Nintendo doesn’t do a stage show for E3 anymore, instead they release a pre-recorded Nintendo Direct video:
They’re putting Dragon Quest & Banjo-Kazooie characters characters into Smash. “Hero” from DQ this Summer, Banjo-Kazooie this Fall.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age: Definitive Edition is one heck of a game title. Apparently this is a re-release of an earlier game with additional stories, music, monsters you can ride (what?!), side-quests, and a ridiculous feature that lets you swap back to 16-bit pixelated sprites if that’s your deal. Coming out for the Switch on the 27rd of September.
Yoshiaki Koizumi introduced Doug Bowser, the new head of Nintendo of America, to talk about the Direct.
Watching this Luigi’s Mansion 3 trailer makes me miss the party games from the Wii-U. Luigi has a new Poltergust G-00 for absorbing and smashing ghosts or furniture. Gooigi is the gross counterpart for Luigi to play with, in co-op or alone. ScareScraper is an online/local 8-player co-op mode. It’ll be out some time later this year.
Apparently The Dark Crystal is getting a tactics game called Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance Tactics. The game is due late this year. Watching this trailer makes me think I’ve never seen that movie.
Zelda games are my jam and this Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening remake can’t get here soon enough, the new art style is fantastic, the dungeon builder looks like it could be fun if they let you share the dungeons you build. Really makes you wish for a Zelda Maker. It’ll be out for the Switch this September.
Do you love annoying anime voices? The third Mana-series game, Trials of Mana has a remake due for the Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows, early in 2020. It was never released here before, but oh boy does it have annoying anime voice-acting.
If you’re not satisfied with just a remake, all three original Mana games are bundled in a Collection of Mana that is out now on the Switch. The same collection has already been out for a few years in Japan.
The game that dared to pretend that it’s historically inaccurate to have people of color in a fantasy land that could have literally anyone or anything, including “Witchers,” Witcher III is getting a Switch port later this year.
Do all class reunions feature murder-sprees, and people talking without moving their mouths? That sword-whip thing is pretty awesome. Fire Emblem: Three Houses is out on July 26th. Maybe after this game is out Intelligent Systems can move back to the Advance Wars series, please?
Resident Evil 5 & 6 are headed to the Switch this Fall, 0, 1, and 4, are already out.
No More Heroes has been kicking around for a while now, and it’s got another third game headed for the Switch next year. It’s the appropriate platform for motion-controlled lightsaber charging.
I don’t know what a sequel to Contra should look like in 2019, but this probably isn’t it. Contra: Rogue Corps looks awful but maybe it’ll have some redeeming co-op qualities when it comes out on the 24th of September.
It’s the Contra Anniversary Collection with one good game, the arcade version nobody knows, and 8 other games that hardly anyone knows about. A 74-page eBook is included if you’re into reading that on your Switch. The good news is that this collection is out now if you’re super Hard Corps into Contra.
Daemon X Machina looks like good mech stomping and shooting if you’re down with that, though some of the environments look too simple. It’ll be out on the 13th of September for the Switch.
The fanfare at the beginning of this trailer is a real treat to hear again. Panzer Dragoon is getting a remake by Forever Entertainment and it’ll be out on the Switch this Winter. While looking up some info on the 1996 Saturn original I found out about a Japan-only Game Gear Panzer Dragoon Mini that looks incredibly bad. The developer previously announced a remake of the second Panzer Dragoon, but there are no details about that one yet.
The first Pokemon Pokemon Sword & Shield are due out on November 15th, and players will be able to embiggen some Pokemon with their Dynamax forms that make them huge. There are a bunch of other details in this Treehouse video above.
Megacities, extra-dimensional invaders, and it’s from Platinum so you know it’s all action. August 30th for Astral Chain.
Romero Games is making Empire of Sin, a 1920’s inspired isometric mafia game that looks a little like old GTA games. Spring 2020, presumably for more than just the Switch.
People keep saying this game looks bad, and honestly I don’t see it. Marvel Ultimate Alliance 3: The Black Order is due out on July 19th. Of course, this is a 2019 game so it has an “Expansion pass” with “content from” Marvel Knights, X-Men, and Fantastic Four. Hopefully there won’t be loot boxes.
