Tom Nook develop a community on this island. Things such as pole-vaulting across rivers, paving roads, and other new actions have been added to this entry in the popular series. Along with a new trailer and gameplay, they announced a release delay to March 20, 2020. This was done to eliminate crunch. (Nintendo is proud of lack of crunch in their culture, view it as a much healthier and positive work environment.)
LUIGI'S MANSION
Luigi’s Mansion 3 had a new trailer and was given a release date of 2019. In this entry, Luigi, Mario, Peach, and other Mushroom Kingdom folks will be staying in a humongous hotel, which turns out to be quite haunted. As the main character, Luigi will be tasked with saving Mario, Peach, and the others when they are captured. In this title, Luigi has new combat abilities for dealing with the ghosts in the hotel. Another key new feature, is Luigi’s being able to make use of his doppelganger Gooigi, a Goo embodiment of Luigi. This Gooigi can be used to get through gates and traverse over spike traps. He does have a weakness to water, though, so keep an eye out for that when playing as the Gooigi.
LEGEND OF ZELDA
The Legend of Zelda had a very strong presence as well, with three titles in the legendary series shown. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening Remake was given heartwarming gameplay, combining the feel of children toy visuals with classic Legend of Zelda aesthetic. For those unaware, Link’s Awakening was an Original Gameboy title back in the early 90’s, and this is a modern, remake and reimaging of it. The game will be coming out later this year. The Legend of Zelda and Crypt of the Necrodancer crossover, Cadence of Hyrule, was given in depth gameplay showing and was announced as available June 13th, 2019. Cadence will be a rhythmic combat, music heavy, title featuring Link, Zelda, and the heroine from Crypt of the Necrodancer. To close their Nintendo Direct, they officially announced that a direct sequel to Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is in development, and showed a brief, haunting trailer.
NEW SWITCH TITLES
As for other Switch exclusive tiles, Daemon X Machina, Panzer Dragoon Remake, No More Heroes III, Astral Chain, Marvel Ultimate Alliance III, Mario & Sonic Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Super Mario Maker 2, Pokémon Sword/Shield, and Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics were discussed briefly. Pokémon had a small appearance, in large part due to its already having had its own Direct not long before E3. Among the new info for Pokémon was that the Poke-ball plus accessory will work with Sword/Shield, but not as a controller. It will be limited to taking Pokémon on walks and developing friendship with a given Pokémon. No More Heroes was officially revealed and given a 2020 release date. Super Mario Maker 2 announced online gameplay with friends, addressing a criticism for it’s being lacking at first unveiling.
THIRD PARTY PORTS
Concerning new ports of third party games, they officially announced Spyro Reignited Trilogy, Empire of Sin, Sinking City, Wolfenstein Youngblood, DOOM Eternal, Elder Scrolls Blades, Trials of Mana, Mana Collection, Witcher III, Resident Evil 5 & 6, Contra Rogue Corps, Contra Anniversary Collection, Dead by Daylight, Alien Isolation, Minecraft Dungeons, Ni No Kuni Remaster, and Hollow Knight: Silksong. The briefing definitely had a strong third-party presence, as more and more developers are porting their older games over to Switch, and considering Switch as a viable platform for new games as well. This is a direct 180 from the launch of Switch where third-party publishers avoided it like the plague. The importance of mobile gaming, and the viability of the Switch to help tether console gaming and mobile together, make it an extremely attractive option for gamers and developers.