I didn’t get a chance to write about this when it was first announced, but it’s pretty awesome that Nintendo gave their Link and Zelda characters to the developer behind Crypt of the Necrodancer who have made this, Cadence of Hyrule. Just like Necrodancer, Cadence has a unique rythmn-based movement and attack system. This game comes out today, June 13th.
There’s another Olympics coming up, so of course Mario and Sonic have to compete for olympic game dominance. It’ll be on the Switch in November.
Animal Crossing is an amazing game that I’m so happy has found it’s audience in the US. Unfortunately, the first Switch version, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, is delayed until March 20th, 2020. I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait. The Treehouse folks have more information and some more gameplay with the developers here:
At this point the Direct switched over to a montage showing some more games, here’s a quick list:
Spyro: Reignighted Trilogy, it’s just the remaster of the original games that is already out on other platforms. September 3rd.
Hollow Knight: Silksong is the sequel to Hollow Knight, and it’s ?”coming soon” to Windows, macOS, Linux, and the Nintendo Switch.
Ni No Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch is getting remastered for the Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows. The remastered version is out on September 20th.
We saw Minecraft Dungeons at the Microsoft Xbox event first, but the Diablo-like is also headed for the Switch so it made it into this montage. Spring 2020.
The Elder Scrolls: Blades is still due for the Switch this Fall. It’s still a free-to-play garbage game.
My Friend Pedro looks like a very fun side-scrolling action game. You can parkour on June 20th for the Switch or Windows via Steam.
Doom Eternal is “coming soon” for the Switch according to Nintendo, it’s out on other platforms on the 22nd of November but maybe Bethesda doesn’t want to commit to a release date for the lowest of tech specs on this generation.
The Sinking City is our requisite Lovecraft game. Can’t go through an event without one. You can sink with the city on June 27th for Windows, Xbox One, or PlayStation 4. The Switch version has a “This Fall” release window.
Wolfenstein: Youngblood won’t look like that trailer on the Switch, that’s the trailer for other consoles. It’s still out on July 26th.
Dead by Daylight looks like the 3DO port of a PSP game, September 24th. I’ll be amazed if this one runs well and gets a good review from any outlet.
Alien Isolation is getting a Switch port later this year. The “Not Actual Gameplay” note at the bottom of the screen is doing a lot of work for what will probably be the PSP port of the PS4 version.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is out “This Winter” for the Switch, PlayStation 4, iOS, and Android.
Dragon Quest Builders 2 is out on July 12th. That’s the PlayStation 4 trailer.
Stranger Things 3 gets this retro-styled game on the 4th of July.
Time can’t go by without a new Just Dance. Just Dance 2020 is out on the 5th of November, presumably for every platform that exists. Why is there a Cheeseburger on the official website for Just Dance 2020?
Asmodee Digital is dragging their Catan port out for the Switch on June 20th. Nintendo could not be bothered with a trailer on their youtube channel.
New Super Lucky’s Tale is out this Fall. I have no interest in this game based on the history of it with Oculus.
Dauntless, the only thing I know about this game is that it is extremely cross-platform and it’ll be out on the Switch very late this year. Looks like sci-fi Monster Hunter.
Super Mario Maker 2 is out on the 28th of June. That’s real soon.
After Mario Maker 2, the montage ended and out came the teaser for Banjo-Kazooie in Smash. Eventually we will all be characters in Smash.
The “one more thing” was a teaser for a sequel to Breath of the WIld. I loved that first game. It sucks that Hyrule can’t get a break from the constant takeovers, but their loss is our gain.
Overall
There was no new hardware, no more information on Metroid but it’s probably too soon, no Star Fox, no 3DS games. I’m glad they’re taking the time to make Animal Crossing good, and as much as Nintendo has missed the mark on online, they’re also working to correct some mistakes:
Some people love to speculate that Nintendo should be bought by a tech company like Apple, or Sony or Microsoft, but I think that would be bad news. A company like that might help Nintendo exploit their characters better and get more games out on a shorter timeline, but that isn’t what is best for the developers or the games or us. We don’t need a yearly 3D Mario game driven into the ground until it turns into dust like Tony Hawk was.
This Direct, and the delay with Animal Crossing, are hopefully a demonstration of how much some people at Nintendo care about quality. Word is that this delay is so the Animal Crossing team aren’t crunching as much. Maybe that’s bullshit, but if it’s true, it’s great. You be you, Nintendo. Employees, get unionized, there’s always something that needs improving.
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